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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 6102650" data-attributes="member: 4937">There are so many ways to go with this I don't know where to begin.   First of all, didn't you say 'non-standard magical treasure'?  Why are you just looking at standard resources?1) There is a basically untouched fairie grotto under the house.  The resident is an earth spirit or fairy creature or genie of some sort whom advices the owner of the house where to dig to find treasure provide the grotto is not damaged and occasionally brings a gift such as good wine or other boon the spirit cannot actually acquire himself.   Bonus fairy tale points if the inhabitat is actually under a curse, and this is not his/her true form.2) There is an ancient temple under the house, dedicated to some diety of earth and treasure.  The diety willingly offers boons to those that offer sacrifices in the temple, and spells of a particular domain cast there are more efficacious than normal.  The temple is guarded over by a some sort of outsider or spirit being.3) The cavern is the meeting point of several powerful lay lines, and a wizard long ago learned how to harnass them and built a stone circle inside the cavern.  Spells cast within the cave with the Earth descriptor are more powerful than normal, with greater than normal caster level or much amplified range or duration.4) There is a magical spring within the grotto, which slowly fills a pool with water at the rate of say 1 gallon per month.  The pool contains about 100 gallons of water.  Anything dipped within the pool turns to silver, at the rate of 1lb of material convert to 1lb of silver per one pound of uncontamenated water.  Magical pools like this are Gygaxian, and they can do pretty much anything you want.  For example, the contents of the pool can be a potion (potion of treasure finding?) or the undisturbed pool may be used as a crystal ball a certain number of times a day.  You could have several in the grotto if you like, with different refill rates and uses to discover.5) The cavern is an ordinary mine.  A seam of valuable material intersects the cavern and can be worked.6) The cavern also contains an ancient crypt, the burial place of a long line of nobles.  The ancestoral spirts of the household may be contacted here, and their knowledge pool as if querying a most learned sage about the surrounding lands.  Additionally, the spirits of the crypt have certain magical powers to protect the house.  There may be a shrine in the house above providing for the worship of ancestors, or one in the cavern itself.7) The cavern is haunted by a ghost with a disposition that is not particularly hostile.  The ghost can, if befriended, provide useful aid.8) There are far dangerous reaches of the caves where monsters can be fought.  However, the bodies of these monsters are themselves valuable.9) The far reaches of the caves allow entrance to the underdark, and there is a small clan of Pech living there which will trade goods valuable on the surface for things much less valuable on the surface - say adamantium for wine or other surface foods - at a profitable rate.  However, there is a limited number of trade goods available per time period.Any and/or all of the above at the same time.  If you want mechanical ideas, select things that are of interest to you and I'll help you work it out.Also, consider the following spell from my own library:DowsingDivinationLevel: Wiz/Sor 1Components: S, FCasting Time: 1 roudRange: Extreme (400 ft. + 100 ft./level)Area: Cone-shaped emanationDuration: Concentration, up to 1 min./level (D)Saving Throw: NoneSpell Resistance: NoYou can detect mineral deposits, including metals and subterrainian water.  The amount of information revealed depends on how long you study a particular area.  You can only douse for one different mineral at a time, and you must use a focus suitable for the material being sought after.     1st Round: Presence or absence of minerals within range of the spell (in the direction the douser is facing, one facing per round of study).   This requires a DC 12 scry check, failure means ambigious sensation.  This check, if it fails is, retriable once per minute.2nd Round: Exact direction of the mineral deposit in question.   This requires a DC 14 scry check, retriable once per minute.   It is also possible to triangulate a direction by wandering about and changing facing until you can no longer sense the material.3rd Round: Approximate distance to the mineral deposit in question.  This requires a DC 16 scry check, retriable once per minute.  It is also possible to determine distance experimentally by the simple expedient of walking toward the mineral until you know longer feel its presence in front of you.Different materials require foci made from different materials, usually a forked or bent stick either held or suspended on a thread – collectively referred to as dowsing rods.  You must keep a firm grip on the focus during the spell or the spell ends.  You may not trade foci while concentrating on the spell, but you may independently look for each of the sorts of materials a particular focus is sensitive to.</blockquote>

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