How do you handle gems as a GM?

[Andvari]

Let's say the party finds a treasure trove containing an onyx worth 50 gp and 2 jades each worth 75 gp. What do you tell the party?

 

[billd91]

I used to do more along the lines of "an onyx and two opals" without the valuation, but it's just easier to tell them the value rather than have them make an appraisal roll (solution from earlier editions) or have to take them to a jeweler for an appraisal. Then they can keep track of their own loot and divide it themselves without further work from me.

 

[payn]

I just say how much they are worth. Any game discovering the worth or haggling to sell is just a boring distraction from getting on with the game.

I’ll note I’m a recovering simulationist so that kind of consideration isnt one I value any longer. I get the interest tho.

 

[The Soloist]

I accept any jewelry or gems the players give me as payment for my hard work providing them with excellent adventures.

 

[Theory of Games]

I'd describe the gems (color, size) and OOC allow PCs skilled in Appraisal or something close (being a Dwarf) to make a roll to determine the gems' approximate (what it's worth and what they can actually sell it for are often different) value.

 

[CleverNickName]

I voted for the third option. It usually goes like this at my table:

DM: "You find three gems."
Bob: "Do they look valuable?"
DM: "Make an Intelligence (Nature) check."
Bob: (rolls) "Ugh, five."
DM: "You can't tell for sure, they might be valuable, or they might be cut glass."
Joe: "Can I try?"
DM: "Maybe. What are you going to do differently?"
Joe: "Um...I'm proficient with gemcutting tools, I know a little more about gems than Bob does."
DM: "Sure, roll a Intelligence (Gemcutting) check."
Player: (rolls) "Sixteen?"
DM: "These are definitely valuable. One is an onyx worth 50gp, and the other two are opals worth 75gp each."

 

[Xamnam]

I'm always naming the different types, but depending on how much energy I have and where in the evening we are, I might parcel out individual values, or just combine them all into a lump sum.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Let's say the party finds a treasure trove containing an onyx worth 50 gp and 2 jades each worth 75 gp. What do you tell the party?

Nowadays? The second one. Back in the day, the first one or even "you find three gems" (before having someone work to identify them). Pretty much never the rest.

I think saying what they are and how much they're worth strikes a balance between excessive time-wasting over people having to identify them and their value, and retaining the cool factor (which still works on 40+ year-olds, I note!) of finding VALUABLE GEMS!!!

If there was an exceptionally large bag of mixed gems, I might go with "You find gems worth 200 gp" but that hasn't come up for years.

 

[Wofano Wotanto]

I can't remember the last time I ran something where I'd be handing out loot with gold piece values attached to them. 2010-ish, maybe? A loose gem's (usually) just a shiny rock unless you've got some reason to know what you're looking at. Stones set in jewelry or sewn onto clothing are a little more obviously something of potential value, but again you need a reason to be able to evaluate what they might really be worth.

If you don't have some plausible explanation for how you're evaluating them, you get this:

"The dead guy was carrying three shiny rocks in a cloth pouch stowed in his underclothes. They're kind of pretty, especially the two with the strange colors when you look at them from the right angles. Might be for good luck, or some kind of charm, or maybe worth something to someone. The pouch is nicely stitched but it smells pretty bad."

 

[overgeeked]

With enough exposure to finding gems and selling them they'd likely be able to tell the different between types of stones (onyx vs opal, etc), so that's a gimme. Unless the PC wants to spend 20-30 minutes examining each gem with the proper tools they won't know the exact value. If they're trained in that kind of thing I wouldn't make them roll for it unless there were adverse circumstances.