How often do you randomly roll treasure?
- Thread starter Kerrick
- Start date
blargney the second
blargney the minute's son
I roll, I handpick, and I use rolls for inspiration to handpick.
-blarg
-blarg
Lord Xtheth
Explorer
I hand pick every peice of gold, Treasure, scroll, spell, and lootable peice of scenerey (My players enjoy looting everything thats not both nailed down and on fire).
It makes for hard prep, but fun games.
It makes for hard prep, but fun games.
I loves me some random loot. Handpick the really important stuff, but other then that, it's more fun to see the party get creative with what they get 
mattdm
First Post
For my last 3.5E game, I had the intention of making it a kind of kill-the-monsters-take-their-stuff thing, and random treasure fit in great with that. And I kind of dig the arcane tables and the whole process.
But for my new 4E game, I'm doing everything carefully by hand — down to making custom descriptions, effect flavor, and (very skeletal) background stories.
It'd be kind of fun to have treasure tables meant for 4E, for when running That Sort of Game, or just to provide inspiration. I'd particularly find use in something that helps randomly generate descriptive details and item histories.
But for my new 4E game, I'm doing everything carefully by hand — down to making custom descriptions, effect flavor, and (very skeletal) background stories.
It'd be kind of fun to have treasure tables meant for 4E, for when running That Sort of Game, or just to provide inspiration. I'd particularly find use in something that helps randomly generate descriptive details and item histories.
Nyeshet
First Post
I rarely random roll - and use my own tables if I do
It also depends on what the roll is for.
If they are fighting some thugs, then the weapons and armor (often poor quality) is the loot - along with perhaps (roll) coppers and silvers. If I roll max then I might go to a table of my own creation. Perhaps one of the thugs was carrying some loot for the group - or had 'come upon' something and not told his 'partners'. The result will likely be a small gem, art work (statue, jewelry, etc) easily pocketable and worth a few gold.
If it is the treasure of a vault or lair, then likely it will be pre-determined, and any random rolls needed will be for worth of gems*, number of gp*/sp*, and so forth. (* pre-rolled long before the PCs arrived) If I intend to have another item or so amongst the loot - a magic or masterwork item, etc - then I will predetermine it. Likely the group will already know that the item is likely (not certainly) there (due to rumors, research, etc) and may even be seeking the lair / vault / etc specifically for said item.
If a PC wants an item of a certain type, then I will find ways in game for them to learn of the whereabouts of that type of item, and it will provide an adventure hook. More likely than not, I will keep an ear out for items they may be interested in, and items several PCs might like may be in a specific area. Perhaps an evil noble has a hidden / illegal collection and the group hears a rumor from the next table while in a tavern or comes across a journal telling of such during the course of another adventure. What else is in the vault is semi-random, but rarely rolled.
It also depends on what the roll is for.
If they are fighting some thugs, then the weapons and armor (often poor quality) is the loot - along with perhaps (roll) coppers and silvers. If I roll max then I might go to a table of my own creation. Perhaps one of the thugs was carrying some loot for the group - or had 'come upon' something and not told his 'partners'. The result will likely be a small gem, art work (statue, jewelry, etc) easily pocketable and worth a few gold.
If it is the treasure of a vault or lair, then likely it will be pre-determined, and any random rolls needed will be for worth of gems*, number of gp*/sp*, and so forth. (* pre-rolled long before the PCs arrived) If I intend to have another item or so amongst the loot - a magic or masterwork item, etc - then I will predetermine it. Likely the group will already know that the item is likely (not certainly) there (due to rumors, research, etc) and may even be seeking the lair / vault / etc specifically for said item.
If a PC wants an item of a certain type, then I will find ways in game for them to learn of the whereabouts of that type of item, and it will provide an adventure hook. More likely than not, I will keep an ear out for items they may be interested in, and items several PCs might like may be in a specific area. Perhaps an evil noble has a hidden / illegal collection and the group hears a rumor from the next table while in a tavern or comes across a journal telling of such during the course of another adventure. What else is in the vault is semi-random, but rarely rolled.
Melan
Explorer
This. I find randomness a great inspiration, but occasionally, the outcome doesn't feel right and I reroll.
