I am the opposite of Monte Haul - give me your advice inside please!

[Dracorat]

Example: My party (who are having fun btw) has a total of about 600 gold and 2 +1 magic items.

And they're level 5.

I'd like to add more in before I run in to the "your players are struggling because their gear doesn't meet with designer expectations" without it seeming like a gimme, but I guess I have a hard time with adding random gear in things.

Here's where you could really help out.

Give me some really clever ways to hide stashes of coins and gear in dungeons, especially basements of abandoned houses, sewers and undead crypts. (Those are the most pervading of the areas I run the players through)

 

[Wolfspider]

You could put stuff on the corpses of previous explorers/adventurers that they come across.

 

[Stoat]

In an undead crypt, the party finds a youngish dragon living among the bones of a much older dragon. The youngish dragon has claimed what remains of the older dragon's hoard.

 

[Harlekin]

Or you could just give the expected boni directly to the chaacters without any magic gear mediating it. Just say e.g. that at 3rd level every PC gets +1 on attack/damage and defenses, at 8th level it's +8 and so on. Then you can keep it at your present treasure density. Of course all magic weapon, armor and neck slot items would then no longer provide any +, the Ps could use them just for their special effects and daily powers.

 

[phloog]

I guess I'm not 100% clear on your intent....

Do you want to find a way to 'gift' them with magic items without a seemingly appropriate challenge, or are you looking for ways to 'overstock' encounters so they get more than they deserve?

I'm not saying that well...I guess the question is "how much do you want them to EARN the items?"...obviously you're trying to bring the balance of wealth to level back to the normal expectation of published adventures.

Are you worried that if you make them EARN the items the encounter will give them experience points, and you won't catch up? It just feels like "Hey, look under this toadstool...it's the Apparatus of Kwalish!!" is a bit much.

I like the earlier suggestion of a slain party, which could be integrated into an adventure without pumping them too full of XPs...dragons are good for this.

Hiding things in undead crypts is easy - Bob was buried in his stuff...fight Bob who is buffed by his stuff, then stuff his stuff in with your stuff. Nuff said.

Side note: I NEVER add RANDOM gear in things...not since that rare alignment of planets that gave me Unkillable Karl. Particularly if you're trying to make the group able to survive more 'level appropriate' encounters, I would definitely inventory what they have, identify obvious gaps, and use that in the encounter. Frankly, that could be the basis for an adventure ("we don't have any magical weapons, but I've heard that...")

I have a hard time believing that someone would abandon their house, leaving behind a few boxes of old clothes and a Robe of Blending. But if you must put something in the basement of an abandoned house, make a cool REASON why it's in the basement...maybe it's locked in a chest with a magical puzzle lock...at least then you're rewarding them for solving a puzzle and not just letting them find stuff.

If it's only about coins and you allow BUYING magical items in the campaign, you could get away with this ONCE: The sewers run under a fountain that people throw coins into for wishes..there is a small crack in the basin, and coins and other valuables thrown into the fountain have fallen through and are in the sewers. If you do this, I would suggest having them meet and befriend a deformed brute, and foil some bank robbers.

And of course, there is always the slightly obvious, but highly efficient method known as the Lucre Golem. I can stat one up if you'd like.

 

[purplemur]

How about a hidden vault (most likely in the basement of an abandoned house, but crypts could have one, too). This could be simply hidden, or could also include a nasty trap.

Your party finds a pit trap that has been sprung already. At the bottom is the unfortunate springer...well...his corpse, anyway...impaled upon nasty spiky things. Presents an interesting challenge of how to descend into the pit, avoiding the spikes, and getting the corpse's gear.

In the sewers, your team finds the abandoned lair of a small group of thieves, the entrance of which is still trapped. However, the poison gas cloud trap that protected the secondary chamber was already tripped...by the small group of thieves (maybe include a journal, with entries about "Joe-bob the New Guy" who, "I swear, is going to kill us all one of these days if he doesn't watch where he's stepping!"...for a little comedic effect and explanation).

The possiblities are multitudinous.

 

[pawsplay]

You could probably whip up stats for a "gold golem."

 

[purplemur]

I have a hard time believing that someone would abandon their house, leaving behind a few boxes of old clothes and a Robe of Blending. But if you must put something in the basement of an abandoned house, make a cool REASON why it's in the basement...maybe it's locked in a chest with a magical puzzle lock...at least then you're rewarding them for solving a puzzle and not just letting them find stuff.

Maybe you find the bloody scribblings of the madman who died trying to decipher the puzzle in the basement! Maybe you find him still there, babbling incoherently and lashing out at anyone who dares disturb his efforts. Maybe he's being forced into service by the villains you just defeated upstairs.

I also agree with phloog that you should probably still make 'em earn it. But read the DMG a bit and you'll see that it recommends having a large treasure reward every few encounters instead of a little bit in each one. Make the horde part of a good encounter and they won't feel like you're just handing them a "freebie", and you won't have to worry so much about them getting too much xp and jumping ahead.

I also agree with phloog that you should try and tailor your treasure to what the party wants. Our DM asked us for a list of items we would like to have...with three or four options for each category. That way he can throw us stuff we actually want and will use, because I tell you what, that 1/5 resale value really sucks if you don't like your loot.

 

[S'mon]

1. The nasty dragon has a big treasure hoard. No one ever complains about dragons having lots of treasure.

2. The evil 7th level NPC party have lots of magic items. The PCs are hired to defend the village from them, Magnificent Seven style, and must pull out all the stops (or at least buff) to defeat the superior foe.

 

[phloog]

You could probably whip up stats for a "gold golem."

Here:

Golem, Filthy Lucre; Filthy lucre golem: CR 6; Size L; HD 9d10; hp 75; Init -1; Spd 30 ft; AC 18, touch 8, FF 18; BAB +6/+1; Grapple +15; Atk: +10/+10 melee (2d8 + 4, slams); SA Berserk; SQ Construct traits, damage reduction 5/bludgeoning, darkvision 60 ft., immunity to magic, low-light vision; AL N; SV Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +3; Str 21, Dex 9, Con 0, Int 0, Wis 11, Cha 1.
Skills and Feats: Hide +3.
Special Abilities: Damage Reduction, Darkvision, Low-light Vision.

A filthy lucre golem is a construct designed to guard a wizard's treasure in a unique way - it IS the treasure. It has no possessions and no weapons. It IS possessions. The golem stands 8 feet tall and weighs almost 1000 pounds.

A filthy lucre golem golem cannot speak, although it continously makes the sound of clanking coins and other valuables. It walks in a graceful and determined way. It has no real intelligence, but is somehow magically intelligent enough to walk a set path, and to deviate from that path to avoid thieves. It also is capable of understanding if a party is powerful enough to have a reasonable chance of defeating it, in which case it will try to Hide, which it doesn't do particularly well, being composed of glittery bits.

Combat

Coin Blast (Ex): As a free action every 1d4+1 rounds, the Filthy Lucre Golem can unleash a blast of coins in a 20ft cone, doing 2d6 damage to all in the area of effect (Reflex DC 16 for half). Each time this is used it leaves 2d20 of each type of coin: copper, silver, gold, and platinum resting in the area struck. If a party is forced to flee combat with this creature, each character will find 1d6 random coins in their pockets, folds of clothing, hair, etc.

Immunity to Magic (Ex): A filthy lucre golem is immune to any spell or spell-like ability that allows spell resistance. In addition, certain spells and effects function differently against the creature, as noted below.
A magical attack that deals fire damage in excess of 10 points slows a filthy lucre golem (as the slow spell) for 2d6 rounds, with no saving throw.

Value: When destroyed, the golem collapses into its component treasure (minus any used in the Coin Blast or destroyed in battle). When defeated the filthy lucre golem yields 10,000 + (2d4*100) gp in random coins, gems, and jewelry. (this takes into account the blasts and damage)

Obviously you can boost the coinage, or stick a few items in there for safekeeping. If you do that, I would make it interesting by having those items be forced to save any time they hit the thing with some big (but probably ineffective) spell, or do more than 20 points of (past the reduction damage)..."Nice hit...25 points of damage, and you hear a shattering sound as liquid pours from its side, smelling of healing potion".