Keeping track of known and unknown items

[Festivus]

I was thinking about ways to handle looting of dead bodies and if something was identified or not by players in game. I came up with an idea and I wanted to share and discuss it's merits and potential downfalls.

The basic idea is that for each creature in an adventure you have an envelope prepared (with an ID number on the outside). Within the envelope are index cards with perhaps a picture of the basic item (say it's a +1 longsword, there would be a pic of a longsword and an treasure ID number).

Once an object has been identified the players could then fill in the details of the item on the index card. I would keep a database on my laptop of what the treasure ID corresponded to in terms of loot. There could be spaces for charges, or number of arrows, etc.

The upside is that this gets much more tactile for the players, and it's easy to track who had which unidentified potion in their pack.

The downside is it might be a lot of work to setup.

Does anyone do anything similar to this in their games or suggestions on how to keep track of all that stuff?

 

[dungeon blaster]

Paizo sells item cards that could work with your idea, but it seems like too much hassle to me.

I keep an excel spreadsheet of all the items in an adventure. The spreadsheet has the following fields:

Item Code: Starts at AA and goes down the alphabet. Players write down the item code next to the item.

Known/Identified? This details whether they have identified the item or not.

Charges: If it has charges, they are listed here.

Owner: whoever has possession.

 

[Odhanan]

-> Game Mastery Item Packs

 

[xnosipjpqmhd]

In my last campaign, when the players found an item and either failed to identify it or didn't even try, I had them jot down the room number (or other location info) from my adventure notes. Then when the PCs pull out that item again, they would read the number back to me, and I could simply look it up in my notes.

ironregime

 

[Festivus]

Those are really nice, it's just too bad that the expansion packs are random. I presume you can write and erase on them with wet erase? I couldn't find information on that. I would want to buy the set, not a chance at the set, which is a big turnoff for me. I also don't really care about foil cards.

http://www.officedepot.com/ddSKU.do...=3x5 index card&uniqueSearchFlag=true&An=text

These will do just fine I suspect, for a fraction of the cost, and have the added bonus of being whatever I want them to be.

 

[Wycen]

The only group that counts at the moment is the group I'm running for, and this group is stupid when it comes to treasure. They fail to identify things and demand everything be equally distributed. Because of this they have forgotten a magic artifact in a bag of holding that was meant to serve a purpose in the campaign, but I've since written off, in fact the NPC carrying that bag of holding, (which is carrying Arodnap's box from the Chamber of Antiquities), is going to be wearing it the last time they ever see her.

Also, due to their insistance that nobody ever get more than anyone else, they often sell cool magic items if they aren't absolutely better than a current item and if I used Mages Disjunction, they'd never have any backup gear. "What do you mean an extra ring? I only have 2 hands, for 2 rings. That would be stupid."

I post everything on our game forum and they do whatever they want with that. It is too much wasted effort to do anything more. With another group, I might do the old fashioned, "here is the treasure list".

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Too much of a hassle for me. I'm in this for heroics and good fun beating up monsters and villains, not for bookkeeping. So I just go ahead and tell them what the stuff is, but they won't use it until it's identified.

they'd never have any backup gear. "What do you mean an extra ring? I only have 2 hands, for 2 rings. That would be stupid."

I usually don't destroy items, and know no DM who does, so we don't use backup gear, either. Also, Mage's Disjunction doesn't work like that in my campaign as I think this is something nasty.

 

[The_Duke]

...
I keep an excel spreadsheet of all the items in an adventure. The spreadsheet has the following fields:

Item Code: Starts at AA and goes down the alphabet. Players write down the item code next to the item.

Known/Identified? This details whether they have identified the item or not.

Charges: If it has charges, they are listed here.

Owner: whoever has possession.

Nice idea. Don't know why I didn't think of this. I've scrawled notes in my notebook and/or had to make up the properties of magic items my players identify months after they've received them.

Most important items get a proper introduction in the storyline and are clearly labeled when found.

 

[kigmatzomat]

I've got a wiki on my Palm Pilot. I load the treasures in before the game and note where they are/who has them. When they find them, I note who carries them and if it has been identified. I can later troll through the wiki to see which unidentified items remain. Unfound items may be recycled into future encounters to save on the die-rolling.

I roll the occassional spot check when they stop at a town to see if they notice they still have an unidentified treasure. If there is a particularly long down-time (travel by sea) I'll add that to the "things that happen when you're bored" list.

The hard part was tracking what was sold but now I make sure all item sales are posted to the Y! group, if need be sending the email from the game table. (I love my Treo650).

 

[jcfiala]

In my last campaign, when the players found an item and either failed to identify it or didn't even try, I had them jot down the room number (or other location info) from my adventure notes. Then when the PCs pull out that item again, they would read the number back to me, and I could simply look it up in my notes.

ironregime

That's what I did in Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil - and probably will do in the future. It doesn't give away too much information, and makes it much easier than to say "That ring we found with the green thing"