D&D General Kitschy Souvenirs/Treasures?

[Dannyalcatraz]

About 30 years ago I ran a Waterdeep campaign and the players kept coming across and collecting "gems" they kept finding thinking they were valuable. Turned out they were little more than costume jewelry that nobles were using as status symbols.

FWIW, it’s not uncommon for some people to have high-quality costume jewelry made of some of their more valuable pieces so they can feel better about wearing them. Take the fakes, leave the real stuff in a safe.

 

[Clint_L]

I was wondering if anyone ever included cheap souvenirs in their campaign setting or even as part of treasure hoards. This random thought brought to you by Roman Souvenir Styluses.

Yeah, I do this all the time, mostly to entertain myself, but a few have really caught on with the players. One currently has a stuffed pelican that they make great use of for RP purposes.

 

[R_J_K75]

FWIW, it’s not uncommon for some people to have high-quality costume jewelry made of some of their more valuable pieces so they can feel better about wearing them. Take the fakes, leave the real stuff in a safe.

FWIW, it’s not uncommon for some people to have high-quality costume jewelry made of some of their more valuable pieces so they can feel better about wearing them. Take the fakes, leave the real stuff in a safe.

makes sense, I didn't know that.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

As someone who colllects…well…a BUNCH of different things, someone’s collection could be given a place of honor, even if it’s otherwise worthless. I mean, you go into a bookstore, and you’ll find books in collecting all kinds of things. I once saw one on barbed wire.

For example, one of my collections is turtles. I have one taxidermied one, as well as glass, ceramic, carved stone, carved wood, woven rattan, cast metal, plastic, textiles and more. Some are purely decorative. Some are toys. Some are pure kitsch, like shirts, hats, plushies, staplers or ash trays.

Now imagine your typical Necromancer Lich King BBEG. Except it turns out he was undead-obsessed from well before his evil ascendancy. So he has a zombie doll, a bunch of little kitschy coffins in various materials, a chalice engraved “World’s Greatest Dead”, etc.

 

[Deset Gled]

FWIW, it’s not uncommon for some people to have high-quality costume jewelry made of some of their more valuable pieces so they can feel better about wearing them. Take the fakes, leave the real stuff in a safe.

The Necklace | East of the Web

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I'm thinking of a quest where the party is given a valuable magical mcguffin to complete a quest, and it gets lost or destroyed on the mission...

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I'm thinking of a quest where the party is given a valuable magical mcguffin to complete a quest, and it gets lost or destroyed on the mission...

Shades of “Army of Darness”!

Mage: “The ritual didn’t work! Are you sure this is the Crown of Kotos?”

Heroes’ leader: “We followed YOUR instructions; used YOUR description!”

Fidgeting, flushed party’s rogue flashback: “We heard a noise! Are you OK?”

Oh crap, I dropped that crown into that hellmouth! Good thing Kotos had a spare…. “GOT IT!!!”

 

[the Jester]

I have included all kinds of weird stuff as treasure or dressing (flavor elements)- the difference is in the eye of the beholder/looter- from valueless wooden souvenirs to colored glass beads to creepy hand carved dolls to npc and monster artwork (poetry, paintings, even works of fiction or songs) to monster pornography and goblin sex toys. And that's without talking about useless/common magic items that are cool or lame or somewhere in between- potions of weight loss and weight gain, of baldness, magic crystal balls designed to be placed in your garden that magically attract birds, an urn that, when poured out, produces 2d6 angry and uncontrolled cats, hats that make your hair fall out or grow, gloves that automatically stay clean, coats that protect you from normal rain, oh God I could go on for ages.