Treasure Using Monsters and CR

[Nail]

I randomly generate....as long as the creatures are fairly unintelligent and unable to barter.

 

[ThirdWizard]

I randomly generate....as long as the creatures are fairly unintelligent and unable to barter.

Because it makes so much sense for the balor to be carrying a staff of healing, a robe of the archmagi, and a scroll of meteor swarm on him.

PS: Agreeing.

 

[werk]

In practice, I've rarely seen GMs do this for all their creatures. Maybe my games are weird (I've played with a number of GMs, though), but it's just easier to run the creatures just out of the book.

Yeah, I equip them up too. Nothing better than having the party sigh when I say "his init, he pulls out a potion and downs it." They are like...but that was our potion...

Nail,

I don't know how you got

My impression is that at least some (if not all) of the treasure a creature has should not be used as equipment.

from this

Intelligent creatures that own useful, portable treasure (such as magic items) tend to carry and use these...

but it sounds like you maybe have an extra 'not' in the first sentance...because I agree with your arguments?

 

[Nail]

but it sounds like you maybe have an extra 'not' in the first sentance...because I agree with your arguments?

The "not" is fine, but it does make it kinda unclear. Oops.

I interpret the "treasure" section in the MM (and SRD) to mean that monsters should use the treasure they have.

However:

• They shouldn't get to convert all of it to useful equipment,
• If they're not intelligent, or they can't/won't barter, their useful items should be mostly random,
• If they are intelligent, they should be able to get/create/steal items that are most useful to themsleves, not necessarily useful to pesky adventurers.

....and it seems that's the concensus on these boards too. Comments?

 

[ThirdWizard]

It's fun to put NPC wealth in very difficult to carry around things that they would actually have. Doesn't make much sense for everyone to carry the majority of their wealth in nice large sum packets.

Libraries for wizards, for example. In a recent game, the PCs killed a pesky wizard, and I put half of his wealth into very large cumbersome books. The PCs picked out a few and then left the rest.

Statues are a good one for egocentric enemies. Up-play how well carved and what nice marble (or whatever) it is. Then watch the PCs try to drag the 2000 pound statue back to town! And then try to actually sell it...



Mostly, I would think an NPC can equip himself as well as PCs can, barring unusual circumstanaces. If PCs can go the ye olde magic shoppe and trade in their +4 tower shield of fire protection for a +3 keen scimitar, then the NPCs can do the same thing. If the PCs have to scrape by, creating magic items themselves or traveling to find someone to make them for them, then the NPCs should be bound by this as well.

Certain enemies I would say always have a ready supply of what they want. Nobles would have an easier time, as would the pit fiend in the OP. Those of little means would, also, have less ability to trade than the PCs, for example a tribe of orcs who can only trade through certain venues.

I havn't used random treasure generators in years. I pick things that make sense based on what I know about the area, enemy, world, etc.

 

[Woocash]

In my campaigh, it depends on what the monster does and where the party meets him:

An intelligent monster or NPC, who travells and fights a lot, will have nearly all his treasure in a form of useful (to him) items, which he carries with him; rather a few valuable items, than a lot of cheap ones.

An intelligent monster or NPC fought in his lair/base will have most of his treasure (60-70%) in useful items (but he doesn't have all of them with him if he's not prepared to fight), some (20-30%) in art objects, furniture etc, and the rest (0-20%) in coins or gems.

An intelligent monster who collects treasure just for the sake of it (ie. a dragon) will have most of it in coins, jewelery, gems and random magical items, and some (20%) in items he can use himself and does so.

A semi-intelligent, wandering monster would keep only those items it percieves as useful or valuable. An ogre is much more likely to have an masterwork sword (even if he doesn't use it - but he knows how to) than a magical rod (much more valuable, but it's just a stick to him).

A semi-intelligent monster in it's lair will have whatever the previous "visitors" had with them. It may use some items if it's quite obvious how to (ie. potions), but most of it will be just laying there.

 

[moritheil]

Don't forget to spice things up by rolling to see if any of the stuff is cursed and maybe requires a daily sacrifice to function (not something a fiend would have qualms about, but might be a problem if the only one who can wield it is a paladin.)