D&D 5E Valuable Stuff

[leinadvirgo]

I personally like giving items like that two gp values. one is pawn number, the other is the true value. the players know the pawn value right off (just like real world "I have this old tv, I could probably make 20 bucks from it"). but the thing is sometimes the true value is lower than pawn value, especially if its a fake. just because its one of a kind doesn't mean its worth more, but every once in a while that pretty painting that cant be worth more than a few gold turns out to be an early work of the famous gnome painter D'arty so now is worth a small fortune, and a large fortune in an auction.

I just realized it would be fun to have a couple auction adventures, just like a bad tv show where they have to steal the treasure or protect it from being stolen.

 

[Saeviomagy]

I find little point in concealing the value of treasure from players - in the end, it's going to be worth whatever you decide it's worth, so save some bookkeeping and just tell them.

That said, I do like receiving treasure that is 'stuff', and occasionally one or more characters will hang on to something. I find giving out 'stuff' with GP values is a good middle ground.

 

[DaveDash]

In the game I run after each session I put everything into a spreadsheet for them. But I put it in GP and assume they just get it.

In the game I play in, the DM hands out items, we generally have to roleplay out the whole appraising it/selling it in town.

I like both for different reasons. The former generally works better at higher level, the later can still be fun at lower level.

 

[EvanNave55]

If they want to take stuff and cash it all in at the next town, or just note their character sheet as "random stuff: 300gp", that's up to them. If they want to take only art works (as a certain elvin thief PC, I recall)

I just had to comment on this, things along these lines are the whole premise to why my character is with the party and it sounds really similar to my character. I'm an Elven rogue who is pretending to be a merchant who happens to be handy with knives (part of my back story is extreme distrust, so far no one has figured out my real identity). His excuse for joining the party is that he can help evaluate things which most adventurers overlook in dungeons (such as that painting hanging on the wall).