J.Quondam
CR 1/8
Looking at random treasure tables or the hoard descriptions in adventures, you find lots of somewhat detailed descriptions of jewels, trinkets, sometimes even coins. I don't refer here to magic items or macguffins or quest items. Rather I just mean the mundane treasure which value is mainly in its superior portability to gold, things like "a pair of fine jade earrings in the shape of owls with garnet eyes (60gp)" or "brightly painted wooden articulated snake toy (5gp) " and the like.
In my experience, after a hoard is parceled out, rarely does the description of those items ever matter. Only their value matters when they get cashed in at the nearest town's "Ye Olde Shady Fence & Treasure Exchange." And if only their value really matters, then why bother?
So a few questions to start with:
- Do you actively use descriptive mundane treasure text elsewhere in the game? Or is it just needless filler to you?
- As a PLAYER, do you pay attention to mundane treasure descriptions? Do you ever refer to them later?
In my experience, after a hoard is parceled out, rarely does the description of those items ever matter. Only their value matters when they get cashed in at the nearest town's "Ye Olde Shady Fence & Treasure Exchange." And if only their value really matters, then why bother?
So a few questions to start with:
- Do you actively use descriptive mundane treasure text elsewhere in the game? Or is it just needless filler to you?
- As a GM, do you automatically provide published descriptions on to players, or just say "200 gp in jewels, enough to fill a small sack"?
- Do you ever change descriptions? Why?
- Have you ever used mundane treasure descriptions to drop clues? impact PC/NPC relations? exploit or gauge player reactions? Anything else?
- As a PLAYER, do you pay attention to mundane treasure descriptions? Do you ever refer to them later?