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What do you do with mundane treasure details?
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<blockquote data-quote="el-remmen" data-source="post: 8522211" data-attributes="member: 11"><p>I provide descriptions since the PCs rarely have a way to know exactly how much gems and jewelry are worth. The descriptions help differentiate them before values are determined and allow PCs to determine if they want to keep something for their own collection (like wearing those jade owl earrings).</p><p></p><p>Sometimes I will say something like "60 semi-precious stones of various kinds" but they still need to determine the value. They have a fence they trust since no one in the group is much of appraiser by skill, background, or inclination.</p><p></p><p>I also have varied values based on where they try to sell it. Trying to sell some platinum and diamond brooch that once belonged to an ancient emperor's paramour in some small town means you won't get nearly as much as it it worth or not being able to find a buyer there at all. (The benefit of their fence is that he can send out word through back channels and get the best price minus a service fee).</p><p></p><p>Heck, once coin amounts near or surpass a thousand I don't tell the players how much they have unless they specifically take the time in the dungeon (or wherever) to count it all. Once they found such a big pile of copper pieces I told them, tell me how much you want to take and I will tell you how long it takes to collect it all - since assumption was it was too much for them to carry all of and it was only copper.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Sure! Reasons range from: whim, thematic sense, too valuable (or undervalued) for their level, etc. . .</p><p></p><p></p><p>Definitely! For example, one of my current groups found an old but lightly damaged painting among some garbage/treasure and determined the artist was an ancestor of a local noble, who was unknown in life but had become a valuable collectible in death. The PCs used the painting to create contacts with that family and awarded to them as a gift to gain their favor.</p><p></p><p>Earlier, they had found an ornate gold locket beneath the armor of a hobgoblin mercenary they defeated. It held a tiny painted portrait of her wife - which served both to change their perspective on hobgoblins - and later they met her wife (also a mercenary) creating tense stakes for why she wanted the party to pay once she found out these were the people responsible for killing her wife (they killed her too). The locket was also an early clue of a plot regarding a large number of said mercenaries having been moved into the area on a semi-permanent basis, hired by unknown forces.</p><p></p><p>The above mentioned brooch (called "Brooch of the Lich-Bride") has provided an avenue for giving them some ancient lore and a possible source for more very valuable treasure in the future.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="el-remmen, post: 8522211, member: 11"] I provide descriptions since the PCs rarely have a way to know exactly how much gems and jewelry are worth. The descriptions help differentiate them before values are determined and allow PCs to determine if they want to keep something for their own collection (like wearing those jade owl earrings). Sometimes I will say something like "60 semi-precious stones of various kinds" but they still need to determine the value. They have a fence they trust since no one in the group is much of appraiser by skill, background, or inclination. I also have varied values based on where they try to sell it. Trying to sell some platinum and diamond brooch that once belonged to an ancient emperor's paramour in some small town means you won't get nearly as much as it it worth or not being able to find a buyer there at all. (The benefit of their fence is that he can send out word through back channels and get the best price minus a service fee). Heck, once coin amounts near or surpass a thousand I don't tell the players how much they have unless they specifically take the time in the dungeon (or wherever) to count it all. Once they found such a big pile of copper pieces I told them, tell me how much you want to take and I will tell you how long it takes to collect it all - since assumption was it was too much for them to carry all of and it was only copper. Sure! Reasons range from: whim, thematic sense, too valuable (or undervalued) for their level, etc. . . Definitely! For example, one of my current groups found an old but lightly damaged painting among some garbage/treasure and determined the artist was an ancestor of a local noble, who was unknown in life but had become a valuable collectible in death. The PCs used the painting to create contacts with that family and awarded to them as a gift to gain their favor. Earlier, they had found an ornate gold locket beneath the armor of a hobgoblin mercenary they defeated. It held a tiny painted portrait of her wife - which served both to change their perspective on hobgoblins - and later they met her wife (also a mercenary) creating tense stakes for why she wanted the party to pay once she found out these were the people responsible for killing her wife (they killed her too). The locket was also an early clue of a plot regarding a large number of said mercenaries having been moved into the area on a semi-permanent basis, hired by unknown forces. The above mentioned brooch (called "Brooch of the Lich-Bride") has provided an avenue for giving them some ancient lore and a possible source for more very valuable treasure in the future. [/QUOTE]
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What do you do with mundane treasure details?
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