You crack open the beholder and find scrolls.

[Voadam]

I have never found non-obvious treasure. In multiple decades of play. I figure there are tons of slaughtered enemy corpses with gems in their guts and hidden trap doors covering buried treasure chests wherever my PCs have been, waiting for someone who has read the module to cut them open and dig them up.

 

[Synthetik Fish]

I’m always kind of stumped by generic treasure situations: some goblinoid or such, living in a squalid cave attacking passer-bys….in possession of enough gold to buy a small village. Why don’t they? And if not, what are they collecting gold for? Retirement? It is all a bit odd.

Exactly! What also doesn't make sense is that, if these creatures have all these random magic items lying around... why don't they USE them? Sure, a goblin chieftan usually has a +1 sword that he uses i combat, but how often do you see the goblin Shaman popping off shots with his wand of magic missiles every round? Using them doesn't even have to be in-combat, either. I have a DM who one time had goblins using a Rope of Climbing to tie up some sacks of misc. stuff they had... cause you know... it's a rope, and why would a goblin know better?

 

[Voadam]

There are probably tons of non hidden magic items left behind as well.

DM: "He has a pouch with 30 gp, a short sword, a cloak, and boots."

Me: "All right! Loot! K I take the pouch of gold and his shortsword."

 

[Warehouse23]

Once and only once at my game table were the words, "Alright, I take 20 on the poo" uttered.

There be treasure everywhere, lads....

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Pretty sure.

That's funny.

Like I said, in my very first D&D game ever, after my very first combat ever, I tried to search the wolf I'd slain for treasure.

Up until then, my only roleplaying experience had been Nintendo RPGs like Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy, and in both of those you got XP and GP for defeating wolves.

The rest of the group laughed at me, and asked whether or not I thought the wolf might be carrying a gold coin in its mouth, perhaps?

For the record, my human fighter used a hand-axe because, in Dragon Warrior, it was a decently powerful weapon.

 

[lukelightning]

Wolves carrying gold? Stranger things have happened.

 

[shilsen]

Now if you guys were discussing the weirdest places for NPCs to discover treasure, we could have the story of the drunk player, the elven PC and his Ass of Holding.

 

[BadMojo]

Thinking quickly, I responded, "you cracked open the beholder's body like an egg and found the scrolls inside."

How convenient is that - monster and treasure in one neat package!

Hey, it's the fantasy equivalent of a pinata. A malovelent, highly deadly pinata. Too bad there wasn't candy in it.

 

[Synthetik Fish]

Hey, it's the fantasy equivalent of a pinata. A malovelent, highly deadly pinata. Too bad there wasn't candy in it.

Dude, its got... *counts*... HOW many eyes? Can you say gummi bears? Jelly beans? Granted, REALLY big ones.

 

[Crothian]

Hey, it's the fantasy equivalent of a pinata. A malovelent, highly deadly pinata. Too bad there wasn't candy in it.

there was a really bad sci fi channel movie (I think) that had an evil demon possessed pinata.....