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@morrigankasa570

Жыл бұрын

I disagree with your opinions about "excessive gold and magic items", also I do the videogame-esque version where the biggest amount of loot is at the end but little bits of loot everywhere else as well.

The quest giver has a gold exclamation point. When you accept their quest it turns into a silver question mark. A gold question mark then comes when the quest can be turned in for the reward.

@theDMLair

Жыл бұрын

Perfect. Thank you! (It's been awhile. lol)

@Raycheetah

Жыл бұрын

In no D&D or other RPG adventure I have ever run has ANY NPC quest-giver ever had any sort of punctuation associated with them, visible or otherwise. ='[.]'=

@josephmort4039

Жыл бұрын

If it's a repeatable quest, a daily, it turns into a blue question mark. to be turned in everytime you've collected enough bear @#$%s or whatever it is you need.

@AnotherDuck

Жыл бұрын

@@Raycheetah Try to hide somewhere, wait about seven months, sneak up on them, and then let them see you. I promise you you'll see an exclamation mark, or at the very least you'll hear it.

3:00 I play a couple different games that are concurrent in the same world. Two of my players missed loot in a cabin because they were scared to go in the basement and in fact bailed out of spending the night there at all. Months later another character spent the night there, investigated the basement, defeated the shadows that had consumed the old trapper, and found the boots of the winterlands in their summer storage spot under the basement stairs. I didn't tell the others what they had missed when they missed it. But I did tell the other player that people had come before and missed that loot. And it was something that he really needed for his upcoming quest, so it blew his mind that it had been there since before his character was ever created.

I like placing items on my bosses, like a moon touched battle scythe that was wielded by a scarecrow minion my Hags used. My fighter was drooling over it while getting his ass kicked. When he killed it he rolled twice trying to pick it up mid combat. It was so cool seeing the look on his face when I described the weapon he was going to be eviscerated by.

@Raycheetah

Жыл бұрын

An excellent point. Watching the bad guy use magic items against the party is a good way to make the players see them more than simply rewards. They become trophies of battle, hard won and valued. =^[.]^=

Another option to consider: craftsmen. Instead of loot being on or inside monsters, perhaps give the party an item related to that monster's abilities. Maybe they collect the glue from a mimic and then they can bring it to the town's artificer who can use it to create boots of spiderclimb. Or maybe implement some homebrew. I think there's something very rewarding for players to craft the magic items, and I believe it also helps maintain immersion for them to make magic items based on what they defeat as opposed to cutting open a beast and finding loot.

@theDMLair

Жыл бұрын

Yes giving players options to craft things with monster parts and other things they find is something lots of players find really enjoyable.

Wait I thought a classic blunder second only to never start a land war in Asia is never bet against a Sicilian when death is on the line

@flyndutchmn

Жыл бұрын

Truly, you have a dizzying intellect.

@morrigankasa570

Жыл бұрын

LOL, that's why you put the poison in both goblets:)

@biffstrong1079

Жыл бұрын

And Never bring a knife to a gunfight

@eddarby469

10 ай бұрын

Inconceivable!

Here's something for low-level adventurers. They do a quest for a town blacksmith and he promises their weapons in silver so they will be more effective against certain creatures. A little bit of an upgrade without handing out too much magical gear in the early stages of the game.

@dynestis2875

Жыл бұрын

I dig it!

In one of my earliest 2e games out DM got used to us searching every nook and fanny to find what we could. In a planned encounter in a forest he played the McGuffin on a sorceress’s body. Would you like to guess which was the one time we decided not to loot causing the DM to have to rewrite the rest of the campaign?

Not seen this yet, but make sure to include loot useful to all characters. The worst time this happened to my group was in a game where there were no towns to shop in for many levels. The DM only included martial weapons and armor for 7 levels. The straight spell caster was still in starter gear at level 8, while everyone else had an upgrade to all gear and at least one magic item. The party gave the caster a bigger share of the gold, but again there were no opportunities to shop.

For the merciless algorithm! I like hiding loot in places where an enemy might keep it as an emergency. This means it's found in the room with the enemy, but they might not be able to get to it before the party starts combat. Allows something to be well hidden and some sort of mechanism to keep it safe while being realistic in the narrative.

@MonkeyJedi99

Жыл бұрын

I just imagined the Mace of Defenestration being locked in a display case in the boss monster's bedroom, so the party better not give him a chance to retreat and recover it!

I tell them I randomize the loot using a table, but I handpick everything :)

@peleg6748

Жыл бұрын

Same! Why would the bad guys have a random item they won't necessarily use when they can trade that item on the black market?

“Only slightly less known” I see what you did there. Inconceivable! I like to write out what I think would be cool, and place it when/where needed So I can always place it in another location 👍🏻

your literaly the bes t DM I've ever seen. I mean, once I watch your videos I get super inspired, and I think you've saved my boring campaign. After I came across your DM advice my friends begun roleplaying and actually having fun. Thx very much : )

My players had to fight their way out of a cave once. There was loot on top of the cave entrance (something the guards hid up their so they could use it if needed). The players never looked there, so they didn't get that item I meant for them to get at level 3-4 until level 13 when I put it in someone's treasure horde. It worked out, though, because it helps them avoid exhaustion, which they now know is an issue sometimes in this game, so they appreciate it more now than they would have after session 1.

After defeating all the bad guys in a room my players run away to take a short rest in the broom closet and never revisited that room during the adventure. The room had a handful of bad guys all with illusion based magic items. This was a few years ago but the items included rings of disguise self and also rings of mirror image, not to mention like 10 unused invisibility potions. Long story short the players told the guards who gave them the quest that the dungeon is now clear and they can go make the repairs needed. The guards did loot the bodies that were a few days old and got all the magic items and quite a bit of gold

Sometimes the old shopkeeper you murder hobo'd just has some snack crackers in his pockets, as well as a locket containing a small painted picture of his daughter, son in law & 10 year old granddaughter, and a letter from them saying they are coming tomorrow to celebrate his birthday with him.

Another fantastic video. Thanks to Luke and the DM Lair team.

Another cool thing to do is to fill the treasure room with large quantities of low value coins, like copper coins. And then tell your players that they can only carry a certain quantity. Now the new challenge is excavating this tomb you've cleared. Great downtime activity

I play a monk while I DM. I managed a successful Stunning Strike on my very first attempt in the campaign, and it spiraled out of control from there. This was a mini boss, with a Ring of the Ram that he never got to use. He just got killed. He was supposed to win the battle and the party was supposed to end up in jail for a jailbreak scene. I decided to take the ring, and use it solely as extra damage on an unarmed strike, only when the party is in danger.

Placing magic items on monsters is always fun, which I know you've talked about before

@nxla6836

Жыл бұрын

Having the monsters using the items is even more fun!

no ...to ...put...all ..the ..treasure...on ...the...boss (close the notebook) "okay, now i have to 'undress' my big boss"

we love you Luke, keep up good job !

This was super helpful! Thanks!

Thanks Luke, your videos really help dungeon masters like me.

@theDMLair

Жыл бұрын

Awesome, happy to hear it!!! :D

Amazing content, amazing video! Thank you DM Lair for sharing all this!

@theDMLair

Жыл бұрын

My pleasure!

@MonkeyJedi99

Жыл бұрын

@@theDMLair BACON!

Big, important topic. Thanks.

I created a ring that restores a spell slot at the cost of health. I intended for it to be a nice early game item for the wizard to use in a pinch to get a spell slot back. Well, it is instead landed in the hands of the Warlock.... who's spell slots are always max level for their level. It made the Warlock immensely powerful. I also created a glove that let a warlock summon his imp without components once per day. It decided to also give it the power to cause 1d10 fire damage to an attack as a reaction while his imp summon isn't used and the imp isn't active a number of times based on his modifier. It was another really bad decision. The Warlock was so wildly powerful for the first 8 levels. I learned my lesson after that game and now always consider what the other party members would do with such an item when I make it.

I love getting loot especially magical loot, yet most of us want weapons, armour and items that boost AC, HP's, stats or something that helps in combat. Yet so much really nice magical items are out there that have nothing to do with combat. Great video.

Whenever a creature has a magic item on them, they use it. Even if they don't know how. A goblin without spellcasting will still use the cool looking rod of fireball as a bonking tool.

I have some basic rules for loot: 1) *It must be earned,* either by fighting, or by clever looking, investigation, following clue 2) People don't keep powerful items under their bed. They use them. For the players to win (earn) a magic item, usually it will be used against them. 3) Make it interesting and not just gold coins. Watching PBS' "Antique Roadshows" is great inspiration. A (breif) history to the item add flavor and player interest. Some players don't want to sell cool items and prefer to wear them, hand on to them. 4) BUT: *Don't make it so complex players need to create spreadsheets to figure out what things are worth* 5) Some thing's value, such as art, a tapestry, a ceremonial horn, a trophy, may not be assessed at the time it is found. Players need to think about what to take, possibly make special rolls. Where is the "Appraise" skill?? This is also good as the DM can adjust the value based on other info, such "they come in pairs and are worth more in pairs." 6) Sometimes, *make treasure relevant later.* That "old pot they found" had a key or map to a later adventure.

Thank you Mr. DM Lair Luke your videos are Amazing!!

@theDMLair

Жыл бұрын

Glad you like them!

Easter egg for Polish DM's - "The GOLD" is actualy Grosze and Złoty XD (Polish currency) 2:59 ;)

I gave my players each a magical treasure at the beginning of a quest where they would need them all and what they did was turn around and go home. I ran a different adventure that day. One, where they all find passage and book their route home while hiding a secret magic item they intended to start a new business and career with in their regular lives. Talk about not building adventurers, they were all happy to get home safe and wealthy.

Thanks dude, love you channel!

@theDMLair

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Great video! I'm playing with new players and I think telling them that they missed stuff and how they couldve found it has been helpful teaching them what they can do. But I'll probably will stop doing that soon.

I set up a campaign revolving around giants being the big bads and they needed their dwarf in the party to get the Giantsbane! (Hammer of Thuderbolts of course… i think it is) however, they kept hearing oh! It’s in the… gold hills or the Everwood etc etc. at every turn they were told to go elsewhere. All the while, the whole party was finding loot in all places, being visited by avatars of lost or fallen gods, being sent into caves and fortresses gathering various loot tailored to them and their backstories. When Giantsbane was found, the dwarf barb/fighter let the War of the Giants, is crowned High King of dwarves… The world is still used today with all the characters now appearing as NPCs. “Bane of Giants, Lord of Beards” is a favorite and known ballad of all bards. I love this game.

Usefull stuff :D now I have to get some players

I like to spread the loot around , having different ways of getting said loot & mixing rarities. An i do tell player's if they have missed items after the chapter , but i don't tell them where & when they missed them.

Great stuff friend 👏 👍

in contrast to video games, where you want to efficiently farm bosses, in TT RPGs it's all about having a great time together, so exploring an entire dungeon for all the loot is just a very good excuse 🙂

I am quite inspired by Borderlands RNG loot. I preroll NPC loot and whatever item they have, I may tell the players through visible cues. The economy is full of common and uncommon grade items, usually with base or slightly above-average stats and maybe a few rare bonus stats with minor boosts. But then a bandit brandishing a silvery scimitar, its steel folded many times like Damascus, a chrome-like aura radiates from it, its gold hilt, embroidered with purple and blue precious stones contrasting with the silver and white metal blade. Players visibly change, they want that sword. They will murder anyone, and anything to get that sword. The item was a SUPER RARE (Purple grade) scimitar with insane stats and an awesome bonus ability that when dealing damage, you heal yourself and add +1 to hit and damage, which stacks indefinitely after a successful hit and lasts 3 minutes unless you score a critical, in which case it is 5 minues, and the bandit also had a pendant tucked under his plate armor, that stores an ethereal bow of teal energy, (a bow with unlimited ammo, deals magical damage and ignores resistances, can pierce targets, and does triple critical damage with some added effects, and can be concealed and summoned at will within the pendant) super cool gear that they had to strategize and work for, the random bandit suddenly became a tyrannical fanatic that hordes loot, and attacked the party for their loot, hoping to find more loot. Happened only once in the 8 sessions we played and it introduced a new enemy type, Loot Fanatics. Psychos who would stop at nothing to get a new item of high grade to scratch that itch.

@theDMLair why did you use polish coins specifically in 2:59? :)

My thoughts would be spell components in a spellcasters Chambers. Maybe a magic item such as a sword or Shield stored partway between a blacksmith area and the spellcasters chambers

Thanks for the tip about spreading out loot from the tables. It is so obvious but easy to mess up and not do it as a new-ish DM.

To make you stand a chance against the merciless algorithm, I'll say that I really appreciate Polish currency/coins in 2:59

Nice tips!

I place it all over when making a scenario. I even made a dungeon with almost no loot at all, the reward was the gratitude of a small hamlet nearby the dungeon which they needed later in the scenario

I in my 5th Edition game went back to tying in GOLD and loot to XP like in earlier editions of D&D and use 5th Edition Hardcore mode so they are motivated to look for it . ANd I also try to tie it into the story.

Once had a my players kill a thieves guild leader and they missed her cursed weapons because they respected the dead and that same loot was then brought to a auction house where the party would bid on said items they missed

Great video.

Hi Luke, I love your videos, and your homebrew systems, and I was wondering if you might do anything on lycanthropy, and how you can have a PC play with it?

@theDMLair

Жыл бұрын

Yes. We have something planned for lycanthropy for 2023. It will come out and Lair magazine and I will also be doing a video on it.

Hey Luke, what do you think about asking players if they want loot in one place or spread out? Is it better to just not ask them to avoid arguments if the players disagree? Is it just too metagamey to ask them?

I'm starting a new campaign in the Spelljammer setting, and one of the main plot points is going to be a treasure map macguffin device that will require 6 elemental gems to collect to activate. Some of these gems will be incredibly difficult to find, even when you are looking in the right direction!

I like the animation of the heros poking around.

Loot can be a trap as well. I know that this example is trope but it is a great lesson to learn for new players regarding encumbrances and being selective and the consequences of excessive greed. Have some bridges that the characters must cross to enter the dungeon proper. When they cross the bridge tell them that they see spiderwebs and jagged rocks and what appears to be bone and even the glint of metal, even perhaps gold on the ledges below. Most characters will believe that this is just setting the mood for the adventure to follow. If so, great! After these novices defeat the monsters and load up all their packs, mules, wagons, etc. with gold, armor, etc. they travel happy but exhausted, depleted and weak back across the bridge - which then collapses or tips like an inverse draw bridge, dumping them and their mules, wagons, and bags of treasure into the chasm whereupon they are set upon by voracious spiders and other cave dwelling creatures! Now they are lost, on the verge of death etc. Fortunately, they find some healing potion from their loot or from the loot of a previous adventurer. Now the real adventure begins! 😂

I told my players once after a temple collapsed, that they missed the +2 greatsword in the bbes's bedroom, after that, they started fine combing EVERYTHING 😂

I’m playing with variant encumbrance and the Owlin Gloomstalker with 7 Strength hates it. She flies around naked just so she can carry her crossbow bolts without being encumbered. I felt bad, so when they fought a Sea Hag, I gave the Hag some Gloves of Storing (basically a bag of holding for 1 item). They killed the hag, but let her body sink to the bottom of the lake rather than loot it…. I haven’t placed the gloves anywhere else yet.

I once ran an adventure of a typical Necromancer tower and cavern complex below. After defeating the Necromancer they explored the caverns. In one area they fought ghouls. The wizard then sent his familiar to scout the next area, which was promptly killed by two wyrmling dragons. Alerted by the familiar, the wyrmlings entered the former ghoul area and attack the party. After the party won they chose to short rest in that ghoul chamber. What they didn't know was an oni was also in the dragon chamber. Because the party rested he took the opportunity to take all the dragon treasure for himself and hid in his lair behind an illusion wall. After the rest the party went into the empty dragon chamber and thought nothing of it. The next chamber were fairies in cages. I threw the party a bone and had the fairies remind the party dragons have treasure. They went back to the dragon chamber to look around. They found a gold coin which told them there was treasure here. They thought the Necromancer they killed was alive again. They decided to leave the caverns and go back into the tower to verify the Necromancer was dead. He was. However, since they left the caverns the oni took the opportunity to leave the caverns taking the dragon treasure with him via an underground river.

this is for KZread's mercilessness algorithm. thank you Luke.

You shouldn't always hide your lot throughout the dungeon. Variety is the spice of life and you should sometimes just give all the loot at the end, or with a quest giver. Make it make sense with the adventure. If you spread loot about 50-75% of the time, it will fulfill that exploration pillar and smart players might be able to pick up on when they can speed run through an adventure. Also, sometimes, no loot! Make that be very rare, though.

Comment for the mercilous algorithm. If you've been making the mistake of loot placement all in one room at the end of the dungeon, the first time you switch it up will get you some priceless facial expressions from your table. Please don't ask me how I know that. hee hee.

In the cheese block on the table by the stove.

@RottenRogerDM

Жыл бұрын

Calling the barbarian. Calling the barbarian. Can you axe this person to quit posting?

What I like to do is frisk my slain enemies and find out what's on them; their respective arms/armor are also mine btw.

I like to scatter loot all over the space. My favorite trick is to place non monetary treasure. Tapestries, rare foods, artwork, etc.

We play an Old School game where XP is gained for spending gold gathered. I like the idea of scattering the treasure and encourage creativity from the players.

I scream point #2 at every table i play with SO MANY PLAYERS are used to playing video games where they can unlock 100% of the items.

running a heavily modified lost mines for a group and so far they have missed most of the loot except the stuff I obviously and overly eluded to by their encounter with the nothic. It seemed they almost missed that too for fear he was too powerful

@theDMLair

Жыл бұрын

Yeah some groups just don't check for treasure. It's hard to keep quiet for me at least. LOL

Chapter / # breaks would be nice.

What about when the dwarven fighter smashes two potions out of impatience?

Regarding the exploration in D&D, I typically log 100+ hours in RPG games before I've actually advanced in the story in any remotely meaningful way. And if allowed to, I would be intimately familiar with local and international politics, gossip and legends all across the sword coast before talking to the barkeeper that the DM desperately wants me to talk to. While DMing, I openly confess to overly exagerated world building. I have a yearly calender, holidays, customs and myths of a region designed before I think I might have a use for the area in the coming century.

Tell players they missed things without saying what and where

I would suggest reveal that the players did miss something, just not what they missed. 😅

My players have repeatedly killed the big bad, looted the room/corpse and left unexplored, 0 combat remaining, treasure seeded dungeons.

Sprinkle loot everywhere

@kylewright9002

Жыл бұрын

Like you vibe in ur videos

Yes hide the loot

Comment comment comment Please sate the algorithm! Comment comment comment! Please give this youtuber the fabled ad revenue!

A common theme in fantasy novels, movies in games is the greedy character dying because they tried to drag every last ounce of gold out of a dungeon. See Beni Gabor in The Mummy , but the list is endless. This is one of the reasons players attempt to stay on task and out of every corner in the dungeon they are attempting to complete their mission in the safest most efficient fashion. I like exploring all the nooks and crannies and I do enjoy seeing everything that is in a dungeon. My favourite Dungeon for rewarding (and punishing) this behaviour was I3 Pharaoh from the Desert of Desolation series. Spoiler from that module Below!!!!!!! Spoiler for end of I3 Pharaoh I3 has a side passage where the Heart of the big bad is hidden and protected by a Clay Golem. Explorers who go everywhere find the Golem and the heart. My first run through my Paladin took on the Golem with his magic mace and mostly finished him off with aid from the MU. everyone else had edged weapons. My Paladin was reduced to 4 HP and we never found a tenth level cleric to heal him again so he eventually died. But destroying that heart killed (and freed) the old Pharaoh and saved us from going through a meat grinder of a gauntlet that otherwise you have to go through at the end of the module .The exploration gives you a route through that avoids the potential TPK end of module gauntlet at the cost of having to take on a fearsome Clay Golem that eventually finished off my character. Well worth it.

Loot that is given to monsters can also BE USED by the monsters. There is no reason that a bad guy can't use a magic sword or a potion.

@theDMLair

Жыл бұрын

Very true! (I just always forget the bag guy has it and should be using it in combat. lol)

I tend to call them a "cheap plug"

Hide loot INSIDE the BBEG

@theDMLair

Жыл бұрын

And then when they catch on to that tactic the players will be cutting open every single bad guy. LOL

@altose5248

Жыл бұрын

@@theDMLair which is fine until they cut open something with a very acidic stomach and they roll badly on their butchery skill check! Mwah ha ha

Never get involved in a land war in Asia?

Bacon as loot ???

how to give loot in a primitive setting

How dare you criticize my Monty Hall treasure dealing ways! So what if at 3rd level the party has a plus 3 vorpal dragon slayer. I mean if a third level party wants to go slay a dragon then good luck right? LOL... Honestly I love to reward "creative" or utility magic items more than stat boosting items or weapons or basically combat oriented items. Screw Portable hole, I gave them a portable wall. It can even be folded into a short flight of stairs.

i accidently gave my players a bank... BUT then the economy of the state got fucked and all the towns now hate my players because theyre poor because of them its great

First

I thought this video was about treasurf. Misleading thumbnail.

No real comment, great video. I'll just leave this here as Algorithm bait.

Lost me at 5e being balanced. It isn't, at all

@theDMLair

Жыл бұрын

Indeed it is not. LOL