Why is there treasure?

[Hairfoot]

Why is treasure lying about in your campaign?

Killing monsters and taking their stuff is, arguably, the strongest driving force in roleplaying games. No matter what a PC's motivation, players will bore pretty quickly if there isn't gold, gems, and interesting items to pick up. This applies even more so in MMORPGS.

So, how does good "stuff" come to lie in the path of your PCs? Because it's in the MM? Because it's liberated from affluent, evil organisations? Because the PCs are thieves and looters? What's the "backstory" of loot in your game?

 

[IamTheTest]

I cant say that Ive put a great deal of thought into the mundane stuff. I try to include treasure that is relevant to the environment around and plot goods always have a story, but I dont have a reason for why Sack of Gold X or Mundane Weapon Y is laying around.

 

[Jesus_marley]

The way I see loot is this.....

With intelligent creatures, it is something that is actively gained over time, whether it be for status, greed, or the accumulation of power. Depending on the creature, it can be gained either through scavenging found items, or actively stealing it from others. Basically, EVERYONE is in one way or another seeking to gain treasure, not just the PCs. some creatures use commerce, others loot and pillage.

With "non-intelligent" creatures, treasure is more a function of items that have been scavenged as "shinies", or incidental items that have been dropped by prey.

The very nature of the PCs profession as adventurers guarantees that they will encounter more situations that can gain them treasure.

 

[Whisper72]

Well.... often most of the treasure is loot from previous adventurers with less luck trying to defeat the monsters.... with intelligent monsters, loot is often their own treasure they use to pay underlings, bribe government officials or just plain greed!

 

[Owen K.C. Stephens]

Treasure tends to fall into 3 categories in my games. The most common source of big bucks are the tools and budgets of sapient foes defeated in battle. Dragons don't just have piles of gold to sleep on, they have magic items they use, monies they intend to buy influence or guards with, and items of aesthetic value they like looking at. Thinking foes of a certain power level accumulate weapons, funds and art for the same reason PCs do -- to grow in power and comfort.

Second are leave-around treasures. This is either stuff from other adventurers (even NPC travelers can end up with quite a bit of coin as they gain levels, and a wyvern preying on a merchant passage may have a lot built up it just couldn't digest), or lost vaults too dangerous for most recovery operations. If a city is buried under ash from a volcano, or a dwarven mine abandoned because they dug deep enough to unearth a demon, there's still silverware on the table.

Third are power rewards you get just for accomplishing something, or by performing rituals over fallen foes. You kill a full dragon in my game, you may gain power just from being bathed in its blood. A weapon that keeps destroying powerful undead may spontaineously become bane vs undead. Also, I use the levin rules from the Advanced Gamemaster Guide, so there's a way to collect the magic essence of many foes, whgich can later be used to pay the exp cost of making items and casting spells.

 

[Crothian]

Why is treasure lying about in your campaign?

Everything is where it is for a reason. It could be an ancient crypt of a long dead hero buried with his stuff in honor of him. It could be because the giant crows like shiney things. It just depends on who and what is being talked about.

Killing monsters and taking their stuff is, arguably, the strongest driving force in roleplaying games. No matter what a PC's motivation, players will bore pretty quickly if there isn't gold, gems, and interesting items to pick up.

Not in my games. I've had adventures with little to no treasure and that didn't bore anyone.

So, how does good "stuff" come to lie in the path of your PCs? Because it's in the MM? Because it's liberated from affluent, evil organisations? Because the PCs are thieves and looters? What's the "backstory" of loot in your game?

The Backstory again depends on many factors. There is no one or two reasons for it.

 

[Delta]

Because historically, that's what tends to be stored in old tombs and such.

Example: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/tutankhamun_gallery.shtml

 

[frankthedm]

1E & Basic D&D Treasure = XP [gp] and random character potency
2E Treasure = random character potency
3E Treasure = Expected abilities & character potency.

 

[Graybeard]

I place treasure and other items according to what makes sense to me. Crypts and such will tend to have items appropriate to whom is buried there. Not all monsters have treasure in my campaign. Even the monsters that do have stuff do not always have bags of money. Sometimes they have weapons and armor that they would normally use. Maybe a few coins or gems. In my campaign, one of my players discovered catacombs under the city that were being used by smugglers. He decided to loot them. Recently, the PCs came upon a wizard tower that had been destroyed by Giants and Trolls. They searched the tower (what was left of it) and found several magic items such as scrolls, wands, mundane magic items like everburning candles, etc. There was very little money since I had decided that these wizards had little use for hoards of money. What money they did get would go to supplies and upkkep and maintenance of the tower. My players understand that sometimes there will be no treasure from an encounter and they have no problem with it.

 

[Driddle]

When I was in high school, it was an unspoken assumption that after you killed the monster you would find valuable goodies stashed in a box in the corner. It was as simple as that. No one questioned the treasure.