When you're running an adventure with random encounter tables (ie: the Istivin trilogy from 116-117-118), do you add more treasure in to the mix when a random encounter or two goes by, or do the adventures assume a random encounter or two?
I mean, if the party stumbles into a dragon, I use the Draconomicon to figure out what it had in its hoard, and what it could use (fantastic tables, those), and so on, but, say, bumping into four mind flayers on the way through the underdark, do you pause, roll up treasure, figure out what they've got, etc etc?
Just wondering what y'all do, and whether or not treasure from random encounters is included in Dungeon adventures.
I recently added up all the treasure that 4 PCs could possibly get from the Library of Last Resort adventure and was amazed that it did not nearly match the wealth gain that 4 PCs of that level should gain according to the DMG. In my own homebrew adventures I allow the players to find negligable treasure after defeating random monsters; a few silver or an acid flask or two. To make up for this, I add treasure to the planned encounters.
Hope that helps.
TS
I usually let them have the extra treasure in random encounters. If they beat something they get XP too, and so they still have the right amount of treasure for their level. Don't go nuts with the random encounters though - if they are too frequent or challenging, the players may be a level ahead by the end of the adventure, and that'll make the end guy less challenging.
Speaking of treasure, the best unexpected treasure we got was fighting a mind flayer sorcerer and his shield guardian. We let the shield guardian survive and took the amulet that lets you control the shield guardian. The cost to make one is 120,000, so the buy price is equivalent to 240,000gp. Not bad for something that wasn't meant to takeable as treasure in the first place!
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My players generally get treated to a nice collection of treasure ... normally because a bulk of their adversaries are high level humanoids who serve as well-equipped adventurers, assassins, or all-around foes.
Of course, lots of treasure may mean diddly over time if they don't have a place to spend it.
In one campaign, everyone's in the wilderness, far away from anywhere to trade.
In another, the group is deep in the underdark. Their only available merchant at this time is a djinni who, for the cost of 4000 gp (and no substitutes), gates them to his "store" in the Elemental Plane of Air.
To generate treasure, I use Bill Hendrick's excellent treasure generators. They are extremely useful excel sheets packed with nearly every magic item created by WotC. He's hanging around on these boards somewhere...
I use random encounters rarely, but when I do its to get the PCs enough XP to face the challenges ahead (the PCs are a couple of hundred XP from going up to 3rd level, but I want them to be 4th level before they find the cultists secret cave so I throw in an ogre).
Treasures the same. If the PCs have not got enough treasure for their level I throw in a couple of random encounters with enough treasure to give them a boost.
Of course, as I said before, I rarely do this.