A question from a newbie to dm'ing, Dungeon magazine, and modules in general:
When an adventure in Dungeon includes monsters from the MM and doesn't include a full statblock with info about the monsters' possessions, should I roll up treasure for the monsters in advance per the MM & DMG, or does the adventure presume these henchmen have no treasure other than the standard armor & weapons (ie, it takes the treasures of these monsters into account when it describes the treasure at the end of the adventure or on the BBEG?)?
Thanks,
jamie
Creative Director
|
As a general rule, you can assume the monster has any of the equipment it's listed as having in its entry in the Monster Manual. If the monster doesn't have any gear or treasure listed, it has only what the magazine says it has (be it in the creature's treasure or whatever). If you add more treasure and gear to monsters with short stat blocks, your PCs will quickly become too rich for their level according to the assumptions that D&D makes about how much wealth a PC should have at any given level.
Monsters in Dungeon adventures have already had their treasure calculated for them, so you don't have to roll it. If they don't have any listed, they're probably not carrying it as equipment. The kind of intelligent creatures who have treasure might keep it in a chest, but this is something of a cliche so they tend to squirrel it away in their bedding.
Beds are the new chests.
Well, that'd explain why, in all the room descriptions, the beds have all been trashed but the chests are intact. Ever notice that?
Exactly. The chests will be securely locked at best, have a high chance of being set with lethal traps, and at worst will be sticky mimics.
Not all bedding-rustlers are as clever and brave as civilized humanoid adventurers, though, and will, upon being startled by some noise and fearing mistakenly that the owners have returned, dump their treasure in some rubble and leave. This explains why treasure is equally often found scattered for no reason in rubble, and doubly so when that rubble is the remains collapsed burned rain-sodden wooden roof.
I once had a mimic who took the shape of a bed and used a magic pillow that put people to sleep. As soon as the pillow was picked up, the PC would have to make a saving throw or lie down on the nearest soft surface and go to sleep. The nearest soft surface happened to be the mimic.
By the way, I have put trashed chests in adventures to. PCs hate to find chests that have already been ransacked, especially if its by the NPC party that they hate.
By the way, I have put trashed chests in adventures to. PCs hate to find chests that have already been ransacked, especially if its by the NPC party that they hate.
This is a favourite of mine as well - throw in a couple of coppers and a silver piece that seems to have been left by the NPCs to rub it in.