I think it means standard for the CR of the creature.
Check out the gamestering section of the PRD. About halfway done the page there is a "Table: Treasure Values per Encounter" which has the standard values of treasure. I think there is more detail in the gamemastering section of the Core Rulebook.
| 4 people marked this as a favorite. |
The tables everyone has linked you showed you how much a creature's treasure should be worth.
What it specifically is something you as a GM makes up.
The random tables in the GameMasteryGuide can help with this (but unfortunately these are not in the PRD). Otherwise for now you're on your own.
Some examples and suggestions, using the medium progression of the Treasure Values Per Encounter table:
Yeti CR 4 Treasure: standard
So the Yeti will have 1,150 gp worth of material. That's as far as the rulebooks will take you.
In this case, I would take note of the fact that the Yeti is of a level of intelligence comparable to an average human (though not civilized), and lives in cold mountains. I would therefore think about what the Yeti would have on its person or in its cold mountain lair--likely gear it has salvaged from other people it has attacked, shiny things it thought looked valuable for trading with giants, maybe some valuable animal pelts. So let's call it 200 gp worth mundane gear, 150 gp in assortage coinage pilfered off of mountain travelers, a 500 gp necklace pilfered off of same group of travelers, and 300 gp of valuable animal skins that could be fashioned into hide armor.
Xorn CR 6 Treasure: standard (precious metals, gems, and magic gems or jewelry only)
This is easy. For its CR, it has 2,000 gp worth of treasure, and it's all going to be in gems, jewelry, and metals (no coins, gear, weapons, armor, or magic items). If you had no time you could just say, "2,000 gp worth of gems" and be done with it.
Xill CR 6 Treasure: standard (heavy steel shield, 2 short swords, 2 longbows with 40 arrows, other treasure)
Again, CR 6, so 2,000 gp worth treasure. Subtract the value of the gear actually mentioned. Split the remainder into something, like, say, gold and gear. Maybe some magic arrows for its bows. Again, I'm just making this up--there are no rules for this, you just have to be creative and work with what makes sense.
Giant Spider CR 1 Treasure: incidental
A CR 1 "standard" reward is worth 260 gp. So as "incidental" treasure, it would be worth about, half, 130 gp. It would just be random stuff caught in the spider's web, not stuff that really belonged to the spider--probably gear and some coins that belonged to past victims.
Sphinx (Gynosphinx) CR 8 Treasure: double
Standard treasure for CR 8 is 3,350 gp, so a gynosphinx would have roughly 6,700 gp worth of treasure.
In designing treasure for this creature, I would take note of several things:
- It is VERY smart and wise
- It has detect magic and locate object as spell-like abilities
- Its descriptive block notes that it enjoys trading with others.
- It enjoys puzzles and riddles.
Therefore, the treasure it has is going to be stuff it has hand-picked for itself, and possibly even sought out. It's also going to have cash for trading. I would probably give it a few low-cost (or one mid-cost) wondrous items that as a magical beast, it would be capable of using (and calculate that into a statblock), and maybe a fun and valuable novelty item reflecting its inquisitive nature, and make the rest coins.
For example: An amulet of natural armor +2 (4,000 gp), a very cleverly constructed platinum puzzle box containing a sheet of paper with a riddle on it when it is properly opened (1,000 gp), and 1,700 gp worth of coins (probably in platinum, gold, and silver, and stored in a way it would be easy for the sphinx to access them).
Hope that gives you some ideas.