need potions table explained

[rajule]

I believe its in the core rulebook, and I've also come across it here

d20pfsrd

there is a table:potions which I cannot figure out. Mainly the columns labled minor medium and major which have varying number ranges between 1-100. What are these columns and numbers referring to? I can't for the life of me figure it out.

Thanks.

[Jeff Merola]

They're for randomly generating potions. You roll a d100 and compare it to the appropriate column.

[Cyrad]

That's for generating loot. If a GM wants to generate random treasure, he can roll 1d100 and get a result. If you ever find a table with a column that ranges 1-100, that's typically what it's for. If you're a player, just ignore it.

[rajule]

ok.. you mean like if a GM/DM needed to create a potion for an encounter?

what about the minor medium and major columns? what do those mean?

could you give me an example of the steps someone would go through using this table to get a result?

[DM_Blake]

There is a table in the book that tells a GM how much treasure, on average, to give each encounter. There is another table that tells you the average value of magic items.

Here's the second table:

.
.
.

Magic Item Category / Average Value
Minor Item / 1,000 gp
Medium Item / 10,000 gp
Major Item / 40,000 gp

So if the first table says the encounter should have 15,000gp (typically a CR 14 monster that would be an encounter for a level 14 group), the GM might decide "I'll give that monster 3,000gp in coins and gems, two minor items, and one medium item."

Then he can select three appropriate items or randomly roll them on the tables, however he prefers to do it.

(or he could give that monster zero treasure and, when the party fights a second CR 14 monster, he could give all 30,000 gp worth of treasure to that second monster and maybe that would mean having three medium items - this is all up to the GM, of course)

[rajule]

alright, I think I kind of understand now. I haven't really been able to look at much of the gm stuff yet. thanks for the insight.

[Cavall]

A GM, it is also suggested, could hold off on giving anything for a reward and "bank it" to give people a larger reward later. In effect making a couple minor items into a more moderate one.

[DM_Blake]

Cavall wrote:

A GM, it is also suggested, could hold off on giving anything for a reward and "bank it" to give people a larger reward later. In effect making a couple minor items into a more moderate one.

That should really be 10 minor items to make one moderate item, not just a couple, but the point is valid.