[MECHANICS] Dungeon! - Treasure

Thoughts on Treasure

When designing Dungeon!, I was torn on how to handle treasure. Part of me loves rolling on the B/X treasure tables, while another part of me feels like they can be too feast or famine. On top of all that, there are such great generators online (such as the OSE Generators) that making an old school, manual treasure table feels obsolete and pointless. Because of these reasons, I decided to make treasure in Dungeon! entirely up to the GM. Below are a handful of different approaches to use, but at the end of the day it comes down to what makes sense for your game and your setting.

Collaborative Treasure

For this method, simply grant the party a number of Treasure Points equal to the CR of the Monster defeated, if you believe that this Monster would yield treasure. The party may then "spend" these Treasure Points as if they were the same value as Gold, gaining equipment, Gems, Jewelry, or even just Gold pieces. For Magic Items, you as the GM may veto any Magic Items the party attempts to use Treasure Points for, especially if it doesn't make sense for the Monster defeated. Additionally, you set the cost of Magic Items in Treasure Points, so you control the influx of Magic Items into your game.

Old School Treasure

Making an old school, manual treasure table is certainly a bit of an obsolete choice. But it is just so fun I couldn't help myself! Below you will find a chart that acts similarly to the B/X and OSE treasure tables. If you'd rather just use those and have a good idea of what type of Monster matches which Treasure Type, feel free to use this OSE Generator. To use the table below, read the following.

• C: "C" stands for Coin. This type of treasure is solely Copper, Silver, and Gold. When Coin is successfully rolled, the amount of Coin found is a value of Gold equal to the Monster's CR. The denominations of this Coin can be whatever you see fit.
• R: "R" stands for Relics. This type of treasure is comprised of non-magical Art Objects, Gems, and Jewelry. When Relics are successfully rolled, the number of Relics found is equal to half the Monster's CR, rounded down. Each Relic is worth 3d6 Gold.
• A: "A" stands for Artifacts. This type of treasure is always some kind of Magic Item, such as a Potion, a Scroll, or a Magic Sword. When Artifacts are successfully rolled, the number of Artifacts found is always 1d4. The GM may award more if they see fit.

Finally, you must also ask yourself the question at the top of each column. Is the Monster Beast-Like? Or is the Monster Intelligent? Did the party fight the Monster within its Lair? Use your best judgement to decide. For each column where the answer is yes, roll on that column. Monsters can qualify for more than one column. For example, a Giant Ant Queen would qualify for Beast-Like, but you likely fought it within its Lair and therefore it also qualifies for Lair. Another example is Dragons, who qualify for all of the columns, given their Beast-Like capabilities, natural Intelligence, Human-Like personalities, and the likely fact that they have a Lair containing a hoard. Each column a Monster qualifies for is a separate chance to roll and add treasure for each listed type.

	Beast-Like?	Intelligent?	Human-Like?	Lair?
CR 1 – 3	5% C	10% C 5% R	50% C 10% R	50% C 25% R 5% A
CR 4 – 5	10% C	20% C 10% R	75% C 25% R 5% A	75% C 25% R 5% A
CR 6 – 9	15% C 5% R	30% C 15% R	100% C 50% R 10% A	100% C 50% R 10% A
CR 10 – 12	20% C 10% R	40% C 20% R 5% A	100% C 50% R 10% A	100% C 60% R 20% A
CR 13 – 15	25% C 15% R	50% C 25% R 10% A	100% C 50% R 10% A	100% C 70% R 30% A
CR 16 – 20	30% C 20% R	60% C 30% R 15% A	100% C 50% R 10% A	100% C 80% R 40% A
CR 21 – 25	35% C 25% R	60% C 30% R 15% A	100% C 50% R 10% A	100% C 80% R 40% A
CR 26 – 30	40% C 25% R	60% C 30% R 15% A	100% C 50% R 10% A	100% C 90% R 50% A
CR 31+	50% C 25% R	60% C 30% R 15% A	100% C 50% R 10% A	100% C 90% R 50% A

Simple Treasure

This method is as easy as deciding what treasure is found. No guidelines, no restrictions. Just decide what treasure the players find each time they find treasure. If you have a good grasp of your game's economy, this is a fast and easy way to dish out treasure.

A Note on Economies

As an extra note, you may notice that some of these amounts seem low. This is intentional, as Dungeon! treats Copper and Silver as the far more common currency, expecting them to be spent far more often than Gold is. Something like a Sword costs around 10 GP in B/X, while a Sword in Dungeon! should only cost about 1 Gold.

If you wish to use a Gold Standard, I suggest simply using B/X or OSE for your prices and treasure. It's your game!