Dungeonmastering

Experience | Conducting the Game | The Campaign | Monsters and Organization | Construction and Siege

Experience

Adjustment and Division of Experience Points

The judgment factor is inescapable with respect to weighting experience for the points gained from slaying monsters and/or gaining treasure. You must weigh the level of challenge - be it thinking or fighting - versus the level of experience of the player character(s) who gained it.

With respect to monsters, each hit die balances 1 experience level, counting each special ability and each exceptional ability as an additional hit die, and also counting any hit point plus as an additional hit die.

Dividing the total adjusted hit dice equivalent of the monsters slain by the total of all levels of experience of all characters who had a part (even if only 1 missile, blow, spell, etc.) in the slaying yields a fraction which is the measure of challenge.

If the numerator is greater than the denominator, then full experience should be awarded. If the denominator is greater, use the fraction to adjust the amount of experience by simple multiplication. (Note: It may be necessary to adjust character level in the same manner as is done with monster hit dice in order to gain a true evaluation; as, for example, 12 orcs are not equal to a wizard!) Therefore, the following rule applies:

If the average hit dice or level is 10 times greater than the average level or hit dice, there must be an adjustment of at least halving or doubling the experience point (x.p.) award as the circumstances dictate, except if the lesser group is approximately 20 times more numerous than the greater value group.

(20 orcs might prove troublesome to a wizard, but even that is subject to the circumstances of the encounter.)

Tricking or outwitting monsters or overcoming tricks and/or traps placed to guard treasure must be determined subjectively, with level of experience balanced against the degree of difficulty you assign to the gaining of the treasure.

Division of Experience Points

How treasure is divided is actually in the realm of player decision. Experience points (x.p.) for slain monsters, however, is strictly your prerogative.

It is suggested that you decide division of x.p. as follows:

X.P. for the slain monsters are totaled.
All surviving characters who took part (no matter how insignificantly) in slaying the monsters are totaled.
X.P. total is divided by the number of characters, each getting an equal share.
Exception. Monsters slain single-handedly - and a magic-user protected by fighters keeping off the enemy so he or she can cast spells which slay monsters is NOT fighting single-handed - accrue x.p. only to the slayer and are not included in steps 1. through 3. above.

Example. A party of 12 characters encounters monsters; in the ensuing battle all characters fight, 2 are slain, and the x.p. for monsters killed total 4,300, so each survivor gains 430—adjusted for difficulty, and for being actual player characters or halved for henchman characters.

Experience Value of Treasure Taken

Gold Pieces. Convert all metal and gems and jewelry to a total value in gold pieces.

If the relative value of the monster(s) or guardian device fought equals or exceeds that of the party which took the treasure, experience is awarded on a 1 for 1 basis.

If the guardian(s) was relatively weaker, award experience on a 5 g.p. to 4 x.p., 3 to 2, 2 to 1, 3 to 1, or even 4 or more to 1 basis according to the relative strengths.

For example, if a 10th level magic-user takes 1,000 g.p. from 10 kobolds, the relative strengths are about 20 to 1 in favor of the magic-user. (Such strength comparisons are subjective and must be based upon the degree of challenge the Dungeon Master had the monster(s) pose the treasure taker.)

Treasure must be physically taken out of the dungeon or lair and turned into a transportable medium or stored in the player’s stronghold to be counted for experience points.

All items (including magic) or creatures sold for gold pieces prior to the awarding of experience points for an adventure must be considered as treasure taken, and the gold pieces received for the sale add to the total treasure taken. (Those magic items not sold gain only a relatively small amount of experience points, for their value is in their usage.)

Note. Players who balk at equating gold pieces to experience points should be gently, but firmly reminded that in a game certain compromises must be made. While it is more “realistic” for clerics to study holy writings, pray, chant, practice self-discipline, etc. to gain experience, it would not make a playable game roll along. Similarly, fighters should be exercising, riding, smiting pelts, tilting at the lists, and engaging in weapons practice of various sorts to gain real expertise (experience); magic-users should be deciphering old scrolls, searching ancient tomes, experimenting alchemically, and so forth; while thieves should spend their off-hours honing their skills, “casing” various buildings, watching potential victims, and carefully planning their next “job”. All very realistic but conducive to non-game boredom!

Experience Points Value of Monsters

The [provided] table is for determination of x.p. to be awarded for slain opponent creatures.

Treat peasants/levies as up to 1-1, men-at-arms as 1-1 to 1, and all [class] levels as the n+1 hit dice category.

Typical Special Abilities. 4 or more attacks per round, missile discharge, armor class 0, or lower, special attacks (blood drain, hug, crush, etc.), special defenses (regeneration; hit only by special and/or magic weapons), high intelligence which actually affects combat, use of minor (basically defensive) spells.

Typical Exceptional Abilities. energy level drain, paralysis, poison, major breath weapon, magic resistance, spell use, swallowing whole, weakness, attacks causing maximum damage greater than 24 singly, 30 doubly, 36 trebly, or 42 in all combinations possible in 1 round.

If the monster is particularly powerful, double the Exceptional Ability Addition may be awarded.

Judicious application of these guidelines will assume that an equitable total number of experience points are given for slaying any given monster.

Special ability bonus awards should be cumulative, i.e., a gargoyle attacks 4 times per round and can be hit only by magic weapons, so a double Special Ability X.P. Bonus should be awarded. Likewise, if there are multiple exceptional abilities, the awards should reflect this. If an otherwise weak creature has an extraordinary power, multiply the award by 2, 4, 8, or even 10 or more.

Examples

A giant centipede with 2 hit points has BXPV of 5, XP/HP total of 2, and a EAXPA (for poison) of 25; totaling 32 x.p.
An owl bear with 30 hit points has BXPV of 150, XP/HP total of 180, and a SAXPB of 75; totaling 405 x.p.
A 10-headed hydra with 80 hit points has BXPV of 900, XP/HP total of 880, and a SAXPB (for multiple attacks) of 450; totaling 2,230 x.p.
An ancient, spell-using red dragon of huge size with 88 hit points has a BXPV of 1,300, XP/HP total of 1,408, SAXPB of 2,800 (armor class + special defense + high Intelligence + saving throw bonus due to h.p./die), and an EAXPA of 2,550 (major breath weapon + spell use + attack damage of 3-30/bite); totaling 7,758 x.p.

The Monster Manual contains standard experience point values for monsters slain. These are suggested values, and you may alter them to suit your campaign.

Special bonus award to experience points

If your campaign is particularly dangerous, with a low life expectancy for starting player characters, or if it is a well-established one where most players are of medium or above level, and new participants have difficulty surviving because of this, the following Special Bonus Award is suggested:

Any character killed, and subsequently restored to life by means of a spell or device, other than a ring of regeneration, will earn an experience point bonus award of 1,000 points. This will materially aid characters of lower levels of experience, while it will not unduly affect earned experience for those of higher level. As only you can bestow this award, you may also feel free to decline to give it to player characters who were particularly foolish or stupid in their actions which immediately preceded death, particularly if such characters are not “sadder but wiser” for the happening.

Conducting the Game

Rolling the dice and control of the game

In many situations it is correct and fun to have the players dice such things as melee hits or saving throws. However, it is your right to control the dice at any time and to roll dice for the players. You might wish to do this to keep them from knowing some specific fact. You also might wish to give them an edge in finding a particular clue, e.g. a secret door that leads to a complex of monsters and treasures that will be especially entertaining.

You do have every right to overrule the dice at any time if there is a particular course of events that you would like to have occur. In making such a decision you should never seriously harm the party or a non-player character with your actions.

“Always give a monster an even break!”

Examples of dice rolls which should always be made secretly are: listening, hiding in shadows, detecting traps, moving silently, finding secret doors, monster saving throws, and attacks made upon the party without their possible knowledge.

There will be times in which the rules do not cover a specific action that a player will attempt. In such situations, instead of being forced to make a decision, take the option to allow the dice to control the situation. This can be done by assigning reasonable probability to an event and then letting the player dice to see if he or she can make that percentage. You can weigh the dice in any way so as to give the advantage to either the player or the non-player character, whichever seems more correct and logical to you while being fair to both sides.

Now and then a player will die through no fault of his own. He or she will have done everything correctly, taken every reasonable precaution, but still the freakish roll of the dice will kill the character. In the long run you should let such things pass as the players will kill more than one opponent with their own freakish rolls at some later time. Yet you do have the right to arbitrate the situation. You can rule that the player, instead of dying, is knocked unconscious, loses a limb, is blinded in one eye or invoke any reasonably severe penalty that still takes into account what the monster has done. It is very demoralizing to the players to lose a cared-for-player character when they have played well. When they have done something stupid or have not taken precautions, then let the dice fall where they may! Again, if you have available ample means of raising characters from the dead, even death is not too severe; remember, however, the Constitution-based limit to resurrections. Yet one die roll that you should NEVER tamper with is the System Shock Roll to be raised from the dead. If a character fails that roll, which he or she should make him or herself, he or she is FOREVER DEAD. There MUST be some final death or immortality will take over and again the game will become boring because the player characters will have 9+ lives each!

Handling troublesome players

Some players will find more enjoyment in spoiling a game than in playing it, and this ruins the fun for the rest of the participants, so it must be prevented. Those who enjoy being loud and argumentative, those who pout or act in a childish manner when things go against them, those who use the books as a defense when you rule them out of line should be excluded from the campaign. Simply put, ask them to leave, or do not invite them to participate again.

Peer pressure is another means which can be used to control players who are not totally obnoxious and who you deem worth saving. These types typically attempt to give orders and instructions even when their characters are not present, tell other characters what to do even though the character role they have has nothing to do with that of the one being instructed, or continually attempt actions or activities their characters would have no knowledge of. When any such proposals or suggestions or orders are made, simply inform the group that it is no longer possible under any circumstances because of the player in question. The group will then act to silence him or her and control undesirable outbursts. The other players will most certainly let such individuals know about undesirable activity when it begins to affect their characters and their enjoyment of the game.

Strong steps short of expulsion can be an extra random monster die, obviously rolled, the attack of an ethereal mummy (which always strikes by surprise, naturally), points of damage from “blue bolts from the heavens” striking the offender’s head, or the permanent loss of a point of Charisma (appropriately) from the character belonging to the offender. If these have to be enacted regularly, then they are not effective and stronger measures must be taken. Again, the ultimate answer to such a problem is simply to exclude the disruptive person from further gatherings.

Integration of experienced or new players into an existing campaign

A viable campaign is likely to suffer some attrition as it progresses, with players dropping out for one reason or another, and new participants coming into the campaign milieu. Some of these newcomers will be experienced players from other campaigns and have special characters which they wish to continue with. Other experienced players will have no characters, but they will have useful knowledge of the game which puts them apart from true novices. Finally, there will be the totally uninitiated participants - those who have only a vague idea of the game or who have absolutely no information as to what it is all about. These three types of new players will have to be integrated into a campaign which could be in nearly any state of maturity, with the majority of players being low, middle, or high level. To accomplish a smooth transition, I suggest that the most applicable form of those given below be followed.

Transferring player characters from other campaigns to yours is appreciated by the participants coming into the milieu, as they have probably spent a good deal of time and effort with their characters, and a certain identification and fondness will have been generated. You can allow such integration if the existing player character is not too strong (or too weak) for your campaign and otherwise fits your milieu with respect to race and class. The arsenal of magic items the character has will have to be examined carefully, and it is most likely that some will have to be rejected.

If several of such player characters are coming into your game at the same time, they can actually be of lower level than the balance of participants as long as they co-operate and adventure together rather than with the others until they have approached parity with the group. If the character or characters of the new participant or participants are too powerful for the campaign, the players will have to accept the fact and develop some new characters; however, it is not wrong to let them know that some future time might see a state of maturity which will allow the joining of the new characters with their old as co-operating equals or as leader and henchmen.

Experienced players without existing characters should generally be brought into the campaign at a level roughly equal to the average of that of the other player characters.

If the average is 4th level, far example, an “average” die or d4 + 1 can be rolled to find a level between 2 and 5.

This actually works well even if the average experience level of the campaign is 5th, 6th, 7th, or even 8th, especially when the “averaging” die is used.

If the experience level is above 8th, you will wish to start such newcomers out at 4th or higher level. After all, they are not missing out on anything, as they have already played beginning character roles elsewhere, and they will not have to be virtually helpless and impotent characters in your campaign, as you give them a substantial level to begin with - 4th, 5th, or 6th for instance. You might be in a position to take a different approach if there are several experienced newcomers in your campaign by adapting the method given below for the complete neophyte.

The inexperienced player should be allowed the joy of going on a dungeon adventure as a neophyte. You will recall how much fun it was when you didn’t really know what was going on or which monster was which or how to do anything but loved every second of it!

Throwing a green player into a group of veteran AD&D’ers destroys all hope of that, for the inexperienced player will be suppressed or repressed or both. If there is only one neophyte in your campaign, set up a special area for 1st level of experience play, and likewise set aside some time for the individual to play alone - a couple of the experienced players can act the part of some mercenary men-at-arms, as well as the roles of various tradesmen and others the new player meets in the course of play, and have a lot of fun in the bargain; but all actions, reactions, and decision making will be left strictly up to the neophyte (with no hints or other help from the others). If several green participants are being integrated at the same time, the experienced players will not be needed to help out, but otherwise the procedure is the same. After a few adventures the newcomers will be seasoned a bit to be allowed to join in with major expeditions on occasion. When 3rd or 4th level has been reached it is generally acceptable to allow full co-operation between the less experienced and veteran players, for at that point the former should be able to contribute something to play and greatly benefit from adventuring with the “old hands”.

Be careful not to allow magic items from other campaigns to come into yours with integrated player characters, as this could upset your milieu or at least give the player character something he or she never was meant to have. See Non-Standard Magic Items for details. Considered use of inherited or bestowed magic items is certainly urged with respect to integration of experienced players with new characters into a group of middle or high level characters. Similarly, if a neophyte is to be worked into the campaign as quickly as possible, yet allowing the enjoyment of first adventuring to be unique to him or her, extra funds and a minor item or two should be included when the character is developed. The object of this is to keep the campaign viable, for it is almost certain that attrition will occur, and you will need to bring in new players as smoothly as possible in order to maintain your milieu, but you will also need to make the integration as enjoyable as possible for them and for your veteran players as well.

Multiple characters for a single player

There is no absolute prohibition regarding multiple characters belonging to a single player. Where it is deemed beneficial, the Dungeon Master may allow multiple characters as he or she sees fit. For instance, when the major character of a player is off on some special trip, he or she may be allowed to use a new character, rather than playing the part of one of his or her character’s henchmen. In fact, one player can have several characters providing he or she is a good, co-operative campaign participant capable of properly handling such multiple roles.

In general, the multiple characters belonging to a single player should not be associates. One should not “know” information, or be able to communicate knowledge which is peculiar to him or her to the other. One such character should not automatically regard another controlled by the same player as a friend. Money and/or valuable items cannot be freely interchanged.

In short, each such character must be played as an individual. As DM, you must be prepared to step in and take the part of one such character if the player is abusing the privilege of having multiple characters. Do so quickly and firmly, and the player will be likely to understand that you will brook no foolishness - particularly if the character you take the persona of becomes hostile and aggressive to demands from the other.

In campaigns where there are only a few players, or where only a few of the many players are really good players, it is likely that each (good) player will have several characters. Over the course of many games, some will be on reasonable, if not friendly, terms with others, some will avoid others, and some will actually be enemies. Explain to your players that you don’t object to them having multiple characters if they are willing to play each as a separate and distinct individual, and that should be sufficient advice to any player capable of handling two or more characters.

The monster as a player character

On occasion one player or another will evidence a strong desire to operate as a monster, conceiving a playable character as a strong demon, a devil, a dragon, or one of the most powerful sort of undead creatures. This is done principally because the player sees the desired monster character as superior to his or her peers and likely to provide a dominant role for him or her in the campaign. A moment of reflection will bring them to the unalterable conclusion that the game is heavily weighted towards mankind.

ADVANCED D&D is unquestionably “humanocentric”, with demi-humans, semi-humans, and humanoids in various orbits around the sun of humanity. Men are the worst monsters, particularly high level characters such as clerics, fighters, and magic-users - whether singly, in small groups, or in large companies. The ultra-powerful beings of other planes are more fearsome - the three “D s” of demi-gods, demons, and devils are enough to strike fear into most characters, let alone when the very gods themselves are brought into consideration. Yet, there is a point where the well-equipped, high-level party of adventurers can challenge a demon prince, an arch-devil, or a demi-god. While there might well be some near or part humans with the group so doing, it is certain that the leaders will be human. In co-operation, men bring ruin upon monsterdom, for they have no upper limits as to level or acquired power from spells or items.

The game features humankind for a reason. It is the most logical basis in an illogical game. From a design aspect it provides the sound groundwork. From a standpoint of creating the campaign milieu it provides the most readily usable assumptions. From a participation approach it is the only method, for all players are, after all is said and done, human, and it allows them the role with which most are most desirous and capable of identifying with. From all views then it is enough fantasy to assume a swords & sorcery cosmos, with impossible professions and make-believe magic. To adventure amongst the weird is fantasy enough without becoming that too!

Consider also that each and every Dungeon Master worthy of that title is continually at work expanding his or her campaign milieu. The game is not merely a meaningless dungeon and an urban base around which is plopped the dreaded wilderness. Each of you must design a world, piece by piece, as if a jigsaw puzzle were being hand crafted, and each new section must fit perfectly the pattern of the other pieces. Faced with such a task all of us need all of the aid and assistance we can get. Without such help, the sheer magnitude of the task would force most of us to throw up our hands in despair.

By having a basis to work from, and a well-developed body of work to draw upon, at least part of this task is handled for us. When history, folk folklore, myth, fable and fiction can be incorporated or used as reference for the campaign, the magnitude of the effort required is reduced by several degrees. Even actual sciences can be used - geography, chemistry, physics, and so forth. Alien viewpoints can be found, of course, but not in quantity (and often not in much quality either). Those works which do not feature mankind in a central role are uncommon. Those which do not deal with men at all are scarce indeed. To attempt to utilize any such bases as the central, let alone sole, theme for a campaign milieu is destined to be shallow, incomplete, and totally unsatisfying for all parties concerned unless the creator is a Renaissance Man and all-around universal genius with a decade or two to prepare the game and milieu. Even then, how can such an effort rival one which borrows from the talents of genius and imaginative thinking which come to us from literature?

Having established the why of the humanocentric basis of the game, you will certainly see the impossibility of any lasting success for a monster player character. The environment for adventuring will be built around humans and demi-humans for the most part. Similarly, the majority of participants in the campaign will be human.

So unless the player desires a character which will lurk alone somewhere and be hunted by adventurers, there are only a few options open to him or her. A gold dragon can assume human shape, so that is a common choice for monster characters. If alignment is stressed, this might discourage the would-be gold dragon. If it is also pointed out that he or she must begin at the lowest possible value, and only time and the accumulation and retention of great masses of wealth will allow any increase in level (age), the idea should be properly squelched. If even that fails, point out that the natural bent of dragons is certainly for their own kind - if not absolute solitude - so what part could a solitary dragon play in a group participation game made up of non-dragons? Dragon non-player characters, yes! As player characters, not likely at all.

As to other sorts of monsters as player characters, you as DM must decide in light of your aims and the style of your campaign. The considered opinion of this writer is that such characters are not beneficial to the game and should be excluded. Note that exclusion is best handled by restriction and not by refusal. Enumeration of the limits and drawbacks which are attendant upon the monster character will always be sufficient to steer the intelligent player away from the monster approach, for in most cases it was only thought of as a likely manner of game domination. The truly experimental-type player might be allowed to play such a monster character for a time so as to satisfy curiosity, and it can then be moved to non-player status and still be an interesting part of the campaign-and the player is most likely to desire to drop the monster character once he or she has examined its potential and played that role for a time. The less intelligent players who demand to play monster characters regardless of obvious consequences will soon remove themselves from play in any event, for their own ineptness will serve to have players or monsters or traps finish them off.

So you are virtually on your own with regard to monsters as player characters. You have advice as to why they are not featured, why no details of monster character classes are given herein. The rest is up to you, for when all is said and done, it is your world, and your players must live in it with their characters. Be good to yourself as well as them, and everyone concerned will benefit from a well-conceived, well-ordered, fairly-judged campaign built upon the best of imaginative and creative thinking.

Interventions by deities

If the supernatural powers of the various Outer Planes could and would continually and constantly involve themselves in the affairs of the millions upon the Prime Material Plane, they would not only be so busy as to get neither rest nor relaxation, but these deities would be virtually handling their own affairs and confronting each other regularly and often.

If an entreaty for aid is heard one time in 100, surely each and every deity in the multiverse would be as busy as a switchboard operator during some sort of natural disaster. Even giving each deity a nominal number of servants able to supply aid to desperate adventurers, the situation would be frenzied at best. Add to this the effects of various spells - commune, contact other plane, gate.

It is obvious that intervention by a deity is no trifling matter, and it is not to be allowed on a whim, even if characters are in extremis!

This is not to dictate that deities will never come to characters. Serving some deity is an integral part of AD&D.

The mighty evil gods, demons, and devils are prone to appear when their name is spoken - provided they stand the possibility of gaining converts to their cause. The forces of good might send some powerful creature of like alignment to aid characters on a mission in their behalf. Certainly, in the case of some contest between opposing deities, all sorts of intervention will take place - but always so as not to cause the deities themselves to be forced into direct confrontation!

Otherwise, the accumulation of hit points and the ever-greater abilities and better saving throws of characters represents the aid supplied by supernatural forces.

In most cases, therefore, you will have to determine the involvement of deities as you develop the scenario or series of scenarios of your campaign. (In my own Greyhawk Campaign there have been nine demigods, three demon lords, and a handful of Norse and other gods involved in the course of many years of play. Once or twice there has been divine intervention - and twice the powers of the infernal region have come at the mention of a certain name...)

Spur of the moment intervention can be handled as follows: If the character beseeching help has been exemplary in faithfulness, then allow a straight 10% chance that some creature will be sent to his or her aid if this is the first time the character has asked for help. If “00” is rolled, there is a percentage chance equal to the character’s level of experience that the deity itself will come, and this chance is modified as follows:

Note. Deities will not intervene on the planes which are the habitation of other deities, i.e., the Outer Planes. They will neither venture to involve themselves in the Positive and Negative Material Planes. Intervention in the Elemental Planes is subject to DM option, based upon the population he or she has placed there. (if there are elemental gods, the deities from the Outer Planes will NOT go there.) Intervention occurs only on the Prime Material, Astral, or Ethereal Planes in most cases.

Demi-Gods And Gods. If a demi-god or god is deprived of its material body by any means whatsoever, (including being ”killed” on the Prime Material Plane), then it is sent back to its own particular plane. This process is similar to that of slaying the material form of some demon or devil.

Creating a Party on the Spur of a Moment

There are times—often if you attend many conventions—when you will have a group of players desiring to adventure in your campaign who have no suitable characters with which to do so.

You might want only low, medium or high level characters far the particular scenario you have in mind, and regardless of level it is certain that you will not wish to have ultra-powerful (considering character level) or strange magic items in the group.

It therefore becomes necessary to have the party generate special characters on the spot, and this takes up valuable playing time. In order to reduce this to a minimum, the following system, one which I have developed perforce from DMing many conventions, is suggested:

Abilities. Players roll 4d6, discard the low die, and arrange the scores as they like.

Race & Class. After generating ability stats, each player selects the race and class of his or her character as desired, making adjustments accordingly.

Alignment. Make certain that the alignments allowed to participants are not so diverse as to cause a breakdown in the game due to player quarrels. You may require players to select from two or three compatible alignment types if you think best - such as Neutral, Neutral Good, and Lawful Neutral, for example.

Level. For low level, you might use random dice to find out if players are levels 1-2, 1-3, 2-4; medium range might be 5-7, 5-8, or 7-9; upper range is typically 8-10, 8-11, or 9-12. Multi-class races are best handled by adding 1 level per profession to the level generated, and then dividing the total by the number of classes involved, counting all fractions as whole numbers.

Standard Equipment. Assuming that these are not 1st level characters, you will probably find it best to allow them to take whatever is desired, reminding them that they can only carry so much, and then quickly checking the character sheets before the start of the adventure. Whatever restrictions you decide to place upon standard items is, of course, your own business. Technologically impossible items, and items that you deem unlikely to be used can always be refused to the party.

Magic Items. If the party is assumed to have been adventuring for some time, however brief, then it is probable that one or more of their number would have acquired certain magic items. In order to reflect this likelihood, use the following tables for the various classes of adventurers, as applicable to your group.

Notes regarding protective items table

Multiply level by percentage chance to determine odds; then roll percentile dice, and if the score is equal to or less than the percentage chance, the character has the item.

There is a 1% chance per level of experience of the character that any item will be above average—+2, or bracers of AC 5, for example. If the chance for having the item was greater than 90%, add the percentage above 90% to the chance for the item to be above average.

If the resulting roll indicates an above-average item, then see if it goes up to +3, or bracers of AC 4, on a straight 1% per level of experience chance.

Example. Gonzo the 9th level ranger discovers that he has magic chain mail, having opted to take a sure thing with a 135% chance. Gonzo’s level (9) plus the percentage chance above 90% (45%) are added together to find the chance for +2 chain - 9% + 45% = 54%. Percentile dice are rolled, and the result is 51, so Gonzo has at least +2 chain. A third check is made, and it is discovered that he has just +2 as the dice roll was 99.

Notes regarding weapons table

Chances for +2 or +3 weapons are the same as for protective items. You may alternately give special features to swords instead of further pluses, i.e., +1 sword Flame Tongue, or +2 sword, Giant Slayer. Add a crossbow of speed to +2 bolts if a +3 is indicated, otherwise double their number only.

Notes regarding potions table

You may allow characters to have whatever potion(s) suit them, or you can dice to find them at random. Any character with a score of 100% or more for having a potion MUST be allowed to select their own, as this reflects the fact that such characters would have supplies of them available to choose from.

Miscellaneous Items

If the party is generally above 5th level and going into a hazardous area, or if the party is generally above 8th level, then you might determine it advantageous to award from one to four miscellaneous items according to the following list. Large groups are less likely to need such items. Higher level characters are more likely to have them despite numbers. Selection can be by you or by the party, as you deem best. You may add or delete items as desired, but remember that those shown are chosen to maintain a low key of power.

When you are thoroughly familiar with this system, you will be able to ready a party of players for an adventure with a minimum amount of time and effort on your part, and do so with relative assurance that they will be about right for the area they will adventure in.

Suggested Agreements for Division of Treasure

Agreements

Equal shares (share and share alike) is a simple division by the total number of characters involved.
Shares by level is a division whereby all* character levels of experience are added and the total treasure divided by this sum. One share of treasure is given for each experience level.
Equal shares plus bonus is a method to reward excellence and leadership. Treasure is divided by the sum of all characters, plus two or three. The outstanding character or characters, as determined by vote, each gain one extra share.

* For multi-classed characters add one-half of the lesser class(es) levels to the greater class levels to determine total experience levels for the division of treasure. Characters with two classes receive shares for the class levels they are permitted to employ (cf. The character with two classes, 4:2).

Modifiers

Non-player characters who are henchmen of a player character count as one-half character or for one half of their levels and cannot gain bonus shares.
A character incapacitated or killed (but subsequently brought back to life) is eligible to share only in treasure gained prior to such incapacity or death.
Characters who are uncooperative, who obstruct the party, attack party members, or are the proximate cause of the incapacitation or death of a party member shall forfeit from one-quarter to all of their share(s) as penalty for their actions.

Magical treasure

While it is a simple matter to total coins and precious items which can be sold for an established amount of money, the division of magic items is far more difficult. It is therefore necessary for party members to determine how magic will be divided. As the number of items which will be gained is unknown, selection of a system of division is not possible until after the adventure is concluded.

If but one or two items of magic are gained these can be grouped singly or paired to equal a share of treasure. If one is of relatively small worth, it can be grouped with money to equal one share.

Three or more magic items:

best item
next best item
third + fourth items
“x” amount of money as compensation for not getting any magic items

Three or more magic items, alternate method:

best item
second item + “x” amount of money
fourth item + “3x” amount of money

Magic items thus parceled are then diced for, the character with the highest roll selecting first, and then the second highest scoring character choosing next, etc. It is suggested that each character be given a number of rolls equal to his or her level of experience, the highest of these rolls being the one retained. Non-player character henchmen are typically allowed but a single roll.

Variations on the above systems are, of course, possible. Systems should always be established prior to the inception of the adventure whenever possible.

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