Rules of Engagement
The most common type of engagement or encounter is one that involves combat with hostile creatures, but there is a multitude of other situations that can constitute encounters and provide the characters with experience. Here are a few examples:
- Standard combat.
- Special combat, such as an arena fight or an attempt to incapacitate or capture the foe.
- Traps and natural hazards.
- Negotiations and role-playing challenges.
- Intellectual problems and conundrums.
- Moral dilemmas.
- Investigation and research.
What is common to all reasonably challenging encounters is that they should reward the characters with XP. The amount of XP is calculated from the encounter’s encounter level, as described below.
Encounter Sequence
Combat (as well as social encounters) typically start whenever one of the involved parties becomes aware of another party (or both parties become aware simultaneously). Initial encounter distance between the two groups usually depends on terrain, environment, lines of sight, and Perception checks. Surprise and initiative can be useful to determine the starting situation and positions, regardless of whether the encounter turns into combat or not.
As soon as detailed timekeeping is called for, participants should roll for initiative, and the encounter should then be handled one round at a time, according to this sequence:
- Determine surprise situation and encounter distance.
- All participants start out flat-footed. Once a participant gets to act, he is no longer flat-footed.
- Roll for initiative.
- Participants who are not surprised act during the surprise round in order of initiative.
- During each of the following rounds, all participants act in order of initiative. For each participant...
- Update health points based on continuous damage, ongoing costs, regeneration, etc.
- Use the character's AP and MP to perform actions. Whenever an attack action is performed, additional AP can be spent on boosting the action.
Escalated combat (optional rule for faster combat): As an encounter progresses, each and every combatant receives a bonus starting with +1 in round 2 and reaching a maximum bonus of +6 in round 7 and onwards. The faces of a six-sided die (traditionally referred to as the "escalation die") can be used to easily keep track of the current bonus. The current bonus is applied to all attack rolls and/or damage rolls. For a more heroic feel, the bonus can be limited to just the player characters and maybe the most important NPCs.
Surprise
Most encounters (as determined by the DM) should start with a special round known as a surprise round. This round is just half as long as a regular round, and only the participants that are aware of the situation (typically through a successful Perception check) get to act during this round. All other participants are surprised, flat-footed, and unable to act. Since the surprise round is half the length of a normal round, full-round actions are not possible, and each participant can only use half the normal number of action points and movement points.
Whenever an encounter starts with an entire group unaware of the other, the aware group can try to maintain a low profile, potentially giving them multiple rounds to prepare. The DM should track rounds normally while the aware group takes its actions, until that group reveals itself (intentionally or unintentionally) to the unaware group. Once members of both groups become aware and can interact, all aware participants should receive a surprise round.
Every participant in an encounter starts out flat-footed, and each participant remains flat-footed until his first action.
Starting and Ending Encounters
In most cases, the start of an encounter is declared by the DM, but the players should also be allowed to declare the start of an encounter at any time. If, for example, a player feels the need for exact timekeeping, for determining the order in which each participant gets to act, or to initiate actions that have round- or encounter-based durations, he or she should ask for the start of an encounter.
An encounter ends when the DM declares that exact timekeeping and order of actions is no longer of importance. For combat encounters, this is typically when one side has been defeated, has surrendered, or has definitively disengaged. If, on the other hand, the DM decides that interesting things may happen before the one-minute-per-level encounter limit, or that there are active effects with encounter-level durations that may continue to be of interest, he should keep the encounter running. Reinforcements could be on the way, for example, or there may still be a chance to capture runaway opponents.
There are situations, such as the case of an ambush or a complicated trap, where the DM's asking for initiative may spoil some of the suspense for the players. Also, players in that situation may be tempted to act as if their characters know more than they actually do. However, starting the encounter and rolling initiative is still recommended in this case, since it tends to minimize misunderstandings and discussions of fairness. The players as well as the DM should strive to act only on what their respective characters actually know.
Initiative
Participants in an encounter act in order of initiative (highest to lowest), as determined by initiative checks at the start of the encounter. If two or more participants get the same initiative result, they act in order of initiative modifier (highest to lowest). If they also have the same initiative modifier, the participants choose and perform their actions simultaneously. The same order is repeated each round, unless the actions of a participant changes his position in the sequence.
Initiative check: d20! + Dex mod + other mods
When new participants join an ongoing encounter, they enter the action "between rounds". If the newcomers are aware of the encounter before joining it, they automatically act before anyone else in the next round. Their initiative is set to 1 higher than the previously highest initiative. Newcomers that are not aware of the encounter beforehand roll for initiative normally and are flat-footed until their first action. In other words, the original participants may be able to attack the newcomers before they get a chance to act.
In rare cases, new participants may join an encounter from a separate but concurrent encounter. For example, a scouting rogue may start one encounter by sneaking up on a guard, while the rest of the party members are ambushed by foes in a different room. Depending on the outcome, these seemingly separate encounters are likely to merge into one. In most cases, it would be easiest to simply treat this situation as a single encounter spread over multiple rooms, but it is ultimately up to the DM how to best manage this and whether to treat it as one or as multiple encounters.
At the beginning of a creature’s turn, update health points for continuous damage effects, ongoing costs, regeneration, and similar effects.
Creatures that have a close connection or bond to another creature, including mounts, pets, familiars, companions, servants, and cohorts, should normally not roll for individual initiative. In the presence of their rider or master, they should always act on the master’s initiative (but after the master). If the creature in question has a better initiative modifier than the master, the creature’s presence gives the master a +1 circumstance bonus to initiative.
Initiative-modified AP (optional rule for more varied combat): Depending on your initiative check, you can get a modified amount of AP during the encounter's first round. A modified initiative check of 0 or less gives you a -2 AP penalty, a result of 20 to 39 gives a +2 AP bonus, and a result of 40+ gives a +4 AP bonus. Note that these AP modifiers only apply during the encounter's first round, and if that round is a surprise round, the modifiers will be halved.
Movement Points
During each round, a creature gets a number of movement points (MP) equal to its adjusted speed characteristic (for the appropriate mode of movement). MP can be used for movement actions at any time during the creature's turn, but they cannot normally be used as a reaction.
A creature can have several modes of movement with different adjusted speeds. If this is the case, different modes of movement can be used in a single round, but the available amount of MP is limited by the lowest adjusted speed out of the modes used.
Movement points that have been allocated or spent will not be regained until your next round. Points that are still unused at the end of your turn provide no special bonuses.
Action Points
Every creature has a certain number of action points (AP). During each round, the creature can use its action points to perform actions (and optionally boost those actions). The use of all action points does not have to be declared from the beginning of your turn. For example, it is possible to first make an attack boosted with additional AP for an attack bonus, then decide to make a second attack boosted for increased damage, and finally choose to save some AP for boosting reactions. However, action points can only be allocated when initiating an action and never during an action.
Points that have been allocated or spent will not be regained until your next round, but unspent points can be used for any action at any point during your turn.
You do not have to spend all your AP during your turn. Unspent points can be used to gain bonuses for attacks of opportunity and other reactive actions that occur before the beginning of your next turn.
| Usage | Description |
|---|---|
| Perform Action | Perform any action(s) that costs AP and can be done in less than 1 round. Each action specifies whether additional AP can be spent to gain special bonuses ([Boost]). You can spend no more than half your total AP to boost each such action. |
| Convert to Movement | Convert AP into an equal amount of MP (to use for movement actions). You can convert a maximum number of AP equal to your adjusted speed, effectively doubling your MP. |
Reactions
Every creature has a limited number of reactions per round that can be used to perform actions outside of its own turn. Each reaction can be used for any action that has an action time of "react" and has had its triggering condition satisfied. Note, however, that each creature can only use one reaction per triggering condition.
Maximum number of reactions (per round) = (Total AP / 10) (rounded down) + bonus reactions
The reaction occurs immediately when triggered, interrupts the normal initiative sequence, and is usually resolved before any triggering action. This potentially means that a reaction can prevent triggering actions from being completed. For example, if an opponent's movement triggers an attack of opportunity, a successful trip attack can prevent that movement. If an attack of opportunity triggered by spellcasting causes damage, the damage caused will penalize the caster's spellcasting check. And if a spell is successfully counterspelled, its casting can be interrupted or altered.
Unless otherwise specified, the reactive action requires only the reaction itself and costs no extra AP to perform, but many reactions do allow the use of saved AP to boost the action and provide bonuses.
Note that it is possible for a reaction to trigger its own reactions (from other creatures).
Experience
Awarding Experience
If you know the EL of an encounter, then calculating the experience award is quite easy:
- Total XP = EL × 300.
- Divide the total XP by the number of participants (on the winning side). Don’t count familiars, mounts, animal companions, and pets. Calculate only half a share for hirelings, henchmen, cohorts, etc.
- Adjust the XP share for each participant based on relative level.
- For a character 3 to 5 levels above EL, halve XP.
- For a character 6 or more levels above EL, award no XP.
- For a character 3 or more levels below EL, award double XP.
- Adjust the XP share for each participant based on the degree of participation. A participant who falls unconscious or flees early in a combat should receive less XP than one who stays until the end.
The DM is also free to provide additional XP for some non-encounter situations, such as major goals accomplished, exceptional role-playing, brilliant ideas, etc.
Faster Advancement (optional rule): Multiply all XP rewards and treasures by 1.5 (or some other factor above 1).
Slower Advancement (optional rule): Multiply all XP rewards and treasures by 0.5 (or some other factor below 1).
Encounter Levels
Encounter level (or EL) is a measure of how difficult a certain encounter is and is used to calculate the amount of XP awarded. For a good but not too risky challenge, the EL should equal the average party level in a party with four characters. For fewer than four characters, a slightly lower EL is appropriate, and vice versa.
For combat encounters of a certain EL, an appropriate mix of creatures (based on their CLs) can be gleaned from the following table:
| EL | 1 Creature | 2 Creatures | 3 Creatures | 4 Creatures | 6 Creatures | 8 Creatures | Mixed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 2 x 1 | 3 x 1/2 | 4 x 1/3 | 6 x 1/4 | - | 2 + 1/2 |
| 2 | 4 | 2 x 2 | 3 x 1 | 4 x 1/2 | 6 x 1/3 | 8 x 1/4 | 3 + 1 |
| 3 | 5 | 2 x 3 | 3 x 2 | 4 x 1 | 6 x 1/2 | 8 x 1/3 | 4 + 2 |
| 4 | 6 | 2 x 4 | 3 x 3 | 4 x 2 | 6 x 1 | 8 x 1/2 | 5 + 3 |
| 5 | 7 | 2 x 5 | 3 x 4 | 4 x 3 | 6 x 2 | 8 x 1 | 6 + 4 |
| 6 | 8 | 2 x 6 | 3 x 5 | 4 x 4 | 6 x 3 | 8 x 2 | 7 + 5 |
| 7 | 9 | 2 x 7 | 3 x 6 | 4 x 5 | 6 x 4 | 8 x 3 | 8 + 6 |
| 8 | 10 | 2 x 8 | 3 x 7 | 4 x 6 | 6 x 5 | 8 x 4 | 9 + 7 |
| 9 | 11 | 2 x 9 | 3 x 8 | 4 x 7 | 6 x 6 | 8 x 5 | 10 + 8 |
| 10 | 12 | 2 x 10 | 3 x 9 | 4 x 8 | 6 x 7 | 8 x 6 | 11 + 9 |
| 11 | 13 | 2 x 11 | 3 x 10 | 4 x 9 | 6 x 8 | 8 x 7 | 12 + 10 |
| 12 | 14 | 2 x 12 | 3 x 11 | 4 x 10 | 6 x 9 | 8 x 8 | 13 + 11 |
| 13 | 15 | 2 x 13 | 3 x 12 | 4 x 11 | 6 x 10 | 8 x 9 | 14 + 12 |
| 14 | 16 | 2 x 14 | 3 x 13 | 4 x 12 | 6 x 11 | 8 x 10 | 15 + 13 |
| 15 | 17 | 2 x 15 | 3 x 14 | 4 x 13 | 6 x 12 | 8 x 11 | 16 + 14 |
| 16 | 18 | 2 x 16 | 3 x 15 | 4 x 14 | 6 x 13 | 8 x 12 | 17 + 15 |
| 17 | 19 | 2 x 17 | 3 x 16 | 4 x 15 | 6 x 14 | 8 x 13 | 18 + 16 |
| 18 | 20 | 2 x 18 | 3 x 17 | 4 x 16 | 6 x 15 | 8 x 14 | 19 + 17 |
| 19 | 21 | 2 x 19 | 3 x 18 | 4 x 17 | 6 x 16 | 8 x 15 | 20 + 18 |
| 20 | 22 | 2 x 20 | 3 x 19 | 4 x 18 | 6 x 17 | 8 x 16 | 21 + 19 |
| 21 | 23 | 2 x 21 | 3 x 20 | 4 x 19 | 6 x 18 | 8 x 17 | 22 + 20 |
| 22 | 24 | 2 x 22 | 3 x 21 | 4 x 20 | 6 x 19 | 8 x 18 | 23 + 21 |
| 23 | 25 | 2 x 23 | 3 x 22 | 4 x 21 | 6 x 20 | 8 x 19 | 24 + 22 |
| 24 | 26 | 2 x 24 | 3 x 23 | 4 x 22 | 6 x 21 | 8 x 20 | 25 + 23 |
| 25 | 27 | 2 x 25 | 3 x 24 | 4 x 23 | 6 x 22 | 8 x 21 | 26 + 24 |
| 26 | 28 | 2 x 26 | 3 x 25 | 4 x 24 | 6 x 23 | 8 x 22 | 27 + 25 |
| 27 | 29 | 2 x 27 | 3 x 26 | 4 x 25 | 6 x 24 | 8 x 23 | 28 + 26 |
| 28 | 30 | 2 x 28 | 3 x 27 | 4 x 26 | 6 x 25 | 8 x 24 | 29 + 27 |
| 29 | 31 | 2 x 29 | 3 x 28 | 4 x 27 | 6 x 26 | 8 x 25 | 30 + 28 |
| 30 | 32 | 2 x 30 | 3 x 29 | 4 x 28 | 6 x 27 | 8 x 26 | 31 + 29 |
| 31 | 33 | 2 x 31 | 3 x 30 | 4 x 29 | 6 x 28 | 8 x 27 | 32 + 30 |
| 32 | 34 | 2 x 32 | 3 x 31 | 4 x 30 | 6 x 29 | 8 x 28 | 33 + 31 |
| 33 | 35 | 2 x 33 | 3 x 32 | 4 x 31 | 6 x 30 | 8 x 29 | 34 + 32 |
| 34 | 36 | 2 x 34 | 3 x 33 | 4 x 32 | 6 x 31 | 8 x 30 | 35 + 33 |
| 35 | 37 | 2 x 35 | 3 x 34 | 4 x 33 | 6 x 32 | 8 x 31 | 36 + 34 |
| 36 | 38 | 2 x 36 | 3 x 35 | 4 x 34 | 6 x 33 | 8 x 32 | 37 + 35 |
| 37 | 39 | 2 x 37 | 3 x 36 | 4 x 35 | 6 x 34 | 8 x 33 | 38 + 36 |
| 38 | 40 | 2 x 38 | 3 x 37 | 4 x 36 | 6 x 35 | 8 x 34 | 39 + 37 |
| 39 | 41 | 2 x 39 | 3 x 38 | 4 x 37 | 6 x 36 | 8 x 35 | 40 + 38 |
| 40 | 42 | 2 x 40 | 3 x 39 | 4 x 38 | 6 x 37 | 8 x 36 | 41 + 39 |
Sometimes, special conditions can make an encounter more or less challenging. If that is the case, adjust EL accordingly:
| Condition | EL Mod |
|---|---|
| Single hostile creature | EL = CL - 2 |
| For each doubling in quantity of creatures or challenges | +2 |
| Difference in social class | ±0.5 per rank |
| Enemy in superior position | +1 |
| Enemy in good position | +0.5 |
| Enemy in poor position | -1 |
| Enemy has complete surprise | +1 |
| Enemy has partial surprise | +0.5 |
| Enemy is partially surprised | -0.5 |
| Enemy is completely surprised | -1 |
| Unfavorable environment | +0.5 |
| Bad environment | +1 |
| Terrible environment | +1.5 |
| Difficult terrain | +0.5 |
| Dangerous terrain | +1 |
| Deadly terrain | +1.5 |
Once all the modifiers have been added, round the resulting EL down to the nearest whole number. If the EL ends up below 1, count 0 as 1/2, -1 as 1/3, -2 as 1/4, and anything lower as 0.
As you can see from the calculations above, a suitable challenge for four characters of a certain CL is two creatures of the same CL or one creature of a CL 2 levels higher.
Experience for Work
Even characters who do not slay monsters and loot treasures will slowly accumulate experience over time. During a whole lifetime, even a laborer or farmer will normally gain a couple of levels. More dangerous and challenging work will award more experience than easy work, and more gifted individuals tend to earn more experience.
The following table shows how much XP you gain from typical work and also which level a typical character would be after working the specified number of years:
| Type of Work | XP/Day | XP/Year | Lvl (10 Yrs) | Lvl (20 Yrs) | Lvl (30 Yrs) | Lvl (40 Yrs) | Lvl (50 Yrs) | Lvl (100 Yrs) | Lvl (200 Yrs) | Lvl (400 Yrs) | Lvl (800 Yrs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-challenging work | 1 | 300 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 11 | 16 | 22 |
| Challenging or dangerous work | 3 | 1000 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 14 | 20 | 28 | 30 |
| Very challenging or dangerous work | 8 | 2500 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 22 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
| Very gifted individual | 16 | 5000 | 10 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
| Heroic individual | 32 | 10000 | 14 | 20 | 25 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
Treasure
Random treasure for EL (Encounter Level):
| EL | cp | sp | gp | pp | Gems | Art | Mundane Items | Minor Items | Medium Items | Major Items | Average Total (sp) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15%: 6d100 | 23%: 8d10 | 43%: 2d8 | 5%: 1d2 | 5%: 1 | 5%: 1 | 24%: 1 | 5%: 1 | 300 | ||
| 2 | 10%: 10d100 | 20%: 10d20 | 52%: 4d10 | 5%: 1d4 | 14%: 1d3 | 5%: 1d3 | 36%: 1 | 15%: 1 | 600 | ||
| 3 | 10%: 10d200 | 20%: 10d32 | 54%: 4d10 | 5%: 1d6 | 18%: 1d3 | 5%: 1d3 | 30%: 1d3 | 21%: 1 | 900 | ||
| 4 | 10%: 10d300 | 20%: 10d48 | 54%: 6d10 | 5%: 1d8 | 25%: 1d4 | 5%: 1d3 | 20%: 1d4 | 38%: 1 | 1200 | ||
| 5 | 9%: 10d400 | 19%: 10d60 | 57%: 8d10 | 5%: 1d10 | 35%: 1d4 | 5%: 1d4 | 10%: 1d4 | 33%: 1d3 | 1600 | ||
| 6 | 8%: 10d600 | 21%: 10d80 | 58%: 10d10 | 5%: 1d12 | 36%: 1d4 | 8%: 1d4 | 5%: 1d4 | 40%: 1d3 | 1%: 1 | 2000 | |
| 7 | 7%: 10d1000 | 17%: 10d120 | 58%: 10d12 | 7%: 3d4 | 40%: 1d4 | 12%: 1d4 | 48%: 1d3 | 3%: 1 | 2600 | ||
| 8 | 5%: 10d1200 | 14%: 10d120 | 58%: 10d16 | 13%: 3d6 | 40%: 1d6 | 15%: 1d4 | 48%: 1d4 | 4%: 1 | 3400 | ||
| 9 | 5%: 10d1200 | 14%: 10d160 | 56%: 10d20 | 15%: 2d12 | 40%: 1d8 | 20%: 1d4 | 48%: 1d4 | 9%: 1 | 4500 | ||
| 10 | 14%: 10d200 | 56%: 10d24 | 21%: 5d6 | 44%: 1d8 | 21%: 1d6 | 48%: 1d4 | 11%: 1 | 1%: 1 | 5800 | ||
| 11 | 6%: 10d300 | 61%: 10d32 | 25%: 4d10 | 51%: 1d10 | 26%: 1d6 | 53%: 1d4 | 14%: 1 | 2%: 1 | 7500 | ||
| 12 | 6%: 10d360 | 61%: 10d40 | 25%: 6d10 | 53%: 1d10 | 30%: 1d8 | 55%: 1d6 | 15%: 1 | 3%: 1 | 9800 | ||
| 13 | 67%: 10d50 | 25%: 10d10 | 55%: 1d12 | 34%: 1d10 | 54%: 1d6 | 22%: 1 | 5%: 1 | 13000 | |||
| 14 | 67%: 10d60 | 25%: 10d12 | 55%: 2d8 | 34%: 2d6 | 39%: 1d6 | 34%: 1 | 8%: 1 | 17000 | |||
| 15 | 71%: 10d80 | 26%: 10d14 | 56%: 2d10 | 35%: 2d8 | 35%: 1d10 | 44%: 1 | 10%: 1 | 22000 | |||
| 16 | 71%: 10d120 | 26%: 10d16 | 57%: 4d6 | 36%: 2d10 | 6%: 1d10 | 44%: 1d3 | 10%: 1 | 28000 | |||
| 17 | 65%: 10d150 | 32%: 10d20 | 59%: 4d8 | 37%: 3d8 | 50%: 1d3 | 17%: 1 | 36000 | ||||
| 18 | 63%: 10d180 | 35%: 10d20 | 50%: 3d12 | 46%: 3d10 | 56%: 1d4 | 20%: 1 | 47000 | ||||
| 19 | 63%: 10d240 | 35%: 10d30 | 47%: 6d6 | 50%: 6d6 | 66%: 1d4 | 30%: 1 | 61000 | ||||
| 20 | 63%: 10d320 | 35%: 10d40 | 36%: 4d10 | 62%: 7d6 | 40%: 1d4 | 35%: 1d3 | 80000 | ||||
| 21 | 60%: 10d360 | 35%: 10d50 | 36%: 4d10 | 62%: 7d6 | 40%: 1d4 | 40%: 1d4 | 87000 | ||||
| 22 | 60%: 10d400 | 35%: 10d60 | 36%: 4d10 | 62%: 7d6 | 40%: 1d4 | 45%: 1d6 | 96000 | ||||
| 23 | 60%: 10d440 | 35%: 10d70 | 36%: 4d10 | 62%: 7d6 | 40%: 1d4 | 50%: 1d8 | 106000 | ||||
| 24 | 60%: 10d480 | 35%: 10d80 | 36%: 4d10 | 62%: 7d6 | 40%: 1d4 | 55%: 1d10 | 116000 | ||||
| 25 | 60%: 10d520 | 35%: 10d90 | 36%: 4d10 | 62%: 7d6 | 40%: 1d4 | 60%: 2d6 | 128000 | ||||
| 26 | 60%: 10d560 | 35%: 10d100 | 36%: 4d10 | 62%: 7d6 | 40%: 1d4 | 65%: 2d8 | 141000 | ||||
| 27 | 60%: 10d600 | 35%: 10d120 | 36%: 4d10 | 62%: 7d6 | 40%: 1d4 | 70%: 2d10 | 155000 | ||||
| 28 | 60%: 10d640 | 35%: 10d140 | 36%: 4d10 | 62%: 7d6 | 40%: 1d4 | 75%: 3d8 | 170000 | ||||
| 29 | 60%: 10d680 | 35%: 10d160 | 36%: 4d10 | 62%: 7d6 | 40%: 1d4 | 80%: 4d8 | 187000 | ||||
| 30 | 60%: 10d720 | 35%: 10d180 | 36%: 4d10 | 62%: 7d6 | 40%: 1d4 | 80%: 4d10 | 206000 | ||||
| 31 | 60%: 10d760 | 35%: 10d200 | 36%: 4d10 | 62%: 7d6 | 40%: 1d4 | 80%: 4d10 | 227000 | ||||
| 32 | 60%: 10d800 | 35%: 10d220 | 36%: 4d10 | 62%: 7d6 | 40%: 1d4 | 80%: 4d10 | 249000 | ||||
| 33 | 60%: 10d840 | 35%: 10d240 | 36%: 4d10 | 62%: 7d6 | 40%: 1d4 | 80%: 4d10 | 274000 | ||||
| 34 | 60%: 10d880 | 35%: 10d260 | 36%: 4d10 | 62%: 7d6 | 40%: 1d4 | 80%: 4d10 | 302000 | ||||
| 35 | 60%: 10d920 | 35%: 10d280 | 36%: 4d10 | 62%: 7d6 | 40%: 1d4 | 80%: 4d10 | 332000 | ||||
| 36 | 60%: 10d960 | 35%: 10d300 | 36%: 4d10 | 62%: 7d6 | 40%: 1d4 | 80%: 4d10 | 365000 | ||||
| 37 | 60%: 10d1000 | 35%: 10d320 | 36%: 4d10 | 62%: 7d6 | 40%: 1d4 | 80%: 4d10 | 401000 | ||||
| 38 | 60%: 10d1000 | 35%: 10d340 | 36%: 4d10 | 62%: 7d6 | 40%: 1d4 | 80%: 4d10 | 442000 | ||||
| 39 | 60%: 10d1000 | 35%: 10d360 | 36%: 4d10 | 62%: 7d6 | 40%: 1d4 | 80%: 4d10 | 486000 | ||||
| 40 | 60%: 10d1000 | 35%: 10d380 | 36%: 4d10 | 62%: 7d6 | 40%: 1d4 | 80%: 4d10 | 534000 |
Gem value (sp): (2d6)1d4
Art value (sp): (3d6)1d4
| Roll | Mundane Items |
|---|---|
| 01-17 | 1d6 alchemical items (acid, smokesticks, holy water, thunderstones, etc.) |
| 18-35 | Armor or shield |
| 36-50 | Masterwork armor or shield |
| 51-72 | Masterwork melee weapon |
| 73-83 | Masterwork ranged weapon |
| 84-00 | Tools and valuable gear |
| Minor | Medium | Major | Category | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01-35 | 01-10 | 01-05 | Potions and oils | 10% chance - 1d4+1 doses |
| 36-70 | 11-25 | 06-15 | Scrolls | |
| 71-74 | 26-35 | 16-25 | Weapons | Random size; 30% chance - sheds light; 10% chance - intelligent; 5% chance - unusual material |
| 75-76 | 36-40 | 26-30 | Shields | Random size; 20% chance - sheds light; 1% chance - intelligent; 5% chance - unusual material |
| 77-78 | 41-45 | 31-35 | Armor and clothing | Random size; 1% chance - intelligent; 5% chance - unusual material |
| - | 46 | 47 | Vests and shirts | Random size; 1% chance - intelligent |
| 79 | 47-48 | 48-49 | Helmets and hats | Random size; 1% chance - intelligent |
| 80 | 49 | 50 | Goggles and lenses | Random size |
| 81 | 50-51 | 51-52 | Gloves and gauntlets | Random size; 1% chance - intelligent |
| 82 | 52-53 | 53-54 | Boots and shoes | Random size; 1% chance - intelligent |
| 83 | 54-56 | 55-57 | Cloaks and mantles | Random size; 1% chance - intelligent |
| 84 | 57-58 | 58-59 | Girdles and belts | Random size; 1% chance - intelligent |
| 85-91 | 59-68 | 60-64 | Wands | Random charges; 20% chance - sheds light; 1% chance - intelligent |
| - | 69-71 | 65-79 | Staves | Random charges; 20% chance - sheds light; 10% chance - intelligent |
| 92-94 | 72-76 | 80-84 | Holy symbols | 30% chance - sheds light; 1% chance - intelligent |
| - | 77-81 | 85-90 | Rods | Random size; 10% chance - sheds light; 5% chance - intelligent |
| 95-96 | 82-91 | 91-94 | Rings | Random size; 1% chance - intelligent |
| 97 | 92-94 | 95-96 | Amulets and necklaces | Random size; 1% chance - intelligent |
| 98 | 95-97 | 97-98 | Bracers and bracelets | Random size; 1% chance - intelligent |
| 99-00 | 98-00 | 99-00 | Wondrous items | 1% chance - intelligent |
Magic items that shed light typically provide normal light within a radius of 4 sq and dim light within 8 sq. Unless otherwise specified, such an item will always shed light; the owner can conceal or cover the light but not turn it off.
Treasure Generation Tools
Random Treasure
Random Trinkets
Random Pickpocket Loot
Random Giant's Bag
Random Magic Items
Random Legendary Weapons
Random Tomes
Other Rewards
Fate Points
The DM should only award a new fate point when a character has done something truly exceptional. In some cases, such as when a party of heroes has saved the lives of hundreds or thousands of innocent people, it may even be appropriate to award one FP to each character. On average, one FP per five levels is a suitable rate of reward.
Social Rewards
Creating Encounters
The 3.5E DMG and Monster Manuals have random encounter tables for cities, dungeons, and many types of wilderness environments.
Non-Player Characters
Non-player characters (as well as non-player creatures) are mostly equivalent to player characters and should be generated the same way.
Major NPCs should have 1 to 3 fate points. This not only turns them into tougher opponents but gives them a greater chance to survive and escape an encounter that is going poorly.
Encounter Generation Tools
SRD Random Encounter Generator
Kassoon Random Wandering Encounter Generator
Kassoon Random Travel Details Generator
SRD Terrain Encounter Tables
Random Adventure Generator
Random Quest Generator
Random Business Events
Random Carousing Events
SRD Random Dungeon Generator
Kassoon Random Dungeon Map Generator
Kassoon Random Dungeon Generator
Kassoon Random Building Map Generator
SRD Random Trap Generator
Kassoon Random Trap Generator
SRD Fantasy Name Generator
Kassoon Fantasy Name Generator
Random NPC Generator
Kassoon Random NPC Generator
Donjon Random NPC Description Generator