This resource provides the busy DM with loads of loot to tempt their party... or, for that matter, to stock residences for the discerning, provide items for an auction house or whatever use you might find for a selection of 'art objects' or gems.

It's divided into two sections. First up are the art objects - these can be any decorative item from paintings to statues, vases, trinkets, tapestries. Most are not so easy to transport due to size or fragility or just plain awkwardness, so if you do use them as loot the party needs to decide what is actually worth the effort of pilfering! They are presented in a series of lists of twenty items at a time (handy if you want to roll at random), with each list containing items of similar value ranging from 25 gp to a massive 7,500 gp apiece. They all sound beautiful - maybe one of the party fancies a pair of purple samite curtains woven with flowers in golden thread for his home, or maybe a painting in a gilded frame depicting a giant's castle in the clouds under attack from a flight of dragons is going to look nice on the wall. Or maybe he'll be hawking a soapstone bust of the dwarven king, Odvin Hammerschlag around a nearby town to raise cash for supplies for the next adventure (or a rowdy night in the best tavern in town!).

Then attention turns to gemstones. Again they are grouped by value starting with 'ornamental' stones at 10 gp a throw and ramping up to 'jewels' worth 5,000 gp apiece. Naturally cut and condition can affect the price. Each is both named and described, so you can give the description and let them wonder just what it is (an Intelligence check DC is recommended if you want them to figure out what they have found and what it's worth).

Finally, there's mention of the reputed magical properties of gemstones - which might inform, for example, which ones you use when crafting magic items - and on special appearances (fancy cuts and the like) or even complications that might affect whoever possesses the stone. For remember, all this stuff may not be mere loot, it may also be part of the plot!

A useful collection of items to scatter throughout your campaign world. Loot, plot items or just make the dungeon look prettier!

An Endzeitgeist.com review

This installment of the Treasures & Trinkets-series clocks in at 11 pages, 1 page front cover, 2 pages of advertisement, 1 page back cover, 1 page SRD, 1 page editorial/ToC, leaving us with 5 pages of content, so let's take a look!

Now treasure is not and should not be equal to other treasure. From strange pictures to sculptures and elaborate tobacco pouches, there are a lot of objects to which value can be ascribed. As such, the pdf goes a different route than one would expect - the first 3 tables, each of which is 20 entries strong and lists sample pieces of art, from black pottery vases to wall mirrors and rugs of white gorilla fur. These cover a lot of ground, but unlike many dressing files, they actually are governed by general price - 25 gp, 250 gp and 750 gp values each have their own table and the pdf actually lists Intelligence-check based DCs to properly determine the gp values of the objects, with the DCs scaling. The art objects worth 2500 gp and 7500 gp also get their own tables, each of which are btw. 10 entries strong.

Really cool - there is a mini-table of value modifiers - 4 different results on that table can yield worse or better prices for the objects, allowing you to get even more out of the material herein. So, the art aspect works pretty well - then what about those gemstones?

Well, first, we receive a small glossary of up to 4 different gem types - from translucent to opaque, the respective categories are clearly defined. We begin with two d12-entry-strong tables of the least valuable stones, gaining a d10-table for those worth 100 gp, a d6 table for gems worth 500 gp, a d8-table for gems worth 1000 gp and finally, a 4-entry-strong table of gems worth 5K gp...though that table is erroneously headed by a d6 instead of a d4 in a minor hiccup. And before you ask - yep, we do receive Intelligence DCs to evaluate these as well. The different qualities of gemstone allow for an even more detailed modification of base prices via a d10-table, once again getting more mileage out of every single entry.

The pdf does go on step beyond all of these, though: On the last pages, reputedly magical effects of gemstones that may or may not be true can be found and add a nice sense of magic and cohesion to the subject matter. Additionally, there is a final table that consists of two parts, both of which are 12 entries long: The first lets you determine a special property for the gemstone, while the second presents a complication and/or opportunity: From significant sizes to strange cuts and mystical glowing, the special appearances are nice - and from trapped adventurers to fakes or acting as keys, the latter similarly are interesting.

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are very good, I noticed no significant hiccups. Layout adheres to RagingS wan Press' elegant two-column b/w-standards with nice b/w-artworks. The pdf comes fully bookmarked for your convenience and in two versions - one optimized for screen-use and one that has been optimized for the printer- kudos!

Richard Green's Treasures & Trinkets - installment regarding art and gems is an inspired little dressing file: With a bit of crunch, solid modifiers and well-crafted, diverse tables, the pdf is ready to use in any 5e-game and features enough system-relevant bits to make use as comfortable as possible. The entries include the mundane and fantastic and the modifiers allow you to really squeeze dry this pdf. In short: This is very much worth the low and fair asking price and should be considered to be a great little addition to a GM's arsenal. My final verdict will clock in at 5 stars + seal of approval.

Endzeitgeist out.