Treasures are integral in practically every D&D game, from the vorpal swords, helms of brilliance, staves of the magi, or even the chaos, reality-shaping decks of many things. There’s a certain level of expectation from players to find magic items. While D&D 5e tries to make magic items more of an optional inclusion compared to its predecessors, it’s an iconic aspect of the game. Dungeon Masters for decades relied on random loot tables to craft quick treasures for the player characters to find, leading to outrageous and often hilarious finds. Sometimes, you need to fill an entire treasure chest with goods, but that can still occasionally be a tedious process. Oh and let’s forget to mention that we sometimes need to come up with a fantastic encounter with possibly a guardian for these treasures. Any tools to reduce game prep can be monumental for the modern-day Dungeon Master.
Our friends at Cawood Publishing were kind enough to send a review copy of their latest DMsGuild release, Treasure Find.
Finding the Lost Treasure
Most treasure/loot table products include new assortments of items, sometimes neighboring in the hundreds. This requires most DMs to spend time researching and assessing these untested items to ensure they are a good fit for their campaigns. Not to say that’s a bad thing, but that air of uncertainty can be detrimental and cause unwanted amounts of time allocated that can be better spent elsewhere. There are four sets of tables (representing each tier of play) for two categories: individual treasures and hoard treasures.
The individual treasure tables resemble what you would expect from most item loot tables, but the treasure hoard tables are where this product shines. Each tier presents a variety of different chests, the type of locks on them, and any traps an adventurer is most likely (and unfortunately) going to find. This idea reduces that famous hassle of filling in an entire hoard or treasure chest of incredible loot and just gets you straight into the metaphorical (and literal) goods.
A DM can select the kind of chest they may want to use beforehand, but the supplement is quick and easy to navigate thru that it can be used for those on-the-fly treasure chests.
Additionally, if you wanted to craft a lovely home for all this treasure, then look no further than the Miscellaneous Location table, it provides environments, structures, additional traps, and my favorite feature: tricks. It also sports additional tables for weapons, armor, and other mundane items the party may find within the treasure’s containers.
Danger and Guardians of the Vault
So you have established the treasure, but what about the guardians of these beautiful wares? Creating a quick monster encounter can also be a hassle at times, especially if you have to scale the battle as well. Worry not, Treasure Find also provides NPC guardians perfect for your needs, and they’re also organized by tiers of play. You might need to scale these encounters, but the process is undoubtedly streamlined.
Additionally, 25 NPCs serve as worthy adversaries, obstacles, and guardians for your treasure-filled adventure. Each of them provides a variety of different styles, attitudes, and personalities to fit into your campaigns. The short NPC bios certainly help craft some exciting plot points and can even develop into a full-fledge story arc if so desired.
Final Impressions
Cawood Publishing has once again provided a stellar and useful tool for Dungeon Masters. Additionally, the overall quality of the layout and format is their best yet. Seeing Travis Hanson’s artwork again on the cover was a welcomed sight too. This is undoubtedly a useful tool to have available behind your DM screen, whether printed or digital.
Don’t forget to grab your copy of Treasure Find!
You can find all of Cawood Publishing’s products both on the DMsGuild and on DriveThruRPG.
Thanks for reading! Please like, comment, and share. If you want to keep up to date with us, please follow us on Facebook and Twitter. We have an Instagram for behind-the-scenes pics, RPG reviews, and boardgaming fun. If you want to support us, please check our Patreon. If you have any questions or inquiries, please email me at archmage@deathbymage.com. Thanks again and we’ll see you soon!
Death By Mage 