Low-Level Loot: Part Deux

Months ago, back in May, I posted a set of one-line rewards called Low-Level Loot. The idea of these rewards was to provide GMs with some interesting, non-mundane treasure to hand out to players. After all, mundane treasure is, well, mundane, and standard magical items are astoundingly expensive.

Of course, the d20 system has a (mostly) careful balance of expected gold rewards, magic item costs, and magic item power. So, by handing out nonmundane rewards, you are messing with that balance. But I find—especially at low levels—balance can be easily shifted, even in the middle of a session, to make up for PCs having an unexpected advantage.

The other way to avoid that unbalancing aspect is to take existing mundane rewards and reskin them into something fantastical. I've talked about this before, and I still think it is a great way to give your PCs cool stuff without getting into many issues with balance.

So, here are a handful of interesting treasures for low-level d20 characters, a mix of modified and reskinned items.

Low-Level Loot

1. Healer's Rod: A slim birch rod, approximately 2 ft. long, with a glass orb at one end that is attached to the rod by copper wire. The wielder gains a +2 bonus to Heal checks. The wielder can also expend a charge to attempt a heal check as a full-round action, if she meets or exceeds DC 15, the target is healed 1d4 hp. The rod only has 10 charges, and when it is out it no longer provides the +2 Heal bonus.
2. Wardstone: A heavy glass orb with traces of silver within. While holding the Wardstone in one hand, the wielder gains a +1 shield bonus to AC, but also suffers a -1 penalty to Balance, Climb, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, and Tumble due to its weight and uncanny ability to glow or hum at just the wrong time.
3. Glove of Force: A white leather glove that magically changes to fit the hand of any Small, Medium, or Large humanoid creature. While wearing the glove, the wearer can make unarmed attacks up to 15 ft. away (this provokes an attack of opportunity). The wearer can also attempt to trip or disarm targets up to 15. ft away; the wearer gains a +2 bonus to attack rolls to disarm a target. If the wearer fails at a trip or disarm attempt, she can allow the glove to fall at her feet to avoid being tripped or disarmed by the opponent.
4. Circlet of Assault: A brass and leather headband inscribed with old runes and set with a single, off-center pearl. The wearer of the circlet can use a standard action to send a bolt of blunt energy at a single target up to 50 ft. away. To do so, she must place a finger on the pearl in the circlet and concentrate. The wearer makes an attack roll, and if the attack hits, deals 1d4 bludgeoning damage.

Reskinned Monsters

Back in April, I talked about the idea of reskinning mechanics. This was probably not a new concept to you, but I hope that I expanded your idea of its scope. It's not just about calling taking the stats of an Ogre and describing it to your players as a Cave Troll, though that it still a fine use of reskinning.

I love reskinning mechanics so much, that my current campaign is almost entirely reskinned stuff from the Dungeons & Dragons SRD. I'm having a lot of fun with these, and I thought that some of my monsters would be worth sharing as examples.

Reskinned Monsters

Kobold –> Bronze Salamander: The change here was incredibly minimal. The kobold became a kobold-sized reptilian humanoid with brass-colored scales and a nondamaging aura of heat.

Dire Rat –> Cloudcat: I changed the Dire Rat's Swim bonuses into Jump bonuses, and more importantly, I reskinned its disease to Static Accumulation: targets accumulate static electricity from the air and suffer Dex and Con damage. And now, instead of a filthy rat that every level 1 adventurer must deal with, I've got white-furred mountain lions with static electricity bouncing along their bodies.

Kobold Fighter –> Bronze Salamander Mage: I'd already reskinned the race, all I needed now was the class. I turned the longsword and chain shirt into spells (spirit slash and lesser warding), and I made its longbow into a sparkwand. The mechanics are all the same, the only difference is that the sparkwand doesn't have ammo, which I don't track anyway.

Human Zombie –> Rumbler: This is always much more dangerous than I remember it being at low levels, so I finally decided to use it that way. I reskinned it as a dwarf-sized rock monster. The DR still works; I just changed it from slashing to bludgeoning. And as a rock monster, it still makes sense that it only gets partial actions. Now I have a stout, heavy, tough rock beast suitable for inhabiting the mine full of very valuable brightsteel.

One-Line Rewards: Low-Level Loot

I'd like to take a quick break from my Diamond Mind project, today, and hit on an unrelated topic that has been on my mind lately: low-level loot!

When I play D&D (or other rules-heavy systems), I almost always start my players at level 1 or 2. I do this for two reasons: 1) I am usually teaching at least one new player the game, and 2) I like the kinds of stories you get at low levels.

But here's my problem: I love handing out cool loot to players. Playing a mid-level D&D game gives you the versatility to hand out all kinds of interesting treasure and rewards. PCs have enough power of their own that even a relatively big reward isn't going to throw off the balance of power that much. And I have the option of handing out lower-level treasure in larger amounts, too.

At low levels, though, I generally feel very limited to what I can distribute. Too much gold throws off the balance quickly, and even a single magic item can double the effectiveness of a single character. And handing out mundane items is, well, mundane. What's more, the default magic item costs (which are well balanced for mid- and high-level characters), are unbelievably daunting to low-level characters. After all, 50 gold pieces for a simple healing potion seems ludicrous when you see how easily the party cleric, bard, or druid can cast the same spell.

So, rather than make drastic changes to the existing pricing structure of magic items, I've done my best to create a treasure chest of low-level rewards. Things that are really cool for players, but that don't throw off the balance too much. The key here is not just giving out weak loot, but giving out a mix of useful rewards that have a strict time limit or a drawback. You can also reskin mundane items into more imaginative rewards. The blasting wand is just a reskinned shortbow without the need for ammunition.

So, without further ado, and for you to read and/or steal at your leisure, low-level loot!

Low-Level Loot

1. Silver acorn powder: Heals 1d4+1; -2 penalty to Dex or Str (randomly determined) for 1 hour

- When you apply silver acorn powder over the course of 1 minute (instead of as a standard action), it heals the full 5 hp, though the recipient still suffers the Dex or Str penalty.

2. Amulet of far speech: The wearer can communicate with anyone else wearing an amulet of far speech within 1000 feet.

3. Ring of smoldering coal: As a free action, the ring produces a small flame, as a tindertwig. It also grants +1 damage to all fire spells cast by the wearer.

4. Dwarven oil: This oil burns twice as long as regular oil in lanterns and lamps, and it can be used to coat a melee weapon (or 10 pieces of ammunition). Once ignited, the weapon deals +1d4 fire damage for 1 minute.

5. Fireroot ointment: Grants 4 temporary hit points for 5 minutes.

6. Blasting wand: Blasts a thin bolt of energy at a target; 1d8 piercing damage (x3 critical), 60 ft.

Using Injuries and Wounds

Durability is handled very differently across the vast array of RPGs. Some use hit points or health, some use stamina or chi, and other simply layer on drawbacks or consequences. If your system of choice is one that represents durability with health or hit points, might I suggest occasionally adding an injury or wound instead?

Dungeon World has this type of mechanic, where players can choose for their characters to sustain an injury rather than lose health points. I'm a fan of that concept, and thought I'd share some of my own ideas here for implementing that in the d20 system.

Injures and Wounds

• Fractured arm makes it difficult to hold items or cast spells (-2 attack, worth 10 hp)
• Fractured leg makes walking or running difficult (base speed -10 ft., worth 10 hp)
• Fractured ribs make it hard to do anything (-2 Str and Dex penalty, worth 10 hp)
• Mild head trauma impedes focus (-1 attacks, skills, saves, and ability checks, worth 15 hp)
• Broken arm cannot hold weapons or shields or cast spells (arm cannot be used in actions, worth 30 hp)
• Broken leg cannot support weight (base speed = 5 ft., worth 30 hp)
• Broken ribs impede nearly all actions (-6 Str and Dex penalty, worth 30 hp)
• Severe head trauma halves capability (take either a move or a standard action each round, worth 50 hp)

Goblin Varieties

Goblins are very common in fantasy settings. They're simple little humanoid monsters with just enough intelligence and civilization to form organized groups and build cities, but not enough to be peaceful and productive. In game terms, they tend to be push-overs individually and generally only pesky in groups.

My players, at least, have grown very used to seeing goblins at low levels. They might not have their stats memorized, but they know generally what to expect in terms of damage and how many hits a goblin can take. That's why I'm working on creating variations on standard monsters, like goblins.

My goal is to create simple varieties that I can either sprinkle in among the standard versions or lay out en masse as a distinct subrace.

Dirt Goblins

Standard variety. (image)
A dirt goblin’s skin color ranges from yellow through any shade of orange to a deep red.

Grass Goblins

HP: 3 | AC 15 (+1 size, +1 Dex, +2 leather, +1 light shield) | Touch 12 | Flat-Footed 14
Speed: 30 ft.
Attack: Longspear +2 melee reach (1d6) or Javelin +3 ranged (1d4)
Special: Low-light vision, ambush (deal +1d4 damage to flat-footed opponents)
Saves: Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +1
Abilities: Str 11, Dex 13, Con 9, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 6
Skills: Hide +9, Listen +4, Move Silently +5, Spot +4
Feats: Alertness

A grass goblin's skin color is generally a shade of green with mottled patches of yellow. Its head is topped with long, spiky green hair.

Cave Goblins

HP: 4 | AC 16 (+1 size, +1 Dex, +1 natural, +2 leather, +1 light shield) | Touch 12 | Flat-Footed 15
Speed: 20 ft.
Attack: Greatclub +3 melee (1d8+1) or Sling +3 ranged (1d3+1)
Special: Darkvision 60 ft., frenzy (+2 Str, +2 Con, -2 AC for 1 round)
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +1, Will -1
Abilities: Str 13, Dex 13, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 6
Skills: Hide +5, Listen +6, Move Silently +5, Spot +2
Feats: Alertness

A cave goblin's skin is thick and hairless, usually in shades of grey and brown.

Swamp Goblins

HP: 6 | AC 14 (+1 size, +2 leather, +1 light shield) | Touch 11 | Flat-Footed 14
Speed: 30 ft.
Attack: Kukri +2 melee (1d4 18-20/x2) or Net +2 ranged touch attack (entangle)
Special: Low-light vision, excretion (+2 Escape Artist, +2 Swim, +2 AC for 1 round)
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +0, Will +0
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 11, Con 15, Int 9, Wis 10, Cha 6
Skills: Escape Artist +2, Hide +5, Listen +2, Move Silently +5, Spot +2, Swim +2
Feats: Alertness

A swamp goblin's skin is moist and slimy, and beneath the slime it is usually a bluish-green or indigo.

Mook Box IV: Modern Henchman

From within the depths of the mook box, we uncover another common enemy: the modern henchman. This encompasses everyone from 1920s gangsters to 1980s corporate goons to near-future dystopic mall security guards.

Modern henchman

D20 System

HP: 20 | Ref: +0 | Fort: +2 | Will: +0
AC: 13 (Flatfooted: 13 | Touch: 10)
Speed: 30 ft.
Submachine gun +1 atk | 2d6 dmg | 30 ft.
- Bullet blast (Ref DC 13 or 3d6 dmg; must reload after use)
Punch +3 atk | 1d6+2 dmg
Powers: call for backup (25% success, summons 1d4+1 modern henchmen)
Skills: listen -2, spot +2
Treasure: wallet containing money (1d4-1 x 100 units of currency), security ID badge, and radio earpiece

Risus

Individual Clichés

Amateur bird-watcher (1), Pupil of the “spray ‘n’ pray” firing methodology (2), Bouncer-turned-henchman (3)

Grunt Squad Cliché

Armed, angry crowd with really bad aim (4)

Wushu

Mooks

Threat Rating: 12

Hits per Round: 1

Nemesis

Chi: 3

Traits: Call for Backup (5), Tough Guy (4), Hail of Bullets (3)

The Window

The modern henchman has…

… average Strength (d12)
… average Agility (d12)
… above average Endurance (d10)
… simple Knowledge (d20)
… experienced Perception (d10)
The modern henchman is…
… not a good shot (d20)
… reliable in a brawl (d10)
… loyal to the big boss (d8)
The modern henchman carries…
… submachine gun and ammo
… security ID badge
… radio earpiece
… cash

Mook Box III: Killer Robots

Out of my mook box, I pull out another common enemy: the killer robot.

The killer robot is the perfect minion of the alien overlords, the mad scientists, and (if you give it an arcane or steampunk flair) the diabolical sorcerer.

Killer robot

D20 System

HP: 34 | Ref: -3 | Fort: n/a | Will: +6

AC: 16 (Flatfooted: 16 | Touch: 7)

Speed: 20 ft.

Fist of steel +8 atk | 2d8+4 

Raygun +1 atk | 4d6 fire dmg | 60 ft. | x3

- Limb disintegration (Fort DC 14)

Powers: DR 5/adamantium

Skills: knowledge (logic) +10

Vulnerabilities: illogical thought (as confusion for 1 round), magnetization (Will DC 16 or 4d6 dmg)

Treasure: high-frequency energy core

Risus

Individual Clichés

Logical precision (2), Strength of steel (4)

Grunt Squad Cliché

Merciless automaton death squad who think and act as one (11)

Wushu

Mooks

Threat Rating: 24

Hits per Round: 2

Nemesis

Chi: 3

Traits: Retro-Future Plasti-Steel Body (5), Nuclear-Powered Raygun (4), Vacuum-Tube Brain (3)

The Window

The killer robot has…

… inexorable Strength (d6)

… stiff, clunky Agility (d20)

… steel-reinforced Endurance (d10)

… instant and infallible Cunning (d8)

… electronic Perception (d10)

The killer robot is…

… a deathless automaton (d12)

… precise with a raygun (d8)

… susceptible to magnets (d30)

The killer robot carries…

… a partly charged heat-ray emitter

… a high-frequency energy core

Mook Box II: Orcs

If there's one creature that the fantasy RPG industry has maligned more than any other, it is the orc.

Sure, goblins and kobolds are close runners-up, but those two races are also first on the block to be transformed from "savage sack of XP" to "crafty inventor".  Kobolds even have noble dragon lineage.

Meanwhile, the erstwhile defenders of the orc flock to the banner of its mainstream offspring: the half-orc.  And don't talk to me about Warcraft.  Their orcs may be protagonists, but they don't get off clean; orcs were once a proud and noble race of space warriors, but they were corrupted by horrible demons from beyond reality (or something to that effect).

So, poor orcs, the eternal cannon fodder.

On that note, here are some savage, evil orc barbarians for your PCs to slaughter.

(For another view on orcs, check out this follow-up post.)

Orc barbarian

D20 System

HP: 12 | Ref: +0 | Fort: +3 | Will: -2
AC: 14 (Flatfooted: 14 | Touch: 10)
Speed: 30 ft.
Greataxe +5 atk | 1d12+4 dmg | x3
Javelin +2 atk | 1d6+3 dmg | 30 ft.
Powers: darkvision 60 ft., rage (+1 atk, +2 dmg, -2 AC, +4 HP, 6 rounds)
Skills: listen +1, spot +1
Vulnerabilities: light sensitivity (-1)
Treasure: 1d6 gp
Challenge Rating: 1

Risus

Individual Clichés

Dumb as a bag of teeth, and stubborn to boot (2), Blood-rage axe maniac! (4)

Grunt Squad Cliché

Ravening horde of bloodthirsty brutes (6)

Wushu

Mooks

Threat Rating: 16

Hits per Round: 1

Nemesis

Chi: 3

Traits: Vicious Berserker (5), Intimidating Thug (4), Wild Tracker (3)

The Window

The orc barbarian has…

… impressive Strength (d8)

… average Agility (d12)

… above average Health (d10)

… very little Knowledge (d20)

… average Perception (d12)

The orc barbarian is…

… a tireless hunter (d12)

… a bloodthirsty warrior (d10)

… a bad liar (d20)

The orc barbarian carries…

… a hefty battleaxe

… leather armor

… a few coins

… a necklace of teeth

Mook Box I

Merriam-Webster defines a mook as a "foolish, insignificant, or contemptible person."

I define a mook as an enemy that serves as a buffer between the PCs and the antagonist they care about.

Call them minions, henchmen, cannon fodder.  Whatever you call them, any action game needs them.  Since I myself run through them so often, I decided to create a stock box of mooks that I could pull from, no matter what system I was running.

I've only set up four systems to start, but it's not like I'm generally running a dozen different game systems at the same time, anyway.

Ninja

d20 System

HP: 14 | Ref: +5 | Fort: -1 | Will: +1
AC: 15 (Flatfooted: 12 | Touch: 13)
Speed: 30 ft. (Climb: 15 ft.)
Wakizashi +5 atk | 1d6+1 dmg | 19-20x2
- Deathvine sap poison (injury, 1d10+1 dmg vs. Fort DC 13)
Throwing stars +2/+2 atk | 1d4+1 dmg | 15 ft.
Powers: Smoke pellet (50% conceal for 1 round)
Skills: hide +4, move silently +6, jump +6, balance +4, tumble +6
Treasure: 1d6 pp, 1 dose of deathvine sap poison, and an assassin’s contract

Risus

Individual Cliches: Bouncy-trouncy acrobatics (3), LOVES throwing poison shuriken (3)

Grunt Squad: Ineffective team which attacks one by one (2)

Wushu Open

Threat Rating: 20
Hits per Round: 1

As a Nemesis
Chi: 2
Trait: Shadowy Assassin (4), Acrobatic Thief (5), Wire-Fu Warrior (3)

The Window

Ninja has…
… average Strength (d12)
… impressive Agility (d8)
… below average Health (d20)
… average Knowledge (d12)
… above average Perception (d10)
Ninja is…
… very stealthy (d8)
… a deadly assassin (d10)
… unnerving in conversation (d20)
Ninja carries…
… a wakizashi
… many shuriken
… deathvine sap poison
… a contract