Here’s the dilemma, the party missed a key piece of treasure.  They to in a hurry and didn’t search the bad guys, or just rushed from one room to the next.  You can substitute “clue” here for treasure.  But any item or object that you think they will need later on.

 

• A powerful magic item they will need for a tough fight coming up.
• Any magic item that will throw off their treasure levels and make them weaker.
• The artifact that is the object of their quest.
• The message that has the secret pass-phrase to get past the magic mouth on level 4.

 You have a coupe of options here.

 

1. Ignore it.
2. Move it.
3. Replace it.

 Ignore it

In some situations this is the best option.  If the object can be safely removed from the campaign without impacting what happens later on then just ignore it.  Many times DM’s who have created complex puzzles struggle with this idea.  If all they missed as the blue gem to place on the blue pedestal in the final puzzle room, then get rid of the blue pedestal.  Problem solved.  They still have the pink gem and the yellow gem and the green gem, they will still be able to fulfill your puzzle.

 

Move it.

This is the most common, and probably the easiest.  Just give the treasure to the next monster.  “But it was a unique artifact specific to that boss,” you say.  “So what,” I reply.  The players don’t know that it was a unique artifact specific to that boss until you tell them.  So don’t tell them.

 

In situations where you are trying to balance treasure or get them ready for the big fight there is no rule that says you can’t just give it to them.  Ok, so the players didn’t search under the bed or they failed their perception check, that doesn’t mean you should Party Wipe them in the next room because the dice hate them.  Just say, “Ragnish, while you are resting you notice glimmer of gold from under the bed.”  They’ll investigate.

 

What if they’ve already moved on?  It is never too late.  If the combat begins and you realize they are going to get slaughtered without it, just say, “Ragnish, you notice a super-powerful glowing sword over to your left, it seems like a good idea to pick it up.”  Of course you can be more or less creative that this, but the idea is pretty straight forward.  If they need it, give it to them.  Otherwise you’re being more than a little unfair.  Your being a jerk and a bully.

 

Replace it

So you don’t think they should have super-item A because the missed it.  Well, you can always give them an equivalent GP value (just add extra GP) after the next fight.  When they loot the bodies just add it to the list of what they find.  Nobody will know the difference and you can balance the power levels of the game.

 

Hey, have fun with your game!

Welcome back to Dungeons and Dragons Corner.

You can find Character Sheets Here.

Feel free to make a Paypal Donation to support Dungeons and Dragons Corner!

Did you like this post? Want More? Then subscribe to my RSS feed!