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The Second Adventurer's vault came out this Tuesday, and the siren lure of loot calls to all my players. Published by Wizards of the Coast, the Adventurer's Vault is a catalog of item after item of magical treasure for DND characters. By the game this Saturday, every one of my players will have a copy of the book. No other DND supplement has such universal appeal. Its been decades since I played DND in strict accordance with it most iconic stereotype: kick down the door, kill the monster, take the treasure. Now a session might be winning a poleball tournament at the Spring Festival in Evenmoon, finding out why vampire lords are stealing peoples' shadows, negoitating a treaty between the tribes of goblinkind and the city of Dukesport, or returning Baldur's Gate to the proper shard in the Forgotten Realms. The storyttelling is more varied, the narrative more expansive, often a sandbox style world inviting exploration. Much has changed. But that third part of the iconic stereotype? Players still want their treasure. Treasure is such an integral part of DND; always has been, always will be. You could play a DND campaign without treasure, but it would not be recognizable to most players, and would be an acquired taste. Why does treasure hold such an important place in the hearts of players and the core design of the game? Treasure has an important place in the stories of heroic fantasy. Sometimes the treasure is the central focus of the heroes' quest, such as the golden fleece or Sauron's ring. Other times it motivates protagonists such as Conan or Fafhrd and Gray Mouser. A gem could be the MacGuffin in all kinds of stories, detective, romance, noir... make it a huge ruby and you are probably in heroic fantasy. So not only does treasure have an important place in the stories of heroic fantasy, but its often over-the-top, far-larger-than-life treasure. If you need a 1-carat diamond engagement ring found, you are in a story for a TV detective. If you need the Eye of Fiery Morning, a ruby the size of your fist, stolen from the Temple of the Dawn Warriors, you are in a story for adventurers. DND caters to players who love those sorts of stories. The flip side of treasure is the guardian, or enemy coveting the treasure. Treasure is the reward and the justification for much conflict in heroic fantasy. It forms one leg of the conflict triangle; hero, monster, treasure. The advantage to this structure is its simplicity and durability. You can run a successful DND campaign with nothing more than well-staged versions of that triangle. Treasure complements DND character class, and is a critical component of play. From a design viewpoint, treasure complements the abilities and features of character classes in DND. Take a look at the table below. | Component | Character Class | Treasure | | Timing of an ability increase | Predictable | Disruptive | Duration
| Permanent | Transient | | Transferable? | Rarely | Commonly | | Customization | Moderate | High
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Here is what I mean by the table. Character classes gain abilities every time they level up. You can plan and anticipate those advances. Treasure can suddenly appear, and some treasure can be a game-changer. Players often alter their plans or tactics when they find the right bits of treasure. The predictable nature of character class improvement is complemented by the disruptive nature of treasure. Character class improvements are permanent; only extraordinary events or circumstances can take them away. Treasure is transient; it can be consumed, stolen, replaced. Characters therefore have more flexibility, and risk, with advantages granted by treasure. Character class gains are not often transferable to another character; you cannot share encounter powers but you can certainly swap pieces of treasure with one another. Bags of holding, magical ropes, rings, potions, and more ... all can be reallocated for maximum party benefit Customization is how unique you can make your character. How different does my 14th level warlock look from your 14th level warlock? Treasure again makes a critical difference here. Treasure is such a critical part of DND that is helps predict which genres or gaming styles the game engine could be used to play. If loot is not a feature of the genre or style of game, DND just won't feel right. If the story rewards which are part of the genre convention don't include loot, don't expect the game to run fluidly using DND. Detective and investigation style-campaigns are infamously hard to run well in DND. One reason is that the typical rewards of such stories (unraveling a mystery to reveal the truth, see justice served) don't typically inlcude a glowing chest in the corner of the room. The conventions of such stories work against the treasure leg that helps support DND. Not that you cannot do it, but a DM has extra work cut out for her to make such a campaign successful. So bring on Adventurer's Vault 2, bring on the gleam of anticipation in the eyes of players. After all, this is DND.
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WotC had a similar article just a day later, including Gary Gygax's rant about Monty Haul campaigns.