So, I was fiddling around with the code for the Torchbearer Tools page I made, and I decided to find out what the actual percentages were for the different items. Instead of actually doing math, I just brute-forced it with 1,000,000 rolls. Here are the results:
Equipment
10.62
Cash: Copper
9.27
Light source
8.89
Food
8.87
Container
7.12
Shield
7.11
Lead to a Further Adventure
5.54
Armor (choose specific kind)
5.35
Helmet
5.32
Skill supplies
3.56
Standard weapon
3.54
Silverware and plate
2.76
Cash: Silver
2.32
Cash: Gold
2.32
Objets d’art
2.10
Rugs and tapestries
2.09
Dwarven or elven armor
1.77
Dwarven or elven weapon
1.76
How to bypass obstacle
1.40
Lore about a monster
1.35
Gems
1.40
Jewelry
1.39
Titles and Deeds
0.69
Treasure map
0.69
Spell or prayer supplies
0.47
Potion level 1
0.39
Potion level 2
0.31
Scroll: 1st Circle Spell
0.26
Level 1 magical item
0.23
Spellbook
0.23
Scroll: 1st Circle Prayer
0.21
Magic weapon for other conflict
0.15
Level 2 magical item
0.15
Scroll: 2nd Circle Spell
0.13
Scroll: 2nd Circle Prayer
0.10
Level 3 magical item
0.08
Level 4 magical item
0.08
Some interesting takeaways: GMs, be prepared to have multiple adventure leads, because more than 5% of treasure consists of leads!
Also, except for wandering monsters of the correct Might levels (which grant bonuses on the basic loot table), 2nd circle spells will be nearly impossible for players to acquire. (A one-tenth of a percent chance to get a scroll, which then must be successfully learned!)
Keep in mind that rolling for loot from planned encounters (i.e., monsters specifically located on your map) is the alternative to simply placing whatever treasure you want.
Getting Second Circle spells isn’t that challenging. Your mentor will teach you one. And scrolls are sometimes available for sale in the marketplace (see Gear on page 37). You can also use the Searching for Someone rules (pages 91 and 136) to find a magician who can teach you a spell, provided you can meet his or her price.
Ah, I was under the impression that the loot table was the preferred way to generate loot for adventures, and that it specifically controlled the availability of loot items for players.
Note that I had a problem with the roller before. I did the math and there should have been a 5.5% chance of Leads, and found the error. The treasure roller now generates correct results with more gear. Apologies.
Using the automatic loot generation thing for 22 Might, I actually got a nice haul, with both a Level 2 Magic Item and a Level 4 Magic Item. So I suppose I’ll never see that again.
