1. Part One: What Drove Me Away
2. Part Two: Philosophy
3. Part Three: Treasure Experience and Encumbrance
4. Part Four: Combat, but Mostly Initiative

Treasure in AD&D has a significance beyond simple loot. In this game the players receive one experience point per gold piece value of recovered treasure. Conversely monsters in this system have a very low experience value.

If a goblin was walking around with a 1,000 g.p. gem and a thief came along, back-stabbed the goblin and made off with the gem how many experience points would the thief earn? The thief would earn 1,005 x.p.; 5 x.p.. for the goblin and 1,000 x.p. for the gem.

In order to gain experience for treasure the players must be able to return safely from the adventure with it. There are limits (and ways around those limits) as to how much weight a given character can carry but for now let’s assume the character in question has brought a sack that can hold 200 coins (by weight) into the dungeon and can return with it filled. In order for the character to maximize the x.p. value of recovered treasure they must also maximize the actual value of treasure.

In AD&D the coin values are “200 c.p. = 20 s.p. = 2 e.p. = 1 g.p. = 1/5 p.p.“¹. Therefore a 200 coin sack filled with copper pieces is only worth 1 x.p.. 200 silver would be worth 10 x.p., 200 electrum is 100 x.p., 200 gold is 200 x.p. and 200 platinum is worth 1,000 x.p..

Gems typically start at the fairly low value of 10 g.p. and they can be valued up to 5,000² g.p. A gem is considered to weigh as much as a single coin but returns a much higher experience value. Jewelry and art objects may also be found in the dungeons with weights equal to several coins or many pounds and gold piece values from 100 to 12,000³.

So our character with a 200 coin sack should maximize what they can carry preferring gems to coins and higher value coins to lower value coins. Art objects, silverware, candelabras, holy symbols and more can be found in the adventure and may also make sense to carry out for their x.p. value.

Before moving on to how the players can get all the loot home let’s first address the gold piece value of non-monetary treasure and the actual resale value of that treasure. If the players recover a 5,000 g.p. gem from the adventure they they will receive 5,000 x.p. But the local gem re-seller isn’t paying full retail price to the players and then holding the stock for an unknown amount of time to sell it at break even prices. Gems, jewelry and art buyers are much more likely to buy this type of treasure for about 50% of its retail value. Therefore a 5,000 g.p. diamond is worth 5,000 x.p. but may only yield 2,500 g.p. of cold hard cash. Selling your gems, jewelry and art is not your only option of course. Gems and jewelry are quite light and can have immense value making them an easy way to transport your wealth.

Treasure equals experience points and carrying infinite experience points away from an adventure would be terribly unbalanced so there must be some sort of limit. That limit is called encumbrance. Characters an only carry so much weight. The more weight they carry the slower they move until eventually they’re so overloaded they can’t move. Knowing the weight of things is therefore important.

Coins are the typical form of treasure and primary source of fluctuation in the weight carried. Because of the primacy of coins the weights of most things are measured in coins. “1O gold pieces [coins] equaling 1# (pound)”⁴

Encumbrance comes in four classes.

Class	Movement	Weight
Encumbered	60′	71 – 105#
Heavily Encumbered	30′	106+#

Between armor, a couple of weapons and some standard adventuring gear even the lightly armored thief will be pushing 35 pounds before adding a single coin of loot to his sack. Over the course of filling a 200 coin sack full of treasure the thief will add 20 pounds of weight and move from the unencumbered movement class to the lightly encumbered class.

In combat this may not significantly hinder the thief since a sack of loot can simply be dropped to move back to the unencumbered class. Should the thief be forced to flee however his sack of treasure (and experience points) may be left behind.

Assuming success in the adventure the thief and friends will of course seek to carry as much loot as possible back to town. At this time they may not be overly concerned about how laden with treasure they are. But a heavily encumbered party will travel very slowly. Travel, also an adventure, will be made all the more risky by being a slow moving gold laden target.

In summation, treasure equals experience points and tracking weight is important not only to keep recovered treasure/experience at a reasonable rate but also to have the players think about how their characters are interacting with their world. Over time players will learn that NPC porters can be hired to move their loot and certain spells and magical items can be used to transport large amounts loot at significantly lower weights.

Treasure is not mere coins and gems. The most desired treasure will also come in the form of magical items. It’s reasonable therefore to wonder if x.p. are awarded for the recovery of magical items. X.P. are awarded for recovery of magical items but at a highly specific rate. Players are awarded either the x.p. value for keeping the item or the g.p. value for selling it should they find a buyer.

The suggested experience point (x.p.) values are for characters who keep the items. Gold piece sale values ore the usual sums which characters will be paid for magic items, and if so sold, the x.p. award should be based on the selling price of the items, not the x.p. value.⁵

Foot Notes

1. Gary Gygax, The Monetary System: PLAYERS HANDBOOK (Lake Geneva: TSR Games, 1978), 35.
2. Gary Gygax, Gems: DUNGEON MASTERS GUIDE (Lake Geneva: TSR Games, 1979), 25.
3. Gary Gygax, Jewelry: DUNGEON MASTERS GUIDE (Lake Geneva: TSR Games, 1979), 26.
4. Gary Gygax, ENCUMBRANCE: PLAYERS HANDBOOK (Lake Geneva: TSR Games, 1978), 102.
5. Gary Gygax, MAGIC ITEMS: DUNGEON MASTERS GUIDE (Lake Geneva: TSR Games, 1979), 121.