| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Kalin Agrivar |
Posted - 31 Aug 2006 : 19:14:54
I gave a fun question,
Has anyone ever run or played in an Undermountain game where you found your way into room xy/xy2 on Level 1 [areas of interest] in the 2E box set The Ruins of Undermountain?
in this room there is an ancient altar to Dumathoin and four massive stone coffers (I won't tell you the trick to get into the room but it isn't actually that hard to figure out) but here is what is inside (there is also no guardians or traps for this treasure room-of-all treasure rooms  ):
a mystic altar 8' high, 3' accross and 12' long made up of pure gold that is indestructable and cannot be moved by any mortal means and
444 black saphires (5000 gp each) <-- total 2,220,000 gp
444 star saphires (5000 gp each) <-- total 2,220,000 gp
444 jacinths (5000 gp each) <-- total 2,220,000 gp
1 single huge emerald the size of a human's head (200,000 gp)
that is a total of 6,860,000 gp 
p.s. it is on page 56-57 of the Campaign Guide to Undermountain
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| 18 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Forgotten Ghost |
Posted - 02 Sep 2006 : 10:15:44
In one game I ran the PC's burgled two nobles manors and made of with alot of loot not as much as the treasure romm here but quite abit, naturally they then had to flee or face retribution after fleeing Baldurs Gate and making it about half way to calimshan they realised in their rush they had left the chest in which they put all the loot in the inn back in beregost.
Not really related but it just goes to show how easily wealth comes and the goes. |
| Kalin Agrivar |
Posted - 01 Sep 2006 : 20:42:15
I hope to post soon an account of the party I was in that found this dwarven hoard and what happened...not sure what thread to put it in though  |
| Kalin Agrivar |
Posted - 01 Sep 2006 : 20:08:29
FYI...I can check it up later but I think that secret dwarven treasure hoard is only 7-8 rooms away from the Yawning Portal entrance on Lv 1
The secret door to enter that room is like the gold alter, invulnerable to all mortal forces...you cannot open it except in the correct way (As a DM I also assumed the stone that made up the room was also invulnerable and impassable by all magic, psionic and planar means).
The correct way is actually pretty simple: there are two candle sconces, one on each side of the door, that mark where the door is...you have to find the other candle (which is somewhere else in Lv 1) and then light both candles in the sconce, which will open the door. And as Ed suggested, you can break the first candle in half and light both halves, which is exactly what one of my players did in the first game I ran in Undermountain
I have always thought that Ed (who wrote the box set) wrote in that room not to make players rich but for players to experience what is it like to be much too rich
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| VonRaventheDaring |
Posted - 01 Sep 2006 : 17:23:41
or my favorite the note that says "______ was here" you know the theif that got there first! Now thats always funny. |
| Ardashir |
Posted - 01 Sep 2006 : 17:21:49
I don't remember that one (I have to find another copy of Ruins of Undermountain somewhere!), but I do recall something about a diamond worthy literally millions available for the PCs to find. Of course, the problem afterwards is finding someone with both the cash to buy it and the morals to be honest and not just slit your throat for it.
And the "it's too much" bit? Well, while Undermountain is primarily known as a mass graveyard for adventurers, it's also known as the occasional source of fascinating wealth (Durnan got rich from Undermountain, didn't he? And didn't some other folks come up from the depths set for life?). And besides, any DM worth his polyhedral dice should be able to think of ways to get excess treasure away from overly fortunate PCs. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 01 Sep 2006 : 16:42:45
quote:
Originally posted by Kitira Gildragon
This is what I consider to be one of the problems of people going straight from source material- your gamers know where the good loot is if they've read the material.
That's where you play one of two cards:
1) "Well, it was like that when the book was published, but that was X years ago, in game time..."
2) "I'm the DM. I've adapted the source material to suit my own purposes." |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 01 Sep 2006 : 16:40:51
quote:
Originally posted by Mace Hammerhand
The problem would be how to change the gems to hard cash. Each gem has a value of 5k, but anyone flooding the local market with so many gems will probably cause a decline in the market value...a massive decline. They may be able to sell the first few gems for their real value (minus the handling charge etc, of course), but then they will receive considerably less.
Unless they either took several years to spend the money, or made just a couple of high-priced purchases -- like buying a couple city blocks. |
| Mace Hammerhand |
Posted - 01 Sep 2006 : 13:46:48
The problem would be how to change the gems to hard cash. Each gem has a value of 5k, but anyone flooding the local market with so many gems will probably cause a decline in the market value...a massive decline. They may be able to sell the first few gems for their real value (minus the handling charge etc, of course), but then they will receive considerably less. |
| Kiaransalyn |
Posted - 01 Sep 2006 : 13:29:18
quote:
Originally posted by kalin agrivar
that is a total of 6,860,000 gp
And here is your 7,000,000 gp bill. This represents unpaid taxes, fines and licences.
This not inconsiderable sum has been acrued as a result of the ramifications caused by your recent investigations into the complex commonly known as Undermountain.
Firstly, were you aware that permits are needed to conduct any investigation into this very dangerous area? Now in your case 'retro-applications,' that is official licences to explore can be issued after the event but they are considerably more costly. The paperwork is a pain in the backside, I'm sure you know how it is.
Secondly, there are a variety of sundry fines that have accumulated. These have mostly been caused by various goblinoids rampaging and causing havoc in the neighbouring community. Well, if you will go stiring up a veritable hornets nest you have to face the consequencial anger of all the people who have been stung by said 'hornets.' Which in this case, are all the creatures that exited when you entered.
Thirdly,....
etc.
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| Mace Hammerhand |
Posted - 01 Sep 2006 : 13:26:40
quote:
Originally posted by Conlon
Yeah, and what kind of a turn will your campaign take if the players make it out with all that loot? How many game sessions would be lost just spending that moolah?
This reminds me of the KotDT carton where they spend their million GPs and Brian ends up stealing it all. |
| Dargoth |
Posted - 01 Sep 2006 : 13:20:35
I have one word for characters who try and keep all that.......... XORN |
| Kitira Gildragon |
Posted - 01 Sep 2006 : 12:51:01
This is what I consider to be one of the problems of people going straight from source material- your gamers know where the good loot is if they've read the material. Frankly, as a DM I would change the treasure output of such a cache in my games- I don't think it would be wise handing that much out to my players at one point in time. Now, as Wooly suggested you could have someone nick it before they arrived and if they're *that* interested in getting every last piece make that into a quest of it's own.
However, if I may quote a certain other?
"Mo money, mo problems"
Even saying I allowed my group to amass such a horde, you had best be sure that as they start spending it word will get out to people with light fingers and few inhibitions ;) |
| Conlon |
Posted - 01 Sep 2006 : 09:49:25
Yeah, and what kind of a turn will your campaign take if the players make it out with all that loot? How many game sessions would be lost just spending that moolah? |
| Reefy |
Posted - 31 Aug 2006 : 23:59:44
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Undermountain isn't exactly the safest place to roam...
And the award for understatement of the day goes to... |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 31 Aug 2006 : 22:56:49
This topic scared me, when I first saw the title. The other forum I'm active on, we had this über-munchkin player start a similar topic. His idea relied on twisting the rules and having a very generous GM... I'm glad to see that isn't the case, here.
Though I've got to say... If I was the DM, I'd not let the players walk off with that much swag. I'd either have someone get to it first, or the PCs would get it but wind up losing most or all of it. Undermountain isn't exactly the safest place to roam... |
| Chosen of Moradin |
Posted - 31 Aug 2006 : 21:27:50
Itīs right, for me. Being part of Dumathoin portfolio, only let the things more easy.
Now, the only problem will be the players hit a specific room in that dungeon.... ahem... donīt look to the crazy mage behind the curtains. |
| Kalin Agrivar |
Posted - 31 Aug 2006 : 20:57:43
quote:
Originally posted by Sian
i think that a lot of dwarves would get 'just slightly' mad at you ... expecialy Shield dwarves since Dumathoin is their Parton God
I thought of that too, when I first read that room (sooo long ago  ) except for this quote directly from the campaign guide (p. 57):
quote:
"Around the base of the altar stand four plain, massive stone coffers; each weighs 70 pounds when empty! These coffers are unlocked and unguarded and no retributionor ill luck comes to anyone disturbing them, for is part of Dumathoin's power to yield up riches of the earth after hiding them for a time"
so I bet there would be greedy dwarves "claiming" the treasure as their own but in Dumathoin's eyes who ever finds the treasure deserves the treasure...it is part of his portfolio |
| Sian |
Posted - 31 Aug 2006 : 20:45:13
i think that a lot of dwarves would get 'just slightly' mad at you ... expecialy Shield dwarves since Dumathoin is their Parton God |
