The collection of treasure is a common goal of many adventures and is a quick road to increased power and influence in the world. Players gain treasure in several ways, such as hiring out their services, working as merchants, or liberating it from other characters through means either fair or foul! A physical prop represents each piece of treasure in the game. Gems, for example, are represented by small plastic or polished glass baubles, marked with numbers to indicate their value. This section covers the basic forms of treasure available to characters in game and the rules that govern their use and authenticity. All treasure in game can be taken by players to keep and use as they see fit. If the player loses or destroys the treasure prop, the treasure is lost to the character. Players are responsible for keeping treasure between games. There is no need to turn it in between games. They only need to return treasure if their character dies or they plan to leave the club permanently. All treasure is considered the property of Adventures in Mid-Land so other players can steal it during the game. A player may not withhold a treasure prop because they wish to keep it the prop for themselves. Adventures in Mid-Land will provide all props so players will have no concern about losing personal property if their treasure is stolen. Under no circumstances may players provide their own props for treasure found in game. The player in possession of a weapon treasure must maintain the boffer provided for that treasure. A player is allowed to request that the club re-pad a weapon treasure prop if it becomes damaged, but must take the initiative to do so. Any weapon that does not pass inspection will be removed from play and the player will lose the treasure!
Coins are the most common form of treasure in Mid-Land. Coins are represented with actual metal tokens with a generic illustration on one face and the Adventures in Mid-Land logo on the other. No special skills are needed to identify coins and every coin has a value of one regardless of its shape or size. The common standard of money in Mid-Land is copper. A copper piece is assumed to be roughly equivalent to an American dollar when trying to draw a comparison of values between in-game and out-of-game standards. Coins come in three types: copper, silver, and gold. Coins have a value related to each other as follows:
10 copper = 1 silver.In game, the coins are made of the metal described by their value and players should treat them as such when role-playing. Out of game, players should be wary of any coin that appears to be counterfeit. If a counterfeit coin is encountered, do not accept the coin and report the player or coin to a Game Master. Players caught passing counterfeit money will be removed from the game for cheating. In the unlikely event a coin should break it is still worth its face value if it is a least 75% intact. Coins that are broken in half or smaller should be brought to Logistics to be replaced.
Precious stones are a very common and universal form of treasure. Due to their small size and high value, large sums of money can be carried in a belt pouch or concealed on a player's person. Gems are accepted as wealth even in the most remote of places and are sometimes preferred over coin as a means of payment. Gems are also a very common component in magic rituals and are often more valuable to the right mage then their listed value indicates! Small plastic or polished glass baubles represent in-game gems. Each gem is inscribed with a treasure number that allows a character with the skill Estimate Value to identify the value of the gem. The color or size of a gem has no bearing on its value. A small gem can be worth hundreds of gold and a large gem can be worth one piece of copper. A gem with no treasure number is assumed to be counterfeit. If a counterfeit gem is encountered, do not accept it and report the gem or player to a Game Master. Gems can be traded in for experience points as if they were coins.
Valuable objects can include works of art, fine tapestries, or rare works of literature. Though not as compact as gems, valuable objects can still be very high in value. On the down side, valuable objects are often hard to sell and make converting the wealth into useable funds problematic. All valuable objects are marked with a treasure number allowing for their identification and are covered by the same guidelines as gems. The skill Estimate Value is required to identify the value of valuable objects. Often a valuable object, such as a treasure map, is not only a source of wealth, but also an important part of the plot. It is also possible for a valuable object to have other properties besides its value. For example, it is possible to have a silver short sword that is so ornately carved it is also worth a great deal of money. Valuable objects can be traded in for experience points as if they were coins. Please note that Estimate Value and Identify Magic are two separate skills. If an object has both value and magical properties, only someone with both skills will be told all of its properties by Logistics.
Non-player characters very often carry common created objects such as poisons, alchemy compounds, and scrolls. These objects follow the same rules of use as described in their individual chapters. These objects cannot be traded in for experience points but may be sold or traded to other characters for cash or services. Characters still need any special skills normally needed to normally use these objects. For example, a character that does not possess the skill Herbalism may not use poisons.
Magical objects are otherwise normal objects which have been endowed with magical properties. Magical objects can come in almost any shape and size from rings to weapons. All magical objects give off obvious magical signs such as a dull warmth or light blue glow that can be perceived by anyone who touches them. These signs do not allow a character to identify the exact properties of the object. Because of these minor magical signs, players may not hide the fact that an object is magical. During a search, for example, a player may not deny that an object on their person is not magical in nature. Each magical object is inscribed with a treasure number allowing a character with the skill Identify Magic to determine the properties of the object. If players encounter a magical object with no treasure number the object may be counterfeit. If a counterfeit magical object is encountered, do not accept it and report the object or player to a Game Master. In addition to their treasure number, all magical weapons must be covered with blue tape allowing the weapon to be identified as magical from a distance. It is only required that the edge of the weapon be covered with blue tape so players may decorate the handle and cross guards normally. There are four types of magical objects: charged, permanent-per-game-day, permanent, and time sensitive. It is possible to mix the different types of magical objects. For example you could have a permanent magic object that also has time sensitive abilities.
For the most part, magic objects are indestructible and never show signs of tarnish or age. For example a magic sword will never rust even if left at the bottom of a lake for centuries. Magic objects can never be perverted from their original function despite any logic offered. A ring of spell storing cannot be taped to an arrow to make the arrow magical; a wraith cannot be beaten to death with a tome of magic. If a Game Master observes a player abusing a magic object the object will be removed from play. Magical objects CANNOT be traded in for experience points as if they were coins.
Silver weapons are rare weapons designed to harm creatures, such as ghouls, that are harmed only by weapons of pure silver. Silver weapons are not simply normal weapons coated in silver but are instead crafted entirely of silver and bound with a powerful ritual to give the weapon strength. It is assumed that the weapons pure aura is what allows it to rend the flesh of powerful evil creatures. For this reason a silver weapon may not bear poison and it is assumed that poison placed on a silver weapon would immediately become inert. For almost the same reason, a silver weapon may not transmit a spell or be endowed or enchanted. Silver weapons do not need to be identified, as their properties are quickly evident. Each silver weapon in game has a treasure number only for reasons of authenticity. If players find a silver weapon without a number, it is not a legal weapon. All silver weapons must be covered with white duct tape. Only the blade of the weapon needs to be covered with! white tape and the edge may be marked in a different color. Any legal bladed or pointed in-game weapon can have a silver counterpart regardless of its size.
Elven steel weapons are created through powerful rituals that mix steel with pure silver and then sheath the weapon in an aura of pure magic. Elven steel blades appear as jet-black weapons crisscrossed with veins or silver. Elven steel weapons posses the properties of both a magic weapon and a silver weapon allowing the weapon to hurt creatures only affected by silver, magic, and or Elven steel. It is assumed that the weapons pure magical aura is what allows it to rend the flesh of powerful evil creatures. For this reason an Elven steel weapon may not bear poison and it is assumed that poison placed on an Elven steel weapon would immediately become inert. For the same reason, an Elven steel weapon may not transmit a spell or be endowed or enchanted. Elven steel weapons do not need to be identified, as their properties are quickly evident. Each Elven steel weapon in game has a treasure number only for reasons of authenticity. If players encounter an Elven steel weapon without a number, it is not a legal weapon. All Elven steel weapons must be covered with black duct tape with lightning like lines of white crisscrossing its surface. Only the blade of the weapon needs to be covered with the tape and the edge may be marked in a different color. Like silver weapons, Elven steel weapons may be any legal bladed or pointed in-game weapon.
