Looting bodies is a time honoured Dungeons & Dragons tradition as old as adventuring itself. After all, when you risk life, limb, and occasionally your sanity in a dank crypt or sweltering battlefield, you expect more than just a scorched leather boot for your troubles. Yet, rummaging through the pockets of fallen foes can be about more than gold and trinkets. Sometimes, it’s those quirky, mundane, or heartbreakingly personal items that truly bring a world to life like discovering the half eaten pastry in a guard’s belt pouch or finding a tear-stained letter from a lover.
The Basics of Loot Tables
A loot table is simply a list of items that players might stumble upon when scouring a room, chest, or, yes, a defeated baddie. Typically, these lists serve up an assortment of valuables, from coin pouches to magical weapons. But leaving it at gold pieces and +1 swords can rob the game of depth. Instead, consider sprinkling in items that provide context for the fallen foe, hooking your players deeper into the world.
Key categories to mix:
- Valuables – Jewels, coins, antiques with uncertain origins (and curses).
- Useful Gear – Spare quivers, half-filled potion bottles, map fragments.
- Mundane Items – Chewed pencils, a favourite comb, a lucky rabbit’s foot (curiously missing a rabbit).
- Story Hooks – Letters from loved ones, cryptic diaries, or coded messages.
- Humour – A comedic poem penned by the bandit leader, an erotic novel, mismatched socks, half-eaten cheese wheel.
Updates from the 2024 Edition
The 2024 Edition isn’t changing the nature of loot tables drastically, but look for:
- Expanded Guidance – A few new suggestions on incorporating backstory laden items (such as documents, sketches, or insignia) that tie directly into future encounters or subplots.
- DM Inspiration – Optional rolling tables or sidebars encouraging DMs to include mundane but meaningful objects like a battered journal that reveals the orc warlord’s unrequited crush, or a single child’s toy left behind by a grieving parent.
- Integrating Player Feedback – If your group loves comedic surprises, you’ll find more “fun factor” entries listed. If they’re all about gritty realism, you’ll find suggestions for dried supplies, tarnished coins, and the odd battered shield that’s nearly falling apart.
Practical Loot Table Tips for Dungeon Masters
- Vary the Quantity – Not every foe has to drop a dragon’s hoard. The humble guard might have nothing but a half eaten apple, whilst a big boss could carry the key to a hidden vault.
- Lean into Lore – Use items to hint at the bigger story insignias revealing secret allegiances, scraps of notes that foreshadow upcoming dangers, or a ring bearing a crest players have seen before.
- Humanise the Enemy – A scribbled letter from “Mum” or a crudely drawn family portrait of he eight children found in a hobgoblin’s pouch can stir moral quandaries. It’s a reminder that enemies aren’t always moustache twirling villains but rather individuals tangled in dire circumstances. Think Austin Powers or the fact that half the people working on the second Death Star when it got blown up by the rebels could of just been contractors… (Clerks 😉 )
- Roll or Curate – Random tables can produce amusing moments, but hand picked items can be used to drive home narrative points. Striking a balance between spontaneous fun and purposeful design keeps things lively.
Practical Loot Tips for Players
- Check Everything – Don’t just rummage for gold, give a cursory glance to pockets, packs, and boots. You never know which hidden gem or clue might lie tucked away.
- Ask Questions – If the DM hints that a scuffed locket is inscribed with initials, follow up. Even small details can lead to big plot threads or new alliances.
- Show Empathy – Finding a personal diary or a heartfelt letter from someone’s spouse can inspire roleplay moments where you reflect on the “monsters” you’ve just fought, or perhaps pivot your party’s strategy from blind aggression to cautious diplomacy.
- Share the Spoils – Divvying up loot is a group endeavour, no rogue should keep the gilded harp all to themselves (though they might try). Make sure everyone has a say, especially if an item could affect the broader story.
In the end dishing out loot isn’t merely about coin counts and gold to experience ratios, it’s a golden opportunity to flavour your world with memorable details. A tattered letter or a half-eaten sandwich might not grant you a +2 bonus on your next attack roll, but it might grant you a deeper connection to the realm you’re exploring. So, the next time your party unceremoniously turns out the pockets of the latest dead goblin, let them discover something more than spare change. Let them find intrigue, laughs, and maybe a moment of realisation that not all ‘bad guys’ are cut from the same cloth.
Four Example Loot Tables
Bandit or Brigand Loot (1d8)
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A Tattered Map Fragment
- Half burnt, depicting only a portion of a hidden canyon. Strange markings hint at a hideout or perhaps hidden treasure.
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Hand Carved Wooden Bird
- Clearly whittled by a bored bandit on guard duty. The initials “H.B.K.” are carved into the base.
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Three Gnawed Bones
- Tied together with fraying leather. They rattle ominously when shaken could be used for rudimentary fortune telling.
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Stained Velvet Pouch
- Contains polished river stones and a single silver cufflink. The cufflink bears the crest of a local noble house.
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Small Flask of Bitter Brew
- The liquid smells foul. Written on the flask in shaky handwriting is “Keeps me awake”.
-
Blood-Spattered “Wanted” Poster
- Depicts the bandit’s own face. Someone has scrawled “You can’t catch me” across it in red ink.
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Unsent Letter Addressed to a “Dear Cousin”
- Describes how the writer planned to leave banditry behind. The last line abruptly ends, trailing off.
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Crude Dice Made from Animal Teeth
- Each face is scratched with symbols that don’t look quite human. Could be a sign of a darker influence.
Arcane Cultist Loot (1d8)
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Pulsating Crystal Shard
- Faintly warm to the touch. Glows brighter if brought near a magical anomaly or portal.
-
Torn Black Cloak Trimmed with Odd Runes
- The runes occasionally rearrange themselves when you’re not looking.
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Journal Scrawled in a Cipher
- Cryptic references to a coming eclipse and a being known only as “the Whispering Eye.”
-
Small Wax Effigy
- Humanoid in form, wearing a tiny amulet that matches the cult’s symbol. Melts slightly if exposed to sunlight.
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Phial of Eerie Fog
- Captured mist from a demiplane if uncorked, it briefly envelops anyone nearby in swirling visions.
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Fragment of a Mirror Shard
- Reflects only your shadow, never your actual form. Occasionally, you glimpse another shape behind your own.
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Lantern with Black Flamed Candle
- The flame glows obsidian and emits no heat. It flickers wildly near desecrated ground.
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Ominous Script on Tanned Hide
- The script shifts if read aloud, forming a single, haunting question: “Are you ready?”
Underdark Dweller Loot (1d8)
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Delicate Moss Terrarium
- Contains phosphorescent fungi that emit a soothing glow. Requires darkness and damp to thrive.
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Carved Stone Locket
- Inside is a miniature painting of a stalactite city. The artistry suggests a sentimental longing for home.
-
Cage of Luminescent Beetles
- Each beetle emits a different hue. They shuffle into patterns that resemble constellations of the deep.
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Notebook of Surface Observations
- Written by a curious Underdark denizen. Contains sketches of the sun, trees, and local surface fauna, with wide eyed wonder.
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Muffled Chime
- A small metal disc that rings only when submerged in complete darkness. The tone is hauntingly melodic.
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Ritual Blade of Crystalline Rock
- Extremely sharp. If placed against solid stone, it resonates like a tuning fork.
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Husk of a Pale, Bioluminescent Mushroom
- Once used as a lantern. If revived with water, it might regrow into a full blown mushroom lamp.
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Scaled Cloak Fragment
- Eerily smooth to the touch and faintly shimmering. Believed to be from a fabled deep dragon.
Noble Retinue Loot (1d8)
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Embossed Invitation to a Royal Gala
- Includes the possessor’s name and “plus one.” Rumours say the gala is a front for political manoeuvring.
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Gold-Trimmed Quill Set
- Each quill is crafted from a rare bird’s plume. A faint perfume clings to them, reminiscent of courtly halls.
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Miniature Portrait in an Ornate Frame
- Depicts a young noble with a disapproving scowl. The back is etched with “Remember your duty.”
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Music Box That Plays a Lullaby
- The tune is hauntingly familiar to any who grew up near the capital. Missing one gear, so it occasionally warps the melody.
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Perfume Vial with Intricate Stopper
- The scent changes depending on the bearer’s emotional state ranging from roses to sharp citrus.
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Silken Handkerchief with Bloodstains
- Embroidered with the initials of a prominent duke. A well guarded secret hides in its folds perhaps coded in the stitching.
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Sealed Letter to a Rival House
- The seal is unbroken, and the text inside could spark a major scandal if revealed.
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Souvenir Key from a Famous Opera House
- Possibly decorative, but rumours whisper it can unlock a secret VIP booth or backstage passage.