Loot can be carried by an individual or group, or be carried by a pack animal, or a conveyance, like a wagon.

Table or Tables for how a monster is carrying it’s loot. This set of tables will focus on individual monsters & NPC’s and how they carry their stuff.

Let’s call anything that is used to carry something, mean that the contents are loot, at least valuable to the one carrying it, or valuable to the one they got it from.

I was reading the Grand DM‘s Belt Pouch Table post, and then it struck me. I don’t recall a table or other tool to define what kinds of things different monsters use to carry their loot.

The classic, you’ve killed the goblins and loot their bodies, is easy to gloss over what their paltry few coppers and silvers are carried in.

It occurred to me, perhaps different groups of humanoids will carry their loot in different containers. Perhaps certain kinds of loot might be carried differently than other loot.

One idea I had was what if goblin tribes had a medicine pouch that they carried around their necks, and it included things like the tooth or other body part of those they have killed? Such a pouch might also contain the most valuable thing that they own that an adventurer might consider treasure, like a small gem, gold coin, or other small but valuable trinket. Different tribes could carry different body parts. Different humanoids might have similar pouches, but their size, material, and craftsmanship could vary.

Sizes: 1d8

• Really Tiny
• Tiny
• Small
• Medium
• Large
• Extra large
• Enormous
• Gigantic

Loot Carriers Type: d18

• pouch/purse/medicine bag (not the same as a belt pouch)
• Belt Pouch (My interpretation of a belt pouch has always been that is fastens securely to a belt, with loops, hooks, ties or a combination.)
• Sacks
• Baskets
• Coffer
• Chest
• Cask
• Urn
• Vase
• Vial
• Scrollcase
• Amphorae
• Wheelbarrow
• Blanket/Sheet/Quilt/Curtain
• Skull
• Femur
• Backpack
• Saddlebags (over one or both shoulders)

Material: 1d14

• Leather
• Wood
• Hide
• Skin
• Hair
• Felt (pressed hair – For example the Mongolian people make their felt for their tents from horse hair.)
• Flax
• Burlap
• Cotton
• Silk
• Bone
• Gems
• Other “normal”
• Other “exotic”

Quality:  1d6

• Crude
• Poor
• Functional
• Sturdy
• Overbuilt
• Excellent

Condition: 1d6

• Rotted/Falling Apart
• Holes/Tears/Threadbare/Runs – One more bit of damage or piece of loot, and it will start to fail without immediate repair.
• Used but Functional
• Used really good condition
• Nearly new
• New & unused

Decoration: 1d6

• None
• Missing/Damaged
• Simple
• Standard
• Fancy/Ornate
• Ostentatious

Construction: 1d5

• Make-shift – (Like a classic trop of a burglar grabbing a sheet or tablecloth to make a bag.)
• Self-made (Whether out of necessity, a point of pride, or a right of passage.)
• Special Made (All Medicine Pouches are made by the tribal shaman, or a special craftsman, or with a special process.)
• Standard (Made by standard craftsman or process.)
• Custom (Made by a craftsman either to special order, or by the best known craftsman, or with special materials, like dragon hide.)

Properties:

• 1-80% Non-Magical
• 81-00 Magical

If Magical What Qualities?:

• Does it glow?
• Does it give off heat, cold, mist, smoke, or something else?
• Does it present these, or other characteristics, when in the presence of a certain type of creature or substance. For example cold in the presence of copper, warmth in the presence of silver, heat for gold, and hotter for platinum, adamantium, or mithril? Something made by dwarves or other mining races to find veins of metal.
• Is glowing its only effect? Is it some party favor that glows different colors in different patterns at random or non-specific intervals? (This is begging for another table.)

Extra space – Like a bag of holding, but specifics could differ.
Bonus – Adds +1 to +5 for saves (can vary to have different saves for different things.)
Detection – Standard detections, evil/good/alignment, invisibility, magic, truth/lies, etc.
Protection – Evil/Good, undead (all or specific types), demons, devils, other planar, etc.
Control – Humans, demi-humans, humanoids, dragons, giants, elementals, etc.
Communication – For example, speak a specific language, tongues, comprehend languages, telepathy, ESP, speak with animals, etc.
Cursed – Can look like any other item, but have an opposite or corrupting affect. For example, a protection dweomer is evident, but it actually attracts undead. Perhaps only zombies, and gives clerics in the area a -1 on their roll to turn/control, or -2 if the cleric attempting the turn is the one in possession of the object.
Duplication – Items left in the container for 24 hours are duplicated. This only works for the specific type of item a device was designed to duplicate. Dor example, a scroll case might only duplicate maps, or only message. It cannot duplicate magical scrolls. A cursed or evil item might “bite” the user for 1-2 hp for blood to power it. A purse might duplicate coins, but they would be illusory, or fool’s gold as the spell and only last for the minimum caster level. A special wand case might re-charge the wand at 1-3 charges per day of the minimum caster level in the want. An uncharged wand would either not be charged, or roll to see if its magic is drained away, or it turns to dust, or explodes.
Abundance – Food, water, or whatever the container is designed for never seems to run out.
Containment – Geni, Djinn, Demon, Devil, Angel, or other powerful creature. Could work like a magic lamp and give conrol and wishes, or could only appear to be so and rubbing it frees the creature for good, or only a few rounds to wreak havoc. Perhaps it will try to capture the bearer to trade places.
Travel – Dimension door/teleport/fly/jump/spider climb

Team Carry:

Monsters/Bearers/Porters can carry stuff in bags, packs, or baskets on an individual basis, but larger items require two or more to carry. Such as elephant tusks, a caged live animal, a dead trophy animal, large chest, etc. Such means of carry can be simple carry and manhandling, to using a pole, poles, or other device. Long trains of such bearers can make up a caravan for a merchant, adventurer, or tribute taken from the defeated, or tribute offered to avoid the devastation of war.

Team Carry Methods/Devices: 1d7

• Two or more carrying/manhandling a large item. (Think of moving an upright grand piano up and/or down stairs, without equipment, and you get the idea. If you’ve ever done it, you know what I mean.)
• Two Using a Pole to carry something.
• Two using two poles to carry something. This could be a litter or other heavy object.
• Four or more carrying something with two large poles. This could be a caged live animal, or something like a palanquin bearing someone, or an idol.
• One or more pulling something with a travois.
• One pushing a wheelbarrow.
• One pushing a pushcart.

Animal Transport: 1d4

• Any pack animal
• Any riding animal that can carry something in addition to it’s rider, or
• Any animal, monster, etc. that can carry a container, or pull a conveyance.
• NPC/Slave (This would be anyone forced to carry the loot of another. It’s not their loot, and in the case of slaves, for the newly enslaved, it might have previously been their loot.)

*NOTE: Most pack animals have specialized pack saddles designed to maximize the amount that can be carried and distribute it in a way that it allows the animal to carry the largest load the farthest distance without injury. Those that don’t see the pack animal as more than a means to the end of getting their loot where they want it, and don’t see the animal as loot, may not treat it well.

Conveyances: Any device used for transport.

Land Based: 1d7

• Carts
• Wagons
• Sleds
• Sledges
• Travois
• Coach
• Other (Includes any type I don’t know about, and magical, or cars or land speeders from other dimensions.)

Water Based: 1d6

• Raft
• Canoe
• Boat
• Ship
• Canal boat (either pulled by a mule team and driver, or poled by the crew.)
• Barge

Air Travel: (This will be limited by the weight limit. Only used for the most critical, priceless, or time sensitive transport.)

• Magic Devices/Spells
• Flying Creatures

Magical Travel: (Travel that is not obvious to non-wizards. Even more weight restricted than flying. Usually by device or spell.)

• Teleportation, etc.

 Who might be carrying loot? 1d5

• Individual
• Small Group
• Medium Group
• Large Group
• Horde

Type of Group/Reasons for Hauling or Moving Loot: 1d4

• Expedition (Adventurer(s)/Explorer(s)/Knowledge Seeker(s))
• Raid (Bandits/Monsters/War)
• War (Hauling spoils of war as campaign continues, or after victory and returning home.)
• Trade (Caravan/Local, Regional, or Small Merchant)
  • See my Caravan and Pack Animal article.