TEXT: Written by MATT RIGGSBY
  Edited by SEAN PUNCH
  Illustrated by GUY BURWELL,  
  DAN SMITH, and MICHAEL S. WILSON
  Reviewers: Roger Burton West, Douglas Cole, Peter V. Dell’Orto, Dan Howard,  
  Phil Masters, Christopher R. Rice, and Antoni Ten Monrós
  GURPS, Pyramid, Warehouse 23, the all-seeing pyramid, Dungeon Fantasy Treasures, Glittering Prizes, and the names of all products published  
  by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated are trademarks or registered trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated, or used under license.  
  GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Treasures 1: Glittering Prizes is copyright © 2015 by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. All rights reserved.
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  STEVE JACKSON GAMES
  Stock #37-0332 
  Version 1.0 – November 2015
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  TM
  TM
  
  IntroductIon  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .3
  Recommended Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
  Publication History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
  About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
  What’s the Damage Bonus for “Shiny”? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
  In the chest You FInd  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .4
  Filthy lucre .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 4
  Composition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
  Coin Composition Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
  Coin Hoards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
  Denominations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
  Coin Denominations Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
  Roll Your Own . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
  Coin Sizes Table. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
  “How Big Is It?” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
  Really Big Money . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
  Shape and Treatment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
  Coin Shape Table. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
  Magic Coin Tricks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
  Guessing Coin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
  Lucky Coin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
  Twins of Felonious Displacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
  Money Armor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
  Combat Coins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
  Coin Condition Table. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
  Folding Money . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
  Counting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
  Hell Money . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
  Bad Pennies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
  Currency Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
  Details, Details  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 13
  Motifs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
  Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
  Monster Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
  Fasteners. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
  Fabrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
  Fabric Out of Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
  implausible materials  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 17
  aDvanceD social stuDies  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 19
  Making History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
  Sample Cultures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
  North Steppe Orcish Hordes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
  Ethnic Cool Gear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
  The Translucent City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
  Yellow Mountain Kingdom. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
  Index .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .21
   
  Contents 
  2
  Contents
  About GURPS
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  Dungeon Fantasy Treasures 1: Glittering Prizes web 
  page is gurps.sjgames.com/dungeonfantasytreasures1.
  Bibliographies. Many of our books have extensive bib-
  liographies, and we’re putting them online – with links to 
  let you buy the resources that interest you! Go to each 
  book’s web page and look for the “Bibliography” link.
  Errata. Everyone makes mistakes, including us – but 
  we do our best to fix our errors. Up-to-date errata pages 
  for all GURPS releases, including this book, are available 
  on our website – see above.
  Rules and statistics in this book are specifically for the 
  GURPS Basic Set, Fourth Edition. Page references that 
  begin with B refer to that book, not this one.
  
  Reduced to its essentials, the dungeon fantasy genre consists 
  of sword-and-sorcery heroes with cool powers killing things and 
  taking their stuff.
  – GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 8: Treasure Tables
  If there’s one thing delvers can’t get enough 
  of, it’s treasure. From glowing magic swords to 
  heavy sacks full of rattling coins, that’s what 
  keeps adventurers digging ever-deeper into the 
  darkest, most dangerous dungeons. GURPS 
  Dungeon Fantasy 6: 40 Artifacts and GURPS 
  Dungeon Fantasy 8: Treasure Tables provide 
  a mountain of loot, but there’s always room for 
  more. GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Treasures 1: 
  Glittering Prizes builds on the construction kit 
  in Treasure Tables, providing yet more riches, 
  new and expanded tables for treasure charac-
  teristics, and novel ways to make those shiny 
  objects actually work for you.
  ReCommended books
  GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Treasures 1: 
  Glittering Prizes is intended for use with and 
  makes reference to several volumes of the 
  GURPS Dungeon Fantasy series. In particu-
  lar, it requires GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 8: 
  Treasure Tables. GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 2: 
  Dungeons is also heavily referenced and thus 
  strongly recommended.
  PubliCAtion HistoRy
  This is the first edition of GURPS Dungeon 
  Fantasy Treasures 1: Glittering Prizes. Some 
  material first appeared in a less elaborate form in 
  GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 8: Treasure Tables.
  About tHe AutHoR
  Matt Riggsby has been playing RPGs since 
  the only game in town came in three poorly 
  typeset tan booklets in a white box, using cheap 
  dice which slowly converted themselves from 
  icosahedrons to spheres. Having been educated in the lore of 
  lost civilizations, he still kills things and takes their stuff while 
  working a day job for loremasters of healing. The marching 
  order for the rest of his party includes a sorceress, a sev-
  enth-level rogue, and a pack of dogs.
   
  intRoduCtion 
  3
  intRoduCtion
  WHAt’s tHe dAmAge  
  bonus foR “sHiny”?
  This work is mostly about the fine details of treasure, helping the 
  GM provide lavish descriptions of the riches which delvers so pains-
  takingly recover, giving the loot more character and the game world 
  more flavor and detail. Players of a sadly prosaic turn of mind might 
  not care, however, dozing off in the middle of a description and wak-
  ing up only in time to ask how much it’s worth. Here are some places 
  where the little details can still have significant practical meaning to 
  the greediest munchkin.
  Identification: The more detail the GM uses to describe an item, 
  the better adventurers can identify it and, potentially, its user. For 
  example, a thief scouting out a lair of monsters may report back to 
  the rest of the party that it’s crucial to kill the head vampire in the 
  gray twill cloak rather than the similar-looking mortal minion in 
  the gray basket weave cloak.
  Precision: High-denomination coins are minted to surprisingly 
  exacting standards. They’re small but can be used for very fine mea-
  surements (p. 8).
  Special Currencies: While precious metals can be used for just 
  about any mundane transaction, magical worlds might require spe-
  cific media of exchange. The value of, say, a lead obol issued by a 
  long-forgotten kingdom may be modest – but if the ferryman across 
  the River of Death charges one of those lead obols, and if being fer-
  ried across the River is the only way the delvers can complete their 
  quest, then they really need to get hold of such a coin!
  Special Weapons: Just as supernatural transactions need spe-
  cial currencies, fantastic foes may call for special weapons. An  
  otherwise-unstoppable behemoth may be vulnerable to, say, a 
  whip of thorns, a gauze garrote, or a red axe. Implausible Materials 
  (pp. 17-19) is the first place to look for such things, but the GM can 
  find suitably fiddly details anywhere in this work.
  Dwarfs don’t really love gold. They just say they do  
  to get it in bed.
  – Terry Pratchett, Feet of Clay
  
   
  in tHe CHest you find 
  4
  The treasure nearest and dearest to delvers’ hearts is 
  money, so it’s fitting to start with a discussion of the delightful 
  variety of materials, shapes, sizes, and styles in which cash 
  comes, drawn from (but not limited by!) real-world history. 
  Connoisseurs of finer loot will be equally pleased to see fur-
  ther detail on decorative motifs, materials, pedigree, and 
  related topics first introduced in GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 
  8: Treasure Tables.
  filtHy luCRe
  When you get right down to it, a lot of Dungeon Fantasy is 
  about money. Sure, adventurers want bigger swords, shinier 
  armor, and flashier fireballs, but what’s it all in service of? 
  Treasure – mostly in the form of piles of coins made from pre-
  cious metal. Here’s how to make that big money really shine.
  ComPosition
  The first thing that interests adventurers about coins is 
  what they’re made of. For most of history, coins have been 
  bits of valuable metal given a stamp of approval by a politi-
  cal authority, their value deriving almost entirely from their 
  metal content. That’s pretty much how it works in Dungeon 
  Fantasy. Whether it’s an ancient lump of electrum shaped 
  by the unknown tentacles of an Elder Thing in a previous 
  age of the world or a shiny gold mark struck just yesterday 
  by the King’s mint, most adventurers are happy to pick it up, 
  toss it in the bag, and convert it to useful goods and services  
  back in town.
  Coins made from non-precious metals, such as iron and 
  lead, were issued sporadically through history. Like paper 
  money, these lacked significant intrinsic value but were used 
  as tokens of exchange, valuable within the issuing country but 
  less so outside. Likewise, organic materials and stone were 
  occasionally used for medallions and other personal décor – 
  and sometimes for gambling tokens – but not for currency. 
  Fantasy coinage need not suffer from such restrictions, how-
  ever. Underground dwellers may carve coins out of fine stone 
  and gems, while forest denizens could use rare woods and 
  ivory. Even if such things don’t carry inherent value, they 
  might be circulated with a nominal face value, like paper 
  money (Folding Money, p. 11).
  To determine the material from which a random coin is 
  made, roll on the Coin Composition Table.
  Coin Composition Table
  Roll 1d, 1d.
  Roll
  Material
  Notes
  1, 1-3
  Copper
  1, 4-5
  Bronze
  1, 6
  Brass
  2, 1-2
  Billon
  [1]
  2, 3-4
  Silver
  2, 5
  Tumbaga
  [2]
  2, 6
  Electrum
  [3]
  3, 1-3
  Gold
  3, 4
  Platinum
  3, 5-6
  Iron
  4, 1-2
  Lead
  4, 3
  Gemstone
  [4]
  4, 4
  Antler
  4, 5
  Bone
  4, 6
  Ivory
  5, 1
  Resin
  5, 2
  Shell
  5, 3
  Wood
  5, 4
  Marble
  5, 5
  Glass
  5, 6
  Porcelain
  6, 1
  Soapstone
  6, 2
  Gypsum
  6, 3-4
  Meteoric Iron
  6, 5
  Orichalcum
  6, 6
  Implausible Material
  [5]
  in tHe CHest 
  you find
  If more of us valued food 
  and cheer and song above 
  hoarded gold, it would be  
  a merrier world.
  – J.R.R. Tolkien,  
  The Hobbit
  
   
  in tHe CHest you find 
  5
  Notes
  [1] Billon is a copper-silver alloy. Its precise color depends 
  on the proportions of the constituent metals, but it tends 
  toward a pale red or pinkish tint.
  [2] Tumbaga, never used for coinage historically, is 
  adopted here as a catchall term for alloys of gold and cop-
  per, some of which also contain silver (“tumbaga” specif-
  ically refers to alloys used in the Americas, but the Greeks 
  produced a similar alloy called hepatizon, while the Japanese 
  produced shakudō). Tumbaga is coppery in appearance but 
  can be chemically treated to remove the copper (and silver, if  
  present) from the surface to leave behind a thin layer 
  of pure gold. Copper-gold alloys can also be treated 
  to produce a purple patina.
  [3] Electrum is a silver-gold alloy. Naturally occur-
  ring electrum was used in the early days of coinage 
  but disappeared early in the first millennium B.C. as 
  soon as it became feasible to separate gold and sil-
  ver. Gold-silver coins appearing afterward were fre-
  quently simply debased gold coins. Electrum often 
  has a greenish tint.
  [4] Roll on the Gems Table (Treasure Tables, 
  pp. 19-20).
  [5] Roll on the table under Implausible Materials 
  (pp. 17-19). Such a coin is especially likely to carry  
  an enchantment!
  Purity
  A related consideration to the nominal material 
  from which a coin is made is purity. Coins are valued 
  by their precious metal content, so a coin which is 
  nominally gold but actually half gold and half lead 
  is worth half as much as its purer cousin. Purity has 
  historically been most highly regarded for gold and 
  silver coins, with levels of precious metal topping out 
  just shy of 100% for the finest coins, and a bit less so 
  for copper-based ones. “Copper” coins with 70-80% 
  copper were common in a number of societies, with 
  the remainder of their metal content being a mixture 
  of lead, tin, and zinc.
  High standards were not always upheld,  
  however. Low-quality coinage might be adulterated by a des-
  perate regime trying to keep up with issuing currency but not 
  actually spending its dwindling reserves to do so. What this 
  means to the average delver is that some piles of treasure may 
  contain coins which look like, say, gold and silver, but are in 
  fact mostly copper or lead. Billon, tumbaga, and electrum 
  coins can easily represent debased currency, nominally silver 
  or gold but actually less valuable.
  In the Middle Ages, mints began to adulterate the precious 
  metal content of regular coinage not to save money but to 
  protect the currency. Silver and particularly gold are relatively 
  soft metals, and wear down with circulation. It wasn’t a great 
  challenge for unscrupulous individuals to shave off bits from 
  the edges, pass along the reduced-weight coin at face value, 
  and accumulate a store of valuable precious-metal shavings 
  for themselves. However, lightly alloyed precious metals can 
  become significantly harder, reducing wear and making it 
  harder to hide clipping. Such coins are 5-10% lighter (and 
  worth a similar percentage less) for the same size, but they’re 
  likely to be in much better shape when encountered in a trea-
  sure pile.
  denominAtions
  After composition, adventurers are most concerned with 
  how big coins are. A standard $1 copper piece, as described 
  on p. 14 of GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 2: Dungeons, weighs 
  about 7.25 grams, making it approximately the same weight 
  as a U.S. quarter. Silver and gold coins are quite small, how-
  ever, due to the higher value of the metals and their greater 
  density. Both are 250 to the pound, or a hair over 1.81 grams 
  each, which is on the small side even for historical coins.
  Coin HoARds
  Coin hoards aren’t just for dragons! In eras without banks, 
  and even in eras with banks but without much security (as in the 
  face of impending warfare), there’s only one way to keep your 
  money safe: bury it in a pot or some other durable container 
  to keep everything together. Owners who don’t retrieve such 
  caches leave little bits of treasure behind. Though small by the 
  standards of monster-guarded caves full of treasure, forgotten 
  coin hoards – which after all represent a common man’s life’s 
  savings – can provide a modest source of income for delvers with 
  prospecting skills. However, they can still be in a wilderness full 
  of hives of venomous insect, viper nests, and wandering mon-
  sters – or near the sites of ancient battlefields patrolled by the 
  shades of the unquiet dead. They might also contain relics of 
  great personal importance to the original owner, perhaps to the 
  point where vengeful spirits watch over them.
  Hoarded coins might also be better coins. There’s a well-
  known fiscal principle that “bad money drives out good.” That 
  is, when rulers start issuing debased coins, which subjects are 
  required to accept at the old face value, people start hoarding 
  earlier, purer issues. In a society where silver and gold pieces 
  are really billon and tumbaga, hidden caches of currency can 
  provide far more valuable coins than what one might find in a 
  merchant’s purse or even the King’s treasury.
  There is nothing quite as wonderful as money.
  – “The Money Song,”  
  Monty Python’s Flying Circus #29
  
   
  in tHe CHest you find 
  6
  Currency systems need not confine themselves 
  to these values, of course. The Coin Denominations 
  Table (below) shows likely values of coins of various 
  sizes and materials. Most historical coins fall at or 
  below the 100 per pound range. For example, 260 per 
  pound is roughly the size of a medieval European 
  silver penny, while 100 per pound is about the size 
  of two notable medieval coins: the Byzantine soli-
  dus and at least some versions of the Islamic dinar. 
  There were a number of exceptions, however.
  Coin Denominations Table
  Below are coin sizes based on weight, given 
  in terms of the number of coins that make up a pound (#), 
  expressed as “(count per pound)/#”; e.g., a one-ounce coin, 
  which is 16 to the pound, is a “16/#” coin. The weight of an 
  individual coin in pounds is 1/(count per pound). For consis-
  tency with the rest of GURPS, weights assume the avoirdu-
  pois pound, not the Troy measurements that are the modern 
  standard for precious metals, nor various other pounds on 
  which historical coins were based.
  Should alchemically inclined delvers need to know pre-
  cise proportions of materials, billon is here an alloy of equal 
  proportions of copper and silver, electrum is an alloy of 
  equal proportions of silver and gold, and tumbaga is a mix 
  of 80% copper, 15% gold, and 5% silver. To find the value of 
  a coin carved from gems, multiply the value in the table by 
  the Value modifier (V) for the specific material from p. 19 of 
  Treasure Tables.
  Count/#
  Lead
  Iron
  Copper
  Billon
  Silver
  Tumbaga
  Electrum
  Gold
  Platinum
  Gem
  260
  $0.02
  $0.03
  $0.24
  $2.04
  $3.85
  $11.92
  $40.38
  $76.92
  $147.69
  $110.98
  250
  $0.02
  $0.03
  $0.25
  $2.13
  $4.00
  $12.40
  $42.00
  $80.00
  $153.60
  $118.59
  240
  $0.02
  $0.03
  $0.26
  $2.21
  $4.17
  $12.92
  $43.75
  $83.33
  $160.00
  $127.10
  220
  $0.02
  $0.03
  $0.28
  $2.41
  $4.55
  $14.09
  $47.73
  $90.91
  $174.55
  $147.51
  200
  $0.02
  $0.03
  $0.31
  $2.66
  $5.00
  $15.50
  $52.50
  $100.00
  $192.00
  $173.95
  175
  $0.02
  $0.04
  $0.36
  $3.04
  $5.71
  $17.71
  $60.00
  $114.29
  $219.43
  $219.79
  144
  $0.03
  $0.05
  $0.43
  $3.69
  $6.94
  $21.53
  $72.92
  $138.89
  $266.67
  $311.05
  100
  $0.04
  $0.07
  $0.63
  $5.31
  $10.00
  $31.00
  $105.00
  $200.00
  $384.00
  $605.08
  72
  $0.06
  $0.10
  $0.87
  $7.38
  $13.89
  $43.06
  $145.83
  $277.78
  $533.33
  $1,118.21
  64
  $0.07
  $0.11
  $0.98
  $8.30
  $15.63
  $48.44
  $164.06
  $312.50
  $600.00
  $1,397.52
  62.5
  $0.07
  $0.11
  $1.00
  $8.50
  $16.00
  $49.60
  $168.00
  $320.00
  $614.40
  $1,461.92
  50
  $0.09
  $0.14
  $1.25
  $10.63
  $20.00
  $62.00
  $210.00
  $400.00
  $768.00
  $2,238.89
  32
  $0.13
  $0.22
  $1.95
  $16.60
  $31.25
  $96.88
  $328.13
  $625.00
  $1,200.00
  $5,306.58
  24
  $0.18
  $0.29
  $2.60
  $22.14
  $41.67
  $129.17
  $437.50
  $833.33
  $1,600.00
  $9,307.93
  16
  $0.27
  $0.43
  $3.91
  $33.20
  $62.50
  $193.75
  $656.25
  $1,250.00
  $2,400.00
  $20,659.34
  10
  $0.43
  $0.69
  $6.25
  $53.13
  $100.00
  $310.00
  $1,050.00
  $2,000.00
  $3,840.00
  $52,343.61
  8
  $0.54
  $0.86
  $7.81
  $66.41
  $125.00
  $387.50
  $1,312.50
  $2,500.00
  $4,800.00
  $81,503.40
  6
  $0.72
  $1.15
  $10.42
  $88.54
  $166.67
  $516.67
  $1,750.00
  $3,333.33
  $6,400.00
  $144,390.93
  4
  $1.08
  $1.73
  $15.63
  $132.81
  $250.00
  $775.00
  $2,625.00
  $5,000.00
  $9,600.00
  $323,745.62
  2
  $2.15
  $3.45
  $31.25
  $265.63
  $500.00
  $1,550.00
  $5,250.00
  $10,000.00
  $19,200.00
  $1,290,446.56
  1
  $4.30
  $6.90
  $62.50
  $531.25
  $1,000.00
  $3,100.00
  $10,500.00
  $20,000.00
  $38,400.00
  $5,152,714.40
  Coin Sizes Table
  Though most coins can be charac-
  terized as “small,” exact size can matter 
  when adventurers need to plug holes, 
  wedge solid items into narrow cracks, or 
  hit tiny targets. Below are diameter in 
  inches (”) and the corresponding SM for 
  various coins by count/# and composi-
  tion. Thickness is 1/12 to 1/14 of diame-
  ter. “Organics” includes bone, horn, ivory, 
  and wood; “Hard Stone” covers marble, 
  quartzite, and other heavy metamorphic 
  rocks; and “Soft Stone” encompasses 
  gypsum, soapstone, and other less dense, 
  more easily carved minerals.
  Roll youR oWn
  These tables provide a reasonable assortment of coins for various pre-
  cious metals, but what about oddities such as the Grand Halflings who use 
  hardtack as hard currency? Or a strictly decimal system of coinage where 
  10 coppers are worth a silver and 10 silvers are worth a gold? What size 
  are those coins?
  Start with a coin weight and a material. Volume is weight divided by 
  density, in appropriate units. Density values for a variety of materials are 
  easily found on the Internet, though you’re on your own for, say, mithril or 
  Condensed Essence of Evil. Diameter is 2 ¥ cube root of ((T ¥ V)/(2 ¥ π)), 
  where T is the desired ratio of width to thickness (e.g., if coins are 12 times 
  as wide as they are thick, T = 12) and V is volume.
  
   
  in tHe CHest you find 
  7
  Count/#
  Lead
  Iron
  Copper
  Billon
  Silver
  Tumbaga
  Electrum
  260
  0.537” (-12)
  0.607” (-12)
  0.581” (-12)
  0.566” (-12)
  0.552” (-12)
  0.55” (-12)
  0.491” (-13)
  250
  0.544” (-12)
  0.615” (-12)
  0.589” (-12)
  0.573” (-12)
  0.559” (-12)
  0.557” (-12)
  0.497” (-13)
  240
  0.552” (-12)
  0.623” (-12)
  0.597” (-12)
  0.581” (-12)
  0.566” (-12)
  0.565” (-12)
  0.504” (-12)
  220
  0.568” (-12)
  0.642” (-12)
  0.615” (-12)
  0.598” (-12)
  0.583” (-12)
  0.581” (-12)
  0.519” (-12)
  200
  0.586” (-12)
  0.662” (-12)
  0.634” (-12)
  0.617” (-12)
  0.602” (-12)
  0.6” (-12)
  0.535” (-12)
  175
  0.613” (-12)
  0.692” (-11)
  0.663” (-12)
  0.645” (-12)
  0.629” (-12)
  0.627” (-12)
  0.56” (-12)
  144
  0.654” (-12)
  0.739” (-11)
  0.708” (-11)
  0.689” (-11)
  0.672” (-11)
  0.669” (-11)
  0.597” (-12)
  100
  0.739” (-11)
  0.834” (-11)
  0.799” (-11)
  0.778” (-11)
  0.758” (-11)
  0.756” (-11)
  0.675” (-11)
  72
  0.824” (-11)
  0.931” (-11)
  0.892” (-11)
  0.868” (-11)
  0.846” (-11)
  0.843” (-11)
  0.753” (-11)
  64
  0.857” (-11)
  0.968” (-11)
  0.928” (-11)
  0.903” (-11)
  0.88” (-11)
  0.877” (-11)
  0.783” (-11)
  62.5
  0.864” (-11)
  0.976” (-11)
  0.935” (-11)
  0.91” (-11)
  0.887” (-11)
  0.884” (-11)
  0.789” (-11)
  50
  0.93” (-11)
  1.051” (-10)
  1.007” (-10)
  0.98” (-11)
  0.956” (-11)
  0.952” (-11)
  0.85” (-11)
  32
  1.08” (-10)
  1.22” (-10)
  1.169” (-10)
  1.137” (-10)
  1.109” (-10)
  1.105” (-10)
  0.986” (-11)
  24
  1.188” (-10)
  1.343” (-10)
  1.286” (-10)
  1.252” (-10)
  1.22” (-10)
  1.216” (-10)
  1.086” (-10)
  16
  1.36” (-10)
  1.537” (-9)
  1.472” (-10)
  1.433” (-10)
  1.397” (-10)
  1.393” (-10)
  1.243” (-10)
  10
  1.591” (-9)
  1.798” (-9)
  1.722” (-9)
  1.676” (-9)
  1.634” (-9)
  1.629” (-9)
  1.453” (-10)
  8
  1.714” (-9)
  1.937” (-9)
  1.855” (-9)
  1.805” (-9)
  1.76” (-9)
  1.754” (-9)
  1.566” (-9)
  6
  1.886” (-9)
  2.132” (-8)
  2.042” (-8)
  1.987” (-9)
  1.937” (-9)
  1.931” (-9)
  1.723” (-9)
  4
  2.159” (-8)
  2.44” (-8)
  2.337” (-8)
  2.274” (-8)
  2.218” (-8)
  2.211” (-8)
  1.973” (-9)
  2
  2.721” (-8)
  3.074” (-7)
  2.945” (-8)
  2.865” (-8)
  2.794” (-8)
  2.785” (-8)
  2.485” (-8)
  1
  3.428” (-7)
  3.873” (-7)
  3.71” (-7)
  3.61” (-7)
  3.52” (-7)
  3.509” (-7)
  3.131” (-7)
  Count/#
  Gold
  Platinum
  Sapphire/Ruby
  Organics
  Porcelain
  Hard Stone
  Soft Stone
  260
  0.45” (-13)
  0.435” (-13)
  0.761” (-11)
  1.464” (-10)
  0.901” (-11)
  0.857” (-11)
  0.945” (-11)
  250
  0.456” (-13)
  0.441” (-13)
  0.771” (-11)
  1.483” (-10)
  0.913” (-11)
  0.868” (-11)
  0.958” (-11)
  240
  0.462” (-13)
  0.447” (-13)
  0.781” (-11)
  1.504” (-9)
  0.926” (-11)
  0.88” (-11)
  0.971” (-11)
  220
  0.476” (-13)
  0.46” (-13)
  0.804” (-11)
  1.548” (-9)
  0.953” (-11)
  0.906” (-11)
  1” (-11)
  200
  0.491” (-13)
  0.475” (-13)
  0.83” (-11)
  1.598” (-9)
  0.984” (-11)
  0.935” (-11)
  1.032” (-10)
  175
  0.513” (-12)
  0.496” (-13)
  0.868” (-11)
  1.671” (-9)
  1.029” (-10)
  0.977” (-11)
  1.079” (-10)
  144
  0.548” (-12)
  0.53” (-12)
  0.926” (-11)
  1.783” (-9)
  1.098” (-10)
  1.043” (-10)
  1.151” (-10)
  100
  0.619” (-12)
  0.598” (-12)
  1.046” (-10)
  2.013” (-8)
  1.239” (-10)
  1.178” (-10)
  1.3” (-10)
  72
  0.69” (-11)
  0.667” (-11)
  1.167” (-10)
  2.246” (-8)
  1.383” (-10)
  1.314” (-10)
  1.451” (-10)
  64
  0.718” (-11)
  0.694” (-11)
  1.214” (-10)
  2.336” (-8)
  1.438” (-10)
  1.367” (-10)
  1.509” (-9)
  62.5
  0.724” (-11)
  0.699” (-11)
  1.223” (-10)
  2.355” (-8)
  1.45” (-10)
  1.378” (-10)
  1.521” (-9)
  50
  0.78” (-11)
  0.753” (-11)
  1.318” (-10)
  2.537” (-8)
  1.562” (-9)
  1.484” (-10)
  1.638” (-9)
  32
  0.905” (-11)
  0.874” (-11)
  1.529” (-9)
  2.944” (-8)
  1.812” (-9)
  1.722” (-9)
  1.901” (-9)
  24
  0.996” (-11)
  0.962” (-11)
  1.683” (-9)
  3.24” (-7)
  1.994” (-9)
  1.895” (-9)
  2.092” (-8)
  16
  1.14” (-10)
  1.101” (-10)
  1.926” (-9)
  3.709” (-7)
  2.283” (-8)
  2.17” (-8)
  2.395” (-8)
  10
  1.333” (-10)
  1.288” (-10)
  2.253” (-8)
  4.338” (-7)
  2.67” (-8)
  2.538” (-8)
  2.801” (-8)
  8
  1.436” (-10)
  1.388” (-10)
  2.427” (-8)
  4.673” (-7)
  2.877” (-8)
  2.734” (-8)
  3.017” (-7)
  6
  1.58” (-9)
  1.527” (-9)
  2.671” (-8)
  5.143” (-6)
  3.166” (-7)
  3.009” (-7)
  3.321” (-7)
  4
  1.809” (-9)
  1.748” (-9)
  3.058” (-7)
  5.887” (-6)
  3.624” (-7)
  3.444” (-7)
  3.801” (-7)
  2
  2.279” (-8)
  2.203” (-8)
  3.853” (-7)
  7.417” (-6)
  4.566” (-7)
  4.339” (-7)
  4.789” (-7)
  1
  2.872” (-8)
  2.776” (-8)
  4.854” (-7)
  9.345” (-5)
  5.753” (-6)
  5.467” (-6)
  6.034” (-6)
  Other Material Values
  A number of materials have values which may be based on 
  those discussed so far:
  • Bronze and brass coins weigh essentially the same as cop-
  per ones (no more than 3% less) and have the same value.
  • Orichalcum coins weigh the same as copper ones but are 
  worth 30 times as much.
  • Meteoric iron coins weigh the same as iron ones but are 
  worth 20 times as much.
  Most of the other materials listed in Composition (pp. 4-5) 
  have trivial inherent value, limiting their use to fiat money 
  which can be spent only in suitable jurisdictions. There may be 
  exceptions for particularly exotic materials – e.g., coins carved 
  from ivory or rare wood might circulate at high value – but 
  the value of such things is nearly always at the GM’s discre-
  tion. That goes double for the weird currencies of exotic races: 
  souls trapped in coin-like casings and exchanged as money 
  in Hell, carved ice rupees used by frost giants, florins minted 
  from pure darkness by Things Man Was Not Meant To Know, 
  and so on.
  Coin! Coin!
  – Dr. Najib, in Scooby Doo,  
  Where Are You! #112
  
   
  in tHe CHest you find 
  8
  Exact Coin Weights
  Delvers dealing with traps detecting subtle changes in 
  weight could do worse than to use recently minted gold (and, 
  plausibly, platinum) coins to measure small weights. Such 
  coins were historically minted to exacting conditions, ensur-
  ing that no more or less of the precious material was used 
  than necessary, and recent issues are less likely to be worn 
  down or clipped. Coins of lesser metals have greater varia-
  tion in individual weights, being minted to aggregate weights. 
  That is, if a bag of 250 copper pieces with a nominal weight 
  of a pound does in fact weigh a pound, the mint is probably 
  happy to send them out, even if several individual coins weigh 
  a tenth of a gram more or less. Gold coins, though, are very 
  likely to weigh almost exactly 1.814 grams each.
  Big Money
  Coins weighing more than an ounce were exceptionally 
  rare historically but are rather more common in fantasy 
  games. Big coins may be a consequence of large supplies 
  of precious metal, the demands of extensive commerce, a 
  desire by royal mints to issue more impressive currency 
  than their neighbors, or the needs of giants and other large 
  races. (The presence of magic makes all of these more 
  likely in various ways: flying ships accelerating commerce, 
  magical geese laying vast quantities of gold, and so on.)
  Though not necessarily issued as official currency, 
  standardized metal ingots were used as trade goods in 
  the real world. Medieval Slavic countries developed the 
  grzywna, a silver bar weighing about 0.45 lb. with a value 
  of $450. The Chinese used yuanbao or sycee, ingots of gold 
  and silver in standardized weights ranging from 1.5 oz. to 
  4.5 lbs. As these were frequently privately minted, there was 
  little standardization in shape, but stylized boats, cups, and 
  double axes were common.
  Some currency schemes involve huge units which never 
  actually existed physically. The best-known example is the 
  English pound, which was originally a unit only used in 
  accounting. Its value was that of 240 silver pennies, weighing 
  a pound (though a pound of 328 to 373 grams, rather than the 
  avoirdupois pound of 454 grams). However, there was never a 
  historical one-pound silver coin; only gold coins of equivalent 
  value but much lower weight were ever minted, and 
  for centuries not even those existed. England and 
  parts of continental Europe also used the mark, 
  about 2/3 of a pound, as an accounting unit but not 
  a coin.
  The talent, a measure used throughout the ancient 
  Mediterranean and Near East, was a similar unit of 
  account. The classical talent was a weight equal to 
  that of the water needed to fill a typical amphora: 
  60 to 70 lbs. A 60-lb. copper talent, worth $3,750, 
  would be over 14 inches across, the size of a large 
  serving platter; a silver talent coin ($60,000), just shy 
  of 14 inches; and a gold one ($1,200,000), a bit over 
  11 inches. Thickness would range from a little over 
  an inch for copper to a little under an inch for gold. 
  This is also about the weight of semi-standardized 
  metal ingots used as trade goods in the Bronze Age.
  The biggest money of all, however, is real pieces 
  of currency (or at least something like currency) – 
  though they’re far more than pocket change. Rai 
  “coins” of the Yap islands are large stone disks used 
  in important transactions: real estate, settling marriages, and 
  so on. The smallest are only a few inches across and weigh as 
  little as a pound or two; the largest are up to 12 feet across and 
  weigh eight tons. Many are made with a hole in the middle, 
  much like Chinese cash, so they can be picked up and carried 
  by a log run through the center. However, owners often don’t 
  bother moving them when they change hands; they’re treated 
  more like pieces of architecture or landed property. In addi-
  tion to acting as currency, these huge stone coins might have 
  mystical properties. Large, venerable rai which partake of long 
  and complicated histories may be sources of mana, provide 
  supernatural protection, act as conduits to contact ancient 
  spirits, or serve as suitable bribes for gods.
  sHAPe And tReAtment
  Coins’ shape and appearance are less immediately import-
  ant to treasure-hunters but can have their own significance.
  Shape
  The vast majority of coins are round, a natural shape for 
  a standardized lump of metal smashed flat with a die, but 
  that isn’t the only option! Many early coins, and any num-
  ber of lower-denomination later ones which weren’t lav-
  ished with great care, were lumpy and lopsided. Other 
  coins were noncircular on purpose. For example, India saw 
  several octagonal rupees and Japan had the oval gold ryō.  
  Really Big Money
  Rai not big enough for you? Adventurers might encoun-
  ter the coins of titans, used as roofs of far-off temples or 
  the foundations of small islands. Finding them may be 
  relative easy, but getting at currency better described as 
  architecture or real estate than as pocket change is a seri-
  ous challenge. And if the world is a flat disk supported on 
  the backs of elephants, the music of the spheres may be the 
  jingling of coins in a purse!
  “HoW big is it?”
  For visual reference, here are the sizes of a number of U.S. 
  coins:
  Denomination
  Diameter
  Denomination
  Diameter
  Penny
  0.75”
  Quarter
  0.955”
  Nickel
  0.835”
  Half Dollar
  1.20”
  Dime
  0.705”
  One Dollar
  1.043”
  A penny is about the size of a 100/# billon, silver, or tumbaga, 
  72/# electrum, or 50/# platinum coin. A nickel is the size of a 72/# 
  silver or tumbaga, or 50/# electrum coin. A dime is the size of a 
  144/# copper or billon, 64/# gold, or 62.5/# platinum coin. A quar-
  ter is the size of a 50/# silver or tumbaga, or 24/# platinum coin. A 
  half-dollar is the size of a 24/# silver or tumbaga coin, and a dollar 
  coin is about the size of a 50/# iron coin.
  
   
  in tHe CHest you find 
  9
  Early China experimented with a variety of coin 
  shapes, including knife money (which might resem-
  ble a stylized pointed knife, a blunt cleaver, or even 
  a door key) and spade money (which started out 
  resembling a shovel blade but evolved into a forked 
  pattern reminiscent of a gatehouse). A number of 
  coins – including English pennies and Spanish 
  dollars – were subject to cutting into pie-shaped 
  wedges for smaller transactions, and pieces of coins 
  derived from a circular shape circulated as easily as 
  whole coins.
  When a random noncircular coin is desired, roll 
  on the Coin Shape Table. All noncircular coins give -2 
  to Counterfeiting (Debasing Coin, Dungeons, p. 4).
  Coin Shape Table
  Roll 1d, 1d.
   
  Roll 
  Shape 
  Notes
   1-2, 1-2 
  Oval
   1-2, 3-4 
  Crescent
   1-2, 5-6 
  Semicircle
   3-4, 1-2 
  Knife/Key
   3-4, 3-4 
  Spade
   3-4, 5-6 
  Fan
   5-6, 1-2 
  Polygonal 
  [1]
   5-6, 3-4 
  Scalloped/Lobed 
  [2]
   5-6, 5-6 
  Wedge
  Notes
  [1] Rather than being round, the coin has 1d+2 
  straight sides.
  [2] Like a polygonal coin, the coin has distinct 
  sides, but they’re lobed or scalloped arcs rather than 
  straight lines. Roll 1d+2 for the number of arcs.
  Condition
  Coins can exhibit a number of other conditions 
  in addition to gross shape. Some are a result of their 
  initial manufacture. Rough coins are essentially 
  blobs of metal with a face stamped into them, but 
  the design is crude and the body of the coin itself is 
  irregularly shaped. It’s a bit easier to get away with 
  shaving down rough coins: +2 to Counterfeiting. 
  Cupped coins are struck in a slightly concave shape, 
  making them easier to stack.
  Clipped coins are visibly clipped. Merchants and 
  tradesmen are suspicious of anyone using them, and 
  react at -2 to those trying to spend them. Moreover, 
  such coins give -4 to Counterfeiting rolls – clipping 
  them further is just asking for trouble!
  Circulating coins are subject to incidental wear 
  from use as well as intentional abuse from clipping. 
  Coins may also be marked: struck with a punch to 
  make sure the coin is precious metal throughout 
  rather than simply plated. Marks may be used to 
  make coins identifiable for other purposes, too; e.g., 
  an owner might mark a few particularly valuable 
  coins to establish ownership if they are later stolen 
  and recovered.
  mAgiC Coin tRiCks
  Coins, particularly high-denomination ones, make excellent 
  power items. For example, a large gold or platinum coin is worth 
  a great deal, so it can store a lot of energy. It also isn’t used as 
  equipment (and thus is rarely exposed to hazards) and doesn’t 
  weigh much (and so doesn’t pose encumbrance problems). On the 
  downside, coins are easy to steal or simply to drop inadvertently.
  Coins can also be more directly magical. Here are a few exam-
  ples of coin-related enchantment.
  Guessing Coin
  When you can’t figure out the right thing to do, you can always 
  flip a coin. This magical item is a particularly good aid to guess-
  ing – except when it’s not. When choosing between two possi-
  bilities, this coin functions as the Intuition advantage, using IQ  
  13 instead of the user’s own IQ. $15,000, negligible weight.
  Lucky Coin
  Once per day, this coin can be flipped as an omen. If it comes 
  up heads, the user’s luck increases by one step for the remainder 
  of the day: a person who suffers from Unluckiness loses the dis-
  advantage, one with no luck-related traits gains Luck, and so on. 
  Someone with Ridiculous Luck receives no extra benefit. How-
  ever, if it comes up tails, luck decreases by a step, with no further 
  penalty for those with Unluckiness. $7,500, negligible weight.
  Twins of Felonious Displacement
  This item – greatly beloved of thieves – consists of a matched 
  pair of coins. Many versions exist, ranging from small battered 
  coppers to large gold pieces. The user may give one of the pair 
  away, spend it, or otherwise dispose of it. However, when an 
  inscription on the coin is read, the other member of the pair 
  immediately teleports itself next to its mate. What makes is so 
  useful is that the returning coin will also bring along any solid 
  objects which are entirely within three inches of it! This is usually 
  more than enough to bring back any other coins with which it 
  may have been sharing a purse, but clever rogues can find other 
  uses. If the coin to be teleported is in someone else’s possession, 
  roll a Quick Contest of Will; the winner ends up with both coins. 
  $10,000, negligible weight.
  Money Armor
  The ultimate in showy armor, this is a scale armor hauberk 
  with the scales replaced with silver coins. In addition to provid-
  ing its usual protection (DR 4), it temporarily provides up to an 
  additional DR 2 for each hit. With each point of damage thus 
  absorbed, though, silver coins transform into low-value cop-
  per and bronze ones. The armor can absorb a total of 16 points 
  of damage before becoming entirely bronze, at which point its 
  magic becomes dormant. However, the wearer can replace the 
  copper coins with his own silver ones, “recharging” the armor at 
  a cost of $2,000 per point of damage; this requires a successful 
  Armoury (Body Armor) roll. $38,000, 35 lbs.
  Rumor has it that there are gold versions which can absorb up 
  to 320 points of damage. If found, such a hauberk would be worth 
  around $700,000.
  
   
  in tHe CHest you find 
  10
  Pierced coins have a hole in them, useful for stringing 
  together batches for easy circulation of large sums. This can 
  be done to coins in circulation, but some civilizations do it at 
  the mint. The owner of a string of coins can tie it to his belt 
  or something else attached to him, giving -4 to Pickpocket. 
  Pierced coins can also be attached to armor as decorative 
  buttons and ornaments. An especially extravagant use would 
  be to turn them into scale armor (for an example, see Money 
  Armor, p. 9).
  Particularly worn coins are sometimes recycled. Over-
  strike is the practice of stamping a new image onto an older 
  coin, treating the old coin as a blank. Previous features of 
  the coin are frequently visible, however.
  A few modifications even have adventuring uses. Sharpened 
  coins can be used as concealed weapons and tools (see Combat 
  Coins, above). Hollow coins look like regular currency but are 
  actually very small containers. They can hold no more than a 
  tiny slip of paper, pinch of magic dust, dose of poison, or the 
  like – but sometimes that’s enough.
  Roll on the Coin Condition Table to pick a coin’s condition 
  at random.
  Coin Condition Table
  Roll 1d, 1d.
  Roll
  Condition
  Roll
  Condition
  1-2, 1-2
  Rough
  3-4, 5-6
  Cupped
  1-2, 3-4
  Worn
  5-6, 1-2
  Hollow*
  1-2, 5-6
  Clipped
  5-6, 3-4
  Sharpened*
  3-4, 1-2
  Marked
  5-6, 5-6
  Overstrike
  3-4, 3-4
  Pierced
  * The GM may want to reroll these results for coins smaller 
  than an inch across.
  Decoration
  The last notable 
  aspect of a coin’s con-
  dition is its decora-
  tion. The whole point 
  of coinage is to have 
  readily used bits of 
  precious metal given 
  an official stamp of 
  approval to identify 
  quantity, purity, and 
  issuer. While adven-
  turers mostly care about 
  size and purity, what makes coins most recognizable is the 
  designs stamped on the front and back.
  To determine the decoration on a given coin, the GM may 
  roll twice for decorative motifs (Motifs, pp. 13-15), once for 
  each side. However, it’s worth considering a limited set of 
  attributes for at least one side. A coin frequently identifies its 
  denomination, the issuing ruler, and/or some symbol of the 
  issuing nation (e.g., a patron deity or a prominent symbol of 
  a foundational myth). The ruler and the symbol are typically 
  depicted visually (putting the King’s face in every pocket is 
  great propaganda), but for philosophical or technical reasons, 
  text may be used instead. For example, some interpretations 
  of Islam frown on depictions of people, so a number of medie-
  val Islamic coins had the issuing ruler’s name inscribed along 
  with Quranic verse.
  CombAt Coins
  Coins are hard and heavy, and in several societies, 
  batches of them were collected and traded as a unit. This 
  makes it possible if ostentatious to use them in weap-
  ons. For example, the Romans and Byzantines would 
  seal pre-counted batches of coins into a tightly sewn 
  leather purse and treat the whole thing as a single unit 
  of currency (in fact, the coins involved, the follis, took 
  their name from the word for “purse”). A heavy mate-
  rial wrapped up in an easily manipulated bundle is also 
  a good description of a blackjack (p. B271). Indeed, a 
  blackjack might be a utilitarian way of secretly carrying 
  high-denomination coins or just raw precious metal like 
  gold dust. Pierced coins on a particularly long string, or 
  perhaps a thin chain, might likewise be used as the busi-
  ness end of a flail or a morningstar.
  A coin-based weapon would have no advantage in com-
  bat, but it’s undeniably stylish. Increase the price of such 
  a weapon by the precious metal cost of half of its weight; 
  e.g., for a 6-lb. morningstar with a head made from gold 
  coins, add the value of three pounds of gold, or $60,000. 
  This extra expense definitely counts toward bonuses for 
  ornate gear!
  Sharpened Coins
  Sneaky types might instead sharpen the edges of coins 
  to create concealable weapons. As a practical matter, only 
  10/# or heavier coins can be used this way.
  A handful of sharpened coins placed between the 
  fingers can be used as a small melee weapon with  
  the Brawling skill. This gives +1 to punching damage. The 
  user suffers from Ham-Fisted 1 (p. B138) while doing so, 
  though – keeping coins between fingers is tricky!
  Such coins may also be thrown using Thrown Weapon 
  (Shuriken); see table below for game details.
  Coins that aren’t heavy enough to make decent weap-
  ons can still serve as light-duty cutting tools, useful for 
  sawing through ropes and slicing light fabrics. A sharp-
  ened coin weighing less than 10/# can do thr-1(0.5) cut in 
  this capacity.
  THROWN WEAPON (SHURIKEN) (DX-4 or Throwing-2)
   Weapon 
  Damage 
  Acc 
  Range 
  Weight 
  RoF 
  Shots 
  Cost 
  ST 
  Bulk
   Sharpened Coin 
  thr-2 cut 
  1 
  ¥0.5/¥1 
  varies 
  1 
  T(1) 
  $1 + coin 
  5 
  0
  
   
  in tHe CHest you find 
  11
  Of course, this means the source of any given coin is identi-
  fiable, at least in theory, and subject to the same kinds of rep-
  utations and reactions which affect other items; see Advanced 
  Social Studies (pp. 19-20). For example, people may be reluc-
  tant to accept coins issued by the Expansionist Necromantic 
  Empire, believing them cursed, while giving less scrutiny to 
  entire bags of coins from the City-State of the Reliable Mer-
  chant-Princes. Problematic coins can be turned into uniden-
  tifiable lumps of metal without much trouble, though there’s 
  usually a bit of loss. A roll against Alchemy, Counterfeiting, 
  Jeweler, or Smith can accomplish this, but the aggregate batch 
  of metal loses 1d+(margin of failure, if any)% of its total value. 
  The Shape Metal spell can do the same thing without loss.
  folding money
  Money in Dungeon Fantasy is usually hard, shiny, inher-
  ently valuable, and potentially heavy – but it doesn’t have 
  to be. People in both medieval Europe and China, unhappy 
  with the prospect of carrying around all those heavy and inse-
  cure sacks of coin, invented promissory notes: easily carried 
  (500 notes weigh 1 lb.) documents representing ownership 
  of actual valuables stored securely elsewhere. Governments 
  eventually got in on the act, issuing paper money representing 
  substantial sums of precious metal said to be kept in govern-
  ment vaults. That’s great for merchants and governments, but 
  not so good for adventurers, who can come across a nicely 
  portable treasure which has a high face value but can’t be 
  cashed in conveniently.
  Paper money is always high value, standing in for mon-
  etary values from a minimum of $500 to potentially tens of 
  thousands of $. However, it has three major drawbacks:
  • Not everybody will recognize it as treasure. To barbarians 
  and the illiterate, paper money looks like any other written 
  document. Even literate delvers might not recognize its value 
  if it’s written in the wrong language; use the Text Language 
  Table (Treasure Tables, p. 28) to determine language. More 
  valuable notes are created with greater care and elaboration, 
  however. Use the Text Properties Table (Treasure Tables, p. 27) 
  as a guideline – if the material or treatment has a positive CF, 
  that sets the note’s minimum value in thousands of $. For 
  example, a lacquered note (+4 CF) is worth at least $4,000.
  • It’s hard to spend. Paper money may be either private 
  or public. A private note is issued by a particular merchant 
  house, banker, or similar actor, and can be converted to hard 
  currency by that issuer alone. The bearer can use such a note 
  at full face value only in the town where it was issued (if the 
  bearer doesn’t convert it to hard cash with the issuer, any 
  merchant in town can easily do so). Outside of that town, it 
  can be spent at a discount of (1d+4)¥10%. Public notes are 
  issued by a government and so can be spent at face value 
  anywhere within a single kingdom; outside of that kingdom, 
  it can be spent at a discount of (1d+4)¥10%.
  • It’s physically vulnerable. Notes are typically made from 
  paper, cloth, or other materials vulnerable to fire, water, and 
  violence, and must be protected from such hazards until they 
  can be cashed in. A party of delvers who unearth a cache 
  of high-value notes from a foreign kingdom might have to 
  undertake a long, difficult cross-country quest – protecting 
  their precious cargo from swamps and fields of fire – to get 
  their loot to a place where they can cash it in.
  Counting
  With variations in size, condition, and purity, figuring out 
  the precise value of a sack full of coins is harder than it looks. 
  A quick glance into a purse in the aftermath of a fight gives 
  only a general impression of how many and what kinds of 
  coins are present. A full accounting takes more time, unless 
  the looter has the Artifact Lore power-up (GURPS Dungeon 
  Fantasy 11: Power-Ups, p. 17).
  Sorting coins roughly by size and material takes a minute 
  for a typical purse, or no more than a quiet evening by the 
  fire for as much treasure as a party of adventurers can rea-
  sonably carry. Doing so will ascertain the size, exact counts, 
  and face values of all coins, and give an approximate idea of 
  their composition. This in turn provides a nominal value for 
  the entire batch.
  Learning exact composition can be trickier. Anyone can 
  correctly distinguish copper, silver, and gold, but if alloy 
  coins are present, roll against Merchant, Jeweler, or Alchemy 
  at +2. Failure means misidentifying any billon, electrum, or 
  tumbaga coins as one of their constituent metals (how they’re 
  misidentified is up to the GM). The counter can also clas-
  sify coins by the issuing kingdom or other authority, though 
  that may require a roll against Heraldry or even Hidden 
  Lore (“Those triangular ones are all from the Dukes of Earl, 
  and I don’t want to know who made the ones with the squid  
  on them!”).
  Determining exact purity isn’t difficult but can be time- 
  consuming. Discovering a coin’s precise composition – to 
  within a full percentage point of the major components – calls  
  for a few simple assay tests, if someone is willing to put in the 
  effort. A backpack alchemy lab (GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 
  1: Adventurers, p. 26) has all the necessary equipment and 
  then some. However, reasonably accurate tests require only 
  a scale (e.g., the small balance from Adventurers, p. 24 or 
  the steelyard from Treasure Tables, p. 26), a piece of suit-
  able stone such as slate (a half-pound slab can be found for 
  free in many places), and vessels of known capacity (such as 
  those in the Household Items Table, Treasure Tables, p. 14).  
  Hell money
  A number of religious traditions involve sacrificing 
  representations of valuable goods to ancestors, gods, 
  or other spirits. Among those offerings are banknotes. 
  Some spellcasters may be able to take advantage of such 
  sacrifices.
  At the very least, demonologists, necromancers, and 
  shamans can destroy paper money to gain a skill bonus 
  when casting spells. The GM may extend this benefit to 
  clerics as well. Take the total $ value of notes being sac-
  rificed, divide by 100, and look up the result in the “Lin-
  ear Measurement” column of the Size and Speed/Range 
  Table (p. B550), reading yards for $. The caster receives 
  the corresponding “Size” modifier as a skill bonus. For 
  example, destroying a $500 note gives +2, while sacrific-
  ing a pile of notes worth $10,000 grants +10. This adds 
  10 seconds to the spell’s casting time, regardless of the 
  number of notes involved.
  
   
  in tHe CHest you find 
  12
  Assaying requires a Merchant, Jeweler, or Alchemy+4 roll, 
  and takes two minutes per coin.
  When doing business, most merchants accept coins from 
  known mints at face value unless many of them are in poor 
  condition. See Debasing Coin (Dungeons, p. 4) for attempts 
  to slip some fakes into the mix or shave off a bit of metal. For 
  currency of an unknown type, traders will likely assay one or 
  two representative coins and assign a value to them all accord-
  ingly – if one “gold” coin from the Great Sham Empire turns 
  out to be tumbaga or electrum, the rest are likely to be as well.
  CuRRenCy systems
  When considering systems rather than individual coins 
  in isolation, the copper-silver-gold progression of traditional 
  fantasy currencies is broadly accurate but incomplete. While 
  the order of values of metals is almost always correct, many 
  currencies lacked coins in at least one metal. Currency minted 
  in Western Europe for a large chunk of the Middle Ages was 
  mainly confined to silver coins, with little or no copper or 
  gold; Byzantine coinage was mostly copper and gold; and 
  most Chinese money was copper, with some silver. Other met-
  als were present in each economy, but exchanged as bullion 
  rather than official currency. Moreover, several currency sys-
  tems had more than one coin of a given metal, much as for 
  many years the United States had a number of different “silver 
  pieces”: dimes, quarters, and dollar coins.
  Another complicating aspect of historical currencies is that 
  they’re almost never decimal. For example, the system of 12 
  pence to the shilling and 20 shillings to the pound dominated 
  Western European currency from the Roman Empire to the 
  early modern period. Decimalization didn’t start until the 
  18th century, and only concluded with Malta going to deci-
  mal currency in 1972. Instead, conversions based on factors 
  of some power of two, with occasional factors of three and 20, 
  tended to predominate; e.g., eight reales to the Spanish peso, 
  or 16 annas to the Indian rupee. Even fractional values were 
  used, with the occasional appearance of, say, an odd number 
  of coins of one denomination being equal to two of the next 
  denomination up.
  To a large extent, this doesn’t matter. Different cur-
  rency systems can provide colorful detail and perhaps 
  even mystical symbolism (e.g., if seven is considered a 
  lucky number, the values of different sizes of coins may 
  be based on multiples of seven), but in the end it’s entirely 
  realistic to pay attention only to total weight of precious 
  metal. Indeed, given the severe problems of wear which 
  historical coins encountered, it was standard practice 
  in many cultures to weigh coins, not to count them out 
  and take them at face value. While scholars and other 
  learned adventurers may glean clues about the history of 
  the loot pile they’ve discovered, everybody else can just  
  toss the money in a bag and have reasonable confidence 
  that they’ll get fair value for it in town.
  This largely assumes currency made from precious 
  metals. That doesn’t have to be the case, but it’s difficult to 
  create a practical currency scheme which doesn’t depend 
  on such materials. There are many reasons for money to 
  be made from precious metals in the real world:
  • With their attractive luster and natural scarcity, such 
  metals are valuable in their own right.
  • Though metals are subject to wear from circulation, 
  they’re much more durable than most other valuable sub-
  stances, such as dyes, medicines, and spices, which easily 
  decay or become contaminated.
  • Metal coins can be cut into smaller pieces which retain 
  proportional value, and can be melted down and recom-
  bined. This gives them an advantage over gemstones, whose 
  value tends to increase geometrically rather than linearly 
  with size. That is, a two-carat stone is more valuable than 
  two one-carat stones, so breaking it up into more easily cir-
  culated bits reduces total value – and once broken, it cannot 
  be put back together.
  • Metals can be alloyed, purified, subdivided, and com-
  bined to fit the needs of the moment, so their value is relatively 
  constant and easily calculated.
  Any realistic currency scheme needs materials which work 
  similarly. For example, if mystical techniques can easily store, 
  combine, and subdivide magical energy – expressed as Fatigue 
  Points rather than as weights of metal – that might from the 
  basis for a currency in a highly magical society.
  bAd Pennies
  Individual coins might be enchanted (see Magic Coin 
  Tricks, p. 9), but entire treasures may be cursed. Anyone 
  taking even part of a pile of cursed coins can be subject 
  to its malign effects. The Curses Table (Treasure Tables, 
  pp. 51-52) offers several fitting possibilities; Burden, Bad 
  Luck, Corrupting, Distracting, Haunted, and Voices are 
  particularly good.
  Unlike most cursed items, cursed money tends to be per-
  sistent. Someone afflicted with the curse is liable to con-
  tinue to suffer from it even after spending the money, or 
  the cursed coins might keep finding their way back to him. 
  Such curses can be lifted by a Remove Curse spell or – if 
  that’s unavailable or proves inadequate – by returning the 
  treasure to where it was found. The latter requires that the 
  entire treasure be reassembled. Adventurers who realize 
  that a pile of gold was cursed only after spending it will 
  have a lot of currency to track down!
  I found it all: chests of garments and weapons . . . heaps of coins and gems and 
  gold ornaments, and in the midst of all, the jewels of Tothmekri gleaming  
  like frozen starlight!
  – Robert E. Howard, “The Black Stranger”
  
   
  in tHe CHest you find 
  13
  detAils, detAils
  Treasure doesn’t just fill the strongbox and pay for drinks. 
  It dazzles the eye with color, sheen, texture, and shape. 
  Here are yet more options for appearance to add to those in 
  Treasure Tables.
  motifs
  There’s a near-infinite range of possible decorative motifs. 
  This table greatly extends and completely replaces the 
  Decorative Motif Table (Treasure Tables, p. 55). Roll 1d, 1d, 1d.
   
  Roll 
  Motif 
  Notes
  Animals
   
  1, 1, 1 
  Alligator/Crocodile 
   
  1, 1, 2 
  Ant 
   
  1, 1, 3 
  Ape 
   
  1, 1, 4 
  Bat 
   
  1, 1, 5 
  Bear 
   
  1, 1, 6 
  Bee 
   
  1, 2, 1 
  Bull 
   
  1, 2, 2 
  Butterfly 
   
  1, 2, 3 
  Cat 
   
  1, 2, 4 
  Cobra 
   
  1, 2, 5 
  Cow 
   
  1, 2, 6 
  Crab 
   
  1, 3, 1 
  Crane 
   
  1, 3, 2 
  Deer 
   
  1, 3, 3 
  Dog 
   
  1, 3, 4 
  Dolphin 
   
  1, 3, 5 
  Domestic Fowl 
   
  1, 3, 6 
  Dove 
   
  1, 4, 1 
  Dragonfly 
   
  1, 4, 2 
  Eagle 
   
  1, 4, 3 
  Elephant 
   
  1, 4, 4 
  Elk 
   
  1, 4, 5 
  Fish 
   
  1, 4, 6 
  Fly/Gnat 
   
  1, 5, 1 
  Goat 
   
  1, 5, 2 
  Hawk 
   
  1, 5, 3 
  Horse 
   
  1, 5, 4 
  Leopard 
   
  1, 5, 5 
  Lion 
   
  1, 5, 6 
  Lizard 
   
  1, 6, 1 
  Locust 
   
  1, 6, 2 
  Mammoth 
   
  1, 6, 3 
  Mongoose/Weasel 
   
  1, 6, 4 
  Mouse/Rat 
   
  1, 6, 5 
  Owl 
   
  1, 6, 6 
  Ox 
   
  2, 1, 1 
  Peacock (or other elaborately plumed bird)
   
  2, 1, 2 
  Pig 
   
  2, 1, 3 
  Rabbit 
   
  2, 1, 4 
  Scarab Beetle 
   
  2, 1, 5 
  Scorpion 
   
  2, 1, 6 
  Shark 
   
  2, 2, 1 
  Sheep 
   
  2, 2, 2 
  Snail 
   
  Roll 
  Motif 
  Notes
  Animals (Continued)
   
  2, 2, 3 
  Snake
   
  2, 2, 4 
  Sparrow (or other small bird)
   
  2, 2, 5 
  Spider
   
  2, 2, 6 
  Squid/Octopus
   
  2, 3, 1 
  Swan
   
  2, 3, 2 
  Tiger
   
  2, 3, 3 
  Turtle
   
  2, 3, 4 
  Wasp/Hornet
   
  2, 3, 5 
  Whale
   
  2, 3, 6 
  Wolf
  Monsters and Unnatural Creatures
   
  2, 4, 1 
  Animal-Headed Person
   
  2, 4, 2 
  Demon
   
  2, 4, 3 
  Dragon
   
  2, 4, 4 
  Gargoyle
   
  2, 4, 5 
  Giant
   
  2, 4, 6 
  Goblin-Kin
   
  2, 5, 1 
  Griffin
   
  2, 5, 2 
  Horned/Clawed Human
   
  2, 5, 3 
  Multi-Animal Hybrid
   
  2, 5, 4 
  Multi-Headed Animal
   
  2, 5, 5 
  Phoenix
   
  2, 5, 6 
  Sea Serpent
   
  2, 6, 1 
  Undead
   
  2, 6, 2 
  Unicorn
  People
   
  2, 6, 3 
  Baby
   
  2, 6, 4 
  Barbarian
   
  2, 6, 5 
  Butcher
   
  2, 6, 6 
  Carpenter
   
  3, 1, 1 
  Child
   
  3, 1, 2 
  Clown
   
  3, 1, 3 
  Cook
   
  3, 1, 4 
  Dancer
   
  3, 1, 5 
  Druid
   
  3, 1, 6 
  Herdsman
   
  3, 2, 1 
  Hunter
   
  3, 2, 2 
  Knight
   
  3, 2, 3 
  Laborer
   
  3, 2, 4 
  Magician
   
  3, 2, 5 
  Mason
   
  3, 2, 6 
  Monk/Holy Hermit
   
  3, 3, 1 
  Mounted Archer
   
  3, 3, 2 
  Musician
   
  3, 3, 3 
  Peasant
   
  3, 3, 4 
  Potter
   
  3, 3, 5 
  Priest
   
  3, 3, 6 
  Ruler
   
  3, 4, 1 
  Sage
   
  3, 4, 2 
  Seamstress/Tailor
   
  3, 4, 3 
  Smith
   
  3, 4, 4 
  Warrior
  
   
  in tHe CHest you find 
  14
   
  Roll 
  Motif 
  Notes
  Places
   
  3, 4, 5 
  Bedchamber
   
  3, 4, 6 
  Castle/Palace
   
  3, 5, 1 
  City
   
  3, 5, 2 
  Cliffs
   
  3, 5, 3 
  Court
   
  3, 5, 4 
  Desert
   
  3, 5, 5 
  Fields
   
  3, 5, 6 
  Forest/Jungle
   
  3, 6, 1 
  Kitchen
   
  3, 6, 2 
  Lake/Pond
   
  3, 6, 3 
  Map 
  [1]
   
  3, 6, 4 
  Meadow
   
  3, 6, 5 
  Mountains
   
  3, 6, 6 
  Night sky
   
  4, 1, 1 
  Ocean
   
  4, 1, 2 
  Office/Study/Library
   
  4, 1, 3 
  River
   
  4, 1, 4 
  Ruins
   
  4, 1, 5 
  Tavern/Inn
   
  4, 1, 6 
  Temple
   
  4, 2, 1 
  Village
   
  4, 2, 2 
  Waterfall
  Items and Objects
   
  4, 2, 3 
  Anvil
   
  4, 2, 4 
  Arm/Hand
   
  4, 2, 5 
  Bamboo
   
  4, 2, 6 
  Boat
   
  4, 3, 1 
  Carnivorous Plant
   
  4, 3, 2 
  Carriage
   
  4, 3, 3 
  Chariot
   
  4, 3, 4 
  Chrysanthemum
   
  4, 3, 5 
  Constellation
   
  4, 3, 6 
  Eye
   
  4, 4, 1 
  Farming Tool (plow, yoke, etc.)
   
  4, 4, 2 
  Fir/Pine Tree
   
  4, 4, 3 
  Fire
   
  4, 4, 4 
  Fruit Tree
   
  4, 4, 5 
  Garment
   
  4, 4, 6 
  Grain plants
   
  4, 5, 1 
  Grape Vines
   
  4, 5, 2 
  Hammer
   
  4, 5, 3 
  Hand
   
  4, 5, 4 
  Head
   
  4, 5, 5 
  Helmet
   
  4, 5, 6 
  Lotus
   
  4, 6, 1 
  Mortar and Pestle
   
  4, 6, 2 
  Oak Tree
   
  4, 6, 3 
  Rose
   
  4, 6, 4 
  Rowed Ship
   
  4, 6, 5 
  Sailing Ship
   
  4, 6, 6 
  Shell
   
  5, 1, 1 
  Shield
   
  5, 1, 2 
  Spinning Wheel
   
  5, 1, 3 
  Star
   
  5, 1, 4 
  Sun
   
  5, 1, 5 
  Tentacle
   
  5, 1, 6 
  Torture Device
   
  5, 2, 1 
  Wagon
   
  Roll 
  Motif 
  Notes
  Items and Objects (Continued)
   
  5, 2, 2 
  War Wagon
   
  5, 2, 3 
  Weapon
   
  5, 2, 4 
  Wheel
   
  5, 2, 5 
  Willow Tree
  Symbols and Patterns
   
  5, 2, 6 
  Alchemical Symbol
   
  5, 3, 1 
  Arabesques
   
  5, 3, 2 
  Calligraphy 
  [2]
   
  5, 3, 3 
  Checkerboard
   
  5, 3, 4 
  Concentric Circles
   
  5, 3, 5 
  Concentric Squares/Rectangles
   
  5, 3, 6 
  Concentric Triangles
   
  5, 4, 1 
  Crosshatching
   
  5, 4, 2 
  Emulation 
  [3]
   
  5, 4, 3 
  Floral Pattern
   
  5, 4, 4 
  Girih Pattern (Moroccan tile)
   
  5, 4, 5 
  Greek Key
   
  5, 4, 6 
  Grid, Hexagonal
   
  5, 5, 1 
  Grid, Square
   
  5, 5, 2 
  Grid, Triangular
   
  5, 5, 3 
  Herringbone Pattern
   
  5, 5, 4 
  Interlocked Circles
   
  5, 5, 5 
  Interlocked Spirals
   
  5, 5, 6 
  Interlocked Squares/Rectangles
   
  5, 6, 1 
  Interlocked Triangles
   
  5, 6, 2 
  Knotwork
   
  5, 6, 3 
  Pinstripes
   
  5, 6, 4 
  Scale Pattern
   
  5, 6, 5 
  Thick Stripes
   
  5, 6, 6 
  Vines and Leaves
   
  6, 1, 1 
  Zodiacal Signs
  Scenes
   
  6, 1, 2 
  Ball Game 
  [4]
   
  6, 1, 3 
  Battle 
  [4]
   
  6, 1, 4 
  Birth/Presentation of Child 
  [4]
   
  6, 1, 5 
  Building 
  [4]
   
  6, 1, 6 
  Communal Meal 
  [4]
   
  6, 2, 1 
  Coronation 
  [4]
   
  6, 2, 2 
  Dancing 
  [4]
   
  6, 2, 3 
  Earthquake 
  [4]
   
  6, 2, 4 
  Erotica 
  [4]
   
  6, 2, 5 
  Exorcism 
  [4]
   
  6, 2, 6 
  Footrace 
  [4]
   
  6, 3, 1 
  Funeral 
  [4]
   
  6, 3, 2 
  Game-Playing 
  [4]
   
  6, 3, 3 
  Gift-Giving 
  [4]
   
  6, 3, 4 
  Harvest 
  [4]
   
  6, 3, 5 
  Hunting 
  [4]
   
  6, 3, 6 
  Magical Battle 
  [4]
   
  6, 4, 1 
  Market 
  [4]
   
  6, 4, 2 
  Murder 
  [4]
   
  6, 4, 3 
  Musical Performance 
  [4]
   
  6, 4, 4 
  Nursing Mother 
  [4]
   
  6, 4, 5 
  Party 
  [4]
   
  6, 4, 6 
  Peaceful Death 
  [4]
   
  6, 5, 1 
  Plowing/Planting 
  [4]
   
  6, 5, 2 
  Procession 
  [4]
  
   
  in tHe CHest you find 
  15
   
  Roll 
  Motif 
  Notes
  Scenes (Continued)
   
  6, 5, 3 
  Sacrifice 
  [4]
   
  6, 5, 4 
  Sailing 
  [4]
   
  6, 5, 5 
  Shipwreck 
  [4]
   
  6, 5, 6 
  Speech/Sermon 
  [4]
   
  6, 6, 1 
  Teaching 
  [4]
   
  6, 6, 2 
  Tending Animals 
  [4]
   
  6, 6, 3 
  Travel 
  [4]
   
  6, 6, 4 
  Wedding 
  [4]
   
  6, 6, 5 
  Worship 
  [4]
   
  6, 6, 6 
  Wrestling/Boxing 
  [4]
  Notes
  [1] Roll 1d. On a 1, the map is of a location which is 
  imaginary or has been completely destroyed. On a 2-5, it’s 
  a reasonably accurate map of a real place. On a 6, it shows 
  the location of something particularly interesting, like a 
  lost treasure, a hidden martial-arts temple, or a gateway to 
  another dimension.
  [2] Roll 1d. On a 1, the inscription names its original owner. 
  On a 2-3, it praises or wishes good luck for the owner. On a 4-5, 
  it’s an inspirational passage (with “inspiration” in the broad-
  est possible sense; dire warnings, for example, can inspire one 
  to be careful). On a 6, it’s a magical incantation.
  [3] The object is not just decorated with an image 
  but made to resemble an object or a body part. For 
  example, a wooden chest might be decorated to 
  resemble a tree stump, or a map case might be carved 
  to look like a dragon’s limb.
  [4] Roll 1d. On a 6, the decoration is a narrative – 
  several connected scenes showing a complete story.
  ColoR
  One of the most immediately noticed properties of 
  any object is its color. While many items have a natu-
  ral color (unpainted wood is more-or-less brown, iron 
  is black or faintly silver-gray, and so on), use this table to 
  determine color at random, where appropriate. Roll 1d, 1d.
  Roll
  Color*
  Roll
  Color*
  1, 1
  Amber
  4, 1
  Light Green
  1, 2
  Avocado Green
  4, 2
  Lime
  1, 3
  Black
  4, 3
  Maroon
  1, 4
  Blue
  4, 4
  Olive
  1, 5
  Bronze
  4, 5
  Orange
  1, 6
  Brown
  4, 6
  Pale Yellow
  2, 1
  Charcoal
  5, 1
  Peach
  2, 2
  Copper
  5, 2
  Pink
  2, 3
  Crimson
  5, 3
  Purple
  2, 4
  Dark Brown
  5, 4
  Red
  2, 5
  Forest Green
  5, 5
  Sea Green
  2, 6
  Gold
  5, 6
  Sky Blue
  3, 1
  Gray
  6, 1
  Tan
  3, 2
  Green
  6, 2
  Turquoise
  3, 3
  Indigo
  6, 3
  Vermillion
  3, 4
  Lapis
  6, 4
  Violet
  3, 5
  Lavender
  6, 5
  White
  3, 6
  Light Gray
  6, 6
  Yellow
  * The GM may want to rename some of these colors for spe-
  cific campaigns. Before the development of a broad range of 
  synthetic dyes, many real-world pigments were derived from 
  minerals found in a small region (for example, ultramarine 
  blue, so called by people who had to import it from overseas), 
  plants and animals with a limited range (e.g., Tyrian purple, 
  derived from Eastern Mediterranean mollusks), or manufac-
  turing processes known to only a few (such as Prussian blue 
  and, earlier, Egyptian blue). Adventurers may find items col-
  ored orcish green, Nemedian purple, or Tanelorn orange.
  fAsteneRs
  Clothes and armor are held on by a vari-
  ety of fasteners. This painfully obvious fact 
  becomes far more interesting when one real-
  izes that these fasteners are vulnerable points 
  for high-precision attacks. Unless otherwise 
  noted, fasteners don’t modify the price of a 
  piece of clothing; however, some do provide 
  better performance or a more attractive appear-
  ance, and therefore increase cost.
  Buckles hold together straps with an adjustable metal piece, 
  securing even items put under great strain. This makes them 
  the fastener of choice for more expensive armor. Buckled gar-
  ments are +1 CF, assuming a combination of cheap materials 
  (wood, base metals). For larger and/or fancier buckles, use 
  the actual cost (Treasure Tables, pp. 18-19) instead of this CF.
  In a low-tech setting, buttons as we know them – approxi-
  mately disk-shaped fasteners fitting through reinforced holes 
  in a garment – are relatively expensive to produce. The but-
  tons themselves aren’t too bad; it’s the buttonholes that get 
  labor-intensive. Even fairly plain buttons are a luxury item 
  at Dungeon Fantasy levels of technology; buttoned garments 
  are +1 CF. This counts toward the value of ornate garments 
  (Adventurers, p. 27 and Treasure Tables, p. 53).
  Laces are long cords (leather or cloth) threaded through 
  a series of holes in a garment, pulled tight, and tied. This is 
  a common fastener, particularly on tougher materials like 
  heavy cloth, leather, and many kinds of armor. Laces can be 
  decorative, with colored ribbons contrasting with the clothing 
  they’re fastening.
  Monster Colors
  Historically, several pigments were derived from 
  animal sources. The Romans got purple dyes from 
  murex shells, for example, while carmine (a deep red) 
  was derived from an insect found in Central America. 
  Naturally, monsters may be the sources of particu-
  larly hard-to-get – and therefore valuable! – dyestuffs. 
  Adventurers can try to extract such things, giving 
  them a more concentrated and stable treasure. Cal-
  culate the value of monster parts as usual (Treasure 
  Tables, p. 13). A successful Alchemy roll, which takes 
  about a day per 100 lbs. of parts, reduces weight to 5% 
  but doesn’t change total value (e.g., 100 lbs. of mon-
  ster at $20/lb. becomes 5 lbs. of dye but is 
  still worth $2,000) and prevents rotting.
  
   
  in tHe CHest you find 
  16
  Garments without fasteners may be held together by pins. 
  The pins used to fasten clothing often have a design resembling 
  that of a modern safety pin – a loop which allows the point 
  of the pin to be secured by a catch – though there are other 
  varieties similarly capable of securing cloth (e.g., Celtic penan-
  nular brooches). Pinned garments are -0.2 CF but require the 
  separate purchase of pins to wear (treat these as buckles; see 
  Treasure Tables, pp. 18-19). Because the method of fastening 
  them requires that they be repeatedly penetrated, pinned gar-
  ments aren’t well-suited to armor enchantments.
  Toggles are rods or balls typically made from wood, bone, 
  or knotted fiber. The toggle, attached to a garment by a very 
  short cord, is slipped through a separate loop of cord. The 
  result resembles nothing so much as buttons and external but-
  tonholes applied after the fact.
  Roll 1d to determine what holds on any garment. Ignore 
  results of “none” and “pins” for flexible armor. Pieces of rigid 
  armor are fastened by laces on 1-3, buckles on 4-6.
   Roll 
  Fastener 
  To Hit 
  DR*/HP
   
  1 
  None 
  – 
  –
   
  2 
  Buckles 
  -8 
  1/2
   
  3 
  Buttons 
  -13 
  0/1
   
  4 
  Laces 
  -5 to -9 
  0/2
   
  5 
  Pins 
  -4 to -7 
  0/2
   
  6 
  Toggles 
  -10 
  0/1
  * Magical DR on a garment (e.g., the Fortify enchantment) 
  protects fasteners as well.
  Attacking Fasteners
  For high-skill heroes who don’t want to or cannot inflict a 
  lot of damage, attacking fasteners – like striking at weapons – 
  can be a useful way of discomfiting opponents.
  Most fasteners can be attacked with a cutting or impaling 
  weapon, but laces require a cutting weapon. Cloaks and foot-
  wear typically have one fastener. Buttoned and toggled gar-
  ments usually have four to six, while pinned garments have 
  two or three. A typical laced garment has one fastener, though 
  shirts, jackets, and the like may have detachable sleeves also 
  held on by laces. Items of armor have 1d/2 times as many fas-
  teners as other garments – and unlike regular clothing, which 
  has fasteners in front for ease of access, these are on the back 
  or sides, making them difficult or impossible to target in com-
  bat. Roll 1d: 1-2 means the fasteners are in back, 3-4 means 
  one side, and 5-6 means half on either side.
  If all of a garment’s fasteners have been destroyed, it’s loose 
  and in danger of falling off. Loose torso armor gives the wearer 
  a general -1 to DX, while loose armor on limbs or extremities 
  inflict -1 to DX for any action involving the affected body parts 
  (e.g., anything involving the hand inside a loose gauntlet or 
  the foot wearing a loose shoe). A loose helmet covering only 
  the skull falls off if the wearer dodges, moves faster than Move 
  3, or performs any other rapid or violent action. Under those 
  conditions, a loose helmet covering the entire head will turn 
  and cover the eyes, rendering the wearer effectively blind! Fur-
  thermore, an attacker may attempt to yank off any loose gar-
  ment; see Grabbing, p. B370.
  fAbRiCs
  Though it seems commonplace to us, textile manufactur-
  ing was historically a key industry. Elaborate terminologies 
  arose to describe classes of fabrics, detailing how they were 
  made and from what, and buyers would always know their 
  taffeta from their organdy.
  Use the table below to determine what material a random 
  garment is made from (the table under Color, p. 15, is useful 
  for rounding out the item’s description). More elaborate fab-
  rics increase value as indicated by the CF. This is far from an 
  exhaustive historical list, but it hits many physical and techno-
  logical differences. Roll 1d, 1d.
  1, 1-3 – Plain Weave. +0 CF.
  The simplest and most common weave, where weft 
  threads (threads woven back and forth horizontally into a 
  set of parallel threads held in place) alternate going over and 
  under warp threads (threads held by the loom, running per-
  pendicular to the weft) one at a time.
  1, 4-6 – Basket Weave. +0.1 CF.
  Instead of a plain weave, both warp and weft threads are 
  grouped in sets of two or more (e.g., two warp threads going 
  over two weft threads), giving a checkerboard-like appearance.
  2, 1-3 – Twill. +0.1 CF.
  Instead of a plain weave, weft threads go over and under 
  in larger groups, giving the fabric a textured appearance with 
  diagonal ribs.
  2, 4-6 – Cambric. +0.1 CF.
  A dense plain weave, typically made from linen.
  3, 1-3 – Canvas. +0.1 CF.
  A heavy cloth suitable for sail-making, produced from 
  hemp or similarly durable fiber. Canvas garments protect cov-
  ered skin from small biting insects (mosquitoes and gnats – 
  not giant praying mantises!), but they don’t breathe well: -1 to 
  heat-related HT rolls.
  [Athena] guided it to the part where the golden buckles of 
  the belt that passed over his double cuirass were fastened, so 
  the arrow struck the belt that went tightly round him.
  – Homer, Iliad, Book IV
  
   
  in tHe CHest you find 
  17
  3, 4-6 – Gauze. +0.3 CF.
  An exceptionally loosely woven, lightweight fabric. Gauze 
  is often silk, but other fibers can be used.
  4, 1-2 – Grogram. +0.5 CF.
  A fabric made from silk and a coarser fiber such as wool, 
  sometimes stiffened with gum. Grogram is most often used 
  for durable coats and cloaks. It has the same effects on insect 
  bites and heat-related HT rolls as canvas (3, 1-3).
  4, 3 – Crinoline. +0.1 CF.
  A stiff fabric blending composed of horse hair and lighter 
  fibers such as cotton or linen.
  4, 4 – Taffeta. +4 CF.
  A tightly woven silk plain weave.
  4, 5 – Chiffon. +0.5 CF.
  A lightweight fabric using very tightly twisted thread. Ten-
  sions in the thread give the fabric a bit of texture.
  4, 6 – Double Weave. +15 CF.
  A complex fabric made with two or more layers of warp 
  threads. Weft threads may go over and under the warp threads 
  on one side or both, resulting in exceptionally elaborate 
  designs like a damask, but without these appearing in negative 
  on the back. The two sides could in fact have entirely different 
  designs – and there could be a hidden pattern inside. A revers-
  ible double-weave garment may have camouflage (GURPS 
  Dungeon Fantasy 13: Loadouts, p. 25) on one or both sides 
  for half the usual CF.
  5, 1 – Organdy. +0 CF.
  A sheer cotton fabric, sometimes starched for stiffness.
  5, 2 – Organza. +2.5 CF.
  An organdy made with silk.
  5, 3 – Satin. +14 CF.
  A particularly fine silk fabric woven with weft threads sub-
  stantially on one side of the warp threads (e.g., a weft thread 
  goes over five warp threads, under one, and back over another 
  set of five), giving it a smooth, shiny front surface and a rela-
  tively rough, dull back.
  5, 4 – Sateen. +10 CF.
  Fabric woven like satin, but using wool, cotton, or a similar 
  thread, or a blend of silk and lesser fibers.
  5, 5 – Brocade. +16 CF.
  A satin with multicolored threads.
  5, 6 – Damask. +20 CF.
  A satin with raised figures in the weaving pattern. These 
  figures can be seen in negative on the back side of the fabric.
  6, 1 – Lamé. +22 CF.
  A brocade which includes metallic threads, which are them-
  selves usually normal fiber threads wrapped with metal foil.
  6, 2 – Jamdani. +4 CF.
  A loosely woven cotton fabric with damask-style figura-
  tive designs woven into it.
  6, 3 – Velvet. +0.5 CF.
  A fabric woven with a pile (weft threads pulled into 
  short loops rising from the surface, which are then cut), 
  giving it a plush, thick feel.
  6, 4 – Corduroy. +0.75 CF.
  Related to velvet, a fabric with a pile arranged into par-
  allel ribs.
  6, 5 – Double-Velvet. +8 CF.
  A velvet with piles of different lengths, creating a raised 
  figurative pattern.
  6, 6 – Samite. +5 CF.
  A silk twill.
  imPlAusible mAteRiAls
  Treasure Tables introduced the idea of items supernat-
  urally crafted from substances which could not otherwise 
  make up such an article: condensed moonbeams, congealed 
  screams, and so on. Such objects have essentially the same 
  properties as mundane items of their type; e.g., a cloak of 
  stone is still flexible, if a bit rough, while a sword of quicksil-
  ver is still solid and sharp. Implausible materials don’t auto-
  matically give things made from them significant magical 
  effects – like the ability to cast spells, or blanket bonuses to 
  DR or damage – but frequently have incidental features. Nota-
  bly, they’re often suitable for triggering Dread, Revulsion, or 
  Weakness in susceptible individuals, and weapons made of 
  them may be able to exploit a target’s Vulnerability. See the 
  notes on specific materials for other special qualities.
  Some implausible materials have vulnerabilities of their 
  own. In particular, while most are nonconductive and non-
  flammable, there are exceptions. Articles made of conduc-
  tive substances (as a practical matter, that means conductive 
  armor) provide no protection against lightning and similar 
  attacks. Those made of flammable materials are vulnerable 
  to heat and flame as though they were wood if rigid or fabric 
  if flexible.
  Fabric Out of Space
  Ordinary fabrics, though flat, are woven in three dimen-
  sions. Mad weavers in thrall to Elder Things sometimes 
  work in four, warp and weft reaching into Places Man Was 
  Not Meant To Know. Four-dimensional cloth has a vaguely 
  disturbing appearance, sometimes twitching as though it 
  were alive and shifting into unrecognizable colors, but can 
  be useful to psis. For example, a skullcap made from it 
  acts as a pyramid hat (GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 14: Psis, 
  p. 27) except that it provides no DR, allows other headgear 
  to be worn over it, and if worn for more than an hour a day 
  causes the wearer to suffer from the Nightmares disadvan-
  tage that night.
  
   
  in tHe CHest you find 
  18
  To select an implausible material, roll 1d, 1d.
  1, 1 – Basalt. +2 CF.
  A rough-faced gray stone, often in a pattern of hexagonal 
  cells. Basalt items are very hard, and get +1 to rolls to resist 
  breakage.
  1, 2 – Blood. +3 CF.
  Deep red, verging on black in places, with a faint-but- 
  distinct coppery smell. Gives +1 to scent-based Tracking rolls 
  to follow the owner, and -2 to reactions from just about every-
  body. Conductive.
  1, 3-4 – Bone. +1 CF.
  White, or possibly slightly off-white, and somewhat porous. 
  People using bone items suffer -1 to reactions from everyone 
  but necromancers.
  1, 5-6 – Cloud/Mist. +5 CF.
  The item is a soft, swirling, mottled gray, and marginally 
  translucent; very strong light sources are just barely visible 
  through it, at least around the edges. It always feels slightly 
  damp. Garments and armor made out of this material count 
  as “wet clothes” for exposure to cold (p. B430), but give +1 
  to heat-based HT rolls. Partial insubstantiality reduces item 
  weight by 10%. Conductive.
  2, 1 – Darkness. +2 CF.
  The item is pure black, reflecting no light whatsoever. Fine 
  surface features like engraving are almost impossible to see if 
  the object is kept clean.
  2, 2 – Ebony. +2 CF.
  A fine-grained, dark brown or black wood. Flammable.
  2, 3 – Flame. +4 CF.
  Hot to the touch (though not so much so as to be dam-
  aging), the item sheds light as a torch. A garment or armor 
  made from flame gives +2 to cold-based HT rolls, -2 to heat-
  based ones.
  2, 4 – Flower Petals. +2 CF.
  In addition to being colorful and sweet-smelling, the 
  object is slightly soft and velvety to the touch. The distinct 
  aroma gives +1 to attempts to track the owner by scent, but 
  someone with prominently displayed flower-petal items gets 
  +1 to reactions in addition to any bonuses granted by ornate 
  equipment. Flammable.
  2, 5 – Horn. +1 CF.
  Smooth, if slightly porous, with colors ranging from ivory 
  to a medium brown.
  2, 6 – Ice. +4 CF.
  White or faintly blue, and cold to the touch (don’t lick the 
  item!). A garment or armor made from ice gives -2 to cold-
  based HT rolls, +2 to heat-based ones. Conductive.
  3, 1-2 – Insects. +1 CF.
  Made from clusters of interlocked insect exoskeletons, chi-
  tin items range from a dull gray-green to a rainbow sheen like 
  an oil slick on water, which is attractive but very creepy (-2 to 
  reactions from most people).
  Some items are made from stinging insects. Weapons made 
  from such creatures cause an additional -1 in shock penalties 
  when they inflict injury but do no extra damage.
  3, 3-4 – Leaves. +1 CF.
  The object is made from overlapping layers of greenery. 
  Some items may turn colors with the seasons. Items made 
  from leaves are Flammable (p. B433) when brown but Highly 
  Resistant when green.
  3, 5 – Lightning. +4 CF.
  Silvery, but with shuddering edges, a faint crackling noise, 
  and a slight scent of ozone. Lightning items cast a flickering 
  glow equivalent to candlelight. However, the jarring flashes 
  make them uncomfortable to use: -1 to long-term tasks such 
  as reading or working with machinery while using such an 
  object as a light source. Conductive.
  3, 6 – Marble. +3 CF.
  Mottled stone – often white or in earth tones, but some-
  times with a pink or blue tint – with a smooth polish. Marble 
  items are particularly vulnerable to acids; where applicable, 
  halve DR against such attacks.
  4, 1 – Moonbeams. +3 CF.
  Through the course of a month, the item goes from being 
  a pale, glowing gray (about the light of a candle) to near-black 
  and back again.
  4, 2 – Night. +2 CF.
  As with darkness (2, 1), but a slowly shifting array of stars 
  makes surface features a bit easier to make out.
  4, 3 – Quicksilver. +16 CF.
  The item is mirror-smooth and silvery, but ripples faintly 
  when disturbed. Conductive.
  4, 4 – Sandstone. +2 CF.
  Rough-surfaced, with earth-tone colors ranging from white 
  to a deep brick red. Larger items have multiple strata of colors.
  4, 5 – Screams. +1 CF.
  Translucent, if slightly cloudy. The item always seems to 
  be vibrating slightly, and can be heard if one puts an ear very 
  close to it.
  4, 6 – Sea Foam. +3 CF.
  Translucent, milky pale green or turquoise, with roiling 
  whitish areas. The item smells faintly of the sea and has a salty 
  taste. Like clouds and mist, garments and armor made out 
  of this material count as “wet clothes” for exposure to cold 
  (p. B430), but give +1 to heat-based HT rolls. Conductive.
  5, 1 – Shell, Coarse. -0.1 CF.
  Very rough, dull-colored seashell resembling the outside 
  of a clam or an oyster. Such items have a faint odor of the 
  sea, making them slightly easier to track (+1 to scent-based 
  Tracking rolls) away from coastal areas.
  5, 2-3 – Shell, Fine. +4 CF.
  A smooth, mother-of-pearl surface, with rainbow colors on 
  a white or slightly silvery ground.
  5, 4 – Sky. +1 CF.
  Usually a medium blue, but growing lighter or darker from 
  time to time, sometimes becoming an overcast gray. A few 
  examples change to match their owner’s mood: clear and blue 
  in happy times, dark and cloudy with unhappier moments. 
  While impressive, this makes the owner’s moods easy enough 
  to spot that others get +1 to any social skill used against him.
  
   
  in tHe CHest you find 
  19
  5, 5 – Smoke. +1.5 CF.
  Resembles clouds, but a bit darker. The 
  item also has a distinct scent of burning and 
  leaves dark smudges on things it touches.
  5, 6 – Sunlight. +5 CF.
  The item shines with a bright, golden 
  light equivalent to a torch. It is pleasantly 
  warm to the touch.
  6, 1 – Tears. +1 CF.
  Like water, the item is fairly transparent. 
  It is also warm to the touch – and, if one 
  tastes it, salty. Conductive.
  6, 2 – Teeth. +1 CF.
  Appears similar to bone and horn, 
  though usually with a glossier surface and 
  a pointed end.
  6, 3-4 – Thorns. -0.1 CF.
  The item is made from a thick tangle of 
  thorny branches and vines. It feels prickly, 
  though this causes no special damage. 
  Flammable.
  6, 5-6 – Water. +1 CF.
  Transparent and somewhat reflective, a 
  close observer can see ripples through the 
  item if it is struck. Garments and armor 
  made out of this material count as “wet 
  clothes” for exposure to cold (p. B430), but 
  give +1 to heat-based HT rolls.
  AdvAnCed soCiAl studies
  Archaeologists identify defunct cultures not by language, 
  religion, and ideology, as is typical for living cultures, but by 
  the styles and techniques of their artifacts. Indeed, some real-
  world societies, such as Europe’s Bell-Beaker folk, are named 
  for distinctive items of material culture. Dungeon delvers – 
  who also go underground in search of relics – are likely to 
  make similar identifications. As noted on p. 58 of Treasure 
  Tables, items can be valuable not just because of their damage 
  potential, magical power, or precious metal content, but also 
  because of their association with various societies. Treasure 
  Tables offers some general suggestions for putting together 
  certain kinds of societal styles of artifacts. This is a more sys-
  tematic guide.
  mAking HistoRy
  A number of factors might make a given society’s artifacts 
  distinctive (though not all of them will be). When making up a 
  societal style, the GM should consider these aspects.
  Decorative motifs. Pick two to four distinctive decorative 
  motifs (Motifs, pp. 13-15). For example, a society might use 
  an elephant as a common symbol and make frequent use of 
  triangular grids. While items produced by the society in ques-
  tion can certainly use other motifs, most of their artifacts will 
  display at least one of their preferred themes.
  Decorative embellishments. Pick one or two embellish-
  ment techniques (Treasure Tables, pp. 53-55). For example, 
  a society may be particularly partial to decorative fringes and 
  branded designs.
  Materials. A society may have preferred materials. This 
  might have significant effects (like all blades being made 
  from bronze or tempered glass), but the choice may sim-
  ply be cosmetic (for example, all woolen textiles, or wooden 
  items made from zebrawood).
  Favored arms and armor. Many societies have favored fight-
  ing styles, leading to specific weapon and armor preferences. 
  These in turn influence the martial hardware found by adven-
  turers: bows and light spears for horse-riding nomads, fencing 
  weapons for decadent sophisticates, axes for forest-dwelling 
  barbarians, and so on.
  Favored other items. Every society has particular distinctive 
  items. Delvers may start to think of treasures as left behind by 
  the “poison dagger people” or “the orichalcum ewer makers.” 
  If a society favors fans, hair combs, or decorative gorgets, par-
  ticularly ornate versions may frequently be found as treasure.
  Notable supernatural capabilities. A given society may pre-
  fer wizardly magic, divine magic, or psi, and its supernatural 
  artifacts will reflect that. The whole list of supernatural origins 
  on p. 50 of Treasure Tables can be in play. For example, one 
  society may have been master alchemists, while another might 
  have relied on druids for its supernatural effects.
  He roved the hall, fastidiously  
  selecting those objects of small bulk  
  and great value: a small pot with antlers 
  which emitted clouds of remarkable gasses 
  when the prongs were tweaked; an ivory 
  horn through which sounded voices of 
  the past; a small stage where costumed 
  imps stood ready to perform comic antics; 
  an object like a cluster of crystal grapes, 
  each affording a blurred view into one 
  of the demon worlds; a baton sprouting 
  sweetmeats of assorted flavor; an ancient 
  ring engraved with runes; a black stone 
  surrounded by nine zones of impalpable 
  color.
  – Jack Vance,  
  The Eyes of the Overworld
  
   
  in tHe CHest you find 
  20
  Predominant race. A society may be made up predomi-
  nantly of a given race. This has implications for the SM of 
  items and other issues of fit.
  Ethnic cool. In Dungeon Fantasy, every society should have 
  at least one special and distinctive piece of equipment. This 
  might simply mean that the society is a prodigious producer 
  of exceptional items (fine or very fine blades, fireball wands 
  with favorable recharging conditions, etc.), but its goods may 
  have unique properties as well. Elven mail and dwarven weap-
  ons, for example, are essentially ethnic cool items.
  Base CF and reactions. Association with famous societ-
  ies can give artifacts additional value above and beyond that 
  granted by intrinsic characteristics such as decorative embel-
  lishments, enchantments, and quality, providing a CF. How-
  ever, objects might also carry a society’s reputation with them, 
  making the bearer more or less acceptable to those he meets. 
  A reaction modifier attached to a culture’s treasures may apply 
  to everyone, a particular group, or just a specific audience of 
  potential buyers. This is a nice way for the GM to establish 
  who the major players in history and the current world are. 
  For example, the Dread Zombie Empire might be known for 
  powerful magic and high-quality items, giving goods it pro-
  duces +2 CF, but the unsavory connotations of their origins 
  may mean that anyone using such artifacts gets -1 to reactions 
  from everybody except necromancers and the undead.
  sAmPle CultuRes
  Here are a few examples of what a society’s material cul-
  ture might look like.
  North Steppe Orcish Hordes
  The near-desert plains of the middle-north are a fertile 
  breeding ground for barbaric armies: too dry and cold to 
  support cities, but not too desolate to sustain roving hordes.  
  The orcs of the region use a curved fang as their most common 
  motif, symbolizing the bite of their teeth into enemies, both 
  individually and as an aspirational symbol of conquest; this is 
  often on a ground of nested squares. Most decorated items use 
  relief carving or engraving – durable techniques which resist 
  wear better than surface treatments like painting – and crude 
  embroidery for flexible items. These orcs lean toward leather 
  and dragonhide armors, frequently with a facing layer of the 
  skin of sentient enemies, and favor jagged-edged axes and poi-
  sonwood spears as weapons. North steppe weapons are per-
  fectly functional, but look cheap and flimsy: -2 to reactions 
  from potential buyers.
  The Translucent City
  This long-lost city was home to a wide range of what might 
  be called “fair folk,” predominantly elves (of every variety) 
  and pixies, with a smattering of fauns, nymphs, and the like. 
  The city’s real name is lost to the years; its current appellation 
  comes from the vast quantities of transparent and translucent 
  items it produced. It was a prodigious producer of tempered 
  glass items (notably fencing weapons and broad arrowheads) 
  in a variety of colors, as well as an enthusiastic user of glass 
  beads for decoration, often punctuated with precious stones. 
  Garments were typically made from lightweight fabrics such 
  as gauze and jamdani, adorned with ribbons and colored 
  fringes. The city’s natives were fond of all manner of writ-
  ing, and used flowing, arabesque decorative motifs. They also 
  made frequent use of trees (the object of the predominant local 
  religion) and unicorns (the symbol of the civic government).
  While the city produced a great many magical items, its 
  demise in the aftermath of a magical war left the majority of 
  these cursed. The city’s elegant designs remain admired long 
  after its destruction (+4 CF), but wizards and other potential 
  magical buyers don’t trust artifacts that originated there (-2 
  to reactions).
  Yellow Mountain Kingdom
  Before the underground realm collapsed 
  in a magical cataclysm, the Yellow Mountains 
  were home to an extensive dwarven king-
  dom. Yellow Mountain smiths worked heav-
  ily in bronze, orichalcum, and gold, largely 
  avoiding iron, but were also known for mul-
  ticolored inlay. Yellow Mountain work is 
  often recognized by spiral patterns and a 
  fondness for narrative; anything big enough 
  to feature such decoration is likely to have a 
  story beginning at the center of a spiral and 
  proceeding outward from there. Weapons 
  are usually short-ranged: axes and swords to 
  the near-total exclusion of polearms, spears, 
  and missile weapons. Magical capabilities 
  run heavily toward the defensive: buffs, 
  resistances, Defending Weapon, and the full 
  range of armor enchantments. The Yellow 
  Mountains also produced tools prized even 
  among other dwarves. Yellow Mountain items 
  get +1 CF, and someone using Yellow Mountain 
  tools receives +1 to reactions from artificers 
  and other craftsmen, as well as dwarves.
  etHniC Cool geAR
  Here are some notable items uniquely produced by the sample cul-
  tures (above).
  Orcish Sawtooth Blades: These wickedly jagged weapons are, in fact, 
  a bit more lethal than usual. Increase injury from cutting weapons 
  (after considering DR and wounding modifier) by 1 HP. +1 CF.
  Doublehard Glass: The Translucent City produced a particu-
  larly hard, sharp version of tempered glass (Treasure Tables, p. 33).  
  Double hard glass gets the same damage bonus as tempered glass and 
  adds armor divisor (2) to impaling attacks. +59 CF.
  Yellow Mountain Helmet Level: An arrangement of liquid-filled glass 
  vials in a metal housing – small enough to affix to the inside of a hel-
  met visor (as well as the back of a gauntlet, side of an axe blade, or any 
  other surface of at least three or four square inches) – allows determi-
  nation of the vertical angle between the user and any observable point 
  with a simple IQ roll. This may be treated as a complementary skill roll 
  for Cartography and Navigation; it also aids uses of Architecture and 
  Engineer where knowing elevations is important. Widespread use of 
  the device has led to a myth that dwarves have an inherent ability to 
  measure slopes. $80, 0.1 lb.
  
   
  index 
  21
  Alchemy, determining coin features, 11-12; 
  materials in coins, 6; making monster 
  dye, 15.
  Animals motif table, 13.
  Armor, ethnic cool, 20; money, 9.
  Basalt, 18.
  Basket weave, 16.
  Billon, 5, 6, 11.
  Blackjacks, coin, 10.
  Blood, 18.
  Bone, 18.
  Brass, 7.
  Brocade, 17.
  Bronze, 7.
  Buckles, 15.
  Buttons, 15.
  Cambric, 16.
  Campaigns, using details in, 3.
  Canvas, 16.
  Chiffon, 17.
  Cloud, 18.
  Coins, armor, 9; as power items, 9; as 
  weapons, 10; benefits of metal, 12; big, 
  8; composition, 4-5, 11; condition, 9-10; 
  counting, 11-12; currency systems, 12; 
  cursed, 12; custom denominations, 
  6; debased, 5; decoration, 10-11; 
  denominations, 5-8; exact weights, 8; 
  hoards, 5; hollow, 10; magical, 9; material 
  proportions, 6; paper money, 11; practical 
  details, 3; purity, 5, 11-12; shape, 8; 
  sharpened, 10; size comparisons, 8; sizes, 
  6-8; U.S. sizes, 8; value, 6-7; weight, 5-8.
  Colors, monsters, 15; of object, 15.
  Corduroy, 17.
  Crinoline, 17.
  Cultures, see Societies.
  Damask, 17.
  Darkness, 18.
  Double-velvet, 17.
  Doublehard glass, 20.
  Ebony, 18.
  Electrum, 5, 6, 11.
  Ethnic cool gear, 20.
  Fabrics, 16-17; fourth-dimensional, 17.
  Fasteners, 15-16; attacking, 16.
  Flame, 18.
  Flower petals, 18.
  Garments, fabric, 16-17; fasteners, 15-16.
  Gauze, 17.
  Gear, ethnic cool, 20.
  Grogram, 17.
  Guessing coins, 9.
  GURPS, 6; Dungeon Fantasy, 3, 4; 
  Dungeon Fantasy 1: Adventurers, 11, 
  15; Dungeon Fantasy 2: Dungeons, 
  3, 5, 11, 15, 20; Dungeon Fantasy 6: 
  40 Artifacts, 3; Dungeon Fantasy 8: 
  Treasure Tables, 3-6, 11-13, 15-17, 19, 
  20; Dungeon Fantasy 11: Power-Ups, 
  11; Dungeon Fantasy 13: Loadouts, 17; 
  Dungeon Fantasy 14: Psis, 17.
  Hell money, 11.
  Horn, 18.
  Ice, 18.
  Implausible materials, 17-19.
  Ingots, as money, 8.
  Insects, 18.
  Items motif table, 14.
  Jamdani, 17.
  Laces, 15.
  Lamé, 17.
  Leaves, 18.
  Lightning, 18.
  Lucky coins, 9.
  Marble, 18.
  Materials, fabrics, 16-17; implausible, 17-19.
  Measuring weights, 8.
  Meteoric iron, 7.
  Mist, 18.
  Money, armor, 9; big, 8; currency systems, 
  12; cursed, 12; hell, 11; paper, 11;  
  see also Coins.
  Monsters, colors, 15; motif table, 13.
  Moonbeams, 18.
  Motifs, 13.
  Night, 18.
  North Steppe Orcish Hordes, 20.
  Objects motif table, 14.
  Orcish Sawtooth Blades, 20.
  Organdy, 17.
  Organza, 17.
  Orichalcum, 7.
  Patterns motif table, 14.
  People motif table, 13.
  Pins, 15.
  Places motif table, 14.
  Plain weave, 16.
  Pounds (money), 8.
  Promissory notes, 11; see also Coins,  
  Money.
  Quicksilver, 18.
  Rai, 8.
  Samite, 17.
  Sandstone, 18.
  Sateen, 17.
  Satin, 17.
  Scenes motif table, 14-15.
  Screams, 18.
  Sea foam, 18.
  Shells, 18.
  Sky, 18.
  Smoke, 18.
  Societies, making history, 19-20; sample 
  cultures, 20.
  Sunlight, 18.
  Symbols motif table, 14.
  Tables, coin composition, 4; coin condition, 
  10; coin denominations, 6; coin shape, 9; 
  coin sizes, 6, 8; color, 15; fabrics, 16-17; 
  fasteners, 16; implausible materials,  
  17-19; motifs, 13-15; U.S. coin sizes, 8.
  Taffeta, 17.
  Talents (money), 8.
  Tears, 18.
  Teeth, 18.
  Thorns, 18.
  Toggles, 16.
  Translucent City, 20.
  Treasure, practical details, 3; see also Coins, 
  Colors, Fasteners, Materials.
  Tumbaga, 5, 6, 11.
  Twill, 16.
  Twins of Felonious Displacement (magical 
  coins), 9.
  Unnatural creatures motif table, 13.
  Velvet, 17.
  Water, 18.
  Weapons, coin, 10; ethnic cool, 20.
  Yellow Mountain Helmet Level, 20.
  Yellow Mountain Kingdom, 20.
  index
  It’s the root of all evil
  Of strife and upheaval
  But I’m certain, honey, that life 
  would be sunny
  With plenty of money and you
  – Al Dubin,  
  “With Plenty of  
  Money and You”
  
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SOURCE: textdata/thevault/GURPS Classic/SETTING/Dungeon Fantasy (GURPS)/Dungeon Fantasy Treasures 1 Glittering Prizes.pdf