Wizards have united and they’re collecting Weasley’s and Dumbledore’s down at the local park on their smart phones! The Fortnite kids are stockpiling skins and dances (which sounds freaking terrifying if you don’t know what that game is all about). And the Pokemen were apparently such a nuisance that over a billion users had to download the app just to thwart their takeover of the Earth’s augmented surface! What are we talking about? Collectables! Can you use them in your TTRPG’s in between hunting dragons and hunting Cthulhus? Or, are they bound to stay in the realms of video gaming, trading cards, toys, and comics? Oh, and coins. And stamps. And Beanie Babies and Pop Figures… jeez, we collect a lot of stuff.
Tricky Trinkets
A video game like Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild can offer players the chance to gather 900 Korok seeds for one primary reason – a single player is in charge of the pace of the story. Link can take as much time as he wants searching for hidden creatures, digging up ingredients for special meals, and putting together his fancy wardrobe because Princess Zelda and Ganon will patiently delay the end of the world for as long as is necessary. The player can do as many side-quests as they wish.
A roleplaying game isn’t quite the same animal, especially if you have more than one player who would like to see the plot unfold. If the GM forgets to place items in the midst of dealing with everything else, the protagonists will forget about them, too. Break up your story with too many fetch-quests and intrepid adventurers may lose interest. However, you can include some collectable items (or people, or monsters, or whatever) with careful planning and a little care.
Speedy Souvenirs
The real trick to adding collectables to your game world is in the prep-work. The GM really needs to have a full list of goodies ready to go beforehand because players who want to catch ’em all are going to want that list as soon as you introduce the concept. You don’t have to give it to them all at once, of course, but it will save you time in the long run. Plus, you can drop one in on the spur of the moment if you find a good opportunity. Savvy players will figure out when you’re pulling things out of thin air and the special items will lose their specialness.
The GM needs to balance how much time they’re willing to steal from their main storylines in order to make the collectables happen. Consider placing your tiny tokens in relatively easy to reach areas that the party is going to anyway. And if they are a little bit hidden or challenging to claim, make sure they’re not taking away from the rest of the game. They should be little additions – like spice to a main dish. To really go the extra mile, you can print out or draw little item cards and hand them over whenever the group discovers a new Riddler trophy in Gotham or a post-apocalyptic bobblehead. Quick and easy, if you plan ahead.
Relic Rewards
Why are we trying to fill out the whole Pokedex, here? What’s the pay-out? Some gamers are perfectly pleased to just assemble a whole collection of stuff and check it all off the list because they like the very act of checking it off. If you have one of those, then you don’t need a reward. But most gamers need a reason to get all of it, and more importantly, their characters do, too. What reward are you offering, other than an imaginary achievement?
Possible rewards might be anything from a magical set bonus for finding the full set of Arcane Armor to a powerful combat-companion when you assemble all six parts of the Lost War Robot. Maybe the kingdom is splintered into factions and they won’t promise to meet again until someone gathers the Crowns of the Nine Queens once more. Perhaps a special potion can only be brewed if you have all fifteen rare herbs from the Witch’s List. You don’t have to go full “Rod of Seven Parts” in terms of artifact-level powers, but there ought to be some sort of benefit, otherwise pragmatic adventurers will just sell everything they perceive as useless to add gold to the resurrection fund. And if money is their main motivator, you can always use it as part of the collectable’s reward. Have a rich benefactor promise them a fortune if they discover all thirty pages of his partial copy of the Necronomicon. I mean, what could go wrong, really?
Model Mementos
Below is an example set of collectables – a list of alchemical ingredients from a 2nd Edition D&D campaign located in a far-eastern fantasy realm. It has rules for how to combine the ingredients with a Proficiency check (that’s what we used to call skills) and you could fairly easily convert their effects into whatever rule set you like best. This is a larger list – you can certainly get by with a much smaller set of collectables if you don’t want to deal with this many variables. The important thing to remember is to make sure there’s lots of opportunities to find the goodies during your game.
ALCHEMIST POTION RULES
Alchemist potions are created by precise combinations of reagents, potent chemicals, and compounds that start a reaction. Characters make the non-magical potions ahead of time with the Alchemy proficiency. The compounds take effect when they make contact with a single target (or a group in the case of clouds/splashes/explosions), usually by means of hurling a breakable jar at them or drugging something they ingest. The reagents below are listed by common name, effect, and cost (in this game, a yen coin is worth about the same as a silver piece in D&D).
An Alchemist starts with a reagent that produces an effect and can mix in other reagents to modify the potency or duration of that effect. Multiple effects can be achieved with multiple ingredients, but reagents that modify numbers only modify one number per reagent used. Once the potion is brewed, the reagents used are lost, even if the check to create the potion fails.
NAME EFFECT COST
BONUSES AND PENALTIES
- Rhinoceros Horn Strength, bonus or penalty 75 y
- Dried Leopard Paw Dexterity, bonus or penalty 70 y
- Tortoise Shell Powder Constitution, bonus or penalty 70 y
- Ground Tiger Claw Attack roll, bonus or penalty 50 y
- Crushed Snake Fang Damage roll, bonus or penalty 65 y
- Ladybug Wings Armor class, bonus or penalty 80 y
- Powdered Money Brain Initiative, bonus or penalty 45 y
- Heart of Bear Grapple check, bonus or penalty 35 y
- Crane Feather Turn Undead check, bonus or penalty 60 y
- Tortoise Bile Paralyzation/Poison/Death Magic save, bonus or penalty 50 y
- Powdered Boar Hoof Rod/Staff/Wand save, bonus or penalty 50 y
- Toad Skin Oil Petrification/Polymorph save, bonus or penalty 50 y
- Sea Snake Scales Breath Weapon save, bonus or penalty 50 y
- Peacock Feather Spell save, bonus or penalty 50 y
- Gall Bladder of Whale P/P/DM and Petr. /Poly. saves, bonus or penalty 200 y
- Eel Eyes in Blue Brine R/S/W and B.W. And Spell saves, bonus or penalty 300 y
- Sea Serpent Gills All saves, bonus or penalty 750 y
- Distillation of Lotus +1 bonus, 1 round 15 y
- Tincture of Orchid +2 bonus, 1 round 50 y
- Hibiscus Essence +3 bonus, 1 round 150 y
- Helliconia Blossom Oil +4 bonus, 1 round 450 y
- Golden Bamboo Shoots +5 bonus, 1 round 1350 y
- Cemetery Earth -1 penalty, 1 round 20 y
- Gallows Wood -2 penalty, 1 round 55 y
- Ancient Crypt Dust -3 penalty, 1 round 155 y
- Tears of the Dying -4 penalty, 1 round 455 y
- Essence of a Yurei -5 penalty, 1 round 1355 y
CLOUD/GAS EFFECTS (25% concealment, dissipates in 10 rounds)
- White Quartz Powder Clear Cloud: colorless, odorless gas, unable to be detected normally 20 y
- Black Salts Obscuring Cloud: thick smoke obscures vision beyond 5 ft., 50% concealment if within 5 ft., blindness beyond 40 y
- Basalt Dust Slow Dissipation: after any expansion is finished, the cloud dissipates in 20 rounds instead of 10 60 y
- Soda Ash 5 ft. radius cloud 20 y
- Poppy Juice 10 ft. radius cloud 30 y
- Fronds of the Fire Fern 15 ft. radius cloud 40 y
- Blue Salts 20 ft. radius cloud 50 y
- Termite Mound Residue Cloud expands 5 ft. per round, 1 round 35 y
- Soap-Maker’s Lye Cloud expands 10 ft. per round, 1 round 55 y
- Burning Spring Water Cloud expands 15 ft. per round, 1 round 75 y
- Silver-That-Burns-Water Cloud expands 20 ft. per round, 1 round 120 y
DAMAGE AND HEALING
- Royal Water 1 point of Acid damage (Acid effects continue to deal the same damage for 1 round after they strike) 100 y
- Green Salts 1 point of Choking damage (if aware of the effect, you may hold your breath to avoid damage) 75 y
- Blue Coral 1 point of Cold damage (every 10 points of Cold damage can freeze solid one gallon of room-temperature water) 100 y
- White Spring Brine 1 point of Electricity damage (Electricity damage can sometimes spread through metal, water, or via physical contact) 150 y
- Sulfur 1 point of Fire damage (ignites flammable materials which then deal 1d6 Fire damage per round to themselves and whatever they touch until burnt away or extinguished) 10 y
- Yellow Ore Slag 1 point of Poison damage (Poison damage allows a saving throw to ignore half the damage) 100 y
- Wormwood Oil 1 point of Healing (non-magical) 100 y
- Cream of Aloe Removes 1 point of Non-lethal damage (non-magical) 75 y
- Charcoal 1d4 points of damage or healing 5 y
- Bat Blood 1d6 points of damage or healing 25 y
- Fire Ant Juice 1d8 points of damage or healing 75 y
- Obsidian Grit 1d10 points of damage or healing 180 y
- Rare Earths Mixture 1d12 points of damage or healing 30 y
- Rock of Star’s Descent 1d20 points of damage or healing 750 y
- Quicksilver +1 die 100 y
- Silvered Steel Plate +2 dice 200 y
- Crumbled Sunstone +3 dice 300 y
- Ground Desert Ruby +4 dice 400 y
- Sapphire Pumice +5 dice 500 y
- Green Copper Flakes +6 dice 600 y
- Furnace-Silver +7 dice 700 y
- Essence of True Gold +8 dice 800 y
- Diamond Dust +9 dice 900 y
DAMAGE REDUCTION
- Quicklime DR 1 vs. Acid, 1 round 400 y
- Volcanic Ash DR 1 vs. Cold, 1 round 400 y
- Bulb-Nosed Eel Skin DR 1 vs. Electricity, 1 round 400 y
- Ul-Wan Cream DR 1 vs. Fire, 1 round 400 y
- Clownfish Scales DR 1 vs. Poison, 1 round 400 y
- Red Pearl DR 1 vs. all damage, 1 round 1200 y
- Birshirzi Pine Resin DR 2 100 y
- Ounce of Peridot DR 3 200 y
- Ground Prayer Beads DR 4 400 y
- Salt of Hanai DR 5 600 y
- Old Master’s Solution DR 10 1000 y
- Ice-That-Does-Not-Melt DR 15 2000 y
- Rust of an Ancient Shield DR 20 4000 y
- Uncut Diamond DR 25 6000 y
- Platinum in Acid DR 30 8000 y
- Stone of Eternal Striking Immunity 10,000 y
ENDURANCE ENHANCEMENTS
- Ox Liver + Black Sand Doubles the time it takes to become fatigued/exhausted 140 y
- Elephant Tusk + Red Sand Doubles the time it takes to die after reaching zero or fewer HP 350 y
- Seaweed + White Sand Doubles the time one can hold one’s breath 160 y
DURATIONS
- Hummingbird Wings 1d4 rounds 20 y
- Dragonfly Eyes 1d6 rounds 40 y
- Fresh Sprite Mushrooms 1d8 rounds 60 y
- Field Mouse Whiskers 1d10 rounds 100 y
- Seabird Talon 1d12 rounds 200 y
- Silkworm Cocoon 1d20 rounds 400 y
- Dried Elephant Tongue 1 minute 800 y
- Parrot Tail-Feather 1d4 minutes 1200 y
- Stonecracker Acorns 1d4x10 minutes 1600 y
- Giant Tortoise Egg 1 hour 2400 y
- Petrified Tree Bark 1 day 5000 y
EXPLOSIONS/SPLASH EFFECTS
- Saltpeter 5 ft. Radius explosion/splash 15 y
- Nitre-Soaked Cotton 10 ft. Radius explosion/splash 30 y
- Atsumori Clay 15 ft. Radius explosion/splash 55 y
- Witherite 20 ft. Radius explosion/splash 90 y
- Lead-Coated Lime Spar 25 ft. Radius explosion/splash 175 y
- Widow’s Shale 30 ft. Radius explosion/splash 275 y
NUMERICAL EFFECT ENHANCEMENTS
- Heart of a Bakemono +/- 1 or 10% 1000 y
- Heart of a Yosei +/- 2 or 20% 5000 y
- Heart of an Ogre +/- 3 or 30% 10,000 y
- Heart of an Oni +/- 4 or 40% 20,000 y
- Heart of a Dragon +/- 5 or 50% 50,000 y
PERCENTAGE BONUSES AND PENALTIES
- Jungle-Spider Silk Chance to Climb Walls 90 y
- Black Cedar Ash Chance to Hide in Shadows 110 y
- Dried Lion’s Paw Chance to Move Silently 100 y
- Crude Oil Chance to drop a held item (roll for each item) 130 y
- Camphor Chance to lessen disease effects by 1 stage 150 y
- Ground Amethyst Dust Magic Resistance 250 y
- Fig Wasp Wings +5% chance, 1 round 5 y
- Dried Rabbit’s Foot +10% chance, 1 round 10 y
- Fox Whiskers +15% chance, 1 round 15 y
- Boiled Bat Wings +20% chance, 1 round 20 y
- Red Carp Tail +25% chance, 1 round 25 y
- Three-Legged Frog +30% chance, 1 round 30 y
- Panda Rib Powder +35% chance, 1 round 35 y
- Tien-Tien +40% chance, 1 round 40 y
- Crushed Jade Amulet +45% chance, 1 round 45 y
- Scale of Dragon Belly +50% chance, 1 round 50 y
- Dead Maggots -5% chance, 1 round 5 y
- Locust Husk -10% chance, 1 round 10 y
- Ape Molar -15% chance, 1 round 15 y
- Smoldered Sloth Hairs -20% chance, 1 round 20 y
- Octopus Beak -25% chance, 1 round 25 y
- Brined Jackal Kidneys -30% chance, 1 round 30 y
- Lightning-Struck Wood -35% chance, 1 round 35 y
- Deformed Dog Flesh -40% chance, 1 round 40 y
- Ground Insect of Amber -45% chance, 1 round 45 y
- Bones of the Tar-Slain -50% chance, 1 round 50 y
SPECIAL EFFECTS
- Acid-Treated Silver Sand Bang: save vs. Death Magic or be deafened, 1 round 150 y
- Magnesium Flash: save vs. Spell or be blinded, 1 round 250 y
- Phosphor Glow/Sparkle: no save, affected target is illuminated, 1 round 40 y
- Sumac Leaf Oil Irritant: save vs. Death Magic or suffer -1 to all attacks, damage, initiative, AC, checks, and saves, 1 round 200 y
- Boiled Sake Jelly Sleep: save vs. Paralyzation or fall asleep (non-magical), 1 round 300 y
- Preserved Skunk Glands Stench: save vs. Poison or suffer -2 to attack rolls, 1 round 195 y
SPECIFIC CURES
- Refined Orange-Rind Mash Blindness 2000 y
- Rain-Cup Flower Stamens Deafness 1000 y
- Mandrake Root Milk Paralysis 4000 y
- Elder Elm Rot Black Clam Juice poison 900 y
- Paste of Wild Tiji Grass Brown Clam Juice poison 950 y
- Poi-Root Sprouts Chrysanthemum Red poison 775 y
- Balikini Moss Togo Herb poison 800 y
- Cherry Buds in Vinegar White Pepper Mash poison 500 y
