Treasure made from monsters

[Seak]

In the games that I've played or gamemastered in, me and my group often come across monsters with "Treasure: None" that we want to get some value from. One example is when my players killed a dire bear and wanted to take its pelt. So far, we've handled it as a survival check of DC 15+CR with the part harvested worth CR*CR*10 gp. I loosely based this off of pathfinder's "Harvest Parts" feat.

I wanted to know who else here has this type of treasure looting at there table. How do you handle it mechanically? How do you value monster parts? Any other tips or stories related to the topic are welcome!

[Falontani]

My table has created a base class that can harness the powers of monsters through knowledge, surgery, and a first-like process that isn't at all related to the magical graft items.

In addition, Snatch Trophy, Trophy Collector, and Heads Up are all decent feats along those lines.

As for hides I usually do something similar to what you do, but count it as raw materials for crafting. Then they can "craft a pelt" worth up to 20xCR of the creature using normal craft skills.

[Seak]

My table has created a base class that can harness the powers of monsters through knowledge, surgery, and a first-like process that isn't at all related to the magical graft items.

In addition, Snatch Trophy, Trophy Collector, and Heads Up are all decent feats along those lines.

As for hides I usually do something similar to what you do, but count it as raw materials for crafting. Then they can "craft a pelt" worth up to 20xCR of the creature using normal craft skills.

I haven't seen these feats yet, thanks! At my table, after the players harvest a pelt they typically use it for magic items to give them more pizzazz. What's cooler, some boots of the winterlands, or some boots of the winterlands made from a bear you wrestled to death?

[Falontani]

I haven't seen these feats yet, thanks! At my table, after the players harvest a pelt they typically use it for magic items to give them more pizzazz. What's cooler, some boots of the winterlands, or some boots of the winterlands made from a bear you wrestled to death?

Boots of the Winterlands made from the hide of a winter wolf killed by a snowcaster's fire spell

[Thurbane]

Some interesting ideas in this thread: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?539857-Items-From-Dead-Creatures


Not sure if this is exactly what the OP is looking for:

Gem Scarab Carapace (MM5 p.63): 1-100gp
Giant Eagle Egg (MM1 p.93): 2,500gp
Giant Owl Egg (MM1 p.205): 2,500gp
Griffon Egg (MM1 p.140): 3,500gp
Hippogriff Egg (MM1 p.152): 2,000gp
Lodestone Marauder Eggs (MM4 p.91): 4,000gp
Mastodon Tusk (MM3 p.101): 500gp +
Necrosis Carnex "Iron Bands" (MM4 p.105): 200gp
Night Hag "Heartstone" (MM1 p.194): 1,800gp
Pegasus Eggs (MM1 p.206): 2,000gp
Pseudodragon Egg (MM1 p.211): 10,000gp
Quanlos Stinger (MM4 p.123): 1,000gp/500gp
Quanlos Venom (MM4 p.123): 50gp/dose
Siege Beetle Shell (MM5 p.153); 2,000gp*
Siege Crab "Force Carapace" (MM3 p.156): 200,000gp
Skiruid "Shadow Nugget" (MM4 p.127): 1,000gp
Spider Eater Egg (MM1 p.234): 2,000gp
Steelwing "Razorfeathers" (MM5 p.169): 50gp each
Steelwing Egg (MM5 p.169): 10,000gp
Unicorn Horn (MM1 p.249): 2,000gp
Whitespaen Iceskidder Egg (MM4 p.163): 7,000gp

[Malphegor]

If it has shoulderblades, then you have a flimsy but useable shovel due to the shape of the bone.

Bards should probably know how to whittle a bird's bones to make a flute.

A rogue who isn't squeamish can probably make an improvised dagger from a corpse.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bone_tool

[tstewt1921]

There is a feat in the DMG 2 I believe that is basically what you are already doing. You get like 100g x CR with the Taxidermy skill or something like that and make trophies.

[Segev]

I think it might've been interesting to list treasure for some monsters as specifically allowing components of their bodies to be used in crafting specific magic items, with "market prices" given. The market price being how much of the crafting cost they equate to, and also the value for which the adventurers who harvest them could sell for half of.

[Gallowglass]

The 2nd edition Monstrous Manual was notably hilarious for having an "ecology" blurb for each monster which mostly amounted to how much money you could harvest from the dead body.

[Zombulian]

Saintheart started a nice homebrew (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?560811-Eye-of-newt-toe-of-frog-casterless-item-creation-Playtesting-please-use) on this topic.

[False God]

As you did, it's a Survival or Knowledge: Nature check. Enough success (in steps of +5) above the DC increases the "quality" of the parts, which I use later as a modifier in sales or in NPC reactions if worn or used as decoration. I'll also accept certain related crafting skills depending on the parts and animal in question.

[RedMage125]

What's cooler, some boots of the winterlands, or some boots of the winterlands made from a bear you wrestled to death?

Cloak of Displacement made from Displacer Beast fur. Maybe the tentacles drape over the shoulders for clasps.
Gauntlet of Rust made from Rust Monster chitin.
Boots of Elvenkind made from...

[Quertus]

Boots of Elvenkind made from...

Elven kindness?

[Fizban]

In the games that I've played or gamemastered in, me and my group often come across monsters with "Treasure: None" that we want to get some value from. One example is when my players killed a dire bear and wanted to take its pelt. So far, we've handled it as a survival check of DC 15+CR with the part harvested worth CR*CR*10 gp. I loosely based this off of pathfinder's "Harvest Parts" feat.

I wanted to know who else here has this type of treasure looting at there table. How do you handle it mechanically? How do you value monster parts? Any other tips or stories related to the topic are welcome!
Back in the day I was totally there to carve up the dragon, but I've soured on the concept over time. The disparate and arbitrary existing mechanics are, well disparate and arbitrary. They rarely have anything to do with the creature itself, instead being some formula based on a completely different mechanic, like skills or CR or the price of an item a player could make. Add to this the fact that it'd be my (the DM) job to make sure appropriate loot is being found anyway, and it seems superfluous. If I pick the monsters and place the treasure and have the ability to designate anything or nothing as valuable, why would I need to worry about a Treasure: None entry?

For simplicity it is best to assume, as per the default, that no monster parts have inherent value unless already stated as part of their stat/treasure block, because otherwise you will absolutely run into something annoying eventually- such as having to come up with believable values for the hide of everything that exists (and the claws, and. . .). If I want a monster part to have inherent value then I will simply make it so, probably counting it as part of their treasure, but this would only happen for extremely specific things. MM5 has a number of monsters that explicitly leave behind valuable remains, that sort of thing. Even then it'd probably only see use in a megadungeon/soulslike/something campaign, where the fights are against unique foes. Basically, instead of assigning a big fancy item, I might assign a fancy monster part that could be crafted into a choice of item (just boom, item). But in order for that item to be significant in any way other than being sold/used as "miscellaneous crafting components," it has to be worth the treasure of multiple monsters, so it can't be a "standard" thing. Even monsters with "triple standard" treasure can't actually have that sort of treatment in place of their treasure rating, because treasure placement is subordinate to the adventure, not the monsters that happen to be in it. And heck, even even then, I'm more likely to go full on soulslike and just have you get Xgp worth of essence and unlock Y thematic item.

There's also the fact that a lot of this does originate with "carving up the dragon." Granted, a Dire Bear pelt ought to be similarly impressive to an Elephant hide, but the game doesn't particularly value those either. If I had a player really, really pressing it, I'd let them roll a profession check based on how long they spend turning their free materials into saleable materials (so, 1/2 result in gp per week). But with Draconomicon putting price tags on half a dozen different dragon pieces, when dragons are supposed to be intelligent allies and enemies? When I'm still wondering if there's really a way to have that cake and eat it too (both monster dragons and person dragons) when a fairly major point of default DnD is the massive section of tables for the five chromatic and five metallic True Dragons which all function the same? Yeah, I don't think I need harvesting as a "thing."