Art and Other Fancy Loot
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By Wolfgang Baur
Illustration by Udon Studios with Jim Zubkavich
There are only so many artists in the world, and most of them aren’t any good. Ergo, fine art is worth money. How much money, asks the curious adventurer? That depends.
ART AND CULTURAL LEVEL
All art objects fall into three rough categories: tribal/nomadic, low culture, and high culture. Art created by a tribal or nomadic society that possesses relatively simple tools, few resources, and little time to devote to art (such as barbarians and most humanoids) is likely to be fairly crude. Cultures with low levels of technological development create art primarily to satisfy the religious needs of jealous gods or despots, and often work in bronze or stone. On the other hand, works of art created by Iron Age or medieval cultures can take a wide variety of forms, and are not necessarily religiously or politically inspired.
Dwarven and elven artists are highly valued for the excellence of their art. They work in forms not always understood by humans, but their work always commands a premium price from aristocrats, collectors, and royalty.
Rarest of all are enchanted artworks. These do not have useful magical properties, but instead use magic to create the artwork (such as levitating several pieces of a sculpture), or to enhance its appearance (such as a shimmering, glowing, or moving tapestry).
MASTERWORK
Some works of art are works of genius, crafted so skillfully that they are acknowledged as among the finest of their kind. Recognizing such a work requires a successful DC 20 Appraise check. Anyone lucky enough to own a masterwork piece of art can typically expect 5 times the usual value for it in gold—assuming the buyer recognizes the art for what it is with his own successful Appraise check. Some works of genius look like junk, or offend the taste of the public—if the buyer does not agree that an item is a work of genius, the offering price is one quarter of the usual price for the artwork.
TAPESTRIES AND CARPETS
The most expensive and elaborate art in a medieval castle was woven—carpets and tapestries crafted from cotton, silk, or wool. The finest of these could be the work of dozens of weavers over the course of several years; the crudest are created between one camp and the next on a nomad’s basic hanging loom.
Table 1: Tapestries and Carpets
| d% | Type | Approx. Size (ft.) | Weight (pounds) | Value (gp) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01–10 | Cotton, Low | 4 × 6 | 36 | 20 |
| 11–18 | Cotton, High | 6 × 10 | 90 | 100 |
| 19–30 | Wool, Nomadic | 4 × 6 | 48 | 300 |
| 31–45 | Wool, Low | 8 × 12 | 192 | 900 |
| 46–60 | Wool, High | 10 × 12 | 240 | 2,000 |
| 61–62 | Wool, Enchanted | 4 × 5 | 50 | 5,000 |
| 63–68 | Wool, Dwarven | 4 × 8 | 70 | 500 |
| 69–70 | Silk, Nomadic | 6 × 10 | 60 | 2,000 |
| 71–80 | Silk, Low | 10 × 12 | 120 | 5,000 |
| 81–95 | Silk, High | 15 × 30 | 450 | 12,000 |
| 96–99 | Silk, Elven | 15 × 20 | 300 | 10,000+ |
| 00 | Silk, Enchanted | 6 × 10 | 150 | 15,000 |
Damage and Appraisal
Paintings, tapestries, and carpets are all prone to damage from water, destruction by mold or rodents, bleaching from sunlight, as well as rips, wear, and tear. Appraising conditions can help adventurers avoid carrying off the shiniest but most subtly damaged works. As a rule, damage reduces the value of these items by 20 to 90%.
SCULPTURE AND CARVINGS
Sculpture is a seemingly simple art: carve something out of wood or stone, or cast it in metal. In fact, doing it well requires both excellent tools and a high degree of skill. Tribal cultures can work with wood and stone; only high cultures and a few low cultures can work with difficult metals like iron and mithral.
Table 2: Sculptures
| d% | Type | Typical Weight | Value (gp) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01–09 | Wood, Tribal | 3 | 1–6 |
| 10–13 | Wood, Low | 10 | 2–20 |
| 14–20 | Wood, High | 20+ | 4–80 |
| 21–28 | Stone, Tribal | 20 | 10–100 |
| 29–34 | Stone, Low | 40 | 250 |
| 35–40 | Stone, High | 100 | 1,000 |
| 41–45 | Stone, Dwarven | 400 | 4,000 |
| 46–47 | Stone, Enchanted | 200 | 3,000 |
| 48–50 | Bronze, Tribal | 3 | 10 |
| 51–56 | Bronze, Low | 10 | 100 |
| 57–66 | Bronze, High | 40 | 400 |
| 67 | Bronze, Enchanted | 20 | 4,000 |
| 68–71 | Silver, Tribal | 1 | 25 |
| 72–76 | Silver, Low | 5 | 50 |
| 77–80 | Silver, High | 10 | 500 |
| 81 | Silver, Dwarven | 50 | 5,000 |
| 82 | Silver, Enchanted | 20 | 6,000 |
| 83 | Gold, Tribal | 1 | 150 |
| 84–86 | Gold, Low | 2 | 600 |
| 87–89 | Gold, High | 5 | 1,500 |
| 90 | Gold, Elven | 10 | 3,500 |
| 91 | Gold, Dwarven | 40 | 20,000 |
| 92 | Gold, Enchanted | 20 | 15,000 |
| 93 | Iron, Low | 250 | 6,000 |
| 94–95 | Iron, High | 300 | 18,000 |
| 96 | Iron, Dwarven | 200 | 24,000 |
| 97 | Iron, Enchanted | 200 | 30,000 |
| 98 | Mithral, High | 10 | 25,000 |
| 99 | Mithral, Elven | 10 | 50,000+ |
| 00 | Mithral, Enchanted | 10 | 75,000+ |
PAINTINGS
Paintings on boards or leather are rarely as rich in color or as well preserved as those done on canvas with oils, tempera, varnish, and the full range of technique. Both are fairly common in the halls of nobles and the wealthy.
Icons
Religious paintings are sometimes so beloved by believers that the paintings themselves are venerated and worshiped; these paintings are known as icons. Most icons show a champion, saint, or avatar of the god, and all are decorated with gold leaf and precious and semi-precious stones. Icons are worth 3 times the usual rate for the additional materials and quality; to a believer, they can be worth 5 times the usual rate for such work.
