Glåugust '26 entry 2: Treasure Books
Something I intend to do more in the games I run is provide treasure primarily as items rather than coinage. It's cool to find a hefty sack of silver in a murky raider's den, but I think it's far more interesting to recover instead a bronze bust of the local area's famed general-hero (cast when they were still alive). Items hold more opportunity to put the world's history and dynamics in front of the players, and maybe even get them to care about it a bit :0
And what better world-infused type of treasure than books?
sprite from Caves of Qud
Books of Value
Since the introduction of the mechanical scribe by the dwarf Edu of Arganoi 200 years ago, printed text has become available to most urbanites the Continent over. Despite this, demand for hand-written, illuminated books has not waned, and these still fetch a (staggeringly) high price. A fine volume of natural philosophy with illustrations can cost the learned aristocrat upwards of twenty horse-worths! Naturally, the older and more lavish the tome, the more valuable it will be to those interested in collecting, much less those who pursue rare tomes for their contents.
1d12 books to find as treasure, and who would buy them
(Prices here use the silver standard. 1sp is 1gp in generic settings.)
| 1d12 | Treasure book |
|---|---|
| 1 | The Measures. By Innan the Younger, in Dwarven. Details the size and distances of celestial objects, as well as how to derive them. Extrapolates these to measure time, the age of the world, and when the moons will eventually collide. Worth 1,500sp to scholars and learned aristocrats. |
| 2 | Teachings in the Public Arcade. In Lilaic. Illuminated collection of extracanonical teachings on civility given by the Daughter of the Sun. Dubious historicity, but not heretical. Worth 1,200sp to Devonionist clergy. |
| 3 | On the Holding & Cultivation of Estates. By Lord Prinder, in Noblesse. "See then that your slaves be clothed as our own brothers and sisters, lest they come to see in the markets and public places that they outnumber their superiors ten to the one." Treatise on the extraction of wealth from those under your power. Worth 1,000sp to nobles and land-bullies. |
| 4 | Hymns of Lamentation. In Old Bravamite. Despairs and half-hopes of a subjugated people put to meter and tone. At least five authors' contributions, in as many verse-types. Worth 2,000sp to historians and Bravamite chroniclers. |
| 5 | Edelweiss Census XIV. By Asteth, in Elven. 14th census of every attested elf in the world (as of ~400 years ago), though many are accounted for only as a number. Worth 15,000sp to researchers or enemies of elves. |
| 6 | Drake-End. In Lilaic. "Thus ended the Age Draconic." Beautiful inkbrush illustrations accompany the most famous heroic tale on the Continent. This copy is closer to the actual events than to today. Worth 16,000sp to aristocrats and regents. |
| 7 | Survey of the Saltlands. By Mercy na-Nenal, in Na'ashite. Half atlas, half ethnograph. Details the peoples of the outer Saltlands, with a conspicuous hole at its center: the domain of the Ur-Molds (author only notes, "...their coral palace can be seen from a ridgetop, but already my head aches at its glimpse.") Worth 2,500sp to geographers and explorers. |
| 8 | Droplets Upon the Bay-Leaves. By Telelox, in Ridian. Book of poems about daily life, household pets, and quiet moments. Subversively unexciting. Worth 1,000sp to aristocrats and artists. |
| 9 | Katabasis. In Dwarven. First-hand account of a journey below the foundations of the earth and the many jeweled palaces and sunless fields therein. The entrance's exact location (the "Bedrock Door") is widely debated. Worth 5,000sp to occultists and dwarven scholars. |
| 10 | Dame Zumurrud and the Painted Witch. By Hanah the Whitefurred, in Na'ashite. Illuminated erotica disguised as a knightly legend. The witch is an albino ferretfen, just like the author... Worth 1,500sp to sapphics and pent-up clergy. |
| 11 | Brazen plate-book. In an unknown language. Metal plates etched with inscrutable, pristine diagrams and lines of repeating dot-clusters, bound by cord through crudely punched holes. Ink notes in Dynastic attempt to make sense of them with little success: "Is this an image of a Stranger's machine or architecture? Map?" Worth 20,000sp to occultists and scholars of Strangers. |
| 12 | Her Works at the Hill of Orchards. In Lilaic. Apocryphal account of the Daughter of the Sun healing a host of beggars, and then failing to heal a Lilaic general's stroke. The Daughter admonishes the general's actions in war, his wrath preventing her healing from working. De-canonized and highly heretical. Worth 8,000sp to fringe Devotionists and heretics. |
Generator for generic books to find as treasure
Roll on these tables to cook up a book and its value, or use them to estimate what kind of book to substitute for a given amount of coin-treasure.
Roll 1d6 or pick for a non-standard book type/medium. Otherwise, just go with leather-bound parchment or whatever.
| 1d6 | Type |
|---|---|
| 1 | Cord-bound wood slabs |
| 2 | Silk scroll |
| 3 | Bound bamboo slips |
| 4 | Stack of metal discs |
| 5 | Fold-out canvas |
| 6 | Strings of beads |
Roll 2d6 for the book's content.
| 2d6 | Contents and Value |
|---|---|
| 2 | Biography (famous person), 1,500sp to nobles and regents |
| 3 | Legend (fantasy), 1,500sp to wealthy urbanites |
| 4 | Romance, 1,200sp to poets and aristocrats |
| 5 | Mathematics/Sciences, 1,200sp to scholars and inventors |
| 6 | Religious text, 1,200sp to clergy and scribes |
| 7 | Legend (historical), 500sp to historians and aristocrats |
| 8 | Natural Encyclopedia, 800sp to scholars and explorers |
| 9 | Historical account, 1,000sp to librarians and studious types |
| 10 | Poetry/Song, 1,000sp to aristocrats and artists |
| 11 | Artisan's instructional, 2,000sp to artisans and collectors |
| 12 | Magical study, 5,000sp to mages and researchers |
Roll 1d100 to modify the book. If doubles (11, 55, etc.), keep and roll another modifier. Go up or down a row for results that are incompatible with the book's age.
| 1d100 | Modifier |
|---|---|
| 1-25 | Mass-printed, x0.25 value |
| 26-40 | Incomplete, x0.5 value |
| 41-75 | Hand-copied |
| 76-80 | Illustrated, x1.5 value |
| 81-90 | Well-annotated, +500sp |
| 91-97 | Illuminated, x2 value |
| 98-99 | Inlaid/Encrusted, x3 value |
| 100 | Original, x10 value & roll again |
This is my second entry for Glåugust 2026, using the prompt Books as Treasure. It's been awesome writing for these, I feel like I'm overflowing with inspiration! Hopefully you find some use or inspiration out of my tables of non-spell books :3