Loot & Discovery
How Items and Materials actually reach a character's hands, whether earned through combat, found through exploration, or granted by the story.
Drops, Loot and Discovery
Items obtained through loot, discovery, and crafting are determined by dice rolls, universally D100. Their rank, and in many cases condition and quality, all determining value, are tied to thresholds set by their respective sources' Ranks.
Items acquired through other means, such as purchasing from vendors, trading, questing, and gifting, are usually obtained as written in the module, or often at the discretion of the GM.
The higher the rank, the more extraordinary the circumstances required to obtain it, not just the roll, but the encounter itself.
For example: Asmodeus' "Crown of Darkness" is a Divine item that not only has an extremely rare chance of dropping, but it's rare to even face †Asmodeus, let alone earn the chance of rolling for his loot.
†Asmodeus, as all higher powers may not be killed, but Players can still earn loot from these encounters, only available through special Divine Lore Quests.
There are examples of Rank mentioned throughout this book, but Rank is covered more extensively in the GM's Codex.
Item Ranks & Drop Rates
| Rank | Default Drop Chance |
|---|---|
| Common | Most entities, rank-dependent (see below) |
| Uncommon | ~10% |
| Rare | ~7% |
| Unique | ~6% |
| Heroic | ~5% |
| Elite | ~4% |
| Legendary | ~3% |
| Divine | ~0.01% |
Most entities will drop Common as long as a character's rank and LVL is reasonably close to the target's. As a character increases in rank, the odds of items dropping will decrease. Quest items will always have a chance to drop, but other items will drop less frequently. Materials dropped by lower LVL targets will drop at the same rate, but more commonly at Poor quality, refer to the Rank Differential Loot Scaling table below.
Rank Differential, Loot Scaling
| Rank Gap | Effect |
|---|---|
| Within 1 rank | Full drop rates apply |
| 2 ranks above target | Common item drops reduced by 50%; materials drop at Poor quality |
| 3 ranks above target | Common items no longer drop; quest items retain their chance; materials drop at Poor quality |
| 4+ ranks above target | No item drops; materials only, at Poor quality; quest items still have a minimum chance |
LVL acts as a secondary modifier within the same rank, if a character is 5 or more LVLs above a same-rank target, apply the next tier down. Quest items always retain at least a minimum drop chance regardless of rank gap, as defined on the card or in the module.
Loot rank is determined by the Creature's Rank. Each Creature will carry items of its own rank and all ranks below it, but the likelihood of obtaining loot decreases as the Creature's rank increases. If the Creature's LVL and rank are significantly below the attacker's, it will likely drop nothing unless part of a quest.