The simplest way to gain money without working or, God Forbid!, farming is to steal from someone else.
Most people have a little cash on their person, based on their level of personal wealth. If you steal their purse by stealthy or violent means, consult the following chart:
THE WHAT'S IT GOT IN ITS POCKETS TABLE:
| d20 Roll | Column A | Column B |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ball of string | Roll again, column A |
| 2 | A near-rotten piece of raw meat or fish | Crackers and bacon |
| 3 | Half a loaf of bread & wedge of cheese | A box of cookies or biscuits |
| 4 | A bandana or empty belt pouch | A deck of cards |
| 5 | A ceramic chess piece | A fancy game dice |
| 6 | A burlap sack of charcoal | Four candles or a torch |
| 7 | A hastily scribbled list | A map |
| 8 | A tinder box | A common holy book |
| 9 | A collection of rags and handkerchiefs | A small statuette |
| 10 | A whetstone | An uncut gem |
| 11 | An empty glass vial | A simple magnifying glass |
| 12 | A quill and ink | A roll of parchment |
| 13 | A dented bell | A pair of earrings |
| 14 | A collection of buttons | A silver wedding ring |
| 15 | A wool blanket | A flask of middling whisky |
| 16 | A pitcher made out of a gourd | Their tunic or breeches fits a party member |
| 17 | A set of eating utensils | A travel plate |
| 18 | Two well worn knives | An expensive lacy handkerchief |
| 19 | A half-drunk bottle of cheap wine | A vial of fine perfume |
| 20 | Roll again, column B | A smutty storybook |
Most people keep their stuff in their houses.
1–In the Country or Farming Communities
| Building | Ransack Mod | Cash | Lock Box | Goods |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shack | +5 | 1d12x1sp | 0 | minimal |
| Cottage | +2 | 1d12x2gp | 1 | cooking gear, some clothing |
| Farm House | +0 | 1d12x10gp | 3 | farm tools, clothing, cooking gear, basic furniture |
| Barn | -4 | 0 | 0 | animals (at least 2 oxen per farm) or grain |
| Public House | -5 | 1d12x20gp | 6 | Beer, furnishings, food stores |
| Smithy | 0 | 1d12x10gp | 5 | smith tools, iron bars, iron tools |
| Parish Church | -5 | 1d12x50gp | 8 | altar service, gospel or book of hours |
| Manor House, small | -10 | 1d12x200gp | 15 | good furniture, some weaponry, horses |
| Manor House, large | -15 | 1d12x400gp | 20 | good furniture, some weaponry, horses |
Type: Shack: decrepit home of landless laborer; Cottage: small, but nicer home of a landless tenant; Farm House: House of a Militia House-Holder with 1 Hide of Land; Barn: storage building for a farm; Public House: meeting hall, traveler's rest, drinking spot for community; Smithy: local blacksmith; Parish Church: religious structure of the Hundred; Manor House, Small: house of the Lord of a Hundred, perhaps fortified. Manor House, Large: big house of the lord of 2-3 Hundreds, can be a castle.
Ransack Mod: number added on the search roll to see how long the search of the place takes.
Cash: the amount of savings the owners have hidden in the house, half will be in the form of jewelry, gemstones or art, half as coin.
Lock Box: roll 1d20, if the Lock Box number or lower is rolled, then the cash is in some sort of locked box, chest, or safe, which must be opened or carried off (requiring at least 2 people, being very obvious) or pried loose from the floor etc.
Goods: suggested goods one might find, retail value should equal the cash total, but much harder to move and likely to net a lower price at sale.
2–In the Town or City
| Building | Ransack Mod | Cash | Lock Box | Goods |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shack | +5 | 1d12x1sp | 0 | minimal |
| Cottage | +2 | 1d12x2gp | 1 | cooking gear, some clothing |
| Farm House | +0 | 1d12x10gp | 3 | farm tools, basic furniture, clothing |
| Storage Building | -4 | 0 | 0 | animals, foodstuffs |
| Inn | -5 | 1d12x20gp | 6 | Beer, furnishings, food stores |
| Livery | -2 | 1d12x10gp | 5 | horses, hay |
| Common Crafter | 0 | 1d12x10gp | 5 | craft tools, raw materials, furnishings, inventory |
| Parish Church | -5 | 1d12x50gp | 8 | altar service, gospel or book of hours |
| Townhouse | -5 | 1d12x35gp | 10 | craft tools,nicer clothes, furnishings |
| Mansion, small | -10 | 1d12x300gp | 15 | good furniture, some weaponry, artwork |
| Mansion, large | -15 | 1d12x500gp | 20 | good furniture, some weaponry, artwork |
| Warehouse, small | -15 | 1d12x300gp | 15 | many goods |
| Warehouse, large | -25 | 1d12x600gp | 20 | many,many goods |
Special places like garrisons, armories, cathedrals, wizard's towers are properly part of full-fledged adventurers, not random plunderings.
Type: Shack: decrepit home of landless laborer; Cottage: small, but nicer home of a landless tenant; Farm House: House of a Militia House-Holder with 1 Hide of Land who farms near the town; Storage Building: small storage building for local supplies; Inn: meeting hall, traveler's rest, drinking spot for community; Livery: place for horses and wagons inside the town. Common Craftsmans: house and shop for bnalcksmith, shoe-maker, tailor, etc; Parish Church: religious structure of the Hundred; Townhouse: larger multi-story house and shop for more successful craftsmen and the like. Mansion, small: nice house for city lord or successful merchant. Mansion, large: very nice house for great noble house or the great merchant families. Warehouses: merchant warehouses holding large amount of goods in bulk for trade.
3–Ransack Roll
When you want to tear up a place to find all the valuables, hidden on not, you need to make a Ransack roll to determine how long it takes. The character with the highest Investigation skill score or Intelligence bonus rolls a check, add +1 for each person helping, +2 if that person has Investigation skill, add or subtract the Ransack Modifier for the building type, and look at the following table to determine the length of time it takes to gather the valuables. You can specify a full search which yields all valuables present, or a quick search which yields half the value.
| Ransack Roll Total | Full Search Time | Quick Search Time |
|---|---|---|
| -5 or less | 2 hours | 1 hour |
| -4 to -1 | 1 hour | 30 minutes |
| 0-4 | 45 minutes | 20 minutes |
| 5-8 | 30 minutes | 10 minutes |
| 9-12 | 25 minutes | 12 minutes |
| 13-16 | 20 minutes | 10 minutes |
| 17-20 | 15 minutes | 8 minutes |
| 21-24 | 10 minutes | 5 minutes |
| 25-28 | 5 minutes | 2 minutes |
| 29+ | 2 minutes | 1 minute |
If a lock-box is found, it will take 1 minute per attempt to pick the lock. To pry it out of the building it will take 1 minute per attempt (DC 20, Strength Bonus of 2 people, disadvantage if you don't have a crowbar).
4–Heat
The thing about robbing people is that people live in a society which doesn't like it when people get robbed. The chance that people will notice and raise the “Hue and Cry” (legal requirement for all men nearby come to stop crime) depends on where you are and how long the crime lasts.
| Location | Check Frequency | Likely Response | Reinforcements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Trail | once per hour | 2d6 woodsmen | 1 per half hour, Local lord, household troops |
| Isolated Farmstead | once per hour | 2d6 militia | 1 per half hour, local lord, many militia |
| Village | once per 5 minutes | 1-2 milita per house in sight | every 5 minutes, all militia |
| Town or City | once per minute | 2d6 neighbors | once per minute, 3d6 militia |
Most law enforcement is carried out by the militia of country householders or town building owners led by the local lord.
When a crime is committed, when the frequency time is expired roll 1d6. If there was a witness to the crime then response will occur on a 1-3, if there were no witnesses, then response will happen on a 1. Keep checking each frequency period until the response happens. If the malefactors stay in the area after the initial response, check for reinforcements at the indicated frequency with them appearing on a 1-3 on a d6.