RANDOM TREASURES (Remastered) - Ditch Searches that Suck and Surprise Your Players

You know that moment when your players spend ten minutes searching a room, roll a 5, and you sigh before saying, "You find… nothing"? Yeah, we're done with that. In this episode, the RPGBOT crew grabs the Dungeon Master's Guide by the binding and asks the real questions: Why are searches so boring, and why do your players keep looting every chair leg like it's the Ark of the Covenant? It's time to make treasure exciting again — and maybe throw in a cursed spoon or two for good measure. Show Notes In this episode of the RPGBOT.Podcast, the hosts take on one of the most common sins in tabletop RPGs — the search that sucks. You know the one: endless die rolls, arbitrary DCs, and players who either find everything or nothing. The crew dives deep into how to fix bad exploration mechanics, use random treasure tables intelligently, and design rewards that actually matter. They cover: How to balance Perception vs. Investigation checks in D&D 5e and One D&D. When to use Passive Perception to keep exploration flowing. How to curate random treasures so rewards feel tailored, not tacked on. Procedural generation and OSR-style loot tables for DMs who want surprise without chaos. The psychology of reward design—why a potion of healing can feel more exciting than a +1 sword. How Pathfinder 2e's treasure parcel system solves common D&D loot issues. Turning random loot into story hooks that feed back into your worldbuilding. Whether you're running a gritty hexcrawl, a dungeon delve, or a modern urban fantasy, you'll walk away with tools to ditch dull searches and make every treasure feel earned. Key Takeaways Roll less, describe more. Replace meaningless Perception checks with interactive exploration and sensory clues. Random doesn't mean meaningless. Curate your treasure tables around your campaign's themes. Passive Perception is your pacing tool. Use it to keep exploration snappy without robbing players of agency. Economy matters. Gold, consumables, and downtime rewards all affect campaign health. Player engagement > item rarity. Surprise players with creativity, not just loot value. Procedural tools save prep time. Random tables and generators can be incredible when you understand their purpose. Reward discovery, not just dice. Make your players feel clever when they find something hidden — even if you planned it all along. If you've ever caught yourself saying "You find nothing," it's time to level up your DM game. Head to RPGBOT.net for guides on treasure design, reward pacing, and exploration mechanics, and don't forget to subscribe to the RPGBOT.Podcast on your favorite platform. Rate and review to help other GMs find the show — and maybe, just maybe, help us all stop handing out 17 identical potions of healing. Welcome to the RPGBOT Podcast. If you love Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, and tabletop RPGs, this is the podcast for you. Support the show for free: Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any podcast app. It helps new listeners find the best RPG podcast for D&D and Pathfinder players. Level up your experience: Join us on Patreon to unlock ad-free access to RPGBOT.net and the RPGBOT Podcast, chat with us and the community on the RPGBOT Discord, and jump into live-streamed RPG podcast recordings. Support while you shop: Use our Amazon affiliate link at https://amzn.to/3NwElxQ and help us keep building tools and guides for the RPG community. Meet the Hosts Tyler Kamstra – Master of mechanics, seeing the Pathfinder action economy like Neo in the Matrix. Randall James – Lore buff and technologist, always ready to debate which Lord of the Rings edition reigns supreme. Ash Ely – Resident cynic, chaos agent, and AI's worst nightmare, bringing pure table-flipping RPG podcast energy. Join the RPGBOT team where fantasy roleplaying meets real strategy, sarcasm, and community chaos. How to Find Us: In-depth articles, guides, handbooks, reviews, news on Tabletop Role Playing at RPGBOT.net Tyler Kamstra BlueSky: @rpgbot.net TikTok: @RPGBOTDOTNET Ash Ely Professional Game Master on StartPlaying.Games BlueSky: @GravenAshes YouTube: @ashravenmedia Randall James BlueSky: @GrimoireRPG Amateurjack.com Read Melancon: A Grimoire Tale (affiliate link) Producer Dan @Lzr_illuminati