Gold, jewels and magical items are an overplayed trope as a reward for a world saving adventure. For too long have parties slain the dragon and claimed a horde of regular "valuables".
A true way to subvert expectations, and still provide a good reward is to tell your players that the friends they made on the way is worth all the gold in the world :D
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Thats why i take the Harvest Parts feat.
nah
heres how you do the pile of gold.
its a huge cube of gold
how the fuck are you going to fucking get it out?
thats the puzzle
So it's like
>DM: "After slaying the dragon and treating your wounds you can finally loot all the treasure"
>Player: "So what's the treasure?"
>DM: "The players reading this"
The truest way to subvert expectations nowadays is to not, build it it up like you are/might then bam! Play it straight.
>Party fights their way through a dungeon of iron golems
>Finds supposed treasureburied under massive stone slab
>Remove slab
>Peace on Earth was all it said
GO AHEAD AND HATE YOUR NEIGHBOR, GO AHEAD AND CHEAT A FRIEND
I nearly thought this would be a shitpost because the catalog trailed off at "A true way to subvert expectations," and I was about to post chiding you for being one of those faggots who thinks that subversion of expectations is a worthy goal in and of itself instead of just being the masturbation of the creative world, but then I finished reading the post and realized it was one of those funny shitposts.
So, good on you, OP.
>Gold, jewels and magical items are an overplayed trope as a reward for a world saving adventure. For too long have parties slain the dragon and claimed a horde of regular "valuables".
I agree. Claiming a horde of sex slaves is far more rewarding.
>Deeds
>mining stocks
>transferable indulgences
Sexual favors
Titles / Nobility of some kind
Permanent buffs - magic or 'learned'
Social recognition / reputation
Discounts?
Now the Fortress of Eternal Evil is empty and ready for renovation & PC occupation
Companions - animals, magical beasts, servants, followers, apprentices, harems, 'companions'
Exploitable resources - a mine, beehives, 40 acres and a mule, etc.
Global teleporter network access
"Your work here is done heroes! But other worlds and other realms yet suffer under the yoke of Evil! I will send you through the portal to another reality where your heroic spirit will survive to inhabit a new form, and you can push back the darkness for all!"
Fucking valley people. Should have wiped them out along time ago
>friends
But the rest of the party hates me.
Tesla-tech that will take years of study to develop into civilization-altering boons or war weapons
A curse that can cause overwhelming scarcity of an important good, like food or iron, allowing the players to corner the market.
Blackmail to use on nobles or kings.
I need more evil loot.
A shrink ray to miniaturize and steal a monument.
a giant mechanical 2 headed dragon that shoots lasers built by an ancient civilization
its super steel construction resists any attack
it follows your every command and can destroy cities
Does that mean the players are mimics?
Are you my dm ?
After the dungeon, which was on a square mat, he gave us one of the marker and said:
>You can take this ENOURMOUS electrum bar ONLY if you can solve how to take it out
It took us 1 hour and a half. There was 3 floors and Zelda level traps.
AND AFTER ALL OF THIS, the moon was high in the sky, SO OBIOUSLY we got attacked by zombie AND bandies trying to steal our loot.
>Inb8 good times playing d&d on low levels
Purity of essence
>the friends they made on the way is worth all the gold in the world
>Implying the players didnt slaughter every person, crossing their ways.
>you defeat the dragon
>It lets out a skyward scream of rage and agony, then it's body solidifies into a giant gold statue
>This is your reward for killing the dragon
>The enemy is finally defeated
>Our hero is bent but not broken
>He rises to one knee
>As our hero looks up a familiar face
>The woman whose only child was killed by the villain
>They exchange a solemn look
>A streak of blood runs from a cut over his eye
>"Thank you user. You're a true hero."
>*fade to black*
My thoughts exactly.
Companionship, social contacts, gratitude, these have worth, I won't deny it. But not ridiculous "all the gold" value. Actual friends won't over-value themselves like that, and you can always replace incidental friends with new ones.
If you want to go for intangible rewards, better things to offer are self-esteem, fame, or just the fun of it. Or sick necrobeastiality stuff. Because there are only so many reasons to slay monsters if they don't have treasure.