GemTables 1.5
GemTables 1.5
GemTables 1.5
Bloated Blowfish
Index Page
Index 2
Introduction 3
AD&D Dungeon Master’s Guild General Tables 4-5
Quick Gem Table 6
Advanced Gem Table(s) 7-12
Table Notes/ Clarifications 13
Example in Play 13
Complete Gem Table(s) 14-16
Gem Color 17
Gem Shape 18
Page | 3
“All energy builds and coalesces from that primal source; the Land”. Mages toil away in pursuit of the perfect spell,
collecting material components and chanting strange incantations, while Clerics skitter about exploring the world
and saving souls, leaning heavily on their chosen deity for inspiration and guidance. All along a gem repeals itself
and intones deep vibrations, rekindling its energy and patiently waiting for its release. While its energy is of the
Land, understanding the fitful call of the stone, and how it interacts with its surroundings is paramount. Above all
else abide by the Geomancer’s Creed:
~“Always remain in awe of, infused by, attuned to, the Land”~
Vespers of Stonework - Mordakai Vision, 702 ET
Greetings,
Thanks for taking the time to peruse my updated Gem Charts. This version contains the same Gem Tables as
before, but now also includes Gem Color Tables and Gem Shape Tables.
Part of my reason for creating these was to set the foundation for a Gem Class character for 1st Edition called
the Geomancer. A Geomancer can attune him/herself to certain gems, of which once they are linked together;
the player will be able to access certain spell-like abilities. Some will be offensive, some defensive, and some for
personal use. As they level up, they may discover the same stone has multiple abilities that they can access.
As I have designed this class from the ground up, my first inclination was to stay away from Offensive spells, but
then it dawned on me that many of the stones themselves already have a name (based on their class) that eludes
to some sort of magical convention. One such example is the “Pitch Opal”. Once attuned to this stone, a
Geomancer could use the same stone for 3 separate spells (once he/she acquires sufficient levels and fully learns
attunement):
This has been a thirty-five year odyssey for me, learning this wonderful game and developing my own additions
to what I certainly consider to be the finest gaming experience I 've ever enjoyed. As I progress in testing this new
class, I will add onto these pages and hopefully one day soon, you too can see the Geomancer for yourself
Until then, I'm hopeful that you find this collection of Gems and Stones to be an aid to you while creating your
modules and campaigns.
As the Geomancers Creed so lovingly intones “I remain in awe of, infused by, and attuned to, the Land”
Good Gaming,
Bloated Blowfish
Page 4
In AD&D 1st Edition games, much has been written about weapons & armor, and an equal amount has
been recorded for the DM that needs to flesh out a random dungeon. Gems and jewels, a precious
commodity that can lighten the load of the player, and draw the eye of a resourceful thief have just
one and a half pages of information. Page 25 presents a Gem Value Chart:
This is a quick and simple procedure and gives basic results. The one thing to stress here is that two
rubies; one of huge quality and another of small quality can indeed be at the opposite end of the
spectrum for value. As well, do not discount choosing a few stones for your campaign that are
extremely rare, yet very small. Not every gem stone that is huge has as much value as say a Carbanado
Diamond. Pyrite is one such example, wherein a huge chunk weighing several pounds might fetch a
couple hundred gold pieces, while that same Diamond that weighs scant ounces fetches five hundred
times that amount. Thus, page 26 details an additional chart that gives a DM the chance to roll a D10
for each gem he's created and see if it has gained or lost value.
Die Result
1 Stone increases to next higher base value; roll again ignoring results above 8. Stones above 5,000
gold piece value progress as follows: 10,000 GP, 25,000 GP, 50,000 GP, 100,000 GP, 250,000 GP,
500,000 GP, and 1,000,000 GP - the absolute maximum. No stone may increase beyond 7 places
from its initial base value.
2 Stone is double base value. Do not roll again.
3 Stone is 10% to 60% above base value. Roll d6 to find new value. Do not roll again on this table.
4-8 Base value shown is unchanged.
9 Stone is 10% to 40% below base value. Roll d4 to find new value. Do not roll again on this table.
10 Stone decreases to next lower base value; roll again on this table, ignoring any result below 2.
Stones below 10 gold piece values are: 5 GP, 1 GP, 10 SP, 5 SP, and 1 SP.
No stone may decrease beyond 5 places from its initial base value.
When base value only is known, use the table above, and roll for each stone. Stones for which a 1 or a 10 are
rolled must be diced again on the table, but all others are excluded from such rolls. If large numbers of
stones are in question, it is suggested that the be diced for in groups to make the process less time-
consuming
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Granted, these charts have more than enough detail for the average DM, and I myself have spent hundreds of hours
using them to fill out more hoards and troves than I care to remember. To finish out this section, a list of four finished
tables was presented. It's broken down for the DM to use as an example – or if he chooses – he may use them to
quickly roll up what he needs.
While these are good examples of what sorts of gems your campaign and players may encounter, they leave a
lot to be desired when it comes to having a large list of gems and stones with enough information to choose
from To that end, I've compiled a set of tables that any DM can use to fill out their caches and hordes. The
secret with these tables is they have been designed to be used by how much detail you the DM needs. You just
want a quick Gem name to throw out for that pickpocket attempt? – done. You need a specific class of gem,
perhaps a Garnet or Opal, and want to choose it from a categorized list? – done. You want to be able to roll a
couple Percentile Dice and 2 D20's to randomly select a couple gems from a larger combined list of over two
hundred different stones? – done. While this does NOT include every type of stone – I have left off minerals
like Feldspar – it should enhance any game wherein the DM or player needs more information about that gem
they just found in that dead Orc's glove.
Page 6
First we start with the Quick Gem Table. Simply roll 1D100 (percentile dice) and cross index. You can roll or
choose your gems, use the Charts above to decide final value and voila, finished treasure hoard.
Next we move on to the Advanced Gems Tables broken down by class of stone. From Agate to Zircon, and
everything in between, no stone (ahem) has been left unturned. Start with 3D8, then look on the independent
chart and roll the needed die.
3 Agate 14 Olivine
4 Azurite 15 Opal
5 Beryl 16 Pyrite
6 Chrysoberyl 17 Quartz
7 Citrine 18 Rhodochrosite
8 Diamond 19 Ruby
9 Emerald 20 Sapphire
10 Garnet 21 Spinel
11 Hematite 22 Topaz
12 Kunzite 23 Tourmaline
13 Metals 24 Zircon
1 Blue Lace Light blue bands in a lacy or wavy pattern. 1 Azurite Dark Blue
2 Cloud Gray w/blurry, foggy patches of inclusions. 2 Lirconite Blue Green
3 Crazy Lace Multi-Color banding. 3 Connelite Sky Blue
4 Enhydro Medium Blue: Filled with water. 4 Cyanotrichite Light Blue
5 Eye Light Blue: Banded, concentric rings. 5 Cornetite Light Green
6 Fire Iridescent Red 6 Lazurite Dark Amber
7 Fortification Gray w/pattern resembling medieval fortress
8 Iris Iridescent Multi-Coloring
9 Laguna Sea Blue D10 Beryl
10 Landscape White w/tree design resembling scenery.
11 Moss Green w/dense inclusions 1 Emerald Dark green
12 Onyx White to Black w/straight banding lines 2 Aquamarine Blue-Green
13 Plume Whitish Pink: w/feather-like patterns. 3 Morganite Pink
14 Pom Yellow 4 Heliodor Yellow
15 Rainbow Multi-Color 5 Heliodor Yellow-Green
16 Sardonyx Brownish-Red 6 Heliodor Orange
17 Sagenite Clear 7 Heliodor Brown
18 Snakeskin Red w/black concentric bands. 8 Golden Beryl Golden Yellow
19 Star Blue w/banding lines in star form. 9 Goshenite Colorless
20 Thunder Egg Rocky Nodule filled w/agate in the center. 10 Red Beryl Deep Red
D4 Chrysoberyl
D4 Citrine
1 Cat's Eye Orange-Yellow
1 Madeira Brownish-Red 2 Cymophane Blue-Green
2 Palmeria Orange 3 Chrysolit Yellow transparent
3 Golden Golden Yellow 4 Alexandrite Red
4 Yellow Lemon Yellow
Page 8
D6 Diamond D4 Emerald
D6 Garnet
1 Pyrope
1-2 Cape Black
3-4 Elie Rose Red
5-6 Carbuncle Violet
2 Almandine
1-2 Alamandine Deep Red
3-4 Almandite Brown
5-6 Alabandine Ruby Light Violet
3 Spessartine
1-3 Spessartite Fiery Red
4-6 Malaia Garnet Brownish-Red
4 Grossular
1 Hessonite Orange
2 Fire Red
3 Essonite Orange- Brown
4 Cinnamon Stone Brown
5 Tsavorite Light Green
6 Leuco-garnet Colorless
7 Rosolite Light Pink
8 Imperial Garnet Transparent Pink
9 Raspberry Garnet Raspberry Red
10 Gooseberry Garnet Greenish Brown
5 Andradite
1-2 Demantoid Green
3-4 Topazolite Yellow
5-6 Melanite Black
D10 Metals
D4 Olivine
1-2 Gold
1 Chrysolite Yellow
1 Blue Slightly Bluish 2 Dunite Yellow-Green
2 Green Slightly Greenish 3 Olivine Olive
3 Plain Gold 4 Peridot Green Transparent
4 Rose Slightly Reddish
5 Verdan Black
6 White Silver
3-4 Silver
5-6 Copper
1 Indigo Dark
2 Mosaic Painted
3 Plain Light
4 Sterling Bright
7-8 Electrum
1 Mosaic Painted
2 Plain Dark
3 Shard Black
4 White White
9-10 Platinum
1 Black Black
2 Plain Light
3 Spotted Dark veins
4 White White
Page 10
3D12 Opal
D4 Pyrite
2D20 Quartz
D4 Rhodochrosite D4 Ruby
D4 Zircon
1 Hyacinth Golden-Brown
2 Jargon Pale Gray
3 Matara Colorless
4 Starlite Blue
Page 13
Where this is the case, the color of the stone is simply added in front. See 3) below.
2) Whichever Class table a particular stone appears on, its Class name typically falls last
when pronouncing it. Rolling a 4 on the Zircon table results in a Starlite Zircon.
3) Without fail anytime a color is associated with a particular stone, the class name falls last like Pink
Topaz and Blue Spinel.
4) When a particular stone has the same base name as another stone, the Class name falls first to
differentiate it from another Class. A Spinel Ruby quickly identifies the gem, while a Ruby Spinel is
rarely chosen and may cause confusion.
5) When the stone name takes on a dominant role, and inherits a possessive quality it can lead to some
interesting combinations. The Cat's Eye falls on four Class charts: Chrysoberyl, Emerald, Ruby and
Sapphire. In this case we end up with: Cat's Eye Chrysoberyl, Cat's Eye Emerald, Cat's Eye Ruby and
Cat's Eye Sapphire. These sorts of examples certainly could be used as the centerpiece for a campaign
or module with little trouble, and may well help the DM in the creation process.
Example:
Prior to the session beginning, you've rolled a 5 (3D8) on the Gems Sub Table. Cross-indexing the Beryl Class chart, you
rolled a D10 and rolled a 1, wait a minute! It says Emerald. Is that a typo? As I previously mentioned, no, but let's move on to
the treasure portion of an example gaming session, wherein the player's have just defeated 6 Orc's and an Ogre. After
searching the bodies, they find a glove that jingles when the thief moved it. He tips the contents into his hand and:
“You find 25 coppers, 4 silvers and a small green stone” the DM replies.
“Cool, we'll stash it for later and check it out back in town”, the Cleric surmises, thinking the gem might be used for a tithing
to his church.
Later, at the local magic shop (substitute a Gem Store complete with Gemologist and/or Lapidary - if you'd like), the party has the
gem appraised.
“Ah, you've found a very interesting stone my friends... (runs a few quick tests) ...this is a Beryl Emerald”. “Whew-hew” cries
the fighter, “drinks are on me!”
“Not so fast my friend, this is a Beryl. It's very delicate and certainly not as valuable as a true Emerald because of its small size,
but the color and ...”
“Well, fair market value – and maybe you'll find a better deal in Elise - but I'd say 130 Gold”.
To finish off this section, we come to the Complete Gem Charts. This is a combination of all the tables into 3 simple charts.
Two of them are D 10 0 (Percentile) and the third requires 2 D 20 . The next three pages of this document contain those
charts.
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Gem Color:
This next part deals with the color of gems found in dungeons and the wild. While some stones are
simple affairs to identify color – Blue Topaz and White Spinel – others like a Verdelite Tourmaline and
Morion Quartz might leave the DM and player wondering what color the stone actually is. Roll 1D100 to
find the color of the stone in question.
Rounded
6 Rondelle 18 Saucer 30
Square
14 Chip 26 Fan