Treasure Chests
Hunting down Treasure Chests is a staple past-time of Zelda games old and new! However, the main rulebook for Reclaim the Wild doesn’t provide any guidance on how a GM should use Treasure Chests, or what should be inside them.
This article hopes to help you out with that! Below, you’ll find thoughts on Big Chests vs. Small Chests, traps on chests, and a helpful table for randomly determining a Treasure Chest’s loot.
Chest Rank
For the purposes of this article, Treasure Chests have a Rank, much like most things in Reclaim the Wild. This Rank determines the Rank of the loot contained within, as well as how difficult it might be to deal with the Chest.
A Treasure Chest’s Rank should be about equal to the threats that guard it. For instance, a Treasure Chest sitting behind a few Bokoblins would probably be Rank 1, just like they are – while a Chest guarded by a band of Darknuts would more likely be Rank 3.
Big Chests vs. Small Chests
There are famously two kinds of Treasure Chests in Zelda games: Big Chests, and Small Chests.
Small Chests are the most common type of Treasure Chest, varying in size from a breadbox to about three feet long. It’s not uncommon to find several Small Chests in a dungeon, or one or two tucked away in a cave or crevasse. Small Chests are often unlocked and untrapped, ripe for the taking. A Small Chest contains only a little bit of Treasure; if you’re rolling their loot randomly, only roll once.
Big Chests are less common, and a typical Dungeon will only have one or two such treasure-troves, at most. These treasure troves are big enough to fit a person inside, or perhaps an entire party! They’re often locked, requiring a special key found elsewhere in the dungeon. They’re also often guarded by a Miniboss, a gamut of traps, or other obstacles. Big Chests contain lots of treasure; if you’re rolling their loot randomly, roll once for each Hero who’s looting the Chest – that way, everyone gets to join in!
What’s In The Box?
If you’re in doubt as to what should be in a Treasure Chest, you can always determine it randomly, by rolling a 2d6 and using the chart below – or, have your Heroes make the roll as they loot the Chest!
| Roll | Treasure Chest Contents |
| 2 | Icky Stuff (1-2 Critters; 3-6 Monster Parts) |
| 3 | Tool (1-4 Mundane; 5-6 Harvesting) |
| 4 | Ammo (1-3 Arrows; 4-6 Bombs) |
| 5 | Comestible (1-3 Food; 4-6 Elixir) |
| 6 | Materials (1-2 Cloth; 3-4 Metal; 5-6 Wood) |
| 7 | Rupees |
| 8 | Weapon |
| 9 | Gemstones |
| 10 | Armor (1-2 Head; 3-4 Torso; 5-6 Legs) |
| 11 | Ancient Materials |
| 12 | Extra-Special Bonus |
Ammo: Chests typically contain (2d6) plain Arrows or Bombs. Higher-ranked Chests (Rank 2+) might instead contain ((2d6 / 2) units of specialty Arrows or Bombs. Only very highly-ranked Chests (Rank 4+) might contain the best types of Ammunition, like Powder Kegs or Guardian Arrows, and even then, only rarely – and only singly.
Armor and Weapons: Chests typically only contain a single Armor or Weapon, of the Chest’s Rank. However, they might be of a Crafting Style particular to the area or the chest’s original owner, and such equipment might be Enchanted, to boot. This is a good way to give Heroes equipment that is blessed with Enchantments they’ll find useful in the near future, or that they ‘should already have’ – such as a Chest in a Water-themed temple holding a Helm crafted with the Waterborn enchantment.
Extra-Special Bonus: Jackpot! This Treasure Chest has some pretty-good stuff. This is a good opportunity for a GM to ask the players what they might like to see in the Chest, and try to (reasonably) fulfill that request. You could also use this as a chance to give the Heroes something exceptional, like a Magical Tool, or the deed to a building in a nearby town. If you prefer to keep things random, though, you can roll a single d6 and do the following:
- 1 – 3: The chest was overstuffed! Roll (5 + 1d6) twice, consult the above table, and give both results.
- 4 – 5: A Small Fairy is inside the Chest. Grateful to be released, it hops in your Pack, to be called on later.
- 6: The rarest of materials, a Star Fragment, was housed in this treasure trove.
Gemstones: The Gemstones found in a Treasure Chest follow the same rules as other Materials (below) for determining their quantity. However, the type of Gemstone is more often based on the Chest’s surroundings and theme. For instance, finding Rubies in a Fire Temple, or Emeralds in a chest deep in the Lost Woods, would not be surprising in the slightest.
Materials: Chests typically contain (2d6 / 2) units of Material, of (Chest’s Rank). The Materials in a Chest may occasionally be a Rank higher or lower than the Chest itself – if the Materials are of a lower Rank, then there should be more (2d6); if they’re of a Higher rank, there should be fewer (2d6 / 4).
Rupees: The amount of Rupees in a chest can vary, but is typically (Chest’s Rank x 20 x 2d6). If a Chest is especially meant to hold lots of Rupees, this could go as high as (Chest’s Rank x 50 x 2d6).
When determining the exact details of loot found in a Treasure Chest, don’t be afraid to ask your players what they might want! You don’t have to give it to them exactly as they request, either – take it as a suggestion, not a requirement.
Other Things to do with Chests
Treasure Chests are, on occasion, locked. Picking a Treasure Chest’s lock is a Mechanics check, with a DC of (7 + (Rank x 3)). Some chests, like Big Chests, might be more difficult, or even impossible, to open without the proper key. Chests that only open by completing a puzzle might also not be pickable, as they lack a traditional lock to even attempt to fiddle with.
Sometimes, Heroes might be so desperate for materials that they want to deconstruct a Treasure Chest. Deconstructing a Treasure Chest requires that the Chest be unlocked and empty, and also requires the use of a Forge – so material-hungry Heroes will have to carry the empty box back to town. Treasure Chests can’t be placed in a Hero’s Pack, but they can be loaded on Wagons (consuming one slot of the wagon’s inventory), or carried in two hands. When deconstructed, a Small Chest grants 1 unit of Metal of its Rank, and 2 units of Wood of its Rank. (A Big Chest grants twice this amount.)
What About Traps?
Don’t worry – I haven’t forgotten about traps on Treasure Chests. However, this article was getting a little long even without them! So check in next time, when we’ll talk about some of the nasty things you can put in Chests to make Heroes think twice about blindly opening them.