Gifts vs. Rewards
A gift is anything the PCs haven’t truly earned. For example, if the PCs
blunder into a narrow cavern and defeat a dragon that can’t fly or maneuver to use
its breath weapon, that’s a gift—even if the dragon’s treasure lies elsewhere.
Not all dragons are geniuses, but they are all sufficiently cunning to avoid
obvious death traps. Any battle with a really big dragon should be an epic
conflict, with the dragon making full use of its mobility and special abilities.
Gifts commonly come in the form of powerful magical items. An item such as a vorpal blade, staff of power, or robe of the archmagi is a reward only if the player characters find it after a long and epic
quest. If you drop one of these items into your campaign as part of a randomly
generated treasure, you are probably giving the players a gift.
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