Approximate coin per level
Approximate coin per level (ACPL) is an OOC measurement of how much value a creature should drop, based on a variety of factors.
Don't read too much into the name, because a lot of things end up affecting it along the way, but a creature's wealth is ultimately based off that value if it drops coins/gems/boxes. Level ends up having a double effect in some ways -- because higher level creature's have...higher levels...they generate more coin. For example: a level 3 goblin vs a level 150 goblin using the same settings. Just because its level is higher, ignoring all other factors, it will generate more treasure.
In general, lower level/lower difficulty creatures will have a lower ACPL than higher level ones. Some, but not all, of the factors the GameMasters consider:
- Low vs high level creature (gains at 100 and 175)
- Does it cast a TM spell or debuff of some kind?
- Does it have a special attack or ability (like re-stealthing after initial spawn)?
- Is it undead/evil/construct?
- Does the hunting area have extra hazards as a substantial part of the area ("the claw" in Zaulfung, dark areas, swamp troll anti-magic effect, swimming, etc)? Climbing a single thing or swimming a single thing to access the area does not qualify.