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of 500 casks of dwarven ale doesn’t just appear atthe end of the combat. It occupies a place in the lair.Think about where the dragon keeps its stuff and howmuch space it takes up. As a general rule, assumeeach square can hold 10,000 coins, two chests, foursacks, two crates, or one larger object such as a pillar,statue, or prisoner. Be sure to place these items in thelair at the start of the combat since treasure, as shownearlier, can sometimes have an effect on the combat’soutcome.Example: Derek’s hoard is going to take at least 2squares for just the coins. He figures between thatand the other items in the hoard, it’s going to takeup 4 squares. He chooses a place on the map, notingwhat’s in each square. After those 4 squares areplaced, he’s done.CoinsThe idea of a dragon hoard brings to mind a big pileof coins. The most prevalent and essential componentof a hoard is cold, hard cash. Whether kept in sacksand chests or scattered across the floor, coins are astaple. For all their ubiquity, coins are sometimes theleast exciting component of a hoard. Use some or allof the following methods to make coins stand out.Denominations: One way to inject diversity andcharacter into the coins is to mix up the denominations.A dragon appreciates gold, but there’s noreason why your dragon wouldn’t also have silver andcopper, or, for higher tier adventures, platinum andastral diamonds among its loot. A particular dragonmight prefer gold and copper, or silvery coins such asplatinum and silver, or coins in the form of strands ofastral diamonds.What amount should you convert? Decide basedon the flavor of the hoard (history, consistency, appropriateness,character). Then, assess the amount ofSHORTCUT HOARDSelect magic items and monetary parcels as described inthe Dungeon Master’s Guide ® (pages 126—129). Pick onemagic item parcel and two monetary parcels appropriateto the character level. Here’s a set of quick picks:✦ Parcels 3, 7, and 10: Low magic, low money.✦ Parcels 2, 6, and 10: Moderate magic, moderatemoney.✦ Parcels 1, 5, and 9: High magic, high money.✦ Parcels 1, 7, and 10: High magic, low money.✦ Parcels 3, 5, and 9: Low magic, high money.Now assign those parcels exactly as described in theDungeon Master’s Guide.Hoards built from these quick picks are still modest,even though some are described as “high magic” or “highmoney.” If you are trying to make the hoard of all hoards,add more parcels. Just be aware of the effect doing thatwill have on the cash flow of the campaign.space that the coins are going to take up. The spacetaken up by low-denomination coins will cause thevolume of the hoard to balloon upward. Be awareof that space constraint and the feel of the coin mix.Don’t let the number of low-denomination coins overwhelmthe mix, or the coins will start to feel bloatedand trivial.Example: Derek’s hoard starts with 22,050 gp incoins. He decides to change many of those gold piecesinto platinum pieces (roughly 50% of the total value)and some of the gold pieces into silver pieces (roughly5% of the total value), because the dragon has collecteda mixture of coins that are in accordance witheach denomination’s frequency. (There are moresilver coins in circulation than gold coins, and fewerplatinum coins in circulation than gold coins.) Thecoins now consist of:✦ 110 pp✦ 9,947 gp✦ 11,030 spCOIN DENOMINATION ASSORTMENTS BY TIERHeroic: Copper, silver, goldParagon: Silver, gold, platinumEpic: Gold, platinum, astral diamondsRare and Foreign Coins: It makes sense forsome of the coins in a dragon’s possession to be olderthan others. Some might originate from ancient andlong-lost kingdoms whose people have changed, beenabsorbed, or even been made extinct through war,disease, or calamity. Old coins can point the way tofuture adventures, suggesting nearby hoards perhapsplundered by the dragon or other adventurers whohad the misfortune of encountering the dragon. Suchcoins might hold a slightly higher value, and PCs whoseek out buyers and collectors could exchange themfor 10% or more of the coin’s value.If you raise the individual value of a coin, reducethe total monetary coin value to compensate. It’simportant to note that most people judge the worthof a coin by its purity and not by its age, so the extravalue tied to each coin only holds true if the PCs findsomeone willing to buy it.In addition to seeding coins of exceptional valueinside a hoard, you can also insert currency of foreignor exotic mint. Undoubtedly, coins from far-flunglands, of strange shapes or stamped with unusualimages, are likely mixed in with the more commonsorts of coins. Such foreign coins can hint at an unexploredland, a distant place previously thought to bethe stuff of legend, all of which are the makings forexciting expeditions into the unknown.64CHAPTER 2 | DM’s Guide to Dragons