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SAMPLE ART OBJECTS BY TYPE (CONTINUED)Unusual ItemsChess setSilver tonguePickled beholder’s eyes Small mechanical birdGolden gnomeGilded eggSilvered unicorn horn Strange crablike deviceTomeUtensilsBowlCupCutlery setEwerGoblet/mugHard MaterialsBoneCoralCrystalGlassIvory/hornBoarCachalot whaleElephantHippopotamusHornbillMammothNarwhalUnicornWalrusMetalAdamantineBrassBronzeCopperGoldIronLeadMithralPlatinumSilverSteelMother of pearlPlatePlatterSaucerTrayVaseStoneGraniteLimestoneMarbleObsidianOnyxSandstoneSlateSoapstoneWood, hardAshChestnutCherryDarkwoodHickoryMahoganyMapleOakTeakWood, softAlderBalsaCedarFirPineYewSoft MaterialsClothBrocadeCloth of goldCloth of silverCottonLinenSamiteSatinSilkVelvetWoolFeathersEagleHawkQuailOwlPeacockPheasantRavenSwanExotic feathers (choosea creature from theMonster Manual)FurApeBadgerBearBeaverBoarCamelCheetah, leopardErmine, minkFoxHorseObject DepictionsBattleBoatsCastleChildrenCityscapeCloudsDancingDragonsFlamesFlowersDeities or religioussymbolsHuntingLionRabbitRaccoonRatSeal, sea lionSheepTigerWeaselWolfWolverineWorgFur, exoticHide or skinAlligator, crocodileApeBatBisonBoarCamelCow, oxDeerElephantHorseLizardPigRhinocerosSeal, sea lionSharkSheepSnakeExotic hide or skin(choose a creature fromthe Monster Manual)KnightsLoveMonstersMountainsMusiciansPastoralAdventurersSoldiersSpellcasterSportsTrees, plantsWaterWeaponsDRAGON HOARDSObject EmbellishmentsCarvingEngravingEtchingGemsInlayMosaicsPlatingCHAPTER 2 | DM’s Guide to Dragons67
Materials: A quick examination of the sample artobjects in the Dungeon Master’s Guide reveals thatart objects priced for heroic tier PCs are made ofgold or are embellished with inexpensive gemstones.Paragon tier characters find platinum items or golditems with precious gemstones, while epic tier PCsfind a variety of unusual and strange items, many ofwhich hail from other planes. For epic art objects,use items made from fantastic materials. Substancessuch as celestial gold, astral weave, and solidifiedelemental fire give you a way to attach fantasticalqualities to what is essentially an item with a highprice tag.Example: Derek’s hoard has 12,600 gp of artobjects. He divides the art objects into the largestdenominations appropriate to level 16–20 treasures(one worth 7,500 gp and three others worth 2,500 gpeach):✦ One 7,500 gp art object✦ Three 2,500 gp art objects✦ 100 gp left overThen Derek defines what kind of art objects are inthe hoard. The dragon’s lair is rather dank and haspuddles of water here and there. He decides thatclothing and furniture wouldn’t survive as treasurein it. He selects items made of hard substances—jewelry, musical instruments, and utensils—as theart objects.✦ One 7,500 gp piece of jewelry✦ One 2,500 gp piece of jewelry✦ One 2,500 gp musical instrument✦ One 2,500 gp utensil✦ 100 gp left overDerek then fleshes out the descriptions of those itemswith details consistent with the paragon level (platinum,or gold set with gems) and the region of thedragon’s lair (more opals).✦ One 7,500 gp circlet of elaborately twisted platinumwire✦ One 2,500 gp gold necklace inlaid with fire opalveneer that frames a central black opal✦ One 2,500 gp gold harp formed in the shape of aswanCONTAINERSA great way to add flavor to a dragon’s hoard is to putthe coins and other neat bits in interesting boxes. A silvercoffer full of gold, or a goblet loaded with jewels inject abit of diversity into the hoard. Just don’t forget to deductthe value of the container from the hoard’s monetarytreasure value. It’s easiest to deduct it from the coins.✦ One 2,500 gp platinum ewer engraved with dancing<strong>dragons</strong>✦ 100 gp left over (which he throws back into thecoins as gold pieces)Luxury and Adventuring ItemsDragon hoards include a variety of luxury and adventuringitems. Some items belonged to long-deadadventurers who thought to stake their claim onthe hoard, while others might be incidental items,common gear the dragon snatched up along withthe riches it was after. You can use this category tosprinkle in gear that the characters might need toreplace, either in the form of adventuring equipmentor luxury nonmagical items.Pick one or more kinds of luxury and adventuringitems that you prefer, or roll d20 to choose randomlyfrom the kinds given on the following table. In manycases, especially with higher-level hoards, it won’t befeasible to fill out this category with a single kind ofitem, so don’t hesitate to use whatever combinationof kinds you like. If you want this part of the processto be entirely random, roll 1d6 and use that result todictate how many times you roll d20.LUXURY AND ADVENTURING ITEMSd20 Type1–8 Adventuring equipment9–12 Luxury nonmagical item (weapon, armor, orshield)13–16 Residuum17–20 Ritual scrollAdventuring Equipment: This type of itemencompasses common nonmagical gear found in thePlayer’s Handbook or other sources, including armorand weapons. These items are typically interestingonly in low-level hoards. (If you’re filling out a paragonor epic hoard and you get this result on a roll ofd20, roll again.)Luxury Nonmagical Items: You can add interestingelements to what would otherwise be ordinaryadventuring gear. A luxury item is worth about two tofive times as much as a normal item of the same sort(as described in the Player’s Handbook). It has a highprice because of its quality, the materials from whichit’s made, or who owned it previously.A luxury item never confers a mechanical benefitand functions as a normal item of its kind. The storybehind an item makes it more valuable. For example,a luxury nonmagical longsword could be the work ofa famous dragonborn artisan. A fine backpack couldhave been owned by a famous adventurer thoughtlong lost.Such an item could serve as the springboard to aminor quest. After finding the longsword, the PCs canset out to locate the artisan’s forge, or the backpack68CHAPTER 2 | DM’s Guide to Dragons
Page 1 and 2:
DragonsCruelandCunningThe evil and
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CREDITSDesignBruce R. Cordell (lead
Page 7 and 8:
ORIGINSOnly the most arrogant enthu
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describe every ingredient of a stew
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In truth, “breath weapon” is a
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Elder dragons lay eggs less often t
Page 17 and 18: Also at this age, dragons begin to
Page 19 and 20: OUTLOOK AND PSYCHOLOGYThe true secr
Page 21 and 22: 20As to where this drive might come
Page 23 and 24: these prideful, territorial creatur
Page 25 and 26: series of novels, the armies of Tak
Page 27 and 28: NamingDragons have a long history o
Page 29 and 30: 28MeloraMelora is the deity of the
Page 31 and 32: observer of the world. When dragons
Page 33 and 34: Blue DragonsBlue dragons, also know
Page 35 and 36: combat, all for a chance to bite a
Page 37 and 38: thrill or challenge for the chase.
Page 39 and 40: part with their wealth as any other
Page 41 and 42: might lay their eggs in places wher
Page 43 and 44: 42backgrounds—with the possible e
Page 45: CHAPTER 2DM’s Guide to Dragons2Th
Page 48 and 49: Tactics: The brown dragon opens wit
Page 50 and 51: challenge takes a -2 penalty until
Page 52 and 53: Countermeasures✦ An adjacent char
Page 54: within the ranks step forward to ta
Page 59 and 60: of thieves. Between the thieves’
Page 61 and 62: The final challenge of the campaign
Page 63 and 64: a dragon can have acquired treasure
Page 65 and 66: of 500 casks of dwarven ale doesn
Page 67: Defining Art Objects: When designin
Page 71 and 72: 70worth a few hundred gold pieces o
Page 73 and 74: 72there’s no guarantee that the m
Page 75 and 76: LEVEL 14 (MONETARY TREASURE 12,000
Page 77 and 78: LEVEL 30 (MONETARY TREASURE 1,900,0
Page 79 and 80: If the owner deliberately seeks out
Page 81 and 82: Moving On“I have become one with
Page 83 and 84: Unconquered Standardof ArkhosiaThe
Page 85 and 86: determines the DC for the Arcana ch
Page 87 and 88: Your Arcana check result determines
Page 89 and 90: that ritual. The brain of a wyrmlin
Page 91: CHAPTER 3Dragon Lairs3The vampire l
Page 94 and 95: in a humanoid community, it prefers
Page 96 and 97: Unless discovered, the homunculi do
Page 98 and 99: THE RUINS OF CASTLE KORVALDCHAPTER
Page 100 and 101: THE RUINS OF CASTLE KORVALDJASON A.
Page 102 and 103: Orc Raider (R)Level 3 SkirmisherMed
Page 104 and 105: several caves (areas 6 and 7) for i
Page 106 and 107: CHAPTER 3 | Dragon Lairs105
Page 108 and 109: TacticsThe sentries employ common k
Page 110 and 111: Kobold Wyrmpriest (W) Level 3 Artil
Page 112 and 113: colored water on the map) is challe
Page 114 and 115: CHAPTER 3 | Dragon Lairs113
Page 116 and 117: Eladrin Twilight Incanter (I) Level
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to the other side of the PCs, if po
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Area 1: The Winding PathQuite a few
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WHERE SHADOWS FALLCHAPTER 3 | Drago
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3 Bodak Skulks (S) Level 16 LurkerM
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2 Sword Wraiths (S) Level 17 Lurker
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is finally slain or defeated. That
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HEART OF DARKNESSCHAPTER 3 | Dragon
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JASON A. ENGLEOrukurtz (O)Level 19
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2 Firebred Hell Hounds (H) Level 17
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EnvironmentHellkiln is a violent is
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CHAPTER 3 | Dragon Lairs137
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2 Azer Ragers (R) Level 15 BruteMed
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TacticsInfernus is a formidable opp
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Perception CheckDC 37: A thin seam
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CHAPTER 3 | Dragon Lairs145
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Hellish HalberdLevel 25 Elite Obsta
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Jaws of DeathLevel 25 Elite LurkerT
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exists on the islands, but only in
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ABYSSAL LAIRCHAPTER 3 | Dragon Lair
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TacticsAn attack shocks Anthraxin,
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2 Goristros (G) Level 19 Elite Brut
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Five-Headed TrapLevel 30 BlasterTra
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REGNANT FANECHAPTER 3 | Dragon Lair
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REGNANT FANETacticsThe guardians fi
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2 Champions of Tiamat (C) Level 26
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168Chromatic DragonsBrown, gray, an
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space for seasonings, including sea
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172GRAY DRAGONGRAY DRAGONS ARE THE
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Adult Gray DragonLevel 12 Solo Sold
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176
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Ancient Purple Dragon Level 28 Solo
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180Level 2 Encounter (XP 650)✦ 1
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Gray Dragon WyrmlingLIKE THEIR ELDE
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Purple DragonWyrmlingPURPLE DRAGON
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Red Dragon WyrmlingTacticsA red wyr
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Planar Dragons188Sometimes chromati
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190scales tipped in bronze, red, or
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A blazewyrm values its own life les
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Pyroclastic DragonNO DRAGON BETTER
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Faerie Dragon FlitterwingTacticsA f
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SHADOWFELL DRAGONSThe dragons of th
Page 201 and 202:
Undead DragonsLong-lived as they ar
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Icewrought Dracolich Level 16 Solo
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204to create draconic wraiths, but
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Deathless HungerA DRAGON’S BODY B
Page 209 and 210:
SiegewyrmTHE LARGEST OF THE DRACONI
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Other CreaturesThis section present
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DRACONIC PARASITEEven dragons are n
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DRAGONBORNSOME DRAGONBORN FIND TIAM
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(preferably dealing extra damage wi
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DRAGONSPAWNDragonspawn are savage m
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screams with well-placed turns of r
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DRAKETheir reptilian appearance cau
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KOBOLDKobolds are devious creatures
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Dragonkin KoboldsTHESE KOBOLDS TURN
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LIVING BREATHA POWERFUL DRAGON CAN
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SQUAMOUS THINGSQUAMOUS THINGS ARE A
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Dragon Hall of FameOver the history
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CYAN BLOODBANEOF ALL THE GREEN DRAG
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DRAGOTHAIN THE SHADOW OF FABLED WHI
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GULGOLDEEP IN THE SWAMPS OF A MARSH
Page 241 and 242:
NEFERMANDIASDRY WINDS AND HOT SAND
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RIMEINHABITANTS OF THE FAR-FLUNG NO
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TIAMATTIAMAT IS THE EVIL GOD OF WEA
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246Aspect of TiamatTiamat is able t
Page 249 and 250:
ZEBUKIELIN THE FINAL DAYS OF THE WA
Page 251 and 252:
TemplatesAs described in the Dungeo
Page 253 and 254:
C Acid Spray (immediate reaction, w
Page 255 and 256:
In place of frightful presence, the
Page 257:
The high-stakes game of chance pref
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