# Lairs and Hoards *Source: Fizban's Treasury of Dragons, p. 63* Dragons are deeply connected to the worlds in which they dwell. The magic of the Material Plane flows through them. It empowers their breath weapons and their tremendous might; it pools in their lairs and tangles in the treasures of their hoards. This chapter, intended for the Dungeon Master, explores the connection between dragons and the world they inhabit and how that connection manifests in each dragon's lair and hoard. ""Dragon Lairs"" discusses how the magic that suffuses dragons spills out into the world around the locations these creatures call home. This section includes suggestions for the kinds of locales where dragons like to build their lairs, as well as additional regional effects that might manifest around a lair. Additional lair actions round out this section. ""Dragon Hoards"" explores the relationship between the size of a dragon's hoard and the dragon's magical might. This section discusses dragons' practice of dividing their hoards into multiple caches that extend their magical reach, and the items that can link those caches together. It also explores the magical quirks—including hauntings and curses—that can arise as enormous amounts of magical power are pooled in one place. ""What's in a Hoard?"" provides tables to determine the contents of a dragon's hoard, expanding on the treasure tables in the "Dungeon Master's Guide".  ## Dragon Lairs > [!quote] A quote from Fizban > > Home is where the hoard is. A lair is not merely a den where a dragon happens to sleep. It's a nexus for all the magical energy bound up in a dragon. A dragon's lair is a *home* and carries all the emotional and magical resonance of that word. It's a sanctum and the repository of the dragon's hoard. It's a place of power, with echoes of its own across multiple worlds. Consciously or not, young dragons establishing lairs for the first time often seek to establish them in sites of magical resonance. A dragon might look for a place where multiple ley lines of flowing magical energy intersect, a site where a meteorite crashed to earth or a strange mystical crystal lies buried underground, or a place where long-forgotten wizards of an ancient magocratic empire saturated the land with their powerful spells. As a result, a dragon's lair is typically not the only unusual and magically powerful feature in its region. You can use the Lair Location table for inspiration when placing a dragon's lair in or near such a feature.  ### Regional Effects > [!quote] A quote from Fizban > > My favorite lair I've ever visited was a crystal dragon's. It turned everyone's voice into a high-pitched squeak. Remember, not all lair shenanigans are devastating! The area around a legendary dragon's lair is altered by the dragon's presence. The regional effects described in the "Monster Manual" and "chapters 5" and "6" of this book are not the only ways a dragon's influence can manifest. You can add regional effects to make a particular dragon's lair feel unique and wondrous. Adding regional effects to a dragon's lair has no effect on the dragon's challenge rating, so you can use them freely to set the tone you want for your adventure. #### Terrain Changes Plant growth creates "difficult terrain", sinkholes appear, and hedge mazes or icy walls limit movement. Additional regional effects in this category include the following examples: **Exposing Terrain**. The terrain within 6 miles of the lair actively works to foil stealth, giving creatures other than the dragon disadvantage on Dexterity ([Stealth](/Rules/Source/skills.md#Stealth)) checks. Leaves change color to contrast with those trying to hide among them, branches move to reveal creatures, fog clears, and so on. **Smooth Roads**. Difficult terrain within 12 miles of the dragon's lair is not considered difficult, as undergrowth moves out of a traveler's way, slopes are not as steep as they first appeared, and rough ground levels out under a traveler's feet. **Wilderness Hazards**. Any of the "wilderness hazards" described in the "Dungeon Master's Guide" might manifest near the dragon's lair. #### Weather Changes Fog, storms, precipitation, and supernatural mists can form around a dragon's lair, and some dragons can alter the weather to even greater effect as they see fit. Other weather-related regional effects include the following examples: **Pleasant Weather**. The weather within 6 miles of the dragon's lair is always sunny and pleasantly warm during the day. Rain falls only at night, and dew waters the ground in the early morning. **Unending Rain**. Rain falls constantly within 6 miles of the dragon's lair, ranging from light drizzle to a drenching downpour, and it lightly or heavily obscures the area. #### Water Changes A dragon's presence often affects nearby water, such as the way black and red dragons can foul the water near their lairs. Other regional effects related to water include the following examples: **Beguiling Water**. When a creature drinks from a stream or lake within 1 mile of the dragon's lair, the creature must make a Wisdom saving throw against a DC equal to 8 + the dragon's proficiency bonus + its Charisma modifier. On a failed save, the creature is [charmed](/Rules/Source/conditions.md#Charmed) by the dragon for 24 hours. On a successful save, the creature is immune to this effect for the next 24 hours. **Icy Water**. All streams and bodies of water within 6 miles of the lair have a year-round covering of ice or are frozen solid, regardless of the local weather. **Sweet Water**. Any water within 6 miles of the lair is supernaturally pure. It tastes mildly sweet, and if added to any other liquid, it changes an equal volume of that liquid into pure, drinkable water. This neutralizes poisons and turns salt water and contaminated water into fresh water. #### Changes to Creatures A dragon's presence can alter the behavior or physical characteristics of creatures dwelling near the dragon's lair. The presence of a gem dragon draws specific kinds of creatures to dwell nearby, and other dragons sometimes influence animals near their lairs to spy for them. Other creature-related regional effects include the following examples: **Draconic Births**. Beasts and Monstrosities that are born within 6 miles of the lair have a high likelihood of being half-dragons. **Draconic Tint**. Creatures that live within 6 miles of the lair develop coloration similar to the dragon's. **Pervasive Influence**. People dwelling within 12 miles of the dragon's lair develop personality traits inspired by the dragon—heightened suspicion, garrulousness, greed, placidity, or the like. Individuals manifest these tendencies in different ways and to different degrees. If the dragon dies or leaves the area, these traits fade over `dice:1d10|noform|noparens|avg` (`1d10`) days. #### Planar Connections The powerful magic bound up in a dragon's lair can forge connections to other worlds of the Material Plane or even other planes of existence. Magic portals to the Elemental Plane of Fire often appear around a red dragon's lair, for example, and the lairs of crystal and topaz dragons are suffused with positive and negative energy, respectively. Other planar connections that might appear around a dragon's lair include the following effects: **Draconic Blessing**. Bahamut or Tiamat has placed the lair under the effect of a [hallow](/Rules/Source/spells/hallow-xphb.md) spell. **Planar Portals**. Fissures, archways, or tunnels within 1 mile of the dragon's lair form magic portals to an appropriate Elemental Plane. **Windows to Other Worlds**. Pools or passageways within the lair allow communication or travel between different worlds in the Material Plane. The dragon uses these to converse with echoes on other worlds. #### Dragon Magic Regional effects sometimes give dragons unusual magical capabilities. For example, gold dragons can appear in the dreams of creatures that sleep near their lairs, green dragons can't be tracked near their lairs, brass dragons are aware of creatures that come near water in their territory, and gem dragons can use [clairvoyance](/Rules/Source/spells/clairvoyance-xphb.md) to observe particular features near their lairs. Similar effects include the following examples: **Death Warning**. The dragon is instantly aware of the death of any creature within 1 mile of its lair and can review the last moments of the creature's life as seen through the creature's eyes. **Menacing Dreams**. People who sleep within 6 miles of the dragon's lair dream of the menacing dragon. **Name Alerts**. If the dragon's name is spoken within 1 mile of its lair, the dragon instantly knows it and hears everything said within 10 feet of that spot for the next 5 minutes. #### Cosmetic Alterations Regional effects around a dragon's lair might involve only minor visual or auditory phenomena. This includes such effects as the appearance of a copper dragon's likeness on stone formations, the bright colors of underwater plants near a bronze dragon's lair, or the crystalline growths common near any gem dragon's lair. Other examples include the following effects: **Deceptive Reflections**. At first glance, still water within 6 miles of the lair shows a reflection of the dragon flying overhead; the image disappears upon further examination. **Face in the Clouds.** The dragon's visage appears in cloud formations above the lair, giving the impression that the dragon is watching intruders. **Starry Scenes**. At night, the stars above the dragon's lair are surrounded by faint outlines of creatures that begin to move and act out scenes from the dragon's dreams—including the dragon. ### Lair Actions Like regional effects, a dragon's lair actions reflect an intimate connection to the magical energy that flows through and around the lair. The broad scope of that magic means that a dragon need not be limited to the lair actions described in the "Monster Manual" and "chapter 6" of this book. "Chapter 5" of this book offers suggestions for additional lair actions for various kinds of dragon, which are tailored to those dragons and the example lair maps found in that chapter. Additional lair actions that might apply to any dragon in any lair include the following: **Catch Breath**. The dragon rolls a `dice:d6|noform|noparens|avg` (`d6`). On a 6, it recharges its breath weapon action. **Lair Rejuvenation**. The dragon regains hit points equal to the number of Hit Dice it has by drawing on the magical energy suffusing its lair. **Lingering Breath**. Any creature that took damage from the dragon's breath weapon on the dragon's previous turn immediately takes `dice:3d6|noform|noparens|avg|text(10)` (`3d6`) damage of that type, as the breath weapon's energy lingers and clings to its targets. **Toughened Scales**. Glowing magical energy swirls across the dragon's scales, granting the dragon resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage until initiative count 20 on the next round. > [!note] Age and a Dragon's Lair > > Ordinarily, a dragon gains access to lair actions and manifests regional effects around a lair only upon reaching adulthood and the legendary status that comes with that age. The close connections between a dragon and the fabric of the Material Plane take time to develop, so the dragon's power doesn't manifest in the world until the dragon has spent nearly a century in a lair. That said, if you want to give lair actions and regional effects to a young dragon or even a wyrmling, you can. > > Regional effects have no bearing on a dragon's challenge rating—they exist primarily to help you craft the proper atmosphere around a dragon's lair. So feel free to have a younger dragon manifest these effects, albeit perhaps in a smaller area than what's described in the "Monster Manual" or this book and using lower DCs for any associated ability checks or saving throws. > > Lair actions can have a more significant effect on a younger dragon's challenge rating. For adult or ancient dragons, who already benefit from legendary actions, lair actions don't significantly impact their power or how they function in play, but if you add lair actions to a dragon who doesn't already have legendary actions, those actions significantly change the way the dragon plays and probably adjust their challenge rating upward by 1 or more. Use the guidelines on "creating monsters" in the "Dungeon Master's Guide" to determine whether you're making the dragon too much of a threat to a party. ^age-and-a-dragons-lair ## Dragon Hoards > [!quote] A quote from Fizban > > What is a dragon without a hoard? The answer, it turns out, is "significantly diminished." Hoarding treasure is an essential part of draconic nature. It's not that dragons are overwhelmingly greedy, as other peoples understand the term—though some dragons definitely are. Nor are they simply attracted to shiny objects in the manner of magpies. Rather, hoards are extensions of dragons' inherently magical nature—resonators that focus their magic and link them to the magic of the Material Plane. ### Age, Hoards, and Power Dragons thrum with the magical energy that suffuses the Material Plane, and this energy is amplified by their possession of material things. In practical terms, this means dragons' power is related to both age and the size of their hoards in ways that clever dragons—and would-be dragonslayers—can exploit. #### Wyrmlings Wyrmling dragons begin acquiring hoards as soon as they can fly, but their small scope of operations makes them unlikely to amass more than a few hundred gold pieces worth of treasure and perhaps a handful of magic items. If sharing a lair with other wyrmlings or adult dragons, the wyrmlings stash their hoards in their own distinct portions of the lair. Otherwise, they keep their treasure in secret caches near where they sleep. #### Young Dragons As dragons transition from wyrmling to young age, at around five years, they also begin to look for their first permanent lairs and amass more substantial hoards, which grow in value to many thousands of gold pieces. Young dragons keep their hoards safe in the same central location where they sleep. Such dragons typically do not yet impose regional effects, but these effects might begin to manifest as the dragons' connections to their lairs develop. You can add regional effects and even lair actions to young dragons, particularly for dragons who have acquired an unusually large hoard. These dragons might not be old enough to fully step into the power of an adult, but gathering such a hoard makes them more powerful than other dragons of a similar age.  #### Adult Dragons A dragon's transition to adulthood is measured by two milestones: a century of life and a hoard worth around 15,000 gp or more. A hoard of that size binds dragon, lair, and territory together in a tangle of magical energy that makes the dragon truly legendary, empowering the dragon's legendary actions and lair actions and spreading draconic influence throughout the area as regional effects. As dragons age and amass larger hoards, they tend to establish multiple lairs. This serves partly to mitigate risk—there's less chance of a dragon losing an entire hoard in a single burglary if that hoard is spread across multiple locations—and partly to extend the dragon's magical influence across a growing territory. The treasure cache stored in each lair anchors the dragon's power there even when the dragon isn't present, extending the reach of regional effects. Dragons typically establish new caches as their hoard reaches multiples of 15,000 gp. Throughout their adult years, dragons can each assemble six to eight caches in multiple lairs spread across the greater part of a continent. #### Ancient Dragons Around the age of eight hundred years, dragons take on ancient status, by which time they have typically amassed eight to ten caches whose total value is at least 200,000 gp. Ancient dragons continue expanding their hoards as the centuries wear on, increasing both the number of caches and the value of each cache, until their total wealth can exceed a million gold pieces. ### Linking Hoards A dragon dividing a hoard often apportions one or more pieces from a linked set of objects to each treasure cache. This practice strengthens the mystical link among the portions of the divided hoard, helping to maintain the dragon's claim of ownership over the parts of the hoard far from the dragon's current location and unifying scattered caches into what is effectively a single hoard. This linking can add the fun goal of having the characters collect a complete set of divided treasure as they try to find all the caches of a dragon's hoard. The Hoard Linking Items table offers suggestions for item sets that a dragon might use in this way. Ideally, players should be able to deduce the total number of items in the set after they've found one or two caches, so they know how many more pieces need to be collected. Sometimes the correct number is obvious (the number of pieces in a chess set or cards in a deck, for example), but consider having an item found early on be stored in a decorative box whose empty spaces indicate the number of pieces missing.  ### Plundering a Hoard Because dragons' power is linked to treasure, it's possible to weaken a dragon by plundering the dragon's lair. By gaining access to a hoard and making off with a significant portion of that wealth, characters can diminish the dragon's connection to both that lair and its associated territory. As a rule of thumb, if a dragon's lair no longer holds at least 10,000 gp worth of treasure, the site is no longer considered a lair. The dragon can't use lair actions there, and the regional effects surrounding the lair end or fade as if the dragon had died. This suggests an effective strategy that characters might hit on for confronting a dragon: find one of the dragon's smaller lairs and plunder the treasure there, removing it quickly. Disturbing a hoard inevitably attracts the dragon's attention, because either minions or the dragon's magical connection to the hoard alerts the dragon to intruders. A dragon coming to investigate the disturbed lair has a strong incentive to fight in reaction to the theft—and to prevent the loss of more treasure. The realization might come too late that the loss of treasure has left the dragon vulnerable. Theoretically, it's possible to strip an adult or ancient dragon of legendary status by plundering the dragon's entire hoard across all its locations. For this to work, the dragon would have to be magically bound or otherwise prevented from interfering with the looting—but that sort of binding might be easier than killing a powerful legendary dragon. ### Hoard Quirks A dragon's hoard has features similar to those of a powerful magic object, and plundering a hoard can have lingering effects long after the death of its draconic owner. Any number of supernatural effects can linger in and around the hoard of a legendary dragon, often concentrated in a few valuable pieces of treasure—the most precious gems or art objects, or the rarest magic items, for example. #### Regional Effects The regional effects associated with legendary dragons' lairs are channeled into the environment from the dragons through their hoards. These effects can linger to varying degrees when a hoard's treasure is moved somewhere else, as in any of the following examples: **Alter Water**. An item from the hoard pollutes or purifies any water it touches. **Alter Weather**. An item from the hoard attracts weather appropriate to the dragon's kind. **Attract Animals**. Tiny animals are irresistibly attracted to an item from the hoard and constantly try to take it. **Dragon Dreams**. Creatures sleeping near the treasure dream of the dragon. **Personality Shift**. Characters wielding items from the hoard develop personality traits evocative of the dragon's traits. **Seek Return**. Sentient items from the hoard want to return to the dragon's lair and cause characters to accidentally stray in that direction. **Verdant Influence**. If coins from the hoard are placed in soil, they encourage lush plant growth. #### Haunted Hoards It's not unusual for one or more items in a dragon's hoard to be haunted. Restless spirits might haunt objects that held special significance to them in life, and the death of the dragon who stole those items might be an opportunity for such spirits to find rest at last. A haunting spirit might fully manifest as a [ghost](/Rules/Source/bestiary/undead/ghost-xmm.md), a [specter](/Rules/Source/bestiary/undead/specter-xmm.md), a [wraith](/Rules/Source/bestiary/undead/wraith-xmm.md), or a similar creature, or it might give the haunted item the characteristics of a sentient magic item. The most certain way to end a haunting is to complete the unfinished business that keeps a spirit bound to the mortal world. In the case of a haunted hoard, you can use the Unfinished Business table to help you decide what that might be.  #### A Dragon's Curse A dragon's violent death sometimes causes a hoard to carry a lingering curse. A dying dragon might pronounce a bitter magical oath upon any who would plunder the dragon's hoard, or a living dragon might inscribe a dire warning about the foul magic that will be unleashed on any who plunder the dragon's treasure. Such a curse typically affects not only those who steal from the hoard, but anyone else who comes into contact with the treasure. Moreover, breaking the curse is usually possible only if all the treasure is gathered together again in one place. Use the Hoard Curse Effects table to inspire possible effects for a dragon's lingering curse.  In general, ending the curse on a dragon's hoard is not as simple as casting a single spell. Magic can offer temporary respite, though. A [remove curse](/Rules/Source/spells/remove-curse-xphb.md) spell cast on any affected character suppresses the effect of the curse for 1 hour, while a [greater restoration](/Rules/Source/spells/greater-restoration-xphb.md) spell suppresses the curse until the victim finishes a long rest. Returning the entire hoard to the dragon's lair ends the curse, but removing even a single coin activates it again. Short of the drastic step of abandoning the treasure, gathering the entire hoard together and performing some specific rite can end the curse. Such a rite might involve any or all of the elements suggested on the Breaking a Hoard Curse table.  One other way to bypass a dragon's curse on a hoard is to have the treasure become part of another dragon's hoard, whereupon the previous owner's curse is nullified. Clever adventurers might work out a bargain with a friendlier dragon involving a trade of cursed treasure in exchange for a similar (but probably smaller) amount of treasure freely given. ### Competition for a Hoard Shadowy cults, reclusive scholars, rival adventurers, and mysterious organizations might seek out a dragon's hoard, either trying to claim it from a dragon or trying to acquire it from characters who have slain a dragon. Aside from greed, such groups can have any number of motivations for seeking a dragon's treasure. Often, such groups seek to draw on the magic of a dragon's hoard to perform some great ritual. The Hoard Magic table suggests some possibilities.   ## What's in a Hoard? > [!quote] A quote from Fizban > > Great piles of coins are all well and good, but the best treasures are the ones with memories attached. Let me tell you about my collection of pie plates! The random treasure tables in the "Dungeon Master's Guide" can help you quickly generate a hoard for a dragon of any age. (As suggested in that book, you should roll on the hoard tables at least twice for legendary dragons.) If you want a more detailed hoard, the information under ""Creating a Hoard"" can help you generate treasure with more variety, which is especially appropriate for significant troves. The average monetary value of a hoard created using these guidelines is about the same as if you rolled twice on the tables in the "Dungeon Master's Guide". ### Kinds of Treasure Use these guidelines in conjunction with the information in the "Dungeon Master's Guide" to detail the treasures in a dragon's hoard. Feel free to swap coins, gems, and art objects in a dragon's hoard for different such items of equivalent value. Perhaps a sapphire dragon takes great pride in a hoard full of raw sapphires and jewelry featuring sapphires, or a copper dragon might love sleeping on a vast bed of copper coins! #### Coins The coins in a dragon's hoard might come from all over the world and across uncountable ages of history. To add flavor to the potentially enormous pile of coins in a dragon's lair, you can use the Coin Origins table to determine the origin of any particular group of coins.  You might decide that all the coins in a dragon's hoard have the same origin, but it's more likely (particularly in the hoard of an older dragon) that the coins have a variety of origins. If you aren't interested in explaining the details of coinage from a variety of contemporary and historical cultures in your game's setting, it's enough to tell your players that some of the coins are unfamiliar in their size, shape, or inscription—but their value is unchanged. #### Mundane Items A dragon's hoard often includes mundane items that can be clues to their owner's personality and history, and that might inspire further investigation by curious adventurers. The "Hoard Mundane Items" table in the ""Creating a Hoard"" section provides a quick starting point for generating these items. You can find more inspiration on the "Trinkets" table in the "Player's Handbook" and the tables in the ""Dungeon Dressing"" section of the "Dungeon Master's Guide". #### Gems and Art Objects The "Hoard Gems" table and the "Hoard Art Objects" table under "Creating a Hoard" let you randomly determine the value of each individual gem and art object in a hoard. Use the tables in the "Dungeon Master's Guide" to help you describe these treasures. "Chapter 5" of this book also includes tables you can use to generate distinctive art objects for a particular dragon's hoard. #### Magic Items You can determine the specific magic items found in a dragon's hoard in one of two ways. The "Dungeon Master's Guide" provides a full set of "random magic item" tables, labeled A through I. Each entry on the Hoard Magic Items table under "Creating a Hoard" includes a parenthetical reference to one of those tables in the "Dungeon Master's Guide", so you can randomly roll an item from those tables. Alternatively, you can use the rarity and category (minor or major) shown on the "Hoard Magic Items" table to pick an item of your choice from the "Dungeon Master's Guide", "chapter 2" of this book, or any other source. As described in "Xanathar's Guide to Everything", the items found on Magic Item Table A through Magic Item Table E in the "Dungeon Master's Guide" are minor items, a category that includes common items, potions and scrolls (which can be used only once), and other items whose impact on the game is minor or utilitarian. The items on Magic Item Table F through Magic Item Table I are major items: permanent items that can have significant long-term impact on the game.  ### Creating a Hoard A dragon's hoard contains each of the items listed for the dragon's age category here. For each mundane item, gem, art object, and magic item indicated in the list, roll on the appropriate table. #### Wyrmling Hoards 4,200 (`12d6 × 100`) cp 2,100 (`6d6 × 100`) sp 140 (`4d6 × 10`) gp 3 (`dice:1d6|noform|noparens|avg` (`1d6`)) mundane items 9 (`dice:2d8|noform|noparens|avg` (`2d8`)) gems 2 (`dice:1d4|noform|noparens|avg` (`1d4`)) art objects 4 (`dice:1d8|noform|noparens|avg` (`1d8`)) magic items #### Adult Dragon Hoards 4,200 (`12d6 × 100`) cp 14,000 (`4d6 × 1,000`) sp 28,000 (`8d6 × 1,000`) gp 3,500 (`10d6 × 100`) pp 7 (`dice:2d6|noform|noparens|avg` (`2d6`)) mundane items 21 (`dice:6d6|noform|noparens|avg` (`6d6`)) gems 10 (`dice:3d6|noform|noparens|avg` (`3d6`)) art objects 4 (`dice:1d8|noform|noparens|avg` (`1d8`)) magic items #### Young Dragon Hoards 4,200 (`12d6 × 100`) cp 14,000 (`4d6 × 1,000`) sp 4,200 (`12d6 × 100`) gp 210 (`6d6 × 10`) pp 4 (`dice:1d8|noform|noparens|avg` (`1d8`)) mundane items 21 (`dice:6d6|noform|noparens|avg` (`6d6`)) gems 5 (`dice:2d4|noform|noparens|avg` (`2d4`)) art objects 4 (`dice:1d8|noform|noparens|avg` (`1d8`)) magic items #### Ancient Dragon Hoards 4,200 (`12d6 × 100`) cp 14,000 (`4d6 × 1,000`) sp 210,000 (`6d6 × 10,000`) gp 42,000 (`12d6 × 1,000`) pp 9 (`dice:2d8|noform|noparens|avg` (`2d8`)) mundane items 21 (`dice:6d6|noform|noparens|avg` (`6d6`)) gems 11 (`dice:2d10|noform|noparens|avg` (`2d10`)) art objects 7 (`dice:2d6|noform|noparens|avg` (`2d6`)) magic items