Making a dragon hoard

[Maryring]

So I'm trying to fix up a dragon hoard. To make it a bit more interesting, I ain't gonna have the objects of art be just generic items with a price tag... so I could use some suggestions.

What would you consider a nifty thing to find in a dragon hoard worth something between 500 and 5000 gp.

[AslanCross]

1. Anachronistic inventions. Miniature steam engines, cuckoo clocks, etc. They're made of mundane materials but their novelty gives them a price.

2. Toys and games of exquisite and magical quality. A chess set wherein the pieces are permanent silent images, for example.

3. Dragon-sized dental equipment.

4. A collection of exotic teas, spices, and/or liquor from all over the multiverse. "Johannes Strider Obsidian Label, Aged in Baatorian Blood Tree Barrels for 500 years."

[jguy]

it would depend on the species of dragon and its personality. Some enjoy gems and pearls, others love random magical trinkets

[Flob]

A fancy sword containing various gems of your choosing. Masterwork quality, no real bonus's. I was going to recommend the Draconomicon, but I realized the treasure in there is fairly cheap.

[Flickerdart]

You don't need to make a dragon hoard, they hoard all by themselves.

[WarKitty]

Go through a jewelry store online, pull some stuff off. Sculptures of various types, engraved rings, etc. Bonus points if they spend time trying to figure out what it's "properties" are.

[TroubleBrewing]

It does depend on the dragon. Without more information as to what variety of dragon, I'd suggest the following:

1. The crowns of dead kings.

2. Mirrors of all shapes and sizes. (Most evil dragons are depicted as terribly vain.)

3. A dragon-sized pipe or hookah. The scale would be intimidating, to say the least. (Not that a red dragon would need a device for smoking.)

4. Various toasted suits of armor.

[Noedig]

A wardrobe fiiled with fantastically high quality clothing, for a dragon who polymorphs.

Rare books, like one copy only.

Astronomical maps.

Slaves

A menagerie of rare and exotic animals, which would be weird

Really anything, because dragons don't always conform to a human concept of value.

[The Cat Goddess]

http://www.ajs.com/~ajs/cgi-bin/mktr...orce=minor-art

http://donjon.bin.sh/d20/treasure/index.cgi

http://donjon.bin.sh/d20/tome/

[Falconer]

Dragon-sized musical instruments, of (possibly literally) a nearly magical quality. Made out of the finest wood, overlaid with gold leaf, with the occasional gem, and make a truly unique sound.

[AslanCross]

Dragon-sized musical instruments, of (possibly literally) a nearly magical quality. Made out of the finest wood, overlaid with gold leaf, with the occasional gem, and make a truly unique sound.

Now I want to see a dragon-sized Stratocaster.

[Falconer]

Now I want to see a dragon-sized Stratocaster.

Is this satisfactory?

Spoiler

Show

Another idea for a hoard object: armor tailored to suit a dragon's tastes. Overlaid with gold, of course. Otherwise it's not proper dragon armor.

[AslanCross]

Is this satisfactory?

Spoiler

Show

Another idea for a hoard object: armor tailored to suit a dragon's tastes. Overlaid with gold, of course. Otherwise it's not proper dragon armor.

You win an internet, sir.

[Lysander]

Immense dragon dentures made with sharp gemstones.

[Cicciograna]

The complete collection of "Playdragon", featuring a big poster of a young Empress of Blood in sexy poses.

[Irreverent Fool]

The Magic Item Compendium's loot tables have some more interesting art objects. I like the make random objects heavily stylized/bejeweled/gilded/what have you. Wands can be made of silver and crowned with elaborate claws clutching spheres of solid ruby, a mundane shortsword fit for a gift to a king can replace a typical art object.

Tying things like tapestries to the history of your world can promote verisimilitude and get players interested in the history. This goes doubly far if you have a bard in the party who you can feed history via items and bardic knowledge. A horned silver helm (nonmagical) once stayed in the party loot from level 5 to 16 in a game I ran just because the bard had figured out it once belonged to a legendary hero of the world.

Badaxe Games put out a book called "Unusual Treasures" which has many mundane items with values and short descriptions/histories. I've found it occasionally helpful.

[Symmys]

Skeletons of rare creatures, displayed much like dinosaur bones. If it's an evil dragon, one or two might actually be undead.
Maybe the dragon's eggs? Maybe another dragon's eggs?

[Heliomance]

Heward's Magnificent Organ, or whatever it's called.

No snickering.

[elonin]

No specific advice but rather an idea to let the hoard reflect the personality of the dragon itself. For example instead of just shiny things the dragon likes rare books or tapestries? Maybe it made an organ (large piano) out of the skeletons of some victims. Maybe as of yet it isn't finished and could comment about needing some more femurs (really nice if pcs are from unusual or LA races).

[Mando Knight]

Maybe it made an organ (large piano) out of the skeletons of some victims.

Organs aren't large pianos, they're completely different [/pendantic]

An organ would work: it makes a beautifully voluminous sound, can be scaled almost indefinitely, and the console can be made to fit the dragon's claws rather than human fingers. Unless the dragon stole it from a castle or temple and has Alternate Form. Having it play the organ when the PCs start traveling through the lair grants bonus points. Why? The organ is the only instrument proven to out-awesome the classic rock band setup by itself. There's a reason why lots of bands look into getting a keyboardist: it channels a fraction of the awesomeness of the Pipe Organ.

[DaedalusMkV]

Congratulations. Now I have an image of the adventurers finally reaching the end of the dungeon, ready to face a Dragon for massive Loot, having had the last few minutes of their trek accompanied by an organ.
DM: "You walk into a huge chamber. At one side of it is a massive pile of coins, art and the like that's certainly the famous treasure you came here to find. At the other, a similarly massive dragon is sitting on a bench, wearing a cape and playing the largest pipe organ you've ever seen."
Players: "But... Wha??? When did Dragons start being stereotypical organ-playing supervillains?"

[elonin]

Don't know how much reworking you want to do but an idea is making the bone organ be tunnels that the party has to adventure through (think immense for dragon size). The dragon could thank the party for clearing out the pipes.

[SlyGuyMcFly]

Heward's Magnificent Organ, or whatever it's called.

No snickering.

What's the penalty for snickering giggling like a schoolgirl?

[Afgncaap5]

How about a tree that grows fruit that appears to be gemstones? (Too slowly to truly benefit the players in a "money grows on trees" kind of way, but you never know what magical potions might be made from the freshly squeezed juice of an emerald, sapphire or ruby.)

If the dragon is in a suitably mountainous area, a collection of incredibly valuable spyglasses and telescopes might be fun. Particularly if one was set up to be pointed towards a place that the characters have some interest in.

It might also spice things up to just try odd items crafted from unusual materials. A porcelain skull, for instance, would be little more than a curiosity nowadays, but depending on the tech of your campaign might be seen as a valuable (or at least macabre) piece of art.

[Fuzzie Fuzz]

http://www.chaoticshiny.com/treasuregen.php
http://www.chaoticshiny.com/gemgen.php
http://www.chaoticshiny.com/artgen.php

That site (by a fellow Playgrounder) also has lots of other Random Generators, including some for magical items.

[Maryring]

Thanks for all your help. Managed to make this nifty list of valuables. The objects with * next to them ended up a bit more special, either being unid'd magic items, or being supernatural or useful in different ways beyond being art.

5 orange gems
7 reddish black gems
3 deep-red gems
10 black gems

Glass violin
Ancient tapestry
Painting of an old lord
Silk turban with green jewelled feathers
Electrum armour fitted with jewels
Golden circlet with four bluegreen gems
A jewelled electrum bracelet
A brooch of exotic wood and black gems
*A lyre
Old Storyteller's book
Green gyroscope
*Mathematical thesis on celestial movement
An ornate brass harp
A gargantuant peculiar instrument of wood
A pendant fit with a red gem
A silver ring inlaid with three rubies
*Ceremonial dagger inlaid with a blue gem
A large dwarven drinking horn made from rare bones
Porcelain tea set
Rainbow-hued sari with ruby dust
Silver comb inlaid with purple jewels
Pipe crafted from blue glass
*Mask of silver inlaid with white gems
Historical epos in three books.
An old grandfather clock
*A caduceus staff
*Vestment of white, pink and violet silk
Gold tiara inlaid with emeralds
A crystal chandelier
A gold ring inlaid with three rubies
A pendant of silver with gold thread and bronze charms
The skull of a rival dragon, mounted as a trophy
*A gold and silver chessboard, with marble pieces fashioned like fey
A jewel-encrusted adamantine sword, with a golden hilt and a gilded hand grasping it
*A bouquet of wildflowers in a crystal vase, lifelike yet counterfeith
A historical tapestry
Painting of an old group of heroes
*Crystal blossom tiara of white gold
Platinum crown
Diamond sceptre
*A simple glass orb
A statue of gold inlaid with various gems.
*A book of laws
*A thin wire, gleaming in all the colours of the rainbow
*A locket with the word "never" engraved inside it.

--- Thar be magic items here.

A wooden amulet
A string of beads
A pack of playing cards
A wooden club of exceptional quality
A steel sword of superb quality
A set of bracers
A ruby and sapphire Amulet
A cloak woven with silvery threads
Three very thick and dusty tomes
A huge pearl almost the size of a Halfling's fist.