Author: Malcon The Firebringer

Foreward

Hi. Malcon here again. This time I want to talk to you about the subject of Dragons. As the the oldest and most powerful Lich in Zanzian history you might expect me to be quite knowledgeable about this subject. Well of course I am. I’m a Lich. But there are some, believe it or not, who know more about this subject than me. So I called in one of the experts to talk to you about this important subject.

You know her as the queen of dragons. The first edition Monster Manual called her the Chromatic Dragon. Later editions seemed to blur that distinction. She is the only known five headed dragon in existence. You might know her as Tiamat. Here is her first guest post on my blog.

Guest Post From Tiamat

My lovely dragons. They come in so many colors. The first edition monster manual discussed only a few of the possibilities. Later monster manuals, fiend folios, Dungeons and Dragons editions and Dragon Magazine articles added so many more. But even now the subject is not exhausted. There are others out there that you may be unaware of. I am here to educate you about just a few.

As you may know…..I love dragons. After all I have five of them as my mates. Younger ones of course. These days you would call me a cougar or something. But back to the main issue at hand. The following four dragons are not the only ones out there that have not been discussed in great detail. But they are four of my personal favorites. And I suspect that they might become some of yours as well.

Prismatic Dragon

Later editions of Dungeons and Dragons have had a creature called the Prismatic Dragon but Joe Mohr was using one of the same name with his 1st edition campaign from the very beginning. His version is a bit different than the one used with later editions of the game. And it is quite a nasty little dragon. You might like it for your own campaigns. It is possible that some form of this fine dragon might have been mentioned in one of the Dragon Magazine editions but if it was mentioned I doubt it was as nasty as the one described below.

The Prismatic Dragon is a multi colored dragon. This also represents her strongest weapon. For when she breathes her best weapon…..everyone feels the pain. Unlike other dragons which breath a cone of nastiness……she breathes a prismatic spray. Anyone in the area of effect gets to enjoy a piece of the misery. Some of them will get to enjoy it twice in the same round.

The effect of this spray depends upon which edition of Dungeons and Dragons that you are playing. So I will not detail them here. For 5th edition you will use the spell effect for Prismatic Spray from page 267 of the Players Handbook. Two rays hit the target on a roll of 8. Roll lots of eights. It is more fun that way. For 1st edition you will use two different pages of the PHB to determine the effect. Page 100 shows the illusionist spell prismatic spray but it also directs you to the magic user spell prismatic wall for specifics about the various colors and effects. That is on page 93 of the PHB.

In Joe Mohr’s campaign this lovely lady is unique. And she is treated as an ancient dragon for purposes of combat and statistics. Those statistics will be given below for each edition of the game.

First Edition

• Frequency: Unique
• # Appearing: One
• Armor Class: -4
• Move: 12″/36″
• Hit Dice: 25
• % in Lair: 90
• Treasure: H, P, S, T, V
• # of Attacks: 3
• Dmg/Attack: 1-12/1-12/4-40
• Special Attack: Prismatic spray breath weapon twice daily and spell use as a 6th level illusionist
• Special Defense: Immune to the effects of prismatic spray
• Magic Resistance: none
• Intelligence: Exceptional
• Alignment: Neutral
• Size : L (60′ long)
• Psionics: none
• Chance of speaking: 100%
• Chance of spell use: 100%
• Chance of sleeping: 10%

Fifth Edition

• Armor Class: 23 (natural armor)
• Hit Points: 600 (30D20 + 300)
• Speed: 40 ft, climb 40 ft, fly 80 ft
• STR 30 (+10) DEX (10 (+0) CON 29 (+9) INT 18 (+4) WIS 15 (+2) CHA 23 (+6)
• Saving Throws: Dex +7, Con +16, Wis +9, CHA +13
• Skills: Perception +16, Stealth +7
• Damage Immunities: prismatic spray
• Senses: blindsight 60 ft, darkvision 120 ft, passive perception 26
• Languages: common, draconic
• CR 23 (50000 XP) (the D&D Wiki Version is higher)
• Legendary resistance (3/day): If dragon fails saving throw it can choose to succeed instead
• Actions: Multi Attack: Can use frightful presence and then make three attacks: bite once and two claws
• Actions: Bite: Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 20 ft, one target, Hit: 40 (4D10+20) piercing damage
• Actions: Claw: Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 15 ft, one target, Hit: 20 (2D8+12) slashing damage
• Actions: Tail: Melee Weapon Attack: +17 to hit, reach 25 ft, one target, Hit: 20 (2D8+11) bludgeoning damage
• Frightful presence: each creature of the dragon’s choice within 120 feet and aware of the dragon must succeed on a DC 21 wisdom saving throw or become frightened for one minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each turn and end the effect on a success. Once a saving throw succeeds that target is immune to the effect for 24 hours.
• Legendary actions: The dragon can take 3 legendary actions choosing from the three options listed below. Only one can be used at one time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The dragon regains spent legendary actions at the start of it’s turn.
• Legendary action: Detect: The dragon makes a wisdom (perception) check.
• Legendary action: Tail Attack: The dragon makes a tail attack
• Legendary Action: Wing Attack (costs 2 actions): The dragon beats it’s wings. This is also called a wing buffer attack in other editions. Each creature within 15 feet of the dragon must save on a DC 25 Dexterity saving throw or take 17 (2D6+10) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to half of it’s flying speed.

As you can see…..she is pretty nasty regardless of what edition you are playing. She hits hard. And she has lots of weapons at her disposal. And she has a lot of hit points and a tough armor class. All around she is no cream puff waiting for her treasure to be stolen from her by delvers. She is going to take a few with her if she goes down.

And if you prefer to use the D&D wiki version of her you could do that instead. This one is another 5th edition version of the creature and it even nastier. You can find it at the following link:

D&D Wiki Version of the Prismatic Dragon

And of course….all of the standard features of dragon kind still apply.

Astral Dragon

This is another rarely seen dragon that did not appear to exist in 1st edition. Granted. There may have been a mention of it in one of the many editions of the Dragon Magazine but I could not find it. Again Joe Mohr placed one in one of his adventures involving the astral plane. I won’t rehash that adventure here but I will list the statistics for this wonderful creature.

First Edition

• Frequency: Extremely Rare
• Armor Class: -4/-10
• Move: 12″/48″
• Hit Dice: 15
• % in Lair: 50%
• Treasure: H, S, T, V
• # of Attacks: 3
• Dmg/Attack: 1-10/1-10/4-40
• Special Attack: breath weapon (sonic damage)
• Special Defense: never surprised
• Magic Resistance: none
• Intelligence: exceptional
• Alignment: Neutral
• Size: L (45′ ribbon dragon)
• Psionics: None
• Speaking: 100% (Common and various dragon tongues)
• Magic Use: none
• Sleeping: 20%

The breath weapon for this form of dragon is a sonic damage. Consider it an extremely loud roar that deafens and does extreme damage to those in front of it. It should be treated as a cone of sonic damage of 3″ base and 9″ long. This weapon can be used twice daily.

Fifth Edition

Another blogger has posted their own variant of this dragon which you can find at the following link:

Astral Dragon Variant From D&D Beyond

Since there is already a good version of this fine creature out there for 5th edition I need not dwell on the statistics for one here. The one at the above link is sufficiently nasty to provide some amusement should your delvers decide to go on a planar vacation.

And of course….all standard dragon features apply to this fellow as well

Ethereal Dragon

Well if an astral dragon can exist. Then why not an ethereal one? That might create some interesting possibilities. The adventurers might find such a dragon passing through walls to come visit them while they are setting camp in some dungeon. Wouldn’t that be a rude awakening?

Fifth Edition

Fortunately there is already a fifth edition variant for this beautiful dragon. Again it comes from D&D Beyond.

D&D Beyond Ethereal Dragon Variant

First Edition

A quick search of the web and of the various monster manual books for 1st edition indicate that no such dragon existed. It is possible that an issue of Dragon Magazine might have had one but not that I could find. So I present one here for your potential use against your meddling delvers.

• Frequency: rare
• Armor Class: -3
• Move: 12″/36″
• Hit Dice: 20
• % in lair: 25%
• Treasure: H, I, S, T
• # of Attacks: 3
• Dmg/Attacks: 1-12/1-12/3-36
• Special Attack: Breath Weapon Arcane Blast
• Special Defense: ethereal at times making it difficult to hit
• Magic resistance: non
• Intelligence: exceptional
• Alignment: neutral
• Size: L (50′ long)
• Psionics: 300 (all attack modes/all defense modes)
• Chance of speaking: 100% (all dragon languages and common)
• Chance of magic use: 0%
• Chance of sleeping: 0%

The breath weapon is an arcane burst of energy that travels in a cone 3″ wide and up to 12″ long. Anyone within that area of effect may save against dragon breath for one half damage.

The ethereal dragon has the ability to travel between planes at will. This allows it an incredible defense against physical attack from others. Like a ghost these creatures are often encountered in a non corporeal form. This makes attacking them difficult at best. Striking at this dragon while it is still in the ethereal plane requires a magical weapon to succeed. Such attacks will find the creature nearly impossible to hit as it’s armor class is at -10. If it chooses to materialize into the prime material plane this dragon has an armor class of -4. In either event it is an elusive target despite it’s enormous size.

As other dragon kind all standard dragon features apply to the ethereal dragon.

Norox the Two Headed Dragon

Those of you who have played or read Joe Mohr’s Treasure Vaults of Tiamat may recognize this next lovely fellow. His name is Norox. And he has two heads. Two heads are much better than one I always say. Of course…..five heads are even better than two. But again….I digress….

Two heads gives two chances for two different breath weapons in the same round. Or perhaps a bite and a breath weapon. Or a breath weapon and a spell cast. Lots of possibilities. And this guy is enormous. He is a form of green dragon. That is…his body and heads are green. But he is much more powerful than any normal green dragon.

First Edition

Norox was written for use with a 1st edition adventure called Treasure Vaults of Tiamat. But he could easily be modified for use in 5th edition. And of course…..he should be… But for 1st edition his statistics are as follows:

• Frequency: Unique
• Armor Class: 0
• Move: 12″/24″
• Hit Dice: 14
• % in lair: 75%
• # of Attacks: 4 (bite/bite/claw/claw)
• Special Attacks: two breath weapons twice daily can be used in any combination
• Special Defense: never surprised with two heads watching one is always awake and aware
• Magic Resistance: none
• Intelligence: Exceptional
• Size: L(60′ long)
• Psionics: none
• Chance of Speaking: 100% (all dragon languages and common)
• Chance of magic use 100% (as a 7th level magic user)
• Chance of sleeping: 0% (one head is always awake and alert)

He has two breath weapons. One is the standard green dragon poison gas. The other is a particularly nasty flesh eating disease causing breath weapon. Anyone in the area of effect (the same as an ancient green dragon). The victim gets a saving throw. Unlike normal dragon breath saving throws this one is all or nothing. A failed saving throw has the following nasty results:

• First round victim loses 25% of hit points
• Second round victim loses 50% of hit points remaining
• Third round victim loses all hit points remaining and falls unconscious
• Fourth round victim dies

This is no normal disease. A simple cure disease will cure this affliction. But of course this is an area of effect spell. How many cure disease spells will the adventurers have on hand to save themselves with. It is more than likely that more than one person will be sprayed with this black cloud of disease. Someone has to pay. And likely someone will.

Fifth Edition Variant

Creating a Norox for use in your 5th Edition campaign is easily doable as well. I would take one of the stronger standard dragons such as the Ancient Red Dragon from page 97 of the Monster Manual and then modify him upward to make him more effective. He should still have the same two breath weapon options at his disposal. I would leave the rest of the statistics alone or modify them slightly upward.

• Armor Class: 23 (natural armor)
• Hit Points: 600 (30D20 +300) (perhaps hit points should be much higher)
• Speed: 40 ft, climb 40 ft, fly 80 ft
• STR 30 (+10) DEX 10 (+0) CON 29 (+9) INT 18 (+4) WIS 15 (+2) CHA 23 (+6)
• Saving Throws: Dex +7, Con +16, Wis +9, Cha +13
• Skills: perception +16, Stealth +7 (perhaps his perception should be higher with two heads)
• Damage Immunities: poison, disease
• Senses: blindsight 60 ft, dark vision 120 ft, passive perception 26 (or higher)
• CR variable but probably extremely high
• Languages: draconic in all varieties and common
• Legendary resistance 3/day: if the dragon fails a saving throw then he can choose to expend one of these and make his saving throw
• Multi attack: this dragon can use it’s frightful presence and attack four times (bite/bite/claw/claw)
• Bite: Melee weapon attack: +17 to hit, reach 20 ft, one target, hit: 21 (2D10+10) slashing damage (or perhaps higher if you want to modify it)
• Claw: Melee weapon attack: +17 to hit, reach 15 feet, one target, Hit: 17 (2D6+10) (or higher if you modify it)
• Tail: Melee weapon attack: +17 to hit, reach 25 ft, Hit: 19 (2D8+10) bludgeoning damage (or higher if you modify it)
• Breath Weapons (normal green dragon breath for one head and the disease damage listed for the 1st edition version above)
• Recharge rate for breath weapons 5-6
• Legendary actions: The dragon can take 3 legendary actions choosing from the three options listed below. Only one can be used at one time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The dragon regains spent legendary actions at the start of it’s turn. These actions could be modified by you as you feel appropriate for a unique two headed dragon.
• Legendary action: Detect: The dragon makes a wisdom (perception) check.
• Legendary action: Tail Attack: The dragon makes a tail attack
• Legendary Action: Wing Attack (costs 2 actions): The dragon beats it’s wings. This is also called a wing buffer attack in other editions. Each creature within 15 feet of the dragon must save on a DC 25 Dexterity saving throw or take 17 (2D6+10) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The dragon can then fly up to half of it’s flying speed.

Conclusion

Ok. Perhaps not all of these dragons are original inventions. Some have been thought of during various stages of the development of Dungeons and Dragons but now you have some suggestions on how to make one for whichever edition you play.

Dragons are wonderful and magical creatures. They should not be easy to defeat in combat. Especially in their own lairs. In their own lairs they will have allies and servants to help defend them and alert them of intruders. They will have nasty traps set up for unwary trespassers. And they should be nearly unbeatable.

From time to time I may drop back in on this blog and bring you new suggestions as I meet new acquaintances during my travels. I hope that you have enjoyed this little chat.

Aging. It happens to all of us. But to an explorer of dangerous tombs, horrifying catacombs, haunted castles and perilous caverns premature aging is bound to occur. And sometimes aging is initiated by darker forces of magic and the vile forces of the undead!

Aging in Advanced Dungeons and Dragons

A few things could cause premature aging in 1st Edition. Some of these might include:

• Seeing a ghost could age a person
• Being touched by a ghost could age them further
• The touch of a staff of withering
• A potion of longevity reduces the age of a character
• Casting a wish spell
• Casting a alter reality spell
• Casting a limited wish spell
• Casting a resurrection spell
• Casting a restoration spell
• Under a haste spell
• Taking a potion of speed
• Casting a gate spell

For many non human characters these effects were virtually meaningless as their life spans were far greater than their human counterparts. A dwarf, for example, might live 450 years. An elf might live as long as 2000 years depending upon the specific type. Gnomes were known to live as long as 700 years. Human life spans were far shorter than most of these others. So age changing magic had a more drastic effect upon humans than these other races.

Aging in 5th Edition

Strangely the 5th Edition Dungeon Master Guide is nearly silent on the subject. The description of the Ghost in the Monster Manual no longer has an aging effect for a person touched by a ghost. Instead the touch of a Ghost does necrotic damage. The casting of a wish also does necrotic damage rather than causing aging. The sight of a ghost still causes a person to age if they fail a saving throw. However, a person so aged, appears to have no serious negative personal effect from being so aged.

Presumably the designers from WOTC just decided to remove aging as an effect from the game entirely. Except for one thing that I could find that is. There is still a potion of longevity and it still reduces the age of the imbiber. But why would one need this in 5th Edition if nothing seems to age you prematurely. One other thing that I found that specifically causes premature aging in 5th Edition is the table on page 298 of the DMG which gives possible “trick” effects from objects interacted with in a dungeon.

I did, however, find a 3rd party document with suggestions on the effects of aging for use with 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons.

Effects of Aging

Curing Aging in Dungeons and Dragons

Curing aging had no specific mechanics. Both editions offer the potion of longevity as an option. Restoration, heal, cure disease have no effect. A wish might. But then the person bestowing the wish takes age from doing so.

Other Possible Causes of Premature Aging

As mentioned the mere sight of some legendary creatures caused potential aging. Perhaps seeing a god might cause it. Or a powerful devil or demon perhaps. Both editions offer the possibility of tricks causing aging. Touching an evil altar or idol might perhaps cause aging to someone of another alignment. Perhaps some other creatures might bestow aging as a weapon. A dragon that uses aging as a breath weapon might be interesting. Creatures from the plane of time might also be good candidates for using age as a weapon. Curses seem like a possible method. And of course….magic. If there can be a potion of longevity then certainly there could be a potion of aging as well.

Tactics are important in Dungeons and Dragons. They are important to both the adventurers as well as the monsters they face. Both sides want to win any battle they engage in. Yet in neither 1st Edition AD&D or in Dungeons and Dragons 5E do either set of core books really discuss the subject all that much. The DM is left to determine what tactics his monsters will use and the players are left to determine what tactics will work for them. And if someone chooses poor tactics….you get the result in the picture above.

Tactics of the Adventurers

I discussed the use of cover and concealment in a prior article. Obviously that is an important tactical consideration. Should the adventurers close in and melee? Should they set pole arms and wait for the enemy to charge? Should they use missile weapons and keep range. Or should they use magic? These are considerations that the players must decide.

Tactics of the Monsters and NPCs

For the Dungeon Master there are other considerations. His monsters and non player characters must make rational choices for their own defense and success. If they see or hear a party of adventurers coming they may lay in wait and try to surprise them. They may know of, or even set, traps to give them an advantage against potential enemies. Unlike the adventurers they may have allies in the dungeon that could help them win an encounter with meddling delvers. The monsters may have alarms set up to warn each other of trespassers. The creatures might have weapons set up for defense. They might even have places in their lair that give them cover and concealment to use to their advantage.

Resources for the Dungeon Master

There are not many discussions on the web that I could find on this subject. But I did find one pretty good one. It is from a web site called the Monsters Know.

The Monsters Know: Tactics for 5E

It would appear that this entire blog is dedicated to the tactics of different types of creatures that might be met in a Dungeons and Dragons 5E game. Each article seems to be about tactics of a specific creature. From reading this blog I suspect most of these ideas are easily usable in other editions of Dungeons and Dragons.

Tactics in Dungeons and Dragons

Regardless of what edition you play the tactics used may determine the outcome of a battle. Not having the right tactics can be fatal. Being prepared for any contingency is essential to the success of either the delver or the creature of the dark dungeon.

Sea Monsters. Every crusty old sailor in every tavern in the realm has stories to tell of these terrifying creatures of the sea. In a fantasy game like Dungeons and Dragons you can almost imagine the terror of being aboard a flimsy wooden sailing ship and then encountering one of these gigantic beasts in the sea.

Mariners in Dungeons and Dragons have good reasons to fear the creatures that might be lurking under the dark waters of the sea. There are many potential dangers on the ocean and creatures are just one of them. Storms and pirates are also waiting on the seas. And then there are those whirlpools that suddenly appear out of nowhere……

Of Ships and Sea

The First Edition AD&D Dungeon Master Guide discusses ships and combat aboard them on pages 54-55. In 5th Edition the DMG discusses ships and combat aboard them on page 119. But both of these sources are rather limited in scope. There are some rules supplements out there that discuss sailing and ship combat. These are more helpful to the Dungeon Master.

For Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 2nd Edition there was a fine supplement called “Of Ships and Sea.” This fine book is available at the following link:

Of Ships and Sea

For 5th Edition there are some expanded rules for ships and combat. This one is not from WOTC and is a pay what you want file. It looks rather interesting.

Expanded Sailing Rules

Sailing is Dangerous Business in D& D

Sea monsters are out there. Mariners probably have a pretty short life span in Dungeons and Dragons. And they are just one of the potential hazards on the water. The Dungeon Master needs the tools to make ocean voyages a truly harrowing experience for their adventurers.

The Assassin class has long been a controversial part of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 1st Edition. This specific assassin class does not exist in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition. But one can select the Assassin arch type for a rogue.

The assassin was controversial in AD&D for a couple of reasons. For one. He had to be evil. Many dungeon masters did not want evil characters in their campaigns. Good aligned characters would not want to associate with such lawless characters. And the Assassin seemed to be built with an instant kill button called “assassination.”

Assassins in Dungeons and Dragons 5E

I will start with 5th Edition this time because the assassin in 5E is much more limited in scope than the assassin is in 1st Edition. In 5E the assassin is just one potential type of rogue path that one can select. Only at 17th level does the assassin in 5E truly have a chance for an instant kill assassination.

But in some respects the 5E assassin has some similar abilities to the 1st Edition assassin. He can use poison. But again only at a specific level. The 5E assassin can use disguise and infiltrate enemy facilities and spy. But only at specific levels. In 1st Edition these are basic skills of an Assassin starting at level one.

Assassins in Dungeons and Dragons 1st Edition

An Assassin in AD&D was intended to be a multi-role individual. He was part James Bond. He was an expert spy. He was a master of disguise. And he was an efficient killer. But he also had some of the skills of a thief. He could back stab, pick locks, climb walls and do the things that thieves did. Only not quite as well. But he could also use any weapon where a thief was restricted. He could use a shield where a thief could not. And he could use poison.

Only Assassins and other evil characters could use poison in AD&D 1st Edition. This made them a little bit scary to be around.

Many special tables were set up for assassin characters. There was one on DMG page 18 specifically to cover the chances of success in spying missions. Page 19 had another table to cover what happened if the spying mission failed. page 20 covered the assassin’s use of poison as well as the types of poison available and their respective costs. It also covered the research into poison and the creation of poison by assassin characters.

The Instant Kill Button in 1st Edition

Page 75 of the Dungeon Master Guide provides a table for assassination by player characters. It is a combat table that compares the level of the assassin versus the level of the target and provides a percentage chance for success. The table clearly states that this is an instant kill roll. It states that under optimal conditions the percentages offered would be used but these percentages should be adjusted based upon the circumstances involved. Some of these adjusting factors would include:

• The victim is aware that an attempt will be made
• Precautions taken
• Victim is unguarded
• Victim is intoxicated
• Victim is asleep
• Victim trusts the assassin
• The quality of the plan of assassination developed by the player running the assassin character

The table also indicates that weapon damage will still take place even though the assassination attempt failed. This weapon damage might still kill the victim. What is unsaid, but is probably intended, is that poison on the blade of the assassin might also kill the victim even if the assassination roll failed.

A table on page 29 of the Players Handbook gives suggested fees to be collected for performing assassinations.

The key to assassination in 1st Edition is a single sentence on page 29 of the PHB. If an assassin surprises a victim they may attack on the Assassination Table giving roughly a 50% chance of instantly killing the victim. This chance improves as the assassin character rises in level. If the roll fails the victim still takes weapon damage. And in this paragraph poison is mentioned. The victim would still need to make a saving throw against poison or suffer the consequences of failing it. The assassin basically gets to choose one of these three forms of attack when they achieve surprise: assassination, backstabbing or normal melee combat. You can guess which one they will want to choose.

There Can Be Only One!

Just like in the movie Highlander…..there can be only one…..

Head assassin that is. In 1st Edition there were level limits on certain classes. That limit often stated that there could only be so many characters of a specific class at a specific level. For assassins there could be only one Grandfather of Assassins. In 1st Edition that was the title of the highest level assassin. That level was 15th. In order to achieve that level the assassin character would need to find and murder the Grandfather of Assassins and assume his place.

This was also a bit controversial in AD&D. People did not like having to fight for the top spot. And a few different classes required that. Druids and Monks, for example, also had such limits. There could only be so many at the upper levels. And trial by combat determined advancement.

Assassination in Dungeons and Dragons

Games like Assassin’s Creed have brought the Assassin back into the limelight. And of course movies like Prince of Persia: Sands of Time also have shined a light on them. So there will always be players wanting to play such a character. And fortunately both forms of Dungeons and Dragons offers a chance to do so.

Gambling in Dungeons and Dragons is a past time enjoyed by humans and humanoids alike. Games of chance have existed since the dawn of time. Even goblins and orcs like to gamble on occasion. Of course…..their games tend to be a little bloodier.

Gambling in 1st Edition AD&D

Gary Gygax certainly understood that games of chance would necessarily exist in a fantasy world like Dungeons and Dragons. He made an entire appendix on this subject in the 1st Edition Dungeon Masters Guide. Pages 215-216 cover several games that might be commonly played in your realm. These games could easily be used in 5th Edition as well.

Craps – This game is the same as played in the real world today. A shooter rolls 2D6. An initial roll of 7 or 11 wins. An initial roll of 2, 3 or 12 automatically loses. With further rolls the shooter is trying to match the point set on the first roll. If that number is met then the shooter wins. If a seven is rolled before that point is met again the shooter loses. Side bets are made on various other potential rolls.

Knuckle Bones – humanoids such as orcs and goblins love this game. This is a craps type of game with the object of rolling the highest total.

Slots – While the fancy mechanical slot machines found in Las Vegas would not be found in a fantasy realm there is still the possibility of a magical one. Such a slot might pay out on different types of rolls. Three eight sided dice would be rolled each pull of the one armed bandit. The type of icons that show up can be made up by the DM. My suggestions might be dragons, devils, demons, various monsters, etc. There is also the possibility that some permutations might have a magical effect as a payout and not just a cash payment.

Some possibilities might include:

• Changes in gender
• Changes in statistics upwards or downwards
• Changes in experience levels upwards or downwards
• Changes in vital statistics such as hit points
• Magical effects that are beneficial or harmful

Payouts on the slots involving cash might be as follows:

6 6 6 Naturally this might be a good one for a really negative effect but the DMG suggests 24-1 payout

8 8 8 This should probably be the max payout. DMG says 100-1

7 7 7 50- 1

5 5 5 20-1

4 4 4 16-1

3 3 3 14-1

2 2 2 12-1

1 1 1 8-1

6 6 8 15-1

6 6 7 12-1

6 6 5 10-1

6 6 4 8-1

6 6 3 6-1

6 6 2 4-1

6 6 1 2-1

The DMG suggests that the following symbols correspond to each number:

1 Lemon

2 Orange

3 Bar

4 Bell

5 Plum

6 Cherries

7 Anchor

8 Crown

Dice Racing – Horse racing could be simulated with dice and a checker board using the pieces as horses. Dice are rolled for each horse using a six sided dice to see how many steps the horse runs that turn. The first horse to make it around the board wins.

Blackjack – Using cards the players play the real world game of 21. I won’t bother going into the rules of that game here as it is universally known.

A few other games of chance were mentioned in the DMG but those games are not of much interest. Other games could, of course, be invented.

Gambling in Dungeons and Dragons 5E

Again 5E rules seemed to avoid this topic like the plague. Why? Who knows. But others have suggested some possible gambling rules for 5E. But, to be perfectly honest, there is no reason that those 1st Edition games of chance could not be used in 5E. They clearly could.

One alternative suggestion was made regarding some potential games available in D&D. Those games are found in this link:

Gambling Games for Taverns

Games of Chance

Gambling in Dungeons and Dragons is inevitable. Sooner or later your players will want a chance to win money when they visit a tavern. Of course there are other potential games of chance that could be used in a Tavern. Darts comes to mind. Arm wrestling. Rat racing. Perhaps even fights between patrons in a pit for the entertainment of all. There are lots of possibilities.

The local tavern is often the center of activity in the fantasy towns and cities of Dungeons and Dragons. They are the place one goes to hear rumors, find other adventurers, hire henchmen or get a good drink. Taverns have bards playing. Taverns have wenches serving ale. And Taverns have bar fights. But all that drinking and merrymaking has a price. That price is intoxication. And in Dungeons and Dragons intoxication has a price too.

Intoxication in 1st Edition AD&D

The Dungeon Master Guide for 1st Edition talks about the effects of intoxication on pages 82-83. It begins with a nice little table on the effects of intoxication on several aspects of the person inebriated.

The effect on a person’s bravery is well documented. If you have any doubt about this….look at that picture above again. Does that knight really think that he can defeat the dragon and the witch alone? Or did he just drain that barrel of mead all on his own? In 1st Edition a persons bravery increases by 1 for slight intoxication, 2 for moderate intoxication and 4 for great intoxication.

Morale is boosted by 5%, 10% and 15% respectively. Intelligence is reduced by 1, 3 or 6 depending upon the level of intoxication. Wisdom is reduced by 1, 4 or 7 respectively. Dexterity will be reduced by 0, 2 or 5 depending upon the level of severity. Charisma is likewise reduced by 0, 1 or 4. Attack dice (to hit rolls) are reduced by 0, 1 or 5 depending on how drunk the person is. Hit points, however, are increased by 0, 1 or 3 respectively.

Recovery times for intoxication in 1st Edition depend also on the severity of the inebriation. Slight intoxication would take 1-2 hours to recover from. Moderate intoxication would take 2-4 hours. Great intoxication would take 4-6 hours to recover from. And drinking one’s self into a comatose state would take 7-10 hours to recover from.

Intoxication in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition

Strangely the 5E rules are silent on Intoxication. It is almost as if the WOTC authors decided specifically to exclude this from the game. Why that would be I do not know. But plenty of others have discussed this issue. Some helpful folks made their own D&D variant rule which seems reasonable enough to me so I will link it here:

Variant Rule for 5E intoxication

Another possible variant rule:

Homebrew 5E Drinking Rules

Either of these ideas will work well for 5E if you need to find the effects of intoxication for your games.

Intoxication in Dungeons and Dragons Has a Price

In either edition of this fine game one should be mindful that people who drink and delve are risking their friends lives as well as their own. Friends don’t let friends drink and delve. Don’t end up like this chick in the picture below.

Cover in Dungeons and Dragons can come in different forms. A person might be on a tower or wall. They could be hiding behind parapets. Or they could be firing through an arrow slit. They might be pouring hot oil on the castle invaders who are trying to use a battering ram on the castle gate. Or they could be throwing rocks down on the people below. In any of those situations anyone casting a spell against them or firing an arrow at them will face the effects of cover.

Medieval castles used many forms of defense to protect those within from the invaders outside the castle. Some of these defenses include:

• Towers
• Parapets
• Arrow Slits
• Barbicans
• Portcullis
• Moats
• Ramparts
• Gatehouses
• Murder Holes
• Battlements

The medieval strategist was prepared for the invaders attempts to attack those defending the castle. They would have been less prepared to fend off the effects of wizards. But the castle designers in the fantasy worlds of Dungeons and Dragons surely know of the potential dangers of magic. While they might not be able to completely protect a castle from magic they can certainly give the defenders some advantage and protection from it.

Use of Cover in 1st Edition AD&D

The DMG provides a general table regarding the use of cover against missles:

• 25% cover confers +2 to the effective armor class of the defender
• 50% cover confers +4 to the effective armor class of the defender
• 75% cover confers +7 to the effective armor class of the defender
• 90% cover confers +10 to the effective armor class of the defender

For concealment the DMG provides the following:

• 25% concealment provides +1 to the effective armor class of the defender
• 50% concealment provides +2 to the effective armor class of the defender
• 75% concealment provides +3 to the effective armor class of the defender
• 90% concealment provides +4 to the effective armor class of the defender

A man on a walled parapet would have 25% cover. A man protected up to the waist would have 50% cover or concealment. A person behind thick brush might also have 50% cover or concealment. Arrow slits would provide 90% cover. A person firing from a narrow window might have 75% cover or concealment. Clearly these ideas leave a lot in the hands of the Dungeon Master to determine.

As for cover and spell casting the Dungeon Master Guide discusses this in a small blurb on page 65. Hard cover adds the armor class bonuses listed above to the potential saving throws of the victim. A saving throw by a person with 90% cover might have no effect at all if their saving throws are made (instead of the half damage commonly taken in 1st Edition from spells saved against).

Use of Cover in 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons

Fifth edition is not entirely silent on this subject. Dungeon Master Guide page 251 discusses it a bit. Specifically it goes into the use of miniatures and a battle map and determining if cover is in play by tracing the position of the opponents versus the fixed objects that might provide that cover. Page 272 talks about missiles that miss a covered target hitting cover.

Now although I did not find a reference to this in the DMG I did find a reference in the System Resource Document for 5th Edition that describes the effects of cover. Using the page 251 analysis to determine what amount of cover a person has one can use the following to determine the effect of it:

• Half Cover confers +2 bonus to AC and to dexterity saving throws
• Three quarters cover confers +5 to AC and to dexterity saving throws
• Total cover confers complete immunity to an attack or spell except…..for an area of effect spell or attack that might reach it’s intended target

Half cover might include being behind a wall, a tree trunk, a piece of furniture or even hiding behind another creature (friend or foe).

Three quarters cover might include being behind a portcullis, using an arrow slit or being behind a thick tree trunk.

Total cover means being entirely concealed from the enemy.

A link to the System Resource Document

Use of Cover in Dungeons and Dragons

It is entirely reasonable to expect that your non player characters and creatures will use cover to their advantage to protect themselves from your adventurers and from other enemies. Knowing these rules can make your creatures more challenging to your adventurers. A kobold hiding behind an arrow slit and firing arrows is far more dangerous than one holding a sword and fighting up close and personally. An orc throwing boiling oil on adventurers trying to break into the castle is more effective than one meeting the challenge directly with a spear. Your monsters should fight smart! Your players certainly will.

Insanity. This affliction can be encountered in Dungeons and Dragons in a number of ways. An adventuring party might encounter someone who is insane. Perhaps that person is a harmless old fool. Or perhaps that old fool knows something of great value that must be drawn out of him in order to complete an important quest or objective. Or perhaps a player makes the critical mistake of wearing a Scarab of Insanity. Or is afflicted with some sort of mental illness as part of a curse or magical effect.

Insanity in 1st Edition AD&D

In 1st edition the rules for insanity are covered in the Dungeon Master’s Guide pages 83-84. There are many forms of insanity listed which include:

• Dipsomania – a compulsion to drink alcohol
• Kleptomania – a compulsion to steal
• Schizoid – loss of personality
• Pathological Liar – compulsion to lie
• Monomania – A singular obsession
• Dementia Praecox – an extreme disinterest in doing anything at all
• Melancholia – an extreme feeling of hopelessness
• Delusional Insanity – individual is convinced that they are some important persona such as a famous person or royalty
• Megalomania – person is convinced that they are the best at everything
• Schizoephrenia – split personalities
• Mania – a temporary state where the individual becomes hysterical and irrational and can become incredibly strong and sometimes violent
• Lunacy – homicidal compulsion that manifests itself on or about a full moon
• Paranioa – a person is convinced that everyone is out to get them
• Manic-Depressive – A person swings between two different forms of insanity.
• Hallucinatory Insanity – afflicted sees or hears things which do not exist
• Sado-Masochism – another form of insanity in which the individual may have swings between two different conditions. at one extreme they wish to inflict pain on others. At the other extreme they wish to suffer pain.
• Suicidal Mania – compulsion to kill one’s self
• Homocidal Mania – A compulsion to kill
• Hebephrenia – Individual withrdraws from the real world.
• Catatonia – Person completely withdraws from reality

Obviously these are not textbook definitions from a Psychology textbook. These are simplifications for use in your game. The DMG gives many specifics on how to use these forms of insanity in respect to an individual character. These conditions may be temporary or they may be permanent.

Madness in 5th Edition

In 5th Edition insanity is called “Madness.” Pages 258-260 discuss this subject. Resisting madness in 5th Edition typically requires a saving throw using wisdom or charisma. A person can be afflicted with short term madness lasting 1D10 minutes, long term madness lasting 1D10 hours or permanent madness. The DMG offers random tables for the determination of the form of madness. Fifth Edition also offers an optional campaign rule involving a sanity score that might be affected during the course of some adventure.

II also found an interesting home brewed alternative set of rules for insanity in 5th Edition. Click on the link above and it will take you to this well prepared document.

Curing Insanity

In 5th edition madness can be cured by a calm emotions spell or a long or short term madness might be cured by a lesser restoration. A greater restoration might be needed to cure a permanent form of madness.

In 1st Edition the Dungeon Masters Guide gives you plenty of types of Insanity to inflict upon your adventurers but does not really discuss the curing of it in the same section of the book. A look at certain spells also leaves you a little confused on how an adventurer is supposed to be cured once so inflicted. Now it is made clear that certain types of insanity are only temporary. But what of the permanent kind?

Some possible spells come to mind. These would include:

Wish – well I would assume that a wish could restore one’s sanity

Restoration – a look at page 53 of the PHB makes it clear that only the effects of undead level draining are cured by this spell

Cure Disease – a reading of PHB page 47 shows that nothing about insanity is mentioned in this spell. I would assume then that it will not work

Remove Curse – If the insanity is caused by a curse then I would argue that this spell should be allowed to cure it. If not….then no.

Dispel Magic – if the insanity is brought about by magic then I would argue that this would be a logical choice

Limited Wish – presumably this should work

Heal – Page 51 of the PHB says that it cures all diseases but does not specifically mention insanity. However it does say that it dispels the effects of a feeblemind spell.

Strangely enough….there was never just a plain Cure Insanity spell available in 1st Edition. Not that I ever heard of anyway. Obviously you could create such a spell for your campaigns. Perhaps drop it as a rare spell scroll that introduces a new spell to your games.

Methods for Inflicting Insanity

There are a myriad of methods for inflicting insanity in Dungeons and Dragons. This list below is, of course, not exhaustive:

• Many spells can inflict forms of insanity including: Feeblemind, scare, horror, various illusions, etc
• Psionics can cause psychic damage which may become insanity in 1e
• Magical artifacts may inflict forms of insanity on their bearer
• Magical effects from evil altars, idols and other objects that one might come into contact with
• Curses
• And presumably it might occur from natural sources such as the trauma of seeing the death of a loved one or from exposure to scenes of horror that no normal person should ever experience
• The sight of certain legendary creatures might cause temporary insanity

Insanity in Dungeons and Dragons

Insanity in game play leaves a great deal of interpretation for the Dungeon Master. Both DM Guides give rules and suggestions. But both leave a great deal that must be decided by the ultimate judge of all things during a game….The Dungeon Master. So be prepared to make some of the tough decisions without help from the core books.

But insanity can be introduced in your games in some special and creative ways. One example I used with some of my players in the past. They did something incredibly stupid and suffered a total party kill. Yes I could have let them suffer that well deserved fate. But I chose not to. Instead they woke up (without weapons or armor or magic items) in an insane asylum. They found that they only believed that they were real adventurers. They were, in fact, just delusional. And now with the help of a Mind Flayer doctor and a Beholder Head shrink they were going to be cured!

Spell components are an important part of the magic system in all editions of Dungeons and Dragons. Requiring that your players have the proper spell components is how you can limit the adventurer’s ability to use magic to steamroll everything in your dungeon. Yet most dungeon masters ignore spell components. And more than a few dungeon masters find that their adventurers seem all overpowered in some ways. They assume that it is the acquisition of magical items that have made their characters too powerful. And to some extent this is often true. But the magic inherent to a magic user is often the real culprit. At low levels the magic users, wizards, sorcerers, illusionists or whatever tend to be far weaker than the fighter types they adventure with. At higher levels the casters often take over the group.

Spell Components in 1st and 2nd Edition

This is just a complete list of spell components taken from the 1st and 2nd edition players handbooks. The purpose of making this list was to provide potential treasure to adventurers in my campaigns that does not really appear to be treasure at all. The adventurers come upon a big pile of dung. Obviously they are going to walk right by it and ignore it. But the magic user might need some of that for certain spells that they want to use. Placing some of these things in your dungeons gives you some dungeon dressing as well as offering some treasure that your adventurers may or may not discover.

Acid crystals Acorns

Adder stomach

Agate Alcohol

Alkaline Amber, powdered

Amber rod

Amethyst, crushed (worth more than 500 gp)

Aster seed

Aventurine feldsapar (sunstone) Bag

Bar magnets, tiny

Bark chips, small

Bark, from an oak Basil

Bat fur Bat hairs

Beads, glass or crystal Beeswax

Bell, tiny Bell without a clapper

Bitumen Black opal, powdered and worth more than 5000 gp

Black pearl, crushed (worth more than 1000 gp in value)

Blood

Black dragon’s Blood

Bones, mammal

Bones, human or humanoid

Bones from undead such as skeletons, zombies, ghouls, ghast or mummy

Brain of a newt

Brandy

Brass dust

Brass, powdered

Brazier

Bromine salts

Bucket, tiny

Burrs

Butter

Candle, small

Candles

Carbon, black

Carbon, powdered

Carrot

Carrot, dried, essence

Carp, powdered

miniature Caterpillar cocoon

Catnip

Chains, miniature, made of special iron or silver or nickel

Chalk

Chamomile

Charcoal

Charcoal, stick

Cherry juice, tart

Clay

Clay tablet

Small Cloth

Fine Club, oaken

Citric acid
Citrine, powdered

Coal

Cone, crystal or glass

Cone, small, made from a bull or ram’s horn

Copper

Copper piece

Copper, small piece drawn fine

Cork

Corn extract, powdered

Crickets, live

Crushed pearl worth more than 100 gp (or the pearl itself)

Crystal Crystal bead, small

Crystal rod

Crystal rod filled with phosphorescent material

Crystal sheet

Tthin Cylinders, two, tiny, with one open end and connected by copper wire Dart Device made of four rings joined to form a slightly curved line with an “I” upon which the bottoms of the rings rests, and fashioned out of copper and zinc

Diamond, crushed

Diamond dust Diamond (worth more than 1000 gp)

Diamond, powdered

Diamond or clear gem sphere

Digestive juice from giant slug

Disc, bronze

Dish

Displacer beast hide

Dirt

Divination counters (bones, ivory, sticks, carved runes)

Down, piece of

Dragon blood, various colored dragons

Dragon Bones

Drum, small

Dung

Dung from strong animal such as ape, bear, ox

Dust

Earth

Egg, rotten

Egg shell

Emerald, powdered

Evergreen, sprig

Eye of a hawk or eagle or a rok

Eyelash

Eyelash, from a basilisk

Eyelash of ogre magi, kirin or a spell using creature

Fan, tiny

Fat

Feather

Feathers, from a Coutl Feather from an exotic bird or creature (rok, griffin, hippogriff, other)

Feather, white Feather from a wing of a bird

Feather, chicken

Firefly, live

Firefly, tail portions

Fleece

Flint

Flour, white

Flower petal

Font

Food

Fur

Garlic, bud

Garlic, crushed

Gauze

Gem, various, worth more than 5000 gp

Gem inlaid sticks

Glass, small piece

Glass or mica or crystal, tinted yellow

Glass rod Glove

Glove, leather

Glove, snake skin

Glowworm

Gold dust

Golden wire

Grain

Granite dust

Grass, blades

Grasshopper hind legs

Graveyard dirt

Grease

Gum arabic

Gum arabic in a sphere

Gut

Strands of Hair, from a titan

Heart of a hen

Hemp, twisted

Herring scales, powdered

Hickory nut oil

Holly

Holly berries

Holly leaves

Holy/Unholy Symbols Holy/Unholy water

Honey

Honey, specially fermented from bee larvae destined for royalty

Honeycomb

Hoof, from an animal, powdered

Hops

Horn, carved into a crescent shape

Humus

Iodine crystals

Incense

Ink

Ink, fine (composed of rare substances and worth more than 200 gp)

Ink, from squid

Ink, lead based and prepared by an alchemist

Iron bar (nail or spike)

Iron bars, magnetized

small Iron blade

Iron filings

Iron, powdered

Iron pyrite

Iron rod, small

Iron, sheet, small

Ivory plaque (worth more than 100 gp)

Ivory, strips formed into a rectangle

Ivory baton

Jade circlet (worth more than 5000 gp)

Jailbird’s tongue

Juice made from dried plums boiled in spring water

Kirin horn

Kirin, hair from it’s tail

Lampblack

Lard

Leaf

Leaf, powdered, from poison ivy or oak or sumac

Leather, finely cured and blessed by a cleric

Leather loop

small Leaves

Ash Leaves

Green Leaves

Oak Leaves

Leek, whole and crushed

Legume seed

Lemon balm

Licorice root, shaving

Lime, crushed

Lime, powdered

Linen, white

Loam

Lodestone

Luckstone

Magnets, small

Mandrake root

Marble, polished, piece of

Marigold flowers, crushed

Melatonin

Mercury

Mercuric-nitric acid crystals

Metal bar, small

Metal rod, small

Metal rod, small and forked

Meteorite

Mica, chip

Milk fat, solidified

Mineral spheres – clay, glass or crystal

Minute tort

Mirror, silver, highly polished and valuable (1000 gp or more)

Mistletoe

Mistletoe, greater

Mithril plate, small

Model of a ziggurat made of clay

Mud

Mushroom spores

Needle, magnetized

Needle, tiny and golden

Nettle leaves, stinging, crushed (seven of them needed)

Nitre

Nitric acid

Numbered wheel

Nut shells

Oak leaf, dead

Oak leaves

Oil, drop of
Oil made from beans of a castor plant

Ointment made from mushroom powder, saffron and fat (or the adventurers might just find these individual components and make their own ointment)

Ointment made from oil, poppy dust and pink orchid essence (or the individual components themselves might be found)

Opalescent feldspar (moonstone)

Owl feather

Parchment

Parchment, cone of

Parchment, loop, twisted

Passion fruit

Peas, powdered

Pearl Pearls, crushed (worth more than 1000 gp)

Pen (special and expensive)

Phosphorus

Pigments

Pigments, specially prepared, worth more than 1000 gp each

Pine, sprig

Pine tar

Pinecone

Pineal gland, powdered (from human or humanoid)

Pin made of ivory or silver

Pitch

Pole

Polluted Water

Portal, miniature, made of ivory

Pork rind

Powdered Diamond worth 2000 gp (or the diamond itself)

Powder or sand colored red, yellow and blue

Prayer beads

Prayer book

Prayer device

Prayer wheel

Prism, crystal

Quartz

Quartz, smoky

Quiver, miniature

Quicksilver

Raisins

Reed

Resin

Resin from a camphor tree, lump of

Rhubarb leaf, powdered

Rock

Rock crystal

Rock salt

Rod made of glass, amber or crystal

Rope

Rose petals

Rosemary, sprig

Ruby, powdered (and worth more than 5000 gp before crushed)

Sacrificial creature (lamb perhaps)

Salt

Saltpeter

Sand

Sapphire dust

Sapphire, white (worth more than 1000 gp)

Scale, from a devil

Scrapings from beneath a dung pile

Seashell

Seeds from a moonseed plant

Sesame seeds

Shamrock, leaf

Shell, tortoise

Shell, turtle

Shovel, miniature

Silk, black

Silk, small square piece

Silk braided so as to form a miniature whip

Silk, multi-colored

Silver dust

Silver pins

Silver, powdered

Silver horn, small (worth more than 100 gp)

Silver whistle, tiny

Silver wire, fine

Sinew, from a strong animal

Skunk cabbage leaves

Small silver mirror

Small, straight piece of iron

Smoke, bottled

Snake scales

Snake skin

Snake tongue

Soot

Spectre, essence of

Spiders, live

Spider web

Split dried peas

Spoon, silver

Stalactites, tiny

Stalks from an amaryllis

Statuettes, canine (ivory and ebony)

Steel, small piece

Stick

Stone

Straw

String

String, knotted

Stone, square chip of

Stylus

Sugar

Sulphur

Sumac leaf

Sweet oil

Sword, platinum, miniature (with a copper and zinc pommel)

Talc

Tallow

Tea

Tea leaves

Tentacle from giant squid or octopus

Thistledown

Thorns, sharp

Thread

Topaz, powdered

Topaz, powdered, oriental

Tube, hollow and minute, made of gold

Treacle

Tree sap

Tryptophan

Twig

Twig, from a tree

Twigs,sharpened

Umber hulk blood

Unguent

Valerian root

Vampire, dust of

Vellum (special and expensive)

Vermillion

Vestment

Vine

Vinegar

Walnut oil

War hammer

Water

Wax, lump

Wet leaves of an infusion

White cloth strip

Whitewash, dram

Willow, bent

Wood, flexible

Wood, small piece

Wood, splinters

Wooden paddle, tiny

Wool

Wytchwood

Zinc

Note – these items are taken directly from the spell descriptions of various cleric, magic user, druid and illusionist spells in the 1st and 2nd edition player’s handbooks.

If you allow home brewed spells in your game you might also consider the following possibilities for material components:

Acid

Arrow, silver, bent and etched, less than 3 inches long worth 500 gp

Ash, volcanic

Antennae, from an ankheg

Balance, miniature, made of gold (scale)

Ball, lead

Balloon, small, not inflated

Bat wings

Beads, glass, various colors

Bee wing

Bell, small, golden

Blood, animal

Book, small, containing numero-logical formulae and notes

Bone, hollow, from a vulture wing (and carved into a whistle)

Bottle, glass, stoppered

Box, small

Bows, small, made of silver, worth 100 gp each

Brain, from a lizard

Bust, of a human head

Small Cage, made of silver wire

Small Caltrop, made of gold

Candelabra, silver, miniature

Centipede legs

Chain, made with five gold links worth more than 1000 gp

Chalice, worth more than 1000 gp

Circles, concentric, made of bronze or silver

Circles, concentric, made of gold or platinum

Claw, from a black or grey cat

Claw, from an umber holk

Cloth taken from a priest’s robe

Coffee beans

Coins, iron

Coins or dice specially made from platinum and worth 1000 gp

Corn, kernal

Crozier, from a priest (or a religious standard or staff)

Crystal box, tiny, worth more than 1500 gp

Cube, made of cast iron

Cube, iron, one inch by one inch

Cube, made of sugar and milk thickened

Cylinder, brass, small

Cylinder, obsidian, small

Dice, silver

Die, bronze

Die, cubic

Die, small, unmarked

Dirt or earth, from a grave

Dirt, taken from a dragon’s footprint

Discs, made of polished bone with number runes engraved on them

Doppleganger blood

Dust, from a mummy’s corpse

Dust, from a wizard’s tomb

Eelskin, piece

Egg yolk

Eye, from a cyclops

Eye of newt

Eyes, from a beholder

Feather, from a cockatrice

Feather, from an eagle

Feathers, from a harpy

Fingernails, from ghouls or ghasts

Four leaf clover

Frog’s leg, dried

Fur, from a bloodhound

Fur, from a cat

Glove, made of black silk

Graphite, powdered

Hand, miniature, made of clay

Hand, miniature, carved from stone

Hand lens, small

Hair, from a skunk

Hair, human

Hair, from an infant (human or humanoid)

Hair, from a jackalwere

Hair, lock, from a female elf

Horn, from a gorgon

Horn, from a unicorn

Horseshoe

Hourglass, miniature

Iron hinge, rusty, squeaks

Key, silver

Leaf, dry

Linen cloth with threads of gold in its weave

Log

Lotus blossom

Manticore spikes

Marble, black, chunk

Mesh of fine threads

Metal cube, perfect

Millipede legs

Mirror, broken

Mirror, silver, smaller than 3 inches in diameter

Mirror, made of platinum, tiny, worth more than 500 gp

Mirror, made of silver, but worth at least 10000 gp

Molasses

Mortar, powdered

Nose ring, from a minataur

Oar, small, carved and decorated with aquamarines worth 500 gp

Obsidian

Page, from a calendar

Paint, pots

Paintbrush, small

Parchment map, scrap, at least 100 years old

Paper

Pebbles

Pennants or standards from the local kingdom

Pendant, made of precious metal with a circle fashioned inside of a square

Petal, apple blossom

Petals, from a giant venus flytrap or man trap

Petal, from a rose

Philosopher’s egg

Philosopher’s stone

Phony emerald, ruby or diamond

Pillow tickling, scrap of

Pitch, pot of

Plank

Plumb bob, tiny, with the plumb line made of platinum and the bob being made from a gem worth more than 1000 gp

Pouch, small

Quartz, powdered

Rain water, gathered during a thunderstorm, in a vial

Ribbon, colored

Rod, iron, broken

Ruby, crushed, worth more than 200 gp

Sapphire, crushed

Scales, from fish

Scales, from various colored dragons

Scales, from a dark naga

Shell, turtle, fragment

Sheet of platinum worth 500 gp

Shoe leather

Siege engine model, miniature

Skin, preserved, from a creature with natural magic resistance

Skull fragments, from a demi-lich

Skull fragments, from a lich

Silk bag, small, studded with black opals worth at least 5000 gp

Silk cord

Silk handkerchief

Silk streamer

Silk veil

Silver, sheet, hammered

Silver coin, polished

Soap

Sphere, obsidian

Spinner, brass

Sponge, small

Staff, from an ash tree

Staff, made of oak

Steel dust

Stinger, from a catoblepas

Stinger, from a purple worm

Stones

Table of numeroligical formulae, inscribed on an ivory plaque

Tentacle from a creature that feeds off of carrion

Tentacle from a flayer of minds

Tail, from a Kirin

Tissue, made of gold and worth more than 5 gp

Tissue, made of platinum worth more than 15 gp

Toad stools

Tube, glass, small

Venom, from the snakes on a medusa’s head

Walnut shell

Wand, cut from a 100 year old oak tree

Wax, white, square

Weeds

Whiff of the ethereal plane, bottled

Whisker, from a mouse

Whisker, from a rodent

Whiskers, from a were-rat or were-wolf

Whistle, small, made of bone

Wing, piece, from a Lammasu

Wire, gold, loop

Wire, platinum, woven

Wire, silver, coiled

Wood, sliver, scorched

Wool, uncarded

These suggested components come from later editions of the game or from third party sources.

This list gives you plenty of material to fill out the next wizard lab that your players find. Imagine the dismay of the adventurers when they find all of this stuff. They will have no idea of the value. They will probably just trash the place and leave disgusted with finding nothing good. But they actually found a valuable hoard of treasure!

Want a complete list in a PDF? Download my Tome of Treasure:

Malcon’s Tome of Treasure