D&D 5E The Search for the Hoard

[randrak]

Hey there, my party is currently on a race against other adventurers to get a dragon hoard after the dragon was slain away from its home. The party learned that the hoard was hidden somewhere (Adult Black Dragon BTW) and every adventurer in the area also knows this.

I have some combat encounters planned and most of the dragon's lair all thought up... but I was wondering if anyone has any ideas for NON-COMBAT encounters that could occur along the way? I have this idea for an acid pit they have to climb down at one point, but that's about it. Any fun ideas that yall could share?

 

[akr71]

The first thing that pops into my head are the Lair Regional Effects. (mm pg 89)

- The land withing 6 miles of the lair takes twice as long as normal to traverse, since the plants grow thick and twisted, and the swamps are thick with reeking mud.
- Water sources within 1 mile of the lair are supernaturally fouled. Enemies of the dragon that drink such water regurgitate it within minutes.
- Fog lightly obscures the land within 6 miles of the lair.
If the dragon dies, vegetation remains as it has grown, but other effects fade over 1d10 days.

I would play fast and loose with the last one, if it suited the story.

Other than that - sink holes, Awakened Trees & Shrubs that don't like intruders (but are not necessarily hostile), the ruins of some long forgotten and over grown temple or stronghold which - if it peaks their interest - could eat up time while they investigate. If that puts them in a rush, they miss some perception checks along the way...

 

[randrak]

Yeah, they are currently in the fog

 

[Quickleaf]

Hey there, my party is currently on a race against other adventurers to get a dragon hoard after the dragon was slain away from its home. The party learned that the hoard was hidden somewhere (Adult Black Dragon BTW) and every adventurer in the area also knows this.

I have some combat encounters planned and most of the dragon's lair all thought up... but I was wondering if anyone has any ideas for NON-COMBAT encounters that could occur along the way? I have this idea for an acid pit they have to climb down at one point, but that's about it. Any fun ideas that yall could share?

I'd steal a little from Erebor in LotR, having multiple cultures/races looking to reclaim pieces of their lost civilization, sponsoring adventurers similar to the way privateers were sponsored during Queen Anne's War. Good negotiation opportunity.

Decomposing shambling mound has pieces of itself scattered across swamps. Druids/rangers would know that the shambling mound was given an evil nature by the dragon's malevolent influence. Turns out each piece of it acts as the root stem for what could become a new shambling mound if not destroyed / sanctified.

Black dragon was really cruel and left victims hanging in crow cages over the swamps. Many are dead, but three remain alive, in geographically separate crow cages. Well, they seem like they're alive, only 1 is alive, other 2 have become revenants; they are remnants of a party that was betrayed by their rogue's greed, and ironically the source of their ire – the rogue – is the last one clinging to life.

 

[aco175]

I always liked to have other adventuring parties show up. They could be at odds with the PCs or old friends (frenimies) or random strangers. You could have the two parties meet with a fight where one needs to save the other. They can exchange vital information on the location as a reward. The other party can have heard of a bard's song where the spotting stone can be spied from Old Barrows Mound when the sun passes to night. Of course being barrow's mound there should be undead wandering about as the sun sets, just to make things harder.

 

[MarkB]

Simply carrying a dragon's hoard can be a challenge.

Have a Mr CMOT Dibbler set up at the edge of the region, selling donkey-carts, shovels and sacks.

Also, have the smart and tactical band of adventurers set up on the road back to the nearest city, ready to mug people as they return from the hoard.

 

[Mouseferatu]

What are the other swamp dwellers doing now that the dragon is dead? What's coming out of hiding? What other predators are moving back in? How are sentient bog-dwellers reacting? Bullywugs, lizardfolk, etc. might not like the idea of finally being free (whether they were actually servants or just terrorized), only to have outsiders come and claim treasures that they feel they're more entitled to. Some of this, at least, could involve interaction rather than combat. Negotiations, perhaps, or things that adventures can do on behalf of the locals in exchange for rights to some of the treasure.

You could wind up with the PCs defending a lizardfolk tribe from other adventurers, for instance. That might be fun.

 

[Eltab]

Build a 4e-style Skill Challenge to Not Get Lost in the Trackless Forest. Medium difficulty. If the PCs have a Ranger in the party, Easy difficulty.

Set some Traps (sorta combat) along the paths in to the dragon lair. He doesn't want full-strength adventuring parties just walking up to his front door, after all.
Anything the Ewoks could use, plus classic pit traps.

Quicksand. How many PCs step in it is based on their Perception checks.
Other terrain obstacles: brambles, briar patches, small open grassy glades that look level but the ground sinks a ways to a hidden creek or mudpit.

You step into what used to be a well. Nearby is an ivy-covered mound that used to be a cottage / house.

Old rotted tree covered in gnarled branches fell down across the path. It'll take some time to climb over or more time to re-clear the path.

Distractions, some of which are just for atmosphere.
The "ghost noise" wind chime from Kevin Costner's version of Robin Hood
A ruined overgrown homestead
Piles of sheep / cattle bones (what do dragons do with the un-chewy bits?)

 

[Eltab]

Also, have the smart and tactical band of adventurers set up on the road back to the nearest city, ready to mug people as they return from the hoard.

The people who got and stayed rich from the California Gold Rush were not the miners. They were the people who sold equipment to the miners.

Hmmm, maybe a saloon would be a good investment too...

 

[Shadowdweller00]

Trackless swampland with numerous bogs, pools, wetlands. The entrance to the dragon's lair - where the hoard lies - can only be entered by diving in ONE of them, but nobody is quite sure which. Make the PCs piece together the precise area by talking to monstrous swamp dwellers as to find out where the dragon had been sighted. Possibly at sword-point. Other hazards: Quicksand, leeches, poisonous plants, mosquito-born diseases. Will o' wisps that pose as the sun or moon behind heavy fog to confuse travelers.