Water Features in the Dungeon

A staple of dungeons are magical pools, fountains, and springs, as well as waterfalls concealing sublevels and portals to elsewhere (or elsewhen) and raging rivers acting as barriers and rapid, albeit dangerous, transport to deeper in.

Magical pools have a long history in DnD, from the fabled pool room of B1: In Search of the Unknown to the Pool of Radiance of Goldbox Fame, and again in Ruins of Adventure.  Drinking deep from the well of knowledge even reveals Appendix A from the AD&D DMG.

From B1: In Search of the Unknown, page 17, room 31, art by Sutherland

Magical water features are fun, because they require players to interact with them, be it through drinking the water or bathing in it.  Perhaps my favorite unofficial pool comes from the campaign journal for Idalium, hosted at Dragonsfoot. It heals, raises, AND later clones anyone it raises, for all sorts of mischief at the table.

To add to risk/reward of exploration, perhaps pools only react well to specific races, alignments, or followers of specific deities.  Suddenly, those ill-considered choices made during PC creation matter.

1. Transmute Metal - either making base metals valuable or changing valuables to lead (and therefore sinking the carrier).

2. Adjust stats up or down - specific stats or roll randomly; a set amount or roll randomly.

3. Teleport - to one or more locations, depending on keys, a sequence, or random chance. Are they two-way or one-way.

4. Portal to different plane - the Feywild, the Astral, the abode of a specific deity, or the lair of Grendel's Mother.

5. Possession - the plot of Pool of Radiance.  Does the PC suddenly become an NPC, or can they be trusted to play as the new being.

6. Become Undead - pool glows a sickly red or purple, like that episode of Stranger Things; no doubt a rift to the Negative Energy Plane is at the bottom.

7. Polymorph - perhaps with a twist, like in Ranma 1/2.

8. Mutate - bubbling greenish goo, probably with an odor.  

9. Change size up or down - shrinking down may result in drowning.

10. Heal or Harm - be it straight hit points or conditions that are healed or inflicted, there is variety.

11. Raise Dead or Reincarnate - both result in the PC sticking around.

12. Clone - nothing happens at first, but with time, a clone will arise, a clone whose purpose is to destroy its progenitor.

13. Youth or Age - maybe you actually get younger or just forever remain your current age; then again, you may wrinkle and crumble to dust! Roll randomly for years or go by set amount.

14. Free XP - bonus power! Ideal if your game uses magic powered by XP; if not, 

15. De-magic something (or someone) - a nasty surprise or a welcome rescue from a curse.

16. Enchant something (or someone) - a welcome surprise or a nasty curse.  A werefish? Learn a spell?

17. Wild Magic - perhaps from this d10000 table or a more reasonable list.

18. Wish - either the pool itself or a fish swimming in the pool, like in a koi pond.  Does it monkeypaw?

19. Immortality - What does immortality look like? Perhaps it simply doesn't let you die, but still take damage and survive, regardless of condition.

20. Secrets - be sure they are actionable secrets - locations of lost hoards, true names of potent beings, eldritch rituals, etc - stuff the players will be interested in and try to use pursue at the table.

Of course, it is preferred that some clues be provided for a clever party to narrow down likely results.  One such clue is what liquid is in the pool.  Water, blood, wine, acid, or something else all change the color, consistency, and contents to anything you'd like.  The physical clues of statues and carvings and corpses around the pool can provide clues, as well.

In the end, though, someone needs to drink from or touch or bathe in the pool to see what happens.  Given the power of some of the affects, it is recommended that PCs only benefit from one bath or drink, not multiples.  Carrying water away as a later potion should probably fail, as well.

The beauty of such pools is that at least one player is guaranteed to give them a shot.  So if you use magical pools, be ready to handle the consequences.

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Of course, pools and fountains can also contain monsters, harkening back to Caric's adventures in the Dungeon of Dread, where he learns early on to "watch the water that is not water, and beware the basilisk!"  As the book cover shows, water weirds love to hang out in pools.

Other critters, do as well, though.  Water Elementals, Kelpies, Nixies and Naiads, Merrow, Aboleth, Ixitachital, Grey Ooze, and a variety of tenctacled monstrosities (like the Watcher in the Water from LotR).  All of which share one desire: to drown and likely eat unwary surface dwellers. 

A simple trick is to have something glowing and valuable looking in the pool.  That alone can be enough to bait the trap.  Players (and wise PCs) should suspect it to be a trap, but still go willingly because it could be a MAGIC ITEM.  

The things I learn from Angler Fish...

Anyhow, let me know in the comments about any fun magical pools your party has run afoul of.

A Collection of Magic Rings

I was going through some of my gaming stuff and found a sheet of paper listing several magic rings which had been recovered from a hoard of crawling claws.  The notes indicate which of the PCs ended up with which rings, but I don't recall seeing any of them used.  Perhaps they will find a home in your game.

Source is not me.

I do not know if I came up with these myself or if they are from some other blog.  If the latter, I would guess d4 Caltrops.  A quick browsing suggests otherwise.  Maybe I tapped into the greater cleverness that directs magic item creation for these games we play.

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A silver band with large pearl that kinda looks like an eye.  Eyeball gem can detach, as a rolling Wizard's Eye.  Radiates Divination magic.

A ring of polished silver that glints in bright light.  Wearer's appearance is altered favorably in twilight.  Radiates Illusion magic.

Made of intertwined gold and silver bands, with a scowling face on it.  Causes the wearer to sneeze in the presence of true dragons.  Radiates Divination and Transmutation magic.

A warm gold band, both in color and temperature.  Magical flame heals wearer instead of harms; magical flame cast by wearer ALSO heals.  Radiates Transmutation magic.

A simple wooden ring, made of polished oak.  Wearer can converse with Plant-based monsters (slips into trance, uses weird telepathy, turns all hair a vibrant green that sprouts small white flowers in the spring).  Radiates Divination magic.

This ring is a hard, lightweight material (plastic).  Children are unable to tell falsehoods to the wearer.  Radiates Enchantment magic.

Verdigrised copper band, that feels cool and damp.  Wearer is kept dry even in the fiercest rainstorm.  Radiates Abjuration magic.

This tarnished silver ring is greasy to the touch.  Its wearer is invisible to Shadow.  Radiates Illusion magic.

This ring in made of polished bone and loudly goes 'snicker-snack' when giants are near.  Radiates Divination magic.

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That's it.  If any of these came from your blog, please let me know so I can properly credit you.

Survivors of the Deeps

As posited in my initial post about my #Dungeon23, the main (known) entrance to Askorun opens but once every 50 years, remains open for a year and a day, then close for 50 years.

Anyone trapped inside is out of luck, and over the centuries, no mortal magic or stratagem has kept the doors open longer, nor managed to force them open.   Wizards have been able to Dimension Door and Teleport out, but if anyone has done so to enter the dungeon, they didn't survive to brag of it.

This post is about these survivors.

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Most survivors are individuals or pairs, although a dwindling company of Dwarves have established a defensible position on the third level, sending out sorties to gather ever more loot.  The problem that these survivors face is that many of them no longer want to return to the surface.

Initially, they did, but with every sleep, the Dungeon whispers to them, entices them, changes them.  While they still recall the surface, many now prefer the Dungeon.  

Frankly, they're all a bit mad, now.   Mad and pale white from lack of sunlight.

Not Derro level mad - at least not yet - but approaching it.  

Especially that human that just can't die.  That poor, poor bastard.  

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Above I mentioned a human that cannot die.  

Augur il-Vec by Daren Bader

Once he was a cleric.  A cleric with a name.  None of this he remembers, although he sometimes cries when he looks at the holy tattoos on his arms.  

He came below with a group of stalwart companions and was quite literally cursed to be the last of them.  In a sack he carries the skulls of his former comrades, and in more lucid moments, pulls them out and talks to them.  

Mostly though, he wanders and as needed he talks and fights, and when at death's door, he fades away, returning later.  He never hungers or tires, though, because of the Ring of Sustenance and Regeneration (and immunity to permanent death) he wears on his right hand. 

50+ years of sleep deprivation have taken their toll.  Yet if calmly approached and spoken to, he may provide some useful information before starting to rave and wandering off or attacking the PCs as he hallucinates.

To end the curse, he and his fellows (their skulls, at least) must be buried in hallowed ground - and the Ring must be buried there, too.  At that point, his spirit appears and thanks whomever buried him. 

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Next is the Dwarven enclave.  Staying below was always the goal of this company.  Initially, the Company of the Axe was a full 27 strong - 20 Dwarves and 7 Gnomes, plus a train of packmules.  In the last 50 years, their size has been reduced to 12 Dwarves and 3 Gnomes, but these 15 still pursue the goal of accumulating the vast wealth of Askorun, but now they plan to keep it here.

Balthor the Stout by Ron Spears

They are led by the Dwarf Oskar Gem-eyes, a noble and a capable warrior with eyes that glitter like the sapphires they are (these sapphire eyes allow Detect Magic, See Invisible, and True Seeing - all of this has a negative effect on his mind).  The Company of the Axe has an arrangement with clanmates that will meet them when the doors to Askorun once again open.  Those on the surface may be shocked at the change in their dungeon-dwelling clanmates - but being Dwarves, they won't show or discuss it publicly.

The key to these survivors' success was preparation.  While the natural food and drink they brought with them (and the mules that carried it all) has long ago been consumed, they have several magical items that they guard with their lives. 

Horn of Plenty - this large wicker cornucopia provides enough fruit and vegetables to feed twenty every morning.

Mug of Many Meads - a large mug that holds a liter of liquid and can fill itself with the best mead one will ever taste 5 times per day.  A full mug is used as a reward to those members of the company that have done something of merit - otherwise it is divided up among smaller cups.

Long Pig - recovered from the hoard of the venerable Behir Azzuzir (from the Night Below box set), this item looks like a 4-inch long ceramic pig.  

Once every five days, on command, it creates a roasted pig (reasonably small, but agreeably filled with chestnut stuffing!) to appear nearby, providing enough food for up to 20 people.

Decanter of Endless Water - as per the DMG; when not filling the pool the Company has constructed, it is used as a defensive weapon, knocking attackers back and prone.

Cauldron of Iron Stomachs - this large black cast iron cauldron is etched with a variety of arcane runes.  It heats and cools upon command - no fire needed.  It stands nearly 4 feet tall and is a good 4 feet across (the mule that carried it in was the first stew cooked in it).  

The survivors have been surviving on perpetual stew - they won't eat their fallen comrades, but anything living they kill ends up in the Cauldron - meat makes the vegetables taste better. 

Being Dwarves, there are multiple stone, spear, and crossbow-based traps and defensive positions near all the entrances to their redoubt - a redoubt clearly marked with Dwarven runes and the skulls of pigs and mules (and other things they've killed).   They have established a neutral meeting place where other dungeon denizens can trade gold and information for food.  

This neutral place is where the PCs are most likely to encounter them in a safe fashion.  Once these survivors encounter surface-worlders, they trade information for surface foodstuffs (especially bread, beer, beef, salt, and spices - although the Gnomes wouldn't mind some tea) and tobacco.  They will pay for it, but would prefer to pay with information rather than their precious gold.

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One individual survivor is an Elf wizard who calls herself Newra the Learner.  Those that learn her True Name can compel her to divulge all sorts of information.

Belbe, Corrupted Observer by Igor Kieryluk

Newra has been in the depths for two cycles now, puzzling over how to get past the permanent Prismatic Sphere that is keeping something well secured.  Through the translucent glittering lights of the sphere, she can make out a table or workbench with smaller items upon it, and a pair of large chests flanking it.  On a few occasions, she has seen a figure moving about inside the sphere, but how it comes and goes she has no clue.

What she does know is that this Prismatic Sphere is a nasty variant of the traditional spell, as the normal counters to the layers fail to work.  She has worked out how to get past the first two layers through trial and error, but is seeking more spells (and guinea pigs) to test her theories with.  

Newra craves more spells most of all - perhaps a spell the PCs know can break past the third layer.  If she cannot trade for them, she will take them by force.  

Her collection of undead servitors (many of which are spell-stitched former adventurers) keep lesser threats at bay, and her collection of spellbooks (taken from uncooperative wizards) rivals that of established archmages on the surface.

Newra is willing to trade information (and maybe spells) for wine and spices and fresh food.  Her sole source of sustenance is a Spoon of Murlynd, which works, but the blandness of the food it creates is much of the reason she is angry all the time.

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Another pair of Elves lurk near the main entrance.  Brioc carries Cynhafel on her back, because Cynhafel lost both legs two decades ago.  

This has had the side effect of them being difficult to surprise and impossible to flank.  This means that the Meazels have yet to destroy them - they still harry the poor Elves, though.

Their proximity to the surface has made them less mad than most, with Brioc being the most sane of all the survivors.  Which is good for Cynhafel, because he has entirely become a creature of the dungeon.

They have been living on water from the entrance pool and have become adept at trapping vermin.

Honestly, Brioc will be content to die under sunlight, preferably after returning Cynhafel to their home far from Askorun.  

Cynhafel wields a pair of Katars that glow in the darkness, while Brioc wields a short spear.

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A lone Gnome named Kharagosa has found a hiding place on the fourth level.

Deep Gnome Terramancer by David Sladek

This Gnome mageling gets by on honey and beer from his Alchemy Jug, supplemented by whatever he can catch with his Sleep spell, which is mostly rats and other vermin.  

It's a miserable life, but at least he's alive.  

He will gladly give up the Alchemy Jug as a reward to those that escort him to the surface.  

Of course, the escorts may find that Kharagosa heads right back in.

Kharagosa knows that Askorun is a sentient, malevolent being because one item that Kharagosa does not willingly part with is an Amulet of Stonespeak.  

The Amulet of Stonespeak allows its attuned wearer to communicate with the very stones.  The only stones Kharagosa has had access to are those of Askorun, whose thoughts have twisted Kharagosa's view on many things, but does allow Kharagosa to function as an oracle of sorts, because Askorun has had centuries of things to talk about and no one but Kharagosa to tell.  

Kharagosa's only saving grace is that the Amulet doesn't function 24/7, but needs to recharge regularly by being placed in a pot or bucket of earth (although burying it underground works).  Ideally, the pot or bucket is warded to prevent a gate to the plane of Elemental Earth from opening - there are no such wards if the Amulet is buried in the ground.  Submerging the Amulet in water renders it dormant.

Naturally, Kharagosa owns such a warded container of earth - it being how he discovered the Amulet decades ago.  

Incidentally, the Amulet of Stonespeak also allows its wearer to communicate and command Earth Elementals, but Askorun has successfully kept Kharagosa from learning this aspect of the Amulet.

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Often survivors become undead - surviving after a fashion, but not really.  Mostly, they become ghouls after being forced to cannibalism in the dark, but other types of undead are certainly possible.  

Balthor the Defiled by Carl Critchlow

As such, these individual undead can be found anywhere.  If incorporeal, their remains are no doubt nearby, forever waiting to be properly buried. 

But the corporeal undead just skulk and stumble about, waiting to bring the hated living to ruin.

Frankly, it's a miracle that Askorun isn't crawling with undead.  Perhaps with time, it will.

Until then, wise adventuring companies have clerics among them.

And wise DMs have a random encounter table featuring an Undead subtable.

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There may be some foolhardy sorts that intend to stick around in the depths.  The smart ones outfit themselves with magic items that are variations on the Create Food and Water spell.  Items such as these are worth their weight in platinum to these mortals.  

As the survivors demonstrate, this doesn't help that much, but it's a start.

A Trio of Wizards

Magic the Gathering really is a fine game.  Even if you don't play it, most folks can appreciate and be inspired by the artwork on many cards (that said, some cards are awful).  Today I am creating some of Skara Brae's wizards.

I am using artwork first (thanks, Scryfall!), and building from there, using AD&D because that is the simplest for me - no additional math from ASI or feats or subclasses. Just 4d6 drop the lowest and, because it is new to me, I'll be using the Axian Library (NNNN) tables to determine the adventuring history of each wizard.  Once each wizard's brief history is written up, you'll find things like (19a) or (19b) next to certain events, indicating which number from which table I used.  That said, it seems that the first table is missing 19 altogether.

And then, of course, base magic items from Appendix C in the DMG... or maybe Appendix P, if that provides more interesting results.  There might even be a few custom items when I am done, depending on art and where the NNNN backgrounds take me. 

Whether or not those custom items are 100% usable in your game or merely provide the germ of an idea is entirely uncertain.

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Arcane Savant, by Chris Rallis, Magic the Gathering

Angus found his way into Skara Brae perhaps a decade ago, joining the upper social classes within a year of his building a manor.   He is debonair and quietly arrogant, believing firmly in a ruling class, especially one made up of magic-users such as himself.  Dealings with him are always coldly polite but one-sided in his favor.  If he decides that you are his enemy, he will single-mindedly pursue your destruction.

While Angus has had several adventures, his greatest adventure involves the Green Dragon Khloros; he tricked the Dragon (16a) out of a Ring of Wishes (20b) by capitalizing on the Dragon's weakness (19b).  While he may brag about defeating the Dragon, he keeps quiet about the ring.  He has used two of its three wishes already, one to elevate him in wealth (and subsequently social status), and the second to help create his Walking Stick.  He wears the ring on a chain around his neck, and has several wishes already worded and written out, but will only use it in extremis.

A notable, but lesser adventure includes the summer spent clearing killer bee hives, leaving him with magical honey and several flasks of oil (5a).  This summer was where he met Astrid Dreamweaver, working with her against the bees - and the dragon.

Oddly enough, Angus's closest allies in town are the clergy of Lunare (18a) - the goddess of the Moon.  Angus assisted them in driving off a pack of lycanthropes (27b), winning their gratitude and several potions of healing and flasks of holy water in the process (13a).  Now, he and they have a tidy business arrangement and alliance.

The lycanthropes he helped put down were summoned by the adventurer Syzgzy Darkmoon (17a), who now considers Angus her enemy in all things.  What she doesn't realize is that Angus was infected with lycanthropy during the fighting (27b) but has so far staved off the worst of the effects, keeping the changes cosmetic.  Angus suspects that Syzgzy Darkmoon is involved but cannot prove it - he just watches and gathers information.

Lord Angus knows that there is a permanent cure for lycanthropy (among other great treasures) from a map fragment he owns (20a), but he does not have enough to determine location or potential guardians.  He will pay well (and kill) for the location.  

He is debating using his Contact Other Plane spell to learn the location of the treasure, or at least to learn who knows it, but so far, the risk of lies and insanity hold him back.  Angus will not be amused to learn that Astrid Dreamspeaker knows the location.

Lord Angus Flamehand

LE Human MU9 

S10 D12 C11 I17 W15 Ch15

Ring of Spell Storing (Minor Globe of Invisibility, Protection from Normal Missiles), Scroll Protection from Magic, Scroll 1x level 5 (Teleport), Scroll 2x level 3 (Haste, Slow), Walking Stick*

Spells Known (* is typically memorized)

1st - Burning Hands, Charm Person*, Detect Magic*, Hold Portal, Light, Magic Missile*, Protection from Evil, Read Magic, Shield*, Unseen Servant

2nd - ESP*, Knock, Mirror Image*, Stinking Cloud*, Wizard Lock

3rd - Dispel Magic, Hold Person*, Lightning Bolt*, Protection from Normal Missiles, Suggestion*

4th - Confusion*, Dimension Door, Fear*, Minor Globe of Invulnerability

5th - Contact Other Plane, Wall of Stone*

New Magic Items:

Walking Stick - Dimension Door, Dispel Magic, Hold Portal, Knock, Light, Unseen Servant; functions as a magic weapon when it comes to target resistance. 

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Keeper of the Mind, by Matthew Wilson, Magic the Gathering

Astrid Dreamspeaker loves gaudy jewelry almost as much as she loves to regale young magelings with stories of her youthful adventures. Her favorite stories involve her adventures in a haunted library (11a), exploring the catacombs near Skara Brae (10a) at the behest of Brother Maynard (26b), and the summer she and her companions spent clearing out killer bees (12b), although she will not mention her now-immunity to killer bee poison unless directly asked (she was stung often).  

She also leaves out that while in the catacombs, Astrid found the Skull of Setag Lib (10a) and also fell under a divine curse (5b), so now cannot lie and must always tell the truth - but doesn't have to tell all the truth.  For the right price, Astrid uses the Skull to supplement her income - people bring her fresh heads and a list of memories, and she accepts the coin and asks no questions.  Normally, though, she earns her keep through accurate divinations and other spells-for-hire.

One potent secret Astrid keeps is that the Cleric Brother Maynard entrusted her to protect and make good use of Occam's Talisman of Absolute Certainty (26b).  This is because the relic can only be used by those that do not speak falsehoods.  Because of this, she does not seek to have her curse removed.  That said, she is terrified to use the Talisman because of what it might do.  Astrid keeps the relic in its reliquary and has the reliquary secured behind magic and mundane defenses.

Over the course of her adventures and researches, Astrid has learned two important facts: the weakness of the Green Dragon Khloros (19b), and the location of a great treasure (21a).  What she doesn't know is that this is the same treasure that Angus is seeking.  Which is cosmically ironic, as she was with Angus when he bearded Khloros in its lair, which is how she knows its weakness.

If asked, she knows Lord Angus, because they shared the bees and dragon adventure.

Astrid Dreamspeaker

LN Human MU7

S9 D15 C12 I16 W12 Ch12

Brooch of Shielding, Ring of Protection +3, Scroll 2x level 4 (Charm Monster, Monster Summoning II), Scroll 1x level 6 (Reincarnation), Ring of Mammal Control, bonus scrolls (Guards and Wards, Monster Summoning IV, Reverse Gravity, Clone, Mass Charm, Gate, Imprisonment), Skull of Setag Lib*, Occam's Talisman of Absolute Certainty*

Spells Known (* is typically memorized):

1st - Burning Hands*, Dancing Lights*, Detect Magic, Friends*, Light, Magic Missile, Mending, Read Magic, Sleep*, Unseen Servant, 

2nd - Continual Light, Darkness 15' Radius*, Detect Evil, ESP*, Invisibility*, Locate Object, Magic Mouth

3rd - Clairvoyance*, Dispel Magic, Fireball, Phantasmal Force, Suggestion*, 

4th - Fear*, Remove Curse, Wizard Eye

New Magic Items:

Skull of Setag Lib

This is the skull of a large humanoid, with the top removed and the cavity lined with silver and the whole cavity lined with runes.  When a being's brains and eyes are mushed into a (foul-smelling) paste in the cavity, and the correct word is spoken (sedilsweiv), beams of light stream from the eye sockets of the skull, displaying a few memories in the air or on the nearest wall.  

A powerful enough wizard can control which memories are seen, while a weak wizard gets random memories (still useful, perhaps).  Making a mush from a potent wizard or otherworldly being is dangerous, as this can result in a ghost or wraith appearing (depending on alignment of organ donor) if the using wizard fails a save. 

Using the Skull of Setag Lib is exhausting, and when done, the user must rest for at least 8 hours.

Should someone be foolish enough to drink from the skull (and PCs are foolish enough), results vary depending on what is drunk: 

    Brain Mush - no save possession by whatever the brain mush is made from.  PLUS you need a save just to choke it down.  PCs are sick bastards, sometimes.

    Water - no matter the source, water from this skull turns brackish and tastes awful.  Spit it out.

    Wine or other alcohol - nightmare-filled sleep as traumatic memories play out in drinker's dreams; wakes exhausted (exhaustion levels for you 5e players) and is at disadvantage at everything the next day.  Cannot memorize daily spells, either.

    A potion - maximum effects and the drinker's eyes now glow brightly, save or the beams are forced onto a nearby wall, displaying only the most damaging, shameful, and/or embarrassing of memories.  But hey, max potion effect!

Pouring a mixture of holy water and vinegar into the skull cavity destroys the skull with a thunderous CRACK! as it blackens and crumbles.

(Holy Relic) Occam's Talisman of Absolute Certainty

The Talisman of Absolute Certainty is kept in its own reliquary, itself warded with a variety of protection spells.  Crafted for use in the never-ending battle between Law and Chaos, the Talisman is fine straight razor, with the word Occam etched along the blade. It can only be safely held and wielded by a Lawful human that does not speak falsehoods (although the reliquary allows the Talisman to be carried by those less-than-honest folks).

When boldly presenting the Talisman of Absolute Certainty, a Lawful wielder may command it to do the following:

    Rolls advantage on anything against Chaos

    Saves at +4 vs anything caused by Chaos

    Holy Word, but against Chaos

    Daylight, as per spell

    Dispel Illusion, as per spell

    Dispel Chaos, as per spell

    Protection from Chaos, as per spell

    Summon Deva (1-3 astral deva, 4-5 monadic deva, 6 movanic deva)

Of course, there are drawbacks to such a potent artifact of law.  Chief among them is that Chaos knows when and where it is used, as its use doubles as a beacon to both sides.  Using any of its powers brings chaos beasts and demons to its last location within 24 hours; demons charged with destroying or at least spiriting the Talisman away.  If they cannot find the Talisman, they lay waste to the surrounding people and area before departing.  Luckily, this draws forces of Law into the fray and then battle is joined, often to the detriment of all mortals in the area.

The other major drawback is that use of the Talisman ages humans 1d6 years per usage; this may not seem much to Elves and other long-lived beings, but as only humans can use the Talisman, it is an item of extreme sacrifice and need.

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Malevolent Hermit, by Daarken, Magic the Gathering

People that encounter Waldeinsamkeit in the wilderness believe him to be a druid of some sort, and Waldeinsamkeit does nothing to disabuse them of those ideas.  If anything, he encourages the belief through his own spells and allies.  When Waldeinsamkeit is mentioned to the actual druids in the area, they merely roll their eyes and change the subject.

Waldeinsamkeit comes across as a perpetually annoyed, cantankerous, grumpy old man - of the 'get off my lawn' sort.  Once past his grumpiness, however, people find a decent enough sort who can actually cook a mean stew and play a meaner game of chess.

If Waldeinsamkeit has any kind of luck, it is bad luck, or so he thinks.  As a youth, he adventured with a Cleric and others, venturing into a series of catacombs where he contracted mummy rot (but survived with reduced Charisma) (12a), gaining a Scarab of Protection for his troubles. In addition to stopping the rot, the grateful temple that sent them into the catacombs gave him several healing potions and vials of holy water as a reward (13a).

Later in his adventures, Waldeinsamkeit tampered with an enchanted hourglass in a wizard's tower and became unable to sleep. In addition to inability to sleep, natural healing is ten times slower and overall, his Wisdom decreased; a bonus is that Waldeinsamkeit is now immune to sleep spells and effects (16b). That reduced Wisdom is what led him to later eat a cockatrice egg (scrambled, with salt, pepper, garlic, and butter - he fondly recalls that meal), which grants him immunity to petrification by somewhat calcifying his bones, reducing his Dexterity (13b).

Most recently, Waldeinsamkeit has aggravated a powerful Medusa (16a), who is doubly aggravated at her inability to petrify him.  She actively plots to add him to her statuary - and claim his magic items for her own.

Despite the unfortunate experiences that pushed him into becoming a hermit, Waldeinsamkeit has more friends than he realizes.  During his years in the forest, he has helped and befriended both a Dryad (15a) and a band of Sprites (9b), and while the sprites regularly play tricks on Waldeinsamkeit, they will defend him ferociously because he is such a good sport about it all.  In addition, from his years alone in the forest, Waldensamkeit has learned enough to qualify as a local sage regarding his forest.

Waldensamkeit

CN Human MU7

S10 D8 C12 I16 W12 Ch10

Staff of Striking, Cloak of Elvenkind, Scroll 2 x level 3 (Dispel Magic, Protection from Evil 10'), Scroll 1 x level 6 (Disintegrate), Potion Human Control, Potion Levitation; Signet Ring of Sprite Friendship (+3 to reactions with Sprites and fey), Scarab of Protection

Spells Known (* is typically memorized):

1st - Affect Normal Fires*, Dancing Lights*, Detect Magic, Enlarge, Magic Missile*, Read Magic, Shield, Spider Climb*

2nd - Audible Glamour*, Detect Invisibility*, Levitate, Strength, Web*

3rd - Dispel Magic*, Lightning Bolt, Monster Summoning I*, Water Breathing

4th - Hallucinatory Terrain, Fear, Plant Growth, Polymorph Self*

-----

Wow! Those backgrounds from NNNN kind of steered themselves into workable relationships. I also like how the tables reference other tables in the rest of the Axian Library.  That said, there were a handful of number errors on the two tables, both out of order and in one case, missing entirely.

Truth be told, I look forward to more of these write ups (perhaps involving the background people these backgrounds suggest) in the future.  It was just fun.

Thank you, Guiseppe for writing them! 

Every Day I'm Shuffling

The Deck of Many Things.

Deck of Many Things, Volkan Baga, Magic the Gathering, 2021

Facebook generates lots of dislike for this not-so-humble artifact.   Typically in the form of a DM debating whether or not to include it in their home game, and the respondents commenting along the lines of 'only if you want to destroy the game or the ongoing story.'

Here's the thing with the DoMT.  The only time it ruins stories is if the campaign has a predetermined ending already set in stone (if that is the case, then player choices don't really matter).  To be honest, if the group is running through a published adventure path (because drop-in adventures are so unprofitable passe'), there is an implied agreement to play out that path to its stated end.  

Otherwise, the DoMT creates stories.  Seriously.  Granted, some of the stories are going to be more player-oriented than PC-oriented.  This is something I am fine with, but humans being humans, some folks may not care for this meta approach to items.  

Still, I maintain that every single card is the beginning of a new story.  Draw some and find out for yourself... or just read along.  

Balance. Your mind suffers a wrenching alteration, causing your alignment to change. Lawful becomes chaotic, good becomes evil, and vice versa. If you are true neutral or unaligned, this card has no effect on you.

Granted, in many games, alignment 'doesn't matter,' but in the better games that do, it makes a huge difference.  Aside from affecting some class-related abilities (particularly clerics - some deities only take specific alignments as worshippers), it also means access/use of certain items or places or people become blocked.  That said, it is likely that similar items and places exist for each alignment, so eventually, you might recover. 

Comet. If you single handedly defeat the next hostile monster or group of monsters you encounter, you gain experience points enough to gain one level. Otherwise, this card has no effect.

One vs. many or one vs. mighty are great tales, even to this day.  As DM, you can rely on random rolls, indirect player choice (we open THIS door), or DM fiat to find this creature or band of creatures.  St George, Beowulf, and Gilgamesh need some company in the bard songs!  To make it worthwhile, the DM needs to metagame and tell the player what is up, just as the ravening ghoul pack rounds the corner.  This is similar to the Skull card, but with Comet, there is no stipulation preventing resurrection.

Donjon. You disappear and become entombed in a state of suspended animation in an extradimensional sphere. Everything you were wearing and carrying stays behind in the space you occupied when you disappeared. You remain imprisoned until you are found and removed from the sphere. You can't be located by any divination magic, but a wish spell can reveal the location of your prison. You draw no more cards.

The Donjon cries out extraplanar rescue mission.  It also implies that Wish spells are available to the PCs, and for a price, even first level PCs can find a wish.  Or they can draw The Fates card, that works too.  As for the player of the trapped PC, well, this is what retainers/henchmen/sidekicks are for.  DnD is a party game for the players, not the PCs.  

Euryale. The card's medusa like visage curses you. You take a −2 penalty on saving throws while cursed in this way. Only a god or the magic of The Fates card can end this curse.

'Only a god' suggests a story there, especially if someone chooses to draw no more cards.  Gaining audience with a god is an adventure, and getting said god to end a curse is another. 

The Fates. Reality's fabric unravels and spins anew, allowing you to avoid or erase one event as if it never happened. You can use the card's magic as soon as you draw the card or at any other time before you die.

DnD's very own 'Get out of jail free' card.  Canny players save this for the right situation; many times the right situation involves canceling other draws from the Deck of Many Things.  Either way, the epic save fostered by dumb luck is a great story.

Flames. A powerful devil becomes your enemy. The devil seeks your ruin and plagues your life, savoring your suffering before attempting to slay you. This enmity lasts until either you or the devil dies.

If the Flames card is drawn and a devil just shows up immediately, the DM is wasting an opportunity.  A long-term, genius-level enemy provides multiple sessions of player paranoia and in-game action.  I don't know if this is most story-rich card in the Deck, but it is up there.

Lord of the Pit, Chippy, Magic the Gathering, 2017

Fool. You lose 10,000 XP, discard this card, and draw from the deck again, counting both draws as one of your declared draws. If losing that much XP would cause you to lose a level, you instead lose an amount that leaves you with just enough XP to keep your level.

How kind, you get to keep your level.  The AD&D DMG version merely reads "The payment and draw are mandatory!"  That exclamation point sets it off.  Story-wise, this is more of a player story, although in-game, it might be a question of how the 'greatest and best' suddenly wasn't anymore.  

Gem. Twenty five pieces of jewelry worth 2,000 gp each or fifty gems worth 1,000 gp each appear at your feet.

Magic is lazy.  Why create something anew to give someone, when it is far simpler to teleport such things from the nearest source.  In the case of Gems and Jewelry, probably a dragon's hoard or a king's treasure vault.  Both are likely to be upset at the presumed thieves.

Idiot. Permanently reduce your Intelligence by 1d4 + 1 (to a minimum score of 1). You can draw one additional card beyond your declared draws. 

As written, that additional draw is optional.  Granted, with a reduction in Intelligence it may not be seen as such.  The story lies in how the Idiot recovers their Intelligence (and perhaps abilities/skills) or an actual in-game reason to justify multiclassing.

Jester. You gain 10,000 XP, or you can draw two additional cards beyond your declared draws.

This binary choice tests your players, resulting in a story about the players themselves and their actions, stories that are just as entertaining (in my experience) as any in-game fictions.

Key. A rare or rarer magic weapon with which you are proficient appears in your hands. The GM chooses the weapon.

Similar to the Gem card, if this weapon did not disappear from its last owner's hands, scabbard, or vault, the DM is missing a chance at long-term story.

Knight. You gain the service of a 4th level fighter who appears in a space you choose within 30 feet of you. The fighter is of the same race as you and serves you loyally until death, believing the fates have drawn him or her to you. You control this character.

Like the weapon and wealth above, the Knight is not created wholesale from magic, but comes from somewhere else.  Perhaps that Knight arrives from the next visited settlement, his/her disappearance and sudden reappearance in the company of adventurers provides lots of role-playing opportunity.  Especially if the Knight doesn't remember his previous life.  

Moon. You are granted the ability to cast the wish spell 1d3 times.

Even if the DM isn't monkey-pawing the wishes, odds are good that whatever is wished for can bring its own story with it.  If it doesn't, why wish for it?

Rogue. A nonplayer character of the GM's choice becomes hostile toward you. The identity of your new enemy isn't known until the NPC or someone else reveals it. Nothing less than a wish spell or divine intervention can end the NPC's hostility toward you.

The story here writes itself.  How the DM determines which NPC is on them, but - while not the genius-level devil - this NPC is inevitably smart enough to not blindly attack the PC on sight.  The build up, discovery, and confrontation with the new enemy can span multiple sessions.

Ruin. All forms of wealth that you carry or own, other than magic items, are lost to you. Portable property vanishes. Businesses, buildings, and land you own are lost in a way that alters reality the least. Any documentation that proves you should own something lost to this card also disappears.

Lost is such a strong term.  This wealth merely goes somewhere else, especially if the treasures 'created' by the deck are coming from other places, in turn.  Perhaps this card is where lost treasure troves come from.  For PCs that are merely mechanics carrying magic items, well, now you know.  For other PCs, recovering and rebuilding will take many sessions.

Skull. You summon an avatar of death—a ghostly humanoid skeleton clad in a tattered black robe and carrying a spectral scythe. It appears in a space of the GM's choice within 10 feet of you and attacks you, warning all others that you must win the battle alone. The avatar fights until you die or it drops to 0 hitpoints, whereupon it disappears. If anyone tries to help you, the helper summons its own avatar of death. A creature slain by an avatar of death can't be restored to life.

Fighting Death makes for a short, yet epic story, especially when the PC wins.  Looking at the default stats for 5e Avatar of Death and its 'half the HP of its summoner's maximum' and AC 20 means that while things are slanted in its favor, some (lucky) PCs have a shot.  A funny story might be a TPK from PCs helping one another into death.  

Touch of Death, Melissa Benson, Magic the Gathering, 1995

Star. Increase one of your ability scores by 2. The score can exceed 20 but can't exceed 24.

The text doesn't specify if the ability score is chosen by the player or at random.  I'm a fan of random, myself.  In rulesets (like RAW 5e) where PCs gain ability scores through leveling, this card doesn't hold as much appeal for a veteran PC.  But if your chosen ruleset doesn't provide automatic stat boosts, then this +2 (random or not), is a huge boost and is more of a player story than PC... unless the PC is suddenly THE smartest/strongest/wisest/etc mortal in the world.

Sun. You gain 50,000 XP, and a wondrous item (which the GM determines randomly) appears in your hands.

Another free item, with the same potential baggage.  The 50K XP could be in the form of memories rushing in from somewhere, all Highlander like, or maybe in the form of bottled memories weighing down and clinking in your backpack.  Either way, it should be more than the player changing the XP value on their character sheet.  

Talons. Every magic item you wear or carry disintegrates. Artifacts in your possession aren't destroyed but do vanish.

Magic items turning to dust IS harsh - even I agree with that.  Still, it certainly tells the players which artifacts they are unwittingly toting about. Watching your treasured gear turn to dust all Avengers-style is a strong image. Finding replacements or somehow recreating the original items are a story.  If your PC is based on using item X in conjunction with item Y and skill Z, then you are likely to have a terrible time with this card.  

Shivan Dragon, Melissa Benson, Magic the Gathering, 1994

Throne. You gain proficiency in the persuasion skill, and you double your proficiency bonus on checks made with that skill. In addition, you gain rightful ownership of a small keep somewhere in the world. However, the keep is currently in the hands of monsters, which you must clear out before you can claim the keep as yours.

Like the 'free' treasures, a keep needs to come from somewhere. Perhaps this keep is historically noted for its changing hands due to the DoMT.  The local kingdom it belongs too has its own view on that. Note that the 3.x book Stronghold Builder's Guide contains the Cheap Keep, a basic format recommended for the DoMT.  

Vizier. At any time you choose within one year of drawing this card, you can ask a question in meditation and mentally receive a truthful answer to that question. Besides information, the answer helps you solve a puzzling problem or other dilemma. In other words, the knowledge comes with wisdom on how to apply it.

The story with this card is that it provides an in-game way for the players to get around whatever convoluted story-based bullshit the DM has cooked up.  One time, at least, and the players will long remember getting one over on the DM.

The Void. This black card spells disaster. Your soul is drawn from your body and contained in an object in a place of the GM's choice. One or more powerful beings guard the place. While your soul is trapped in this way, your body is incapacitated. A wish spell can't restore your soul, but the spell reveals the location of the object that holds it. You draw no more cards.

Another extraplanar rescue mission! If the soul-containment-device (SCD) isn't in the lair of a lich, archdevil, or ancient wyrm, I would be most surprised.  Finding and retrieving the soul is several sessions, and arrangements to care for the body is at least part of another.

The Abyss, Pete Venters, Magic the Gathering, 1994

So many options for game development scattered among 22 cards.  So many stories.  

In short, don't be afraid to use the DoMT in your campaign, especially if your game has no predetermined ending, regardless if you call it a hexcrawl, a sandbox, or just plain ol' DnD. 

Those interested should know that Dungeon #19 has an adventure (and BW cutouts) featuring the DoMT, and Dragon #148 has a short story involving the DoMT, alongside some sturdy cardboard color versions of the DoMT cards.

My image choices all come from Magic the Gathering cards, which make ideal items to use in your D&D games with a custom-ish Deck of Many Things.  Luckily, most of the cards I would use for this are terrible in play, so are monetarily cheap.

Except for the last one, The Abyss.  Usefulness, age, and limited print run conspire to make it far to expensive for me to own, especially for non-MtG purposes.

A Dragon's Lair - Flagrantia the Ancient Red

Dragons should appear more in D&D sessions.  After all, they are in the title of the game.  

Yet I have rarely included dragons, and can only recall encountering one as a player (after a short conversation, we traded our wealth for our lives - a fair deal).  

To remedy this oversight, I had a grand plan. In the wilderness surrounding Ironguard Keep, I had rough plans for a Black dragon to the south, lairing in the swamps abutting the foothills in the ruins of Xak Tsaroth of DL1 fame.  This is heavily due to my loving that map since encountering it decades ago.  

Xak Tsaroth - this map just cries out to be used in a game.

A green dragon claimed the forests across the river.  I hadn't given that one too much thought beyond the potential of making it a short-term ally of the PCs - for the right price, of course.  After all, there are lots of chaotics with treasure on that side of the river, and Greens are lawfuls that love their treasure...

Lastly is an ancient red lairing in the mountains, which is what this post is mostly concerned with.

The players were aware that at least one dragon was afoot, both through Twk-men rumors and physical evidence - they had found a large steaming pile of dragon shit, that they of course searched, discovering a golden chaos pendant from the dragon's last meal - a chaos cultist that awoke the dragon and incidentally set several things in motion.  Randall's warlock claimed the pendant and made good use of it, as a future session report will show.

As for the dragon itself, it's a red.  An ancient wyrm, maybe tainted with shadow.  A Smaug-level dragon who has been quiet for decades, if not centuries.  Now it is stirring... and hungry.  

Part of the fun of running large intelligent beasties (beyond rolling all the dice when they inflict damage) is speaking for them to portray their might and occasional majesty.  This video clip from the Rankin-Bass version of the Hobbit sums up how I suspect meeting this dragon would go - at least my role-playing the dragon would channel Smaug's attitude, and at least his opening lines about smelling and hearing and feeling.

A Chat with a Dragon from the 1977 The Hobbit

Dragons of this caliber have names, and in time-honored fashion, I am leaning towards a pseudo-Latin or pseudo-Greek term for fire or burning.  Something pronounceable when read, so no extraneous Zs, Xs, or apostrophes.  Incineratus or Incendiarius or Flagrantia.  The last sounds feminine which can mean a clutch of eggs or perhaps she has decided it is time to mate.  Maybe both!

If she finds a mate, you'd better believe she slays him post coitus black widow or preying mantis style. Take that, horny bardling! 

Flagrantia lairs in the Worldspine Mountains that divide the borderlands and civilization, such as it is. Besides the main entrance, which is guarded by her minion Orcs and Ogres, the caves she calls home contain a sinkhole leading to the surface, providing a secret way in for clever or (un)lucky PCs.  There is also a shaft descending into the Deep Underdark where dwell lots of ideas cribbed from Veins in the Earth and Operation Unfathomable.  While Flagrantia is aware of this hole, even she has the sense to not explore it, and now she is far too large to try. 

For now, at least, the lair is partially notional.  I have a hand-drawn map, but it lacks the ... interesting suggestions found in the Draconomicon, so the map needs revision.  For posterity, though, here it is:

Let's talk more about this dragon.  As a child, I watched the Rankin-Bass Hobbit often.  We went through one or two VHS tapes of it, and maybe even a BETAMAX tape.  So that is how I will always picture a dragon.

To my players' chagrin, perhaps.

Smaug's Boast from the 1977 classic The Hobbit 

This is Flagrantia.  Honestly, I expect a few PCs - maybe all of them - to die trying to slay her, especially if they try and beard her in her lair.  That said, players exist to surprise DMs, and the crew I had - Ben, Randall, Harley, and Kyle - probably would have done so, likely by utilizing some of the bizarro things I cribbed from assorted blogs and pdfs - an accumulation of ideas resulting in something far greater than the sum of its parts.  (Had they crushed her out of hand, a party of githyanki would be in the wings, there to negotiate an alliance of sorts and ready to take out their frustration on the PCs).

Regardless, Flagrantia is always arrogant and lazy and while she has several escape plans (including the ability to go ethereal), she doesn't honestly believe it will need to use any of them.  She is a spellcaster, as well, because all dragons should be. I haven't given much thought to which spells, and won't have to do so for the foreseeable future.  Still, Mage Hand, Chain Lightning, and Dispel Magic at the least.  Those eyebeams (because it will have them) are more flavor than spell or spell-like ability, but I imagine they should freak out players who never watched the cartoon from the 70s. 

As Flagrantia keeps up the trappings of civilization, there is always the chance for the PCs to converse with her, after all, what does she fear from mere mortals? If feeling benevolent or is sufficiently flattered, Flagrantia may even let invaders leave alive if they divest themselves of all valuables, to include mundane weapons and armor and such.  Basically, the dragon sends them away naked - it is not her fault that ephemerals bothered her, and frankly, they should be happy to leave alive.  

Proper dragons have hoards, and have had them since at least Beowulf was written down (note that both the thief in Beowulf and Bilbo Baggins both awaken a dragon by stealing a CUP).  Flagrantia is no different.  I reckon I can go crazy with hoard contents, because there are no Bags of Holding or Portable Holes in this campaign, so the PCs won't be able to carry off but a small portion of it, again, reminiscent of the Dwarves sorting through Smaug's hoard in the Hobbit.  

One of my favorite Dragon Magazine covers; in this case illustrating my point about dragon hoards.

In proper DM fashion, I can always repurpose a published dragon's trove, such as that of Infyrana of Dragon Mountain (pg 52-55), Flame from Dungeon #1 (pg 50-52), Vesicant from Dungeon #16 (pg 64 mostly), Aliamere (a prismatic dragon!) from Dungeon #51 (pg 37), or Felmurnuzza from Dungeons of the Dread Wyrm (pg 24-25), among many others.  

I can also rely entirely on random generators, which has the benefit of being fast, but boring, or at least disconnected from the world of Ironguard Keep.

A third option is to design the entire hoard myself, which sounds like more work than I care for.   Yes, DMs always have homework, but this DM prefers to keep it to reasonable amounts.

So it appears a compromise is needed.  Yet, before I settle on particulars, let's see what the 5e MM suggests as appropriate hoards for Ancient Reds:

"Obsessive Collectors. Red dragons value wealth above all else, and their treasure hoards are legendary. They covet anything of monetary value, and can often judge the worth of a bauble to within a copper piece at a glance. A red dragon has a special affection for treasure claimed from powerful enemies it has slain, exhibiting that treasure to prove its superiority. 

A red dragon knows the value and provenance of every item in its hoard, along with each item's exact location. It might notice the absence of a single coin, igniting its rage as it tracks down and slays the thief without mercy. If the thief can't be found, the dragon goes on a rampage, laying waste to towns and villages in an attempt to sate its wrath." 

While this type of treasure provides potential story hooks (which is a good thing, and as a conscientious DM, I would do just this in detailing the multi-page trove), it still doesn't help describe it much.  I say this, because as that link points out, most players don't really care - not out of maliciousness, but because such things often have little impact at the table.  So I need to seek guidance elsewhere.

The Draconomicon (Get this book.  PDFs exist, but the hardback is far more satisfying to thumb through) contains an excellent chapter on dragon hoards, with a variety of random tables AND sample hoards running up through CR 27 dragons (roughly 456,000gp in value, if curious).  The sample hoards provide not only art objects, but a smattering of history-based items (Greyhawk-oriented) alongside the standard coins, gems, and book magic items.  This book gets me thinking.

If you like dragons in your Dungeons & Dragons, do yourself a favor and get this book.

Ye olde AD&D Monster Manual, however, provides rather specific guidelines: Red Dragons have treasure types H, S, and T. Furthermore, it says that Ancient Dragons are 75% likely to have 200% of their treasure type.  THAT is useful information that has impact at the table.

H is coins (all measured in the thousands, except platinum, which is measured in the hundreds), gems, jewelry (art objects can be subsumed under jewelry), and any 4 magic items, plus 1 potion, plus 1 scroll.  S is potions, and T is scrolls.  All of this, times two.  (As an aside, looking at the Treasure Types, I am intensely curious about what creatures have treasure types U-Z as those look utterly amazing.) 

Coins, gems, and jewelry are the work of random generators, followed by a bit of DM history-adding to some of the jewelry items.  Magic items, though, should be at least partially decided and placed by DM.    

So 8 nonpotions, nonscrolls, then upwards of 18 potions and 10 scrolls.  I'm not going to roll all this, just place it.  A dragon of Flagrantia's age and history would no doubt have some items that survived their owners, the owners being previous would-be dragonslayers.  Perhaps this band of would-be slayers.

Bill Willingham from the Moldvay Basic Rulebook, 1981

I'll also steal an idea from Dragon Mountain, and have a pile of faintly magical slag that was once a Dragonslayer sword.  Flagrantia didn't live 900+ years by being a fool.  Along with this evidence of past items is a golden ring featuring three diamonds that appear scorched from the inside out.  This is a used-up ring of three wishes.  Flagrantia acquired the ring several centuries ago and spent the better part of a century contemplating each wish before making it.

Her wishes were: to become ethereal at will (it allows for easy access to and from her lair), potent regeneration (15 hp equivalent per round - she will play dead if needed), dispelling breath weapon (her fire damage is normal, but those hit with it ALSO are hit with a potent not-quite-mage's-disjunction dispel magic effect).

In proper D&D fashion, at least one magic item will be outright cursed - very likely a scroll, as scrolls are easy props to make for in-person games.  Speaking of scrolls, at least one scroll is a treasure map (though to where is undecided, likely a published adventure module), and a few scrolls can be turned into a captured spellbook or three, or perhaps the scorched and scarred remains of several spellbooks, for flavor.

Potions will be a mix of book potions, these potions, and maybe a custom potion or two... or quirky book potions.  Like potions of incredible usefulness that also limn the imbiber with Faerie Fire.  Potions of Fire Resistance and Dragon Control would be amusing, but we shall see.  Castle Xyntillan features an assortment of liquors and distilled spirits that function as potions, and this idea is worth borrowing.

A dragon's trove is a fine place to throw players/PCs a bone regarding magic items by including items the party can directly benefit from.  With my players in mind, it would be something for a cleric, a sorcerer, a warlock, and a barbarian.  Generalizing things means some arcane items, some defensive items, and some weapons.  Whether or not the players actually keep such items is on them.

My rambling is finished, so let's consider her magical trove:

Potions: 

a Beaker of Plentiful Potions that pours random potions; its quirk is that ALL of its potions look, smell, and taste the same - until they hit the stomach and take effect.  d6 to see which potion you pour: Gaseous Form, Fire Resistance, Speed, Cloud Giant Strength, Poison (sickened and two levels of exhaustion), Greater Healing.  

Bottled Memories - there are a half-dozen of these metal vials clinking together in a felt bag.  Inside the bag are six labels, apparently having fallen from the vials.  There is no way to tell which label was on which vial.  The labels read (in Elvish): buried treasure (treasure map); terrible secret (worst of all is beings now know you know - enjoy living in terror!); cosmic truth  ; forgotten spell (drinker learns new spell); hidden technique (choose one weapon, drinker gets advantage when fighting with it, but disadvantage on all others); horrid death (by immolation 30d10 psychic damage as skin darkens and drinker burns from within). Note that (re)discovering how to bottle memories is beyond the scope of this post.  (I am certain I read of bottled memories on one blog or another).

A box holding a pair of almost-matching vials, the difference being one has the image of a sword on it, and the other the image of a staff on it.  These are vials of Myrmidon's Milk and Instant Power, respectively.  Myrmidon's Milk is fed to a baby, and the baby will grow to be a mighty warrior.  Instant Power is consumed by a child, who instantly gains 3 levels of wizard.   (d4 Caltrops)

This bottle looks more like a small oil can, and contains several doses of Modron Blood.  Modron Blood drives away gremlins and fixes small broken mechanical devices.  (d4 Caltrops)

Potion of Bright Life - This nondescript vial smells like fresh cut grass and damp leaves when opened.  Consuming it makes your skin turn green, your hair turn to small flowering vines and grass, and you can now subsist entirely through photosynthesis.  The drawback is that a lengthy lack of sunlight can kill you dead. (d4 Caltrops)

Potion of Cure-All - A crystal bottle is labeled "purgative for poisons, diseases, possessions, lycanthropy, and other ailments.  use with caution." in Elvish.  Drinking it cures everything but HP damage.  The drawback is that the drinker vomits up the nastiness in the form of 1d4+1 gelatinous cubes. (d4 Caltrops)

Tomb Sealant - A brown canister with a yellowing label reading "tomb sealant" in archaic common.  Opening it finds a brush attached to the bottom of the lid and the whole thing resembling a paste pot.  When applied to coffins/sarcophagi, it fuses them shut.  Forever.   As might be imagined, you don't want to get any of this on you. (d4 Caltrops)

Scrolls/books: 

Treasure Map - claims to lead to Mimisbrunner and promises knowledge and power.  It warns of Mimir and the 'eye cost of knowledge.'  

Fragile tapestry that is actually a map of the empire from centuries before.  Comparing it to modern maps reveals the location of several lost (and presumably ruined) cities.

Three charred but mostly readable spellbooks, containing Wizard spells (3d4 each of levels 1-5, 2d4 of level 6-7, and 1d4 level 8).

Scroll of Protection from Undead, Scroll of Protection from Fey, Scroll of Protection from Magic 

Scroll of Meteor Swarm - regardless of caster's intent, it centers on reader.  

Cursed Scroll - Reader is Feebleminded, no save.

Cursed Scroll - Reader petrifies (but to clear crystal).  Stone-to-flesh returns to normal.

A fancy prayerbook that allows reader (if they hold) to turn undead as if 1 level higher than they are, or as a third level cleric, whichever is better.  Readers not of the faith (Norse-ish) take psychic damage from reading the book.

A thick treatise on medicine written by someone named Galen, with marginalia and notes by others; healing checks are at advantage after reading this (takes three months of study) and healing spells cast by reader cascade on the top two numbers.

Items:

Ring of Djinni Summoning - as per the book, but each time used, the wearer must save or become a cloud as per gaseous form for d6 turns.  That said, this ring's biggest quirk is the DM channeling Genie from Disney's Aladdin. (The djinn that appears would not be named Djinn Carter, Djinn Balooshi, Djinn Morrison, Djinn Carey, Djinn Stewart, or Djinn Kimmel, if only because I am terrible at impersonations AND my regular players too young to catch most of these puns. Djinn Rumi and Djinn Antonic are fair game, however.)

Orb of Dominance - this mammoth (about 12' diameter, but fits nicely in Flagrantia's hand) crystal ball crackles with an internal energy reminiscent of plasma balls.  The attuned wielder merely makes eye contact (via light or darkvision or even if ethereal or astral) with the intended victim, and if the victim fails to save, a long-term Dominate Person is cast.  The Orb of Dominance allows its wielder to Dominate up to a dozen entities, controlling their actions and seeing through their eyes.  This Domination allows a save once a year on the anniversary of the first time.  DM note - think of how Theoden was dominated by Saruman in LotR (and then how Gandalf cast him out - so Dominated people take on physical changes).  The major drawback of this item is its size and weight.  

As it so happens, Flagrantia has used it on the leadership of the Orc and Ogre tribes she dominates, but would love some non-orcs to Dominate.  Preferably some would-be heroes.  Then chaos shall reign!

Ring of Cold Resistance - this golden band is stretched to its limit to fit on Flagrantia's smallest wing-talon.  It's drawback of Fire Vulnerability is overridden by Red Dragons' inherent immunity to Fire damage.  Investigation reveals the mark of Grandfather Favarro, so it is one of his creations.

Honor - featuring the attributes of both a Scimitar of Speed and Sword of Sharpness, this bastard sword is just that - a right bastard.  Honor is Sentient and extremely Lawful (LE, technically).  It can detect chaotics at will, and will do so.  If it finds any, it loudly calls them out and urges its wielder to attack them.  Failure to do so results in Honor attempting to Dominate its wielder.

Wielders that please Honor find that it provides additional powers, notably vampiric regeneration: half of the damage done by Honor heals its wielder, but never beyond full.  In addition, Honor's wielder is immune to blindness and exhaustion and saves at advantage against poison.  

Wielders that displease Honor will find they strike at disadvantage as Honor twists and shifts in their grasp, as well as losing access to Honor's other abilities (Speed, Sharpness, healing and immunities).  Should Honor dominate its wielder, its priorities are to 'restore its wielder's honor' by striking down people that have insulted, cheated, or otherwise disgraced the wielder.  Honor doesn't care if these people are strangers, allies, friends, family or other PCs.  

Staff of Mambres (Staff of Power) - as per the Staff of Power and Snake Staff in the DMG, with the added bonus of being possessed by it's creator, Mambres, who appears to the PC in dreams.  While in dream form, conversations can be had, and with a successful intelligence check, remembered.  Note that the eventual goal of Mambres is to reinstate the Egyptian-ish pantheon over the current Norse-ish.

Champion's Plate - this suit of +2 field plate is etched with a lion rampant and the symbols of Norse pantheon.  The wearer is immune to magical fear and incapable of retreat, rout, withdrawal, or escape once battle is joined.  This plate provides additional protection, in the form of Element Resistance, as well as immune to blinding, deafening, stunning, and exhaustion.  Allies in your sight attack with advantage due to the armor inspiring them.  All that said, the remains of the last wearer are still inside this armor and her spirit will demand a proper burial (treasure-barrow level - sealing the dragon's lair with her remains and most of the dragon's treasure inside will suffice).

Cindersoul - this longspear is etched with runes that glow a fiendish reddish-purple. In addition to piercing damage, this spear deals necrotic damage and fire damage with each strike.  All beings slain by this spear find their souls/spirits bound to the spear itself.  The wielder can hear these spirits as a continual whispering of words and half-sentences.  Once per three long rests, the wielder must do something to appease one of the spirits (DM choice of task) or suffers exhaustion as long rests become impossible due to the voices.  Discarding Cindersoul requires far more than a Remove Curse, as the spirits will continue to haunt the last wielder until someone new takes up the spear.

A Hand of Glory - the candle version, in a locked wooden box.  All within its light (except holder) are held as per Hold Person or Hold Monster.  All doors within the light are unlocked and opened; this includes planar portals and other portals best left closed, locked, and forgotten.  Once the light goes out, the doors unlocked reseal, so hopefully the person with the candle is on the proper side of the door!

Iron Horn of Valhalla - these berserkers are Einherjar and the power of the horn compels the blower to join them in glorious combat.  Should the horn-blower die during the fray, the Einherjar carry them back to Valhalla with them when they disperse.  Should the horn-blower try to run away, the Einherjar attack the horn-blower for the coward that they are.

There we have it - an ancient wyrm and the more interesting parts of her hoard.

Of course, presuming she is slain, now there is the question of what to do with her body... 

Enjoy.