[BADD] How would a Dragon MOVE its hoard?

[Tom Cashel]

Hello, BADD members and others...although I haven't posted in the BADD membership drive, please consider me a member. My players know me as a DM who has messed them up with dragons on many occasions.

Anyway, this thread is an offshoot of Doc Midnight's recent discussion of the Great White Wyrm. It was suggested in that thread that the wyrm burrow a mile beneath its lair and hide out--unwise, considering the hoard would be unattended. It was also suggested that the dragon move to a new lair, and turn the old one into a big, nasty deathtrap.

I like this second idea, but how would the dragon transport all the riches? I can think of four possibilities, from the obvious to the unpractical:

1. Get an enormous tarpaulin/cloth, put the treasure on it, hold the four corners in its claws...and fly to the new location.

2. Have the minions transport it.

3. Transport it by magic. [but the proper spells and/or items might not be handy...]

4. "Gizzard" it. Assume that dragons possess some kind of gizzard in their gullet that would allow them to swallow, then regurgitate, the entire hoard.

I know, I know...this is weird. Any thoughts?

 

[Wolfspider]

well, a white dragon would drop all of his gold in a pool of water, freeze it with his breath, and take the resultying ice cube o' loot to his new lair--assuming it won't thaw out on the way.

I don't think a bit tarp would be safe enough...one rip and you've got a countrywide mess.

Minions transporting it is good, although for large hordes that would involve quite a caravan.

Magic is a good solution, although it would certainly involve opening a semi-permanent teleportation effect in order to make it work.

A gizzard? Hmmm...I find that idea hard to swallow.

As you can see, it's a pain to move a hoard of treasure. That's probably why dragons are so protective of their lairs and why they tend to turn them into death traps.

 

[Nightfall]

Not to mention they might have "false lairs" to distract adventurers from the real one, thus ensuring they don't have to move it IF their true lair is discovered.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

U-haul.

 

[PenguinKing]

3. Transport it by magic. [but the proper spells and/or items might not be handy...

We are assuming this dragon is fairly old to have a large horde, yes? Well, maybe it's just me, but consider the following:

1) There is a feat that allows a spontaneous spellcaster (like a sorcerer or a dragon) to memorize a limited number of spells from a spellbook, in the manner of a wizard.

2) The number of spells a spellbook can contain is limited only by a financial means of the spellcaster.

Given that, I would assume that any dragon of sufficient age could, if it wanted to, have access to pretty much every spell in the Player's Handbook - not to mention a few no human has ever heard of.

What's this about the proper spells being handy, again?

- Sir Bob.

P.S. Nih!

 

[Claude Raines]

Re: Re: [BADD] How would a Dragon MOVE its hoard?

1) There is a feat that allows a spontaneous spellcaster (like a sorcerer or a dragon) to memorize a limited number of spells from a spellbook, in the manner of a wizard.

Which feat is that? Where is it? The Netbook of Feats?

 

[Paladin]

Re: Re: Re: [BADD] How would a Dragon MOVE its hoard?

Which feat is that? Where is it? The Netbook of Feats?

I believe he's talking about the feat Arcane Preparation. It's in the FRCS and T&B, I think.

 

[Alejandro]

If I had to rationalize the lifestyle of a great white wyrm, I'd probably imagine a cat who dines on whales. He wakes up whenever, burrows away, eats, then comes back. If he found a pretty that he really liked, he freezes it and mouths it on the way back to its lair. He sleeps in one cavern, keeps his treasure in another cavern, and poops in yet another cavern. In fact, because he's so catlike, he could have caverns all over a glacier but regard the entire glacier as his "lair". In no case would my great white wyrm only have one bedroom containing his entire hoard. If bothered, my great white would freeze the trophy room solid to secure his pretties and sort out the mess later...if he felt like it.

 

[Dieter]

Smaug's Super Sack of Dragonhoarding....what else?

 

[Henry]

Say it with me one time, now - Portable Hole.

What's good for the PC's is good for the Dragon. A 6' by 10' empty cylinder can hold a LOT of wealth.

Other thoughts:

bags of holding and heward's handy haversacks

major construction (and building materials to make a REALLY big box)

Or just good old-fashioned teleport. A great Wyrm white dragon can teleport 650 lb.s of material per trip.