Continuing on yesterday’s thoughts, finding Cryovain’s hoard is one thing. Claiming the treasure hoard is something entirely different.

Anyone who thinks collecting a white dragon’s treasure is as simple as scooping coins and gemstones into a collection of sacks or dumping it all into a bag of holding is in for a rude awakening. If you want to understand the problem facing the characters, try this fun experiment at home:

Take a roll of quarters. Unwrap them. Dump them into a bucket filled with a foot or two of water. Then leave it outside for a week in subzero freezing temperatures.

Now, try retrieving the coins.

Without a flamethrower. That’s cheating.

Without waiting for spring. I have things to do.

That’s essentially what the characters are dealing with atop Icespire Hold, except instead of a few dozen coins, it’s thousands of pieces of silver and platinum, gemstones, and magic items frozen beneath an ice rink atop a ruined mountain fortress. And we haven’t even gotten to finding where Cryovain has stashed his gold and coppers yet!

For context, a 10’x10′ patch of ice has an armor class 13 and an average of 27 hit points, or as many as 50 hit points on the high end. It really depends on how hard you want to make it on the characters when they attempt to retrieve the treasure. Oh, and did the characters think to bring miner’s pick?

“The one time we need a freaking miner’s pick, and nobody thought to bring a freaking miner’s pick?!?! Ohhh…but Lester thought to bring a pouch of 1,000 ball bearings. How helpful, LESTER, you gods forsaken brain dead flumph! And why is it so cold up here?! Who brought our winter gear? Why is everyone looking at me like we didn’t pack any winter gear?!?!?”

The area that makes the most sense for Cryovain to lair in (H20. Roof) has a lot of 5-foot squares (237 of to be precise. Yes, I counted. Are you new here?). Even a spellcaster or two with burning hands on repeat is going to take a few days to burn through all of the ice in that space – which would freeze all over again each night.

All of this is what I love about the idea of burying Cryovain’s hoard beneath the ice atop Icepire Hold. And it’s why the decision to omit a treasure hoard from this adventure is a travesty. It adds a layer of complexity to the game, in a good way that inspires creativity and reinforces the idea that adventuring gear actually has a purpose.

The moment Cryovain is eliminated or driven off, the adventure doesn’t simply end with a loot dump and a trip back to Phandalin. Instead, the characters suddenly inherit a logistical nightmare. Recovering the hoard becomes an adventure in its own right.

How do they excavate the treasure? How long does it take to accomplish? How do they transport all that loot? How do they survive the cold while doing it?

And last, but not least: how do they defend it?

Let’s talk about that last question tomorrow. Because if The Hobbit has taught us anything, it’s that a dragon’s treasure hoard has the potential to attract unwanted callers.

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