The world of Dungeons and Dragons is fantastical. It contains an unthinkable number of trinkets, baubles, and more created from unique creatures, plants, trees, and anything else locals can find. Some have power, others are just rare creations. Making your worlds and adventures seem strange and otherworldly requires more than just short descriptions of the setting. If you think about it, the more mundane items are the most powerful tool as a Dungeon Master. You have to bring your world to life and tell a story without pages of ramblings.
Dungeon Dressing at its core is the unsung hero for setting the atmosphere and telling a story. Think about it. Has your character ever been to a Liches lair? What does it contain? Just some floors and walls? Of course not! We flesh it out with trinkets and doodads that make it feel wondrous. Not only can you share the unique villain’s story, but also a bit of lore and worldbuilding with a few mundane items. The following list is intended to not only provide you with some villainous knick-knacks but also inspire you to create your own world-building items.
Huge thanks to the Crit Nation community for helping come up with this great list!
20 Things to Find in a Villain’s Lair for your Dungeons & Dragons Game
A large petrified head of a demon. A successful DC 16 Intelligence (Arcana) check identifies it as belonging to a vrock.
Small cactus in a pot with a bright red bulb on its top. A successful DC 14 Intelligence (Nature) check identifies the small cactus as a cactus(ToB) sprout.
Tapestry depicting a chaotic battle between two powerful mages. A successful DC 18 Intelligence (History) check recalls the battle that scarred the lands of Goldmoor. The battle between a powerful Lich and an Archmage and her allies.
Tiny marble teapot shaped like a grinning dragon wyrmling. A successful DC 14 Intelligence (Arcana) check identifies it specifically as a red dragon whelpling.
A small strange box made of a blue coral with large red and black mushrooms growing in its pores. A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Nature) check identifies the mushrooms as poisonous. A creature that eats the mushrooms must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned. A character who fails the check by 5 or more misidentifies the mushrooms as edible.
Large carving of a large tree with small runes on its trunk. A character that knows the secret language of druids known as druidic identifies the unique carving as Yggdrasil, a representation of the multiverse and its connections.
An obsidian pyramid with intricately carved glyphs around its outside. A successful DC 8 Intelligence (Arcana) check identifies the item as an arcane focus created from hardened volcanic rock.
Large egg with green and white veins that crawl across it. Its weight indicates it is empty, a small hole on the bottom confirms it. A successful DC 14 Intelligence (Nature) check identifies the unique material and color revealing it to be a basilisk egg.
Book of love poems written to a demon hunter priestess. A successful DC 16 Intelligence (Religion) check recalls the story of the Blackbane, a clan of demon hunters led by a half-elf named Gaatheoda. She is a master swordswoman and a paladin of the highest order.
Glass vase filled with large feathers. A successful DC 14 Intelligence (Nature) check identifies the feathers to be a mix of griffin and hippogriff feathers
Half-finished spell scroll on parchment etched in dried kraken ink. A successful DC 19 Intelligence (Arcana) check reveals the specific spell. If the spell is on the character’s spell list, they can spend a short rest completing it (at GM discretion).
Stainless iron flask emblazoned with a stylized beholder. If a character knows thieves’ cant, the wear, tear, and scratches reveal the code word to enter the Red Blades thieves guild.
Elaborately carved hourglass filled with red sand. A successful DC 12 Intelligence (Religion) identifies the hourglass as a holy symbol of the deity of time.
Deck of cards bearing illustrations of constellations. A successful DC 16 Intelligence (History) recalls the illustration to not be representative of the current night skies constellation.
A massive mummified bird hangs from the ceiling by chains. A successful DC 17 Intelligence (Nature) check identifies a unique beak and size revealing the bird to be a roc.
Shattered Ioun stone being used as a paperweight. A successful DC 21 Intelligence (Arcana) check identifies the Ioun stone as a powerful spell material component. When the stone is used as an additional material component in a spell of 1st level or higher, the spell is cast at one level higher than the spell slot expended up to 9th level.
Mastercrafted adamantine sextant with nautical charts. A character with the Sailor background or similar can identify a secret location on a map that leads to a lost or hidden island.
Diary with most of its pages ripped out. The remaining text describes the process of creating a new spell. A successful DC 25 Intelligence (Arcana) reveals the details of creating a unique 1st-level spell.
A defaced and broken stone figure of a strong female warrior. A successful DC 12 Intelligence (Religion) check reveals the statuette to a holy symbol of a warrior goddess.
Small skeleton of a pseudodragon mounted on a small orange crystal box. A successful DC 14 Intelligence (Nature) check identifies the unique orange crystal that comes from mining the Moonlit Summit mountain range.
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