The adventurers, a fearsome fighter, a wise wizard, and a err . . . thieving thief, come upon an ancient hall. Inside the hall is a gigantic pile of treasure, enough money to buy a palace, the kingdom it’s in, and still have enough to throw a really big party. However, atop the pile of treasure is an enormous dragon, its scales chipped and jagged from hundreds, if not thousands, of battles. It looks something like this:
NOTE: if you recognize this picture, you’re a nerd. And/or old. I’m both.
The adventurers, of course, immediately attack the dragon and get killed. Or maybe they kill the dragon. Or maybe they play a game of chess. Or become fast friends. Anyway, something happens, it’s not like the adventurers are just going to ask for an autograph and then be on their merry way.
But here’s the question: Where did the dragon get all that gold? The easy answer is ‘well, it’s been fighting adventurers for hundreds of years, so it’s going to add up.’ However, if you think about the logistics, how would that happen?
How much gold is a standard adventurer carrying? Let’s say 50 pieces. How much gold is in a good sized dragon hoard? Let’s say 500,000 pieces. If you do the math, your typical dragon has killed and looted 10,000 adventurers. If there’s an average of 5 adventurers per party, then the dragon has had 2000 battles. If the dragon is 500 years old, then that means that the dragon has had a battle every three months for its entire life.
And people wonder why dragons are always bad-tempered.
Tomorrow: Part 2
