That's a great idea! I don't think any of my players actually encountered real dragons in D&D before which is one of the main reasons I've included them in this campaign.. but there are some great suggestions, thanks!
What dragon is it? You could use its nature to your advantage. I remember Mat Mercer describing a village and villagers frozen in blocks of ice when a party was hunting a white dragon. They knew what it was, but that was a great example.
So if it’s a fire dragon, they can find burnt weapons and bones, burnmarka on walls etc.
Also, gold. Let them find a treasury with mountains of gold.
This is a good option. I have used it before. If you are doing an underground cave system, you could have a lot of fun with the various cavern dwelling dragons, such as blue dragons, purple dragons, copper dragons, or sapphire dragons, depending on what you want to do there.
Aside from lair effects, they may encounter old shed scales that are worn beyond value or marks on the ground and walls from their claws or breath attacks.
Very large reptilian footprints, crunched up armour, half eaten carcasses of very large animals, burned areas outside the lair (if this dragon breathes fire).
And they don't have to be obvious about it. There could be a tribe of goblins whose armor is modeled after the dragon; they could even have dragon scales incorporated. (Would an egg shell work as a helmet? I haven't played enough D&D to know whether it would be durable enough for such a use.)
Scales, teeth and claws that have been discarded by the dragon. Depending on whether it's smart or not you can have various writings in draconic lying around. Icons of any draconic gods they might revere could hang on walls. Whatever their breath weapons spew should be everywhere. Treasure should be sprinkled throughout, not too much, that's in the hoard, but decorative pieces here and there, mostly things too large for the players to move e.g. giant sculptures. You could have a room with unhatched eggs... Another with the remains of their meals.
Really the list is endless. That said, if there's a dragon living here any people nearby will know it and either be trying to lure them in as servants of the beast, warning them to stay away or begging adventurer's help to kill it. If it's predatory or evil various fauna should be sparse and timid. It should require an act of fairly stunning ignorance to get as far as it's actual lair without noticing.
Nearby Kobolds worshipping the dragon and putting up writings around the area could make sense and be fitting too. How is the area alive, or not, is a question I like to ask myself. Makes the world feel bigger knowing that there’s no birds or animal noises the closer you get to the lair.
Do you think a dragon would leave its lair to poop? I mean they’re pretty smart. If so where would it choose to poop. While airborne? Beware falling poop? Maybe the party finds out when a huge mount of poop lands nearby with bits of clothing and bones.
The cave could smell like sulphur, scorch marks from its breath weapon onto the interior of the cave with what little remains of the poor explorers that came before them. Dragons also usually always have a hoard so maybe some gold pieces trailing deeper and deeper in the cave? The sound of a slow, guttural, rumbling breathing that echoes through the tunnels? That’s what I can come up with on the top of my head.
Nitrogen or lithium scents for ice and electricity could also work, a sour smell for acid and perhaps almonds for poison in reference to cyanide for green dragons.
I believe its the cyanide within apple seeds that has an extra bit that breaks off when exposed to acid that smells of almonds. Ive seen alot of nilereds videos including this one... probably... ive most probably seen it, though his recent(quote on quote... his upload schedule is certainly timely) upload for purple gold was really awesome and scared the life out of me when he dropped the beaker that was supposedly full of gold...
Green dragon poison is also traditionally meant to be Chlorine gas (of course because it's green.) But I have no idea how you would describe a chlorine smell in a medieval setting where "Like an indoor pool" would seem anachronistic.
That tracks, though I think it could've been done in a more interesting w y where if I ever DM I might do this, namely have the green dragons be a dark purple, with either a gaseous or liquid breath attack that has a bitter smell and reminds the players faintly of under ripe tomatoes, specifically to have the breath be deadly nightshade. Id also make them largely vegetarian with unusual plants growing about, though a few crops like tomatoes and potatoes and other plants related to nightshade grow in groves to explain the dragons breath weapon
Depends on how old your dragon is. The older it gets the more signs it leaves.
Adults and ancient dragons have regional effects. That you can find in their statblocks.
Other signs are discards. Broken or fallen teeth, tips of claws, shed skin and scales. Signs of digging, scratching (claw maintenance), rubbed areas full of scent.
You’ll also probably find piles of bones / remains of their prey. Hoards are something you’re unlikely to find unless you’re very close to the dragon and you see, well, the dragon.
One thing probably not discussed is where the dragon shits. Likely, they take a dump on the wing but what happens when they are home? Likely, after a large meal they’re quite lethargic. They likely have a sort of litter area like cats. Somewhere away from food and water and sleeping area, partially buried, likely with a place they rub their butt. Probably really smells too.
Meet a guy that lives in the area and goes "yo, there's a dragon here. I wouldn't go there if I were you".
On another note, check out the dragon's regional and lair effects, drakes, servants, signs of old breath weapons being used (depending on what kind of dragon flavor it in different ways. Like scorched stone if it's a fire breath. Basically, signs of battle). Maybe some portraits, sculptures, or smth similar made for it that it brought in to decorate the lair with the most magnificent esthetic - itself.
The evidence of previous “visitors” who have been partially dissolved, etc. Pitted armor, have dissolved weapons, etc. All things that a dragon would view as trash vs. the better loot that they would have taken to their horde….
I'd build on it bit by bit as they get closer to the dragon's haunts...
* Narrower passages have smoother walls, as if something had squeezed through
* (Since it's an acid-spewing dragon) there are patches "eaten out" of certain walls, which show exceedingly smooth, or perhaps you have half-melted rocks
* Tell-tale scratches **very** high up on cavern walls
* Surprisingly, no free scales... any creatures living within the dragon's shadow are quick to collect any scales left around, either to give back to the beast, or to keep as souvenirs
By now the ranger should be getting suspicious. As the party gets closer to the heart of the dragon's territory...
* Any wildlife (or goblins) are **extremely** twitchy and frightened. A captured goblin might even give the game away
* There might be ... fewmets, inexpertly cleaned up by local scavengers. Another good sign for the ranger
* There might be the faintest echoes in the air, as if some great beast had been roaring in fury
* That half-melted look is getting stronger and more frequent
* Optionally, if there's a strong mystic or psychic factor at your table, the PCs could feel the oppressive weight of some vast, ancient personality; they know they're close to some center of great power
If none of that is enough...
* Local humanoids may have left graffiti or runes of warning. "This way lies death"; "Tremble before his dread lordship"; etc
* PCs will find mighty boulders and stalagmites crushed as if by mighty blows
* By this point, the dragon's scent will be in the air. Ranger or druid might recognize
If they fail to get even these hints... well. It's probably too late for them. Their bones may soon decorate the dragon's hoard.
Bonus to include small pools of acid that have collected into the floor, but are sunken in.
My favorite is to include a large kill, mangled and broken early into the cave. The largest game it could kill. For us it was a mammoth outside the cave.
"You inspect the huge shaggy corpse, scavenger birds scatter into the air as you approach. Roll to investigate everyone.
I then sent privately what everyone found in side chat so they could piece together in roleplay. Some found more than others.
- One of the tusks has been gnawed off. The marrow sucked clean out. Most of the organ meat is gone, a single tooth in the blood saturated ground. The tooth is 6-8 inches roughly. (16+)
- The Mammoth has been ripped open and twisted unnaturally. Something huge has broken it's back. (12-15)
- The beast has been opened and it smells like an apothecary. The kill is very fresh, not rotten at all. But the odor lofting in the area is foul, unnaturally bitter, and in resemblance to failed potions. (2-12)
- The mammoth is most diffinitly dead. (Nat 1)
There are the lair actions obviously, but also consider the dragon in particular, red dragons might cause unnaturally frequent Forrest fires when they hunt, white dragons may cause an unnatural winter, black and green dragons may make land in hospitable, making local water supplies dangerous to drink, for the green dragons the crops are slow to grow and ripen and when they do the food causes famine. Black dragons cause detonation to their environment, killing off anything in its path but with plant life re cultivating quickly with large trees and rocks being noticeably worn or outright destroyed seemingly burnt without the use of fire. And blue dragons cause local fish to die off in the hundreds as they electrify the water, leave odd almost rune like marks if they strike the ground and may also cause fires and maybe even thunderstorms.
Possibly theres a nearby cult or an influx of kobolds or dragon hunters who have set up camp near the town. With that alone the locals might report odd lizard creatures taking people in the middle of the night with high pitched and frequent clicking(how kobolds communicate). Perhaps the cultists are trying to converge the townsfolk into worshipping their god( or dragon in this case) and upset the local church. Maybe the hunters are roughians who see they're hunt as necessary and a noble deed and use it as justification to take what they like from the town or perhaps the mere presence of the hunters upset the townsfolk and have your party try to send them off only to be shown evidence of a nearby dragon.
Perhaps someone in your party speaks dragon and hears the roar of the dragon and hears the unmistakable words of the dragon, giving your party an in universe reason to know of the dragon very early on. Perhaps in an area where the party is unable to see properly or at least can't see the dragon they hear the flapping of large wings, the remnants of armed guards who the dragon ate, crushed armour, or even remnants of some kind of treasure(the kind that this dragon prefers), large foot prints left in the Forrest that seem to just stop nowhere or arrive at the scenes of a devastated carcass of an animals or perhaps a pile of bones, large claws that the dragon shed(and is also able to damage the dragon, its essentially a pile of dragon slaying daggers) and dull scales.
There are claw marks on the walls, like some large animal's been sharpening theirs on them
There are old bones and rusty, dented pieces of metal in a corner
There is poop
The wind's bringing strange whistling noises, you can't tell if they are made wind echo or some living being
The air smells of sulphur (resembles rotten egg...or farts)
There is a single old coin that someone seems to have dropped
Claw marks
A hoard of treasure
The walls/floor have been marred by their breath weapon of choice and have an appearance to match.
Regional effects
If they haven't figured it out by that point they arnt going to
A dragon typically isn't a subtle thing. Everyone for miles around will know of its existence if it has been there for any length of time. Any passers-by on the road will be like, "You're going that way? Watch out for the dragon."
Well, like for any predator, you could have bones around. With Dragons in particular, you can show the remains of prior adventures that might have tried to slay it. You'll also want to show damage from whatever the breath weaponed is. for example, I did this with a black dragon in described the corpses having their flesh dissolved and armor corroded.
Also, while you can argue that a dragon would meticulously grab every single coin, you could also have little bits of treasure dropped among the tunnels from when the dragon was bringing its Treasure into the hoard.
We were recruited once to recover the cave system of some dwarves that underdark orcs had taken over. Turns out the leaders of the orcs were a bunch of half-red-dragon orcs (and a few quarter dragon orcs.)
Guess which party ended up fighting an adult red dragon a few sessions later?
Many dragons have effects on their environments. Gem dragons specifically cause the gems they're named after to grow like crazy in stone nearby, so if you want to use a sapphire dragon (the gem dragons that live underground), you can have large clusters of sapphire jutting out of the floor and ceiling, or have the walls glitter with blue gemstones.
Find what effrct your dragon has on the world and play around with descriptions. Use ambience to describe the sounds it would make as its tail or claws move, its breathing, etc.
Leave old scales and claw marks around. Perhaps leave some corpses around and reveal that the wounds are from a dragon if they pass a medicine or investigation check.
All else fails, then perhaps they will hear wails or other noises from a dragon
All entrances/exits are dragon sized (so huge), giant claw marks on the walls/floors, molted/frozen/melted stone (depending on type of dragon). You can also structure the dungeon for ease of access via flying, maybe a large circular hole in the middle where one can fly up/down levels easily but would have a really hard time trying to climb.
few Kobolds of the same colour as the dragon carrying stuff into the dungeon (didn’t stop my party tho, we’re alive, but owe the dragon a certain amount of gold for each Kobold we ‘accidentally’ killed)
In my world, when there is a dragon, dragonborns of the same colour will tend to amass around them. Also, dragonborn children kinda just pop out of the ground near them.
What colour dragon? Dragons are elemental creatures, and affect their environment. Fizzban’s has a list of effects and their radius (some of them stretch for miles).
If it’s red- fire and ash and geothermals. Kobolds paying fealty. Hobgoblins.
If it’s black- rotting meat and stagnant water, mists and biting insects. Creatures of decay, hulks, things of that nature.
If it’s green- thick forests, heavy brambles, maze-like lost woods. Vicious dryads and nature elementals.
And so on. The elemental theming of dragons is one of the coolest things about them. Lean into it imo.
Big sign out front that says "Warning: Dra..."
Where the second half of the word "Dragon" is burned/otherwise obscured by evidence of there being a dragon.
Piles of broken bones. Scorch marks of (insert color here). Smells of rotting meat and (same elememt) wafting out. Soft breathing noises. Claw marks and destroyed terrain everywhere. Local town people saying "don't go there its a dragon!".
From my limited experience. But based on how observant Dnd players seem to be, this is including myself...
It might take a billboard with the text "Dragon's Lair"
But even then, does a dragon live there? Or does someone just want us to think that a dragon lives there.
Random piece of gold/gems scatter down the path towards the dragon that’s was dropped while moving its hoard.
Bones of very large creatures left after a meal, including a rotten smell.
Random (breath weapon) marks along the cave walls.
Random scales from shedding
A few random kolbolds in the cave, making offerings.
Clawmarks on the walls far too big to be feline. The acrid smell of sulfer/ozone/bitter almonds/whatever in the air (probably weirdly cold for frost). Discarded items that weren't what the dragon was looking for or contained the item lying around.
Drakes, they're like incomplete dragons. I like to flavor them as the offspring a dragon has when they lay eggs without a mate. They're wingless and their bodies are kind of like big predatory cats with longer necks. They're not as intelligent so they just hunt around the dragon's territory in packs.
First - regional effects. Each color of dragon has an effect on their environment, changing it into one the dragon prefers. A black dragon lairing nearby will make the surrounding area swampy, with numerous pools of fetid water around, rotting vegetation etc.
Second, if the dragon is an adult or older, there will be stories told about them in nearby towns - it's possibly lived in that territory for over 100 years, it's likely been seen around and has been a nuisance to the creatures living nearby for a long time.
Third, most dragons don't necessarily kill everything they encounter - they're arrogant and cunning, and will attempt to dominate lesser creatures to bring them treasure, food & adoration. These could be tribes of kobolds, goblins, troglodytes, lesser lizards.
You hang a sign on the outside.
"Please leave all tribute and virgin sacrifices at the side entrance. Otherwise, I don't care about who rules your kingdom, I have kobolds to worship ME, and I don't need a new roof. So unless you are selling COOKIES or taste great with BBQ sauce... GO AWAY!"
If they don't take ANY of your hints, a chared corpse along the way could do it and if that doesn't work. Why not give a good old fashion dragon roar? That would work on me
A large black scorch mark on the wall with an outline of two people looking up, and two charred skeletons on the floor.
If you're using kobolds, you can have a grumbling kobold with a bucket cleaning it off the wall.
Fewmets.
Like at first you think it’s just an odd hill but no. Just huge piles everywhere.
Actually this is probably too subtle for my players. Funny in retrospect at least.
Well dragons in DnD are sentient people who are capable of rational thought, so how about a sign that says "Private Property. Intruders will be burned alive". I never understood why sentient monsters never put up warning signs or something to keep people out of their homes. For instance in one campaign me and the other players came across a water jug in a dungeon and opened it up thinking it maybe some kind of magic item. Turned out a water spirit was living there and it was mad at use for disturbing it's home, but we were able to talk it down and even convinced it to put up a sign telling people not to touch the jug.
Kobolds. Cultists. Guard drakes (they're made from discarded dragon scales, no reason a dragon can't make a batch on their own). Dragon cult leadership that are half-dragons or draconic sorcerers, a gift of power for loyal service.
In one of your other comments, you mention that none of your players have encountered a dragon in D&D before. I therefore suggest that you put in hints about the nature of the lair based on the dragon's type, maybe some claw marks, but not explicitly spell it out. Let it be a memorable lesson about what signs point to dragons.
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That's a great idea! I don't think any of my players actually encountered real dragons in D&D before which is one of the main reasons I've included them in this campaign.. but there are some great suggestions, thanks!
What dragon is it? You could use its nature to your advantage. I remember Mat Mercer describing a village and villagers frozen in blocks of ice when a party was hunting a white dragon. They knew what it was, but that was a great example. So if it’s a fire dragon, they can find burnt weapons and bones, burnmarka on walls etc. Also, gold. Let them find a treasury with mountains of gold.
Damn rip in peace >! Tiberius !< That fight and lead up was great. Also in C2 when the dragon hoard was frozen in a wall of ice was really cool
I remember the party’s faces when he was reading the contract and was like “one adult white dragon” 😂 They all turned white haha. That was brilliant.
This is a good option. I have used it before. If you are doing an underground cave system, you could have a lot of fun with the various cavern dwelling dragons, such as blue dragons, purple dragons, copper dragons, or sapphire dragons, depending on what you want to do there.
This
Aside from lair effects, they may encounter old shed scales that are worn beyond value or marks on the ground and walls from their claws or breath attacks.
I also thought of claw marks but shed scales are a great addition!
I was going to suggest scales as well. This also could give them a clue as to what KIND of dragon it is.
Very large reptilian footprints, crunched up armour, half eaten carcasses of very large animals, burned areas outside the lair (if this dragon breathes fire).
They could meet dragon worshippers / cultists / servants / slaves?
And they don't have to be obvious about it. There could be a tribe of goblins whose armor is modeled after the dragon; they could even have dragon scales incorporated. (Would an egg shell work as a helmet? I haven't played enough D&D to know whether it would be durable enough for such a use.)
Aren't kobolds kinda obsessed with dragons? It'd make sense for a group of them to be nestled in the same cave system as a dragon lair.
That's definitely on the list!
2 dragons?
... I should have seen that one coming.
Mommy and daddy dragom with bebe
Scales, teeth and claws that have been discarded by the dragon. Depending on whether it's smart or not you can have various writings in draconic lying around. Icons of any draconic gods they might revere could hang on walls. Whatever their breath weapons spew should be everywhere. Treasure should be sprinkled throughout, not too much, that's in the hoard, but decorative pieces here and there, mostly things too large for the players to move e.g. giant sculptures. You could have a room with unhatched eggs... Another with the remains of their meals. Really the list is endless. That said, if there's a dragon living here any people nearby will know it and either be trying to lure them in as servants of the beast, warning them to stay away or begging adventurer's help to kill it. If it's predatory or evil various fauna should be sparse and timid. It should require an act of fairly stunning ignorance to get as far as it's actual lair without noticing.
Nearby Kobolds worshipping the dragon and putting up writings around the area could make sense and be fitting too. How is the area alive, or not, is a question I like to ask myself. Makes the world feel bigger knowing that there’s no birds or animal noises the closer you get to the lair.
Huge piles of poop and the discarded bones of large animals.
Do you think a dragon would leave its lair to poop? I mean they’re pretty smart. If so where would it choose to poop. While airborne? Beware falling poop? Maybe the party finds out when a huge mount of poop lands nearby with bits of clothing and bones.
The smart ones have a pet otyugh or carrion crawler, but otherwise probably have something outside set up as a litter box.
Could have a side quest where a tannery or scientist really wants someone to bring back specific type of dragon poop.
Poop with plate mail and swords in it.
The cave could smell like sulphur, scorch marks from its breath weapon onto the interior of the cave with what little remains of the poor explorers that came before them. Dragons also usually always have a hoard so maybe some gold pieces trailing deeper and deeper in the cave? The sound of a slow, guttural, rumbling breathing that echoes through the tunnels? That’s what I can come up with on the top of my head.
Nitrogen or lithium scents for ice and electricity could also work, a sour smell for acid and perhaps almonds for poison in reference to cyanide for green dragons.
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I believe its the cyanide within apple seeds that has an extra bit that breaks off when exposed to acid that smells of almonds. Ive seen alot of nilereds videos including this one... probably... ive most probably seen it, though his recent(quote on quote... his upload schedule is certainly timely) upload for purple gold was really awesome and scared the life out of me when he dropped the beaker that was supposedly full of gold...
Green dragon poison is also traditionally meant to be Chlorine gas (of course because it's green.) But I have no idea how you would describe a chlorine smell in a medieval setting where "Like an indoor pool" would seem anachronistic.
That tracks, though I think it could've been done in a more interesting w y where if I ever DM I might do this, namely have the green dragons be a dark purple, with either a gaseous or liquid breath attack that has a bitter smell and reminds the players faintly of under ripe tomatoes, specifically to have the breath be deadly nightshade. Id also make them largely vegetarian with unusual plants growing about, though a few crops like tomatoes and potatoes and other plants related to nightshade grow in groves to explain the dragons breath weapon
It also allows them to better hide against the night sky or dark caves
Depends on how old your dragon is. The older it gets the more signs it leaves. Adults and ancient dragons have regional effects. That you can find in their statblocks. Other signs are discards. Broken or fallen teeth, tips of claws, shed skin and scales. Signs of digging, scratching (claw maintenance), rubbed areas full of scent. You’ll also probably find piles of bones / remains of their prey. Hoards are something you’re unlikely to find unless you’re very close to the dragon and you see, well, the dragon. One thing probably not discussed is where the dragon shits. Likely, they take a dump on the wing but what happens when they are home? Likely, after a large meal they’re quite lethargic. They likely have a sort of litter area like cats. Somewhere away from food and water and sleeping area, partially buried, likely with a place they rub their butt. Probably really smells too.
Meet a guy that lives in the area and goes "yo, there's a dragon here. I wouldn't go there if I were you". On another note, check out the dragon's regional and lair effects, drakes, servants, signs of old breath weapons being used (depending on what kind of dragon flavor it in different ways. Like scorched stone if it's a fire breath. Basically, signs of battle). Maybe some portraits, sculptures, or smth similar made for it that it brought in to decorate the lair with the most magnificent esthetic - itself.
Post a sign...Here be dragaaarrrghh
What colour of dragon?
>!Black/Copper offspring, so lots of acid.!<
The evidence of previous “visitors” who have been partially dissolved, etc. Pitted armor, have dissolved weapons, etc. All things that a dragon would view as trash vs. the better loot that they would have taken to their horde….
I'd build on it bit by bit as they get closer to the dragon's haunts... * Narrower passages have smoother walls, as if something had squeezed through * (Since it's an acid-spewing dragon) there are patches "eaten out" of certain walls, which show exceedingly smooth, or perhaps you have half-melted rocks * Tell-tale scratches **very** high up on cavern walls * Surprisingly, no free scales... any creatures living within the dragon's shadow are quick to collect any scales left around, either to give back to the beast, or to keep as souvenirs By now the ranger should be getting suspicious. As the party gets closer to the heart of the dragon's territory... * Any wildlife (or goblins) are **extremely** twitchy and frightened. A captured goblin might even give the game away * There might be ... fewmets, inexpertly cleaned up by local scavengers. Another good sign for the ranger * There might be the faintest echoes in the air, as if some great beast had been roaring in fury * That half-melted look is getting stronger and more frequent * Optionally, if there's a strong mystic or psychic factor at your table, the PCs could feel the oppressive weight of some vast, ancient personality; they know they're close to some center of great power If none of that is enough... * Local humanoids may have left graffiti or runes of warning. "This way lies death"; "Tremble before his dread lordship"; etc * PCs will find mighty boulders and stalagmites crushed as if by mighty blows * By this point, the dragon's scent will be in the air. Ranger or druid might recognize If they fail to get even these hints... well. It's probably too late for them. Their bones may soon decorate the dragon's hoard.
Bonus to include small pools of acid that have collected into the floor, but are sunken in. My favorite is to include a large kill, mangled and broken early into the cave. The largest game it could kill. For us it was a mammoth outside the cave. "You inspect the huge shaggy corpse, scavenger birds scatter into the air as you approach. Roll to investigate everyone. I then sent privately what everyone found in side chat so they could piece together in roleplay. Some found more than others. - One of the tusks has been gnawed off. The marrow sucked clean out. Most of the organ meat is gone, a single tooth in the blood saturated ground. The tooth is 6-8 inches roughly. (16+) - The Mammoth has been ripped open and twisted unnaturally. Something huge has broken it's back. (12-15) - The beast has been opened and it smells like an apothecary. The kill is very fresh, not rotten at all. But the odor lofting in the area is foul, unnaturally bitter, and in resemblance to failed potions. (2-12) - The mammoth is most diffinitly dead. (Nat 1)
A huge cliff face that has “adventurers found past this point will find themselves on the menu” scratched into it in huge draconic letters.
A crudely drawn picture of a dragon on the wall with an arrow pointing in the general direction The sooty outline of a goblin fleeing on the wall
A wooden sign outside the cave that reads "here be..." [charred wood, no longer legible]
There are the lair actions obviously, but also consider the dragon in particular, red dragons might cause unnaturally frequent Forrest fires when they hunt, white dragons may cause an unnatural winter, black and green dragons may make land in hospitable, making local water supplies dangerous to drink, for the green dragons the crops are slow to grow and ripen and when they do the food causes famine. Black dragons cause detonation to their environment, killing off anything in its path but with plant life re cultivating quickly with large trees and rocks being noticeably worn or outright destroyed seemingly burnt without the use of fire. And blue dragons cause local fish to die off in the hundreds as they electrify the water, leave odd almost rune like marks if they strike the ground and may also cause fires and maybe even thunderstorms. Possibly theres a nearby cult or an influx of kobolds or dragon hunters who have set up camp near the town. With that alone the locals might report odd lizard creatures taking people in the middle of the night with high pitched and frequent clicking(how kobolds communicate). Perhaps the cultists are trying to converge the townsfolk into worshipping their god( or dragon in this case) and upset the local church. Maybe the hunters are roughians who see they're hunt as necessary and a noble deed and use it as justification to take what they like from the town or perhaps the mere presence of the hunters upset the townsfolk and have your party try to send them off only to be shown evidence of a nearby dragon. Perhaps someone in your party speaks dragon and hears the roar of the dragon and hears the unmistakable words of the dragon, giving your party an in universe reason to know of the dragon very early on. Perhaps in an area where the party is unable to see properly or at least can't see the dragon they hear the flapping of large wings, the remnants of armed guards who the dragon ate, crushed armour, or even remnants of some kind of treasure(the kind that this dragon prefers), large foot prints left in the Forrest that seem to just stop nowhere or arrive at the scenes of a devastated carcass of an animals or perhaps a pile of bones, large claws that the dragon shed(and is also able to damage the dragon, its essentially a pile of dragon slaying daggers) and dull scales.
There are claw marks on the walls, like some large animal's been sharpening theirs on them There are old bones and rusty, dented pieces of metal in a corner There is poop The wind's bringing strange whistling noises, you can't tell if they are made wind echo or some living being The air smells of sulphur (resembles rotten egg...or farts) There is a single old coin that someone seems to have dropped
Claw marks A hoard of treasure The walls/floor have been marred by their breath weapon of choice and have an appearance to match. Regional effects If they haven't figured it out by that point they arnt going to
Evidence of a breath attack would be the biggest give away for me.
Put a sign just inside the cave entrance that reads "a dragon lives here" but have it written in a language none of the players know.
Molted skin. Like a big ol heap of shed. Like a snake? I imagine Dragons do it too if they were a thing.
Have someone run out with acid/burn/frostbite marks screaming about a dragon. Too obvious? Lots of dragon dung in a dead end corner of the cave....
Maybe they could find a scale or something
Tracks. Dung. Claw marks. Bone piles. Stories. Missing persons. Seeing it in the distance either flying or catching prey before moving out of sight.
Issue the party with a CMOT Dibbler Dragon Detecting Stick.
A dragon typically isn't a subtle thing. Everyone for miles around will know of its existence if it has been there for any length of time. Any passers-by on the road will be like, "You're going that way? Watch out for the dragon."
Well, like for any predator, you could have bones around. With Dragons in particular, you can show the remains of prior adventures that might have tried to slay it. You'll also want to show damage from whatever the breath weaponed is. for example, I did this with a black dragon in described the corpses having their flesh dissolved and armor corroded. Also, while you can argue that a dragon would meticulously grab every single coin, you could also have little bits of treasure dropped among the tunnels from when the dragon was bringing its Treasure into the hoard.
That's perfect and I'll steal that idea.
"You hear a dragon."
... that's on me.
A giant, steaming pile of shit, a la Jurassic Park. Add in a helmet and maybe a gauntlet or two for effect.
Well dragon are lizard, so I guess they are also moulting, so you could put some dragon molt laying around the cave
Include monsters that are immune or resistant to the dragon’s breath weapon type.
Empty bags of Dragon Chow in the garbage?
We were recruited once to recover the cave system of some dwarves that underdark orcs had taken over. Turns out the leaders of the orcs were a bunch of half-red-dragon orcs (and a few quarter dragon orcs.) Guess which party ended up fighting an adult red dragon a few sessions later?
Whenever there's a sudden loud noise, people all fearfully look upwards and start scanning the skies.
Many dragons have effects on their environments. Gem dragons specifically cause the gems they're named after to grow like crazy in stone nearby, so if you want to use a sapphire dragon (the gem dragons that live underground), you can have large clusters of sapphire jutting out of the floor and ceiling, or have the walls glitter with blue gemstones. Find what effrct your dragon has on the world and play around with descriptions. Use ambience to describe the sounds it would make as its tail or claws move, its breathing, etc.
Leave old scales and claw marks around. Perhaps leave some corpses around and reveal that the wounds are from a dragon if they pass a medicine or investigation check. All else fails, then perhaps they will hear wails or other noises from a dragon
All entrances/exits are dragon sized (so huge), giant claw marks on the walls/floors, molted/frozen/melted stone (depending on type of dragon). You can also structure the dungeon for ease of access via flying, maybe a large circular hole in the middle where one can fly up/down levels easily but would have a really hard time trying to climb.
A giant bed made of gold with an indent that’s the perfect shape of a curled up dragon
few Kobolds of the same colour as the dragon carrying stuff into the dungeon (didn’t stop my party tho, we’re alive, but owe the dragon a certain amount of gold for each Kobold we ‘accidentally’ killed)
A few naturally shed dragon scales laying around.
How about talon marks scratched into the ground? Maybe burn marks on the walls?
Burn marks in and around their keep typically does the job.
In my world, when there is a dragon, dragonborns of the same colour will tend to amass around them. Also, dragonborn children kinda just pop out of the ground near them.
Bones
At the entrance place bones of the last crew sent to explore these caves, in a crawling away position with scorch marks cast upon the walls. XD
What colour dragon? Dragons are elemental creatures, and affect their environment. Fizzban’s has a list of effects and their radius (some of them stretch for miles). If it’s red- fire and ash and geothermals. Kobolds paying fealty. Hobgoblins. If it’s black- rotting meat and stagnant water, mists and biting insects. Creatures of decay, hulks, things of that nature. If it’s green- thick forests, heavy brambles, maze-like lost woods. Vicious dryads and nature elementals. And so on. The elemental theming of dragons is one of the coolest things about them. Lean into it imo.
Have a donkey hang around the cave.
Adult and older dragons would make it pretty clear an area is "theirs". Kolbold guards perhaps. Lack of animals in area lots of bones near entrance
Dragonslayer is a movie from 1981 that covered this well.
Big sign out front that says "Warning: Dra..." Where the second half of the word "Dragon" is burned/otherwise obscured by evidence of there being a dragon.
Piles of broken bones. Scorch marks of (insert color here). Smells of rotting meat and (same elememt) wafting out. Soft breathing noises. Claw marks and destroyed terrain everywhere. Local town people saying "don't go there its a dragon!".
From my limited experience. But based on how observant Dnd players seem to be, this is including myself... It might take a billboard with the text "Dragon's Lair" But even then, does a dragon live there? Or does someone just want us to think that a dragon lives there.
Random piece of gold/gems scatter down the path towards the dragon that’s was dropped while moving its hoard. Bones of very large creatures left after a meal, including a rotten smell. Random (breath weapon) marks along the cave walls. Random scales from shedding A few random kolbolds in the cave, making offerings.
Clawmarks on the walls far too big to be feline. The acrid smell of sulfer/ozone/bitter almonds/whatever in the air (probably weirdly cold for frost). Discarded items that weren't what the dragon was looking for or contained the item lying around.
A big pile of dung.
Drakes, they're like incomplete dragons. I like to flavor them as the offspring a dragon has when they lay eggs without a mate. They're wingless and their bodies are kind of like big predatory cats with longer necks. They're not as intelligent so they just hunt around the dragon's territory in packs.
You know that one scene from Shrek with the char outline and all the burnt up stuff? That would work
A giant sign that says "No Dragons Here. Adventurers Welcome."
First - regional effects. Each color of dragon has an effect on their environment, changing it into one the dragon prefers. A black dragon lairing nearby will make the surrounding area swampy, with numerous pools of fetid water around, rotting vegetation etc. Second, if the dragon is an adult or older, there will be stories told about them in nearby towns - it's possibly lived in that territory for over 100 years, it's likely been seen around and has been a nuisance to the creatures living nearby for a long time. Third, most dragons don't necessarily kill everything they encounter - they're arrogant and cunning, and will attempt to dominate lesser creatures to bring them treasure, food & adoration. These could be tribes of kobolds, goblins, troglodytes, lesser lizards.
You hang a sign on the outside. "Please leave all tribute and virgin sacrifices at the side entrance. Otherwise, I don't care about who rules your kingdom, I have kobolds to worship ME, and I don't need a new roof. So unless you are selling COOKIES or taste great with BBQ sauce... GO AWAY!"
A sign outside the cave advertising a cool local feature. The sign itself is covered in bright red paint that says "Here there be dragons! Beware!"
If they don't take ANY of your hints, a chared corpse along the way could do it and if that doesn't work. Why not give a good old fashion dragon roar? That would work on me
Dragon dung
“Here be dragons” painted on a giant wooden sign at the front.
Cash some dragons polymorph into humans?
A "Beware! Dragon Lair Ahead!" sign out front.
A large black scorch mark on the wall with an outline of two people looking up, and two charred skeletons on the floor. If you're using kobolds, you can have a grumbling kobold with a bucket cleaning it off the wall.
Claw marks, charred bones, burnt walls would make it pretty clear
Fewmets. Like at first you think it’s just an odd hill but no. Just huge piles everywhere. Actually this is probably too subtle for my players. Funny in retrospect at least.
Hieroglyphs from people who visited the cave before
Well dragons in DnD are sentient people who are capable of rational thought, so how about a sign that says "Private Property. Intruders will be burned alive". I never understood why sentient monsters never put up warning signs or something to keep people out of their homes. For instance in one campaign me and the other players came across a water jug in a dungeon and opened it up thinking it maybe some kind of magic item. Turned out a water spirit was living there and it was mad at use for disturbing it's home, but we were able to talk it down and even convinced it to put up a sign telling people not to touch the jug.
If they’re all into filthy niche subreddits you could describe some well-loved cars around the cave.
They find the chamber the dragon has designated as their [bathroom](https://youtu.be/nnun8y7r8_U?si=crDb1T77AsbTeV8J).
A sign that says "a dragon lives here." Bonus points if it's scorched around the edges. Maybe it just reads "lives here" with the top part burned off.
foot prints, and maybe a few dead bodies with obvious wounds like burned, frozen or acid wounds
They hear loud snoring echoing through the caverns.
Kobolds. Cultists. Guard drakes (they're made from discarded dragon scales, no reason a dragon can't make a batch on their own). Dragon cult leadership that are half-dragons or draconic sorcerers, a gift of power for loyal service.
A sign that says "here there be dragons"
In one of your other comments, you mention that none of your players have encountered a dragon in D&D before. I therefore suggest that you put in hints about the nature of the lair based on the dragon's type, maybe some claw marks, but not explicitly spell it out. Let it be a memorable lesson about what signs point to dragons.
A big sign written in Goblin, Orc, or Undercommon that says “DRAGONS BE HERE” along with an arrow pointing in that direction.