· 16 min read D&D 5e
D&D Loot Tables: 8 Ready-to-Use Treasure Drops
Eight D&D 5e loot tables for bandits, tombs, shipwrecks, and dragon hoards, with gold, magic items, and advice on making treasure matter to your players.
The bandit captain is down, the rogue has found his lockbox, and your reward for running the whole fight is having to invent its contents while five people watch. You can say “forty gold” and keep moving. But the next chest deserves something of its own, and so does the one after that.
These eight D&D 5e loot tables give you complete starting points: guaranteed treasure, chances for extra finds, and enough context to make the contents belong where the party finds them. Pick the possibilities during prep and leave room for a surprise.
The linked premades have free printable item cards for handing out at the table.
Choose a loot table
| Treasure drop | Suggested levels | Reward size | Guaranteed coins and valuables |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bandit captain’s lockbox | 1-3 | Small encounter reward | 62 gp |
| Goblin quartermaster’s stash | 1-3 | Small encounter reward | 30 gp |
| Witch’s workbench | 3-5 | Quest reward | 77 gp |
| Forgotten knight’s tomb | 4-6 | Dungeon reward | 170 gp |
| Smuggler’s sunken cargo | 4-6 | Recoverable cache | 500 gp, including the cargo |
| Cult’s offering chest | 5-8 | Stronghold reward | 600 gp |
| Abandoned adventurers’ camp | 5-8 | Expedition cache | 268 gp |
| Young dragon’s hoard | 7-10 | Major adventure reward | 3,700 gp |
These homebrew tables assume roughly four adventurers. Suggested levels are starting points for rewards, not encounter ratings or official treasure budgets. Totals include coins, gems, art, and trade goods at the listed campaign values; equipment and magic items are extra.
The guaranteed finds are there every time. For extras, roll d100 separately for each row and include the find on a result at or below its percentage; read 00 as 100. Several extras can appear together, or none can. Review the possibilities during prep, then let the results stand.
Keep promised rewards, required clues, and anything an enemy visibly carried in the guaranteed contents. A sword the players watched the captain wield survives an unlucky drop.
Item names are GM information. Describe the find first, then let the party discover its properties through your usual identification rules. Appearance changes here add no powers or restrictions.
1. Bandit Loot: The Captain’s Lockbox
The box has a good lock and a terrible hinge. Inside, coins sit in little paper rolls marked with the names of roads. The captain kept better accounts than the people paying him.
| Guaranteed find | Quantity | GM notes |
|---|---|---|
| Coins | 30 gp and 120 sp | 42 gp in coin |
| Blue agates | 2 | 10 gp each |
| Rope | 1 coil, 50 feet | Serviceable, with a repaired end |
| Payment ledger | 1 | Names a patron or a road the bandits were told to leave alone |
Coins and valuables: 62 gp.
| Drop chance | Possible extra find |
|---|---|
| 50% | A silver belt buckle worth 10 gp |
| 45% | 1-2 Potions of Healing |
| 10% | 1 Potion of Climbing |
For a routine roadside interruption, hand over the contents and get back to the road. Save the long reveal and negotiation for the dragon’s hoard.
Premade loot: Captain’s lockbox
2. Goblin Loot: The Quartermaster’s Stash
Someone has sorted the stolen supplies into boxes labeled SHARP, EAT, and PROBABLY MAGIC. The last box contains an egg whisk. It has received its own cushion.
| Guaranteed find | Quantity | GM notes |
|---|---|---|
| Coins | 8 gp, 140 sp, and 300 cp | 25 gp in coin |
| Brass candlestick | 1 | Worth 5 gp; used as a ceremonial goblet |
| Rations | 4 days’ worth | Wrapped and edible |
| Torches | 10 | Dry, bundled with string |
| Egg whisk | 1 | Mundane, despite local opinion |
Coins and valuables: 30 gp.
| Drop chance | Possible extra find |
|---|---|
| 50% | A bent silver spoon worth 2 gp |
| 30% | A homebrew ribbon worth 5 gp that changes between red and blue when its wearer sneezes; it grants no other effect |
| 20% | 1-2 Potions of Healing in bottles labeled FOR EMERGENCIES, with three underlines |
Premade loot: Goblin quartermaster’s stash
3. Witch Loot: Potions From the Workbench
The witch owes the party a favor. She pushes a tray across the workbench and says they can have the contents, provided they leave the tray. The tray was her mother’s.
| Guaranteed find | Quantity | GM notes |
|---|---|---|
| Coins | 35 gp and 120 sp | 47 gp in coin |
| Preserved culinary herbs | 3 sealed pouches | Worth 10 gp each to a cook or merchant |
| Potions of Healing | 2-3 | Ordinary rules items, with handwritten labels |
| Moth-painted teacup | 1 | Homebrew decoration: its painted moth circles the rim while the cup holds a hot drink; no heat or light is produced |
Coins and trade goods: 77 gp. The teacup is a keepsake, excluded from that total.
| Drop chance | Possible extra find |
|---|---|
| 30% | 1 vial of Antitoxin |
| 15% | 1 Potion of Climbing |
| 5% | 1 Potion of Growth |
The witch can explain what the bottles do. One player might save the climbing potion for the ruined watchtower; another wants to see what happens when the smallest member of the party drinks the last bottle.
Premade loot: Witch’s workbench
4. Tomb Loot: The Forgotten Knight
Everything in the tomb faces the entrance. The stone effigy, the helm on its stand, even the hawks worked into the silver clasps. Whoever arranged the burial expected the knight to keep watching the door.
| Guaranteed find | Quantity | GM notes |
|---|---|---|
| Coins | 90 gp and 300 sp | 120 gp in coin |
| Silver hawk clasps | 2 | Worth 25 gp each |
| Chain shirt | 1 | Mundane armor, preserved in an oiled wrapping |
| Roster of the knight’s company | 1 | Gives names and a heraldic device you can reuse elsewhere |
Coins and valuables: 170 gp. The knight might grant these possessions after the party completes an oath, or the chamber might be the vault of a ruined order.
| Drop chance | Possible extra find |
|---|---|
| 50% | 2 Potions of Healing |
| 30% | 1 silver-chased scabbard worth 50 gp |
| 15% | 1 Potion of Heroism |
| 5% | 1 +1 Longsword |
If the sword appears, describe untarnished steel, an uneven leather grip, and the same hawk on the pommel.
If a permanent weapon upgrade is early for your campaign, remove the sword during prep and raise the Potion of Heroism’s drop chance to 20%.
Premade loot: Forgotten knight’s tomb
5. Shipwreck Loot: The Smuggler’s Cargo
The captain’s box is caught above the waterline. Four sealed crates sit below it in the flooded hold, their ropes still fastened to a loading beam. A manifest names a spice merchant in the nearest port who buys this cargo.
| Guaranteed find | Quantity | GM notes |
|---|---|---|
| Coins in the captain’s box | 60 gp and 400 sp | 100 gp in coin |
| Pearls in a waxed pouch | 4 | Worth 25 gp each |
| Sealed spice crates in the hold | 4 | Worth 75 gp and weigh 25 lb each, including the crate |
| Shipping manifest | 1 | Names the buyer and describes the four crates |
Coins and cargo: 500 gp if all four crates are recovered. The captain’s box alone holds 200 gp in coins and pearls. Each crate recovered adds another 75 gp.
Let the party collect the box’s contents before tackling the cargo. They have a reward in hand while they decide whether the rest is worth the trouble.
| Drop chance | Possible extra find in the box |
|---|---|
| 50% | 1 Potion of Healing |
| 45% | 1-2 Potions of Water Breathing |
| 5% | 1 Rope of Climbing |
Show the party the crate weights, the loading beam, and the buyer’s offer before they choose a plan. Swimming, hauling, and the condition of the wreck use your table’s normal rules. If the party brings a boat, engineers a pulley, or uses magic to recover the lot, pay them the full reward.
If your group enjoys encumbrance as a puzzle, leave the crates in the hold. Otherwise, put them on a beach.
Premade loot: Smuggler’s sunken cargo
6. Cult Loot: The Offering Chest
The chest contains stacks of envelopes beside a velvet mantle. Each envelope records an offering. The mantle has been folded so carefully that nobody seems to have dared wear it.
| Guaranteed find | Quantity | GM notes |
|---|---|---|
| Coins | 240 gp and 600 sp | 300 gp in coin |
| Garnets | 6 | Worth 50 gp each |
| Potion of Healing | 1 | Stored beside the ritual supplies |
| Coded register | 1 | Holds a useful lead about the cult |
| Velvet mantle | 1 | Mundane clothing, embroidered with the cult’s stars |
Coins and valuables: 600 gp.
| Drop chance | Possible extra find |
|---|---|
| 50% | 1 silver incense bowl worth 75 gp |
| 30% | 1 Potion of Resistance (fire) |
| 15% | 1 packet of Dust of Disappearance |
| 5% | 1 Cloak of Protection, wrapped beneath the mantle; requires attunement |
If the cloak appears, its embroidered stars seem closer together when held near a flame.
The scout wants it for the next time they have to go ahead alone. The healer wants to stay standing beside the wounded. Let them make their cases, then use the group’s agreed way of splitting loot. Finding the chest does not confer first pick.
Premade loot: Cult’s offering chest
7. Abandoned Camp Loot: The Expedition Cache
An old expedition buried its reserve supplies beneath a flat stone. The map in the oilskin tube is meticulous until the last mile, where the surveyor has written DON’T TRUST THE BELLS across half the valley.
| Guaranteed find | Quantity | GM notes |
|---|---|---|
| Coins | 140 gp and 280 sp | 168 gp in coin |
| Spinels | 2 | Worth 50 gp each |
| Spell Scroll of Misty Step | 1 | Use your edition’s spell-scroll eligibility and casting rules |
| Expedition map | 1 | Marks the destination and a route the party can investigate |
| Climber’s kit | 1 | Mundane equipment in good condition |
Coins and valuables: 268 gp.
| Drop chance | Possible extra find |
|---|---|
| 50% | 2 Potions of Healing |
| 30% | 1 Potion of Greater Healing |
| 15% | 1 Immovable Rod |
| 5% | 1 pair of Sending Stones |
An Immovable Rod invites experiments with climbing and barricades. Sending Stones let separated characters coordinate within the item’s limits, which can change an expedition built around isolation.
If contact with the outside world is a central problem you want to preserve, remove the stones during prep and increase the Greater Healing potion quantity to 2. The pleasure of finding a clever tool comes from being allowed to use it.
Premade loot: Expedition cache
8. Dragon Hoard Loot: The Young Dragon’s Collection
The dragon sorted its treasure by sound. Silver is piled on bare stone where it rings when disturbed. Gems fill a stolen helmet. A bronze bell hangs over the richest mound, with an embroidered tapestry underneath to catch whatever falls.
Three porcelain birds perch on the helmet’s rim. Tap one and it sings three notes. A pair of gloves lies palm-up beside them, tiny hands embroidered on the cuffs. When their wearer bows, the embroidery applauds.
| Guaranteed find | Quantity | GM notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gold coins | 1,600 gp | 32 lb of coins |
| Silver coins | 8,000 sp | Worth 800 gp; 160 lb of coins |
| Cut gems | 8 | Worth 100 gp each |
| Bronze ceremonial bell | 1 | Worth 250 gp; weighs 60 lb |
| Embroidered tapestry | 1 | Worth 250 gp; weighs 12 lb |
| Porcelain songbirds | 3 | Homebrew toys; each chirps its own fixed three-note tune when tapped, with no other effect |
| Applauding gloves | 1 pair | Homebrew decoration; the embroidered hands clap silently when the wearer bows |
| Potions of Greater Healing | 4 | A bottle for each adventurer |
| Potion of Heroism | 1 | A reserve for the next dangerous encounter |
| Rope of Climbing | 1 | Coiled around the bell’s support |
| Wand of Magic Missiles | 1 | Tucked into a conductor’s velvet case |
Coins and valuables: 3,700 gp. Coin weights use 50 coins per pound. This is the main reward for an adventure. Choose and balance the dragon encounter separately.
The birds and gloves are Band 1 magic: give them freely. The potions, rope, and wand are the Band 2 rewards that How Many Magic Items? says to build your distribution around. The potions run out, the wand has charges to ration, and the rope gives someone a useful tool. There is plenty to pass around before any extra prize appears.
| Drop chance | Possible extra find |
|---|---|
| 50% | 2 Potions of Resistance (fire) |
| 35% | 1 Potion of Flying |
| 25% | 1 Flame Tongue Longsword; requires attunement |
| 20% | 1 Cloak of Elvenkind; requires attunement |
If the sword appears, start with a dark blade lying in a nest of scorched silk. A Flame Tongue is a substantial combat reward and a typical Band 2 item at these levels. Account for its damage, look at what its likely wielder owns, and enjoy giving them something worth drawing.
For a Band 3 decision, consider placing a Bag of Holding among the guaranteed finds. In a campaign where hauling treasure has been a recurring problem, this hoard could be the moment the party earns a way past much of that constraint. Plan future expeditions around what they can now carry. If your group never tracks weight, the same bag changes much less. Its place in the hoard depends on the campaign you’re running.
For a group that enjoys logistics, the coins alone weigh 192 lb. Establish the route home and any time pressure before the party chooses what to carry. A cart, transport spell, suitable magic container, or second trip might solve the problem. If the group does not track carrying capacity, let them take it home.
Perhaps the party knows a smith who will make a desired weapon for 2,800 gp and a shipwright who offers a share in an expedition for 2,600 gp. Those are example campaign offers, not official prices. The hoard’s 3,700 gp in coins and valuables covers either offer, but not both. A richer party needs different opportunities; keep established prices stable and offer something new that fits their ambitions. These eight shop examples can stock the next town.
Premade loot: Young dragon’s collection
Adjusting these loot tables for your campaign
When swapping in different magic items, consider what the party will be able to do with them. Permanent flight, a limitless water source, or storage that removes your hauling constraint can change an adventure. Consumables and attunement impose limits, but neither guarantees a good fit.
Halve the coins and valuables for a more modest economy, or double them for a wealthier one, then compare the result with what the party can buy. How often they receive a hoard matters as much as its size. Gold stays interesting when several desirable purchases compete for it.
For a larger party, add consumables or divisible treasure before making one weapon stronger. Check who has been receiving the permanent upgrades over the last few sessions.
Loot table questions
What is good loot for level 1 characters?
Useful equipment, modest coin, and a few consumables. The bandit and goblin tables provide two starting points; choose the supplies your party lacks before adding a permanent weapon bonus.
What is the difference between individual treasure and a hoard?
Individual treasure is what one creature carries; a hoard is accumulated wealth such as a gang’s reserve or a dragon’s collection. Most examples here are shared caches. Award each cache once, rather than once per defeated enemy.
Rules reference: standard equipment and named magic items use D&D’s System Reference Document 5.2.1. For another edition, use its item text. The treasure compositions, drop odds, decorative effects, art objects, and suggested valuations here are original homebrew.
This work includes material from the System Reference Document 5.2.1 (“SRD 5.2.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available at dndbeyond.com/srd. The SRD 5.2.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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