DM Guide

DM Prep Guide: Using Hoards for Session Prep

Stop pausing your game to look up items. Learn how to prep encounter loot before your session and distribute it to players with one click.

Published January 20, 2026 • 8 min read

The Problem: Mid-Session Item Lookups

Your party just defeated the boss. Everyone's excited. You announce they find a treasure chest and... then you spend 10 minutes looking up item stats, calculating values, and trying to decide what loot makes sense for their level.

The momentum dies. Players check their phones. The dramatic moment becomes a bookkeeping exercise.

What Are Hoards?

Hoards are pre-built loot collections you create before your session. Think of them as treasure containers waiting to be opened:

  • Dungeon rooms: "Goblin Cave Treasury", "Dragon's Hoard", "Abandoned Wizard Tower"
  • Boss fights: "Bandit Captain Loot", "Lich's Phylactery Chamber"
  • Treasure chests: "Locked Chest (DC 15)", "Trapped Coffer"
  • NPC rewards: "Quest Reward - Mayor", "Guild Contract Payment"
  • Random encounters: "Forest Bandits (x3)", "Merchant Caravan Salvage"

Step-by-Step: Creating Your First Hoard

Step 1: Access the DM Tab

The DM Tab is only visible to the campaign's DM. Navigate to your campaign and click the "DM" tab in the top navigation. This is your private prep area—players can't see anything here.

Step 2: Create a Hoard

Click "Create Hoard" and give it a descriptive name. Good naming helps you find the right hoard during the session:

  • "Session 5 - Goblin Cave Room 3"
  • "Bandit Captain's Chest"
  • "Quest Reward: Missing Daughter"

Step 3: Add Items to the Hoard

Use the full API search to find items quickly. For D&D 5e, search the SRD. For Pathfinder, search Archives of Nethys. Item data auto-populates:

  • Search: Type item name, get instant results
  • Bulk add: Set quantity 1-10 for consumables
  • Manual entry: Add homebrew items with custom stats
  • Unidentified: Mark items as unidentified with fake names

Tip: Add gold/currency to hoards too. When you transfer, players get the gold automatically.

During the Session: One-Click Distribution

This is where prep pays off. When your party opens that chest or defeats that boss:

  1. 1Open the DM Tab
  2. 2Find your hoard (e.g., "Goblin Cave Room 3")
  3. 3Click "Move to Incoming"
  4. 4Items instantly appear in the party's Incoming Loot tab

Players see the loot appear in real-time. No copying, no typing, no looking anything up. The dramatic moment stays dramatic.

Real Example: Preparing a 5-Room Dungeon

The Scenario

You're running a goblin cave dungeon for your level 3 party. Five rooms, each with potential loot.

Pre-Session Prep (20-30 minutes)

Hoard 1: "Guard Post"
  • • 15 gold pieces
  • • 3x Shortsword (basic weapons)
  • • 1x Potion of Healing
Hoard 2: "Barracks"
  • • 8 gold, 24 silver
  • • 2x Leather Armor
  • • Thieves' Tools
Hoard 3: "Armory" (Locked chest DC 15)
  • • +1 Dagger (unidentified as "Keen-Edged Dagger")
  • • 2x Javelins
  • • Chain Shirt
Hoard 4: "Chief's Chamber"
  • • 85 gold pieces
  • • Cloak of Elvenkind (unidentified as "Fine Green Cloak")
  • • Ruby worth 50gp
  • • DM Tag: "Chief's key opens Room 5"
Hoard 5: "Hidden Treasury"
  • • 200 gold, 50 platinum
  • • Wand of Magic Missiles
  • • 3x Potion of Healing
  • • Scroll of Fireball

During the Session

As players clear each room, open the DM Tab, find the hoard, click "Move to Incoming." Done. Total time distributing loot across 5 rooms: under 2 minutes.

Advanced Techniques

Create Hoards per Dungeon Level

For larger dungeons, organize hoards by floor or section. "Level 1 - Entry", "Level 2 - Crypts", "Level 3 - Boss Lair". Makes it easy to find the right loot even in multi-session dungeons.

Reusable Random Encounter Hoards

Create hoards for random encounters you might use repeatedly: "Bandits (Low Level)", "Wolf Pack", "Merchant Wagon Salvage". Copy them or recreate for each encounter.

Use DM Tags for Notes

Add DM-only tags to items: "cursed", "reveal-at-identify", "quest-item", "sell-value-halved". These persist when items move to players and help you remember important details.

Unidentified Items for Mystery

Mark magic items as unidentified in the hoard. Players see "Tarnished Silver Ring" instead of "Ring of Protection". Reveal when they identify or attune.

Time Comparison

Without Hoards

  • • Look up each item (2-5 min each)
  • • Calculate values manually
  • • Type into tracker or spreadsheet
  • • Repeat for every encounter

15+ minutes per loot distribution

With Hoards

  • • Open DM Tab
  • • Find your hoard
  • • Click "Move to Incoming"
  • • Done

Under 30 seconds per distribution

Try It Yourself

Create your first hoard and experience how smooth loot distribution can be. Set up once before your session, distribute instantly during play.

Start Prepping Your Session

No credit card • Free forever • Works with D&D 5e, Pathfinder 1e & 2e

Tips for Efficient Prep

  • Batch your prep: Create all hoards for an adventure in one sitting. Much faster than doing it encounter-by-encounter.
  • Use quantity for consumables: Adding "5x Potion of Healing" is one action instead of five.
  • Pre-set unidentified names: Think about what players would call an item they haven't identified yet.
  • Add gold to hoards: Currency transfers along with items—no separate gold distribution needed.
  • Name hoards descriptively: You'll thank yourself mid-session when you're looking for the right one.

Stop Pausing for Loot Lookups

Join DMs who've moved their loot prep to before the session and kept their game momentum flowing.

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