BONUS: D is for DRAGONS

'Cause you can't talk about DUNGEONS without DRAGONS, baby!

And this girl is the Queen of them all. Fuck that Platinum Dragon bitch, he ain't shit compared to the five-headed Avatar of Destruction that is Tiamat.

This is PURE EVIL, kids, learn its smell.

Seriously, though - Dragons are another aspect of the game that's older than the game itself. Legends about dragons have popped up throughout most cultures at some point - they're a powerful symbol of the mythic, the arcane, and of course, the treasure trove.

The Hobbit was once again the kick-starting point of the Dragon's Hoard in modern fantasy - a magpie-like drive to collect gold, gems and other shiny things, for a variety of reasons (in The Hobbit, it was Smaug's sheer avarice - in other settings, it can be as "fuel" for breath weapons, or a literal compulsion and attraction towards the shiny), but there's always a few common themes: gold, and lots of it; magical trinkets and what-nots; the hoard doubling as the Dragon's quarters; and a secure location, a lair or dungeon vault.

Which makes raiding a dragon's hoard the perfect fantasy encounter! You have a well-defended dungeon, controlled by a mastermind, guarded by a great and powerful beast, filled to the brim with riches and rewards worth risking your life for!