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Post by Red Baron on Jul 24, 2016 9:18:30 GMT -6
My favorite part of the DMG (aside from the random harlot table) is the windy room in the sample dungeon that blows out your torches. It necessitates a light spell to explore, which magic-users may not be likely to otherwise bring with. And the light spell will yield great rewards: a map showing a secret passage which is the only means of accessing half the entire level.
This got me thinking that 1st level dungeons should contain lots of rooms that reward magic-users for bringing spells other than sleep, lots of rooms rewarding players for bringing the more oddball equipment of the list, and lots of skeletons (rewarding fighting-men bringing weapons other than swords and arrows).
Spell rooms:
Detect magic - a magic item, perhaps otherwise appearing ordinary such as a broom of flying stored in the broom closet, or a bowl of summoning water elementals stuffed in the dishes cabinet.
Hold portal - lots of doors, coffin lids with powerful undead underneath, trapdoors, etc.
Light - magical darkness, or windy corridors that will blow out torches and make relighting them impossible while in that area
Protection from evil - efritts or genies or ghosts or balrogs guarding a treasure or useful staircase or secret passage, who would otherwise be too powerful to kill, but may be bypassed with this spell. Also allows the safe handling (or prevents contact with) horrible evil items, such as those found in the Temple of Evil Chaos from B2.
Read languages - messages with useful info about the dungeon, or short inscriptions on magic items which hint as to their use.
Read magic - lots of scrolls for magic-users to implement, or perhaps spells scribed straight onto the dungeon wall that can be cast whenever a magic user with a read magic spell is in that room.
Equipment Rooms:
Backpacks, sacks, etc - huge piles of loose coins with no container to carry them in
Rope - pit traps, shafts, open pits, secret entrances to the dungeon, or deep rooms with treasure that can only be reached by descent.
Club, mace, etc - skeletons, hard to kill without weapons that a party might not ordinarily purchase.
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Post by Red Baron on Jul 24, 2016 9:48:01 GMT -6
I wrote a short adventure for new characters to include every item on the above list:
1. An old well shaft drops 30’ down to the 1st level of underworld.
2. An ogre. Demands half your valuables to pass.
3. 13 spiders. Dead hobbit in web with dagger +1 and a ring of three wishes.
4. Windy room: blows out torches. All corridors leading to this room are windy and low out torches.
5. Trapdoor to 10’ pit (opens 2 in 6)
6. Reversible one-way door. Grabbing doorknob causes 10’ diameter circular stone underneath to spin 180’.
7. Spiral stair down to level 3. Efreet guard warns “None may pass. Turn back or die.”
8. 10000 cp loose on floor.
9. 5 dwarfs with colorful cloaks and beards. Grumble (yellow/blue), mumble (faded-red/white), bumble (green/white), fumble (pink/yellow), stumble (sky-blue/purple). All have daggers and lanterns. Grumble has treasure map to room 10, sack, sword, and shield.
10. 10’ cube stone block(80 tons) covers 3’ diameter shaft, plaque in ancient language gives cryptic hint about treasure. Descends 80’ to treasure vault: 2 enchanted swords, scroll of 7 spells, 3 potions, 12 large paintings must be removed from frames and rolled to carry up shaft (10 x 8, 50 x 2, 800, 4000), cursed ring (change alignment).
11. Altar of reincarnation (roll on M&M alignment table). Only works once per person. Plaque reads: “Give me your dead, their time is not yet run out”.
12. Massive stone idol of some chaotic god. Plaque reads as scroll of “Contact Higher Plane”.
13. Bricked up & plastered over passage.
14. 16 skeletons (half damage from blades, no damage from arrows). Chest contact poison save or die. Live Boots, 6 gems (20 x 3, 60, 600, 900, 2000), magic rod.
15. Broken corridor: broken floor slabs tilt up at odd angles limiting movement to 3”
16. Plaque reads “Pull me”, in ancient language. If pulled out, reveals secret compartment with 3 gems (30, 1100, 1200). If pushed, door swings shut and locks with a soft “click” for 1 turn, room fills with poison gas (1hp/minute) from small hole on ceiling 20’ above. Torches sputter, but remain lit. Clogging hole stops gas, damp cloth over the mouth will give save vs poison each minute to avoid damage.
17. Secret passage in wall 10’ above floor. (Thanks E.G.G.)
18. Another pit trap (opens 2 in 6). Drops 20’ to watery pit.
19. Theurgist “The King of Worms” (darkness, fly, animate objects) and 11 orcs in room with 30’ ceiling. 7 books (Enchiridion primus, Scribendarum sandestins solutaris, Volumen commendaverunt firmamentum, Liber cerebrum inmuto, Folio calvariae locus augmentum, Conspectus Exardesco describing six balrogs Gacl, D'guth, Negola, Zarton, Bothusata the Moon King, Atin-mothau, and finally The diary of Lucao Phorumdesus a manuscript of comedic play, containing hints to where Phaelon Zenifose possessor of an enormous gemstone was murdered), 4 potions (duo-dimension, bottle with a colorful mist who will perform one task or attack if insulted, healing, true sight), wand of polymorph (7 charges). If attacked, he will cast darkness, fly to the ceiling, and animate the furniture to attack enemies.
20. Black knight “Horridus” (Antihero) with Candentitura a flaming sword +1 against mummies ents and white dragons 40' eery purple light, black plate armor, black shield and 3 goblin lackeys. Prison: I. three werewolfs II. seamstress III. six elfs IV. minotaur V. hydra with five heads
Its a rainy Sunday, so maybe I'll draw up a map.
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Post by Scott Anderson on Jul 24, 2016 10:54:00 GMT -6
I want it. I want it! I want to play it, I want to ref it, I want to learn from it!
I haven't been able to do a good dungeon in over a year, but this might get me back to it.
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Post by tetramorph on Jul 24, 2016 11:27:44 GMT -6
Red Baron, this is just great straightforward stuff. I'd love to see it keyed to a map. Maybe just grab one of Dyson Logos? Thanks!
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Post by cooper on Jul 24, 2016 12:45:55 GMT -6
I think this has enough amazing ideas to spread it out over 3 levels at least.
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Post by geoffrey on Jul 25, 2016 9:58:11 GMT -6
Good stuff!
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Post by simrion on Jul 26, 2016 7:53:25 GMT -6
Fantastic adventure riff! Please share...oh please oh please ;-)
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Post by geoffrey on Jul 26, 2016 23:08:28 GMT -6
1st level dungeons should contain lots of rooms that reward magic-users for bringing spells other than sleep... And the dungeon should contain a source of healing to encourage clerics to bring spells other than cure light wounds.  |
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luc
Level 2 Seer
Posts: 30
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Post by luc on Jul 27, 2016 1:06:16 GMT -6
7 books ( Enchiridion primus, Scribendarum sandestins solutaris, Volumen commendaverunt firmamentum, Liber cerebrum inmuto, Folio calvariae locus augmentum, Conspectus Exardesco describing six balrogs Gacl, D'guth, Negola, Zarton, Bothusata the Moon King, Atin-mothau, and finally The diary of Lucao Phorumdesus a manuscript of comedic play, containing hints to where Phaelon Zenifose possessor of an enormous gemstone was murdered), Curious. Did you use a generator for these books? |
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Post by Red Baron on Jul 27, 2016 9:31:36 GMT -6
1st level dungeons should contain lots of rooms that reward magic-users for bringing spells other than sleep... And the dungeon should contain a source of healing to encourage clerics to bring spells other than cure light wounds. I wouldn't let a first level cleric bring any spells at all. 7 books (Enchiridion primus, Scribendarum sandestins solutaris, Volumen commendaverunt firmamentum, Liber cerebrum inmuto, Folio calvariae locus augmentum, Conspectus Exardesco describing six balrogs Gacl, D'guth, Negola, Zarton, Bothusata the Moon King, Atin-mothau, and finally The diary of Lucao Phorumdesus a manuscript of comedic play, containing hints to where Phaelon Zenifose possessor of an enormous gemstone was murdered), Curious. Did you use a generator for these books? Nope. A latin dictionary and some imagination for the book names, and I've read enough CAS and of Melan's adventures that fanciful names come pretty naturally to me. My favorite CAS story, The Tale of Satampra Zeiros, features Satampra Zeiros and Tirouv Ompallios leaving Uzuldaroum to explore Commoriom where they find a shrine to Tsathoggua. Or you can take inspiration from Vance, who names characters thus: Grossinet, Leheuster, Pandelume, Mazirian, Moreiron, Vermoullian, Byzant, Barbanikos, Xanten. Bothusata the Moon King was a Balrog character for a braunstein game I started to write up, but abandoned. While all the other teams were competing to kill a vampire and bring back the head for a reward before sunrise, Bothusata had to fly around with a jet pack and death-ray gun trying to recover a component of his space ship from each team before the game ended. He could potentially team up with the vampire player, or try to haggle with each other team, or try and take them by force or intimidation. |
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Post by Porphyre on Jul 28, 2016 3:58:35 GMT -6
A Balrog with a jet pack !
You, sir, just put an elegant end to a decades long debate : what need have balrogs for wings when they can have jet-packs ??!!!
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Post by kesher on Jul 28, 2016 12:10:51 GMT -6
The whole dungeon is frakking awesome, but room #19 is BRILLIANT. So many seeds for later adventures...
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Post by tetramorph on Jul 30, 2017 16:35:52 GMT -6
Red Baron, did you ever produce a map for this? I'm about to run a dungeon for some newbies and I want this one.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2017 6:56:45 GMT -6
Red Baron, now that I am planning on running a play by post game, I am going to link to this thread for them to read to be prepared for what they may face. I frequently make use of Magic Mouth and the clean up crew, too.
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Post by tetramorph on Aug 23, 2017 12:58:46 GMT -6
I mapped this out as three over-lapping levels under one hill: Jack and Jill Hill. The well on the top was the entrance to level 2 and the pile of coppers. There is a mine entrance near the top of the hill and leads to level 1. There is a tomb entrance at the bottom and that leads to level 3. I even added a little sealed up dragon's lair to the side of level 3. I mean, this is dungeons and dragons! Each level has some direct connection to each other level, including 1 to 3. My brand new players only had two hours to play and explored about three rooms (in the "mine" area where the "anti-hero," or villain's lair is). They were attacked multiple times by the skeletons coming up from the tombs below (the 16 skeletons wandering about). The party was discovered by the dwarves with the map. The party discussed killing the dwarves and stealing the map until I pointed out that they would no longer be lawful (I know, I know, I shouldn't have done that). The dwarves with night vision found the way to the treasure in the passage ways that blows out the torches so they finally made it out with some treasure and got to experience "leveling-up." So now, of course, they are hooked! Thanks, Red Baron. |
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Post by rossik on Aug 25, 2017 8:02:53 GMT -6
"8. 10000 cp loose on floor."
You devil you
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Post by Scott Anderson on Aug 25, 2017 23:34:13 GMT -6
Tetramorph will you share your map?
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Post by tetramorph on Aug 27, 2017 15:29:30 GMT -6
Tetramorph will you share your map? Well, thanks for asking. I'm not sure it's really ready for that. Right now its just scrawled out in pencil on some graph paper. And it is not altogether interesting. I just kept adding rooms until I could fit everything in! (I had to add a few more of my own invention just to make the map work). I'll see what I can do when I have some free time. |
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Post by rossik on Aug 28, 2017 8:44:32 GMT -6
Tetramorph will you share your map? Well, thanks for asking. I'm not sure it's really ready for that. Right now its just scrawled out in pencil on some graph paper. And it is not altogether interesting. I just kept adding rooms until I could fit everything in! (I had to add a few more of my own invention just to make the map work). I'll see what I can do when I have some free time. we can wait  |
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Post by tetramorph on Sept 28, 2017 18:52:48 GMT -6
Red Baron, foxroe, Scott Anderson, rossik, bryce0lynch, I've put my "module" of this together as a PDF: "Jack & Jill Hill and the Secrets of Dusk Haven" I sent a copy to Bryce Lynch at Ten Foot Pole. He gave me some constructive criticism I am going to figure out how to incorporate. If you would like to take a look, send me a PM with a good email address and I'll send it to you. Here is the "cost": you've got to reply with some comments. Fight on!
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Post by Scott Anderson on Sept 28, 2017 22:40:49 GMT -6
Yes, do look at it. This is something special.
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Post by tetramorph on Sept 29, 2017 8:06:23 GMT -6
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Post by Red Baron on Dec 11, 2017 20:10:57 GMT -6
I mapped this out as three over-lapping levels under one hill: Jack and Jill Hill. The well on the top was the entrance to level 2 and the pile of coppers. There is a mine entrance near the top of the hill and leads to level 1. There is a tomb entrance at the bottom and that leads to level 3. I even added a little sealed up dragon's lair to the side of level 3. I mean, this is dungeons and dragons! Each level has some direct connection to each other level, including 1 to 3. My brand new players only had two hours to play and explored about three rooms (in the "mine" area where the "anti-hero," or villain's lair is). They were attacked multiple times by the skeletons coming up from the tombs below (the 16 skeletons wandering about). The party was discovered by the dwarves with the map. The party discussed killing the dwarves and stealing the map until I pointed out that they would no longer be lawful (I know, I know, I shouldn't have done that). The dwarves with night vision found the way to the treasure in the passage ways that blows out the torches so they finally made it out with some treasure and got to experience "leveling-up." So now, of course, they are hooked! Thanks, Red Baron . Sounds like a good session! |
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Post by tetramorph on Apr 29, 2018 13:05:28 GMT -6
Red Baron and others: would you now brainstorm in the same way for a wilderness map? For character levels 4+ (or 7+?). I've learned something. I do a lot better mapping out and coordinating OTHER PEOPLE'S cool ideas than coming up with my own!
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Post by Hans E Magnusson on Jun 30, 2018 6:15:03 GMT -6
Red Baron, foxroe, Scott Anderson, rossik, bryce0lynch, I've put my "module" of this together as a PDF: "Jack & Jill Hill and the Secrets of Dusk Haven" I sent a copy to Bryce Lynch at Ten Foot Pole. He gave me some constructive criticism I am going to figure out how to incorporate. If you would like to take a look, send me a PM with a good email address and I'll send it to you. Here is the "cost": you've got to reply with some comments. Fight on! Is it publiced yet? I really need this dungeon. |
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Post by tetramorph on Jun 30, 2018 8:00:30 GMT -6
Red Baron, foxroe, Scott Anderson, rossik, bryce0lynch, I've put my "module" of this together as a PDF: "Jack & Jill Hill and the Secrets of Dusk Haven" I sent a copy to Bryce Lynch at Ten Foot Pole. He gave me some constructive criticism I am going to figure out how to incorporate. If you would like to take a look, send me a PM with a good email address and I'll send it to you. Here is the "cost": you've got to reply with some comments. Fight on! Is it publiced yet? I really need this dungeon. Send me a PM and I can get you a PDF. |
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Post by Hans E Magnusson on Jul 1, 2018 11:31:29 GMT -6
Is it publiced yet? I really need this dungeon. Send me a PM and I can get you a PDF. PM sent. |
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Post by grodog on Jul 2, 2018 20:20:47 GMT -6
Love to check it out too, Nathan! Allan. |
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Post by tetramorph on Jul 3, 2018 7:27:16 GMT -6
grodog, thanks for the interest, man! For whatever reason, I can't find your email. Would you email me or PM your address to me again? Thanks!
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Post by grodog on Jul 4, 2018 23:07:00 GMT -6
grodog, thanks for the interest, man! For whatever reason, I can't find your email. grodog@gmail.com Thanks! Allan. |
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