Dungeon building Question

[Tellerve]

It seems to me from the pre-made dungeons I've looked at they are really not well designed to be defensible lairs. Are they built this way because that would take too much fun out of the adventure if they were that efficient? I have to guess that's probably why, otherwise I just don't get it.

Am I thinking too Rat-Bastardly in wanting my burrowed out kobold lair to have tons of places where medium creatures have to squeeze, have arrow slits and murder holes, and all the other good stuff medieval fortress building brought us?

The kobold article in Dragon mentions having 5' hallways to make sure characters stay in a line. Why not make them 3' hallways and have the medium players squeeze?


Tellerve

 

[chronoplasm]

It seems to me from the pre-made dungeons I've looked at they are really not well designed to be defensible lairs. Are they built this way because that would take too much fun out of the adventure if they were that efficient? I have to guess that's probably why, otherwise I just don't get it.

Am I thinking too Rat-Bastardly in wanting my burrowed out kobold lair to have tons of places where medium creatures have to squeeze, have arrow slits and murder holes, and all the other good stuff medieval fortress building brought us?

The kobold article in Dragon mentions having 5' hallways to make sure characters stay in a line. Why not make them 3' hallways and have the medium players squeeze?


Tellerve

That sounds like a pretty good idea, though I'm sure the kobolds would want some larger hallways for their beasts of burden to go through.

 

[Tellerve]

True, and also seeing as I want to use all the new kobold types in both the MM and the Dragon article I have a Medium sized chieftan, so I'm guessing they'll have a back escape area. As well as perhaps another entrance for the giant rat stables and vermin cages n' whatnot. But generally, yeah, I wanna make it tough for the players 'because kobolds are supposed to be crafty little buggers.

Tellerve

 

[chronoplasm]

I say go for it. Make running away and sneaking around a legitimate strategy. Perhaps the direct route is too difficult for the players to be able to go through so they may be forced to take an indirect route, like crawling up the garbage chute.