Dungeon Ideas - Hit a Brick Wall

[HACKBattleMage]

New to the forums, first post (but I dig this whole site) but I have hit a snag in my game.

Dungeon Concepts! Some GMs are too wuss of heart to make a GOOD dungeon. Anybody can throw some Kobolds in a room, toss an Otyugh Boss at the end and call it a day.

I believe dungeons can be just as in depth as a small story arc of a campaign, they just need a lot more work. Point being...

There are few ideas left in my arsenal for a good dungeon, and my game is due for one. I would love to hear my fellow GMs best dungeon ideas / themes. And if you can think of one to fit my scenario, that would rock. These guys are about 15th level.

THE SCENARIO: Cliche but always good, a Great Wyrm has made a secluded island his home. He has not left for 500 years for two reasons: he is agoraphobic (afraid of open spaces) and 501 years ago he stole a magic artifact from the head of the Dragon Council and is now on the lamb. This island is tropical, and he has built a large dungeon underneath for his hoard, but the artifact he ate (for safe keeping). It is hard to write for such an overdone scenario, so I turn to you.

Any ideas? This is a HIGH level group, so the fantastic is possible.

 

[Roger]

The PCs are hired to rescue that poor lamb.


Cheers,
Roger

 

[howandwhy99]

The PCs are hired to rescue that poor lamb.


Cheers,
Roger

For teh Win!1

From your synopsis, you have:

2. Monsters: "Great Wyrm" (any ideas on the type?),
and "the Dragon Council" Do you have this group defined?

Monster 1 has 2 Motivations: "he is agoraphobic (afraid of open spaces) and 501 years ago he stole a magic artifact from the head of the Dragon Council and is now on the lamb."

Monster 2 (monster Group really) has what motivations? Do they want the Magic Item back? Are they after the Dragon for justice? What do these mean to them?

2. Locations: "a secluded island his home. He has not left for 500 years", which is further defined as "tropical"
and, taken as a separate location, "he has built a large dungeon underneath for his hoard"

For number 1, what is on this island? Is it a simple wilderness survival trek? Are there monsters or traps or treasure here too?

For number 2, why was this dungeon built? What does it look like because a Great Wyrm built it? Is this the lair of the monster? Are there other monsters here? traps?

2. Magic Items: "a magic artifact" that "he ate (for safe keeping)"
and "his hoard".

For number 1, what effect does this magic item have on the dragon for having eaten it? What clues are there for the Players that he has done this? What history does it have? What makes it magical?

For number 2, are there magic items in this hoard too? Where did he get them? What are their histories? What do they do? What does he know of what they do? Are they hoarded? Used? Involved in Location 2: the dungeon's defenses in any way? How is this resource used?

 

[Edgewood]

"Dungeon Ideas - Hit a Brick Wall"

Sorry, I don't have any helpful solutions, I just wanted to comment on your thread title which is an awesome pun. That's funny stuff!

 

[MichaelSomething]

Here's an idea. Have the Dragon defend his dungeon by playing the worst music ever in it. It's so bad the PCs suffer penatlies from it! A smart party could trace it somehow straight to the Dragon... or some evil trap!

To simulate the horrible music in real life, play music from the Spice Girls while your friends have their characters in the dungeon.

 

[Quickleaf]

Neat stuff... How about a seafaring tribe who lives on neighboring islands a day's paddle away. They leave tribute on the shore (as well as captive war prisoners), to appease the "angry spirit of the island." The PCs could reach the island by befriending the tribe or feigning capture. The catch is that once the PCs get to the island, the tribe can't let them leave because it would cause the evil spirit to spread. Of course they'd like to banish the spirit, but they don't know how. This creates an interesting dynamic for a third party (or fourth, depending on what you do with the Dragon Council). Maybe the shaman of the tribe believes the artifact or some other powerful treasure is entrusted to the tribe by their gods, and refuses to let the PCs take it.

As for the dragon's dungeon... how about giving it 3 access points - land, sea, and sky. This also gives the dragon multiple escape routes. Each can have a different trap/guardian, and may vary depending on wind conditions/visibility/tide/patrols, etc.

Have you ever used the 5-room dungeon concept?

 

[Night]

If you haven't already defined precisely what the stolen magical item is, I think a neat way to really keep it at the forefront of your party's mind is to incorporate the relic itself into the dungeon, either by denizens attracted to it -- all manner of possibilities there for something dragons would value -- or in the landscape and reality of the dungeon itself; a relic that radiates a field of Reverse Gravity, for example, would make for a pretty memorable experience that I can think of a puzzle or three to build around.

Ultimately to me that's key, though; players may over time forget running into a group of six hobgoblins, but they're going to remember the character of the place if you make it very unique to something they'd run across out in the field.

 

[HACKBattleMage]

Man thanks for the feedback everybody, appreciate it!

Have you ever used the 5-room dungeon concept?

Ya know I think I remember something like that from a seminar at GenCon I took a while back. Refresh my memory, it sounds pretty cool.

And I have to say that Tribe idea is pretty rocking, and I just might use it.

The different angle I have happening with this dungeon is that they are going to be fighting the Dragon FIRST, and then if they attempt to hunt down his massive hoard, there will be this huge dungeon waiting for them.

 

[scruffygrognard]

New to the forums, first post (but I dig this whole site) but I have hit a snag in my game.

Dungeon Concepts! Some GMs are too wuss of heart to make a GOOD dungeon. Anybody can throw some Kobolds in a room, toss an Otyugh Boss at the end and call it a day.

I believe dungeons can be just as in depth as a small story arc of a campaign, they just need a lot more work. Point being...

There are few ideas left in my arsenal for a good dungeon, and my game is due for one. I would love to hear my fellow GMs best dungeon ideas / themes. And if you can think of one to fit my scenario, that would rock. These guys are about 15th level.

THE SCENARIO: Cliche but always good, a Great Wyrm has made a secluded island his home. He has not left for 500 years for two reasons: he is agoraphobic (afraid of open spaces) and 501 years ago he stole a magic artifact from the head of the Dragon Council and is now on the lamb. This island is tropical, and he has built a large dungeon underneath for his hoard, but the artifact he ate (for safe keeping). It is hard to write for such an overdone scenario, so I turn to you.

Any ideas? This is a HIGH level group, so the fantastic is possible.

I'd have the island inhabited by natives (humans, lizardmen, bullywugs, grippli and yuan-ti), who look to the dragon as a quasi-deity. They make war on each other but all live in fear and awe of their draconic master... sacrificing war prisoners and hunted game to it.

The dragon has used the natives to extend its lair into an elaborate mining complex (to build upon its hoard) and help to guard that hoard against potential defilers (the dragon is a bit paranoid). At the same time, it has taught some of the tribesmen magic. I'd have the dungeon have various sections that are patrolled by the warring tribes... with yuan-ti serving as the dragon's elite guards and legates.

The deepest level would be home to the dragon's part-human daughters... nagas and, in a partially submerged and vast cavern, the great wyrm.

 

[Nimble Goodbarrel]

Well if it's an island I would have to think that it's a dormant or not so dormant volcano. The Dragon could be red and have fire minion's galore. I like Nights take on it, keeping the artifact in the PC's minds. I would have it somehow freeze the dragon and half the dungeon, making a nice contrast between fire and ice. This could be the reason why the dragon hasn't left in 500 years.

The PC's during some battle could accidentally knock a hole in a lava tube which frees the dragon from it's icy tomb and its royally pissed off....and hungry.