Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
First time making a "serious" dungeon! How do you do it?
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Quickleaf" data-source="post: 7016909" data-attributes="member: 20323"><p>[MENTION=6791950]cmad1977[/MENTION] Yep, I've been absorbing his articles on megadungeons. </p><p></p><p>Branching paths w/ meaningful choices, circular routes, gating/blocking (when at a branching path only), previews, one-way passages, and shortcuts are all on my checklist.</p><p></p><p>Cross-posted this question <a href="https://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?797837-First-time-making-a-quot-serious-quot-dungeon!-How-do-you-do-it" target="_blank">rpg.net</a>, and was encouraged to answer 5 basic questions about air/sleep/food/drink/egress...</p><p></p><p><strong><em>How do they breathe?</em></strong> Most are resistant to fire damage which helps with breathing excessively hot air in places. Otherwise, there's ventilation thanks to a few shafts/lava tubes leading to the caldera's surface. Overlooks and "screen" doors (mashrabiya / jalis) let in airflow as well.</p><p></p><p><strong><em>Where do they sleep?</em></strong> They sleep in areas away from the hazardous fumaroles, in quarters (for mages and priests) or barracks (for mamluks and holy slayers).</p><p></p><p><strong><em>What do they eat?</em></strong> Precious little game lives in the Great Anvil, the most inhospitable desert in the land, however the Brotherhood do harvest scorpions and beetles, and hunt fire lizards, giant mason wasps, and dangerous salt worms (desert-adapted remorhaz). Because of this limited diet, they rely on trade with mysterious fierce janni tribes who don't mind charging exorbitant prices to the sinister cultists, or else shipments by their allied merchants usually via teleportation circle and sending stones (made of volcanic rock from the caldera). When food is scarce, they force captive janni to create food and water (a spell forbidden to their priests of Kossuth as it involves water).</p><p></p><p><strong><em>What do they drink?</em></strong> There is an aquifer deep below the caldera, but it has become tainted with chlorides & sulfides. The alchemists and priests of the Brotherhood have devised a means of extracting the acids/poisons to yield pure water (as well as useful ingredients for more nefarious purposes). Additionally, the Brotherhood stockpiles water in the event that something happens to their water source, though these stockpiles wouldn't last longer than 1 week if rationed, less if not.</p><p></p><p><strong><em>Where do they enter/exit?</em></strong> There are six major avenues into Krak al-Mazhar, the first five used by the Brotherhood, and the last exceedingly risky. </p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">The first is via narrow fissures through the steep sloping "hills" around the caldera, that invariably lead to guarded bridges; three of these lead into the upper levels.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">The second is the main gate, which opens into the heart of the caldera - this is used by slaves working sulfur mines, entry and exit for new initiates to the Brotherhood, for military drills, and for the very rare departing/incoming caravan.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">A two-way portal (teleportation circle?) leads to Krak al-Mazhar from the sister military fortress of Krak al-Niraan far to the north, though only the Brotherhood's upper echelon know it exists.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">A two-way portal to the Plane of Fire is used for welcoming efreet ambassadors/messengers and sending out initiates / exploration parties.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">The Bonfire (the cult's leader) owns a golden mirror which he can use to open a temporary gate which he can also return through. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Lava tubes used by salt worms (remorhaz) and sand worms (purple worms) (remnants of past underground civilization?) trace their way under the fortress; they are kept at bay by the narrowness of the passages and by magical brass gongs that create a sound the worms dislike.</li> </ol></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Quickleaf, post: 7016909, member: 20323"] [MENTION=6791950]cmad1977[/MENTION] Yep, I've been absorbing his articles on megadungeons. Branching paths w/ meaningful choices, circular routes, gating/blocking (when at a branching path only), previews, one-way passages, and shortcuts are all on my checklist. Cross-posted this question [url=https://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?797837-First-time-making-a-quot-serious-quot-dungeon!-How-do-you-do-it]rpg.net[/url], and was encouraged to answer 5 basic questions about air/sleep/food/drink/egress... [B][I]How do they breathe?[/I][/B] Most are resistant to fire damage which helps with breathing excessively hot air in places. Otherwise, there's ventilation thanks to a few shafts/lava tubes leading to the caldera's surface. Overlooks and "screen" doors (mashrabiya / jalis) let in airflow as well. [B][I]Where do they sleep?[/I][/B] They sleep in areas away from the hazardous fumaroles, in quarters (for mages and priests) or barracks (for mamluks and holy slayers). [B][I]What do they eat?[/I][/B] Precious little game lives in the Great Anvil, the most inhospitable desert in the land, however the Brotherhood do harvest scorpions and beetles, and hunt fire lizards, giant mason wasps, and dangerous salt worms (desert-adapted remorhaz). Because of this limited diet, they rely on trade with mysterious fierce janni tribes who don't mind charging exorbitant prices to the sinister cultists, or else shipments by their allied merchants usually via teleportation circle and sending stones (made of volcanic rock from the caldera). When food is scarce, they force captive janni to create food and water (a spell forbidden to their priests of Kossuth as it involves water). [B][I]What do they drink?[/I][/B] There is an aquifer deep below the caldera, but it has become tainted with chlorides & sulfides. The alchemists and priests of the Brotherhood have devised a means of extracting the acids/poisons to yield pure water (as well as useful ingredients for more nefarious purposes). Additionally, the Brotherhood stockpiles water in the event that something happens to their water source, though these stockpiles wouldn't last longer than 1 week if rationed, less if not. [B][I]Where do they enter/exit?[/I][/B] There are six major avenues into Krak al-Mazhar, the first five used by the Brotherhood, and the last exceedingly risky. [list=1][*]The first is via narrow fissures through the steep sloping "hills" around the caldera, that invariably lead to guarded bridges; three of these lead into the upper levels. [*]The second is the main gate, which opens into the heart of the caldera - this is used by slaves working sulfur mines, entry and exit for new initiates to the Brotherhood, for military drills, and for the very rare departing/incoming caravan. [*]A two-way portal (teleportation circle?) leads to Krak al-Mazhar from the sister military fortress of Krak al-Niraan far to the north, though only the Brotherhood's upper echelon know it exists. [*]A two-way portal to the Plane of Fire is used for welcoming efreet ambassadors/messengers and sending out initiates / exploration parties. [*]The Bonfire (the cult's leader) owns a golden mirror which he can use to open a temporary gate which he can also return through. [*]Lava tubes used by salt worms (remorhaz) and sand worms (purple worms) (remnants of past underground civilization?) trace their way under the fortress; they are kept at bay by the narrowness of the passages and by magical brass gongs that create a sound the worms dislike.[/list] [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
First time making a "serious" dungeon! How do you do it?
Top