How do YOU design a dungeon?

[Mishihari Lord]

This is at least partly semantics, but I rarely set out to design a dungeon - I set out to design an adventure.

I start off with a worth goal for the party, which varies a lot depending on the PCs interest. It might be "get the treasure," but it could also be "rescue the princess," "track down the bandit," "get the medical supplies through the pass," or "get proof that I'm royalty."

Then I think of an interesting setting. I use some traditional abandoned underground complexes, but city, wilderness, travel, and sea adventures are a bit more common. When I do use a dungeon there's almost always adventure during travel to the site and often political complexities. Exploration is a big focus of my gaming, so I always try to have some unique stuff that's cool to encounter outside of any combat aspect or enrichment.

Then I flesh out the setting. Who built it? What's the history? Who's there now? What's the ecology? What are the politics? Who care about this place? and so on. These questions inform the design details of the setting.

From there I sketch out what I think would be some cool encounters to have a long the way. Tactical puzzles, social encounters, traps, exploration. My players like making elaborate plans so I try to give them opportunities to do so.

From there, it's just sketch out a map, assign encounters to locations, and stat the monsters. That's the easy part.

 

[Celebrim]

1) Purpose of dungeon and why PC's might want to go there.
2) Make lists of things likely to be in dungeon. Make lists of rooms likely contained in dungeon.
3) Come up with a map that fit the rooms together.
4) Start working my way through room descriptions. Make lists of things that the room is likely to contain. Usually this inspires some new thoughts.
5) Review the dungeon to make sure it has enough breadcrumbs treasure etc. to be worth while, and that the encounters are sufficiently varied.
6) If I have time, keep refining the level of detail until I meet the desired density of interactions per room.

 

[Jan van Leyden]

1) Purpose of dungeon and why PC's might want to go there.
2) Make lists of things likely to be in dungeon. Make lists of rooms likely contained in dungeon.
3) Come up with a map that fit the rooms together.
4) Start working my way through room descriptions. Make lists of things that the room is likely to contain. Usually this inspires some new thoughts.

Up to point 4. on your list, my way looks pretty much like yours.

My dungeons tend to be rather small and mainly serve as story elements. Their purpose in the game world is generally clear, if small.

I don't go into too much detail in order to remain flexible. As an example, I ran a campaign oriented on player goals. Each character had a backstory with plot hooks which were created by the players independent of each other. I threw all the stuff in a blender and wrote a backstory which would encompass all PCs, so the first adventures should deliver hints mostly.

Long story short result: the first dungeon was a small affair beneath a wizards tower with some baddies barring the entrance. The PCs managed to get to the dungeon but had the baddies securing the door out. Instead of playing some sort of siege scenario I introduce a new secret door behind which a teleporting device was situated.

It hasn't been part of the original design, but made perfect sense for the wizard. Yes, even dungeons are mutable!

I also have several concepts for mega dungeons floating around in my mind, which would be designed in a more absolute way, but there hasn't been an opportunity to play through it and I spared me the work to design them.

 

[howandwhy99]

I'd suggest not putting any player objectives into a D&D adventure module. Those are for the player to choose. Modules which tell players "kill this monster, "save the king" or "start your own barony" are placing an end point on the module. Modules don't have conclusions in D&D, campaigns do. Players can go back to the dungeon time and time again. The trick is, as game time progresses the consequences of the game alter the module.

At the starting state the witch queen has captured the king and froze him. After a time another person rises to run the kingdom. After more time they might be crowned king. After even more time the kingdom may be conquered. And later still the population of the kingdom may have fled and dispersed leaving empty cities and citadels. And then those fill with different monsters. And finally, at some later point, maybe the king is freed from his frozen tomb only to find he is no longer a king, his kingdom is gone, his family has grown old and died, his castle is now a broken ruin populated by 4-winged devil-monkeys.

The point is, the module doesn't end just because the players start it and leave. They could have saved the king right away, but that still doesn't mean the module is over.

When I design an adventure I'm usually inspired by an idea I've had and try and put it into game mechanics. This could be a cool monster like a mindflayer, a magical effect like mind reading, an interesting item like the bruise-puffing thornapples, or an intriguing location like a town that needs to feed a creature to its "well" every full moon.

The nice thing about modules is they don't have to worry about whether their pieces already exist in any setting. Settings are defined by what's in the modules put in them and then further define those elements when they are studied deeper than the module provides.

Because of this limitation on design, modules are free not to answer every question in the setting and can be self contained to satisfy their particular level (or levels more likely) of challenge. Just avoid attempting to trap the PCs within them a la Ravenloft or Mud Sorcerer's Tomb - no "Beat this level or game over" designs.

No I'm free to come up with a cool adventure that includes all the ideas I listed before. Alien-esque lairing Mindflayers enthralling 4-winged devil-monkeys to steal members of a tribe of lunar pit feeders to mind read their understandings of bruise-puffing thornapples. There are all kinds of hooks for players who stumble into the module or are looking for any piece of it. I mean, who doesn't want to eat magical thornapple pie?

 

[steeldragons]

As others have said, it's a big ole "depends." So I'm just going to kinda, mentally, run through the process of dungeon*-building...since there is definitely a general process though I don't know that a point-by-point follow in order can be set in stone.

*The term "dungeon" shall be herein used interchangeably with the term "adventure" and in no way is limited to the literal concept of "dungeon" as a pre-constructed subterranean stone structure.

I might have an idea for a great "big bad" who needs a home or a player-driven plot device/point that needs to be met or a DM-driven plot device/point that needs to be covered or just a hankering for a particular terrain or desire to use a particular kind of monster that I haven't pulled out in a while...

I. Why? The Purpose.
So, I suppose the first step is to decide/determine what the purpose of the adventure is. Is this for the party to gather clues about the overarching plot? Is it to supple a way for the player to achieve some personal character goal? Is it the setting for the climactic battle with the campaign's big bad? Or a just a time-killer to get the PCs some XP in between plot-relevant dungeons? Is it a place in the world that the party might not even ever come across/have reason to visit?

II. Where? The Setting.
So, I know what I have/need this dungeon for. Where is it?
A. Location: (May or may not relate with Iurpose) Is this some place that the party is just going to find or are they going there for a particular reason? Is it nearby or will there be an extended journey (or require magic?) to get there?
----Do they know where it is or have to try to find it?
----Does it need a "wilderness" segment of the adventure or an "investigation/exploration" segment as the party searches where to go to get to the actual "A."? Are there rogues or rangers in the party who might gather information from their contacts? A diviner/seer/local witch who can scry? Is the party mage on good terms with the wizard's guild or the party cleric in good graces with the local temple to get help/direction/access to archives? Heck, Are any of the PCs from this area and know exactly where they're going?
B. Terrain & Climate: Is this dungeon in the mountains? Under the mountains? The swamp? The woods? The arctic tundra or burning dessert? Is it the height of the summer thunderstorm season? Early spring downpours? A calm but cold winter? Will winds be hampering travel [if, for example, travel by ship - or flight?- is necessary]?
C: The Map. If necessary, a map of the general region/area to be traveled and then placing possible random/side-encounters or legitimate patrols/sentries, regional treats, "animal monsters" appropriate to the climate and terrain, etc...

So, as you can see, establishing the "Where" can take some time and may, very well, generate NPCs or monster-encounter ideas as well as contribute, if not dictate, the overall length of a particular dungeon by virtue of where the setting 1) is and 2) is in relation to the party's current location.

III. What? The Structure.
When the party gets there they will find...? Burial Barrow Mound or Elaborately Trapped Tomb? Abandoned Temple? UNabandoned Temple? Abandoned or Functioning Outpost/Moathouse/Fortress/Castle/Citadel? Natural Cave-Cavern complex? Enchanted [or Cursed?] Forest? Cloud Castle? Underwater Domed City?
A. Map. Definitely necessary at this point and, depending on the type of dungeon (from 5-roomer to multi-layered mega), likely more than one/per level.

If a constructed structure, then, as a recent thread around here talked about, it is drawn out as "makes sense." What was it constructed for? Obviously a burial mound doesn't need a kitchen or latrine...unless you're working with a culture who believes such things necessary for the deceased or, perhaps, has a culture which includes living servants/guardians of their dead be assigned to each mound...hm...[mental notes.mental notes.] A castle, on the other hand, does not (normally) have a lot of superfluous space whereas a natural cavern/cave complex might have a narrow winding passage that goes on for hundreds of feet...to open to a massive space...with nothing in it.

IV. Who? The Inhabitants.
Once again, this might be determined to some extent by I and to a large extent by II and III. If this is the dungeon of the "big bad" then that's who's here along with any/everything that serves him/her/it. If it's some outpost of the enemy's forces, then some [possibly established by some prior dungeon] minion/soldier types are a given. If the dungeon is in the heart of a volcano, there will not be Frost Giants or Winter Wolves roaming the halls; the expedition to "The Floating Castle of the Cloud King" is not going to include Mermen and Merrow; SO...
A. What creatures make sense for the purpose of this dungeon?
B. What creatures make sense for this structure?
C. What creatures make sense for this climate and terrain?

V. When 1? The Tricks.
When not fighting the inhabitants, the party encounters...? Most, if not all, of this is dependent on IV and III. Is it a kobold infested mine? There will be traps and/or locations for ambush set-ups. Is this an ancient archmage's ruined tower? Puzzles with Magical effects [for failure and/or success?]. The harpy or sphinx that demands a challenge of riddles. Illusions, Sliding walls and Secret Passages, Teleportal Circles (whether obvious or secret/traps), Spike-bottomed pits and golden chandeliers that sing clues to the "hidden treasure room" [which is really the Chamber of Unspeakable Certain Doom].
A. Traps. What and Where?
B. Puzzles & Riddles. When and What do you get (for success? for failure?)
C. Hidden doors, passages, chambers.
D. Magical tricks, illusions or effects.

VI. When 2? The Treasure.
When they are successful in the dungeon, the party receives...? Obvious. What and how much, where and with whom?

This includes [and should be considered just as carefully] not just the placement/amounts of coins, gems, and magic items, but the valuable art works (paintings, statues, etc...), mundane marketable goods (barrels of good wines, bolts of silk, etc...), and/or [for lack of a better term] "mystical" effects and ingredients: books/manuals of rare topics (arcane or otherwise that the local sage might be interested in), alchemical equipment (beakers, tubes, rare minerals, liquid mercury, etc...), the jar of phoenix feathers that the mage PC needs to make that Wand of Fire or some pickled cockatrice beak for the "Stone to Flesh" antidote/potion they've been talking about, etc...

VII. [Optional] How? The Ecology a.k.a. "Making More Sense."
This step really is just an optional/extra layer if you have the interest, inkling, talent and time. It does harken back, to an extent, to IV and III. Both constructed and natural settings need a convenient water source, entrance/egress points for whatever lives there that would need to get out/go hunting, etc... Some loose/plausible ecology even if not integral to the story of the dungeon or the outcome...It should be unspoken/obvious that the pair of lions lounging in this cave hunt in the surrounding territory [because you put woods or grasslands aroudn the cave]...If they're chained to the spot or are not in a region that would produce huntable prey for lions...What do they eat? Who chained them? Who feeds them or let's them loose to go feed? The bats in the lower caverns exit at dusk to feed on insects while the giant cave snake you just killed was happy to snack on bats when it couldn't get anything else.

For some dungeons this is more necessary, others it is not. Some groups find it interesting and immersion helping and others don't. Some DMs are great at it, some just aren't, some are annoyingly and irrelevantly detailed. Some players love it or hate it/find it distracting or unnecessary. This is really a group-by-group, case-by-case, dungeon-by-dungeon kind of thing.

I think...that more or less covers my process. As you see, some elements are dependent on others so making 1 dungeon might just go 1-7 in order. Another might be 1-2-3-5-4-6. The dungeons where the "1" IS the "6" macguffin, or when I get an idea for an AWESOME "3" for a one-shot and the rest all flows from there.

But, yeah, I think these 7 cover my process/outline.

 

[Dungeoneer]

I know the game is called Dungeons and Dragons and my handle is Dungeon​eer, but I honestly don't like the concept of a 'dungeon' very much. The idea that a fantasy world would be populated with random holes full of arbitrary traps and monsters has always seemed silly to me.

I tell stories. Sometimes the stories result in the players having to go to a specific location that has a lot of creatures that would like to kill them. I design those locations as the logic of the story dictates. I usually don't map the whole thing but I have a rough idea of the layout in my head. I prefer to have fewer but more interesting encounters (this is no doubt influenced by the fact that I got my start as a DM running 4e, where combat is notoriously time-consuming).

I find that when you start with the story you end up with interesting ideas that make the game more than a sequence of rooms containing (1d4) kobolds.

 

[Celebrim]

I know the game is called Dungeons and Dragons and my handle is Dungeon​eer, but I honestly don't like the concept of a 'dungeon' very much. The idea that a fantasy world would be populated with random holes full of arbitrary traps and monsters has always seemed silly to me.

I tell stories. Sometimes the stories result in the players having to go to a specific location that has a lot of creatures that would like to kill them. I design those locations as the logic of the story dictates. I usually don't map the whole thing but I have a rough idea of the layout in my head. I prefer to have fewer but more interesting encounters (this is no doubt influenced by the fact that I got my start as a DM running 4e, where combat is notoriously time-consuming).

I find that when you start with the story you end up with interesting ideas that make the game more than a sequence of rooms containing (1d4) kobolds.

It doesn't sound to me like you dislike the idea of a 'dungeon' at all. Instead, you've created this straw man definition of what a 'dungeon' is, and are favorably comparing what you do against that straw man. So maybe what you don't like is a dungeon of a very particular (and in my opinion rather rare) sort, but it doesn't sound like you dislike the concept of a dungeon generally.

 

[Celebrim]

I'd suggest not putting any player objectives into a D&D adventure module.

I would quibble that you are suggesting putting player objectives into a D&D adventure module. What you are suggesting you shouldn't do is in fact choosing those player objectives for them and in particular choosing the ordering of those objectives and priorities.

If you come at this from the other direction, "The players have decided to kill the BBEG", it immediately follows that you do put the player objective into the adventure module, in as much as you now must detail the BBEG's lair, movements, security precautions, and so forth in order to provide for the player's objective. If you now don't provide those details, you've as much as chosen (in the negative) what the player's objectives and priorities should be - they don't include killing the BBEG.

When you get down to it, what you describe is still jumping up and down with your hands waving in the air screaming, "Heh, players!!! Priorities and objectives this way!!! Get your priorities and objectives here!!" It's almost inevitable, especially early in the unfolding of a setting, that you will have and the players will need that sort of signpost or map or guide, telling them which roads that they can start off on.

Just avoid attempting to trap the PCs within them a la Ravenloft or Mud Sorcerer's Tomb - no "Beat this level or game over" designs.

Much of that mentality came from the fact that many published modules began life as tournament/contest modules which precisely had to meet the quality of "beat this level or game over". I would caution DMs against seeing that as the only methodology for dungeon/adventure creation and also to understand why the structure of a published module is like that and how you are free to use the material differently once it becomes part of a campaign rather than a stand alone piece.

 

[Dungeoneer]

It doesn't sound to me like you dislike the idea of a 'dungeon' at all. Instead, you've created this straw man definition of what a 'dungeon' is, and are favorably comparing what you do against that straw man. So maybe what you don't like is a dungeon of a very particular (and in my opinion rather rare) sort, but it doesn't sound like you dislike the concept of a dungeon generally.

Thanks for telling me what I think, Doc! Now, let's talk about how I feel about my father. OK, that's a little sarcastic but you've put an awful lot of words in my mouth here.

The 'straw man' I've 'created' describes many of the most iconic dungeons in D&D: Undermountain, the Tomb of Horrors, the Temple of Elemental Evil, etc. Pick a module, really. Yes, there's a loose justification for Undermountain (a wizard did it!) but it's still just a collection of rooms full of traps and monsters. It doesn't tell a story. There's no theme or narrative that holds the whole thing together or makes it interesting, apart from Acquire gold! and Don't get killed by extremely arbitrary traps!

And the problem with this is that, rightfully or not, published adventures tend to serve as the inspiration for most DMs. Who then design their OWN sequences of random rooms designed solely to trick, trap or kill visitors. Can you imagine a scenario like this in real life?? And yet this is what most D&D adventures are based around.

You say this kind of dungeon is rare. I laugh hollowly.

 

[Celebrim]

The 'straw man' I've 'created' describes many of the most iconic dungeons in D&D: Undermountain, the Tomb of Horrors, the Temple of Elemental Evil, etc. Pick a module, really. Yes, there's a loose justification for Undermountain (a wizard did it!) but it's still just a collection of rooms full of traps and monsters.

And a story is just a collection of words and punctuations marks by the same sarcastic definition. I simply disagree. 'Tomb of Horrors' does have an internal consistency and provides the setting for a story. Temple of Elemental Evil goes even further and provides the framework of a narrative of what that story is about. It's interesting that you seem to think Undermountain - the dungeon that most fits your stereotype - is the one with the most background justification. I would have picked it as the one with the thinnest justification.

Look, at one level Castle Ravenloft is just a collection of monsters and traps. Are you saying Ravenloft has no theme or narrative that holds the whole thing together? Pyramid is just a collection of monsters and traps. Are you saying that the Desert of Desolation series isn't trying to tell a story? At that level, even the 'Against the Giants' modules have a theme and narrative. U1 Sinister Secret of Salt Marsh has a narrative in mind and intends to be interesting, but it is also just at one level a collection of monsters and traps. UK1 Through the Crystal Cave has lots of story pretensions and doesn't intend to paint a purely arbitrary setting. Ditto Temple of the Frog. Ditto Sabre River. Ditto well, lots and lots of published modules. You can argue, and in some cases I'd agree, that the theme or narrative isn't well done or that the narrative is or something of a railroad (perhaps an inevitability in a published scenario having a 32 page count), but I don't see how you can argue that narrative and theme isn't there at all. Even in the case of a module like The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan which was explicitly created to be a dungeon designed solely to trick, trap, and kill the PC's (because its a tournament scenario) there is a lot of attention paid to creating a coherent setting, narrative, and theme and making it interesting.

I completely disagree that most D&D adventures - and even published D&D adventures - are based around just acquiring gold, killing monsters, and not getting killed by traps. These are often components of a D&D story in the way that words are a component of a novel, but even in published material this isn't just what adventure is made out of. Acquiring gold, killing monsters, and avoiding traps (arbitrary or not) are things that happen in most if not all D&D adventures, but they aren't the sole substance of most D&D adventures and certainly not most published in the last 30 years or so. We've come along way from Alice's Adventures in Dungeonland.

But even if I did allow what you claim, that doesn't negate the truth of what I said. You aren't in fact arguing against having dungeons in your campaign. You are only arguing against having particular sorts of dungeons in your campaign. Ok fine, but your particular criticism might only be leveled against D&D during the era when 'Explore Castle Greyhawk' was the only thing going, and so far as I can tell - probably not even then.

You say this kind of dungeon is rare. I laugh hollowly.

Laugh how you like. You said it yourself; you create dungeons in the service of your stories. I would argue that this makes you no different than 99% of the DM's and published scenarios out there. Sorry to burst your bubble.