D&D General #Dungeon23

Malmuria · Jan 30, 2023

Week 4: I decided finish up January with this spread. The first spread of February will thus have less than 7 keyed areas. This week we have a train station that has been covered in rubble for some reason. People who have no place to live in the city above have gathered here forming a mutually supportive community. In the large central room we have a bazaar and area for public events.

Also, my January encounter table

Thoughts on month 1

I want to keep practicing drawing maps, especially in the isometric style to get better. I also think I should use less ink on the maps to keep them simple
moments of fatigue, or running out of ideas
need more pens
doing a google image search for "dungeon23" is fun
will I ever run this?

Bill Zebub · Jan 30, 2023

The next skill I want to develop is the "decorations" on the map. Rubble, furniture, stonework, etc. Like @M_Natas and @Malmuria. That stuff really helps when you do isometrics as well.

Also, for me the value of sticking to one room per day, rather than, say, seven rooms per week, is that the discipline of making myself do it every day makes it harder to let it slide, which can quickly turn into a full landslide. "Once a week" is too vague and I would probably end up getting so far behind that I would drop it.

Whizbang Dustyboots · Jan 30, 2023

Bill Zebub said:
I went and drew 3 rooms today. Well, really six rooms, but four of them have an identical description. I'll post them all on the 29th.

A maze of twisty corridors, all alike?

Reynard · Jan 30, 2023

I am a couple days behind, but
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01.28: Collection Chamber

Access: A locked door in the west wall accesses this room from the hallways and a hidden ladder leads up to a trap door accessing the vault (01.31b) in the ceiling on the east side of the room.

Description: This room is a jumble of crates, boxes, barrels and tarps. There are a few flat spaces where ink pens and ledgers can be found. This is the room where all of the artifacts discovered beneath Parenix Manior in the many levels of Mornrax Hill were brought to be cleaned, cataloged, distributed or sold as the case may be. In earlier days, this room would be full of strange and powerful treasures, and it in fact appears to be. Unfortunately, among the many items brought here a century ago there was an eldritch devourer and it has since consumed all the magical energy from all the artifacts here.

Hunger: The eldritch devourer is currently in torpor beneath a white tarp. It remains so, appearing as a grotesque gargoyle if uncovered, unless an enchanted item is brought into the room. The presence of magic awakens the creature, which immediately attacks the carrier of the nearest item, attempting to drain the power from it to sate its ravenous hunger. The devourer is so hungry it is unlikely to stop attacking until it is in possession of all enchanted items. It will also leave the room and explore the manor if the door is left unlocked while it still lives.

Exit: Observant characters will notice scratch marks on the ceiling where the concealed trap door is found, and from there it is trivial to find the hidden ladder built into the wall. The devourer could sense the items in the vault above but could not open the door. It did, however, drain the power from a ward protecting the vault.

Treasure: There are dozens of baubles and artifacts in this room, but all have been drained of any latent magic and are only worth money to a collector.

Eyes of Nine · Jan 30, 2023

Cadence said:
Room 59 - The Nursery

The reinforced wooden door of this 15'x15' room is locked and protected by an Arcane Lock (keyed to Myrsina in 60; without the Arcane lock it is DC 15 to pick the lock or force it open, with it it is DC 25). There is no sound from the other side. A dispel magic spell cast on the door after dusk will also remove the silence effect of the plaque affixed to the other side of the door until the next dusk (a knock spell only affects the Arcane lock). Removing the silence effect would make for a very noisy night!

The room appears to be a long unused nursery with a layer of dust on the floor (no footprints). The flagstone floor has a large dark-brown bearskin rug in the middle with several toys on it, two empty cribs against the wall (one with a lidded diaper bucket), two small beds (with chamber pots underneath), a small cabinet filled with childrens' clothes of different sizes, and a pair of bowls, spoons, and cups (with lids with small holes in them) on top. There are two hooks on the walls (one east, one west) with unlit but filled oil lamps.

Anyone moving the rug and checking the floor will notice that several of the flagstones are not well mortared in and are very loose. The hole has the bones of eight children rudely stuffed into cloth bags or articles of clothing. Five of the remains are apparently either human, elvish, or orc and the other three are halfling or gnome, and they range from toddler to pre-teen.

Myrsina hasn't had much of a chance to dispose of parents and adopt children recently. Four of the ones she had adopted now haunt this place at night (or if their bones are disturbed during the day) as Mylings (a toddler elf girl, four year old half-orc boy, six year old Halfling boy, and eight year old human girl). They desperately want to be interred somewhere else with respect, but will only leave the room in the company of a possessed individual or someone who can convey that they will give them that rest. Myrsina is not above tricking someone into being locked in the room and having them possessed until the would be rescuer starves to death, and then using the remains for soup. She will also use the room as a distraction if severely pressed. The dead children are still afraid of her.

There is a Plaque of Restful Nights on the door.

View attachment 274208

The Mylings (CR 4, Small/Medium Undead) are from Izegrim Creations's "Twilight Fables". See D&D 5E - Twilight Fables Now Publicly Available! or contact @Sacrosanct to get a copy.

Plaque of Restful Nights - Wondrous item, uncommon.
Each dusk the Plaque of Restful Nights puts a shaped silence spell effect on the (up to) four doorways, window openings, or the like nearest it in the room where it is affixed. This works on up to 144 total square feet (up to four large doors) that are within 40' of the plaque. The effect lasts until dawn. It does not add sound proofing to walls.

Are all your rooms connected in a single map? I would love to see the entire map so far, if you are willing to share...

Cadence · Jan 30, 2023

Eyes of Nine said:
Are all your rooms connected in a single map? I would love to see the entire map so far, if you are willing to share...

Not quite yet. I almost have a suite done for this group, and a suite done for another. As soon as I have a group done I will post it!

Hriston · Jan 31, 2023

30. This 20’ x 20’ chamber is empty.

Reynard · Jan 31, 2023

01.29: The Cells

Access: The cells are accessible by way a door in the east wall that lead to the stairs to the study (01.24). In addition, a half dozen locked doors with small, iron barred viewports lead to the cells themselves.

Description: The large open area here does not betray its original purpose except for bloodstains on the floor and cabinets, one on the east and one on the west walls, containing various implements of torture, dissection and sacrifice. The doors against the north wall are all sturdy and padlocked, with barred portholes allowing view into the rooms. Most of the rooms are furnished with nothing more than boxes or straw matts, long since deteriorated. The far eastern room does not even have that, only a bucket obviously once used for sanitary needs.

The Angry Dead: This place is haunted by the many, many souls that have come through here at the behest of the Alastairn family. No singular entity can be gleaned, but a geist swarm is aroused whenever living creatures enter the room. Sensitive characters and those with insight into the dead realms can feel the fear, rage and despair of the geist swarm. Unfortunately, beyond exorcism, there is not much to be done for these poor multitudes. Despite their tragic fate, the geist swarm is very dangerous and will drain the life from characters or living creatures that remain here long.

Treasure: Among all the cells there is a singular item of note: a locket found in the old waste bucket in the eastern most cell. The picture inside the locket is long since rotted away, but the silver remains. It can be sold, or alternatively given to Mobulexon in the chapel for answers (see 01.17) since the spirit of its owner is still bound by it. This is an irredeemably evil act.

Eyes of Nine · Jan 31, 2023

Reynard said:
01.29: The Cells

Access: The cells are accessible by way a door in the east wall that lead to the stairs to the study (01.24). In addition, a half dozen locked doors with small, iron barred viewports lead to the cells themselves.

Description: The large open area here does not betray its original purpose except for bloodstains on the floor and cabinets, one on the east and one on the west walls, containing various implements of torture, dissection and sacrifice. The doors against the north wall are all sturdy and padlocked, with barred portholes allowing view into the rooms. Most of the rooms are furnished with nothing more than boxes or straw matts, long since deteriorated. The far eastern room does not even have that, only a bucket obviously once used for sanitary needs.

The Angry Dead: This place is haunted by the many, many souls that have come through here at the behest of the Alastairn family. No singular entity can be gleaned, but a geist swarm is aroused whenever living creatures enter the room. Sensitive characters and those with insight into the dead realms can feel the fear, rage and despair of the geist swarm. Unfortunately, beyond exorcism, there is not much to be done for these poor multitudes. Despite their tragic fate, the geist swarm is very dangerous and will drain the life from characters or living creatures that remain here long.

Treasure: Among all the cells there is a singular item of note: a locket found in the old waste bucket in the eastern most cell. The picture inside the locket is long since rotted away, but the silver remains. It can be sold, or alternatively given to Mobulexon in the chapel for answers (see 01.17) since the spirit of its owner is still bound by it. This is an irredeemably evil act.

Are you thinking about drawing a map at some point? Even just a nodal map? If not, no big deal; but I was wondering