D&D General #Dungeon23

Man, I am so behind. Gotta get back into this groove.

Whizbang Dustyboots said:

Man, I am so behind. Gotta get back into this groove.

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Take your time. Let the groove take you.

9. This 20’ x 40’ room is empty.

M_Natas said:

Day 40

I have received a tip-off about a shipwreck near Freeport, the hull of which may contain magical items that could aid our expedition. It's said to be the Star of the North, a small, fast ship from the kingdom of Holderian, one of the elven nations of Bentu, which is said to have carried the mage She'To'Kirilian, one of the greatest scholars of the Lost City of Kyrthar Tahlketh. No one knows why the ship ran aground or what happened to the crew. All that is known is that the last salvage mission failed to return.View attachment 275088

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I wasn't sure where you were going with this at first, but your posts are starting to resemble a really interesting gazetteer for an island-hopping adventure. Looking forward to seeing the finished product!

Cadence said:

Room 84 - The Pit

The giant-hag would dispose of her refuse, unwanted food, and sometimes living enemies/playthings by heaving them down the pit in the SW corner of her cave (room #83). The hole is currently covered by a stone slab and a few hundred pounds of loose stone. Uncovering it will reveal the 3' diameter tunnel reaching at least 30' into the ground. Scattered small bones line the side of the pit and the smell from the bottom is ghastly.

Parts of the dozens of creatures at the bottom were animated into a Bone Collective by the malevolence she chanted into it. At the time she was growing it she would send it out on missions of exploration, collection, and terror - alone for decades now it has started to fade. Ideally it would like to get enough of itself out quietly that it could move the rocks later if the pit was recovered. One way to do that would be to move some of the treasure at the bottom of the pile to the top when it heard the pit being uncovered. That way any light shining down might make it be sparkly and attractive. Assuming someone tried to climb down the skeletons it would animate would provide a distraction for the bone parts on the sides (and maybe more) to make a run for it. Once at least 30 hp of it escaped, it may or may not decide to attack the party (getting a single victim isn't worth risking partial destruction... getting several on the other hand).

The treasure at the bottom includes 150gp worth of different coins, 250 gp of various gems, a pearl of power, a ring of evasion, and a (Cursed) Frost Brand Dagger in a Sheath. The Dagger functions as a Frost Brand until a natural attack roll of 1 occurs when an ally is within range. In that case the dagger attacks the ally with advantage (+5 to hit). If this occurs while it is being used as a melee weapon, the wielder may make an STR check to control it. 20+ indicates the attack fails, 15+ indicates the attack is with disadvantage, and 10+ indicates it is a normal attack (not with advantage).

The base Bone Collective can be found in the Kobold Press Tome of Beasts (5e) and also at 5esrd.com. This collective was never raised to full power and has backslid a little. HP 90, +6 to hit, d10 damage dice +4 (26/20/48 damage instead of 31/25/57), the poison DC save is 13 with the Charisma damage being d4 Charisma points, and it is CR 6 (2,300 xp). Its languages are Common and Giant.

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Room 62 - The Laundry

This somewhat hidden 10'x10' room is where the house fey couple Nite Sock and Tuáille Te do their work. They wash clothes and sheets if they are left by the door with a proper reward (sometimes with extra starch or other surprise if not) and provide towels for those bathing in the fountain (room #54). If they are intruded on they will immediately turn invisible and stay out of trouble if possible -- and get revenge later.

If they are not here, they will probably be in their living quarters across the hall (#61) and may be accompanied by their loyal corgi Toirneach (who they are teaching to turn invisible as well).

This room has a large copper tub in the south-west corner with a small bench beside it (it is more than big enough to bathe in for most people -- but that would upset the staff greatly). A large iron cylinder is in the north-west corner surrounded by buckets. The cylinder lid can open to dump cold water carried from the fountain into, and there is a spigot coming from lower down on the cylinder to get the warm water back out. The water is kept hot by the small fire elemental Ceann Te who views it as a personal challenge to do so and to keep the air warm enough to dry the clothes (and if Nite Sock and Tuáille Te are in actual danger, it may help them). There are shelves on the east end of the north wall to hold the clean towels, and the south-east part of the room has a large number of pieces of rope strung between a wooden stand and the wall to dry things on. There is a drain in the floor near the south wall.

The door to the room is unlocked and not particularly tight fitting. Anyone vaguely competent at all who inspects it will notice the warm most air leaving near the top and other air being pulled in near the bottom.

The stats for the Battle Corgi (CR 1, Small Beast) and the household spirit kind of Hobgoblin (CR 1/4, Tiny Fey) can be found in Izegrim Creations's "Twilight Fables". See D&D 5E - Twilight Fables Now Publicly Available! or contact @Sacrosanct to get a copy. The corgi Ceann Te can turn invisible 1 time per day (as per the Hobgoblin).

One version of a small fire elemental (CR 1/2) can be found in Nerzugal's Extended Bestiary at Small Fire Elemental .



The next room created (#61) is in post #539 D&D General - #Dungeon23 .

2.9 Outer Vault

• First Glance:
  • More debris, broken furniture
  • Solid iron door in east wall
• Closer Look:
  • Some of the furniture looks like it could have been desks, long ago
  • The iron door has three large, intricate keyholes in a horizontal row.
  • The broken off point of a sword is wedged tightly in one of the keyholes
  • The door, especially around the keyholes, shows numerous scratches
• Secrets:
  • The door is especially hard steel, or some more exotic metal
  • Good luck finding the three keys. But they must be around here somewhere...

gorice said:

I wasn't sure where you were going with this at first, but your posts are starting to resemble a really interesting gazetteer for an island-hopping adventure. Looking forward to seeing the finished product!

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And that's only the first two levels .
I actually have a plan.
Level 1: Hometown/Basecamp and Hexcrawl to the Grave of an old wizard which contains the key to the Lost City of Kyrthar Tahlketh. So a lot of random locations for the Hexcrawl trough the jungle of the Island/Continent of Noland (working title).
Level 2: getting back to town, stocking up and planning and doing the expedition to the lost City. So more "random" locations on the island for more Hexcrawling. And at the End of level 2, they find the entrance to the lost City which they can open with the Key found in the Graveyard.

The 60ish rooms/locations of Levels 1 and 2 can also be used for island/tropical/wildness/island hopping exploration adventures.

I also use the time gained by doodling random locations for the first two months to figure out how to actually design my Megadungeon. I have a very rough outline of what is contained inside the city (you can read the backstory on my blog: Dungeon23 – Level 1 completed – what’s next? – A.B. Funings Blog ) but the gust is: The lost City of Kyrthar Tahlketh was the capital of the Kyrtharian Empire, a magically advanced society, who's wars, blasphemy and arrogance angered the gods, so they open portals to hell, so demons could invade the city. A powerful wizard sealed the city to contain the invasion and save the rest of the empire. The sealing part worked. The inhabitants and devils and demons were now trapped inside the city and couldn't get out ... a cruel fate for All survivors of the initial demon attack ...
And the empire crumbled anyway because if you take away the capital of a very centralised country it's quite bad. The horrors unleashed by the war roamed the countryside and the rest of the inhabitants fled and after 1000 years the wildness has reclaimed the lands with only little dots of civilization remaining, like the former pirate city of Freehaven (formerly known as Butcher's haven).

The governor of Freehaven wants to reform the city in order to not get destroyed by other nations ...

So imagine Freehaven as a Terry Pratchett-like Discworld City where you have a governor who wants to reform a city full of pirates, smugglers and criminals and all this criminal scum now has to pretend to be somewhat legitimate and not just a bunch of bandits to attract investors and convince other nations that they didn't just capture another merchant's vessel ...

So, now while creating sidequests and the hexcrawl to the lost City I'm planning the actual megadungeon Lost City and figuring out what design principles to use in order to end up with something playable, which I also just put up a blog article about: Creating a Structurally Playable Dungeon – Dungeon Design Part 1 – A.B. Funings Blog

Day 41

I stepped into the wreck of the Star of the North, my heart pounding in my chest. The captain's quarters loomed before me, a gaping maw inviting me into its depths. The walls were cracked and crumbling, and the relentless sea had claimed the room, turning it into a slick and slippery lair.
I felt as though I had crossed over into another world, a place where the laws of nature no longer applied. The air was thick with the scent of salt and rot, and an eerie light filled the space, casting shadows that seemed to shift and dance on their own.
And there it was, on the desk, the captain's logbook. Its pages were made from the finest waterproof parchment, and its words held the key to unlocking the mystery of the Lady She'To'Kirilian and the strange cargo she carried. According to the log, the ship had been doomed by some sort of creature that had broken free from its confines and left the crew at the mercy of the tumultuous waves.
But it wasn't just any creature - its presence had attracted the attention of beings from the depths, creatures of myth and legend that whispered of horrors beyond comprehension.
What horrors did they unleash upon the doomed ship? The logbook is ominously silent on the matter, its final entry dated a month prior.
But one thing is certain, the wreck of the Star of the North holds secrets that should remain buried in its watery grave, secrets that even the bravest of souls may not be able to uncover. For in the depths of the brine lies a malevolence that will stop at nothing to claim what it desires. And as I stand here, staring into the heart of this desolate place, I can feel that malevolence calling to me, tempting me to uncover its secrets, no matter the cost.

Cadence said:

Room 62 - The Laundry

This somewhat hidden 10'x10' room is where the house fey couple Nite Sock and Tuáille Te do their work. They wash clothes and sheets if they are left by the door with a proper reward (sometimes with extra starch or other surprise if not) and provide towels for those bathing in the fountain (room #54). If they are intruded on they will immediately turn invisible and stay out of trouble if possible -- and get revenge later.

If they are not here, they will probably be in their living quarters across the hall (#61) and may be accompanied by their loyal corgi Toirneach (who they are teaching to turn invisible as well).

This room has a large copper tub in the south-west corner with a small bench beside it (it is more than big enough to bathe in for most people -- but that would upset the staff greatly). A large iron cylinder is in the north-west corner surrounded by buckets. The cylinder lid can open to dump cold water carried from the fountain into, and there is a spigot coming from lower down on the cylinder to get the warm water back out. The water is kept hot by the small fire elemental Ceann Te who views it as a personal challenge to do so and to keep the air warm enough to dry the clothes (and if Nite Sock and Tuáille Te are in actual danger, it may help them). There are shelves on the east end of the north wall to hold the clean towels, and the south-east part of the room has a large number of pieces of rope strung between a wooden stand and the wall to dry things on. There is a drain in the floor near the south wall.

The door to the room is unlocked and not particularly tight fitting. Anyone vaguely competent at all who inspects it will notice the warm most air leaving near the top and other air being pulled in near the bottom.

The stats for the Battle Corgi (CR 1, Small Beast) and the household spirit kind of Hobgoblin (CR 1/4, Tiny Fey) can be found in Izegrim Creations's "Twilight Fables". See D&D 5E - Twilight Fables Now Publicly Available! or contact @Sacrosanct to get a copy. The corgi Ceann Te can turn invisible 1 time per day (as per the Hobgoblin).

One version of a small fire elemental (CR 1/2) can be found in Nerzugal's Extended Bestiary at Small Fire Elemental .

View attachment 275152

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Room 61 - A Cautious Little Greenhouse

This somewhat hidden 10'x10' room is the home of the fey couple Nite Sock and Tuáille Te and their corgi Toirneach. During the day they are often in the Laundry (see room #62, also containing their stats), but they never got a lock for this door because ruffians might ruin it and get in a bad and destructive mood because of it. When they are in it they can securely bar the heavily banded door fairly securely from the inside (STR 22 to open).

The room has four continual flame spells cast on the ceiling (so no one can steal them). They cover the lighted areas with blankets hanging from hooks when they are trying to sleep. They can also pull the strings and drop the blankets on anyone who happens to break into the room while they are there.

The floor has nearly a score of various metal pieces (chamber pots, helmets, buckets, lanterns) and small wooden pieces (drawers, crates, half barrels) filled with dirt for growing plants. They are growing tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, green peppers, hot peppers, green beans, and strawberries. None of them are currently ripe (although some seem to have been recently picked and some soon will be). There is also a small bed with a secret compartment under the mattress near its foot where the ripe ones are stashed (undetectable without either lifting the mattress or going underneath the bed and then tapping at that end - DC 15 in that case). Reaching in it to lift the sheet covering the vegetables risks running afoul of a bear trap (DC 14 to notice something is off, DC 18 DEX save if it isn't noticed - resulting in d10 damage. It can easily be set off by poking it with an expendable stick if it is seen, or if time is taken the off mechanism can be found). The rest of their food (delivered by Berghildr) is unhidden in the bottom drawer of a topless dresser (marked with the x) that has cherry tomatoes growing in the top drawer.

When they are in the room there is also a bottle of oil with self lighting sticks perched above the door to fall as it's opened (DEX 15 save to avoid d4 fire damage) and a heavy crossbow and two light crossbows aimed at the door to be triggered by strings (DEX 18 to save if someone just opens the door uncautiously, DEX 12 if they are cautious). Once they've played that all out they will turn invisible and mentally mark down who needs to be punished later.




The next room created (#85) is in post #549 D&D General - #Dungeon23 .

10. This 10’ x 10’ room is occupied by a sorcerer: Zebras.