Psionicist
Explorer
Heh. Why don't you construct maze 1000x1000x1000 rooms large, and then remove the gravity so you can move in X, Y AND Z-axis. Mwhahahaha pure evil 
Biggest dungeon?
- Thread starter bloodymage
- Start date
A good idea might be to take Dwarven dungeons/citadels/ruins from a number of different, smaller, sources and string them all together somehow.
For example, a very good (yet small) Dwarven Citadel can be found the 1st Ed adventure "Under Illefarn." If you string that together with several other suitable maps it might make for passable level of a dwarven citadel. I would most definitely include the Undermountain maps, though they really don't look all that dwarven (they look almost haphazard, really), simply because they are so easily adaptable.
By the way, the Undermountain maps include underground bodies of water - almost a must for any dwarven citadel...
For example, a very good (yet small) Dwarven Citadel can be found the 1st Ed adventure "Under Illefarn." If you string that together with several other suitable maps it might make for passable level of a dwarven citadel. I would most definitely include the Undermountain maps, though they really don't look all that dwarven (they look almost haphazard, really), simply because they are so easily adaptable.
By the way, the Undermountain maps include underground bodies of water - almost a must for any dwarven citadel...
bloodymage
House Ruler
I checked out Undermountain and it's just way too chaotic a layout. Doesn't adhere to my image of dwarven at all. Scratch one off jester47's list. What of the others?
Dragon mountain
Main dungeon from RttToEE
Banewarrens
ToEE
Rappan Athuk
I'd definitely like to get a look at Moria, thanks for the link, Mistwell. Thorbardin sounds interesting, too.
I'm not really getting an idea of the size of these things other than "big" or "huge." I know RA has 26 levels. What of the others? Just how huge is "huge"?
Dragon mountain
Main dungeon from RttToEE
Banewarrens
ToEE
Rappan Athuk
I'd definitely like to get a look at Moria, thanks for the link, Mistwell. Thorbardin sounds interesting, too.
I'm not really getting an idea of the size of these things other than "big" or "huge." I know RA has 26 levels. What of the others? Just how huge is "huge"?
Last edited:
Bryan Vining
First Post
I recommend Undermountain
Okay, well, I'm biased because I don't know Rappan Athuk. However, while ToEE is very large, I think Undermountain takes the cake. The original box set, which I have, has four poster size maps, which are supposed to detail 3 levels out of (I believe) 9 main levels and countless sub-levels. There are, as I recall, roughly 30-60 rooms detailed on each level, but there are far, far more unlabelled and empty rooms for you to detail yourself. Like I said, four poster sized maps of dungeon. And, if you have the money and inclination, you can get the Undermountain II boxed set for even more maps. I wouldn't recommend any of the other supplements, though, for your purposes. They are highly detailed, and using the maps without the accompanying text is probably not worth the effort, as each has only two 8x11 maps.
And, for the curious, the halls of Undermountain were originally dug by dwarves, duergar if memory serves me correctly. In the FR storyline, they were then taken over by drow until the mad mage Halather came along to claim them for himself, but you could obviously change all of that.
Anyway, that's my 2 cp.
Okay, well, I'm biased because I don't know Rappan Athuk. However, while ToEE is very large, I think Undermountain takes the cake. The original box set, which I have, has four poster size maps, which are supposed to detail 3 levels out of (I believe) 9 main levels and countless sub-levels. There are, as I recall, roughly 30-60 rooms detailed on each level, but there are far, far more unlabelled and empty rooms for you to detail yourself. Like I said, four poster sized maps of dungeon. And, if you have the money and inclination, you can get the Undermountain II boxed set for even more maps. I wouldn't recommend any of the other supplements, though, for your purposes. They are highly detailed, and using the maps without the accompanying text is probably not worth the effort, as each has only two 8x11 maps.
And, for the curious, the halls of Undermountain were originally dug by dwarves, duergar if memory serves me correctly. In the FR storyline, they were then taken over by drow until the mad mage Halather came along to claim them for himself, but you could obviously change all of that.
Anyway, that's my 2 cp.
Aluvial
Explorer
Greyhawk Ruins WGR1 has over 30 levels.
Dragon Mountain was designed as a dwarven stronghold overrun with kobolds. Three huge poster maps and a lot of reference cards.
UM is probably the largest dungeon ever produced by TSR/Wizards. It is 7 or 8 huge poster maps.
Ruins of Myth Drannor, although Elvish in design could just as easily be found underground and has 4 big poster maps of the city, although very few interiors.
Return to Tomb of Horrors boxed set seemed to have quite a few dungeon levels in it if I remember right....
Your better off just using the pieces of undermountain that you want. That is probably your best bet.
Aluvial
Dragon Mountain was designed as a dwarven stronghold overrun with kobolds. Three huge poster maps and a lot of reference cards.
UM is probably the largest dungeon ever produced by TSR/Wizards. It is 7 or 8 huge poster maps.
Ruins of Myth Drannor, although Elvish in design could just as easily be found underground and has 4 big poster maps of the city, although very few interiors.
Return to Tomb of Horrors boxed set seemed to have quite a few dungeon levels in it if I remember right....
Your better off just using the pieces of undermountain that you want. That is probably your best bet.
Aluvial
Mahiro Satsu
First Post
I always liked Dragon Mountain above all others. The kobold smake for difficult adversaries, and the level of the adventure is like 16 to 20. It is large, but yes, Undermountain is HUGE.
Monte At Home
Explorer
DwarfenCrag
WyrmWorks is a company that makes (made) nothing but map products. While I don't like all of them, if it's a GIGANTIC dwarven city/fortress you want, track down DwarfenCrag. Lots of dungeon levels (around 15-20 or so) plus a gigantic multi-page-sized underground cavern with multiple levels of its own and towers and fortresses built into it (which all have multiple levels).
The email address I have is MPITTS@indiana.edu but i have no idea if that's still valid. Google gave me a url, but it no longer works. Worth checking out the back of your local game shop's shelf for, though.
WyrmWorks is a company that makes (made) nothing but map products. While I don't like all of them, if it's a GIGANTIC dwarven city/fortress you want, track down DwarfenCrag. Lots of dungeon levels (around 15-20 or so) plus a gigantic multi-page-sized underground cavern with multiple levels of its own and towers and fortresses built into it (which all have multiple levels).
The email address I have is MPITTS@indiana.edu but i have no idea if that's still valid. Google gave me a url, but it no longer works. Worth checking out the back of your local game shop's shelf for, though.
Creamsteak
Explorer
I play Bethesda's Morrowind, and although they only show you the surface ruins (the equivelent of exits and that's it) from the full mass of the dwarven underground, they have a good feal for it.
You said your not looking for extra flavor, and you can do your own, probably very well, but here's the features I like best:
Huge "divine" dwarven machinery
Customized Brass Dwarven Golems, comes in 3 sizes
Spider Golem, it's a tiny metal spider scout, often work on expanding the place
Soldier Golem, Man-sized brass fighting machines
Huge Golems, The equivelent of the Iron Golem, only brass instead of iron.
The spider golems that are always digging occationally open up new areas to explore
Limit the total number of light sources the party has access too at lower levels. Don't stretch it out too long... but make them spend at least one IC day entirely in the dark... should make for some fun, and I've used it before.
Underground geothermic activity (lava destroys old paths, carves new ones, and is a genaral hazard). Also, a fight over a pit of about 20 feet over a flowing lava river will really get the PCs going, but I recommend an automoton opponent, because anythng intelligent will either bull-rush the PCs into the pit, or sit on the opposite corner. The goal here would be to get the big creature to get forced down the pit. A rusted (acts as if slowed) brass/iron golem could be reduced in CR significantly if the PC's are strong enough to push it cumulatively. Just one encounter idea...
You said your not looking for extra flavor, and you can do your own, probably very well, but here's the features I like best:
Huge "divine" dwarven machinery
Customized Brass Dwarven Golems, comes in 3 sizes
Spider Golem, it's a tiny metal spider scout, often work on expanding the place
Soldier Golem, Man-sized brass fighting machines
Huge Golems, The equivelent of the Iron Golem, only brass instead of iron.
The spider golems that are always digging occationally open up new areas to explore
Limit the total number of light sources the party has access too at lower levels. Don't stretch it out too long... but make them spend at least one IC day entirely in the dark... should make for some fun, and I've used it before.
Underground geothermic activity (lava destroys old paths, carves new ones, and is a genaral hazard). Also, a fight over a pit of about 20 feet over a flowing lava river will really get the PCs going, but I recommend an automoton opponent, because anythng intelligent will either bull-rush the PCs into the pit, or sit on the opposite corner. The goal here would be to get the big creature to get forced down the pit. A rusted (acts as if slowed) brass/iron golem could be reduced in CR significantly if the PC's are strong enough to push it cumulatively. Just one encounter idea...
Similar Threads
