Creative Dungeon Elements

[pukunui]

Hi folks,

I'm slowly putting together a new D&D campaign, and I am looking to go a bit old school and focus on dungeon delving (at least at first). I'm tired of using premade adventures, and I want to try my hand at improvising more, so I'm looking for ideas for creative dungeon design elements ~ interesting terrain, traps, puzzles, furnishings, creatures, extraplanar intrusions, whatever.

I briefly got back into Diablo 3 recently, and I was inspired by many of the more fantastical locations in the game. Places like the Skeleton King's crypt, with its massive, crumbling architecture that drops away into the murky depths, as well as Zoltun Kulle's archives that seem to float in an otherworldly nothingness. I seem to recall there being a similar crypt surrounded by nothingness in the original Neverwinter Nights game too.

I'm also inspired by things like the pillars that pop up in Zoltun Kulle's archives and keep zapping in crystalline spiders until you destroy the pillars (there are various other summoning "stations" in D3, with summoning circles that bring in demons and columns that bring skeletons and so on). All sorts of fun could be had with things like that.

I also liked an idea that I read on the Table Titans site, wherein a group of PCs came to a room that had a bunch of false doors and a well. The well was the only exit, but it took them a while to figure that out because they were afraid they'd fall to their deaths (as it turned out, there was magic in the well that caused them to float down gently; and the DM had left a sort of "clue" by placing a bunch of healing potions in a basket above the well).

This is the sort of stuff I'm looking for. If you've got any suggestions, please send them my way!

Thanks,
Jonathan

 

[pukunui]

In case it matters, I will be using the D&D Next rules.

Also, for my initial setup, the PCs are going to find themselves in the middle of a dungeon with no clothes or equipment. As they explore the dungeon, they will come across various creatures (both undead and living), some of which will be carrying bits and pieces of their gear (got this idea from Dragon Age: Awakening). Should they succeed in finding a way out, they will discover that this was intended to be a sort of "final test" by their mentor.

 

[Rechan]

I think the book Dungeonscape, one of the last books of 3e, had various suggestions of exotic dungeons. Like walls made of slime, etc etc.

One suggestion: the insides of an immense creature. Perhaps it's undead, its flesh and bone reshaped, or perhaps it just has a weird honeycomb-like insides.

is several random d100 tables of dungeon chamber elements.

M. C. Escher dungoen: The dungeon has 6 levels, and each level is one side on the inside of a cube. You go down the stairs and come out on the ceiling or a wall. One nice thing about this is that if you look "up", you can map your path/get an idea of the level opposite the one you're standing on. The bad thing is that any denizens on that level can see you too. But each "side" is too far to attack via ranged combat.

 

[pukunui]

I think the book Dungeonscape, one of the last books of 3e, had various suggestions of exotic dungeons. Like walls made of slime, etc etc.

I've got 3e's Book of Challenges, which has some fun puzzles and traps and such in it. I can't remember if I've ever looked at Dungeonscape or not, though. I'll have to check it out.

One suggestion: the insides of an immense creature. Perhaps it's undead, its flesh and bone reshaped, or perhaps it just has a weird honeycomb-like insides.

Reminds me of that area in 4e's Pyramid of Shadows that had walls made of flesh, I think. Stuff like this is always creepy.

is several random d100 tables of dungeon chamber elements.

I get a "buy this domain" placeholder when I click that link.

M. C. Escher dungoen: The dungeon has 6 levels, and each level is one side on the inside of a cube. You go down the stairs and come out on the ceiling or a wall. One nice thing about this is that if you look "up", you can map your path/get an idea of the level opposite the one you're standing on. The bad thing is that any denizens on that level can see you too. But each "side" is too far to attack via ranged combat.

Heh.

 

[Gilladian]

I think you need to find some good random tables to roll on to spur your imagination. Books like the AEG Toolkit - the expanded version...

Or something like Vornheim (which is a random city generation system, sort of, but would be interesting as a dungeon generator as well).

And of course there are the OGRE generators here on ENWorld.

 

[Rechan]

It's also worth noting that there's nothing wrong with cracking open a module, finding a room (or suite of rooms) you like, and stealing it completely. I have zero problem using Thunderspire Labyrinth's Well of Demons, or a room or two from Pyramid of Shadows, tucked away in a dungeon somewhere.

In fact, I plan on going through some old modules here soon to look for dungeon room ideas because I, too, am jonsing for some exploration play.

Reminds me of that area in 4e's Pyramid of Shadows that had walls made of flesh, I think. Stuff like this is always creepy.

Here's a fun idea. Eberron has these monsters called Daelkyr, which are soft of extra-planar Lovecraftian gods who got trapped in the world. They consider monster creation to be an art, but they also have particular themes too. One of them, the Prince of Stone Eyes, created medusa, beholders, etc. He rides around in a mobile dungeon made of stone and flesh, like an immense living gargoyle.

I get a "buy this domain" placeholder when I click that link.

There, I've attached the file to to this post. This PDF was actually a free web enhancement for a product made by FourthCore, and it looks like Fourthcore's site is no more. Good thing I saved it.

 

[pukunui]

I think you need to find some good random tables to roll on to spur your imagination. Books like the AEG Toolkit - the expanded version...

Yes! I'm kinda hoping Mike Mearls will share his random dungeon tables (he's mentioned them a few times recently).

Or something like Vornheim (which is a random city generation system, sort of, but would be interesting as a dungeon generator as well).

And of course there are the OGRE generators here on ENWorld.

Sounds interesting!

It's also worth noting that there's nothing wrong with cracking open a module, finding a room (or suite of rooms) you like, and stealing it completely. I have zero problem using Thunderspire Labyrinth's Well of Demons, or a room or two from Pyramid of Shadows, tucked away in a dungeon somewhere.

Yeah, I'm planning on doing a bit of this too. Unfortunately, I don't have that many modules to steal from.

Here's a fun idea. Eberron has these monsters called Daelkyr, which are soft of extra-planar Lovecraftian gods who got trapped in the world. They consider monster creation to be an art, but they also have particular themes too. One of them, the Prince of Stone Eyes, created medusa, beholders, etc. He rides around in a mobile dungeon made of stone and flesh, like an immense living gargoyle.

Yes, they are very cool creatures. I may just have to incorporate them into my campaign world in some way.

There, I've attached the file to to this post. This PDF was actually a free web enhancement for a product made by FourthCore, and it looks like Fourthcore's site is no more. Good thing I saved it.

Awesome! Thanks.

 

[Hussar]

As another suggestion, drop maps often. Give the players lots of information about what lies ahead. Maybe a bit of false information too.

But, IMO information is key.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

- Think in three dimensions
- Allow for multiple connections between locations, some secret, some open
- Use environmental challenges and features -- a waterfall, lava, a lake, a frozen stream that becomes a toboggan run ...
- Set the dungeon outdoors -- paths and rooms in a city in the treetops, for example

 

[Herobizkit]

Don't be afraid to steal from everywhere. I keep daydreaming about making a Castlevania-themed adventure with lots of "platforming" elements (everything from the classic NES titles to Symphony of the Night-style design).

How about building a dungeon that goes "up", like a tower, or series of floating islands, or unreachable plateaus that require other magic hidden in the dungeon to reach (potion of fly, temp polymorph to flying creature, "hookshot"...)

Going back to classic 80's cartoons, I think every series had at least one episode where the heroes are shrunk or changed to animals or otherwise put outside their usual bodies. You could literally play a game within a game by 'shrinking' the players and putting them in a completely different board game like Candyland, or Chutes and Ladders...

Another fun idea is a dungeon that the players can alter the shape of via levers/sorcery... one of the GBA Castlevania games lets you change the layout of 15 rooms to get to dead-ends with treasures and three different exits plus the one you enter from. A movie called _Cube_ has individual rooms with death traps that shift each time the group enters a new room... from any number of exits.

TL;DR - steal from video games and movies and try to think of dungeons as three-dimensional constructs - once you add in that third dimension, stuff gets real.