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Message: <blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 9562220" data-attributes="member: 1210">Well- first of all, it isn't just a series of rooms with monsters to fight.An awesome dungeon should have mysteries to be unraveled through exploring it, interesting features including traps, secret areas, weird elements, and tricks, often factions that can be interacted with to set them against one another, and cool history. It shouldn't be linear. It shouldn't be a series of the same encounter over and over again with minor variations- even an orc fortress should have a variety of encounters (e.g. a spellcaster here, some kind of pets there, a room with traps in it over there, orcs with differing personalities that come out in their tactics and in diplomatic encounters, etc).A larger dungeon should usually have multiple entrances and different ways to access various areas within it. The environment should include its own dangers, from yellow mold and green slime to underground waterways that can sweep you away and drown you to lava pools you have to find a way to get around.There should be a reason that the pcs want to go into it- maybe there's a threat within, maybe there's a legendary treasure, maybe there's a wanted criminal lairing within, maybe there's the answer to a longstanding mystery.Finally, an awesome dungeon should feel dangerous. Not every encounter should be easily beaten; some can even feel impossible to overcome at first blush.</blockquote>