Drawing a dungeon

[Theone0581]

Hey guys, I got a small problem and I thought of a solution, but I want to bring it by you guys first to tell me what you think. I have a predesigned map for an dungeon that my players will encounter later on down the road. My problem is that the map is drawn out in increments of 10ft squares. Now I don't own any tile, so I am going to need to use good 'ol graft paper. When I draw the map on the graft paper for the players, I need zoom in on this map by making the squares 5 feet. Normally, I would not have a problem with this, but the dungeon is rather large, and it would require a bit of time to draw the dungeon in 5ft squares.

So what I was thinking is just have the squares on the map being 5ft instead of 10, that way my job of drawing the map will cut down dramatically, and it will overall be less confusing and take up less space. Do you guys this this is a good idea?

 

[Axel]

That's a tough question to answer without knowing specifics...

Firstly, it depends on whether the dungeon still works at the reduced scale. Are there large-base monsters that will be hindered or overly effective in the reduced area? Things like Grell are "easy" to overcome if you have the space to shoot at it, but are nightmarishly difficult to fight in small and cramped confines.

Secondly, does the dungeon make sense at the reduced scale? Underground space is expensive, and time consuming to obtain. Major corridors and arteries should at least be wide enough for two people to walk in opposite directions. 5 feet is a ridiculously small width for a main corrdior. If it is an actual dungeon, with cells 'n' all, are the cells a reasonable size? They should be at least 6' to 7' wide, so that a human can lie down without assuming the foetal position.

 

[Theone0581]

You bring up some good points Axel, yes this is an underground layer leading into the Underdark. What I am thinking about doing, is just using verbal communication to the best of my ability without having to draw anything, but if I come to a situation where I need to, I will scale the location of the dungeon correctly.

 

[Empirate]

I've found that the only parts of a dungeon (or any location, for that matter) you really need to draw to scale are the parts where the fighting happens. Everything else is best done by a combination of verbal description, rough drafts of the general layout (with simple lines depicting corridors etc., so the players know what rooms connect to what other rooms), and maybe a nice print-out picture or two. Or three or four. To get across a general idea of the feel of the place.

And yeah, when drawing a place where combat will happen, definitely take into account tactical considerations: can the Barbarian charge all across the room with his movement, can the Dire Mammoth they're fighting even turn around in this hallway, what's the area of a Black Tentacle's spell again, etc.

 

[the Jester]

Don't draw the whole thing out for the players; that is why they need to make a map off of your descriptions.

Only draw out what you need to in order for things to be clear for the players. Do you have a battlemat? It's worth the investment.

 

[Tharkon]

This might be a bit obvious, but in the case of where its necessary to draw out something... just tell them one square is 10x10?