D&D General #Dungeon23

[M_Natas]

Day 6 of Dungeon23
The Enchanted Cask: a cramped, cluttered shop squeezed between two larger buildings, with a dingy exterior and a mysterious old hag for an owner. The windows are cluttered with bottles and vials of all shapes and sizes, and the door is propped open, beckoning curious customers inside. Just be careful what you buy - the old hag's potions may come with unintended (and hilarious) side effects.

Picture made in Stable Diffusion. Map by Hand.

 

[Bill Zebub]

• 120' deep crevasse. (See X.X for bottom.)
• Narrow, treacherous path leading downward.
• Rope bridge old, rotten, missing planks. Will it hold?

 

[Quickleaf]

For today and tomorrow (a bit of a cheat since it's an old sketch, but it fits my megadungeon plus doctored it up a bit)...

And here's the resource page from the other D23 thread, printed and taped into my journal. I revised it to include The Perilous Wilds (recommended), and also add that the author Jason Lutes has playtest docs for Freebooters in the Frontier that has some wonderful tables which I'm incorporating into my D23 as well: Core Books

 

[Reynard]

01.06: Kitchen

Access: The kitchen can be accessed through two doors in the south leading to the cookhouse prep room (01.05) and a door in the north leading to the Grounds.

Description: This massive, once well furnished and stocked kitchen was used to prepare the meals for Parenix Manor. The massive hearth is big enough to roast a large pig or hang a great cauldron -- which is currently in place there. Shelves and tables are covered in the evidence of food long ago rotted or devoured by pests.

Boil and Trouble: The last use of the kitchen was not to cook food, but rather to summon something from the veiled dark by matriarch Constance Alastairn. She filled the cauldron with all the right offerings and sang the right dirges, but she was called away by the calamity that ultimately devoured the last of the Alastairn. Despite the ritual being unfinished -- or perhaps because of it -- something nonetheless slithered into the cauldron from the outer reaches. The cauldron is occupied by an amorphous devourer. It senses anyone entering the kitchen but remains still, appearing as a thick black tar in the cauldron until it suddenly lashes out with a pseudopod. The amorphous devourer cannot be sated and will attempt to dissolve and absorb as many characters or creatures that remain in the kitchen. It cannot leave the cauldron but can reach up to 6 feet away with a pseudopod.

Treasure: If the amorphous devourer is destroyed it’s black bile like liquid remains can be poured out from the cauldron. The cauldron weighs 300 pounds and will fetch a high price from a coven of witches or a hag.
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I was sort of fiddling with weird names for regular monsters (flying bloodworms for stirges) but now I am going to just keep doing it in light of recent events. Don't expect any goblins or cloakers or (in this case) black puddings!

 

[Cadence]

Seriously, there is a room 2.

Room 11 - The Sewer System

The 5'x5' grate from room 10 drops 10' down to the surface of the water in a 150' long segment of a stream that is 15' deep. The ceiling at the north end rises 20' and the water rushes out of 1-6" tall caracks in the rocks near it. At the south end the ceiling also rises to 20' (albeit with no water causing the extra height) , while at the water level there are two large rocks and many small ones that provide some protection before one is rushed over the 100' tall water fall (to room 300 below). There is faint glow provided from an edible lichen on the ceiling that is home to a variety of moths and a plethora of bats. There are a scattering of carp in the stream ranging from a few inches to a few feet that often manage to hide various rock formations on the bottom of the stream, hide from the very angry giant crocodile that feeds on them. There are normal sized cray fish and snails providing sustenance to both the crocodile and carp (in addition to the occasional bat death and their guano). An underwater search of the stream near the middle will reveal that a Black Dragon Wyrmling once tried to hide in some of the rocks as the front half is stuck in between some. The back half is missing and and the fleshy inside meat has been either eaten by the carp or washed out.

View attachment 271398

I really need to start these earlier in the day or do the big rooms a bit over several days or give less detail, but in any case, I swear there will be a room #2.


Room 41 - Eleandra's Bedroom

The doors to the 20'x20' room are barred from the inside if the room is occupied (2am-6am meditating, 20% chance at other times unless Eleandra has already been met). It is hard to break in (DC 25 Str) but easy to pick through the very thin crack in the door from the outside. However the several small bells resting on the bar are pretty much impossible to non-magically stop from falling off unless some sort of clarivoyance is used to see that they are there. There is a large canopied bed against the opposite wall, the south wall has a wardrobe and a weapons rack. The north wall has a small stand with a chamber pot inside of it and a writing desk with a chair. Right in front of the door is a large rug with a very valuable chest in the middle.

By rights the chest should be a mimic but it isn't. It's empty, but touching it will send the rug of smothering beneath it and the flying sword and halbred on the weapons rack into action. (The Halbred is as flyigng sword, but has AC 18, HP 25, and does d10+1 damage). The bow on the weapons rack is magical (+1) but not animated with 10 arrows. They will also attack anyone breaking into the room while Eleandra is there.

The wardrobe actually contains a variety of fine elvish clothes. The stand and chamber pot are what they seem, as is the chair. The desk with paper and pen, paper with elvish writing describing what can be found below (pure fiction) is actually the mimic.

The bed is very comfortable and the Drow Mage Eleandra who provides protection to the nearby denizens is quite fond of it. She is also quite fond of living. She wears a ring that causes the wearer to have the false appearance of an older high elf (similar to disguise self, but on her it only change the colorations, so the DC to tell is 22). The ring also gives disadvantage on insight checks against her when she's lying and advantage when she's telling the truth. (Consider asking what the two rolled numbers were in order and not saying if they were with advantage, disadvantage, or neither).

After she apologizes for her defense mechanisms attacking the party, she will happily tell them about the nearby rooms and how to defeat them (not really) and that she survives by doing just enough magic for the surrounding folks to make them not gang up on her. If the party is heading out to the surface world she would love to finally get out of here (or so she says - she would also like to help take down the party if the occasion arises).

The next room created (#42) is in post #211: D&D General - #Dungeon23 .

 

[Bill Zebub]

1.7

• Two skeletons near intersection, visible from stairs. Blackened. Skill check: caused by lightning damage.
• 5' metal disk embedded in south wall
• Creatures approaching cautiously will feel static charge in time to retreat. Creatures entering hallway will be struck by lightning, unless they are wearing violet robes.
• Flying also works.
• Iron doors at far end push open easily, but swing slowly shut. While both doors are open lightning trap is disabled.

 

[hedgeknight]

Here is my work from Week 1. Two rooms, one item, some inhabitants/monsters, and a group. Tomorrow I'll work on a rumor or a hook for the adventurers to explore Beyond the Golden Falls (my working title for now).

 

[Hriston]

Week 1:

 

[M_Natas]

Day 7 - the Temlple of the Seamother - now with special effects


The temple of Maris at the marketplace in Freehaven is a rickety old building that looks like it might collapse at any moment. It is cluttered with all manner of nautical paraphernalia, including old anchors, broken oars, and rusted ship wheels. The priests of Maris are a motley crew of salty old sea dogs, who spend their days lounging in the temple, telling tales of their adventures on the high seas and swilling down jug after jug of seaweed wine. Some say the priests are genuine believers, while others say they are just in it for the easy life and the offerings that come their way. Regardless of their motivations, the temple of Maris is a popular destination for sailors and pirates, who come to pay their respects to the Sea-Mother and seek her blessings for their voyages. Some say the temple is haunted by the ghosts of long-dead sailors, who still roam its halls, seeking to share in the revelry of the living. Whether this is true or just a myth is anyone's guess, but one thing is certain: the temple of Maris is a place of joy and merriment, where all are welcome to come and raise a toast to the goddess of the sea.

 

[Eyes of Nine]

Week 1 complete

 

[Cadence]

I really need to start these earlier in the day or do the big rooms a bit over several days or give less detail, but in any case, I swear there will be a room #2.


Room 41 - Eleandra's Bedroom

The doors to the 20'x20' room are barred from the inside if the room is occupied (2am-6am meditating, 20% chance at other times unless Eleandra has already been met). It is hard to break in (DC 25 Str) but easy to pick through the very thin crack in the door from the outside. However the several small bells resting on the bar are pretty much impossible to non-magically stop from falling off unless some sort of clarivoyance is used to see that they are there. There is a large canopied bed against the opposite wall, the south wall has a wardrobe and a weapons rack. The north wall has a small stand with a chamber pot inside of it and a writing desk with a chair. Right in front of the door is a large rug with a very valuable chest in the middle.

By rights the chest should be a mimic but it isn't. It's empty, but touching it will send the rug of smothering beneath it and the flying sword and halbred on the weapons rack into action. (The Halbred is as flyigng sword, but has AC 18, HP 25, and does d10+1 damage). The bow on the weapons rack is magical (+1) but not animated with 10 arrows. They will also attack anyone breaking into the room while Eleandra is there.

The wardrobe actually contains a variety of fine elvish clothes. The stand and chamber pot are what they seem, as is the chair. The desk with paper and pen, paper with elvish writing describing what can be found below (pure fiction) is actually the mimic.

The bed is very comfortable and the Drow Mage Eleandra who provides protection to the nearby denizens is quite fond of it. She is also quite fond of living. She wears a ring that causes the wearer to have the false appearance of an older high elf (similar to disguise self, but on her it only change the colorations, so the DC to tell is 22). The ring also gives disadvantage on insight checks against her when she's lying and advantage when she's telling the truth. (Consider asking what the two rolled numbers were in order and not saying if they were with advantage, disadvantage, or neither).

After she apologizes for her defense mechanisms attacking the party, she will happily tell them about the nearby rooms and how to defeat them (not really) and that she survives by doing just enough magic for the surrounding folks to make them not gang up on her. If the party is heading out to the surface world she would love to finally get out of here (or so she says - she would also like to help take down the party if the occasion arises).

View attachment 271543

Room 42 - Cornwallow's Closet

If he's not out cleaning, the janitor Cornwallow lives in this 10'x20' room. The cot on the south wall is halfling sized and there are several crates underneath. One contains clothes with a children's reading instruction book in common (pictures of humans nursery rhymes) hidden underneath and the other contains shaving equipment, a comb, and a tea set. The tool rack and wood blanks on brick shelving on the north wall has a regular broom and dust pan, a push broom, a mop, two buckets, several brushes and sponges, a crow bar, a hammer, and a buck of nails. There is a curtain in the middle of the room that has a subtle aura of evocation magic. It keeps the smell from the back half of the room trapped there as long as it is at least half shut.

The back half of the room is covered in garbage and is home to a swarm of rats and the tame (!?!) carrion crawler Tasslehoff that obeys Cornwallow much as a dog would.

If encountered, the halfling Cornwallow (actually a Wererat - sling instead of Crossbow) will likely try to wait for a more advantageous opportunity to kill the party (with his pets) or betray them to others on the floor. (He will come to the aid of Eleandra who seems nice to him at some risk to himself, but is otherwise generally a coward). He is happy to show the party to some empty rooms that "should be safe to sleep in" and will lie or not-lie about the other rooms as the mood hits him. He is typically sleeping from 4am to noon, and spends the afternoon and night cleaning the various rooms and hallways (often with several rats tagging along under his shirt or in his pickets).

The next room created (#44) is in post #223 D&D General - #Dungeon23

 

[Reynard]

01.07: The Back Gate

Access: The back gate separates the Grounds from the lands beyond the manor’s walls.

Description: Once, a proud gate stood here. Its remains can still be seen laying in the overgrown grounds on either side of the path: two individual five foot wide, ten foot tall structures made of steel banded hardwood. Rusting hinges are still embedded in the stone walls. The gate on the eastern side had a man sized door built into it, which was used to allow servants and laborers in. The gates were only fully opened for official visitors.

Vestige of the Guardian: In the days before the fall of Parenix Manor and the Alastairn family, the back gate was enchanted. There was always worry that one day those people who lived in the vicinity of the manor might come with torch and pitchfork in hand, so the gate was reinforced with magical power: a spirit from the Realm of Wrath and Wind was bound to the gate. Careful examination of the remains of the fallen gates reveal intricate but subtle arcane marks.
The guardian remains, still bound to the gates despite their fallen, decrepit state. Where once it could have blown angry villagers away like a gale, it can muster little more than a cold, foul wind. Anyone who passes through the gate from the outside into the Grounds feels this wind and a sense of anger directed at them, but suffers nothing worse. If the gates are burned or otherwise completely destroyed, the guardian is returned to its home plane. Alternatively, the gates may be gathered up, repaired and hung (either at the manor or elsewhere), reinstating the guardian’s power and continuing its service.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

So, how are we all doing, one week in?

I spent the week working on background, which I find helps inform my later creative decisions ("well, if King Astorbath's tomb was robbed, there should be a few hallways of activated traps and possibly a few chambers that remain unlocked that were too much of a hassle for previous thieves") and learning a new writing software package (Scrivener) which will work better with my writing process generally and which definitely lends itself to 52 weeks of content creation.

Today, I'll get all of the background written up and overall structure created and begin work on the first overland encounter areas. Each of these three weeks will be a different overland area, each with their own entry point into the dungeon. The harder it is to find the entry point, the deeper it'll go as a reward (?). (Honestly, I'm not sure first level characters getting an express train to the fifth level is much of a reward, but they'll appreciate finding a quick exit to the surface later on.)

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

One of the things I need to do today: A big random chart of names, which will be useful for when bandits are not instantly killed, names on gravestones and tombs, and other reasons (maybe new NPC reinforcements show up in the doomed town if the PCs do a good enough job pushing back the enemies). I'm a big believer in having pre-made names made ahead of time -- with a random list of names and surnames in this case -- rather than getting stuck with "Barry Bluejeans" or other spur-of-the-moment naming horrors.

In this case, I'm going with a Game of Thrones name generator and just banging on it until I find 20 or so names and surnames each that I like.

 

[Bill Zebub]

So, how are we all doing, one week in?

Actually kind of excited. I'm really just drawing one "room"...that is, numbered area...per day, and writing a few bullet points of description, system agnostic, for each one.

 

[Reynard]

So, how are we all doing, one week in?

I think I'm in the groove now. I had one day where I just did not feel like it, but I did it anyway.

And recent "events" have made me decide to do this systemless for now, using whatever weird names for things pop into my head at the time and explicitly no "known" creatures, etc.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I think I'm in the groove now. I had one day where I just did not feel like it, but I did it anyway.

And recent "events" have made me decide to do this systemless for now, using whatever weird names for things pop into my head at the time and explicitly no "known" creatures, etc.

You're halfway to creating a Dungeon Crawl Classics adventure, then!

 

[M_Natas]

Day 8, a random location for a hex crawl after the characters leave Freehaven. An abandoned hut in the jungle with a Giant Spider nest.
First week went better than expected. I had some trouble to find the time on the weekend with family and stuff.
In the week before Work I have more time ... ^^.
I need to put the simplest rooms/locations on the Weekend.

 

[Malmuria]

Week 1 is finished. I wrote a bit more about my plan and inspiration for dungeon 23 here and here. I'm making an undercity, with the implied setting being modern or set in a fictional dystopian future (I'll probably use Into the Odd or Liminal Horror as a system). I want to use a subway-style map to express connections between levels; each subway "line" will be a different level. This potentially allows for many different kinds of vertical loops. Then I got inspired to make at least some of the locations actual subway stations, now abandoned or in ruin.

So that's what I did with week 1. It features:

• A skeleton ticket agent that will screech if disturbed.

• Water pooling on still-electrified tracks creating a dangerous situation (after some research this situation would not be dangerous in real life, as water drops all the time on electrified tracks, but…this is special magical water! or magical electricity! It’s a trap and you have to avoid it. Switch is in the room with the skeleton. Challenge based play ftw).

• Four Escalator Mimics, of differing dispositions: Kiet is a trickster, Haru is hungry, Cindy is playful, and Apsara is just lonely

 

[Xamnam]

I'm gonna start tomorrow, I promise.

I definitely started the day I said I was gonna, and not today. Credit to Dungeon Scrawl | Old-School Maps in Minutes for the mapping software, which made this far more approachable to my mind.

Sticking with McCoy's weekly theme, so we're starting off with Ancient, and dipping into Death for week 2.

1. Crevasse - Recently opened by a mysterious shaking of the grounds. Several tight gaps require time/contortion to safely maneuver.
2. The Bone Pit - Full of bones. A few are of conspicuously larger size. Skeletons can be roused.
3. Mess Hall - Long abandoned. Any food left here has been scavenged or decomposed.
4. Treasure Hoard - Hoard is a kind word for what is actually left here. Some small valuables of note, and a mimic.
5. Defensive Redoubt - The first intentionally squared off area. Arrow slits flank the southern end of the room.
6. Emergency Exit - A large, natural looking hole in the ground. Heat and the smell of decomposition rise from below. A stake with a mostly burned away rope is driven into the ground nearby.
7. Bridge over Troubled Water - A small, steady stream cuts through this section of the cave. The water is cool and clear. This section of the streambed has been artificially deepened. Murals of heroic goblin figures are painted on the northern wall. A gelatinous cube rests here.
---
8. The Forgotten Battlefield - Defensive fortifications line either side of this large cavern. What was once an opening to the west has been intentionally destroyed.
9. Hey, that's for tomorrrow, I don't need to figure this out yet.

I can already see that I want to add more to this very linear design, so I'll probably renumber the floor as a whole once I've completed the month.