Whizbang Dustyboots
Gnometown Hero
That's probably my route. If I ever decide to throw this up on DriveThruRPG, though (I'm thinking of sticking to only OGL monsters, plus new ones), that'll mean a lot of remedial map-making.
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D&D General #Dungeon23
Eyes of Nine
Everything's Fine
And of course our very own @Turgenev has been adding 1 (and more recently 2) maps to ENWorld every week for several years. Bonus - most of the maps have around 30 rooms in them!
www.enworld.org
D&D General - Turgenev's Friday Freebie Maps
First a little background. Every Friday I release a free map since Halloween 2015. For example, here is the link to the current 2018 maps. http://paratime.ca/ff2018.html The free maps are WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you get) but I do offer a white background and a dark one. Since mid-2016...
www.enworld.org
Charlaquin
Goblin Queen (She/Her/Hers)
Got some work in today, feeling better about the notebook situation. I think I’ll post my progress weekly instead of daily.
Faolyn
(she/her)
Just give it a try. All you need is the ability to draw a line--and if it's a cavern, it doesn't even have to be a straight line!
M_Natas
Hero
Than this is the perfect opportunity to get better at it.
I improved after only three days and will improve more over time.
It is okay to suck at stuff. When you try something new that is usally the norm. You just need to keep going. The more you draw the better you will get.
RealAlHazred
Frumious Flumph (Your Grace/Your Eminence)
This is exactly me but with a pen
I'm doing this for the Dungeon Fantasy RPG (a GURPS offshoot), but it's basically standard RPG fantasy. I'm not worrying about having all of the rooms connect to each other. I'm just creating daily rooms (or small areas) for now. Maybe they are in the same dungeon or maybe not. (Ostensibly, I'm imagining that these are all in the vicinity of Sean Punch's Caverntown setting.)
Room 1/1 — Dripping Shaft
Description: This cave forms a rough vertical cylinder, about 9-yards across and 25-yards up, with ancient carved steps spiraling around the edge from bottom to top (1-yard wide, no railing). Water drips from the stalactite-festooned ceiling and trickles down the worn steps, making for slippery footing (+2 movement points per hex, -3 to attack rolls, -2 to defenses). The floor of the chamber is littered with bits of stone debris covered by a shallow pool that slowly drains through a narrow crevice (bad footing + shallow water = +2 movement points per hex). Hidden under the water within the debris are numerous bones and bits of gear.
Vision: -8 (patches of glowing slime); note that lanterns and torches will be extinguished if they are dropped in the water
Hearing: -3 (dripping water)
Exits: Two rough tunnels at the bottom and top of the stairs.
Slippery Stairs: Climbing or descending the stairs slowly is safe enough. Moving more rapidly, or engaging in sudden motion (as during combat) requires a DX-3 roll. Failure indicates a fall on the steps; roll DX at -2 to stand up. Failure by 3 or more (or a critical failure) means a fall from the steps at whatever height the character was at. The shallow water counts as a soft surface, halving crushing damage from the fall.
Dökkkápa: A cluster of four dökkkápa (Norðlondr Óvinabókin, p. 60) are concealed amongst the stalactites on the ceiling. They typically wait until prey climbs 10–20 yards up the steps before plummeting to attack.
Treasure: Submerged amongst the debris at the base of the chamber are the remains of former victims. Gear is largely corroded to worthlessness, but a careful search may reveal some of the following:
Room 1/1 — Dripping Shaft
Description: This cave forms a rough vertical cylinder, about 9-yards across and 25-yards up, with ancient carved steps spiraling around the edge from bottom to top (1-yard wide, no railing). Water drips from the stalactite-festooned ceiling and trickles down the worn steps, making for slippery footing (+2 movement points per hex, -3 to attack rolls, -2 to defenses). The floor of the chamber is littered with bits of stone debris covered by a shallow pool that slowly drains through a narrow crevice (bad footing + shallow water = +2 movement points per hex). Hidden under the water within the debris are numerous bones and bits of gear.
Vision: -8 (patches of glowing slime); note that lanterns and torches will be extinguished if they are dropped in the water
Hearing: -3 (dripping water)
Exits: Two rough tunnels at the bottom and top of the stairs.
Slippery Stairs: Climbing or descending the stairs slowly is safe enough. Moving more rapidly, or engaging in sudden motion (as during combat) requires a DX-3 roll. Failure indicates a fall on the steps; roll DX at -2 to stand up. Failure by 3 or more (or a critical failure) means a fall from the steps at whatever height the character was at. The shallow water counts as a soft surface, halving crushing damage from the fall.
Dökkkápa: A cluster of four dökkkápa (Norðlondr Óvinabókin, p. 60) are concealed amongst the stalactites on the ceiling. They typically wait until prey climbs 10–20 yards up the steps before plummeting to attack.
Treasure: Submerged amongst the debris at the base of the chamber are the remains of former victims. Gear is largely corroded to worthlessness, but a careful search may reveal some of the following:
- various coins [$3d×10, 0.02 lb. per coin]
- a rusty but serviceable long knife (cheap) [$20, 1 lb]
- bronze bracelet inlaid with turquoise [$185, 0.15 lbs]
- greased pouch of 13 small polished agate discs (playing pieces?) [$325, neg.]
- 1 siege stone, probably only discoverable with magic as it looks no different from a natural rock [$550, neg.]
And my second room. Written before work resumed; future rooms will likely be a lot shorter!
1/2 — Chasm Arcade
Description: The sound of the wind picks up as the rough, natural passage opens into a worked arcade along the edge of a chasm. The breeze helps clear the air, though it brings occasional wafts of foul underworld odors: brimstone, mold, and the sourness of sewage. The floor of the passage is 6 yards wide with a series of arcades (columns with arches between them) along both sides. The passage extends 120 yards ahead. It is roughly straight, though it is clearly following the contours of a natural cavern on the right side (see below).
On the right side, there is a low stone balustrade between the columns. Beyond this is the darkness of a massive crevice in the earth. It extends in every direction further than most light sources can pierce, though occasional glints and reflections can be seen directly across from the arches (about 30 yards away). About 80 yards along the passage, the chasm narrows slightly and there is an opening for a broad arching bridge that once extended 20 yards to the far side. The center of the bridge has long-since collapsed, leaving a 12-yard gap.
On the left side most of the pillars form a blind arcade with solid rock between the pillars. Occasionally, however, there are openings carved between the pillars. Some of these open into single small rooms. Others open into a series of linked chambers. One of these, located across from the bridge, has a secret trapdoor in a rear room with a staircase leading down to another area of the dungeon.
When this portion of the caves was more active, this was a shopping arcade with booths and a few permanent shops lining the passage. Little evidence remains of that bustling, mercantile past.
Vision: -10 (total darkness)
Hearing: -2 (wind)
Exits: Large passages at either end of the arcade. Secret staircase descending from a room across from the bridge. Partially collapsed bridge across the chasm. Characters able to fly, walk on air, or climb walls can easily climb through the right-side arches to explore the chasm itself.
Hazards
Falling: The chasm can be as dangerous as the GM desires. It could be 100 or more yards deep, likely killing even the doughtiest delvers. Or, it could be shallower with a soft landing (standing water, fungus, mounds of guano…).
Foul Bats: A colony of a dozen Foul Bats (Monsters, p. 28) lives in a series of cramped caves higher up the chasm. If delvers are quiet and keep light to a minimum, the bats will notice them on a 7 or less on 3d every five minutes (rolling at least once while traversing the arcade). Louder noise, bright light, and/or investigating the bridge or chasm increases the odds to 10 on 3d per minute.
Treasure
The arcade and shops have been picked over many times. There may be some treasure at the bottom of the chasm or in the lair of the Foul Bats.
1/2 — Chasm Arcade
Description: The sound of the wind picks up as the rough, natural passage opens into a worked arcade along the edge of a chasm. The breeze helps clear the air, though it brings occasional wafts of foul underworld odors: brimstone, mold, and the sourness of sewage. The floor of the passage is 6 yards wide with a series of arcades (columns with arches between them) along both sides. The passage extends 120 yards ahead. It is roughly straight, though it is clearly following the contours of a natural cavern on the right side (see below).
On the right side, there is a low stone balustrade between the columns. Beyond this is the darkness of a massive crevice in the earth. It extends in every direction further than most light sources can pierce, though occasional glints and reflections can be seen directly across from the arches (about 30 yards away). About 80 yards along the passage, the chasm narrows slightly and there is an opening for a broad arching bridge that once extended 20 yards to the far side. The center of the bridge has long-since collapsed, leaving a 12-yard gap.
On the left side most of the pillars form a blind arcade with solid rock between the pillars. Occasionally, however, there are openings carved between the pillars. Some of these open into single small rooms. Others open into a series of linked chambers. One of these, located across from the bridge, has a secret trapdoor in a rear room with a staircase leading down to another area of the dungeon.
When this portion of the caves was more active, this was a shopping arcade with booths and a few permanent shops lining the passage. Little evidence remains of that bustling, mercantile past.
Vision: -10 (total darkness)
Hearing: -2 (wind)
Exits: Large passages at either end of the arcade. Secret staircase descending from a room across from the bridge. Partially collapsed bridge across the chasm. Characters able to fly, walk on air, or climb walls can easily climb through the right-side arches to explore the chasm itself.
Hazards
Falling: The chasm can be as dangerous as the GM desires. It could be 100 or more yards deep, likely killing even the doughtiest delvers. Or, it could be shallower with a soft landing (standing water, fungus, mounds of guano…).
Foul Bats: A colony of a dozen Foul Bats (Monsters, p. 28) lives in a series of cramped caves higher up the chasm. If delvers are quiet and keep light to a minimum, the bats will notice them on a 7 or less on 3d every five minutes (rolling at least once while traversing the arcade). Louder noise, bright light, and/or investigating the bridge or chasm increases the odds to 10 on 3d per minute.
Treasure
The arcade and shops have been picked over many times. There may be some treasure at the bottom of the chasm or in the lair of the Foul Bats.
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