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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Imaculata" data-source="post: 7023515" data-attributes="member: 6801286">Yes, I try to at least have something for the players to interact with in every passage and room. So with most of my dungeons, even if the players encounter just a boring corridor, I try to make the corridor itself not boring. Just by the architecture alone you can transform a boring tunnel, into a space that engages the players on some level. For example, the corridor directly to the right of the entrance of the Tomb of the Pirate Queens. There's not really anything in this corridor. But I decided to have a water canal flow through the corridor, with some staircases, a little bridge, and a tomb on the south side. I also added multiple branching paths here, each of which is notably different. So with a few little tweaks you can turn a boring corridor into something interesting.This is a good example btw of the sort of interaction I try to encourage in my dungeons. There are obstacles that follow basic logical rules, and the players can interact with that in any way they please. While most of the closed doors have a lever to open them, nothing is stopping the players from attempting to open the doors with a Knock spell, or with sheer strength. And indeed an Unseen Servant could be used to trigger a mechanism remotely. The dungeon does not break the moment the players try to think creatively to overcome the obstacles. And yes, even on a small scale I think this gives the spaces purpose.Indeed.This I think is a good philosophy. "Fills rooms in a variety of ways". Not every room or corridor needs to be filled with monsters, traps, treasures or puzzles. Sometimes height differences, canals, bridges and branching paths are enough to make the space not-boring.Indeed. The idea was that the tombs in these rooms contained valuable treasure, plus they provided a means for the players to access the Hall of Dragons without solving the puzzle. Just by making these rooms completely filled with water, they offer a challenge. The players were afraid to enter these rooms, because their guns would get wet, plus they would need to hold their breath. Underwater sections are often intimidating to players. The fact that the players can choose to go around this obstacle (and it not being mandatory) gives the players a feeling of agency in my opinion. And I like to weave this feeling of agency throughout each dungeon.I'm a big fan of making entrances to dungeons a peaceful moment, allowing players to take in their surroundings. This is one of the reasons why entrances in my dungeon often start with a branching path as well. This allows the players to think about where they want to go next, without being under any pressure.But when your dungeon has multiple entrances, I think there is some merit in changing this up a bit, to give the players a reason why they might favor one entrance over the other. Then again, I also think I would choose to scrap several of those entrances, and just focus on a few. Three is the magic number.I think it can be very exciting to have one entrance be guarded, while another might not be. So the reason the players might choose to take another entrance, is because it doesn't look guarded. But maybe it poses other challenges? Maybe the entrance that looks unguarded, actually is a trap, or a false entrance? Maybe an entrance that looks guarded, also looks like it has an underwater point of entry that would allow the players to pass the guards unnoticed?This goes back to my example of the flooded tombs. This route might offer an easier route to the Hall of Dragons, but is the risk of drowning worth it? This is for the players to decide, and when you give your players such very clearly different options, it gives them a strong feeling of agency.Take for example the entrance to the Tomb of the Pirate Queens. There are three paths that the players can take, and each one is notably different.There's a heavy door, that requires a lever, or some other solution, to open. The players do not know what's behind it, nor do they know where the lever is that opens it and thus are naturally cautious. They could waste a Knock spell on it, but they will probably explore other paths first. There's a corridor to the left, which looks like it leads to a large room that is a dead end, and the water seems to flow here too. Players are often drawn to exploring an obvious dead end first, if it seems that there might be something interesting there as well. Of course they do not know there's an ambush here.Lastly, there is the corridor to the east, which leads to multiple branching paths, and the water is coming from this direction. Another reason why the players might want to explore this later. It looks dangerous, and it looks like it leads to more tunnels (even though two of those tunnels basically lead to the same room). There's no monsters here, but the corridor looks like it might be a perfect spot for a battle. It's great when a dungeon area plays with the expectations of the players.So each path is visually and thematically very different, and also features different game play. This gives the players something to work with. If all they see is three identical choices, that is not much of a choice at all. Likewise, if all entrances are guarded, that's not much of a choice. But make them all different, and the players are given agency. And in the case of the Tomb of the Pirate Queens, I designed the choices in such a way that the players are most likely to go left first (where they find a clue to the puzzle, and a means of opening the heavy doors), and then probably north, now that the doors are open and they can see what's inside. The players are most likely to leave the eastern section of the dungeon till last. The collapsed roof in the map room also makes the eastern balcony less easily accessible, thus gently steering the players to the west first. And yes, this is by design. The players feel like they have agency, but they'll probably go through the dungeon in exactly the order as I intended.</blockquote>

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