Gargantuan Nautilus Shell as a Dungeon?

[Tonguez]

So Trentonjoes question abot Aquatic mounts sparked an idea for a 'unusual dungeon' and I want to get some help with ideas of what it might include and how to 'work' it.

Anyway the Idea is that the dungeon is a Gargantuan Nautilus shell - probably petrified, featuring some cracks and holes in the chambers and long since abandoned by the actual cephlapod (or is it?)

Anyway how would you make this a 'playable' dungeon?, what creatures might move into a gargantuan nautilus shell once it was discarded? How would you project the 'idea' that this is a gigantic shell without actually saying so?

anyone else got any other ideas for 'unusual dungeons'?

I added an image! The old one was broken.

 

[Breakdaddy]

If youve ever played Morrowind, there is a huge emperor crab shell that serves as an enclosure for one of the towns in the game, tis so cool, Ive been trying to incorporate it into my game, if the damned PCs would ever leave town!

 

[Aeolius]

Rent or buy the original Dr. Dolittle, the one starring Rex Harrison. At the movie's conclusion, they depict the inner shell chambers of the "great pink sea snail". I used that loosely as the inspiration for my "shellship", a gargantuan spelljamming oyster, of sorts.

 

[Voadam]

Have it be a big spiral pattern layout with small "side-rooms" that have been burrowed into the inner shells. This is an easy explanation for a linear direction dungeon.

You could have it be an old illithid spelljammer that crashed on the planet years ago killing all the crew, but there are still psionic leftovers from that time period.

 

[Dragongirl]

Have an aboleth at the center. Should be at least one giant octopus too. IMO

 

[megamania]

Shell can be 95% buried in silt allowing it to appear like a cave. As PCs go in they may relieze what it really is. Any aquatic nasty can treat this as home....a nasty Sahugin Sorcerer or....druid? That would be different.

 

[Privateer]

Oooh, just got a Nasty Idea!

DM: As you finally approach the center of the cell, a small figure is revealed. He is elderly, wears black robes, and is rummaging through what is probably a spell component pouch.
(Insert failed bartering with obvious villain here)
(Insert roll for initiative here)
DM: Okay, the necromancer casts a spell.
PC: (Spellcraft) I got a (success).
DM: He just cast Animate Dead.

Yikes, that's horrible. Be sure to laugh evilly after you say that.

 

[megamania]

...a powerful animate bone / shape bone spell?

Party goes into then a Giant hermit crab happens by looking for a home.....

 

[Aeolius]

Some images just won't get out of your head, until you do something with them.