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Message: <blockquote data-quote="LostSoul" data-source="post: 6188337" data-attributes="member: 386">I use a strange little method to write up dungeons.  It helps speed up generation (for me) and, so far, they've turned out pretty good.First of all, I have abbreviations for what each room is about:E(3) - empty - nothing much there, just dungeon dressingM(3) - monster M$(2) - monster with treasure (meaning I roll for treasure for that monster)S(3) - strategic/tactical - some kind of advantage for the PCs (sometimes monsters); like arrow slits, a peephole, or whateverI(4) - information about the dungeonI/S(3) - information and strategic/tactical at the same time!T(1) - trap or trick - not just a bunch of arrows shooting out of the wall, the whole room is one big crazy deathtrap (or deal with the devil, in the case of a trick)X(1) - special - a keynote room or just something really strange$(1) - treasure - a vault or treasure horde, lots of treasureThen I figure out the distribution (the number in brackets, which I find works okay).Then I break these down into groups of five rooms each:1. I figure that one room is the "goal" room - it provides a nice benefit.  In the early part of the dungeon, it's usually an Information or Information/Strat room.  Later on it's the Special or Treasure room.  2. Then I put down the "start" room - usually Empty, maybe Info, sometimes Strat - and the "hard" path to the goal room (through a Monster room or the Trap room).  3. I put a "blocked passage" between the goal room and the start room - an obvious sign that there's a room beyond, to tempt the players, something that can't easily be accessed.  At 1st level, a chasm that's too far to jump is a good one; the PCs can't fly or climb that well, but they might be able to work out a method across.4. Then I work out an alternate route to the goal room.  Could be through a secret door in an Empty room.  Something that's not obvious.Once I get the first set done, I move onto the next, connecting each group of rooms as I go.  I usually try to put in a chokepoint that cuts the dungeon in half - usually using the Trap room.At this stage it's just a flowchart with a bunch of letters.  In order to actually make the dungeon, I start off with either the Monsters, the Treasure, or the Special room.  If I go with Monsters, it's usually a lair: who lives in here, and why?  If I go with Treasure, it's usually some kind of ruin or crypt: who built this place and what did they leave behind?  If I go with a Special, it's usually some kind of crazy thing I think would be cool: in the middle of this place there's a fusion reactor.Going with Monsters is usually the easiest because you can just look at the list of monsters by CR for ones that fit the danger level of your dungeon and pick some that interest you.Now that I know the theme I map out the dungeon.  Then I work in the Info and Strat rooms: if I have a bunch of stirges I can put some Information down about them (corpses drained of blood) and Strat for the PCs (maybe some kind of "airlock" room that allows the PCs to fight only a couple at a time) and against the PCs (a big old cavern with many places for the stirges to hide, attack and flee from).  With the map laid out I can add my secret doors and add Info rooms about them.The Trap room always takes me a long time to work out, but that's because I tend to overthink it.Then I make sure that there's at least some Information about everything in the dungeon.  And I fiddle around with it to make sure I didn't do something stupid.</blockquote>

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