D&D 5E Labyrinth-Tomb of the Minotaur Prince (and other random dungeons)

Quickleaf

Legend
EDIT: Just uploaded a new dungeon! Dreaded Hearth-pipes of Mr. Fwim :) Cheers!

I just had time to read more of the DMG and play with the random dungeon creation rules. Neat stuff! :) After a bunch of rolls, I came up with the following... What about you? Any cool dungeons that have emerged from using the DMG tables?



Labyrinth-Tomb of the Minotaur Prince Bangrivar

A Dungeon for 3-5 characters of 3rd-5th level


Bangrivar was a fearsome prince of a minotaur kingdom that faded from history long ago, and he was buried in a valley tomb carved from the cliffs by legions of slaves. According to legend, Bangrivar was buried with a great treasure that would one day usher in Baphomet's rise in the mortal realm. The tomb is accessed via a steep stairway sized for Large creatures which is flanked by twin weathered granite statues of minotaurs bearing axes; at the base of each statue are stone engravings in Abyssal reading "Fear" and "Feast." A large geometric arch opens into the labyrinth-tomb engraved with Abyssal runes reading "Bangrivar the Conqueror, Chosen of Baphomet."

Conditions inside the labyrinth-tomb are dark (save where noted), the air is clear but slightly damp the closer one gets to Area 7 due to the waterfall there, and a humming sound emanates from Area 9 due to the divination censer constructed of thunderstone. Hallways are 10-ft wide and 12-ft tall, and doors are sliding stone slabs requiring a Strength 13 to open. Bits of rotten rope and thread litter the floor, and faint chalk smudges can be found on the walls from past adventurers trying to navigate the labyrinth-tomb.

The canyon the labyrinth-tomb is located in might be guarded by a cult of minotaurs (MM 223), or it could be completely unguarded, the minotaurs long dead to the ravages of time. Alternately, it might be located near a mountain pass and the area might be infested with yetis (MM 305). 

Within the labyrinth-tomb, one wandering encounter can be placed at the DM's discretion: Anvad, a minotaur death priest (as per "minotaur", MM 223, CR 4 with 3rd level cleric spellcasting: save DC 13, spell attack +5; Cantrips - guidance, resistance, sacred flame, thaumaturgy; 1st level - bane, command, detect magic, inflict wounds; 2nd level - blindness/deafness, hold person), and 2 minotaur skeletons (MM 273) tend the tomb, sacrificing intruders to Baphomet, re-setting traps, and ensuring that Bangrivar's treasure never leaves the tomb. They are meant to be a deadly frightening encounter, so give the players plenty of foreshadowing of the dangers of the tomb's guardians and use plenty of horrific description of Anvad and his minions to clue the players into the threat this encounter poses.

1. Ante-Chamber
This 30' x 30' room is an ante-chamber for paying respects to the minotaur dead buried within the labyrinth-tomb. It is decorated with a crude red, blue, and black mineral mosaic in the shape of a bull's head with two hands flanking it on the floor and the bones of the tomb's makers worked into the stone walls making it appear to be an ossuary vault. When a living creature places two hands on the mosaic, most easily Ccomplished by prostrating, the mosaic appears to animate as per magic mouth and utters the following in Abyssal, then in Common: "All glory to the beast, to the devourer of the weak, the horned hunter. Here lies Bangrivar the Conqueror, Prince of Minotaurs. Tremble at his name, ye mortals."

2. Embalming Workshop
This 30' x 40' room is/was used by minotaurs to embalm their chieftains and shamans. Jars of embalming fluid and muslin shrouds line the walls while the large stone tables are littered with crude surgical tools. If the labyrinth-tomb is still actively used in your game, a partially embalmed body of a minotaur may be on one of the tables, animating as a Large mummy (MM 228) with 76 hit points if disturbed. If the labyrinth-tomb is no longer used in your game, then a huecueva tomb guardian watches over the room (use a wight, MM 300 with a touch attack that teleports to any chamber in the tomb); it cannot leave the room and isn't initially hostile, instead trying to get the PCs to retrieve the obsidian amulet (either worn by Anvad the minotaur death priest or in Area 14) which will free it from the tomb. A silver canonic jar worth 25 gp is amidst the jars of embalming fluid, holding several ounces of embalming salt.

3. Storage
This 20' x 20' room is/was used as storage for cloaks, beast masks, spiked clubs, and rusty axes.

4. Hall of Sacrifice
This 40' x 50' chamber is/was used for sacrificing slaves and intruders for the glory of Bangrivar and Baphomet. The ceiling here is 18' tall and several crow caged hang from it, some with skeletons inside. A large stone slab with metal restraints built in and stained from years of bloody sacrifices ominously occupies the center of the room. If the labyrinth-tomb is actively used, a wounded but living victim may be restrained to the slab. If the labyrinth-tomb is no longer used, the skeleton of a human in clerical robes may be restrained to the slab,

The door from Area 1  slides open to the left and to the right; if it is opened to the left, a scything blade hidden among the crow cages descends from the ceiling, making a +7 attack against the lead two PCs, dealing 11 (2d10) slashing damage on a hit. Noticing the tension of the wire acting on the stone door as it is slid to the left requires a PC make a DC 20 Perception check. 

A pressure plate on the southern section of the sacrificial slab, noticeable with a DC 20 Perception check, causes one of the crow cages to descend onto the PC, scoop them up, and hoist them into the air. This creates extremely loud noise audible all the way to Area 7 and 9. A DC 13 Reflex save is required to avoid the crow cage. Once trapped, the PC can escape with a DC 15 Dexterity (thieves' tools) check to open the lock on the crow cage. Alternately the cage's opening mechanism can be attacked (AC 19, 7 hit points), though a missed attack must be re-rolled against the trapped PC.

5. Treasure Room
A secret door (DC 20 Investigation) opens into this 10' x 10' room, though it slides up into the ceiling, requiring a creature with Strength 15 to lift and hold in position. Treasures in this room include: A weapon (DM's choice) fashioned of black iron and horn with Abyssal runes, counts as magical but also has a minor curse on it - while wielding this weapon and presented with an opportunity to act in a selfish or malevolent way to further their ends, the weapon heightens their desire to do so. A wax-sealed horn containing a potion of hill giant strength. A horned helmet which acts as a helm of comprehending languages, but only for Abyssal. Carved bone statuette of Baphomet (25 gp). Large copper mask in the likeness of a bull's head with black silk tassels (25 gp). Masterwork tortuer's tools  (25 gp).

6. Gallery of Glory
This 40' x 50' room is riddled with alcoves bearing stone and bone carvings of the various heinous victories of Prince Bangrivar, depicting how he subjugated an elvish tribe, delivered a humiliating defeat to a dwarf lord in single combat, and devoured the lovely twin daughters of a human king before his very eyes. Three support pillars are spaced evenly along the room's the center axis, covered with nasty spikes and pelts of monsters defeated by Bangrivar (including a manticore and a displacer beast). Three massive bronze statues of Bangrivar occupy the NW, NE, and SW corners of the gallery, with Abyssal runes and pictograms at their bases, reading respectively: "Terror" and a pictogram of a horned shadow (NW), "Hunger" and a pictogram of a frenzied minotaur feasting on a heart (NE), and "Ruin" and a pictogram of sundered armor (SW). Close examination reveals the statues can be slid in pre-defined arcs carved into the floor, though doing so requires Strength 15. Sliding the NE statue opens the east door, while sliding the SW statue opens the south door. 

A DC 15 Investigation check on the statues reveals that the NW statue has eyes and horns made of thunderstone that is just gilded with bronze.

Sliding the NW "Terror" statue triggers a trap, a thunderwave targeting all creatures in a 15' cube from the statue who must make a DC 13 Constitution save or take 9 (2d8) thunder damage and be pushed back 10 feet. If a creature would be pushed into one of the spiked pillars, they take an additional 5 (1d10) piercing damage.

7. Chapel of Baphomet
This 40' diameter circular room sustained great damage when an earthquake caused a stream to break thru the ceiling. It cascades thru the room in a waterfall, and has filled the room up to about 4 and a 1/2 feet (chest depth for Medium creatures), though other sections of the room are far deeper. The room is designed like something out of an M.C. Escher painting, with with the floor dropping about 10 feet with a steep staircase (now submerged by water), and the ceiling about 30' high in total with strange rock-carved stairs seeming to twist in on themselves and archways leading nowhere. A chaotic evil water weird (MM 299) lurks in the water, attacking any non-minotaur living interlopers; it takes on the vague likeness of a raging bull when it attacks.

The west wall is dominated by an altar to Baphomet with a carving of the demon lord hewn from the rock itself. One eye socket is empty and eternally drips with blood. The other eye socket contains a sardonyx gem (50 gp) which can be pried loose, though any PC doing so triggers an alarm spell which alerts Anvad the minotaur death priest who will make his way to the chapel from wherever he is.

Due to the room's bizarre confusing construction, locating the exits requires a minute of searching; alternately a DC 12 Investigation check as an action locates the exit closest to the searching PC.

If Anvad has not been alerted to the PC's presence and it is night time, he is likely to be found here in prayer to Baphomet.

8. Guard Room
A spartan 30' x 30' room, it contains 3 minotaur skeletons (MM 273) with scraps of piece-mail armor granting them an AC 15. They animate if any living non-minotaur creature enters the room, if one is attacked, or if Anvad enters and takes control of them using the obsidian amulet. A PC who utters "Ruin" in Abyssal and expends a spell slot of at least 1st level causes their armor fragments to shatter, dropping their AC to 12.

9. Divination Room
This circular 40' diameter room has a floor engraved with a labyrinthine pattern leading to a large censer crafted out of thunderstone and filled with lamp oil at the center. A low humming sound emanates from the thunderstone censer. Ominous unintelligible Abyssal whispers come from the shadows at the edge of the PC's light source (if any). Anyone bringing a light source within 15' of the censer without walking the labyrinth triggers a thunderwave aimed at them and targeting all creatures in a 15' cube from the censer who must make a DC 13 Constitution save or take 9 (2d8) thunder damage and be pushed back 10 feet. The thunderwave also extinguishes any light sources, even magical ones.

A PC lighting the censer and uttering "Terror" or "Fear" in Abyssal summons a shadow demon (MM 64), which identifies itself as Satharak, all that remains of a demon Bangrivar bound to him even in death. It offers to help the PCs overcome the lethal dangers in Bangrivar's crypt if they will deliver it a sacrifice of Bangrivar's greatest fear which will allow it to return to the Abyss. Naturally, Satharak has no intention of honoring any deal and is purely looking out for his own interests; if he has the opportunity to betray the PCs in a moment of weakness he will take it, and likewise he has no love for the minotaurs or undead guardians of the tomb.

10. Tomb of Bangrivar
This 40' diameter circular room is decorated with human-sized skeletons hanging from the walls in fetters, killed by a variety of slashing and piercing weapons, and at the center is a shallow rock well filled with hissing acid. Several smashed holes are noticeable in the walls. A series of long narrow 2" wide holes criss-cross the ceiling. The east wall contains a small shrine of red candles and skulls dedicated to Bangrivar, as well as a Large granite sarcophagus carved in the likeness of a severe-looking armored minotaur prince and sealed with wax. Several chains run from the dais of the sarcophagus into the ceiling. The north wall appears to have hit earth, leaving the granite that most of the tomb was constructed in, and an earthen statue of the minotaur prince seems to be half-imbedded in the wall; this is actually a clay golem (MM 168) that animates a round after a living non-minotaur creature enters the room (or if Anvad commands it with the obsidian amulet, and will not leave the room.

The clay golem is a super-deadly challenge for PCs of 3rd-5th level. There are a couple tricks built into the adventure to allow them to overcome this threat:
  • First, a PC who says "Hunger" or "Feast" in Abyssal and expends a spell slot of at least 1st level causes the clay golem to go berserk. This is useful if the PCs have lured other enemies into Bangrivar's tomb.
  • Second, the obsidian amulet (found either in Area 14 or in Anvad's possession) can be used to either activate or deactivate the clay golem.
  • Third, the PCs only need to survive long enough to get the sarcophagus open, get the treasure, and get out. Defeating the clay golem is not necessary. Indeed, it cannot follow them from the room once they escape.

The acid in the shallow well can be used to melt the wax around the sarcophagus as can any spell dealing fire damage or a minute using a torch. Any creature touching the acid suffers 5 (1d10) acid damage, though this actually has a healing effect on the clay golem.

Lifting the sarcophagus lid open requires a Strength 13. However, opening it triggers two pendulum scythes which descend from the ceiling, making a +7 attack all creatures in random 30' arcs until disabled, dealing 11 (2d10) slashing damage on a hit. The scythes attack on initiative count 20. Breaking a chain (AC 19, HP 7) disables the corresponding scythe, as does a readied attack against a scythe itself (AC 19, HP 12). A PC may ready a DC 12 Acrobatics check after being targeted by a scythe to leap onto it and use it to move 30' in the direction of the scythe, though failure causes them to take maximum damage if hit and fall prone. Prone creatures cannot be hit by the scythes.

Within the sarcophagus are the skeletal remains of Bangrivar in a large suit of half-plate armor (might be altered to fit a Goliath or Half-Orc PC at the DM's discretion), wearing a golden chain necklace with keys to the Old Minotaur Kingdom (50 gp), and a scroll of bestow curse clutched in his dead fingers. This spell scroll is unique in that it describes a version of the bestow curse spell that can only target a creature that has killed a minotaur or acted against Baphomet's will; it causes the creature's head to turn into that of a bull's, imposes long-term insanity on them (DMG 260), and turns their alignment chaotic evil for the duration.

11. Robing Room
This modest 20' x 30' room is used by Anvad to prepare for various ceremonies. It contains a variety of crude costumes, beast masks, bone fetishes, and torture implements used in foul rituals to Baphomet. A bloodstained copper chalice (25 gp) is located in a small alcove near a silver knife and a minotaur skull painted with Abyssal runes. A filthy straw cot lies against the south wall. 

If Anvad has not been alerted to the PC's presence and it is day, he is likely to be found here resting.

12. Cell
This 20' x 20' prison cell has a floor sunken 8' below the doors, making it akin to an oubliette. Unlike other doors in the labyrinth-tomb, the two doors leading into the cell are steel doors with small barred viewing windows and locks (DC 15 Dexterity (thieves' tools) to pick the lock). If Anvad captures a PC alive, they will be taken here to await sacrifice. If the labyrinth-tomb is actively used by minotaurs in your game, you might have an NPC trapped here who might aid the PCs if rescued.

13. Minor Crypt
This 50' x 40' room is filled with stone shelves containing shrouded skeletons. Abyssal runes for "Slave" are marked on several of the shelves, and a DC 15 Religion check recalls that is was customary for minotaur chieftains to be buried with any slaves they possessed, so that the slaves might serve their master in death; the slaves were sacrificed in a great labyrinth hunt. Two rounds after a living non-minotaur creature enters the room (or if Anvad uses the obsidian amulet), 10 skeletons (MM 272) animate, clamber off the shelves, and attack.

A secret door (DC 15 Investigation) on the east wall is actually a perfectly flush stone block that can be pushed by a creature with Strength 15. It reveals a medium-sized shaft leading down. A DC 15 Religion check recalls that such shafts were not functional, rather they were meant to allow the screams of the slaves to reach Baphomet in the depths of the Abyss. Where she shaft leads is left up to the DM's discretion.

14. Cleric's Crypt
This 30' x 40' room houses a single simple stone sarcophagus in the middle, surrounding by Abyssal engraving in a circle on the floor which reads: "Govag, High Cleric of Baphomet, Loyal Servant of Prince Bangrivar, Gnome-Bane, Devourer of Halflings, and Ruin of Pixies."   A PC cleric or paladin who uses Channel Divinity in a cleansing rite on the minotaur cleric's remains can grant Inspiration to a gnome, halfling, or pixie PC. A large faded tapestry (25 gp) on the south wall depicts a maddening labyrinthine mandala of the terrible deeds a mortal might commit that send them spiraling in descent toward the horned beast at the center, implying that at least some minotaurs are cursed human beings who gave into their inner beast. Any creature examining the mandala, even briefly, must make a DC 13 Will save or be affected by a confusion spell (PHB 224).

If Anvad has not equipped the obsidian amulet, it can be found within the sarcophagus. The obsidian amulet is a minor magical item keyed specifically to the labyrinth-tomb; it grants its wielder the power to animate to deactivate any undead or construct native to the tomb (e.g. minotaur skeletons, skeletons, and the clay golem) as an action.

15. The Bleeding Stone 
This 40' x 40' chamber is lit by dim red light emanating from a massive black stone with flecks of meteorite iron and veins of red mineral running thru it. The stone drips blood eternally from several points. Any good or lawful aligned creature touching the stone must make a DC 13 Wisdom save or suffer 11 (2d10) psychic damage, suffer visions of minotaurs subjugating the land, and be afflicted with short term madness (DMG 259). Any CN or CE creature touching the stone instead gains the Charm of Heroism (DMG 228), though any given creature may only receive this charm from the Bleeding Stone once per week.

A medium-sized shaft in the south alcove leads up. A DC 15 Religion check recalls that the cult of Baphomet reveres certain omens as signs of the Horned One, including bleeding rocks, and the shaft is meant to allow the sound of the dripping blood to echo up to the surface world to inspire terror. Where the shaft leads is left up to the DM's discretion.
 

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What percentage of the above would you say came out of DMG tables vs. what you made up using your DM skills? There's some cool stuff above (interconnections between rooms, deadly monsters) that makes me wonder if I should give the random tables another look. I just remember them listing things like storerooms and guard rooms.
 

Quickleaf

Legend
What percentage of the above would you say came out of DMG tables vs. what you made up using your DM skills? There's some cool stuff above (interconnections between rooms, deadly monsters) that makes me wonder if I should give the random tables another look. I just remember them listing things like storerooms and guard rooms.
Definitely more from the DMG then from my DM skills, but I also liberally interpreted dice results and edited everything at the end. Maybe 65% DMG and 35% DM skills?

For example, the overall layout and chamber types/contents were determined with the DMG. With a bit of editing. Let's see...Area 4 was supposed to be a minor crypt, but that seemed weird close to the entrance (and I already rolled one in Area 13), so I made it a Hall of Sacrifice which fit the Minotaur theme I was going for. And Area 15 the Bleeding Stone was supposed to be another guard room with a trick, so I came up with my own thing instead.

The command words connecting the rooms were my own thing as well. As was the "wandering encounter."

About the deadly monsters...the DMG random dungeon tables don't have much to say about which monsters you encounter in a dungeon, so lots of latitude there. I knew I wanted a "hunted thru the labyrinth" vibe, since that suits the minotaur theme well & I also like it because it subverts the "throwaway random encounter" meme. As for the clay golem, it was one of the thematically appropriate monsters I put on my monster list before determining the rough level of the dungeon. I rolled a "servitor or pet monster" in Area 10 so in went the clay golem!
 
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Quickleaf

Legend
What about the multiple traps in Area 4? Were those table-generated or imagination-generated? How about the DCs for the traps?

Well, the multiple traps in Area 4 were actually a trap on a door in Area 1 (which I chose to put on the door leading to 4) & a "setback" stone/steel jaw trap in Area 4. As I wrote up the area and included crow cages I realized that functionally a steel jaw is about the same as a crow cage (they both ensnare) so I re-flavored it.

Save DCs and Attack Bonus for traps are disscussed on DMG page 121. What the random dungeon tables give you is the relative threat level of a trap; e.g. setback, dangerous, or deadly. That gives you a Save DC and Attack Bonus range to pick from. As for Perception and Disarm DCs, there aren't really guidelines for those, so I just used my DM instinct.
 






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