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<blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 792139" data-attributes="member: 4937">I can answer 'yes' to all your questions.Furthermore, I can generally answer who built it and why.&nbsp; Why its monsters have not been slain previously, and why its treasures have not been looted before hand (if indeed they haven't).&nbsp;&nbsp; Above ground buildings have walls which logically support the internal walls of the floors above them (at least as close as I can manage without being a real architect).&nbsp; Living monsters have means of access and egress, and the local environment has sufficient resources to satisfy that monsters ecological niche (at least as close as I can manage without modeling an ecology on a computer).&nbsp;&nbsp; Intelligent humanoids will engage in some sort of productive industry (not just 'raiding') and usually trade with neighboring humanoids.&nbsp;&nbsp; They will not possess large ammounts of steel weapons without some explanation of how they acquired them that makes sense in the larger campaign context.Most DM's I know go to the same lengths or similar ones.For those of you that find that you are over relying on vermin, oozes, and molds to provide challenges in 'forgotten dungeons', some suggestions:1) Undead:&nbsp; Provided you have a way of physically issolating the undead from the rest of the environment, you can always tuck undead in some corner of a dungeon.2) Constructs:&nbsp; Essentially mobile semi-self aware mechanical traps, and can be placed anywhere a trap can.3) Outsiders/Elementals:&nbsp; Many of these are essentially immortal and can be entrapped by magical means, or gated in as the effect of certain spell traps.4) Tunneled up from below/Flew in from above/swam in through tunnel:&nbsp; MerakSpeilman makes a good point when he suggests that many areas which might be inaccessible to humanoids might not be to creatures with other means of traveling.&nbsp; It would be perfectly acceptable for instance, to have a tomb in which a colony of giant ants has tunnelled in from the side and set up shop in the prefabbed spacious chambers.&nbsp; In fact, it would make for an erie and memorable environment if properly done.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Celebrim, post: 792139, member: 4937"] I can answer 'yes' to all your questions. Furthermore, I can generally answer who built it and why. Why its monsters have not been slain previously, and why its treasures have not been looted before hand (if indeed they haven't). Above ground buildings have walls which logically support the internal walls of the floors above them (at least as close as I can manage without being a real architect). Living monsters have means of access and egress, and the local environment has sufficient resources to satisfy that monsters ecological niche (at least as close as I can manage without modeling an ecology on a computer). Intelligent humanoids will engage in some sort of productive industry (not just 'raiding') and usually trade with neighboring humanoids. They will not possess large ammounts of steel weapons without some explanation of how they acquired them that makes sense in the larger campaign context. Most DM's I know go to the same lengths or similar ones. For those of you that find that you are over relying on vermin, oozes, and molds to provide challenges in 'forgotten dungeons', some suggestions: 1) Undead: Provided you have a way of physically issolating the undead from the rest of the environment, you can always tuck undead in some corner of a dungeon. 2) Constructs: Essentially mobile semi-self aware mechanical traps, and can be placed anywhere a trap can. 3) Outsiders/Elementals: Many of these are essentially immortal and can be entrapped by magical means, or gated in as the effect of certain spell traps. 4) Tunneled up from below/Flew in from above/swam in through tunnel: MerakSpeilman makes a good point when he suggests that many areas which might be inaccessible to humanoids might not be to creatures with other means of traveling. It would be perfectly acceptable for instance, to have a tomb in which a colony of giant ants has tunnelled in from the side and set up shop in the prefabbed spacious chambers. In fact, it would make for an erie and memorable environment if properly done. [/QUOTE]

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