Starting a dungeon.

The first question I ask before starting on a dungeon map is, “Why is this here?” Even 5 Room dungeons have to serve some sort of purpose. Is it a set of ruins from a prior civilization? Could it be a lair inside a series of caves where a creature or several creatures call home? Did some half-crazed wizard build this thing to challenge contestants in a maze while he and his friends placed bets? (We can have a moment of, “15 Quatloos on the ugly fighter!”)

Disclaimer: Statements expressed in this article are strictly my opinion. If you disagree or have a different opinion, that’s okay. I’m not an expert on everything. I’m not always right. I’m just writing from my experience as I know it. Your mileage may vary.

Then there is a matter of discoverability. Did the PC’s receive a map handed off by a dying messenger with several arrows in his back before collapsing in the Inn? My favorite will always be one of the party members stepping off the trail to go to the bathroom and falling several feet down a hole with a doorway at the bottom. Maybe a secret door in the second cellar at the inn leads to a series of catacombs that are home to the Weasel Cult. Maybe a portal opens to a coliseum style environment where three wizards gamble on the outcome of interdimensional gladiatorial events. (“20 Quatloos on the thief with the big ears.”)

There’s also the age-old question of, ”Why do the Player Characters care?” When I was younger I thought it was enough that there was gold and magic items to be found. Extrinsic motivation works great on people in the real world. As time went on I discovered intrinsic motivation can work for the group, too. They need to go through the dark caverns under the Death Fortress on Skull Island to sneak in and rescue the princess from the evil wizards keeping her prisoner. (“25 Quatloos on the Mallard Princess saving herself.”

After I answer the most basic questions, construction begins.

A dungeon can be as big as it needs to be. I try to keep my 5 Room designs on one single 8×10 sheet of regular graph paper. Larger dungeons can be several sheets of graph paper taped together and several pages deep if need be. I try to keep different levels on different pages to prevent confusion.

It gets more complicated when we have several entrances/exits to the dungeon aka Jaquaysing the dungeon. Picking out placement for dungeon entrances/exits is sometimes my biggest challenge. That, and figuring out how to clean the traps out after they do their jobs. We’re currently looking into aggressive magically enhanced stoats for this job.

Entrances are always a challenge for larger megadungeons because I don’t want to totally squish the group before they even set foot in the place. On the other hand, some places are going to put their heaviest security on the front door. I have been known to put some sophisticated traps on the front door to give the thief of the group a heavy workout right at the beginning and make the party burn some spells before entering.

That’s where we will leave off for now. Next time we’ll work on a dungeon entrance. The rest will fall into place in the weeks ahead. Stay tuned.

Thank you for being here with me today. I appreciate you. Keep it real, but please strive for positivity, too. Please embrace the things that bring you the most joy in your life.