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EightBitEngine
2018-02-08, 10:28 PM
I'm currently building a very unusual d&d experience for my players.

I'm building the over world and dungeons using retro pixel art (Some of the game assets are just cut and paste, I basically ripped all the enemy sprites from old d&d games and various other sources, but drew all the player characters sprites myself.)

Everything in the world and dungeons is hand placed like most d&d games but unlike a usual d&d game the players will see everything I narrate as I narrate it in full colored illustration (At lest as far as dungeons and npc talking heads are concerned.)

I'm hoping seeing it right in front of them will help sell some of the more weird things I want to include in the world as more real.

Anyways getting to the point

I need help making my first dungeon better. I've been crafting dungeons for years and and I'm running out of ideas

As it stands now the dungeon feels pretty artificial.

Screen shots

Here is what I have so far.

Entrance

https://img00.deviantart.net/de8f/i/2018/039/0/b/dungeon_in_castle_town_screenshots_1_by_eightbitt-dc2l5p9.png

Walls that would other wise cover the player are see through

https://img00.deviantart.net/ff01/i/2018/039/f/3/dungeon_in_castle_town_screenshots_2_by_eightbitt-dc2l5rk.png

Doors are animated and can be opened

https://img00.deviantart.net/3f0f/i/2018/039/2/7/dungeon_in_castle_town_screenshots_3_by_eightbitt-dc2l62g.png

In the first room the players will see this (Desk, book shelf, another door, and a devil npc)

https://img00.deviantart.net/6bb6/i/2018/039/1/e/dungeon_in_castle_town_screenshots_4_by_eightbitt-dc2l67t.png


This npc can be interacted with and is a Narrative tool and merchant
He gives the players an opening speech as the first thing he does.


NPC Splat screen

https://img00.deviantart.net/e11f/i/2018/039/d/5/demon_merchent_talking_head_screen_shots_1_by_eigh tbitt-dc2l6qb.png

Dialog box

https://img00.deviantart.net/1026/i/2018/039/e/2/demon_merchent_talking_head_screen_shots_2_by_eigh tbitt-dc2l6wk.png

Quest Speech

https://img00.deviantart.net/8326/i/2018/039/4/e/demon_merchent_talking_head_screen_shots_3_by_eigh tbitt-dc2l772.png
https://img00.deviantart.net/2ac9/i/2018/039/4/9/demon_merchent_talking_head_screen_shots_4_by_eigh tbitt-dc2l76t.png
https://img00.deviantart.net/6bfb/i/2018/039/c/b/demon_merchent_talking_head_screen_shots_5_by_eigh tbitt-dc2l76i.png

A Few Examples Of His Randomly generated shop

https://img00.deviantart.net/28b7/i/2018/039/0/9/demon_merchent_talking_head_screen_shots_shop_3_by _eightbitt-dc2l7s6.png
https://img00.deviantart.net/514b/i/2018/039/1/2/demon_merchent_talking_head_screen_shots_shop_2_by _eightbitt-dc2l7sg.png
https://img00.deviantart.net/a7ac/i/2018/039/2/f/demon_merchent_talking_head_screen_shots_shop_1_by _eightbitt-dc2l7st.png

And yes if the players want they can try to kill this guy and take his stuff. My game is meant to be completely freedom of choice with no telling the player "You can't do that"
But evil actions will have consequences.

From here the player can proceed to the next room but if they inspect the book shelf they will find a hidden room

https://img00.deviantart.net/4b42/i/2018/039/4/9/dungeon_in_castle_town_screenshots_bookself_1_by_e ightbitt-dc2l8e9.png
https://img00.deviantart.net/acda/i/2018/039/5/9/dungeon_in_castle_town_screenshots_bookshelf_2_by_ eightbitt-dc2l8dv.png
If found this room can be used as a short cut to get back to the dungeon entrance from a later section of the dungeon in order to cut down on any backtracking. Not to mention it has loot in it.

But here is where I run into a problem. This is the next room.

https://img00.deviantart.net/1895/i/2018/039/8/6/dungeon_in_castle_town_screenshots_5_by_eightbitt-dc2l8wp.png

The first room has a desk and book shelf in it so the players can assume what the room's purpose is (It's some kind of study)

but this room only has a single combat encounter with an undead, drow, fighter in it and nothing else, the room has no purpose in the context of dungeon and there isn't anything all that interesting in it.
I am considering putting a pressure plate trap in the room that triggers a sleeping cloud spell because the enemy in the room is immune to sleep. That might make it a little better but the problem still stands that the room is generic and lacking any identity or context within the dungeon.

If you have any ideas on how to improve this one room or any ideas for later areas in the dungeon I would be extremely appreciative of any help.

If you have any questions I'll answer what I can.

Grod_The_Giant
2018-02-09, 03:22 PM
So, um... what is the dungeon besides "a dungeon?" Is it an abandoned dwarven mine overrun by Drow? A labyrinth created by a mad wizard to hide an artifact? A goblin fortress? It must have some in-universe purpose beyond stockpiling monsters-- let that inform your design.

EightBitEngine
2018-02-09, 09:58 PM
So, um... what is the dungeon besides "a dungeon?" Is it an abandoned dwarven mine overrun by Drow? A labyrinth created by a mad wizard to hide an artifact? A goblin fortress? It must have some in-universe purpose beyond stockpiling monsters-- let that inform your design.

Story wise the dungeon is a hidden structure in the players home town. It functions as the headquarters for a small time conspirator in the big bad guys master plan
some low level wizard who will be high enough above the parties lvl to be a problem but nothing crazy probably like level 5-7 ish.

The wizard is the local kings court wizard and acts as a spy for the big bad. He built this structure as a maze of traps and undead monsters to both protect and hide his horde of magic items and to build bombs from a room in the bottom level the wizard has his undead thralls building these bombs for their leaders plan assembly line style, once one of the bombs is complete its tossed in a small portal that takes it to a room in the Vampire kings cellar. (Portal is deactivated long before the players get to the assembly room... you know so they can't just light a bomb and throw it in)

There is a good reason the vampire king is stockpiling bombs but I digress.

Essentially the building is equal parts a live-in space/office for a single evil wizard, as well as bomb factory.

I imagine there will be at lest one bedroom in the place, one larder or pantry room, a kitchen, Maybe for a joke a room full of zombies playing dice or cards.
A room or two stock pilled with bomb parts. Maybe a dead end room that,s a death trap.

EightBitEngine
2018-02-09, 10:54 PM
So, um... what is the dungeon besides "a dungeon?" Is it an abandoned dwarven mine overrun by Drow? A labyrinth created by a mad wizard to hide an artifact? A goblin fortress? It must have some in-universe purpose beyond stockpiling monsters-- let that inform your design.


Story wise the dungeon is a hidden structure in the players home town. It functions as the headquarters for a small time conspirator in the big bad guys master plan
some low level wizard who will be high enough above the parties lvl to be a problem but nothing crazy probably like level 5-7 ish.

The wizard is the local kings court wizard and acts as a spy for the big bad. He built this structure as a maze of traps and undead monsters to both protect and hide his horde of magic items and to build bombs from a room in the bottom level the wizard has his undead thralls building these bombs for their leaders plan assembly line style, once one of the bombs is complete its tossed in a small portal that takes it to a room in the Vampire kings cellar. (Portal is deactivated long before the players get to the assembly room... you know so they can't just light a bomb and throw it in)

There is a good reason the vampire king is stockpiling bombs but I digress.

Essentially the building is equal parts a live-in space/office for a single evil wizard, as well as bomb factory.

I imagine there will be at lest one bedroom in the place, one larder or pantry room, a kitchen, Maybe for a joke a room full of zombies playing dice or cards.
A room or two stock pilled with bomb parts. Maybe a dead end room that,s a death trap.

Ok I filled the room with some bomb parts and a trap and it feels way less fake and artificial now.

Thank you Grod for helping me out and making me brainstorm about me own dungeon.

But there are still more rooms to make so back to work I go.

Still open to ideas though if any one wants to contribute.

Blondie Jo
2018-02-15, 01:19 PM
How many slave there are? where do they find this undead? Maybe you can put a cell with living people that need to be rescue... or maybe some sort of underground cemetery that is used as a mine where zombis undig other zombie, or just empty graves with some words on some tombstones or even some pictures where you can see what kind of clothing they were wearing before dying and later show some zombie with those same clothes to give them a tragic identity.

Another thing can be a room where the water is dripping from the cealing and the floor is entirely cover by water where some bad looking snales or snake are hidden...

Did I help?

EightBitEngine
2018-02-15, 04:32 PM
How many slave there are? where do they find this undead? Maybe you can put a cell with living people that need to be rescue... or maybe some sort of underground cemetery that is used as a mine where zombis undig other zombie, or just empty graves with some words on some tombstones or even some pictures where you can see what kind of clothing they were wearing before dying and later show some zombie with those same clothes to give them a tragic identity.

Another thing can be a room where the water is dripping from the cealing and the floor is entirely cover by water where some bad looking snales or snake are hidden...

Did I help?

Yes this did help thank you. I like the idea of prisoners in the dungeon the most.

I also love the idea of characterizing the un-dead, however that might take more effort then I'm willing to
put in. Maybe I'll use that idea in a later dungeon.

FreddyNoNose
2018-02-15, 05:59 PM
So, um... what is the dungeon besides "a dungeon?" Is it an abandoned dwarven mine overrun by Drow? A labyrinth created by a mad wizard to hide an artifact? A goblin fortress? It must have some in-universe purpose beyond stockpiling monsters-- let that inform your design.

While an excellent question, it could simply be a dungeon crawl game. FYI, those are perfectly valid even if you and many other people don't believe it to be so.

OP, you have to decide first, what you are trying to do. Is it a dungeon crawl game or something else? It shouldn't take more than a few seconds to decide what this place is and why it is available to the PCs. Then you start breaking down the details of the place. You might want to come up with goals or not for this process. You might consider who, besides the party, knows about this place. Say the local lord knows about it, but hasn't dealt with the baddies inside for some "insert reason". Perhaps the lord doesn't know for some "insert reason".

Lord Torath
2018-02-16, 08:26 AM
You're probably going to need a kitchen/food prep area, and a food storage area.

Your wizard will want some work rooms, and an Armory/weapon storage for equipping his undead minions. Some sleeping chambers, and maybe an office where he keeps his papers, notes, and books he doesn't want getting damaged while doing "magic stuff" in the work rooms/laboratories.

You also might prepare some trap rooms for keeping nosy adventurers out and turning them into more materials for undead creation.

How does the wizard get in and out? Is it the same way adventurers would (except that the undead guards let him through), or does he have a separate entrance? There are advantages to both way, but disadvantages, too.

inexorabletruth
2018-02-16, 09:55 PM
If I may:

I'd think the first room wouldn't be a study. It would be a foyer. The next room is likely to be a main hall complete with side rooms, stairs and access to lower levels.

So, if you change room 1 to a foyer, then room 2 builds itself as a main hall. You want a big open place with tapestries, torches on sconces, rugs, maybe some animal heads on the wall, and if you really need to fill out floor space, how about some tables or cabinets?

redwizard007
2018-02-17, 08:44 PM
As some above have gotten into, build the dungeon as if you are the wizard.

I would lead in with something to discourage entrance, a pile of rubble in a rundown room or natural cavern does well, especially if there is a vermin issue. Dire rats or monsterous centipedes could do well here. The wizard moves through this room quickly and the vermin react by scurrying for cover, but PCs tend to linger...

Room 2 would be my foyer. A place to hang wet cloaks and change out of traveling boots and into comfortable slippers. A pair of skeletons would make good guards here. The skellies could double as coat racks, or you could add actual furniture.

Room 3 (could switch w/ room 2) is going to be a trap room to slow down any adventurers. A pit trap with scorpions at the bottom and poison dart trap could be fun. The wizard uses a Fly spell to bypass the pit and pressure plate trigger for the dart. Other than that it is bare.

Room 4 is a legit guard room with a mix of undead. Since they don't need to eat or sleep there will be no facilities for them, nor furniture. Let's put 2 exits here A and B.

Room A1 is a lounge for the wizard. He has comfortable chairs, a coffee table and a large fireplace. This is also where he takes his meals and a plate of partially eaten food may be present. A chamber pot sits in one corner. Two exits lead to A2 and C1.

A3 is the wizard's secret laboratory. Books line 2 walls and specimen jars the other 2. A heavy wood table with an tome of necromancy (or demonology?) Is off center in the room and a summoning circle dominates the other side. Some form of dominated creature is imprisoned in the circle. That could be a roll-playing or combat encounter.

B1 leads to the bomb making area via several chambers that fit thematically.

C1 is the larder for this little post. It isn't incredibly well stocked, but there are shelves with dry goods, a wheel of cheese, and a case of beer or wine. Easily enough for about eight light meals. There may be an incorporeal undead here "randomly."