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View Full Version : DM Help Encounters and Society in and near a megadungeon



HurinSmite
2019-10-27, 06:28 PM
https://www.unseen64.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/final-fantasy-fortress-grin-square-cancelled-41-768x481.jpg

I'm planning to have my next campaign circle around a newly discovered megadungeon. The idea have sprung from a japanese manga called "Delicious in Dungeon" for those interested. The dungeon is so huge that different adventuring groups venture into it and try to get as much treasure as they can before forced to retreat to the surface/safe spot due to low rations or injuries. These are some parts I'd like to use from the manga in my campaign:

Thematic levels (catacombs, water, city)
Dungeon Tavern/market (people living almost fulltime in the dungeon)
Meeting rival adventuring parties in dungeon

[Question 1]Now comes my question. What kind of society would a megadungeon create? How to be a great gamemaster (https://youtu.be/JOtihpFZoRg?t=1329) mentions how an economy can develop in the real world between illegal miners and people bringing the illegal miners food.
In a fantasy setting that could be merchants bringing food stock to duergar miners, weapons to ogres etc.

What if this megadungeon has been delved for months/years and the top levels are mostly cleared of valuables. I'm thinking if there's continually is brought enough valuables from the dungeon a small town could spring atop this dungeon.
[Question 2]Would there be a rules between adventurers ? What kind of rules?

don't hide behind other adventuring groups, to avoid fighting monsters - unless you join forces, you pick another path.
Bring the corpses of anyone affiliated with a dungeon-guild back to the surface for a reward.
Dungeon-guild taxes.


[Question 3]The dungeon is in the wild. Who would try to claim ownership? The local king might "rule" the land that the dungeon was discovered on, but would he waste resources getting guards to tax the adventurers?

[Question 4]The dungeon has permanent residents, monstrous kind too ofcourse. Some interesting ideas?

Some of you will notice this reminds them of 3.5 Dungeonscape but if anyone knows of other great sources please share.

PS. The plan is to have the dungeon somewhere in the world of Pathfinder/Golarion in the lands of Linnorm. But that doesn't mean your suggestions and thoughts should be limited to that.

Gravitron5000
2019-10-28, 01:19 PM
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?325177-Cattle-Driving-Necromancers-Bizarre-Campaign-Journal

The above campaign journal is chock full of inspiration for megadungeon design. It's also a great read.

Faily
2019-10-28, 03:29 PM
Check out Made In Abyss (manga and anime) for inspiration of a society built up around a mega-dungeon, as well as what sort of society could evolve in such a place as well.

Calthropstu
2019-10-29, 08:23 AM
Another anime based arouund this:Is it wrong to pick up girls in a dungeon?

But I have some ideas and insight that likely isn't concentrated on in writings.

First should be obvious: monster parts and special plants that grow from dead monsters. From special items that can be made from such materials to hard to find cures, both medical an forge crafts will be a chief export.

Next is weapons and armor. Adventurers buy massive amounts of gear. Chief imports will be magic items, weapons and armor. Food will also be a main import as adventurers rarely make good farmers.

For governance, I feel a guild system likely works best. Adventurers aren't likely to tolerate a system they do not have any say in for long.

With such a massive influx of wealth, you can expect premium prices on luxury goods such as baked sweets, entertainment and all but the crappiest of alcoholic drinks. Restaurant prices, ale prices and other such goods would be at a premium x4 I would think.

Pickpockets would flourish, though they'd avoid the adventurers themselves. There would likely be more than one thieves guild all of them competing for power, positioning and talent.

Pauly
2019-10-29, 04:10 PM
I think Deadwood is a good inspiration.

Early stage - chaotic with everyone doing their own thing. Local traders and hoteliers get rich. Successful miners get rich.
Mid stage - powerful entities get interested, try to muscle in on the locals. The town starts getting organized along factions. Patron-client relationships are important. If you don’t have enough clients you aren’t powerful, if your patron isn’t powerful enough he can’t protect you.
Late stage - government starts getting established. Legitimate powers try to take control of the town from the racketeers.
Final stage - ordinary organized town.

Once you choose what stage of development you want then you can work out how to flesh it out.

Excession
2019-10-29, 11:54 PM
Chuck out historical gold rushes for inspiration as well, from California to New Zealand. Deadwood is based on one of these obviously, but dramatised.

You don't need to tax adventurers, just tax the businesses selling them food, potions, weapons, transport, or sex. Better yet, be the one buying the stuff they pull out of the dungeon. An awful lot of miners didn't make any money at all, while local farmers for incredibly rich.

TaRix
2019-10-30, 12:37 AM
There's probably a difference between a D&D dungeon and one of these dungeon-economy towns, namely, sustainability. Where the town's around the ruin/tower/tree/etc., the stuff inside tends to replenish itself in some way. Monsters keep spawning, treasures never seem to run completely dry, rare plants/fungi aren't harvested to extinction, that sort of thing. It's just that the -coolest- stuff is supposedly really really deep inside and the low-level guys can't get there by, well, attrition. If it could run dry, then the town around it would almost need a boom/bust character to it.

Some stories even have them be 'magical dungeons', which either randomize or procedurally generate each time anyone enters, sometimes with an arbitrary restriction or resetting of some sort.

Generally, the denizens of the megadungeon don't ever sneak outside to beat on all those trespassers, either.

Pauly
2019-10-30, 01:43 AM
Onather way of organizing could be like Sword Art Online.
The recently opened levels are the levels with the biggest treasurea and tough bosses. This is where your high level adventurers are and society is more or less military campaigns.

Then you have the levels where the BBEG has been cleared but there are still a lot of mid level encounters. Things that are not worth the time and effort of the best adventurers to fight. Thus is where early settlements, basically glorified camps, would be set up.

After that you have the mostly cleared areas. There are still some mooks for the low level adventurers to train on. This is where mid stage settlements will be starting. Basic crafting of simple items can ve started here.

Then settled levels with the odd wandering monster with later stage settlements. This is where crafting of armor and high quality items starts.

Finally fully cleared and settled areas with final stage settlements. This is where complex crafting of magical items occurs, guilds will have their strongholds, in world banks are housed.

As campaign time progresses higher/deeper/further levels are unlocked. Levels will develop. The stage is open for inter-level conflicts, not just fighting against the inhabitants.

The economy will be based on trading items of different needs between levels. Not just loot/treasure and crafted items but resources will not be equally distributed on each level
.