Page 102 - Dungeon Master's Guide

after door and killing whatever lies beyond. But the A dungeon can range in size from a few chambers
ebb and flow of power between groups in a dungeon in a ruined temple to a huge complex of rooms and
provides plenty of opportunities for more subtle passages extending hundreds of feet in all directions.
interaction. Dungeon denizens are used to striking The adventurers' goal often lies as far from the dungeon
unlikely alliances, and adventurers are a wild card that entrance as possible, forcing characters to delve
canny monsters seek to exploit. deeper underground or push farther into the heart of
Intelligent creatures in a dungeon have goals, whether the complex.
as simple as short-term survival or as ambitious A dungeon is most easily mapped on graph paper,
as claiming the entire dungeon as the first step in with each square on the paper representing an area of
founding an empire. Such creatures might approach 10 feet by 10 feet. (If you play with miniatures on a grid,
adventurers with an offer of alliance, hoping to prevent you might prefer a scale where each square represents 5
the characters from laying waste to their lair and to feet, or you can subdivide your 10-foot grid into a 5-foot
secure aid against their enemies. Bring the NPC leaders grid when you draw your maps for combat.) When you
of such groups to life as described in chapter 4, fleshing draw your map, keep the following points in mind:
out their personalities, goals, and ideals. Then use Asymmetrical rooms and map layouts make a
those elements to shape a response to the arrival of dungeon less predictable.
adventurers in their territory.
Think in three dimensions. Stairs, ramps, platforms,
ledges, balconies, pits, and other changes of elevation
DUNGEON ECOLOGY
make a dungeon more interesting and make combat
An inhabited dungeon has its own ecosystem. The
encounters in those areas more challenging.
creatures that live there need to eat, drink, breathe, and
• Give the dungeon some wear and tear. Unless you
sleep, just as creatures in the wilderness do. Predators
want to stress that the dungeon's builders were
need to be able to seek prey, and intelligent creatures
extraordinarily skillful, collapsed passages can be
search for lairs offering the best combination of air,
commonplace, cutting off formerly connected sections
food, water, and security. Keep these factors in mind
of the dungeon from each other. Past earthquakes
when designing a dungeon you want the players to
might have opened chasms within a dungeon, splitting
believe in. If a dungeon doesn't have some internal logic
rooms and corridors to make interesting obstacles.
to it, adventurers will find it difficult to make reasonable
Incorporate natural features into even a constructed
decisions within that environment.
dungeon. An underground stream might run through
For example, characters who find a pool of fresh water
the middle of a dwarven stronghold, causing variation
in a dungeon might make the logical assumption that
in the shapes and sizes of rooms and necessitating
many of the creatures inhabiting the dungeon come to
features such as bridges and drains.
that spot to drink. The adventurers might set an ambush
• Add multiple entrances and exits. Nothing gives the
at the pool. Likewise, locked doors- or even doors that
players a stronger sense of making real decisions than
require hands to open-can restrict the movement of
having multiple ways to enter a dungeon.
some creatures. If all the doors in a dungeon are closed,
Add secret doors and secret rooms to reward players
the players might wonder how the carrion crawlers or
who take.the time to search for them.
stirges they repeatedly encounter manage to survive.
If you need help creating a dungeon map from scratch,
ENCOUNTER DIFFICULTY see appendix A.
You might be inclined to increase the encounter
difficulty as the adventurers descend deeper into the DUNGEON FEATURES
dungeon, as a way to keep the dungeon challenging as
The atmosphere and physical characteristics of
the characters gain levels or to ratchet up the tension.
dungeons vary as widely as their origins. An old crypt
However, this approach can turn the dungeon into a
might have stone walls and loose wooden doors, an odor
grind. A better approach is to include encountets of
of decay, and no light other than what adventurers bring
varying difficulty throughout. The contrast between easy
with them. A volcanic lair might have smooth stone
and hard encounters, as well as simple and complex
walls hollowed out by past eruptions, doors of magically
encounters, encourages characters to vary their tactics
reinforced brass, a smell of sulfur, and light provided by
and keeps the encounters from seeming too similar.
jets of flame in every hall and room.
MAPPING A DUNGEON WALLS
Every dungeon needs a map showing its layout. Some dungeons have walls of masonry. Others have
The dungeon's location, creator, purpose, history, walls of solid rock, hewn with tools to give them a
and inhabitants should give you a starting point for rough, chiseled look, or worn smooth by the passage of
designing your dungeon map. If you need further water or lava. An aboveground dungeon might be made
inspiration, you can find maps that have been made of wood or composite materials.
freely available for use on the Internet, or even use a Walls are sometimes adorned with murals, frescoes,
map of a real-world location. Alternatively, you can bas-reliefs, and lighting fixtures such as sconces or
borrow a map from a published adventure or randomly torch brackets. A few even have secret doors built
generate a dungeon complex using the tables presented into them.
in appendix A.
CHAPTER 5 I ADVENTURE ENVlRONMENTS
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