I also use Staedtler pencils for my greys, Berol Prismacolors for my colored stuff (though I also like caran d'ache) and Koh-I Noor Rapidograph pens for my pen and inks.

That being said, I do more and more work with various mapping programs or graphic programs these days.


Love the maps, Ben, BTW.

Thanks Lord Vreeg.

I use Photoshop for quite a few things: whether we are talking about adding labels to maps, coloring them, putting together different parts of a map onto a single file like we can see above, I think softwares can be very useful for mapping obviously.

I also think that, to me, the process of drawing a map by hand is fairly important. The time, patience it takes. The act of visualizing the walls, the furniture, the successions of corridors as I draw them on the page. All these things help me make sense of what it is I am mapping in a way that softwares just cannot achieve, as far as I'm concerned. Mapping by hand is an organic, literally hands-on approach that I would advise to anyone trying to build a similar environment.

Your maps don't need to be works of art, or very complex affairs, really. They need to be functional, first and foremost. Drawing the map by hand helps make it functional because it helps make it yours in your mind's eye. You come to own it by drawing all the detail yourself. It becomes real in your imagination. So I'm not seeing softwares like Photoshop as though they were a replacement to a set of hand drawing skills, really, but more as tools that add another dimension to these skills instead. One can't replace the other, though they both can complement each other very nicely for a superior result. I know that's how I feel about it in any case.

Very cool thread. Impressive work.

//H

Quote from: Harley Stroh;550052Very cool thread. Impressive work.

//H

Thanks Harley!

After we've drawn the outline of our dungeon level and thus have an idea of the layout of the place, we are ready to pin down what each area is exactly about, make sense of their organization and using that information, finalize the map once and for all.

First, I use the template I built using photoshop to bring the two halves of the map together into a coherent whole in the previous post linked above, and print a number of copies to use as drafts where I will be able to report all the notes I scribbled here and there in my moleskin notebook as I was mapping different areas of the level, and therefore get a first look into the way all that stuff comes together within the context of the whole.

Now, with the help of my level diagram and the ideas I already have about the place, and knowing there will be two sublevels, the mezzanine above the northern stables and workshop at least (see the two large tower shapes with stairs marked "up" on the map), and the 'waterworks' level below (linking the different pools of water of this main level), I report all the information I scribbled onto my notebook on one of the copies I made of the level template. Knowing that the bandits and their accomplices don't know everything about this place they elected as their hideout, I highlight all the areas that are unknown to them, which are still isolated from the rest of the complex by various secret doors and passages. I then shade these areas in light grey to make them stand out on this draft.

As I am reporting all this information I have some new ideas. I add in traps, such as pits, and swing traps (drawn as arched arrows protruding from the walls), murder holes (arrow points against the walls), alarm strings and bells to defend the place and warn of intruders (pictured as triangles with an exclamation point inside), add in some teleporters symbolized by colored dots, each color indicating a common relationship between certain teleporters and not others, determine where the guard posts are (letter G on the map), color the water with a light blue pencil. I notice the diamond-shaped rooms which share the same shape (numbered with circled 1 to 6 on the map) and will do something with them at well. The idea is for me to have a good idea of all the elements on the map and how they work together at a glance.

The result looks like this (you'll forgive my hand-writing hopefully):



Now you will notice that not all rooms have some descriptive elements. This is the first step in what I was talking about earlier when I described to you how you don't want all rooms to be stuffed with something, that you want to let the party breathe as it explores the place. Add to this that some of the areas that do have some detail might not contain a hazard or danger per se at all, and we'll have in the end a large variety of rooms, corridors and areas, some of them occupied, some of them hiding some element like a secret door or passage not readily visible to the investigating party, and some of them remaining quite bare and empty.

Now I could conceivably run a game based on this draft alone. Some DMs like to give themselves a lot of leeway in the manner in which they run their dungeons and populate them. The flaw here is that if you make stuff up as you go, you might try to railroad your players or just stuff the dungeon with what's convenient at any point to end up ruining the agency and immersion of your players. That's something I want to avoid.

I want to have some dynamism to the place for sure, but I want the challenge to be more objective than that, which requires more prep on my part, like knowing what forces are in presence, with an actual roster of the dungeon's inhabitants, what the relationships between those forces are, and of course, a key to this map that describes each particular area in ways that let me know who's where, when, what the traps are, the features of the areas and so on. We'll come back to the actual first draft of the key later on.

At this moment, though, what I do is take another copy of the template of the level I built and start to put numbers on it to see how I could organize the key itself. The important point here is for me to be able to refer to the map quickly, see a number or letter describing a specific area, refer to the map's key and see immediately what is in there.

I started by numbering the various large areas, or clusters of room that are linked together thematically by inhabitants or vibe thereof. Then I distinguish specific rooms using letters that pertain to that area number, and what I end up with is this:



Now I was not happy at all with the results, the main reason being that it does not fulfill my original intent to be readable and intuitive at an actual game table. You might see at a glance this or that letter for each area but then wonder what number that letter pertains to, like whether that letter "A" in the center of the map pertains to area 17 or 18 above. It takes but a fraction of second to figure it out, but the bottom line is that it's a fraction too much to my liking. It might lead to confusion and error in actual play, and if there's one thing I don't want to happen well, this is it.

So I start again using yet another copy of the template. This time, I identify each specific room and/or area with a distinct number. It's not original, but heck, I guess there's a reason this method is a classic:



That actually works. Now there are a few letters but it's pretty obvious what area they are under. Numbers are identifiable instinctively and allow me to refer to the key in no time. I might change and switch numbers around later on, but that'll do for a first run at a key of the entire dungeon level.

That's what we'll do next time.

Addendum (answer to feedback from Mudguard on K&K)

Quote from: MudguardGood stuff. Interesting to read about your placement of traps/warning apparatus etc., and also your reflections on how to indicate territories on the level. Think the little lake with "Obel" island and the hydra, the B1-style pool room: "steam dark"(is it?), and "the cube" are all pretty intriguing.

The positioning of traps and likewise apparatus is something of a conundrum: on one hand, you want to have some traps so that the place doesn't feel like it's unguarded, or that the party can come back and forth without ever having a potential for error; on the other hand, you don't want to have so many traps that the ecology, movement of creatures between areas of the complex etc becomes nonsensical, unless you have a specific design of a complex that is meant to be a trap itself, a Tomb of Horrors, if you will.

In other words, I tried to think about ways in which the inhabitants of the level would simply defend themselves, and still allow them to move around and know where their own protections are and how to avoid them when necessary. I might have been a little light-handed on this particular level, but at the same time, it will be populated of various factions and just rushing through to see yourself surrounded by enemies on all sides it itself a potential challenge and setback for the unwary, isn't it?

I thought about making the different territories on the map stand out in a similar fashion I did with the various secret areas of the level. It just wasn't needed for what I had in mind, which was primarily to prepare the actual key, but that is certainly an aid that could be useful to add after the fact, particularly when you are rolling wandering encounters or populating guard posts and wondering who's where and how/if people are moving around at any given moment.

As for "Steam Dark M." and "the Cube", their function and origins will be discussed later. Hint: if you are a more recent player of the game, you might know what the former means; if you are an old timer, you might guess what the cube might be, given it is connected to the teleporter pointing to it with an arrow, south-west of its position...

We now have a good rough idea of what’s where on the dungeon level. We have organized our thoughts not only on paper as we were drafting the map, but also pieced together the whole and created a blueprint of sorts, assorting a copy indicating various contents and hazards on the level to another organizing our key numbering itself. Now we are almost ready to take this blueprint to the next step and actually key the dungeon level itself.

First, however, we summarize our factions, related rosters, and think about the actual history of the level so that these elements are there to guide us as we key the map of the level.



Shaded version of the Bandit Level. Detail in progress.

Factions and Rosters

It is important to keep in mind the nature of the groups and factions populating the level as we key it all. It is also extremely helpful to have a body count of the most important groups therein: not only does it help us eyeball exactly how many individuals to put where and how, so that the whole makes a modicum of sense, but it also helps in actual play, by rewarding the players and having them realize that there are no infinite numbers of bandits and hobgoblins, and that if they work at it with caution and diligence, they can gain grounds and depopulate an area, even the whole level, to the point they could actually appropriate it to themselves and use it later as a base of operations for their expeditions deeper in the dungeon.

On the map of our level, there are a few factions that are quite visible from the onset based on the main areas of the complex:

• We have the bandit king and his court in the south eastern corner of the map.
• Just north of that position, we find the alchemist’s laboratories, workshop and toy collection.
• Roughly east of the alchemist’s area, we have the Temple, which we will populate with some cultists assisting the bandits and trying to reap their own rewards off the complex.
• The general bandit hideout proper extends over much of the southern half of the map, up to the Kobold area to the east (it actually move past it to extend to the stable and mingle with the hobgoblin and detention areas above), the Cube in the center, and the Bath house in the west.
• The Kobold area, which includes a nasty trapped area they don’t actually use, their grounds proper and the hatchery just next to it, is found just north of the Alchemist’s quarters.
• The Hobgoblin area includes the Workshop, the eastern parts of the cavern complex that directly connects to this room, and mingles with the mezzanine above the stables and the detention area.
• The detention area proper, at the north eastern corner of the map, involves the cells, the torture room, and blends into the guard post area north of it that connects via the northernmost round tower to the mezzanine above.
• The slaves’ area, finally, mostly populated of grimlocks both the hobgoblins and the ogre next to the Baths use as their punching bags and fodder to try and connect to other areas of the complex, is just north of the baths themselves.

Now there are a lot of other minor factions or areas, like the harpies, the spiders having a nest connecting to the chasm up north, and obviously the various remnants of the original inhabitants' activities of this level, who are now mostly entombed in secret areas of the level, but these are our main groups which are most likely to determine who’s where and when at any particular moment of the party’s exploration.

Consulting the Monster Manual, Monster Manual II (for its handy charts referencing all monsters, mostly, in this instance) and Fiend Folio, we can have an idea of the particulars of each group, and extrapolate from there to make sense of our complex.

• Bandit forces (see MM, Men, Bandits): 100 bandits. King 8th level fighter with 6 guards 2nd level. 1 Lieutenant 7th level. Underlings include 1 6th level, 2 5th level, 3 4th level, and 5 3rd level warriors (fighters).
  
• The Alchemist is a 7th level magic-user (see MM, ibid, 50% chance of the presence of a MU amongst the bandits: this is the case here). I add, arbitrarily, that he will have 2 assistants of 3rd level, and probably a pet of some kind (I’m thinking Homunculus here).
  
• The Temple is under the control of a Cleric of 6th level with an assistant of 4th level (see MM, ibid). These guys are basically competing with the Alchemist to gain influence over the King, who is, I decide, a bloated mockery of a man that is hiding his strength and experience as a mercenary veteran of many battles with quite a little bit of skill. He also quite insane.
  
• The Kobolds (see MM, Kobold) include 50 individuals, one leader with two guards (equal to goblins, 4 HP, AC 6, 1-6 damage), and I decide arbitrarily based on the description, 3 Wild Boars and a couple of Giant Weasels acting as guards as well. These kobolds are without female and young. They have escaped from their clan bringing with them some eggs, however, which they keep in the hatchery area. Their hope is to create a new clan with their population about to increase dramatically.
  
• The Hobgoblins (see MM, Hobgoblin) include 40 individuals, 2 sergeants with 2 assistants each (HP 9). The chief (AC 2, 22 HP, 1d10+1 damage, fights like a 4 HD monster) is accompanied by an additional 15 bodyguards (9 HP as well).
  
• The Grimlocks (see FF, Grimlock) are slaves of the Hobgoblins. Their numbers include 30 individuals, 3 leaders (3 HD, AC 4) and one champion (despite their low number, they have one such individual who is the direct representative of the Hydra they worship nearby, 4 HD, AC 3).

Now these rosters do not include the undead resting in the secret areas around the complex, as well as various individual creatures or small groups which will be specifically described per area in the map’s key.

Background

This level of the dungeon is far from being the most ancient. It was not built by the original builders (the Mi Go) who dug through the volcano’s flanks to reach some specific goals which ended up being their undoing aeons ago.

It was instead the first settlement of a race of sorcerer kings and their allied troops. The sorcerers wanted to steal the secrets of the ancient race of builders who had first discovered this particular volcano, and longed for its secrets. They first built this complex to act as a home base of sorts. As they explored the ruins left behind by their alien predecessors, they built a fort up on the flanks of the volcano above, and moved their headquarters there as they ventured ever deeper in the bowels of the earth from the inside of the mountain itself. This level was then repurposed as a garrison for the sorcerers’ troops, which they mostly used to keep control of the valley around the site, and to guarantee a secure access to the sea nearby.

Some centuries ago, the sorcerers’ explorations of the valley and volcano ended abruptly. Whether they discovered the same secrets that proved to be the undoing of the Mi Go, or fled due to some other event outside of their own control, is largely unknown at this point, but what will be evident from the party’s exploration is that this place was left behind after a great many of their troops either died or were entombed inside the complex, and that some of the dweomers that were an integral part of the sorcerers’ logistics were not shut down before they did, which tends to show that the end was indeed very brutal.

This level of the dungeon lay dormant for quite some time. The ruin of a old tower and dependences remained visible on the surface, in the woods close to the slopes of the volcano itself, but the indigenous people avoided the site (and the volcano) like the plague – which most of them still do, by the way.

The bandits that started flooding the area after the valley was settled by the Vikings first operated in the port and village at the mouths of the local river connecting the valley to the sea spreading to the west. Their operations were soon discovered by some of the valley’s inhabitants, however, and an attempt was made to hunt them down and shut down their operations completely. This is when a small band of them left the village proper to investigate the area and, if possible, find some place which they would be able to use as their future headquarters away from civilization and the agents of the laws of men.

This is when they discovered the ruined tower and dependences, and settling there for a while, ended up finding out about the connection of these ruins with the underground complex that spread from the depths under the tower towards the volcano, and up to the troglodyte fort itself.

Relationships

The small group of bandits pursues its various illegal operations from this level (connecting to a number of different locations they use accordingly, more about this later) and grew as a result.

The self-styled "bandit king" is the uncontested leader of the current inhabitants of the level. The priests and alchemist are under his direct orders, as are the brigands living there. The kobolds are refugees from another area of the dungeon (the mines of the Ash Kadaï, level 1a on our side-view of the volcano) who serve the king in exchange for his protection. The hobgoblins, however, are both unrelated to the Ash Kadaï, with connections to more fearsome beings in the wilderness, namely giants (more on that later too), and hired mercenaries of the bandit king whose tasks are both to ensure the protection of the hideout and manage the grimlock slaves as they dig searching for some crystals the alchemist uses in his magical experiments.

The group is now enormous, truly a force to reckon with, but the proximity of the dreaded volcano would make it hard to convince the authorities of the valley to raise an army to get rid of the problem: they already tried, back when the brigands pursued most of their illegal activities at the core of the village by the sea, and now that they managed to get rid of them, they are unlikely to just tempt the Devil and kick the hornets’ nest when it can stay where it is and pursue its activities away from the valley’s inhabitants. Sure, the bandits abduct people in the valley and might become a nuisance, but so far they have been diligent in liberating some of their more valuable prisoners in exchange for ransoms paid to the king. No need to upset the status quo at this point, from the authorities’ point of view.

The other consequence of the group’s dramatic growth is tensions between the different groups within the complex. The hobgoblins are in for the money, and truly do not think much of the bloated bandit king, his wizard and his tin soldiers (the automatons built by the alchemist – we’ll get back to that). The alchemist wizard himself just wants to discover the secret of this place and perfect his experiments using the captives of the brigands and the crystals he could scavenge as they explored the place some time ago. Now he is searching for more, with the help of the hobgoblins and their grimlock slaves, having convinced the king of the benefit magical power would represent for his operations. The priest in control of the temple area is a worshipper of dark cults who hates the alchemist and what he believes is his hold over the bandit king with a well-hidden passion. He pursues his own investigation of the place, and hopes somehow to find out what the alchemist could not – the actual purpose of this place and its multiple dweomers. He’s had very little success so far, but he keeps trying. The king, meanwhile, insane as he really is, is actually very conscious of the rivalries opposing his servants, and plays them against each other to keep the upper hand on the organization.

During their occupation of the place, the bandits and their allies have found out about a few secret doors and areas within the complex, and have seen a few attacks resulting from the occasional monster or undead suddenly showing up here and there on the level. This is something that puzzles the cleric in particular, and the alchemist as well, to some extent. They know this complex is not entirely dead, that there are strong magical forces at work here, but they both somehow hope to understand and use whatever it is that kills some of their men occasionally. They do not understand the actual danger, nor the fact that they are actually surrounded by legions of undead dormant beyond the walls of the level…

Guard Posts

Throughout the (draft) map of the level, some areas are simply designated by a “G”, as opposed to some specific number linked to the key itself. These are guard posts. The population of guard post varies depending on their exact location: if the guard post is close to the hobgoblins’ territory, it will be populated accordingly; if it is in the middle of the brigands’ hideout proper, then men are going to fill the ranks there. Guard posts are assumed to generally have 2-4 (d3+1) individuals stationed there at any given moments. These numbers may vary greatly as the inhabitants of the level become aware of the party’s presence, i.e. some guard posts may see their numbers double while others would be deserted if the brigands are aware of the particular location of the party, or the existence of a breach in the security of the level. Manage these hot spots accordingly.

Wandering monsters table

This will be discussed in detail after we are done with the map’s key (which will be immediately next).

We come now to the actual key of the Bandit level map (which I will break into a few different posts to not overwhelm everyone with a gigantic wall of text). The contents of this key have been altered by including full words and (nigh) sentences instead of abbreviations in order to reflect the information I actually use when I run the game.

By way of comparison, here is entry (1) as it appears on my notebook: Empty chamber. Ceiling open to shaft, well/surface. Wire trap --> alarm (crude bells) to G. 4/6 to trip. Detect. auto upon insp.

Entry (2) reads: Crushing panel N/S. Save v. DB or 2d6. Rearm from (3). Disloc. body nearby (S).

Everyone has a different way to organize the information they will use during the game. Some people need to write extensive notes and actual text they can go back to as they run whatever they prepared. Others do bullet points and schematics (I use a lot of arrows myself). Others yet will just write down a few stats for monsters and hazards and run the thing from there. You might not relate to the specific information I provide here. If you want to run this level yourself (and by all means, have at it) I strongly encourage you to take it into your own hands and make it your own: retool it to suit your needs.

My notes summarize the information about the related areas on the map briefly, often with a set of specific adjectives or succinct descriptions of the area’s particular features. All the rest is basically in my mind. It is not so much a jumping point for my imagination where I’d make everything up from these notes, rather than notes that are destined to remind me of information and visualizations of the environment as I originally conceived it in my mind’s eye, when mapping the level, annotating as I went.

I will key this map using the information collected in our previous posts, keeping my two drafts of the levels, the fully annotated draft, and the numbered draft, in particular, right in front of my eyes as I do so.

Abbreviations: some abbreviations, especially for book references, are still used here. MM means Monster Manual, FF means Fiend Folio, MM2 means Monster Manual 2 and GW Gamma World (first ed, 1978), for instance. These abbreviations are generally followed by page numbers, i.e. MM 88 means “Monster Manual, p.88”. AC for Armor Class and HP for Hit Points are also common.

BANDIT LEVEL MAP KEY, PART 1



1 – Empty chamber. Ceiling is open and leads to the shaft of the well (see surface map). Wire trap by the door leading to set of crude bells in the corridor behind. 4-in-6 chances to trigger if unaware. Careful inspection of the door will reveal the wire automatically. Ringing bells will alert people from area (3) immediately in front of the trap.

2 – Pressure plate in the corridor. Crushing panel swings from the north towards the south at high velocity. Save v. dragon breath or suffer 2d6 points of damage. The trap may be rearmed from the area (3). Dislocated body of a victim lies south of the trap, where the panel slams into the wall.

3 – Engineer, Ogrillon and a few guards maintaining the traps of the level on the lookout. The Ogrillon (FF 70) is as 3rd level fighter (AC 6, HP 18, fights with his bare fists, 2 attacks per round for 1d6+1 damage each). Engineer is a plain bandit with a gift for mechanical devices and machinery. A weak loot of 12 coppers, 11 silver, 6 electrum and 10 gold owned may be gathered from the normal men’s purses. The Ogrillon has 8 GP in a purse and a tentacle talisman around the neck gifted to him by the Temple’s acolyte (clay, no intrinsic value, but could be used w/canon and/or curate to get access to the Temple).

4 – Empty room with open pit. Skull, bits of ribs, coins and a shiny dagger float above the pit – not levitating, but inside a nigh invisible gelatinous cube with lair at the bottom of the pit filled with mud and stagnant water. Secret passage to the crypts at the bottom, under the water line. Treasure of the cube includes dagger (finely crafted, 20 gp value), 8 coppers, 15 silver, 10 electrum, 5 gold, 5 platinum, 2 garnets (value 50 gp each – might be hard to find after killing the creature).

5 – Waiting room for visitors arriving from well to reach the refectory. (7). Benches. Roll for chance of a random encounter.

6 – Second waiting room, flaming oil in containers hanging from the ceiling. May be poured over the people in this room using a switch from either guard rooms next to it. Save v. dragon breath for full damage (2d6 + 1d6), or splash damage (1d3) on success. See flaming oil DMG p. 64.

7 – Refectory. 4-in-6 chances to have 2d6 + 4 individuals in this room, either eating or gambling. Tapestries on long walls (north west, south east) conceal doors to the guards’ areas. 2d4 GP per individual.

8 – Kitchen. Cook present 4-in-6, or on some errand on the level. 3 aids working here most of the time 5-in-6. Meats and stew on stove. Exhaust too small for living beings = frequently smoked room, partial cover with aids (AC 7) throwing pots and pans at obvious intruders (1-4 damage). Cook has 12 gold in a purse. Aids own about 20 silver each (idem).

9, 10 – Corridors to teleporters and guard areas. 2-in-6 chance to have 1d2 bandits in this corridor in addition to the guards from guard post. Octagonal rooms include teleporters frozen in time. Looks like a blob statue with faces and arms and features emerging from the rock. Simple contact with living flesh reanimates teleporter, which itself becomes mass of protoplasm that tries to slowly suck living flesh in.

May step back automatically, as process is slow (1 round).

If you let yourself get sucked in the mass of protoplasm your body is digested painfully. You die. Your body (and equipment, including magical equipment) is then recreated from the mass of protoplasm of a receiving teleporter (not one of the octagonal rooms, but the 8 others spread throughout the level. Roll 1d8, with teleporters numbered 1 to 8, from north to south on the map, to determine receiving teleporter – area 27 does not count, as it receives from (16) only).  

2 in 8 chances to malfunction: roll another d8. On a 7 the (still living) body is not digested, but rejected from the point of origin plus chaotic mutation (save v. spell renders the mutation minor, roll d100 on Physical mutation table GW 9). 8 rejects the (still living) body but creates a duplicate (along with equipment, though magical items become non magical in this particular case) with opposite alignment at the target teleporter (save v. spell negates creation of the duplicate). The duplicate has 1-in-2 chance to be affected by chaotic mutations (roll on mutation table). 1-in-2 chance to be “aware” of his existence as the copy of the original, OR considers himself to be the original who just experienced a sort of epiphany during the teleportation process to explain its sudden change of alignment. RP from there.

11 – Bandits dormitory. Beds, personal effects, graffiti on walls etc. 2d6 + 6 bandits present 50%, or 1d6+3, plus 1 4th level and 1 3rd level fighters (AC 6, 21 and 18 HP, chief fights with an unnaturally large maul (Conan), while his underling fights with sword and spear). They generally are not ready for battle, though their weapons are always nearby. 2d4 gp for each bandit present, normal weapons, 3rd level fighter has about 23 GP on his person.

12 – Sergeant’s quarters. 4-in-6 chance of being here, or 2 sentries are guarding this room instead. 5th level fighter (Sword +1, AC 5, 32 HP) with 1 healing potion (from Temple), 50 GP, 50 SP and 12 coppers secured in a trapped chest (needle, locked).

13 – Living quarters of the maul-wielding lunatic of the dormitory (11). Furred bag in a corner of the room holds 3 scorpions and treasure: 50 silver, 25 GP, plus a jar of ointment from Temple curing sore joints and paralysis in 3 rounds (5 doses remaining).

14 – Ancient baths. Used to dump garbage. Filth everywhere. Was a really nice marbled room a long time ago. The three small basins along with the round pool in the NW corner are lairs of oozes. 3 gray oozes in octagonal pools (MM 49) and 1 large specimen in the round pool. Water is also filthy with bits of lichen and dust and crap floating on the surface. Round pool’s water is cleaner. It is through this pool that the waterworks sub-level may be reached (via water supply). The Dome above the pool is breached, and connects to a cavern system that links this area and area (112) (and by extension, the shafts of areas (107) and (108)), then up within the volcano to Level (1b – Troglodyte fort) and the surface beyond.

Cleaning up the pool thoroughly would reveal its contents, including some heavily corroded, unusable remnants of weapons and armor, including 3 wooden spear shafts and 2 shield frames, the coin having long disappeared in this soup, an impure diamond worth about 50 GP, and lastly, a large glass container with, inside, the living severed head of a previous apprentice to the alchemist at (59), first victim of his experiments.

15 – Corridor with caryatid columns. Bandits know not to disturb them, and avoid this corridor entirely as a result. These columns actually only react when their weaponry or body are touched, poked etc.  (FF 18). No treasure.

16 – Ancient shrine to the elements, including an altar with enormous fresco/sculpture representing them all mingled, as though they were emanating from the altar itself. Close inspection of the sculpture will reveal hidden switches opening a secret door leading to a short corridor which leads to a teleporter similar to those of areas (9, 10) but for the appearance of elements emanating from the faces and arms and various body parts all intertwined in the seemingly solid sculpture. Stepping into the teleporter (see ibid) will transport the subject to one of the four elemental teleporters connected to it (roll 1d4. 1 – Air, 2 – Earth, 3 – Fire, 4 – Water). Also roll 1d8 for elemental mutation (7) or malfunction (, the result of which would teleport the individual to area (27) instead, with an elemental mutation as well (save v. spell renders the mutation minor, roll d100 on Physical mutation table GW 9 plus elemental twist).

Each elemental room acts as a sort of portal to the corresponding elemental plane. In the fire room for instance you are standing on an octagonal platform atop a sea of molten lava and can spot in the distance the shining domes of the City of Brass. Stepping back into the teleporter allows the roll of a 1d4 for next destination, with the same element rolled indicating a teleportation to area (27) instead (without elemental mutation).

These octagonal platforms are intended as observation points, an occasion for the worshippers of these elements (who are long gone now) to meditate and admire the planes. Leaving the platforms should be possible (though they are isolated from the rest of the plane, i.e. floating in the winds, surrounded by water, levitating high above the lava fields beyond the City of Brass, or deep within an enormous grotto of elemental Earth, etc.), but this could be nigh suicidal at these levels. (For scenery make up your own, or see the Manual of the Planes, or get inspired by checking this thread out).

17 – The Ogre’s domain, where he lives with his two wives (HP 14 and 15, 3-in-6 chances each of being in the lair), a few sheep, and his treasure. North and south of (17) are the quarters of the two wives, with straw bedding, piles of refuse and the like (treasure is all kept secure by husband, the wives having no possessions of their own. They resent it, hence possible negotiations). A teleporter is located in the middle of (17). Just roll 1d8 for target teleporter, and another 1d8 for possible mutation or malfunction – see areas (9, 10).

18 – The Ogre’s lair proper. (MM 75). 22 HP, 34 GP on his person. This is an old one-eyed ogre serving the bandit king in exchange for shelter and protection. He made friends with the hobgoblins and tends to (taunts) the grimlocks in (112). 2-in-6 chances of being in the lair. Keeps sheep (see area 60) in the cluster of room/corridors east of his lair. Keeps treasure in the locked trapezoid room NE, which includes: 154 coppers, 325 silver, 58 electrum, 112 gold pieces, a half-eaten, half-decomposing dwarf puppet (actual dead dwarf used for the ogres’ amusement as a puppet), a buckler +1 (once belonging to the dwarf), a finely crafted axe (non-magical), one potion of anaerobic sustenance, one potion of feather fall, one potion of healing and a ring of delusion that feels like mammal control. The Ogre may be bargained with, but it is going to take some persuasion and some hard coin to have him leave the PCs alone, especially if they look feeble and are loaded with riches he could take by force.

19 – Old steam baths. Includes machinery to the south that malfunctioned a long time ago. The air vents scattered on the floor throughout the room still exude steam, providing the dark mantles hidden amongst the various wet lichens that grew on its ceiling. Air vents can be used to access lower waterworks level. Dark Mantles (from d20 SRD) are translated as 2 HD monsters. Hit for 1d4+1 damage, save v. paralyzation to avoid being grabbed, 1d4+1 constriction. 8 Dark Mantles in this room (AC 4 due to concealment, HP 4, 6, 10, 9, 9, 7, 5, 5). Machinery is covered with a colony of brown mold (MM 71) and may have alternate effects beyond the control of the steam (fragment incomplete).

20 – Snake’s basin. This large round area spreads around a pool of water that gives access to the waterworks level below. This is where the king’s giant snake is usually fed by its keeper (see area 21). All the major bodies of water (including areas 14, 20, 32 and 47) are basically connected down at the waterworks level by a series of pipes. Sections of the pipes are isolated from each other by a series of sliding panels accessible down below. The snake is usually (80%) kept in this section accessed via area 20, but may be granted access to the Temple (32) for particular ceremonies and (47) for the entertainment of the king (devouring some guests or servants of his – think Jabba the Hut and the Rancor with a serious Conanesque twist in the giant serpent and a vibe of Moorcock’s Nadsokor here – more on that later). Giant Snake, Constrictor, MM 88 (AC 5, 32 HP). 2-in-6 chances of the Snake handler being at work here with his assistants (3).

21 – Snake handler’s work area. Contains barrels of fish, nets, hooked poles, a couple of harpoons and various implements used to clean up the basins, tend to the Snake (20), keep it in check and so on. A trap door (more like a vent with a ladder) in the middle of the room leads to the waterworks level. This room extends under area (20), its north wall following its curve. The underwater section of the basin above is here in plain view, the water being secluded from the room by crystal panels of different shapes and sizes all held by a web of dark metal (think stained glass windows, a huge cylinder filled with water in the center of room, with the snake inside). 2-in-6 chances of the snake handler being at work here with his assistants (3).

22 – The Snake handler’s living quarters. Rarely here (1-in-6), this room is usually locked. It contains a barrel with 3 doses of gillyweed (which allows the consumer to breathe under water for an hour, roughly, though the exact duration varies, i.e. 1d4+4 turns), 54 silver, 32 gold in a small locked chess. The snake handler is a 3rd level fighter (AC 7, HP 14).

23 – More baits for the Snake (living and otherwise), and various supplies.

24, 25, 26 – Visitors area. These are apartments (25 and 26, with the other rooms being common areas with simple fare like beds of straw and the like) usually reserved for the guests of the bandit king, whether they are valuable hostages, or envoys from various factions of the region who would want to have dealings with the bandits. At the moment a group of orcs from the Ash Kadaï (see the Mines, level 1a) is visiting the bandit king in the hope to strike a deal for mutual assistance. Assuming the PCs do not intervene and give some reason for the two factions to come to an understanding, this deal is doomed to fail – for the moment. The orc delegation includes 12 Orcs (6 sword and spear, 6 axe and crossbow), a leader (huge two-handed francisca, face ritually scarred/burnt, spears) and a shaman/3rd level cleric (see MM 76). Treasure includes lots of broken teeth, a few cut elven teeth, 58 coppers, 23 silver, 12 electrum, plus 18 gold and a potion of invisibility in the leader’s possession, plus a potion of neutralize poison and a potion of healing both on the shaman’s person.

27 – Teleporter. This teleporter only leads to the 8 others scattered throughout the level, and includes no chance of creating a duplicate. It can still malfunction and spawn mutations on a 8, however. It is also the sole receiver from the elemental teleporters of (16). See area (16) for more detail.

28 – Teleporter and covered pit trap (10’ deep, with wooden spikes, 1d8+1 damage).

29 – Tomb of the ancient sorcerer. This room’s walls feel fleshy and alive in some areas, as though they had produced five living, pulsing tumours in a fashion similar to the teleporters described previously. If the tomb in the middle of the room is touched, the magical tumours will spawn a defence against the intruders, generating a swarm of 5-50 deformed aberrations, half-formed body parts and the like, which leap forth and attack (treat as a swarm of giant rats, MM 81). Purging the room of these strange formations one by one (with flame and the like) would only generate 1-10 individuals per attempt.

This secret area dates back to the days of the original owners of the complex, the sorcerer kings of old. One of them, a disgraced magic-user who had a fondness for the men of this garrison apparently, was buried here next to some of the largest crypts of the level. This man here is not a nice guy. If disturbed (assuming the threat of the swarm of flesh was dispatched somehow), he will awaken as the wight he is and defend his resting place (AC 5, 28 HP).

The current occupants of the level have no idea this place even exists. If somehow the wight defeats the players, or causes them to flee his domain, what he would do next is up to interpretation. If the wight does not follow the fleeing PCs he will simply secure his tomb and go back to his slumber. If, however, he chases the PCs around and realizes what has become of this entire place, he might head back to his tomb, open the southern secret door, and walk down to the crypt to wake the undead of this place and cleanse the level of its living inhabitants. This would potentially change this whole level into a war zone, the effect of which will be discussed later on.

Inside the sarcophagus, along with the wight’s body, are a few valuables including 3 razor-sharp disks of meteoric metal which could be used as throwing weapons (damage 1d8) covered with mysterious inscriptions, the value of which is 800 GP each. The wight also wears a signet ring, which turns out to be a ring of telekinesis. A tattered scroll contained in an ivory tube can also be found, and includes the spells magic missile, affect normal fires, dancing lights, and magic mouth.

Key to be continued…

Benoist, I must say that I've found your posts in this thread to be most inspirational.

Quote from: Murder-Hobo;581440Benoist, I must say that I've found your posts in this thread to be most inspirational.

Thank you, MH. It's my fondest hope to inspire gamers to give the mega-dungeon a shot with this series. Whatever you do with these posts, whether you come up with your own setting based on this thread or use parts of the sample here in your own game, or whatever the case may be, I hope you have a blast playing. Cheers to you, mate, and welcome to the RPG Site.

I'm going to share some feedback and answers relating to that last post. Our next instalment on this thread will of course go on with the Key to the Bandit level.

Quote from: GhulRight before "Key to be continued..." you really grabbed my attention with encounter #29. Although I enjoy the ogre and bandits, too, I feel you really start to find your groove with the tomb of the ancient sorcerer. Great work, Ben. Looking forward to the next installment.

Glad you like it, Jeff.

Yes, the level features some of the usual suspects of low level AD&D: the ogre, the gelatinous cube et al. These monsters are classics for a reason. In actual play, they lead to some of the coolest moments in the game. Negotiations with a moronic ogre, or trying to grab floating jewels to find out you are in fact in front of "the" gelatinous cube of legend are a lot of fun. There are certainly other ways to customize this dungeon layout, and by all means, anyone who would want to do it should have at it, but these were included for specific reasons I'm going to get into now.

Since the level is meant to be an example of how to come up with a level for a megadungeon, I felt that these usual suspects needed to be there. It's the shared experience of the game that helps us speak the same language. In the context of an "how to" series of post, including these elements basically brings the commonality of language and experience on which we can build an effective example.

These elements also serve to anchor the "normalcy" of the level, a "normalcy" that is then opposed to and contrasted against the weirdest elements and areas of the level. You have a first layer to this underworld that is an adventure in itself, but beyond its walls, literally, you have another layer that is much darker and serves a specific role in our set-up:

On one hand, there is the immediate element of discovery and adventure - the immediate reward of exploring these darker/weirder sections of the map.

On the other hand, the PCs become aware that there is much more than meets the eye to this hideout, an element that will be echoed by the stranger levels of the dungeon later on as the PCs venture deeper within the mountain, i.e. it's an element of foreshadowing.

Finally, there is the element of dynamism of the place, and what the area (29) hints at: that there are two worlds that might clash violently here, which would change the nature of the level were they finding out about each other's existence. Various other elements, like the spiders (to come) or the dark mantles, are there to round out the experience and provide a volume to the whole so it doesn't just feel like there are these two elements opposing each others.

The dynamics of the bandit coalition are also there to both reinforce this feeling of believability of the place, and also to provide tensions and oppositions the PCs might want to exploit if they aren't just barging in and killing everything in sight (which certainly IS a possibility, but far from the only one - we'll get to the ways in which the level could be explored with different sets of player-character objectives later on).

At least that's the intent.

Quote from: Alexbenoist, I'm really digging this effort.  You've been exalted.  I just started playing in a megadungeon for the first time a year ago and started running my own megadungeon yesterday!  My biggest concern is brevity.  I'm used to emulating published modules from the mid-80s, and that was the first thing I had to change, but I'm still taking up much more space than you and other megadungeon authors yet still had to refer back to older, more verbose notes for a few details during yesterday's game.  I'd like to observe more notes on keying from this and other megadungeons to continue improving my technique.

Hi there Alex. Thanks a lot for your feedback!

I will detail the whole level mapped here (I think it might take about 4 posts to go through the whole key) so you'll have other examples to work with pretty soon.

I don't consider myself perfect on that score by any means. What you'll see from the rest of the key is that I can describe some areas at great length, and be more than a little verbose as well, something I'm actually trying to work on, stylistically speaking.

Something to keep very much in mind, however: what you see here on this thread is a writeup I compose from the notes I have in my moleskin notebook. The descriptions in there are sometimes extremely terse, and I have to fill in the blanks for you guys as I copy it on here so you don't have to go "what the heck does he mean?" That makes it long-winded and wordy at times.

Now, when you write something for your table, you are not writing a published module. Therefore, when you build a megadungeon for yourself you absolutely should not feel forced to compose long winded text and explanations like this. If you can look at your notes and see a one line description with just "3 goblins, 3/5/4 HPs" and the rest is visualized in your head it's cool. It ideally should be somewhere in your head though, so that you just don't make stuff up as you run the game (you might run the risk of getting tempted with stuff like bait and switches, railroading and the like if you start just running the game making stuff up as you go along).

When you write a room description, it's a good idea to have nailed down the basic look/feel of the room, the inhabitants and features, whatever treasure can be found. To describe the room just use adjectives you'll be reading when you run the game and describe from there out loud. If I write: "Tunnel. Damp, half flooded. Giant rats swimming around MM p.x, semi-precious stone in the water." I see that when I run the game, and from there I can just describe the whole environment, the feel of the wet stone, the drops of water that fall drip drip drip from the ceiling, the moss, the smell of moisture and crap in the air, the reflection of something shiny in the water, the ripples indicating some movement under water. You see? That actually makes your DMing better, because you're not "reading" the text out loud with a monotone voice and the like. Instead, you just read those few adjectives, a mental picture of the environment comes to your mind, and you describe what you see. It makes it more interactive and alive.

Quote from: AlexI'd like to share one thing I've done to reduce key space that I haven't seen others doing.  That is grouping collections of related areas together under one key instead of putting in several key entries that reference each other.  For example, I have a goblin lair (of ~100+leaders) in my dungeon the rough size of areas 1 + 5-10 on your map.  I detailed it in 3 entries:  guardpost outside of lair, warrens, and goblin king's (and bodyguards, concubines) suite.  I have the specific monsters, treasure, and traps for the guardpost and king's suite in those entries, and for the dozen or so rooms of the warren I just have a total of all creatures and treasures, a plan of battle which lists the standard tactical response to invaders, and a suggestion of how quickly their numbers get replenished if the whole tribe is not wiped out.

That totally works, sure! That's a good way to organize the information. Any particular way that works for you and doesn't make you flip back and forth between your notes while you run the game is good. That's basically what the key should be for.

Quote from: AlexNote:  You say guard posts are marked with 'g' and area '1' refers to the nearby guardpost, but the map uses '3' at that guardpost position.  I had to go back and forth from the map and description a few times before I made the connection.  Since you have it mostly in your head and your notes are a reminder for you rather than an explanation for others, I understand.  We just organize our thoughts differently. :-)

Good catch! I make the same mistake for areas (1) and (2). That's because I thought of area (3) as a guardpost before I construed it as an area I had to describe. Thanks! I'm going to correct it right now.

BANDIT LEVEL MAP KEY, PART 2



30 – Prismatic room. A switch can be found hidden within the carvings adorning the ancient sorcerer’s tomb at (29). Pressing it makes the tomb slide northward (thus destroying one of the protrusions against in the NW corner of the room if it hasn’t been destroyed yet). This reveals a secret passage under the tomb’s original position which leads to a corridor stretching westward under the floor. Following this corridor leads to a dead end. Just in front of the dead end a lone lantern of dark metal hangs from the ceiling. Within the lantern shines a single bright yellow flame. The color of the flame seems so intense, so pure, so unnatural, as to be vaguely unsettling to the eye. Searching the area will reveal the presence of a secret door at the end of this corridor.

Simply pushing this door forward or extinguishing the light within the lantern will open it. The flame in the lantern will immediately die, and another bright yellow flame will light up inside the Prismatic room beyond the opened door.

Inside the Prismatic Room lies a huge apparatus seemingly built out of crystal, glass and bronze. It is vaguely reminiscent of an Armillary Sphere, with a central spherical body, and seven satellites each held by concentric rings of bronze around it. Each satellite looks like a carefully crafted lantern, and each has a different number of faces: one has four, another six, then eight, twelve, fourteen, twenty and finally thirty-two faces, from the ring closest to the sphere (with the four-sided satellite) to the farthest away (with the twenty-sided satellite).

When the PCs enter the room, the twenty-sided satellite just in front of the door lights up, shining of that same bright yellow light the PCs first saw in the corridor. It then starts to slowly swirl around the huge sphere, constrained in its revolutions by the huge ring of bronze that keeps it in place around the sphere.

Trying to touch the sphere, satellites or rings holding them in will reveal they lack substance (they are not illusions, but exist in a reality different from the room’s).

There are in fact five different secret doors in this room. Each leads to and from a different area of the dungeon (the same in most cases, the exception to this being the green door, which always leads to area (70) of the level, but may be opened from both areas (70) and (77) from the outside of the room – see these specific areas for more information). This room exists in a dimensional rift, and exists at six different places at the same time on this level (see areas highlighted red on the map of the level above).  



On one of the walls of the room the PCs can find a peculiar wand made of bronze and tipped on one end by a clear crystal, and on the other end by a shard of the darkest obsidian (marked W. on the map above). This is a Wand of Illumination and Delumination. It currently holds 12 charges, and allows the wearer to create continuous light or darkness (2 charges), light or darkness (1 charge), or dancing lights (1 charge).

The wand can be used to turn on and off the lights of the seven lanterns around the sphere by simply pointing at them and wishing it (this action does not expand charges).

Extinguishing the yellow light would stop the movement of the satellite holding it, close the door the PCs came from and instantly reignite the lantern in the corridor outside the door. The effect would be similar with any other satellite, its movement, the door and lantern associated with it.

Lighting up one of the satellites in the room would cause it to revolve around the sphere, open the corresponding door and extinguish the torch one can see on the other side of the door’s frame.

Only two of the satellites, the 14-sided and 32-sided ones, cannot be turned on in such a manner. Instead, the doors corresponding to both colors which, when combined, create their hue, must be opened simultaneously, resulting in that single lantern lighting up (instead of the two separate colors associated with the doors).

As mentioned earlier, each satellite has a specific number of faces. Each also burns of a specific hue of light, and each is also lit up by/opens when extinguished a specific secret door inside the room.

4 faces: Green, door exiting from area (70).
6 faces: Blue, door exiting from area (119).
14 faces: Indigo (Blue+Violet).
8 faces: Violet, door exiting from area (61).
12 faces: Red, door exiting from area (84).
32 faces: Orange (Red + Yellow).
20 faces: Yellow, door exiting from area (30).

This is the order of the concentric rings holding the different satellites around the sphere, the tetrahedron being the closest to the sphere, the icosahedron the farthest.

Opening a door, from the outside or the inside, lights up the corresponding satellite and extinguishes the corresponding flame of the lantern in the area outside the room (as it did when the PCs came in the first time around, assuming they found area 30 as described above).

Closing a door, from the outside or the inside, keeps the light burning within its corresponding satellite for two full turns, however. This is the only time when the satellite and lantern of the same corresponding color in and outside of the room can burn at the same time. It would be thus possible to turn on the lights of the satellites within, close some specific doors, like say, Blue and Violet to then reopen them simultaneously to light up the Indigo/14 sided lantern as well.

Lighting up the five platonic lanterns in order (green, then blue, then violet, then red, then yellow) will cause a teleporter to become substantial and visible within the sphere. This teleporter leads to a receiver between the prisms at area (65).

Lighting up all the seven satellites in order will have the same effect. In addition, the destination of the teleporter at the end of the central corridor at area (65) will change. Instead of leading to the Cube, it will lead to the Prismatic Tomb (an additional sublevel of the dungeon).

The correct sequence to light up all seven satellites in order: turn on green, turn on blue, close the blue door (blue satellite still lit), open blue and violet doors (lights up indigo satellite), turn on violet, turn on red, close red door (red satellite still lit), open red and yellow doors simultaneously (lights up orange satellite), turn on yellow lantern.

31 – Alien generator. This room may be accessed by humanoids. The space is particularly cramped, however, as it is filled with machinery, gears, levers, strange, long-shaped crystals of various sizes hanging from the ceiling of the room, wiring and the like. The machinery is actually still alive, and hums lightly from within. The sound can be heard 1-in-6 from the immediate environs of the secret room (within 10 feet).

Unfortunately, this room has become the lair of a strange creature also hanging from the ceiling. It looks like a vaguely round protrusion that grew out of the multiple parts of the generator, attached to several of its mechanical elements by strands of what feels like thick, opaque, white saliva, a single, multi-faceted, jewelled eye wobbling at the center of its central mass of protoplasm. This mass itself is covered with saliva, making it hard to distinguish where the thick strands that anchor it to the machinery begin, and where the protoplasm begins. One could possibly spot gems of various sizes and shapes reflecting light sources somewhere within the partly translucent body of this thing.

Use a 3 HD, AC 5, damage 1-4 roper to simulate the creature (MM 83). Entrails may contain 1-4 valuable gems (35% chance). Note this specimen is also completely immune to mundane missile fire. The creature’s hits may cause weakness, but the victims are granted a save v. paralyzation to avoid it.

Fighting this creature in this cramped space could have catastrophic consequences. Fighting in the room itself comes with a – 4 penalty to attack rolls. Missing attack rolls has a 1-in-6 chance of triggering some unwanted effect, including 1-8 points of eldritch damage (similar to an electrocution in feel) and the potential to activate the generator, creating one of the possible random effects: 1) overloading the teleporters of the level, causing them to come back to life and act in an aggressive manner, trying to grab individuals coming too close (within 10 feet) and “process them”, i.e. teleport them with possible failures, mutations and duplications previously described, 2) activating the secondary function of this room as an elevator to the lower waterworks sublevel of this complex, which would cause 2d6 points of crushing damage to the creature as the whole room rips itself apart from its current position to slowly go down to the lower level (it will take 1 full round to complete the decent), 3) sending tremors throughout the level, in effect warning all living creatures within that something is going on. The alchemist, who knows the existence of this secret area, would send some of his underlings to check it out, as well as other spots of the dungeon, such as area (65) or the various known teleporters scattered throughout the level, while the rest of the bandit forces would be put on high alert by the king. 4) deactivate the dweomers keeping most of the undead beyond the walls in a state of slumber. The sound of scratching and bumping would be heard all around the crypt areas on the map (areas (41)+, crypts beyond areas (3) and (10), which I forgot to key earlier, area (29), area (62), areas (63, 64), areas (71-76) most importantly). 5) Opening 2d6 secret doors on the level, with the exception of the secret door at (65) and the doors leading to the Prism room at (30), or 6) overloading the waterworks, in effect flooding the entire sublevel, with the basins at (14), (20), (32) and (47) overflowing generously, and constantly. Other effects are certainly possible.

The Alchemist knows of this area but is unsure how to proceed since he cannot determine whether killing the creature would disable the machinery (it wouldn’t), destroy it (no), or create any other undesirable effects he couldn’t predict on the whole level as a result (it could, see above). He leaves it alone at the moment and keeps it secret from both the Canon and Bandit King, expecting to find the answers he is seeking through the experiments he is currently conducting.

32 – Temple to the Outer Gods. The doors leading to the Temple trapped. Ropes peculiarly woven into the shape of hands hold them shut. Opening the doors causes the ropes to animate and try to punch the unauthorized intruders for 1-3 damage (treat as a 5 HD monster to hit), i.e. those people trying to open the doors not wearing a tentacle talisman such as the one in the Ogrillon’s possession at area (3) (The Canon, Curate, and the cultists going in and out of the Temple regularly all wear one as well). In the same punching movement the rope loosens from the frame of the door as the arm tries to strangle the intruder upon a hit. A saving throw against Rod, Staff or Wand avoids the strangulation effect, the hand getting back into place, holding the door shut. On a failed saving throw, death follows after two minutes (i.e. 2 rounds under AD&D rules). Bend bars checks +20% may be rolled to loosen and break the ropes. Other means (such as cutting the ropes with a knife, etc.) to get rid of the threat are also possible (DM adj.).



The walls of this large area are finely carved to represent legions of inhuman beings of different shapes and sizes fighting for supremacy amongst the stars. They travel through many eons of ruthless fighting, far away from their birth places, leaving the black void beyond the known universe depicted straight above the pool of water, at the center of the dome’s surface, to then wander amongst the stars and planets a few sages’ of this world might be able to recognize. They change and evolve as one’s eye wanders down the dome to soon find a world very similar to this one, where they establish outposts, enslave the local life forms and worship their own unknowable masters, some of which are present amongst them on this mockery of a primeval world, while others still float in the ether, waiting for the celestial bodies to align and open doors for them to step through.

Four prisoners are chained to the NW, NE, SW and SE corners of the room. The air is thick with the smell of incense. It is slightly sickening. The prisoners have been subjected to torture and are kept drugged by the clerics worshipping their dark gods in this area. They can be freed if the manacles holding them in position are either shattered, or open with the keys currently in the possession of the Curate.

The prisoners are:

Smuhana (s-moo-ana), daughter of Acskamun (axe-kamoon) of the Nu’ana (noo-a-na, or “the Folk”, the people native of this area), the shaman once imprisoned north in the gaols (this is what Smuhana still believes) but who has since been used in the alchemist’s experiments (see area 59). 0-level common folk.
Muhala Monokay (moo-ah-lah mo-no-kay), Smuhana’s guardian, betrothed to her by Acskamun. 1st level fighter.
Roedd O’ggroy, one of the recent settlers from the valley; was taken prisoner as he was hunting down the slopes of the volcano. 1st level ranger.
Powell Alferson, an interesting fellow one could easily mistake for a Viking from the area. Powell is in fact an allied soldier from World War 2 who somehow found his way into this dimension after confronting some strange Nazi cult back on his home world, and later got caught by the brigands of this area. 2nd level fighter.

(Alternately, the DM might start PCs as prisoners in this area, and set up an escape situation as the start of the game, the objective being to escape the hideout and/or retrieve some specific possessions, or individuals/allies kept prisoners in the gaols.)

There is a 2-in-6 chance to see the Canon and a 3-in-6 chance to see the Curate present in this room. 3-6 assistants may also be present, tending to the braziers, cleaning up the room after a ritual, taunting the prisoners for the fun of it, etc (use bandit stats). Note that this room is sometimes used for rituals and sacrifices, especially, involving the giant snake from area (20). These rituals are taking place every once in a while, without any particular reason or precise intervals.

33 - The Canon’s room. The door is kept locked at all times. The Canon of the Temple of the Outer Gods decorated this room with intertwined branches of cedar trees taken from the forest surrounding the volcano. They form organic, mystical patterns around the room only its make can effectively decipher. There is a 2-in-6 chance of finding the Canon here either resting, praying or scribbling his thoughts away feverishly.

Galeb Gaa-nub is a thin, somber, middle-aged man with a dark complexion, long black hair and intense brown eyes. He is meticulous, well-learned, and maintains an outstanding library of scrolls describing the constellations and movement of the stars in the sky, gathering pieces of knowledge about what may lie beyond, hinting at the secrets of this world and others besides. This incredible collection is kept in a large chest secured to the floor of the room. It is trapped via mechanical (poisoned needles) and magical (cause blindness) means. The collection is extremely valuable (2,000 GP) to those who could crack Galeb’s personal code of transcription, which is a melange of multiple dead languages he created over years and years of study. The scrolls are very fragile, however, and getting them out of the chest without damaging them would require extreme caution on the PCs’ part.

Also locked into the chest is a strange painted wooden mask of unknown origin (it looks like the stylized face of a bird with four tentacles on each side of the mask, see below). This Octopus mask is the key to the teleporter at the end of the middle corridor at (65).



Octopus mask, by David Knox (Kwakwaka'wakw Nation).

When worn, the Octopus mask allows its wearer to use ESP, Forget, and Suggestion once a day.

On a desk nearby, the PCs can find Galeb’s journal (build as handout to PCs). He records here his own progress in discovering the secrets and general purpose of this complex. He knows of the existence of the Prismatic room (30) and notes that “there must be more to this room than the doors – the colors mean something, the apparatus must serve some ancillary purpose unknown to me, permutations must be key,” ponders lighting all the room’s satellites up but fears the consequences. He describes what he believes the frescos in the Temple represent, laments about the discovery of the three doors at (65) which cannot be operated without the Alchemist’s consent since “he stole part of the answer to the enigma, and exhibits his find on his own person for anyone to see!” The hatred Galeb feels for the Alchemist knows no bounds. He vows to get rid of him as soon as he can, planning on demonstrating the power of the place to the king and convince him that the gods have planned for them to settle here, rejecting the “meddling of charlatans and artificers in their noble endeavour.” He also refers to the untapped source of energy of area (the levitating crystal at 49), wonders if there is an area that would control it, and suspects the Alchemist knows of its location (he does, see area 31).

Galeb is a 6th level Neutral Evil Cleric who’s devotion to the Outer Gods is complete (35 HP, AC 4, Club – an ancestral root stolen from Acskamun of the Nu’ana – +1, 2 potions of neutralize poison, 4 pieces of incense of meditation, a ring of snake charming, a scroll scribed with protection from good and cure disease, 32 GP and four rubies worth 100 GP each on his person, and a tentacle amulet around his neck).

34 – The Curate’s room. Also locked at all times. The Curate of the Temple, Leif Olafson, a strong, focused individual of Viking stock corrupted long ago by Canon Galeb Gaa-nub, maintains his bare living quarters in this room. No decorations, no extravaganza of any kind, here. Just a bed, a table and a stool, some water, and a couple of large leather bags are stored within.

The Curate is not a particularly bright man, but he believes in the Canon’s cause and remains loyal to him. He is a LE 4th level Cleric, 24 HP, AC 4, and carries around a war-hammer that is the only item he has left from his father who repudiated him at a young age (he stole the ancestral weapon as he escaped his father’s household). The maul-wielding lunatic of area (11) is a relative. Leif Olafson has the keys opening the manacles keeping the Temple’s prisoners in place in his possession. He also wears a tentacle amulet. He has 10 platinum and 38 GP in a purse at his side, a scroll of hold person, and a potion of healing. In the room here the PCs can find a short bow, 3 black-fletched arrows +1 and 12 green-fletched arrows which were confiscated from Roedd, the ranger prisoner at (32).

35 – Temple supplies. Include embalmment supplies, tools such as hooks, serrated knifes, spices and perfume, canopy jars, robes for the recruits of the Temple, 2 tentacle amulets, masks to wear during ceremonies and the like. Operating table and glass jars filled with some preserving liquid also present. Some of the canopy jars are already full. Organs inside may animate if disturbed. A particular hook is made of some unknown reflecting metal. It is long, thin, with an ivory handle. It is used to extract brains from the skull through the nose and is magical, allowing the extraction of the brain in such a manner as to unfold it through the nose and reform it, intact, in one of the glass jars nearby.

36 – Temple supplies. Idem (35).

37, 38, 39, 40 – Large vaulted corridors. These corridors stretch in a cross pattern from the Temple. Each of the corridors include caryatid columns in the shape of warriors from another age. The bandits consider these to be some sort of guardian spirits of the place. The Canon doesn’t discourage them in that belief. Little offerings like food, wine, little scrolls with personal messages left on the floor near the pedestals. The statues animate on random intervals. When the PCs show up in any of these corridors, roll for a random encounter. There is additionally 1-in-6 chance to see the caryatid columns animate and go about their round. If the PCs engage in combat in any one of those corridors the caryatid columns will animate and stop the fighting by killing the intruders (they will not discriminate between the current occupants of the dungeon and the PCs, their builders being long gone. They will however ignore the undead, if they are roaming around the level, and might in effect side with them if a fight breaks out against the undead, since they will try to stop the fighting by killing the living!). The large doors to the Temple are protected with magical ropes. See (32).

41 – Ancient crypts. The resting place of the soldiers who served in this garrison such a long time ago, these crypts’ existence is unknown to the current occupants of the level, though they may be starting to wonder. Most of the bodies here are in fact undead, but dormant. They are everywhere: in alcoves, on the ground (skulls, tibias, hands), standing up as though they were mummified, frozen in time against the walls, lying against each other, etc. These are mostly skeletons and zombies, but there could be others, including malformed magical aberrations and cysts comparable to those found in area (29), if you wish to make this area a real hellish place to behold. Treasure is immensely variable, but includes no coin. Bits of weapons and armor, maybe some jewels may be found with a thorough search of the area. Random treasure generation is advised (use O, P and Q treasure types from the MM, with 20% chance of finding any 2 magical items).

Upon entering the central area of the crypts (marked with the actual number 41 on the map), the PCs will discover a shrine against the southern wall of the room. Give them a round or two to investigate. Then, 3-30 skeletons and 3-24 zombies will animate at different locations in and outside the room (in alcoves in the corridors, on the ground, etc. you can position groups of them randomly if desired with d8 for cardinal directions relative to the PCs). These undead will follow the intruders and try to kill them. They are mindless, and thus would not react to the presence of the current inhabitants of the complex in the same way the wight at (29) would. These will just kill indiscriminately adventurers and bandits alike until they are hindered (by blocking their way, closing the doors allowing them to exit an area, for instance) or destroyed.

The shrine itself hides a secret passage that leads to more crypts, including some tombs built for the leaders of the garrison (see 43, 44, 45).

If the wight at (29) realizes that the level has been taken over by intruders (the bandits et al.), he will make his way back to his lair, then down the secret passage from there to this shrine, where he will perform a ritual to awaken the soldiers resting in this place. This would basically alter the entirety of the level, as the undead from the crypts would exit the area and attempt to purge the level entirely. This would change the dynamics of the level and make it quickly change into a warzone. This could also be a trigger to an open fight between the different factions of the bandits to seize control of the group for their own ends (thinking of the Canon and Alchemist going at each others’ throats here in particular). Assume that these crypts here can generate 30 skeletons and 24 zombies per day, up to 200 individuals of each type, if necessary, unless the shrine is properly cleansed by the forces of Good using holy water, proper rites and spells, maybe requiring the presence of a Cleric and/or Paladin in the group, or not (up to the DM), OR the wight from area (29) who performs the ritual awakening the undead in this area is destroyed.

42 – Shrine to the deities of the Underworld. This area, like the rest of the crypts at this level, is littered with corpses. The western part of the room opens on a huge bottomless pit, however. All around it, in man-sized alcoves around the room, stand different statues representing some of the Sorcerer Kings of old, praying here in eternal silence, looking over the dark well before them. These are no caryatid columns, but real statutes with a particularly creepy appearance.

Above the well floats some type of stone idol with a look similar to the teleporters of the level, like some kind of twisted ball flesh and protoplasm, with eyes, tentacles, arms and legs all fossilized for centuries.

Anybody standing near the well can hear the low whispers coming out of it. They tell the stories of the lords of a bygone era, speak about their glories and failures, their lives and tribulations, as well as their ultimate fates. The voices seem able to recognize who it is they are talking to, and target specific individuals with different lies which, they hope, will enthral them to their doom. What the ultimate goals of the voices below exactly are remains unknown to your servant, despite many unfruitful attempts to uncover them. It is therefore advised you made up your own as you run the game, with specific saving throws to accompany them.

The voices might want the characters to jump and touch the fossilized ball of protoplasm. What could it be? An alien creature waiting here for some sign? Another teleporter? Leading to where? Or the voices might want them come down the well and meet them. What exactly lies at the bottom is hard to tell, but is sure to present its own lot of challenges for them. They could end up in a limbo between the Material Plane and the many Hells which are rumoured to exist, or discover the remnants of the long forgotten cities built by beings alien to our world. They could find the remains of those to whom these voices belonged so long ago, and might be requested to find them proper resting places. They might want to know what happened to this world they knew and, quite possibly despising the answers given to them, might attempt to charm some of the characters to go and wake the sorcerer at (29) so he may wake the soldiers of the crypts.

43, 44, 45 – Tombs. From the secret door located behind the shrine in the main area of the crypts (41), a corridor with yet more bodies can be accessed. Roll d6 when the PCs step inside the corridor. A group of 2-20 skeletons (1-2), 2-16 zombies (3-4) or both (5) might awaken to protect the place, though there is a slim chance to avoid an ambush altogether (6). Whenever the PCs attempt anything that causes concussions, loud noises, in effect disturbing the rest of the soldiers entombed here, roll another d6, though the undead can only be awakened once per intrusion in this manner (i.e. if you roll an encounter and they fight their way through, don’t roll again and again).

The doors to either of the tombs (43) and (44) are sealed (and locked), and protected by gas traps. Breaking the seals disturbs the entombed soldiers (roll d6 as above). Unlocking the doors triggers the release of a greenish gas inside the corridor which is supposed to kill anyone breathing it, but it has greatly weakened with time, instead triggering a sickness on a failed saving throw against poison which will cause the victims to fight at diminished capacities (-4 to attack rolls) and generate both nausea and respiratory complications which in time will turn into actual disorders if left untreated, i.e. loss of 1 point each of strength and constitution, with 1-12 months to live, see DMG 13-14). Needless to say, the undead are completely immune to these effects.

Areas (43) and (44), though being of slightly different dimensions, are actually quite similar in layout, with just enough room for their respective sarcophagus. There is a critical difference, however: area (43) is a real tomb; area (44) is an elaborate trap hiding the real resting place of the individual that is supposed to be there.

Area (43) is the tomb of an unnamed lady, probably the wife or mistress of the leader of the troops stationed in this area at the time of the Sorcerer Kings. The room is decorated of various faded paintings representing her in some unknown battles, summoning the spirits of the dead or charming the enemy to her aid. She must have been an enchantress, or magic user of some type.

The tomb is magically trapped. Any detection of magic will reveal the lid of the tomb bears some dweomers of unknown power. If the lid of the tomb is lifted, a blast of energy will spread about 50 feet in all directions. All living beings within range will feel a wave of decay washing of their own bodies and souls. This wave of magical death will awaken the undead anywhere within range, and brand those who fail their saving throw versus spells as specific intruders to be destroyed. They will age 2-24 years immediately, and be magically ordered to go back to area (41) and wait for their death. Stopping them, slapping them etc allows victims to make another saving throw. Victims that succeed in their saving throw against spells age 2-8 years instead and feel discomforted, with a -2 penalty to their attack rolls. They will want to leave the place immediately, but their own minds retain control of their thoughts and can fight these urges back without any die rolls.

The lady in the sarcophagus will animate if the lid of her sarcophagus is lifted. Treat her as a 4 HD zombie. She will first try to cast a spell but will not be able to (her magical powers are now nonexistent, and it is just a reflex of her once living self). She will then try to assault the intruders with her bare hands, screaming of an extinguished voice as she tries to tear them to pieces (AC 5, HP 20). Inside the sarcophagus, the PCs might find the remnants of a long blade that has long ceased to be of any use, a round shield in pitiful state but with an immaculate shield boss or umbo. This is an umbo +1 which could be salvaged from the shield and attached to a new one, making it in effect a +1 shield.  The lady’s scale mail is decorated with silver foil, and could be sold for about 300 GP.

Area (44) is 30 feet long vaulted room that looks like a half cylinder oriented east-west. It is a false tomb dedicated to the ‘Chained Lord’. He is represented in various frescos around the room as a war leader leading chained human beings he directs in battle as crazed beasts with a whip in one hand and a firm grip on the chains in the other. In one scene he is seen selling his soul to shadowy spirits, probably in exchange for the supernatural powers he must have enjoyed in life. Careful PCs will notice that the paint on the wall is damaged in some area, and feels almost burnt or melted in places (a clue as to the nature and existence of the trap, of course).

The trap here is of purely mechanical nature. It is not the sarcophagus of the Chained Lord that lies in this room (it is in area 45 instead), but a unknown slave dressed in his robes instead. Lifting the lid of the sarcophagus will show the mummified corpse of what looks like the Chained Lord, armed with his whip, wearing chains all around him. Any attempt to pull the whip, or move the body around to check the contents of the sarcophagus will trigger the trap: the door to the room will close instantly, a wall section falling from the ceiling in the corridor and blocking the exit. The entire floor of the room will then rotate on an east-west axis and reveal the second half of the cylinder under the room, which is filled with low burning acid, its walls seemingly made of glass, crystal, or comparably translucent material.



The sarcophagus in the center of the room will remain in place, the chained body and its implements remaining in place as well. The floor will stop moving after it has made a 180 degrees rotation, leaving the occupants of the room trapped in the glassed lower half section of the cylinder, dipped in acid, taking 1-4 damage each round. Looking around, the PCs will find cracks in the glass-like wall around them. They can actually break through the wall by succeeding an Open Doors check at no penalty. Any PC who succeeds will break the wall. The glass shatters immediately, emptying its contents in the room below, which leads to the apparatus that kept this trap working all this time and the waterworks sublevel of the dungeon it is located in.

Area (45) is accessible through a secret door located in the curved northern wall of area (44). It is the real resting place of the Chained Lord. There he rests on a stone slab, wearing his armour, holding his chains linked to long-dead slaves lying on the floor in one hand, and his dark whip in the other. The 6 slaves all wear 1-3 various pieces of gold jewellery worth about 20 GP a piece. The Chained Lord himself wears a golden, faded splint mail armour +1 and his whip +1. The various perfumes and offerings left with the war lord in this tomb are worth about 800 GP.

All this company will of course animate if the PCs try to disturb them. The warlord will conduct his slaves, all 3 HD zombies, against his intended victims. The warlord himself (AC 3, HP 30) counts as a 4 HD skeleton. Each time the warlord whips one of his slaves instead of attacking the PCs, that slave regains 1 full HD to keep on fighting.

46 – Teleporter. Similar to the teleporter of (28), this is one of the main eight teleporters of the level. See area (9, 10) for more information.

47 – Great Hall of the King. This is the grand audience room of the kind of the bandits. There are 5-30 bandits present here at all times, and sometimes more, especially when the king receives guests. The subjects of the king are mostly rejects, brigands and beggars under his protection. Try to make this Cour des Miracles look as strange, varied, and creepy as possible. Many of them keep their effects in this room (which are generally poor, and not very valuable – determine randomly), which makes it smell and look like a stable, or some tavern’s common room that wouldn’t have been washed for weeks. The king’s throne (or rather, bed) is set up on a moving platform that is generally located along the eastern wall of the room (think Jabba’s platform in Star Wars episode VI and you’re on the right track here).

The floor sections directly in front of the two main entrances (north and south along the eastern wall of the room) and the area directly in front of the platform are all camouflaged pit traps which, when triggered by the king, suck their victims into them and then back into the water flow that runs under this room directly to the large pool of water south of the room, where the large snake from (20) is summoned. The king then watches as the victims are eaten by his pet snake.

Olderbert the First, the Beggar King, will be present in the room 3-in-6. Oldebert looks slow and relatively harmless as the obese, bloated, drunken mockery of a man he seems to have become, but he is in fact a terribly effective warrior (8th level fighter, 50 HP, AC 2, Cleaver +2, potion of heroism, healing, bracers controlling the automatons from (54), ring of protection +2). He is always flanked by his throne’s porters, 6 bodyguards (themselves 2nd level fighters) and the three faithful hounds he feeds regularly with fresh cuts of meat…

There is also a 2-in-6 chance that his right arm, a mysterious fallen knight only going by the name of the Malachite (7th level fighter in a green full plate +2, AC 0, handling a pitch black two-handed sword +2, the works), will be present as well. Some other underlings (as described in the bandit roster) may very well be there as well (DM discretion, don’t over do it, with the King, the bodyguards, the Malachite... this is some tough opposition right there. Assaulting this room at low level without assistance, an actual plan, previous infiltration and information gathering etc would be pure suicide).

Note that there is also a 2-in-6 chance to see the envoys of the Ash Kadaï (see 25, 26, 27) present in the room. They may or may not join the hostilities if a fight occurs in the room. They might even consider themselves directly targeted, in which case they might try to force their way out of the level regardless of the opposition, bandits, PCs, etc.

48 – Kitchen. This area is similar to the Kitchen at (.

49 – Levitating crystal. A strange block of vaguely phosphorescent crystal floats in this room. It is pierced with multiple needles of dark iron which themselves are linked to the walls of the room via strange looking wires and cables. The crystal itself emits some sort of low hum barely audible if one isn’t standing right next to the thing. Some of the cables clearly show some sign of not having been disturbed in quite a while (dust, cobwebs etc).

This crystal is one of the main sources of energy for this level installed there by the servitors of the Sorcerer Kings eons ago based on what they understood of their predecessors (the Builders themselves). It is impervious to most sources of damage but the brute force of blunt weapons and objects. Touching it with bare hands results in electrocution (assume a shocking grasp spell from a 1st level magic user, each subsequent electrocution adding 1 to the level of the caster).

The bandits, and particularly the Canon and the Alchemist, are aware of the existence of this crystal and are leaving it alone for now, not knowing what effect experimentations would have on it (which is very wise). Cutting any of the cables or damaging the crystal itself could have some serious effects on the level: teleporters ceasing to function or overloading, opening of random secret doors on the level, activation of emergency routines on the waterworks… nothing might happen, but the potential for some calamity or other to happen is great. See area (31) for inspiration.

50 – Treasury vault and mimic. Some of the riches stolen by the bandits are stored in this locked room. The guard posts nearby are always fully manned, and they are changed regularly, since they maintain surveillance both on this area granting access to the treasury here and the King’s apartments, as well as the King’s main hall directly south of this area. The treasure itself consists of a wide collection of various valuable items including coins, plates, goblets and gems.  Contained at any time: treasure type E (see MM). A mimic guards the vault in the very original form of a locked chest (AC 7, 48 HP, see MM 70).

51 – The King’s audience room. This is where the Beggar King receives his guests with some privacy. There is a 1-in-6 chance of finding him here conversing with one of the envoys of the Ash Kadaï (see 25, 26, 27 Visitors area).

52 – The King’s apartments. These are the apartments of Oldebert the First. Furniture seems expensive and delicate, but their styles don’t match, since all the pieces have been scavenged from various attacks and robberies organized by the King’s servitors over the years. Perfumes, drapes, wigs and powders might be worth something for the PCs. There is a secret door leading to the Toys’ exposition room along left of the northern wall (the shape here might betray the position of the door to the astute observer). The door leading west to his personal treasure chamber is trapped mechanically and magically (with the particular effects changed regularly by the engineer from (3) and the alchemist, use random trap generations to determine), is reinforced and locked (the King wears the key around his neck).

53 – The King’s treasure. This is the personal treasure trove of His Bloated Lordship, King Oldebert the First. Treasure type E, O, S (see MM). A spectator (MM2 112; AC 4/7, HP 34) has been left in this room to guard the treasure. This rather lazy spectator is large and overweight for its species: it might easily pass for a full-blown beholder with atrophied eye stalks (scare the crap out of your players, DMs). It will want to parley however, unless directly attacked. It is polite, and rather condescending. If the PCs decide to talk with him and clearly mistake him for a beholder, he will try to take advantage of the situation and will ‘let them go if they make some small offering to the treasure kept in his care’, in fact keeping any such offerings for itself. It is also rather humorous and will appreciate good company. it will not let the PCs touch the trove, however, but almost would like to, since he longs to return to Nirvana.

54 – The Toy collection. This is where the automatons built by the alchemist can be found. The room itself is round, with a center dais area where the largest toys are on display. Two large panels can slide open to directly connect this room to the storage rooms directly north of this area (see map, the arrows along the walls of the room showing the way the panels slide to open each a 35 degrees passage to their respective storage areas).

Any sorts of automatons can be found there: toy soldiers, horses on wheels, jack-in-a-box, little mechanical fairies. Treat as animated objects per spell PH 51. There are currently a little more than a dozen different automatons in this room. More are being worked on in the storage areas.

These automatons are not built for combat, and will not react to manipulation, pokes and the like. Only the King may animate them and direct them to attack specific targets by using a series of knobs and buttons integrated to one of the bracers he is wearing (see area 47). Since they are not built for combat, they fight using their arms and bodies to hit their opponents awkwardly (see PH 51). Unbeknownst to the King, the alchemist has made a copy of the bracers commanding these automatons for himself.

55, 56 – The Toy storage areas. These are specific workshop areas for the automatons being worked on by the alchemist. Half finished toys, body parts, etc can be found there. 1d4 toys might be operational, and commanded by the bracers as well. The upper and lower halves of a unicorn, mechanical squids walking on their tentacles and owls flying noisily about, a giant mechanical ettin carrying one of its two heads in its hands, are all possibilities.

57 – The Alchemist’s audience room. This is where Xaelaandder Bey, the self-proclaimed Hexarch of Voidg, the King’s alchemist, receives his own visitors (1-in-6). The room is richly decorated with animal pelts, cushions, a low table with a prominent crystal ball (fake), braziers with smoking incense. Couple hundred GP’s worth of furniture et al, maybe.

58 – The Alchemist’s workshop. This is where Xaelaandder Bey tries to replicate the magic and technology of the ancients. He is found here 1-in-6. He studies the dungeon carefully, is aware of the existence of a number of secret areas, such as the alien generator at (31), the black sphere at (62), the doors at (65), knows how the teleporters work and the function of the huge levitating crystal at (49), etc. Here, the alchemist works at his own teleporters (one is actually working, see 59), tries extract energy from a variety of crystals with little success, and tries to maintain life in certain body parts (successfully). The body parts may attack if disturbed. They are kept in cages along the eastern wall of the room, like caged animals, and seem inanimate at first glance (could use giant rats stats for those, as the ‘things’ from area 29).

The alchemist’s apprentices, Lienoc Nerau (from the barony of Llieth) and Creihem Y’rej (both 3rd level magic users with one or two scrolls and a potion each), and Kamia, his trusted Homunculus (MM 53, AC 6, 10 HP), are usually found here working (5-in-6 each).

59 – The Alchemist’s quarters. These are the private quarters of Xaelaandder Bey. The magic user rests here, and keeps some of his possessions in a locked chess under the bed. The contents include 240 coppers, 120 silver, 500 gold, 10 platinum, a copy of the king’s bracers controlling the automatons at areas (54, 55, 56), a potion of gaseous form and one of water-breathing, his spellbook, and a scroll carrying the spells dimension door, clairvoyance, levitate, light and hold portal. The chest also contains some notes of the alchemist pondering some of the purposes of the features of this level (handouts).

There are alcoves carved all along the northern wall of this room. Some of them contain glass jars. Within these glass jars are floating the severed heads of various people the Alchemist tried to keep alive. There is also a metal box there about the same size as the glass jars (this is an authentic brain from the Builder’s era recovered by the alchemist).

On the table near the bed (against the wall next to the door) are interesting crystal spikes or probes of some sort linked by copper wiring to a strange black box. These are instruments used to actually communicate with the severed heads kept in the alcoves. One could insert the crystal probes into the base of the neck of a severed head, and a voice would then come out of the black box, allowing a brief conversation (2d3 rounds, up to a turn). One can see the jaw of the severed head linked to the black box in such a fashion move by reflex, while the voice seems cold, artificial, and disincarnated.

Amongst the heads here one could have a conversation with is Gamesh, a half-orc of the Ash Kadaï who knows about the mines and could describe them to the PCs (level 1a of our dungeon), Acskamun of the Nu’ana (see the prisoners at area 32 for more information), some bandits who have fallen in disgrace or betrayed the alchemist in favour of the Canon, and others.

The metal box contains an ancient brain which was once used by the Mi-Go Builders themselves. The probes fit into the box via neat plugs which actually provided the template necessary to the alchemist to create the probes in the first place. The brain speaks an archaic language, and is quite confused. It can describe some of the outlandish things it has seen in most cryptic way, allude to the existence of level 2b, the Tomb of the Builders, speak of Yuggoth and probably much more… The brain itself might have some psionic abilities, and may want to take control of one or more PCs to get out of this level. For what purpose exactly remains to be seen…

Xaelaandder Bey might be found here about 2-in-6 (if he has not appeared anywhere yet of course. If he still hasn’t shown up in your game, decide his whereabouts – he might be at the workshop, in the grand hall talking to the King, plotting against the Canon somewhere else). The alchemist is a 7th level magic user (AC 5, HP 18) wearing a capricious robe of scintillating colors (the robe is actually intelligent and doesn’t necessarily want to help), bracers of defense AC 5 and a mask covering half of his face (see area 65 for more information about this mask).

Also of note is the teleporter in the eastern corner of the room. This one looks like a smooth pillar of clay that only animates when one approaches it, in a manner similar to the other teleporters of the level. It actually works, and will teleport the person stepping into it back to the surface, exiting from a similar pillar of clay standing in the woods close to the volcano’s slopes. The teleporters do not work both ways, however, and one may not enter this level from the forest through them (the experience is actually damaging, since the pillar in the forest will try to absorb the subject, partly decalcify its body to then reject it again instantly...).

60 – The magic fountain. This fountain's effects are known by the bandits who found it here when they settled on this level. There is a graffiti next to it that translates “Drink not lest thou be consumed!” Anyone drinking the weird murky water of this fountain will regain 1d6 hit points, but his alignment will also secretly change to its polar opposite for the next 24 hours at least (the victim will make one saving throw against spells every day at dusk afterwards, a success indicating the effect finally dissipated). Just explain to the player that his alignment changes and let him role play the change to the best of his ability. Note that his new self is fully aware of the change and takes it as some sort of revelation, or awakening to his ‘true self’. He also realizes that suddenly appearing completely different to his companions might land him into a lot of trouble. Let the player take it away from there. Alternately, you might allow some characters to role play a conflict between the original and new alignment fighting for control. The goal is to have fun through role playing opportunities, not to take away player freedom.

61 – Prismatic room. A violet lantern hangs next to the magic fountain and right in front of the secret door leading to area (61). See area (30) for more information about the Primatic room.

62 – The Black Sphere. This chamber is exceptionally dark. Any light source produced will cause 1d4 Shadows (MM 86) to animate, reaching from the darkness to seize the intruders. If the PCs proceed without using any light source, note that the characters with infravision etc will not see either. As they explore the place in complete darkness they will feel hands touching them, poking at them, caressing them. At the end of the area, after a couple of turns, the characters might find a sphere about 2 feet in diameter levitating, shining of such blackness as to be utterly visible in the surrounding darkness. If the PCs mistake this for a sphere of annihilation, don’t correct them. Let them come to their own conclusions, whether to try to manipulate the sphere, avoid the area, and so on. This sphere is actually a portal to worlds beyond our own, or far away places in the dark, however you want to set it up. It could be a portal to the Underworld below, deep within the same dungeon, or lead to a completely different dungeon of your own making, or to some dark void in the outer planes, the abyss, the legendary city of N’kai, whichever fits your campaign.

63, 64 – The Bleeding crypts. All the walls surrounding this area bleed profusely whenever living creatures stand fifteen feet or less away from them. Monitor closely the movements of the PCs. If the party walks into the corridor leading to the Temple at (38) and examines the caryatid columns standing there, for instance, they might notice one of the statues crying blood. Likewise, walking around the other corridors next to this area might reveal some blood pouring out of the mortar, between the bricks, etc.

The two main accesses to this area are behind the caryatid column at (38), a secret passage opening onto a ladder going down into the crypts, or through a secret door one can find in the first (empty) room left when going down the stairs westward from (38).

This area is in fact a crypt similar to (41). This crypt is half flooded with blood pouring from the walls, however. Rotting bodies float here and there. The walls are completely covered with some type of black tumours of dead flesh, worse than the tomb of the ancient sorcerer itself produces, that seem to give birth through long periods of gestations to dead bodies that keep feeding these grounds in a grotesque mockery of life. Once in a while, one of these bodies is actually conscious, animated with a shred of self-awareness and a never ending hunger within. These are ghouls that will then feed on the corpses produced by this horrible organism. They are half drunk, half awake, having waited there for years upon years of moaning and dreaming and feeding, and will attack any living being immediately to experience for the first time the pleasure of warm flesh and living fluids (12 ghouls, see MM 42). Determine treasure randomly (B, T), treasure which can be found by thoroughly hacking and slashing through the tumours that grew out of the walls and tombs centuries after they were deposited there.

Key to be continued…

A great dungeon map just cries out for exploration, key or no key, and this is a mother-fucking great map.

The interesting question to me is what makes a great map great. An open structure that invites exploration and interesting looking rooms is an important part of it, but not the whole thing.

Quote from: Garnfellow;584488A great dungeon map just cries out for exploration, key or no key, and this is a mother-fucking great map.

Thanks, man. Your feedback is much appreciated. I'm glad you like the map, and yes, totally: at the end of the day, if you can just scavenge maps or parts of maps or even some inspiration here and there to draw your own, it's a win at the end of the day, totally.

Quote from: Garnfellow;584488The interesting question to me is what makes a great map great. An open structure that invites exploration and interesting looking rooms is an important part of it, but not the whole thing.

My first reflex would be to answer "practice," as in, drawing maps and thereby, developing not only the skills but the feelings of what makes a map good in the end, but that's the start of an answer, a cop-out that begs a "why?" to be answered.

It's a really hard question. We've gone in the previous posts into the crafting of an environment that can have multiple paths of exploration with different play experiences, how to avoid the railroading aspect of bottle necks and room after room lined up linearly, and Melan's analysis of dungeon layouts and the Jaquaying the Dungeon piece of Justin go into a lot of detail into this aspect of map design.

Aesthetics are also part of the equation, no doubt. And I don't mean just the ability of producing a "pretty" map (that's actually pretty inconsequential as far as a *great* map is concerned, IMO), but more of a sense of balance, variety and consistency throughout the design. When you build the map, you have to have different types of environment in the game that are recognizable on the map as well, so areas you can differenciate at a glance on the map itself help in that sense. Yet, you want to have an environment that makes sense as a whole, that doesn't feel like it's just disjointed bits and pieces that have been put together randomly, but rather that there is a purpose and design that developed over the years to give us the present layout.

These two components of variety and consistency in the design are not opposites, but instead partners in helping you visualize the environment in order to build a coherent, yet varied and ultimately, enjoyable milieu to explore.

The question of the scale of the map participates in framing these elements. You want the map to represent an area large enough to include this variety and coherence to the whole. There might be this notion out there that designing maps of lairs (i.e. smaller dungeons) instead of entire levels (i.e. larger dungeons) is easier and more manageable. In my experience that's in fact not automatically the case when you keep those elements in mind, because the smaller the scale of the map, the less space you have to work with, the harder it is to maximize the variety of the environment and the multiplicity of choices for the players, i.e. player agency. It follows then that, logically, the larger the scale of the map, the harder it becomes to keep a sense of coherence to the whole, as opposed to this collection of disjointed pieces that don't make sense together.

What that means is that the scale of the map comes with its own set of design challenges, and that, as far as a full level of a megadungeon is concerned, there must be something of a happy medium, a range of shades in the middle of the spectrum of possibilities from very small to very large where these two elements, variety and coherence, work seemlessly together.

The balance of a map isn't just about variety and consistency though. It's about the use of space, what attracts the eye (focal points, like the round staircase in the middle of our map here, or the various pools of water and how they frame the picture, the alignment of the cube, the round staircase and the Temple at 32, etc.) on the map, the repeating patterns you can discern in the design (the shape of the round areas scattered throughout the level, the Prismatic room itself, the spread of teleporters etc.), the way the corridors are intertwined, at which distance of one another, how they go under and above each other when they cross, the use of staircases and levels within the levels to make that happen, and so on.

At the end of the day, to me, all that work is more instinctive that it is absolutely conscious all the steps of the way. I do think about some of these aspects and ask myself a lot of questions when I consider the various elements of the map on the drafts and so on, but some of it, a lot of it really just comes as I draw, then I look back and think "this looks like crap" or "cool, nice shapes coming in there".

It's a bit like having a sense of taste as far as clothes are concerned. Some people are instinctively good at it. They just know what looks good and not so good for them to wear. And others aren't as good at first, but can learn to have discernible choices with time and practice. Or the way writing starts as awkward and self-conscious, how you look back at every sentence and try to correct yourself constantly, versus the more experienced practitian who'll just pop his 10 pages and only then will have a look back checking here and there if what came out was alright or needs significant revisions. It's the sort of feel and eye that can come more or less naturally to some people, but that is ultimately cultivated and sharpened through years of practice.

You start out mapping stuff and you like some things and not others. You spend time on various things that don't quite please you or you second-guess yourself all the way. And yet by doing these things it becomes easier to map the next, and the next, and the next, up to the point you start mapping instinctively, and these things just flow from the act of drawing the thing itself.

Don't know if I'm making much sense here, but these are the first thoughts that came to mind.

Quote from: Benoist;584544Aesthetics are also part of the equation, no doubt. And I don't mean just the ability of producing a "pretty" map (that's actually pretty inconsequential as far as a *great* map is concerned, IMO), but more of a sense of balance, variety and consistency throughout the design. When you build the map, you have to have different types of environment in the game that are recognizable on the map as well, so areas you can differenciate at a glance on the map itself help in that sense.

I think this is getting close to the mark. Draftsmanship is nice, but not the whole thing. Take the Halls of Undermountain, for example. This is a professionally drawn "pretty" map, but it really does not cry out to me.

When you think of aesthetics, you typically think of things like symmetry and balance and proportion. But part and parcel of the dungeon experience is exploration, and too much symmetry in a dungeon map kills that. "Oh, there was an alcove over here to the west, so there must be one over here on the east."

But too much randomness just looks like noise and has little appeal. Over the years I've generated a shit ton of maps using good ole Appendix A, and at a certain point you have to step in and guide the process or the dice alone will probably give you a boring map. (Like a thousand monkeys banging on a typewriter for centuries, it's possible you would get something great eventually.)

So while your map doesn't have symmetry, exactly, it does have these repeating visual features that catch the eye. For example, the chain of circular pools stringing from rooms 14, 20, 32, and 47. Or the series of octagonal rooms in the southwest corner. My eye immediately gets pulled to those, and from there I start wondering "how would one get into those rooms beyond area 16, since there's no door?" Which naturally leads to "what kind of cool shit would be placed in a series of doorless octagonal rooms? Good dungeon maps engage the viewer, raise these sorts of questions. The prismatic rooms are another example.

Varying things up is also, as you point out, key. The cavern system in the northwest also catches my eye. Did the builders just run out of time or money? Or were there other . .  . darker . . . reasons for keeping that section pristine?

Dropping in secret or strange areas is another way to engage a viewer. Scanning the map, for example, the odd area just east of area 20 catches my eye. It's an unusual feature, for starters -- the three doors, with the two outer ones opening up into symmetrical rooms that frame a corridor running out from the middle door, and leads, eventually, to something. Again, the imagination starts taking over. Then I realize that the entire area is hidden behind a single secret door, and that the space is sunken below the elevation of the rest of the level, and it becomes clear that there is something very cool back there. Or at least there used to be.

Quote from: Garnfellow;584488A great dungeon map just cries out for exploration, key or no key, and this is a mother-fucking great map.

Strongly Concur, on both points.

I can't wait to see more!