I had a week long conference, and in the evenings and during my airplane time, I happened to have a big pad of graph paper. So I've been mapping out a bunch of dungeon levels.
So far I have plotted out 9 vertical levels in a profile, and I 've got them all interlinked in various ways. I also have the individual maps of the first 7 levels completed.
1st Level - ShadesGate: This is a low level area, with a lot of puzzles that involve opening porticullis gates (and other kinds of gates). It links to the surface (obviously), the 2nd level prisons, and there's a shaft where you can climb down a vertical tube and drop into the 5th level.
2nd level - Volvang Prison:
This level has prisons everywhere. Like.. solitary confinement, little cages, individual cells and common caged areas. The map looks pretty cool. I'm not sure how I want to populate this area yet. I could do undead, or have some live prisoners there and have some "prison guards" or something. This level is linked to the 1st level, to the temple, a vertical drop down to the vault (level 5) or there is also a special sub-level called the "Oubliette", which involves a 70' drop into a large open chamber filled with trash and debris. I think I am going to have a night hag or something live there.
2nd level sublevel- The Oubliette. (see above)
3rd level - Temple of ??? -
Haven't decided how this one will be worked out yet, but the map is very cool. Parts of it are collapsed and the centerpiece is a gigantic chamber with linked platforms, where hologrammic 40' "illusion form statues" are on display. I just have to figure out what gods this is about. I'll probably invent some. The Temple links back to the prisons, and has a trapped shaft that drops characters into the Fortress (level 4).
4th Level- Fortress of the Egg
This is kind of the central level of the dungeon: It has links to the prisons (level 2), the temple (level 3), the vault (level 5), and the undercrypts (level 6). The setup here is that if you are coming from the upper levels, you can either adventure around in some collapsed tunnels (there's a secret tunnel that leads to the vault) or go up against the fortress itself- there's a big open chamber surrounded by battlemented walls and arrowslits on all sides, balconied areas for archers, a moat of burning tar, and with a couple of sets of fortified doors that have to be battered or blown down or somehow finessed open. Characters either have to frontal assualt to get into the fortress or sneak in somehow. And there's a sealed chamber in the middle of the fortress where a mysterious egg lies. Not sure what do with that yet.
5th Level- the Vaults:
Contains several lockdown chambers for important items, (which include more puzzles) as well as the upper dungeon water reserve. I also placed an amphitheater here and some more collapsed tunnels that break out into a series of limestone caves. The vaults link up towards the prison, the fortress, across to the Undercrypts, down to the River caves, and back up to the Gate
6th level- Undercrypts:
This should definitely be an undead tour de force but maybe I will go a bit further here. There are catacomb-niche filled walls, individual family tombs and one main "royal crypt" that I sort of have vampires in mind for. The undercrypts link between the fortress and the vault.
7th level- The River Caves:
The main idea I had with this level is to have lots of different elevations. several caves have a 30' drop down, and there are plenty of cave-cliffs. As you head further south, there's a river flowing through and the main cave here is massive (maybe 250' by 180'). On the banks of the river is an entire mini-village of some kind of muck-dwelling race in little huts. (maybe Kuo-toa?). In the center of the river is a 30' tall statue, half buried in the muck, and kind of leaning to the side.
The river itself leads down to an undetailed level called "The Reservoir", and the final caves lead off to another map I haven't finished yet: "The Lost City". There's another cave in that links back to the vaults.
8th Level- The Lost City
Haven't done the map yet, but I was thinking a partially submerged "city" type level, about 6' deep in water all the way around.
9th Level - the Reservoir
Haven't done the map yet, but a completely submerged cavern where I was thinking of having a race of blind merfolk or something weird.
I want to do a 10th level just for fun, but I'm not sure what to do with it yet.
I'm going to write up descriptions but I'll probably leave out encounters until D&D4e comes out. (I want this to be my first 4e dungeon.)
Oh...okay.
When I read the title I thought maybe you were actually, you know BUILDING a Dungeon.
There is a local guy that spent decades building an actual small castle locally. He died almost 10 years ago - but his castle is now a local tourist attraction.
- Ed C.
I really like the sound of this. Any chance of showing us some scans as the maps get done?
Quote from: PremierI really like the sound of this. Any chance of showing us some scans as the maps get done?
Seconded.
I'd also like to hear a little bit about the history of the place. I've been toying with writing a prison dungeon for a while now, and would like to see what you've come up with.
Is the Egg perchance related to Coot?
RPGPundit
I want to eventually post it online as a website (which means I'll convert my hand-drawn maps to really simple graphics similar to what I did during that Worldwide Adventure Writing Month series). That way I can just post the adventure as a website...
But maybe I can get the scanner on my wifes printer to work or trick/bribe my friend Joel into doing it for me.
Quote from: RPGPunditIs the Egg perchance related to Coot?
RPGPundit
Well, the inspiration definitely was. But I just had this idea of a giant sized black egg.. like.. I dunno.. 7 feet high, on an ornate stand. And it having some kind of weird significance.. the entire fortress being built to protect it.
Here through the magic of MS Paint I present the dungeon profile:
(http://the-never.net/art/volvang.jpg)
Nice.
It's reminiscent of Caverns of Thracia and B4: The Lost City, which is no bad thing.
I'm also intrigued by the idea of the Egg, and can already think of a number of explanations for it's nature and purpose.
Cool.
Couple of questions. I don't see a link from 6th to 7th listed, and your picture concurs with that. I'm curious what's up there? Is that something you just haven't figured out yet or are you assuming adventurer's capable of penetrating the rock to get to it?
Also your Caves/Reservoir/City setup makes my physics head go *pop*. :o You realize you are talking about the City being an enclosed bubble under at least a few atmospheric pressures and no apparent way to support the presence of oxygen? Basically a methane/H2S swampy nightmare, akin to spelunking down the anus of a barnyard animal. Do you have something in mind for that or is this intended as a much more fantastical setting than the rational mode my brain is in?
Quote from: Abyssal MawI'm going to write up descriptions but I'll probably leave out encounters until D&D4e comes out. (I want this to be my first 4e dungeon.)
... and it will rock.
Cool, evocative names, lots of different elements and a nice non-linear vibe. You just gave me the urge to pull out a pencil and some graph paper, you sonofabitch!
Well done!
No specific comments yet, but it looks like you're off to a good start!
Quote from: blakkieCool.
Couple of questions. I don't see a link from 6th to 7th listed, and your picture concurs with that. I'm curious what's up there? Is that something you just haven't figured out yet or are you assuming adventurer's capable of penetrating the rock to get to it?
Also your Caves/Reservoir/City setup makes my physics head go *pop*. :o You realize you are talking about the City being an enclosed bubble under at least a few atmospheric pressures and no apparent way to support the presence of oxygen? Basically a methane/H2S swampy nightmare, akin to spelunking down the anus of a barnyard animal. Do you have something in mind for that or is this intended as a much more fantastical setting than the rational mode my brain is in?
Thanks for pointing that out.
Well, there are actually two mistakes on the picture (I've already corrected it but I haven't uploaded it yet) there is supposed to be a direct link between the prisons and the fortress, and the vault and the river caves. I'll have a new version up soon.
The atmospheric pressure thing is just not going to concern me, haha. ;) Well.. maybe. I mean it might be cool to have an entire level with a poisoned atmosphere. But if I did that, I think I might put a section in the Vaults where there is a pumphouse apparatus or something that the party can crank up to clear the lower levels of poison. But they have to figure it out with a puzzle or something.
With the Caves connected with the upperlevels the biggest remaining problem is the stagnation in the city. Have the water drain away from the city as fast as it rushes through the chokepoint from the Resevoir. Then handwave that the water gets oxygenated enough churning through the air in the Caves that it is able to keep the air in the city breathable (and allows the merfolk to survive as well ;) ). Then the only problem will be from nitpicky geologists asking pointed questions. I find the later is easily handled with repeated application of a nerf bat till the perpitrator STFU. :hehe:
As a 'bonus' this makes it a one way trip into the city unless they can do the equivalent of swimming back up over a dam, or somehow make their way up through rock. :keke: Allows for a good explaination of why the Lost City has stayed so. Even merfolk would be hard pressed to swim back through something like that.
(http://the-never.net/art/volvang_profile.jpg)
Here's an update of the profile with corrections.
And here's the first level map:
(http://the-never.net/art/shadesgate.jpg)
The first two levels are pretty small I realize (only 13 encounter areas each) but they get bigger as it goes down.
I'm still working on this one, but because of certain side issues going on- I want to make this one under 4th edition. So I have the maps mostly done, but I'm shelving it. Until June.
That said, I decided to break out the old AD&D1e for this eventual Play by Screenmonkey 1st Edition AD&D Campaign I want to run while I wait for 4e to come out. I'll link to the next post with "So I'm building ANOTHER dungeon..."
This is pretty cool AM! :)
It makes me want to get out a pad of graph paper, some Dr. Pepper and pizza, and draw me a 9-level deep super mega-dungeon.
Make sure you check Jeff Rients blog -- he always has cool links to stuff to help with dungeon creation.
Quote from: StuartThis is pretty cool AM! :)
Make sure you check Jeff Rients blog -- he always has cool links to stuff to help with dungeon creation.
Indeed. While marginal for a Monday work day, arrived home to receive a double scoop of dungeon delving goodness. first there is the solo game / dungeon generator report posted on Jeff Rients blog here (http://jrients.blogspot.com/)...
Also received the new Troll Lords Engineering Dungeons in the mail hot off the presses... Engineering Dungeons (http://www.trolllord.com/newsite/cnc/8321.html).
Combined, they'll make for some time well-spent created nests of evil challenging for, and worthy of, only the most creative, valiant, intrepid, and mean dungeon explorers! W00t++
Quote from: Abyssal Maw(http://the-never.net/art/volvang_profile.jpg)
Here's an update of the profile with corrections.
And here's the first level map:
(http://the-never.net/art/shadesgate.jpg)
The first two levels are pretty small I realize (only 13 encounter areas each) but they get bigger as it goes down.
Erm... I don't actually see any pictures in your post, even though now in the Reply window I see the links are there. Also, if I Copy & Paste those URLs directly into my browser, it doesn't work either. Any idea why that might be? :(
Quote from: PremierErm... I don't actually see any pictures in your post, even though now in the Reply window I see the links are there. Also, if I Copy & Paste those URLs directly into my browser, it doesn't work either. Any idea why that might be? :(
I'm not sure. I posted them from home and I could see them fine. Now I'm actually looking at this from my work computer and they still show up fine.
Anyone else not see the pictures?
I see everything fine. Please post more whenever you finish more levels. This looks great.
It's cool stuff mate. Are you looking for traps, puzzles and the like for it?
Eventually. I have shifted everything over to (yet another) dungeon, which I am building with AD&D1e, and I plan to run as on online adventure from this weekend until the beginning of June on Sunday afternoons.
I'm posting less details about that because I have Settembrini and James Skach so far as players.