Previously: Planning (and not Planning) for Dungeon23
The First Prompt
The first prompt from Sean McCoy’s list is “Ancient.” Clearly there are straightforward ways to use that prompt. Implicit in many megadungeons is the idea of deep history and generations of occupants repurposing the site for different uses. For example, in Thracia, there are three major layers; the modern and recent activity of the humans and beastfolk, especially on the upper levels; an old history of a decadent Greek-inspired culture, especially in the crypts of the middle levels; and an ancient reptile/dinosaur-folk civilization buried in the deepest and most hidden levels.
But… I am not doing deep history. At least, not yet. In keeping with my principles, I’m going for a less literal interpretation. Where else could this prompt take us, if we get sufficiently fuzzy with it? Ancient makes me think of “Ancien,” as in “ancien regime,” because I’ve recently been listening to the final episodes of the venerable Revolutions podcast.
So why would the ancien regime be in a dungeon? Perhaps they’re a displaced aristocracy who fled to the dungeon to escape the new regime. They’re probably still trying to maintain the customs, rituals, and structures of power they were accustomed to before their downfall. They’re in that beautiful gray area where humans are struggling to preserve or win power in a system or social milieu that the audience can see is already beyond recovery (the TV station scenes early in Dawn of the Dead are perhaps the example par excellence, but there are others).
The Generator Speaks
We won’t write a full post with this much detail for every single room. But for our first day, it can help define what we’re doing.
Cryptic Keyway #Dungeon23 Generator
Room Contents: Monster and Treasure
Dimensions: medium -- hallway, lair, lounge, vault, crypt
Empty: rusted, undead, broken
Monster: angry outsider
Treasure: hidden art
Special: rotted brickwork
Trick/Trap: choking symbol
Additional Prompts
Objects: foul tapestry, invisible portcullis, blessed fountain
Answer: yes, and
NPC: dark spy
A “monster and treasure” result suggests to me that this is not an entrance to the dungeon. We’ll stay entrance-agnostic for now, and intuit how one accesses the dungeon as we go.
What is this space? In keeping with our fuzzy principles, we can borrow prompts from results we didn’t hit. “Rusted” and “broken” both suggest something metallic and tangible in this space. I am thinking of chains and locks.
How do we draw the room itself? This post from Perplexing Ruins provides a good method for narrowing it down. A roll of 6-6 creates a medium chamber offset from a north-south hallway, with a secret door to the east.
So is our “monster” (or NPC, or other dungeon denizen) a member of the ancien regime? Our divination prompt says “yes, and,” so let’s say that they are, and they’re a quintessential example, a true believer.
The optional NPC prompt suggests “dark spy.” We can use this to further define our denizen as someone who was involved in the shadier side of statecraft on behalf of the fallen regime. Perhaps this was their underground black site, where they interrogated enemies of the state.
The treasure is hidden art. We have “foul tapestry” as one of our objects. Was the regime involved in something unsavory? Is it merely an aesthetic offense to the revolution that overthrew them? Or something darker? We’ll move “angry outsider” from the monster prompt to here.
The Interrogator (conniving, inquisitive). AC 14 HD 2 ATT 1d6 (bite) ML 6 SV +2/0/-2. This gatorfolk spymaster is draped in chains that serve as makeshift armor; the thickest chain is locked to his waist and pinned to the floor. The lock and the spike are coated in a contact poison deadly to cold-blooded creatures, but harmless to mammals.
A chest underneath the spike is wrapped in chains and locked with a dozen identical padlocks; the key is inside the interrogator’s stomach (he can regurgitate it at will). The chest contains a jar of paste that makes doors transparent and windows opaque; a vial of blessed water that can be drunk to destroy a spirit or demon that has been ingested into the body; and a forbidden occult tapestry depicting The Inevitable Coming of Betagior, an allegedly mythical entropy-eater from the Plane of Broken Mirrors.
The Results
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