Stay awhile and listen…
Welcome to the fifth installment (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4) of the Dungeon Creation series. We’ve now almost locked down the dungeon in our heads, but we’ve yet to put up a plan of what we need to have in the dungeon in terms of rooms. So that is what we will look at this week, and next week, we will draw the dungeon.
Room 1: The Containment
This is where our Minotaur warlord used to be kept. As he was size Large, and needed to get in there, he needed doors that are big enough to let him in, as well as bars or walls that are thick enough to stop him from plowing through them. Furthermore, as it’s such an important prisoner, it’s likely that the captors wanted to make a statement out of his cell, so this will be a solid piece, and on its own. There won’t be much in the way of opportunity for him to get out, so there won’t be access to an exercise area for this prisoner nor will he have running water. He was dependent on the guards for toiletries, food, and water.
Room(s) 2: Other cells
These are for the criminals and other undesirables that were caught or transferred to the prison after it was constructed. These cells will have access to a communal area, but won’t have direct access to the Containment Cell, at least not without going through some guard stations. There would probably be a number of these, but these will likely have the same toilet problem as the containment cell – the cells themselves don’t have sewage facilities, but they will have access to a cesspit or cesspool to dump their sewage.
Room 3: Kitchen
The warlord and the other prisoners (more on them later) will need to have been fed too. While produce and the like probably came from outside, it seems reasonable to have the food made inside the prison. To make it easier for the guards, this was done by the prisoners themselves, so this area will need to be accessible from the other cells.
Room 4: Cesspit
As mentioned, the cells all have chamber pots, and that sewage has to go somewhere. This is it. And then add however long the prison was open for, and how long it’s been left to rot afterward, and it becomes compost-like. Had the prison been younger, there would have been a good chance of finding something like an ofalth or an otyugh here, but they would have moved on from this. Instead, it’s more likely to find something fungus like – perhaps a myconid colony, the descendants of a long-forgotten prisoner?
Room 5: Guard station(s)
This is where the guards used to monitor the prisoners from. They were small strongholds on their own, able to protect those within for short periods of time, while help arrived from the outside. As such, the doors here would be heavily reinforced, potentially far more so than the cells themselves – and where the cells had open bars, these doors would be closed structures to stop any projectiles. They could be the only doors that have survived completely intact during the centuries since the prison closed off. Perhaps there is even still equipment inside, residing on skeletons that once belonged to the guards (and if so, are the stations haunted?)
Room 6: Armory
Prisons do not come with treasuries, but they do come with armories, and the reward for any dungeon-delving should be treasure of some sort. Here is where intrepid heroes could find ancient armor and weapons, perhaps some of it even magical, and belonging specifically to the warden, or a lucky guard. The room would be locked (and doors potentially trapped) to stop unwanted intruders. It would also be the one that would be likely to be most under attack, as rioting prisoners would try to gain access to weapons. So when you make the dungeon you need to decide if they broke through the doors or not? If they did, the loot is likely scattered throughout, lying somewhere in the clutter. But if not, then this is the jackpot for the heroes.
Room 7: Warden’s Office
This is where the warden used to reside and rule his little empire of prisoners. This is where any items of monetary value (both the valuables of the inmates (at least those that would be set free again someday) and the salaries of the guards) would be kept. Likely in a chest or safe. The furniture here would have been of good quality (if it was a warden of a particular taste, it might even be outright gaudy), but after centuries it’s about to fall apart. Here is obviously where the heroes would be able to find coin and readily cashable goods, along with a lot of stuff that’s either fallen out of date, is personal (like lockets with images, etc.) or which has been destroyed by the passage of time.
Room(s) 8: Others/Empty Rooms
Here comes a controversial opinion – modern dungeons do not have enough empty rooms. I say that with the understanding that modern adventures are far tighter-knit (and if we’re honest, often of better quality, even if they don’t necessarily have the same sense of cool or flavor to them). But my point with the empty rooms is actually one of player economy and the Game Masters room for customization. If the heroes need a room to rest and recuperate after hard fights, an empty room is very handy – sure they could clear one of the existing ones, but these rooms often come with various complications. For the GM it’s an opportunity to flex their creative muscles and insert things that make sense for their campaign – if your campaign is one of political intrigue, perhaps one of these rooms used to contain storage for a long-lost noble family, and this is the proof that one of the PCs need to show their lineage. Perhaps it’s a refuge for bandits who can’t take on the monsters elsewhere. Perhaps it’s haunted, trapped, or even caught in a temporal loop. Anything can be done here, and it’s up to you.
Obviously, this is also a great place for those who like random encounters. Not all GMs or players do, while others love them for the variety they bring to the table.
Right, and next time, we’ll do two things: We’ll draw the dungeon, and we’ll talk treasure. 😊
Kim Frandsen
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