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Pictogram
2018-03-26, 08:14 AM
As the title states, I'm trying to come up with a dungeon based around the brain. Just to give some information about what i'm sort of picturing and what the setups like. Currently i'm playing in a game where the 5 of us take turns dming, we're playing a pirate sort of game where we sail about on a boat from one island to the next, with all the misadventure in between. We basically take turns rolling up a 1-2 session dungeon/encounters that we dm, and it's my turn next week. For some reason i got struck with the idea that I wanted a dungeon based around being inside a huge floating head, its being an uber powerful magical or psionic creature. I wanted possible rooms to be projected memories or some sort of delving through this things memories as the layout, or some sort of pocket dimension effect in the dungeon. I'm thinking the end goal of said dungeon is some sickness or brain parasite that is infecting it. I'm making this for a very cheesed and very optimized 5-6 man 5th level party, not trying to purposefully TPK but the last DM's dungeon was way too easy for the party, and i want a true challenge. I know this is all over the place but if anyone has any thoughts or suggestions on the matter I'd truly appreciate the effort.

gooddragon1
2018-03-26, 08:50 AM
This homebrew may help: The Elemental Plane of Flesh (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?53869-The-Elemental-Plane-of-Flesh!)

Pictogram
2018-03-26, 09:52 AM
Hmm, a lot of interesting material here. Thank you, i bet i can draw something from this. Anyone have any experience using a Seugathi? They look real nasty and I was thinking of using one as the end boss, possibly with a few maddened thrall minions. Thinking maybe that the Seugathi is the brain parasite causing all of the problems.

Lvl 2 Expert
2018-03-26, 10:21 AM
Maybe different areas with challenges that roughly fit the functions of parts of the brain?

The motor cortex in the top of the brain could be some sort of obstacle course while also fighting ninja's with thrown weapons and a big dex bonus to AC. The prefrontal cortex could either be something with intellect, puzzles and spells, or something with emotions. A small room in the center is the hippocampus, where some sort of navigation challenge awaits. Perhaps some sort of 4-dimensional "bigger on the inside" labyrinth-thing? Like the closer you get to the center of the room the smaller you get, and there is a matchbox maze in the middle something something? Another small room around there could be the
pituitary gland, a hormonal center. If you choose the intellect for the frontal lobe this one could be emotions. Some inner exploration thing, a break in the action. it could also be something about basic drives. The barbarian stays in rage while in the room, the bard becomes a lust maniac. And in that state they have to fight an opponent build to counter it, so the barbarian fights a calm collected dodging martial artist, the bard fights a beautiful member of the preferred gender... The cerebellum or even the brain stem should also be able to provide ideas. They have some very basic functions. Maybe something with balance for the cerebellum? The routes they can take through the brain can be based on neurotransmitter pathways (dopaminergic pathways, serotinergic, noradrenergic pathway), if you have no other reason to allow certain routes. That would give a bit of a radial structure, pathways leading from the lower areas to other places in the brain. But that might take the whole theming a bit far.

Pictogram
2018-03-26, 04:37 PM
In my opinion you can never take a theme too far- these are awesome ideas, thank you!

Yogibear41
2018-03-26, 04:47 PM
Monster Ideas:

Mindflayers and Brainstealer dragons from Dragon magazine #337?

Brain in a jar? Intellect Devourer and Unbodied (expanded psionics)

Jormengand
2018-03-26, 04:47 PM
Horrors (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?541906-Horrors-(3-5-monsters-PEACH)) represent a variety of mental disorders, and though Mind-Ringers and Endless Legionnaries work better in a city setting, Silent Ones, Disciples of Distrust and Reality Exodites might work. It depends on what kind of game you're after, though.

jqavins
2018-03-28, 02:45 PM
Maybe different areas with challenges that roughly fit the functions of parts of the brain?...Mr, Expert, you took lots of those words right out of my - well - fingers. But you left out some sort of radical emotional experience in the amygdala.

Pictogram,
What about using passageways reminiscent of the convolutions on the brain's surface? I don't know if the interior areas of a real brain are similar, I would tend to doubt it, but how realistically do you want this modeled anyway?

The idea of going inside this "uber powerful magical or psionic creature['s]" brain is right out of Fantastic Voyage (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantastic_Voyage), so why not take more from there? In the movie (I haven't read the original story) the party has to be very careful not to do too much damage while they attempt to cure the patient, and they face the patient's own immune system as "monsters". Those ideas can both work. In addition, this patient would have a psionic immune system so to speak as well. Attacks from this quarter are either automatic and involuntary or directed by the parasite; the party must defeat them without doing more harm than good.

brian 333
2018-03-28, 03:02 PM
One of my earliest ventures was to Skull Island, which looked like a skull. Sitting on a throne in each eye socket one could see infinitely in the direction the skull faced, a similar throne behind the nostrils allowed the character to smell whatever was blown along the winds, and the entry at just above the level of the beach was shaped to turn every word spoken within to echo and reverberate into a very loud booming shout. For some reason I left out ear holes.

Pictogram
2018-03-31, 12:25 PM
Pictogram,
What about using passageways reminiscent of the convolutions on the brain's surface? I don't know if the interior areas of a real brain are similar, I would tend to doubt it, but how realistically do you want this modeled anyway?

The idea of going inside this "uber powerful magical or psionic creature['s]" brain is right out of Fantastic Voyage (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantastic_Voyage), so why not take more from there? In the movie (I haven't read the original story) the party has to be very careful not to do too much damage while they attempt to cure the patient, and they face the patient's own immune system as "monsters". Those ideas can both work. In addition, this patient would have a psionic immune system so to speak as well. Attacks from this quarter are either automatic and involuntary or directed by the parasite; the party must defeat them without doing more harm than good.

Good idea about the passageways. It doesn't have to be entirely accurate or right, more so drawing inspiration. I don't care if certain things might not be scientifically correct, i'm not going to sacrifice layout of dungeon for that. I would like a somewhat realistic layout mixed with astral plane pockets to interject how powerful this thing is, and how it is unconsciously projecting pocket dimensions. So like, some rooms will be all fleshy and brainy (literally), while others say the prefrontal cortex becomes a dusty old library or something.

Pictogram
2018-03-31, 12:28 PM
Horrors (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?541906-Horrors-(3-5-monsters-PEACH)) represent a variety of mental disorders, and though Mind-Ringers and Endless Legionnaries work better in a city setting, Silent Ones, Disciples of Distrust and Reality Exodites might work. It depends on what kind of game you're after, though.

Kudos on those Horrors, I really like abilities that challenge the party in new and fun ways and The Silent Ones will be perfect if they go in to the Broca's Aphasia (speech control), and i'm sure i can find someway to justify the Disciples to make it all the more dynamic :smallwink:

jqavins
2018-04-08, 12:53 PM
How did it go?

JanessaVR
2018-04-08, 02:14 PM
I can also recommend D&D 2e - Nightmare Keep. The dungeon is actually the huge, mutated body of a demilich. Pick up a copy at DTRPG for cheap.

Pictogram
2018-05-07, 08:13 PM
Hey, i know this is a bit on thread necromancy, but I finally got to start this dungeon. I've basically designed it like a diamond, each point has a room which represents part of the brain. Their are snaking hallways between this point filled with synapses and pesky dream spiders who's webbing can sap wisdom. I've named the giant creature "God's Head", and it's a dead gods head that has detached itself from the body and gained an aberrant life, they are not evil and hardly register mortals at all, they often float through the astral plane speaking out loud, ranting off forgotten information and theories. For some reason, the party has yet to discover, one materialized on their plane, fell into the ocean. It created a huge tidal wave that the party had to navigate- this wave was also the dormant god head casting geas on the party- the geas being to get the parasite out of their head. As they move towards the location they start seeing an array of colorful characters partying on little sandbars- these are psychic parasites that are drawn to the location because the dormant God head is an all you can eat buffet for them. They largely ignore the party unless provoked, but they do seem to show interest in the psionic member of the group. They approach what looks to be a Field of hair in the water, which is in fact the top of the creatures head. After much debate they make it inside the creatures ear holes, and the dungeon starts proper. The first room is a stair case that leads off into the several long hallways that lead to the different rooms. A bunch of these parasites were hanging out on the steps ( they have bizarre appearances that vary wildly as they are just costumes of the mind), A party member asked them where the rot was so they could cut it out of the head. Which of course did not sit well with the parasites as cleansing whatever it is would stop their feeding fest. So of course the parasites attack- things go pretty smoothly combat wise as they dispatch these creatures pretty readily. After which they choose the center tunnel to go down, filled with those webs i mentioned before. 2 characters, after witnessing 1 person fail their acrobatics to limbo through the webbing, basically rush through, doing their acrobatics checks but failing i think 3 or 4. Both of them got about 10 wisdom drained. We had to end their because of time, but seeing that they haven't even got to the first brain area things are not looking well for our heroes.