Let's build an Epic Dungeon! Design Stage: Brainstorm!

[bosssmiley]

Nihilism Bear stare.

Dang! Beaten to it.

Also, what does JG stand for?

It's like GJ (good job), only drunk and lairy.

[Arcane_Secrets]

I love gravity based puzzles. You could go for an MC Escher room with subjective gravity playing a major role, i.e. you walk up the sideways stairs, you climb up floors, etc. There could also be another use of gravity, with an adaptation of Penny Arcade's Free Falling combat rules.

A lot of crazy ideas can start to make sense as you get closer to the far realms.

I did that once in a game about a decade ago and it was hilarious. The setup was a 'wrap around room' in which there were buttons on the center of each floor/wall that reversed gravity to the wall opposite the button pressed. The buttons had to be pressed in a particular order to make the exit door appear. I didn't throw actual opponents into the situation aside from defeating the puzzle with a minimum of injuries.

[Melamoto]

D&D 3.5 is vastly leading over the other choices right now, at 12 votes, while PF and 4th are crawling far behind at 3 and 2 respectively. This vote is pretty much set, but I'll wait until the end. Maybe 10 major PF fans will see this thread at once and change the vote around.

Great suggestions coming up people, keep them coming! This is gonna be a great dungeon. The final stage of the dungeon creation will be handled by only a few people, no more than 10. They will use all of the ideas made so far, and they will handle the final dungeon schematics. This is because, obviously, there will need to be coherency in this. But all the ideas put out here will be up for use, so carry on!

[Fendalus]

I'm for 3.5 in this, seems like a very interesting idea. If nothing else, this would be a great source of insperation.

[Dr.Epic]

Can I make a suggestion? A legion of half-dragon dire bears holding half-dragon dire sharks.

[clockworkmonk]

Well, if you want some meanness, just start adding some templates to a dire weseal.

[dsmiles]

Can I make a suggestion? A legion of half-dragon dire bears holding half-dragon dire sharks.

Do they have frickin' dire lasers on their frickin' dire heads?

[Flarp]

Not that it really matters at this point, but I vote 3.5.

One system that I use a lot when making dungeons (large ones especially) is including a center room that has passages to major points in the dungeon - but most of these passages are, for whatever reason, inaccessible.

When the players reach these points naturally, they unlock the passage. This serves several functions:

1. In low-level adventures, if the players can't solve a problem and need to leave to get help, they can find their way back easier.
2. Non-linear dungeoneering and (good) backtracking is that much easier.
3. It helps the players know how far they've come and gives them an idea of scope for the dungeon.

Also, to preempt the theme and style discussions that Djinn brought up, I'd go for a puzzle-focused dungeon. For theme... hmm...

If we're just going for a long-ass dungeon, we could have one section for each outer plane, but that seems sort of unoriginal.

How about a magic-themed dungeon, with lots of challenges involving magical objects, copious uses of Force Walls, and maybe even time manipulation puzzles.

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

So...here's a thought. We want a 1-20+ dungeon. That means we're building a campaign taking place in a single, expansive area.

Things we need to consider?

• Purpose/Underlying plot of the campaign.
• Final goal.
• Places to introduce new characters in case of character death.
• Places to purchase/sell items, in case the character assortment doesn't mesh with the treasure we choose to place in the dungeon.

[dsmiles]

So...here's a thought. We want a 1-20+ dungeon. That means we're building a campaign taking place in a single, expansive area.

Things we need to consider?

• Purpose/Underlying plot of the campaign.
• Final goal.
• Places to introduce new characters in case of character death.
• Places to purchase/sell items, in case the character assortment doesn't mesh with the treasure we choose to place in the dungeon.

point 1...Far Realm
point 2...not to get sucked into the Far Realm
point 3...nearby town (read: Hommlet) that is not part of the Far Realm
point 4...see point 3

(Sorry, I really like the Lovecraftian monsters that inhabit the Far Realm. I like to run dark, gritty, horror games.)

[Melamoto]

So...here's a thought. We want a 1-20+ dungeon. That means we're building a campaign taking place in a single, expansive area.

Things we need to consider?

• Purpose/Underlying plot of the campaign.
• Final goal.
• Places to introduce new characters in case of character death.
• Places to purchase/sell items, in case the character assortment doesn't mesh with the treasure we choose to place in the dungeon.

Don't put the horse before the cart; we don't know what level range we're using yet. I'm only using 12 hour votes for most of the earlier votes, so in 24 hours we'll know just what levels this is for. Until then, all that is left is a cloud of uncertainty.

[Flarp]

So...here's a thought. We want a 1-20+ dungeon. That means we're building a campaign taking place in a single, expansive area.

Things we need to consider?

• Purpose/Underlying plot of the campaign.
• Final goal.
• Places to introduce new characters in case of character death.
• Places to purchase/sell items, in case the character assortment doesn't mesh with the treasure we choose to place in the dungeon.

Hm.

Purpose, Background, and Final Goal

A powerful wizard's guild has recently breached the barrier into a massive demiplane that contains one of (insert campaign-specific god of magic)'s many abodes, long abandoned.

In the plane, however, the god's experiments yet linger, making it a powerful and dangerous font of magic. At the center lies the (insert magical artifact name), responsible for the continued existence of the god's dwelling.

The wizards wish to remove the artifact, however, so that they may study it and and demiplane in relative safety. The artifact lies at the center of the twisting and near-infinite plane, however, and the wizards cannot use their strength alone to find it.

Safe Haven, Vendor Area, Exposition Location

Over the years, the wizards built their humble dwellings into an epic spire of magnificent proportions, where apprentices and archmages alike may study magic. At the pinnacle of the tower, the rift has formed.

OPTIONAL: Have the tower itself also be part of the dungeon, with elementals, magical beasts, and insane wizards as low-level monsters. Higher level dungeoneers explore the demiplane. As the PCs clean out the tower, the wizards take it back and may provide more powerful assistance.

Around the tower, a small hamlet of pilgrims began to form, seeking the aid of the wizards in mundane and arcane matters. Over the years, the small village grew, becoming a large town. When the wizards accepted the town, they declared themselves leaders, which the citizens agreed to.

Now the town serves as a functioning economy and food supply for the wizards, who solve the problems of the villagers in return for their servitude.

EDIT: Ninja'd, but this could really apply for any level range - make the plane incredibly small and only contain the "final boss", while the tower is the main dungeon, if you want a low level area, or make the tower a friendly area and only have the plane be hostile.

Also, a suggestion for future votes, to make foregone conclusions pass quickly - if one response gets >75% of the total number of voters in the last vote, it passes instantly. Discuss.

[flabort]

Dungeon building is always the funnest part of DMing, in my opinion. That, and populating it.

I'm working on a small dungeon right now, a wizard's stronghold. He sent a job offer to clear out his tower, because it's being conquered by goblins. It's got a coliseum like area, were he pitted his magical creations against eachother to test them, and were goblins now throw prisoners to watch, it's got a deep basement, leading to an underground lake, were amphibios rats with arms dwell, and, being a tower, many stories. it's got a portal to a demiplane which the wizard made in his younger years, pretty early on, but there's basicly nothing there. it's got several useless magic items, and no undead. it does have an intelegent LG +1 sword of harm undead, but no undead.

When they reach the top, they find what the barkeep back at town had warned them about: the offer to clear out the tower is about 2000 years old, and the wizard is dead. not lich, just dead. he failed to find a way to achieve imortality. a scrawled note says his reward for any who clear out the tower has changed: they own the whole tower, and all it's contents.

As well, the "wizard" turns out to be a psion.

But, it offers interesting enemies:
A Blue colored chicken, made of metal actually, that has furry tufts at the back of it's throat, which spin rapidly when the chicken feals threatened. Zap! lightning breathing construct without half-dragon. also, some of them have purple crystals growing out of their backs. These ones, found in more upper levels, are hive minded, with psion instead of sorcerer levels. Yup, hive mind construct psionic chickens. the more metal they eat, the bigger they get, and that's also how they reproduce. Min. and max. int 3, but since "caster" stat is Cha...

Amphibious rats, with arms sprouting out of thier backs. throw feces at threats.

Massive mushrooms, with crystalized shells. tend to flap thier tops, despite solid shells, flying at foes. varying colors, with varying psionic effects. fire spores, which if embedded in skin, cause a fort save, followed by a will save. failing both results in being under the effects of suggestion, as the spell, but with minor psionic benifites. "Protect the tower, kill invaders", and your partners are invaders.

[Melamoto]

Voting Stage 1 ended. The winner was (As expected) 3.5. The next vote topic is about the starting level of the dungeon. This is the approximate level the dungeon is supposed to begin at; it has no influence on when the dungeon is supposed to end (Other than it cannot end before the starting level). So if you want this to be a 1-20 game, vote 1-3. If you want this to be a 5-13 game, vote 4-6. If you want this to be an epic level dungeon, vote epic. You get the idea. Voting will end tomorrow at 8 AM GMT.

[Calenestel]

I'm going to be a bit of a bother and say: 1-3!
I LOVE long adventures (both in RPGs, books and films).

Day shall come again!
Calle

[Tyndmyr]

If epic is 1-epic, then I vote epic. If it's only epic, then I vote 1-20.

I too, love long dungeons.

[Flarp]

Likewise, I must say 1-3.

We're playgrounders, goshdarnit! We can make 20 levels of dungeon with our hands tied behind our backs!

[Melamoto]

If epic is 1-epic, then I vote epic. If it's only epic, then I vote 1-20.

I too, love long dungeons.

This is the vote for only the starting level. If you want it to start at level 1, then vote 1-3.

[clockworkmonk]

I'm a big fan of starting low too. 1-3

[Masaioh]

I vote 1-3 as well

[Flarp]

Wow, should we even wait for this one? It seems even more unanimous than editions.

[Melamoto]

I would lower the voting time down to 6 hours to save time, but that would require me to check out the votes at 2 AM, which I am not really that interested in doing. We could call it unanimous, but we're getting new interest, and it's not over until the dwarf lady sings.

[Flarp]

I would lower the voting time down to 6 hours to save time, but that would require me to check out the votes at 2 AM, which I am not really that interested in doing. We could call it unanimous, but we're getting new interest, and it's not over until the dwarf lady sings.

Your invocation of female dwarves and their inferred sexiness has swayed my mind. Let the voting continue!

[Tyndmyr]

This is the vote for only the starting level. If you want it to start at level 1, then vote 1-3.

In that case, 1-3

[Gamerlord]

1-3 is my vote.

[Bagelz]

normally i do not like starting low, and my vote would normally go to 11-14 (an epic dungeon requires epic levels right), but i really like the idead of 1-20+ in one dungeon.
So as long the adventurers cannot leave the dungeon and goto a "town" (that is not part of said dungeon as to buy/trade/sell magic loot), then my official vote will be starting level 1 also
~bagelz

[Harperfan7]

1-3. I actually like low levels.

[Dust]

1-3, making it a usable resource instead of yet another incredible campaign location that you have stored away, hoping beyond hope that your players will live to be level 11 for a change.

I, uh, have a special group.

[Shardan]

At one point I had a vertical maze built. take a typical labyrinth and stand it up. low level with all the climbing. wall crawling and flying monsters...

I also had a dungeon where the floor was absolutely covered in copper pieces... and full of electrical monsters... one giant conduit..

[Tyndmyr]

Heh...mind if I borrow a variant on the copper piece idea for the endless dungeon? I need me some more creative puzzle/trap rooms.