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Preparation, preparation, preparation (lemmy.dbzer0.com)
submitted 8 months ago by to c/rpgmemes@ttrpg.network
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[–] 63 points 8 months ago (4 children)

I'd watch a video of someone with architectural experience analyzing these old dungeons and ranting about how impossible to construct and functionally useless they are for anything other than dungeon delving.

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  • [–] 44 points 8 months ago (5 children)

    For starters, just ask your DM three questions (assuming enemies are sentient and civilized beings, not just "wildlife") and watch him sweat nervously:

    • Where do the enemies sleep?
    • Where do they cook, eat and store food?
    • Where are the toilets?
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  • [–] 41 points 8 months ago* (3 children)

    In a lot of modern guides on dungeon design, they stress thinking this stuff out. Yeah you should definitely have some idea why the inhabitants are here and not elsewhere, where their supplies come from, and how they interact with whatever else calls this place home.

    They should have a place to sleep, eat, maybe recreation even. While the PCs poke around, the dungeon denizens shouldn't just be waiting around in preset rooms, fully ready to fight like MMO mobs. They could be on patrol, raiding their neighbors, sleeping, arguing, partying, whatever.

    There's even fun things you can do with this like inter-faction conflicts between floors or other regions. Do the Orcs fear the dragon at the bottom of the dungeon?

    Do the bandits have an uneasy non-aggression pact with a lich? Or are they constantly embattled with seemingly limitless undead because they're struggling for a legendary artifact?

    Somebody's gotta reset all those traps, too.

    Players should definitely feel like trespassers in a living place. Few people enjoy that ancient style of dungeon delving anymore, where you slay a band of kobolds, answer a sphinx's riddle, then bust in on a vampire who's as confused about why they're there as you are!

    Where are the toilets?

    Maybe the hallway but the local gelatinous cube roombas it up. (Eeeeeww) ... Or a room has holes dug dropping into an underground river. Or just a really deep pit, or a convenient portal to the Abyss LOL.

    You can have fun with this stuff.

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  • [–] 11 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

    Where are the toilets?

    (...) Or a room has holes dug dropping into an underground river. Or just a really deep pit, or a convenient portal to the Abyss LOL.

    Or to the Underdark. The Drow must hate the dungeon occupants...

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  • [–] 3 points 7 months ago

    I really like this approach. I'd say few dungeons are really places of inner conflict though, since that usually either resolves itself quickly by one side winning or fleeing, because few people like to have a potential rival as a direct neighbor. But of course, there are exceptions and even dungeons belonging to a single faction should feel like the monsters are actually alive.

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  • [–] 14 points 8 months ago (1 child)

    My DM would burst out laughing at those questions and respond with:

    YOU'RE the adventurers, aren't ya? So:

    • explore and find out
    • explore and find out
    • explore and find out
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  • [–] 6 points 8 months ago

    Generally yes, the DM doesn't need to answer all things (heoght be revealing some secrets after all, where you can ambush, poison food, whatever). BUT he better is prepared after the questions

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