Tag: #Dungeon24

2024 in Review: Our Journey at Rashundai Games

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

It’s already been two weeks since the world leveled up from 2024 to 2025. In another two weeks it will be a year since this blog has gone public with the first post. This will be a brief review of what this site achieved, what it didn’t, and what I hope it will achieve this year.

tl;dr

  • More frequent posting of shorter articles in 2025
  • Dungeon 24 continues on irregular schedule
  • At least 3 new Dungeon series articles planned
  • Whole new exciting series coming soon
  • Finally some game analyses!

Goals set and met

My goal when I started with this blog was at least one post per week. That changed to two per week with the addition of Dungeon 24. Which should get us at 104 posts total. And that’s not counting various random acts of writing I thought I would be committing.

There are 13 published posts on the site in 2024, far less than I expected. I’ve been quite optimistic, as I thought to have enough topics to cover, which was and still is true. What I didn’t have was the time to write all the longforms I envisioned. I am used to working with sources, citing (or at least checking) everything, polishing the language and revising if needed. When I publish something I want to be able to stand up for my work. The schedule I set for myself was rather unrealistic, as I’ve learned.

Dungeon 24

My apparent nemesis, the Dungeon 24 challenge. I stated in the beginning that this type of challenges isn’t really for me, and I was right. I managed for a few weeks but after that I started getting more and more behind the schedule. The last update was in September and it should cover the first half of March. I have more in my notebook, but couldn’t get to processing it for the blog.

The Round Tower by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, 1761. An imaginary dungeon sketch.

Nevertheless I will continue with the dungeon this year until there are at least 365 rooms. There are still ideas I want to put in there, and I don’t want to leave it unfinished. It also serves as a laboratory and test tube for the Dungeon series of articles on this blog. The frequency of the updates will be irregular, same as with the other article types.

There’s one other thing worth mentioning. The article with the most views in year 2024 was the introductory post to Dungeon 24. Somehow my site is the number 3 result on Google, which is nice, I guess. I would rather have traffic for my other work, but if it helps people get to the site, it’s fine.

Dungeon series

I consider the Dungeon series the current flagship of the blog. The articles published so far offer my views on different aspects of dungeon design and functioning. In the three published articles I have discussed dungeon size and megadungeons, the way dungeons should and could be explored, and the Palimpsest dungeon concept. Dungeons, in their many forms, are an integral part of TTRPG experience for many, regardless of the system or setting. So far I’ve concentrated on fantasy settings, but many of the ideas presented in the articles should be useful for other types of settings as well. Anything can benefit from solid internal logic instead of theme parks composed of unrelated challenge sequences.

I have two more articles in various states of completion, that should be ready this year. In one I will elaborate on the Palimpsest dungeon concept. The other will deal with bringing life to the dungeon. At least three more exist as outlines on my to do list. These will deal with stuff like level interconnectedness and verticality, if that’s a real word. More topics will surely progressively arise from other activities, including the ill-fated Dungeon 24.

Different topics

Apart from the Dungeon series I managed to write three articles providing summaries of a certain topic. Each deals with a different area – settings, items, and general theory.

In Frozen Horrors I described a setting type notable for combining harsh environmental conditions and isolation with horror themes. I actually wanted to make several updates with more works, but didn’t find the time to do the necessary research. There are still movies, books, and video games that could fall into this sub-genre. Not all are suitable to take inspiration from, but that’s up to the readers of course.

Slingshots part I was a summary of this toy/weapon in various media. I’ve been particularly focused on how slingshots are explained and presented – viable weapon or novelty? Again there are other media that could have made the list, and I’m slowly working on an update. There will also be a Part II sometime this year, although it’s not a priority. It will deal more directly with the application of slingshots in your games and settings. I think an article on slings is in order as well, as a comparison between a real weapon that killed people on the battlefields versus what is a modern improvised weapon at best.

The article on using video games as a resource is a sort of necessary introduction to a type of article I plan on adding to the repertoire. As mentioned in the post itself, these won’t be game reviews as known from gaming blogs and magazines. Things like hardware requirements, controls, or replayability won’t matter as much as storytelling, ideas, and inspiration potential for your tabletop games.

What to expect in 2025

This year there are going to be some changes. There is a lot I still have to learn and fine-tune. So far I focused on longforms that required some research and thought on top of the idea and writing. This led to very sporadic updates. My goal is to be more active, so in addition to these longforms I will be posting shorter posts. Likely true blog posts with various thoughts and ideas that I might elaborate upon in the future.

I haven’t published any playable material, yet. There are several class options for D&D on my table I’d like to see finished, so these will have priority. Some need only cosmetic changes so they come in a nice package. Though it’s the contents, not the form, that matters, I wouldn’t want to publish it as bland text files. Other systems like 2nd edition Pathfinder and Mörk Börg will also receive some attention when possible. Unlike theory, which I believe to be mostly universal, different systems allow different supplements.

The main focus of the blog will remain on theory, as I intended from the beginning. For the longforms the Dungeon series will remain the main theme, so expect more in that vein. I have a few other avenues that I would pursue. Some I have outlined above, such as a follow-up to the article on slingshots. I also want to start another series of articles focused on different materials. Some that are readily available in most settings, some that are rare. I have some possibly controversial takes that might not suit everyone, but I very much look forward to exploring these ideas.

I will try to publish a few of the video game analyses I advertised. So far I haven’t finished any of those, even though I have a few in process. This year I plan on finishing at least some game articles. One hot candidate would be Arco, a fine RPG with a captivating Mesoamerican setting. Do check it out!

One of the menu screens. All rights reserved to Franek, Max Cahill, Bibiki, Fáyer, and their publisher Panic.

Final remarks

It would probably be a good thing to set concrete measurable goals for this year, though I am reluctant to commit to precise numbers. I think that with less focus on longforms and more shorter posts I could get at 30 articles this year. There will be the Dungeon series articles, and a new series that I’m keeping as a surprise until the first article is ready.

I also want to put more effort into promoting the site, so that it gets a little more life. For example the Frozen Horrors article had 3 likes out of only 4 views. This tells me that people find the stuff I write interesting if they find out about it.

With this in mind I would like to ask again to share the articles you like. We all have our networks and your sharing is the best way for the blog to spread. This is the kind of feedback I need to improve the site. That and the comments. Please take a moment to write down one or two sentences about what you liked, or even where you disagree. Having constructive discussions under the posts would be wonderful.

I would like to wish you all a fruitful and satisfying year 2025. May you achieve your goals and have lots of fun with TTRPGs or any other hobbies you have. Also take care of yourselves and your close ones, stay safe through the year!

Dungeon 24: Underground canal

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes (7 with room descriptions)

There hasn’t been an update for some while now, as life and work got in the way during summer. My Dungeon 24 is still alive though and I will post new parts of it when possible. We’re about six months beind the schedule, which should be fine as long as I change the pace to three rooms per day instead of one.

Last time we explored an abandoned temple of some forgotten pastoral cult. There was a breach in one of the alcoves with the sarcophagi of the priests opening into a natural cavern of some sort leading north. The other end of the cavern opens into a room in a style different than the small temple complex left behind, more similar to the upper level. Potentially deadly surprises await in both the natural cave and this maintenance cabinet of sorts.

Behind the cabinet a spacious corridor opens, consisting for the most part of a water canal. The place seems to be some sort of access hub, with a ladder leading both up (II/59) and down, stairs for canal access, several doors and corridors. There is a bridge spanning the waterway that seems to be fortified by makeshift barricades. The canal itself continues a long way in both directions, with the current slowly moving westwards.

The floor so far. Goatherd temple in the south connected by a semi-natural cavern with the canal in the north.

South of the bridge there is a door opening into a short corridor with three more doors. There is an elevator lobby with a gaping pit where the elevator should land (the elevator being stuck one level above), infested by slugs from below. A strange room with a pool of disgusting water and similarly disgusting tubs and vats is behind the door across from the elevator room. Draining the pool into the canal reveals the remains of several spiky creatures, apparently long dead.

The last room on this side of the canal is locked. Opening the door requires the key or significant skill with mechanical locks. Behind the door is a relatively well equipped laboratory with plenty of alchemical apparatus, glassware and ceramics. Specimens spread the tables hint at a naturalist inclination of the occupant of this room.

Rooms

  1. Narrow natural cavern with high ceiling, both ends dug through by clawed limbs, heaps of rubble line the walls
    • E: One of the rubble heaps is a lurking rock slime, might attack loners or stragglers
  2. Small maintenance room, in SW corner a hole leading to natural cavern III/7
    • decrepit furniture – round table with 2 chairs in SE corner, several shelves and supply crates
    • E: one of the crates hides a sleeping juvenile otyugh – it is not immediately hostile but will defend itself when disturbed, running away through broken door to the north if things get ugly
    • T: 10-foot pole with a hook on one end in one corner; acid-resistant cloak under the otyugh
  3. Access and maintenance section of the underground canal
    • ladder leading up (II/59) & down
    • pump for the fountain above (II/58)
    • stairs leading into the canal
    • the canal is around 20 ft. deep, water is about quarter depth (5 ft.) and murky, odd stones, pieces of construction wood and other refuse stick out here and there from the slow but steady westward stream
  4. Bridge over the canal with barricades placed on both landings, alternate sides
    • T: Behind the barricade on the N side a half-full oil lantern can be found
  5. Elevator room
    • control panel is broken, the elevator itself is stuck one level above, blocking the shaft upward
    • the shaft downwards leads one level down after 30 ft.
    • counter in NE corner, behind a shelf with remains of stamps and ink bottles
    • the whole room is slimed over
    • E: at any time 1d4 large and 1d10 small slugs are crawling all over the room, entering from below, not hostile
    • T: 2 usable intact stamps and a full ink bottle on the shelf
  6. Large room with a pool and several vats and tubs of varying sizes
    • pool connected to the canal by a pipe, there is a lock mechanism operated by a wheel – needs a bit of oil but operable
    • the pool is 10 ft. deep, half-filled with stinking soupy water, clumps of mold floating on the surface
    • when the lock is opened the pool is drained into the canal and the remains of 6 cave urchins appear, all dead for some time
    • the tubs and vats contain mostly disgusting fluids of greenish or yellowish tint, only one contains a skeleton of a small humanoid covered in strange bite or claw marks all over the bones
  7. Locked (DC 35) laboratory, mostly intact and possibly still in use, with oil lamps ready to be lighted around the room
    • counters around most of the room, 3 large tables in the center
    • on one table a dissected slug, one other occupied by a large tentacle
    • floor grill in the middle of the room leads down one level to the sump

This is it for the southern side of the canal. Next update will look behind some of the doors that can be seen across the waterway. I’m keeping the descriptions quite vague for now, but there should be a picture slowly coming together. After all this is done, I will compile everything together with more explanations and a lot detailed descriptions.

As always thanks for reading this far, feel free to comment and share or your favourite social networks, and don’t forget to follow us so you don’t miss any updates!

Dungeon 24: Goatherd temple

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes (4 with room descriptions)

As I mentioned in the last update, in March we’ll see some more action. In this post a new level of the dungeon begins, one that is lower than the prison level we finished last time. Six rooms are featured in this update, together forming one complex. The drawing style is a little different from the last level. I’m trying out new techniques in pursuit of raising the quality of the maps. Since I’m sharing them with the world, they could use more attention.

I started below room II/49, or the isolation cell in the gnomish part of the abandoned prison. A shaft leads down from there some 25 ft., first few feet furnished with iron rungs, then a rope ladder leading into a rectangular room with six sarcophagi. The tomb contains the bodily remains of six high priests of a long-vanished cult, and can be left by a door on the eastern side of the room. Someone barricaded the door with slabs of stone that probably come from the ceiling.

The door leads to the nave of a temple. Four alcoves in the shape of a cross contain more sarcophagi, and on the other side of the nave the door leads to an anteroom. One of the alcoves has been breached somehow from an adjacent natural cave (we’ll get to it in the next update). The antechamber is plain and leads to another two rooms serving as shrines for artefacts. One is still present, the other is missing. The whole temple is decorated with murals depicting pastoral scenes, mostly with goats. Some murals are damaged, in the main nave it’s mainly the faces of people that are defaced. In the easternmost room a wide stairway leads down to lower levels.

Plan of the first 6 rooms on this level
The temple of goatherds.

The temple has been abandoned long ago, althought it seems the tombs haven’t been looted. Whoever made the access shaft to the tomb probably found it wise to barricade the door. The party is free to loot the sarcophagi, but this should prove difficult enough. With a trap to soften the robbers and then a mummy inside, each sarcophagus could be their last. The horn in room 4 is free to take with no strings attached.

Rooms

  1. Tomb with 6 sarcophagi, there’s a rope ladder dangling from a hole in the ceiling
    • the door is blokced from the inside with large stone slabs, probably from the ceiling
    • each sarcophagus contains the remains of a high priest – there are glyphs documenting their names, rank, and deeds
    • potential grave-robbers might want to open the sarcophagi, though each is trapped and the mummified corpses come to life when tampered with
    • T: each corpse is adorned with jewellry, some have ceremonial regalia such as a dagger or scepter
    • E: up to 6 mummified high priests
  2. Temple nave with pews, altar, and 4 alcoves with sarcophagi
    • the altar is on a raised dais
    • the walls are covered in faded murals depicting pastoral scenes, faces deliberately damaged
    • alcoves – ii has 1 toppled sacrophagus behind which a tunnel leads to III/7; one sarcophagus in alcove iii contains a simple lapis lazuli necklace
  3. antechamber, walls covered in murals showing goatherds and scenes from goat husbandry
  4. small shrine, on the altar is a goat’s horn with silver fittings, murals on walls show flocks of goats, sheep, and cattle
    • T: horn of animal friendship (1 use/day, as spell cast from 5th level slot – 5 animals affected, works only aboveground)
  5. small shrine with empty altar, walls defaced, but remains of hunting scenes can be seen
  6. room with a wide flight of stairs leading one level down

In the next update we’ll have a look at the cave leading from the breached alcove. What will avait intrepid explorers in the darkness behind the toppled sarcophagus? Follow the blog or our social networks so you don’t miss anything!

Dungeon 24: Gnome refuge

The February #Dungeon24 update is finally ready. This time we’re dealing with a community of swamp gnomes.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes (7 with room descriptions)

I’ve been neglecting the dungeon in the last few weeks, and it’s already April. By now there should be around 90 finished rooms. The schedule seems quite unrealistic, so I will just post these whenever I finish a batch. I’m slowly changing the style, as I’m trying out a more detailed approach. Either way these drawings are only wips, I will be redrawing everything at the end of the year or so.

We entered the southern prison block last time and from the few corner cells described not much could be guessed about it. The next few rooms should clarify things.

This prison block is occupied by a small group of swamp gnomes. Their leader is Čitlo [chit-loh], a sorcerer of some skill. The others are mostly simple fisherfolk and craftspeople. They prefer to be left alone, having sought the solitude of the abandoned halls of the complex. The swamp gnomes visit the surface to fish and forage, and once in a while descend to lower levels as well. They keep away from dangerous areas. When asked about the other block, they remain mostly silent or try to change the subject.

Balok the dwarf sometimes trades with them, but their relationship is not that of equals – he sees them as someone who is tolerated and potentially exploited, when possible.

Map of the southern prison block
The southern prison block. You can see I added details to most rooms.

Rooms

  1. Twin cells remade into a single room by removing the central partition and covering the bars.
    • the room is inhabited by a single swamp gnome
    • contains a seaweed pallet, some coil baskets of various sizes; in one corner a series of shelves is fashioned ou of an old fishing net, still with floats and sinkers
  2. Former kitchen; it is divided by bars with 1 dispensing window on the N side – now reinforced by additional bars bound by locked chain
    • The “outer” part is empty, only 1 rickety chair stands in NE corner
    • The “inner” part serves as a sty for 5 eggslugs, that are using what originally served as a cooking fireplace as an egglaying nest; there are remains of foodstuff and organic refuse all over the room
  3. Former larder, now used for storing fodder for slugs – seaweed, food remains, etc.
    • T: when searched thoroughly (DC 30) a brazen button similar to the one from I/25 is found
  4. Another room fashioned from two cells, the central barred partition is removed untidily, with remains of bars still visible; outside bars covered with blankets
    • home to two swamp gnomes, brother and sister
    • two crude seaweed pallets in S part of the room; small table with chairs, few seaweed baskets, a beaten keg made into a chest
    • on the table there is a figurine similar to those in I/4
  5. storeroom turned into living quarters
    • home to a single swamp gnome, an old stone carver
    • N part of the room taken by a crude seaweed pallet, in SW corner a small seaweed rug on the floor, little chips of stone in every corner and nook, dust everywhere
    • on the rug a set of tools and half-finished stone carvings
  6. former chapel, now common room for the swamp gnomes
    • in the alcove is an altar used as a counter for food preparation
    • basin in the middle is usead aas a fireplace – there are potstands, tripods, etc. in and around it
    • usually at least two gnomes on kitchen duty; more if it’s meal time or there’s a matter to discuss
  7. originally a workshop, now the room serves as the swamp gnome leader’s quarters
    • divided by a screen made of sailcloth, behind the screen is a pallet, table and chair and a small chest
    • N wall lined with shelves with various trinkets and containers, SE corner occupied by a corner workbench
    • the swamp gnomes’ leader Čitlo is rarely in his quarters, more often supervising other gnomes’ activities or spending time in the common room (II/46)
  8. isolation cell reused as a storeroom; it is full of seaweed bundles tied with coarse ropes and twines
    • T: one of the bundels in the back, under several others, is a hidden stash (DC 30), containing the following: 78 gp 51 sp in various coinages, 2 healing potions (unlabeled), wand of Reduce person
  9. isolation cell remade into secret access shaft to lower levels
    • the door is locked, key is worn by Čitlo
    • the room is empty, in SE corner a roughly cut shaft with rungs set into the stone
  10. former utility closets, now larder
    • shelves, boxes, and sacks containing various foodstuffs – undergorund and coastal
  11. utility closed turned into a toilet, a screen divides the room
    • behind the screen is a toilet leading to a lover level, climbable by small creatures, though filthy and leading to a sump
  12. another converted twin cell, housing a single swamp gnome woman
    • right in front of the door is a standing loom
    • in SW corner is a table and 2 chairs, a large shelf at the S wall, smaller chest on the opposite side, seaweed pallet and coil basket near E wall
  13. twin cell remade into tannery
    • there are 2 frames with stretched skins along the N wall, 2 vats along S wall, 2 drying rackswith fish skins in W part of the room
    • Some scraping tools hanging from the frames, and softening hooks on the walls
  14. Twin cell rebuilt into a room, it serves as housing to a pair of swamp gnomes
    • There’s a larger pallet, a table with 2 chairs, a large coil basket and a chest, one shelf on the N wall
    • The occupants are leatherworkers/tanners and spend most of their time in the tannery (II/53)
  15. Room made from twin cells, occupied by a single gnome
    • Caringly repaired furniture – 2 shelves, a table and 2 chairs, a chest, and a pallet
    • On the table and shelves are various woodworking tools – saws, knives, planes, a hammer and nails, etc.
  16. Corner cells remade into another room, a couple with child lives here
    • Screens divide the room into sections, N has a larger pallet and a cradle, center part has some chests and a table with chairs
  17. small workshop with a work table, equipped shelves, and a chest
    • door is locked and barred (1 key for each needed)
    • inside is a corpse of a dwarf engineer
    • the workshop is equipped well enough for most basic craft and maintenance needs
    • T: the dwarf has a dagger, shortsword, and small crossbow with 6 bolts in the quiver; also some jewellery (worth 7 gp total) and coins (2d4 gp in different coinages)
  18. Fountain room – large basin with a fountain; there is no water and the basin is dirty
    • “secret” door behind the basin (DC 35) leading to fountain maintenance
  19. Maintenance room for the fountain
    • apart from some machinery there is a shaft leading down
  20. Lift room
    • the lift is broken, but the shaft can be used to climb up two levels (better access from the top with a rope)
    • there are also stairs leading up, but only one level, and the door on top is locked
Eastern part of the level with stairs and lift
Several exits to different levels are located in this part of the level.

This concludes the prison level of the compound. Another set of inhabitants was introduced, the swamp gnomes. A detailed description of this subrace/heritage will be the content of another post in the future. So far the dungeon didn’t offer much in the way of dangers, but I’m not working on a room-by-room chain of encounters. We’ll see how this goes in the next few months. April is round the corner and I have to start on March, still. I guess I can do a lower level for March and make it more dynamic.

As always, thanks for reading and you’re welcome to like and comment, and share the post and our site on your favourite social media!

Dungeon 24: Block junction

February is dedicated to another prison block, not as abandoned as the first one!

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Last time I provided a summary of an abandoned prison block that has been inhabited by squatters at some point in the past. There was also a hidden section of the prison where torture and alchemical work took place. In this post I will finish the last two cells remaining in the first block and we will move on. As we’re still on one floor, the rooms are numbered continuosly, but since January has 31 days, rooms 32 and on are obviously from February.

The last two corner cells of block 1 once again offer a glimpse of sinister happenings. If the party gets here after seeing the rest of the block, the atmosphere might be already quite tense. As one of the first rooms to be explored it might put the party on alert, although there is little to fear in the block, excluding the wraith.

Rooms 30 to 40 are pictured here, along with a corridor leading eastwards
Explore another block of the prison or follow the corridor leading eastwards?

Beyond the door to the south lies a corridor leading to another prison block. At the junction with the larger corridor there is a former guardpost occupied by Balok. Balok is a vermin dwarf who calls the old prison his home. If he’s not making his rounds he’s probably asleep in his room. While not entirely unfriendly, he will not help the party in any way unless it’s in his own interest, and would prefer if they left the premises soon. Particularly hostile parties might receive directions into various hazards, whether it’s monsters or traps.

The two opposite rooms to the east, an office and a storeroom, are not interesting at all, except for the hidden passage from the storeroom to one of the cells in southern block. The cell itself and its twin are quite unremarkable. The other corner twins contain some transportation devices and a lot of oyster shells.

Who is hoarding the shells and for what purpose? And what’s a “vermin dwarf”? For the first one keep following my #Dungeon24 updates, and don’t forget to like, share, and comment! As for the second question, there will be a post dedicated to this new dwarven subrace/heritage in the near future, so stay tuned!

Rooms

  1. Corner cell, door missing, no cot or other furniture; walls and floor covered in colorful drawings. Closer examination reveals unsettling details – monsters, murder, etc. in childish styl
  2. Corner cell with bound door; inside is a human-shaped sailcloth bundle bound by rope. There is no body, only rags and seaweed shaped into humanoid form. T: 7 cp, perforated, can be found among the rags
  3. Balok’s quarters
    • The former guardpost was claimed by Balok, a vermin dwarf
    • N door is jammed, almost all of the E wall is cowered with furniture – mostly backed shelves, some cabinets
    • S door is locked whether Balok is in or not; he wears the key on a chain around his neck; when he’s in the door is blocked with a bar as well
    • there is a crossbow trained on the door that shoots if not disarmed when opening (DC 30 spot check)
  4. Former office, now this room is empty except for small pieces of broken furniture and damp rags
  5. Storeroom, mostly empty shelves, some missing (ask Balok); secret door behind one shelf (DC 30)
  6. Corner cell wth no furniture, only burlap sacks filled with oyster shells, 14 in total
  7. Corner cell with one rickety trolley and three wooden pack-frames
  8. Corner cell, 3 barred pannels leaning on the wall opposite the door; behind them secret door (DC 20)
  9. Corner cell, empty

Dungeon 24: January

An abandoned prison block has been the focus of my January #dungeon24 effort. Check the summary here!

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes (10 with room descriptions)

It’s already February and I haven’t been always punctual with the daily rooms of my new (mega)dungeon. There is however a whole month’s worth of rooms in my notebook. In the first post I’ve only offered a teaser, so this one will be more detailed. For full descriptions of the rooms scroll to the end of the post.

As I mentioned earlier I chose an abandoned prison as a starting point. You can read the reasoning behind this in the first post so I won’t repeat myself here. On the provided map you can see two distinct sections that I have distinguished by a red filter. The left side is the original prison architecture as built (well, cut into rock) by its founders. The right (red) side is a more recent addition and hides a more sinister side to the place.

Dungeon plan for january
Finished January, one prison block plus secret recent addition.

There are several cells lining the main corridor, most of which are twinned, except for the two isolation cells. Several storerooms and utility closets are also present. In the centre of the main corridor loop there are workshops and the infirmary. Apparently the infirmary has been used as a sort of children’s room, if it’s to be judged from the furnishings. There is also a secret room that served as a shelter for two unlucky squatters.

The cells are for the most part devoid of anything interesting, with only a few stray coins and low-value items to be found inside them. Two humanoid skeletons can be found in the cells, with copper coin charms. There is a small shrine to an unknown deity fashioned from one twinned cell. The only static combat encounter is in one of the isolation cells, where a brine wraith (stats and description later) is imprisoned in a large jar.

The right side of the plan, accessible from the trolley utility room, consists of two interrogation/torture chambers, a room with a pit to lower levels, an alchemists workshop, and a mold garden. There’s not much to see there, but for a potion of water breathing in the workshop and some trinkets (and infection hazard) in the mold garden. The molds might be of use to an alchemist, herbalist, poisoner, or other persons of similar vocations.

The overall picture any explorer should be getting is that this part of the prison has been used by several squatters including children. At least 4 adults have been present, and their bodies can be found in various cells. The bodies in the mold garden are more recent. The prison block has then been abandoned again, except for the shrine, where relatively fresh food can be found as an offering.

Although not much is happening in this prison block, I tried to create a sense of mystery with the small details. Also an atmosphere of something sinister and ominous that took place in the block not too far in the past. I won’t be fleshing everything out right now, and I’m not going to add dynamic encounters just yet. As I mentioned before I am not a fan of making a dungeon on the run this way, so I will return to this part of the dungeon later. As the dungeon grows, so will my options to tie everything in.

February will be dedicated to another prison block. This time the area will be occupied. There will be some clues that would add to the snippets from January, and we’ll get a fuller picture. If you want to see where this is headed, be sure to follow our social media, where updates will be posted Thursdays. And as always, feel free to like, share, and comment!

Rooms

And now the complete room descriptions. Please note that these are almost verbatim (minus typos etc.) from the notebook I use and I definitely do not consider these well described. They are rather notes than descriptions, really.

  1. Rock walls, one half of a larger room divided by rusty iron bars, closed iron bar door bound with coarse rope. T: wet rope on the floor, remains of an iron bucket in SW corner
  2. Rock walls, second half of room 1, door missing, headles skeletal corpse in NE corner (orc). T: 14 cp, perforated and bound to various long bones and ribs
  3. Another half of twin rooms, door closed and bound with coarse rope, inside are heaps of damp coil baskets of various sizes, from quart-sized to bushel-sized. T: very long and thorough search with DC35 yields 1 brass carpet needle stuck in one of the baskets
  4. Twin with room 3, bars on W and S sides, stone wall N and E; in NE corner remains of a plain wooden cot with wet blanket scraps; door jammed (DC 25). T: 3 small stones, one partially finished humanoid figurine from the same material
  5. Two twin cells rebuilt into one room by removing the central barred partition. It has an alcove dug into the N wall; in the alcove is a plain stone altar with several bowls and plates with food both old and fresh; also strips of paper, cloth, and leather with writings on them by different hands (5+). T: 1 small portion of edible food (subterranean), strips with prayers
  6. Cell with small water-filled jars all ove the floor, door bound with coarse rope. T: one of the jars is silverware (2 gp)
  7. Another cell with bound door, inside is a simple wooden cot, ceramic bowl and iron bucket; on the cot is a relatively clean and dry blanket. T: under the blanket is a small charm in the form of a baby seal made of ivory
  8. Corner cell with jammed door (DC 20); inside is a cot with a blanket-wrapped skeleton of a human; next to the cot a bowl and a basket. T: 12 cp, perforated and worn by the skeleton as a necklace
  9. Cell without a door; inside is a broken cot, 4 barred cell doors leaning on the E wall, and several mounds of debris. T: thorough search of the debris yields 1 perforated copper piece
  10. Utility room, S wall lined with broom racks and other sanitary utensils mostly in bad shape; there is a stone sink in the NW corner covered with an iron grate. S: behind broom rack is a secret door, DC 15 when searching the rack
  11. Utility room for trolleys, one broken is lying in SW corner; E wall covered by hanging rags, blankets, and raincoats on hooks. S: behind blankets on E wall is a secret door (DC 30)
  12. Round shaft leading down with only a small promontory from the corridor
  13. Rough-cut room behind iron-bound door; inside are various restraining devices – chains on walls, stocks, restraining chair. T: rucsty wicked-looking curved knife lying under the chair
  14. In this rough-cut room there is only a single iron chair with shackles in the middle and several tables lining the walls; on the tables various tools and torture instruments can be found; a curtain bar is at the entrance, the curtain is missing. T: torture insturments; silver chain wrapped in dirty rag (1 gp)
  15. The room looks better cut than others, there are four infirmary folding beds along the N wall and several cabinets along the S wall; half of the S wall is barred, there used to be a door to room 19, but it is lying nearby. The walls are covered with childrens’ drawings. T: articulated wooden dol with 1 arm missing
  16. Workshop with several wool-processing worksations; there are various wool-processing tools scattered around (hackles, carders, combs), along with baskets and rotting clumps of wool. T: bone carding comb decorated with scrimshaw (1 gp)
  17. Storeroom with broken shelves and crates, evidently looted. T: 2 stoneware oil bottles (1 quart each), firesteel, 1d6 rusty iron nails, several buckets, bowls, small flat chisel. S: secret door behind shelf, DC 15
  18. Guardroom, an empty weapon rack on the N wall, table with chairs (all in bad shape) in the S part of the room, along with some shelves; E door is jammed (DC 40). T: 1d6 cp in various places; an 8-sided bone die, broken whetstone, 1 rotting shortsword scabbard
  19. Doctor’s room adjacent to infirmary, converted to small dining room; cupboards used as pantries (some food remains), walls painted with faded paint; almost all medical equipment is gone. T: slightly bent scalpel, small forceps, bent needles
  20. Chandler’s workshop; clumps of beeswax everywhere. T: 2d6 usable candles, few candlemaking resources
  21. Isolation cell, door locked. Inside is a large jar with lid bound with multiple eelskin straps. E: brine wraith sealed in the jar, attacks immediately after opening the jar. T: abalone necklace in the jar (5 gp)
  22. Isolation cell, door missing. Remains of several cots and buckets are piled inside along with a battered and broken oar from a galley. T: usable wooden pulley
  23. Rough-cut room behind double doors. Inside is a mold garden – various colourful patches of mold growing on rotting pieces of furniture, ships, and carcasses – a goat, a large fish, 1 humanoid. The room is lit by crystal shards jammed into cracks in the walls and ceiling, resulting in a pinkish ambient light. Torches and other external light sources give only faint light in the presence of the crystals. T: the fish carcass can be searched for a silver brooch set with almandines (30 gp); the humanoid corpse has 1 gold tooth that comes out easily (1 gp). Manipulating the bodies is a risk, infection is highly possible (CON DC 25)
  24. Rough-cut room that formerly served as an alchemy laboratory. Broken vessels and various instruments lie scattered on the floor and surfaces. T: 2 gp worth of common ingredients, mortar and pestle, 1 potion of water-breathing
  25. Surprisingly clean cell with a cot, wooden chest, small shelf; the bars connecting it with its twin are covered with blankets. T: small leather pouch with needles and thread behind the chest, 1 brazen button under the cot
  26. Twin cell to I/25, less clean but still in better shape than most others; bars covered with blankets. T: a worn iron shortspear in one corner
  27. Hidden room (door DC 30) with 2 humanoid skeletons in embrace; around them are some small items. The inner door can’t be opened from the inside. T: iron key to I/21, firesteel, empty bottle, small rusty knife
  28. Door missing, almost empty cell, remains of a cot scattered on the floor
  29. Another empty cell, thorough search (DC 35) reveals a well-made stash in the wall. T: 2d6 cp, simple gold earring, plain silver ring (3 gp + 1 gp)
  30. Corner cell, door bound by rope, inside on a cot are potsherds from 3 large jars; the bars are covered with blankets. T: 5 cp can be found among the sherds
  31. Corner cell, all barred walls covered with blankets smeared with blood from the inside. Door bound, inside there is a large clay amphora without lid, covered in blood, same as the rest of the cell. There is too much blood to fit within the amphora alone

If you read all the way down here, take some time to like, share, or comment. Thanks for your interest, until next week!

Dungeon 24

The introductory post to the #Dungeon24 challenge you’ll be seeing on this site.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

New year, new challenge. I abandoned Dungeon 23 because I found that the dungeon in progress deserved better treatment than this challenge provides. More on that later. This year however I’m going to try and see it through. If I get a usable megadungeon out of this, all the better, but I will be trying to make some points about dungeon design, dungeon ecology, megadungeons, and other related topics. This challenge should prove a good substrate for that.

For those unfamiliar with the concept, Dungeon 23 was a challenge set by Sean McCoy for 2023. You map and describe a megadungeon one room a day. Each month is a separate level, so you get 12 levels. The emphasis is on finishing rather than on it making perfect sense, with 5 bland room descriptions being better than 1 detailed room. In this regard it’s more of an excercise in seeing things through and creating a habit rather than good dungeon design exercise, but it’s a fun thing to do during your lunch break or commute each day. For me however the interesting part is making a dungeon that can be used in an adventure.

Some people have modified the challenge and instead of one megadungeon with 12 levels and 365 rooms they make a different dungeon each month. They end up with 12 smaller dungeons and that’s quite sensible in my opinion. It’s easier to maintain the logic of the dungeon if you’re not creating it over the course of a year, one room at a time.

To be honest I would rather choose something that could benefit from the diversity and incoherency you easily get from a year-long challenge. Single magic items, monsters, or market stalls (as I saw somewhere on the internet) are all sound choices. You still get the sense of accomplishment, plus you will probably be able to use more of what you create this way.

But the challenge is to make a dungeon, so I will make one, one room a day, and I will try to keep it coherent and functional.

You wake up in a cell

My first room is a prison cell, and a good part of the first few months will be prison-themed. Prisons are a good choice for this kind of exercise, because you have a lot of similar rooms that make sense together, you only have to furnish them. My prison will be an abandoned one, that is currently being used by squatters. Or so it seems from the first few rooms.

Other similarly convenient places are living areas (dormitiories, tenements, trailer parks, even villages and towns), necropolises (preferably made of tombs, not single graves), or other locations consisting of multiple similarly built rooms or buildings. This will be the backbone of your dungeon (or level, or just a section) to which you will add other necessary facilities. For example a prison could have rooms for guards, storerooms, workshops, kitchens, maybe a torture chamber or a recreation room, depending on the tone and setting. A barrow field would contain the barrows themselves (some maybe with multiple chambers), and then maybe a temple and some maintenance buildings. Why not multiple temples or shrines, and maybe an inn for travellers. You probably get the idea.

I originally wanted to post this after only a few rooms but I’ve been delayed by work on the site. Therefore at the time of posting this I have about three weeks worth of finished rooms. I will probably work on this only on weekdays and catch up Mondays. These updates will be posted on Wednesdays or Thursdays.

First few rooms of a yet-unnamed megadungeon.
Small sample of room descriptions

Are you doing the #Dungeon24 challenge as well? Or perhaps are you working on #Hexplore24, a similar challenge proposed for this year? Leave a comment and feel free to link your creations!