Why do you guys make stupid world building threads when nothing ever comes from them?
why not do dungeon building threads instead? /tg/ could make entire adventure books that are on par with anything the professionals make.
>>47706065
that's
...actually not a bad idea.
Good luck picking a system to work in, tho.
>>47706065
>/tg/ could make entire adventure books that are on par with anything the professionals make.
The problem is that getting an entire group of anonymous people to work together isn't as easy as it sounds. It either gets into carebear territory where every idea is a good idea or the project has to be so strictly controlled that it never goes anywhere.
>>47706162
You don't need a system for a dungeon.
You need a history/purpose, general layout, the challenges and the possible treasure within.
That's it. If anything, fitting it to a system only detracts from theverisimilitude.
>>47706065
>Why do you guys make stupid world building threads when nothing ever comes from them?
I made one the other day because retyping shit is hard. But other than that it's fun to see what others are brewing, even if it doesn't give you any ideas or anything. It's nice to see others working hard with their imagination, and it inspires me to do more setting writing myself.
>>47706386
And without a system and mechanical statblock backing it'll end up in "nothing ever comes from" pile.
>>47706493
I'm not specifically defending this project but system-agnostic supplements have existed for decades and they are quite useful.
You can define difficulty and opponents in terms of narration.
>>47706065
>WaaaaahHere's a thought. Do it yourself, instead of whining?
>>47706509
This, just google '5 room dungeon'.
>>47706065
We can start by pitching ideas to put together a random generator like this one but specifically for dungeons.
What are some categories besides themes, shape and other gimmicks might an interesting dungeon have?
>>47706693
traps and monsters, of course.
>>47706728
I think the idea is to make an actual dungeon, however, not just a generator.
I was going to pitch the same idea OP, was just too lazy to make a thread. I see setting threads all the time but rarely a fleshed out homebrew dungeon, campaign, or anything meaty and useful.
>>47706065
>>47706386
>History and purpose
These are the biggest things for me when I try to come up with a dungeon. It tends to bug me if players are sent to a dungeon which lacks any discernable history or purpose.
>There's an alchemy lab!
>There's a torture chamber!
>There's a dark temple devoted to some unholy god!
>And the entire place is set up like a maze with random traps everywhere!
>But no signs of living quarters, cells, the fruits of alchemical experiments, or things linked to the dark chapel.
So, no, first thing I do is work out a purpose for the location and it's history, then a reasonable layout, then figure out how time has fucked it up and made it MAZE-LIKE but it a full on maze.
This also means I'm fond of traps that logically could reset on their own or be capable of multiple uses before a need to be maintained.
>>47706964
Everything in this post is diamonds.
This is where we have to start.
>>47706065
Since I like this idea, I'll get the ball rolling.
I'm gonna be driving then pass out, but hopefully someone will take the baton.
>>47706728
Rolling for starter ideas.
Rolled 3, 20, 19, 18, 16, 2, 7 = 85 (7d20)
>>47707175
I think autocorrect ate my dice.
>>47707192
So, an actual Dungeon. Pretty good for a first go.
A forgotten dungeon under a castle, with black tentacles, a (presumably) very hungry vampire, a trapping mirror(perhaps the vampire is trapped within it?), a scrying room(perhaps the warden's control room for monitoring the dungeon?), last breath of a dead god, steam(perhaps the castle was built over a natural hot spring for heating and over the long forgotten years, cracks have formed, halls have collapsed, and geysers could erupt at any moment?)
The god breath could be a mcguffin they are searching for or possibly the source of the hot spring.
Who put the mirror there and why?
Why was the dungeon forgotten?
Is the castle forgotten, inhabited, or both?
What civilization built/ran this dungeon?
Who is the vampire?
Are they a prisoner or something else?
Is the castle in a cold climate?
If so, what are the surrounding lands like?
Why are the PCs there?
This might help.
>>47707419
Haven't read beyond the first few pages of this, but it may also help.
>>47707438
and this.
>>47707419
This may be good as we fill the dungeon.
>>47707438
>How to Host a Dungeon
Just flipping through this just now, this might be a good outline for how we do this.
If nobody else does, I'll use it later to flesh out the starter idea above.
>>47706065
I did a dungeon design thread a while back.
might be of interest ...
http://archive.4plebs.org/tg/thread/44834887/
>I found some charts so I am here to throw your threads in the trash for mine
>>47708275
What are you on about?
>>47708243
Some unique designs in there.
I like the zombie-funeral-procession-as-dungeon in particular.
>>47707330
>last breath of a dead god
>forgotten dungeon under a castle
>dungeon is filled with tentacles
>very hungry vampire
Bro, you just rolled an epic dungeon, consider the following:
The vampire is exactly that: THE vampire, the progenitor of all vampires in the setting, think Cain or Dracula. He fled to the frozen north where the nights can last for months to give himself ample time to construct his fortress from which he planned and executed his vengeance on the god or gods that cursed him. Making pacts with eldritch entities gave him the power to slay his punishers.
However, the death of a god is never a permanent thing, and such is his hatred that the vampire is ever searching for the signs of the rebirth of the gods that cursed him so that he might keep them eternally bound in death.
The foul magics that allow the vampire to enact his plans corrupt the very earth itself, giving horrors far worse than anything man has ever dreamt a foothold into this world.
The adventurers are merely investigating the castle. Perhaps to find why an "abandoned" castle still stands, perhaps to discover the reason why none of the would be lords' of the castle have ever returned from their scouting expeditions, or perhaps they have determined that it is the source of the nightmares that have plagued the nearby townsfolk.
>>47708984
I like the way you think anon.
I will readdress this after I sleep, but my first thought is:
What function does the Dungeon serve?
Perhaps the vampire is keeping the powerful and monstrous high priests of the dead gods in some state of undeath as a measure of control, preventing a new high priest from truly rising?
The God that Gasps.
Also, description or stats for tentacles?
There are already plenty of random dungeon generators which can spit out dungeons faster than any thread here.
https://donjon.bin.sh/5e/dungeon/
>>47706728
Rolled my numbers on a number generator site and got this.
A forgotten dungeon beneath a castle. Inside a certain room has a skull on a pike that whispers dark words. bugbears live in the dungeon. There are many risks of being possesse by demons inside these walls. The bugbear's treasure is a onyx demon statue. This dungeon is known to have an infamous torture chamber filled with steam fissures. There is an ancient well leading to a dark world somewhere deep inside. Arcane loadstones covr the dungeon's walls limiting the use of magic.
Not bad. I might actually run something like this. The only thing I don't particularly like about my rolls is I rolled bugbears for the monsters.
>>47709222
Its not as fun or as well designed though. OP, if you're still here and interested, I'd suggest starting a new thread with a set list of topics for /tg/ to talk about.
>Denizens
>architecute style
>Layout
>Reason for being built (fits in with the above)
>interesting traps
>puzzles?
>>47709222
> Speed is the only/ best factor
Anon, please
>>47708984
>>47709110
Still thinking about this.
I just realized the metaphor.
The vampire's efforts to ensure the dead gods stay dead are exactly like the original function of a stake through the heart of a suspected vampire.
It wasn't to kill it, it was to pin in down in it's grave.
Pondering possible lures and mechanisms of the dungeon.
The "race against time" or "slowly stalked by growing horror" don't fully work as it's the PC's choice to delve and how deep.
I don't usually think in terms of dungeon themes and mechanisms.
Does anyone know of any more established types of dungeon crawls?
>Why do you guys make stupid world building threads when nothing ever comes from them?
Because worldbuilding is fun
I've started a thread >>47713406 with a bit more focus to get this idea off the ground. Unfortunately I'm an uncreative piece of shit, so head over if you want to help out.
>>47713646
Ah, this way to the Great Egress!
>>47713755
Damn it, did not mean to bump this one.
I'm an idiot.
>>47706339
Or worse, you get a fusion of both.
>>47706964
>So, no, first thing I do is work out a purpose for the location and it's history, then a reasonable layout, then figure out how time has fucked it up and made it MAZE-LIKE but it a full on maze.
I just wanted to tell you, that you are awesome.
>>47706964
>This also means I'm fond of traps that logically could reset on their own or be capable of multiple uses before a need to be maintained.
I usually worry about this too, but not in secret or sealed areas that couldn't have been disturbed. I pull out all the stops for those.
>>47709110
The dungeon is simply the vampire's home.
Maybe as a mortal he was a noble and choose to not let his insatiable thirst for vengeance degrade his appreciation for the finer things. Maybe he's so detached from the common man he just assumes that everyone is either a lord of a castle or serves as a maid/butler/guard in one unless they choose to be a farmer or a woodsman as a hobby. Maybe his dark rituals take great lengths of time to complete and he needs a place to be relatively undisturbed in.
>>47708984
The PCs could be browbeaten to complete the dungeon by restless villagers or concerned druids.
I also find that the mere mention of the possibility of magical items gets my players practically sprinting into the nearest dungeon.
>>47713848
>Or worse, you get a fusion of both
>>47714393
>I also find that the mere mention of the possibility of magical items gets my players practically sprinting into the nearest dungeon
This is good.
I need to make a note to generate some enticing items, some used in killing the gods, some of which will naturally be twisted by dark forces and cursed.
I also like the idea of the castle belonging to the vampire in life, and he built the dungeon as a secluded refuge to forge the powers needed to keep gods dead.
