No, it's not another Ann Rice Novel.
It's a megadungeon setting for Seven Voyages of Zylarthen
I thought I would create part of it in the open, so to speak, using the dungeon creation rules from Vol. 4, The Campaign, which in turn are of course quite similar to the suggestions put forth in The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures.
Step 1 is to generate the rough structure of levels and sections. Each level has from 1-6 sections, containing 1-40 rooms apiece. This may sound like a lot of rooms, but it actually works out to be only about half the size per level of, say Stonehell Dungeon.
Much of the narrative and tone will be determined by the (randomly generated) monsters. But obviously, as things proceed I reserve the right to tweak, edit, change, delete and make stuff up according to whim.
One tweak I've made to monster stocking is that for any monster lair, on a roll of 1 or 2 out of 6, the type of monster will be one of those that has already appeared--in the current section, level or even from a nearby level.
So much for the preliminaries, let's jump in.
Level 1:
Section A: Mad Viking Outpost
- Monster: 1 Berserker.
- Empty
- Monster: 3 Berserkers
- Empty
- Monster & Treasure: 1 Berserker
- Monster: 5 Halflings
- Monster: 3 Kobolds
- Empty
- Empty
- Empty
- Empty
- Empty
- Monster: 1 Dualist
- Empty
- Treasure
- Monster & Treasure: 3 Halflings
- Empty
- Monster: 5 Berserkers
- Monster: 1 Giant Crab
- Treasure
- Empty
- Monster: 5 Halflings
- Empty
- Empty
- Empty
- Monster & Treasure: 11 Spiders
- Empty
- Empty
- Treasure
- Monster & Treasure: 1 Young White Dragon
- Empty
- Empty
- Treasure
- Empty
- Empty
Section B: The Order of the Screaming Skull
- Empty
- Empty
- Empty
- Monster & Treasure: 2 Berserkers
- Monster: 10 Leprechauns
- Empty
- Empty
- Monster & Treasure: 13 Halflings
- Empty
- Empty
- Monster: 2 Praecantors
- Empty
- Empty
- Empty
- Empty
- Monster: 2 Praecantors
- Monster & Treasure: 2 Elves
- Monster & Treasure: 2 Giant Rats
- Empty
- Empty
Section C: Humanoid Central
- Treasure
- Empty
- Empty
- Monster & Treasure: 2 Buccaneers
- Empty
- Empty
- Monster & Treasure: 2 Pegasi
- Empty
- Empty
- Empty
- Monster: 8 Buccaneers
- Monster & Treasure: 6 Ruffians
- Empty
- Monster: 17 Goblins
- Treasure
- Monster: 5 Ruffians
- Monster & Treasure: 2 Wereboars
- Monster & Treasure: 1 Malefic
- Monster & Treasure: 1 Ogre
- Empty
- Empty
- Empty
- Empty
- Empty
- Empty
- Monster & Treasure: 7 Buccaneers
- Empty
- Empty
- Empty
- Empty
- Empty
- Empty
- Monster & Treasure: 1 Diabolist
- Empty
Section D: Martian Redoubt
- Empty
- Monster & Treasure: 1 Giant Bee
- Empty
- Monster: 3 Horses
- Empty
- Monster: 3 White Martians
- Monster: 9 Giant Rats
- Empty
Section E: More Magicians
- Monster & Treasure: 2 Giant Flies
- Monster & Treasure: 1 Lizard Man
- Empty
- Empty
- Monster & Treasure: 2 Dwarves
- Empty
- Empty
- Empty
- Monster & Treasure: 1 Berserker
- Empty
- Empty
- Empty
- Empty
- Monster & Treasure: 5 Malefics
- Treasure
- Empty
- Empty
- Monster & Treasure: 6 Giant Centipedes
- Empty
- Empty
- Empty
- Empty
- Empty
- Empty
- Monster: 1 Berserker
- Treasure
- Monster: 2 White Martians
- Empty
- Empty
- Empty
- Empty
- Treasure
- Empty
- Empty
- Empty
- Monster & Treasure: 1 Diabolist
- Empty
Section F: Buccaneer Dock
- Treasure
- Empty
- Empty
- Empty
- Monster & Treasure: 7 Buccaneers
- Monster: 14 Buccaneers
- Monster & Treasure: 1 Nomad
- Monster: 6 Gnomes
- Empty
- Empty
- Empty
- Monster & Treasure: 2 Elves
- Empty
- Empty
- Empty
- Treasure
- Empty
- Empty
- Monster: 11 Ruffians
- Empty
- Empty
- Empty
- Empty
- Treasure
- Monster & Treasure: 1 Praecantor
- Monster & Treasure: 2 Stirges
- Monster & Treasure: 3 Stirges
- Treasure
- Empty
- Empty
- Empty
- Empty
- Empty
- Empty
- Monster: 8 Spiders
- Treasure
- Empty
Maps or it didn't happen. ;)
ReplyDeleteHaha! Yeah, maps are the hard part, it seems! I agree with Mr. Thomas above, Oakes! :)
DeleteBut I also want to say that this is a very cool Idea. I'll be looking forward to seeing how this develops, Oakes.
Oh, and hey... Once you get this sucker pretty fleshed out, I'll be one of the first in line to ask to join your PbP game on the OD&D proboards ;)
So, maps, yes of course! However...
Delete1. The idea is to do the monsters first because they will in part inform the maps as well as other parts of the story. So, for example, it wasn't until I saw all those Vikings and Buccaneers swarming about that I realized that the abandoned castle of Pr'lyeh was on the coast.
2. Don't tell anyone, but I haven't drawn a dungeon map in 35 years. I'm scared. I looked at Inkwell's program last night but not in detail. But it looked good. Any one have any confirmations or suggestions on that? Readers of Zylarthen will remember that I constructed an entire portion of Vol. 4 around their wonderful wilderness mapping program.
Oakes, I am right there with you, my friend. The dungeon I'm working on right now comprises more dungeon map drawing than I've done in over a decade. It's a slow-going process, as I continually draw/re-draw because i don't like it, or feel the map is too drab. Just keep at it, brother, and search around the web for inspirational maps online... It will come together after you get your chops back.
DeleteI might offer that it may be best to not go digital right away. Get used to the feel of just drawing them on paper at least in the beginning... Then, once your comfortable, or at least more comfortable than now, look for a digital option if you like.
I might also offer that you could go over to G+ and seek some assistance from people out there who are currently drawing maps and making nice ones that appeal to you.
Just my two cents!
Give me the layout and I'll draw it up for you, hatching-style. :-)
Delete