Let’s Design a Dungeon, Part 2

Hey all!

Welcome to Part 2 of Let’s Design a Dungeon! 

Today, we’re going to take the elements we discussed in Part 1 and weave them together into a concept that we’ll build into a full dungeon in later posts.

If you haven’t yet, take a look at Part 1 here!

Now without any further ado, let’s dive right in!

Themes

In Part 1, we talked about a primary theme as the overarching concept for the dungeon. After knocking around a few ideas, I decide on “the secret lab of a mad scientist.” I’m a sucker for a dash of steampunk in my fantasy, and my brain is already percolating with strange machines, mad constructs, and all sorts of other awesome things for my players to play with.

The theme also fits the core requirements of a dungeon, being self-contained and apart from civilization, and it maps to the power scale of the campaign. It also works as a set piece at the culmination of a plot arc, which is what I’m looking for.

The primary theme may seem a little tired, but the lab’s story will make it unique and help restore some of that new dungeon smell we all love.

Story

I want the dungeon’s story to focus on the tragic tale of an inventor and his wife, with touches of whimsy, sadness, and horror. It’s important I keep the player experience at the forefront of my thinking to help guide the process.

After knocking around a few ideas, I jot down the following notes.

• The dungeon was constructed by Gimblewyn Cracklespring, a brilliant and highly-regarded Gnome artificer considered a foremost expert on constructs. 
• Though once a public and celebrated figure, Gimblewyn was driven into seclusion after his wife Sintri developed a terminal illness (the details of which we’ll sort out later).  
• Never particularly stable, Gimblewyn became obsessed with finding a cure. After exhausting conventional means, he began consulting a variety of increasingly disturbing texts. 
• Unfortunately, “On Transference,” one of the texts Gimblewynn consulted, was possessed by the demon Gethoritax (don’t worry, we’ll come up with something better by the time players see it). Gethoritax took advantage of Gimblewyn’s already-fragile state, hoping to fool the heartsick engineer into summoning more demons, along with his demonic master (Again, we’ll sort the details out later). 
• After building a magic stasis pod for his wife, Gimblewyn used the rest of his dwindling fortune to build a secret lab and then moved there with his most trustworthy lab assistants.
• Guided by the demon, Gimblewyn’s research eventually led him to the troubling discovery that it was possible to transfer a soul into a specially-prepared vessel that could be housed within a construct body.  
• Though the research initially seemed promising, things took a grizzly turn. Manipulated by the Gathoritax, Gimblewyn unwittingly summoned demons, housing the abyssal spirits in his prototypes, leading to a series of gruesome and invariably fatal ‘accidents.’
• Gimblewyn’s sanity deteriorated further as his assistants fled or were killed, allowing Gathoritax to exert even more control and resulting in more horrifying prototypes. 
• In the end, Gimblewyn had a moment of lucidity and tried to undo the horror he’d created, resulting in a bloody and desperate conflict between the engineer, assisted by his few remaining assistants, and the demon-infested constructs. Though Gathoritax killed him before he was able to purge the lab, Gimblewyn managed to activate its security measures, sealing it away.
  
  At least until it was rediscovered by a party of adventurers… 

And voila, our story gives us the framework for a compelling dungeon that’s more than just a series of monster-stuffed rooms. It’s got horror, some fun takes on sci-fi tropes, lots of mystery, and even a tragic love story, filled with things that’ll help us wow our players.

Challenges

At this point, I don’t want to construct any encounters yet. Instead, I sketch out some ideas I’ll develop later.

Pulling directly from the theme above, demon-infused constructs are a no-brainer. Gnome-like lab assistants, ogre-sized loaders, and various other experiments gone wrong all seem like easy and fun additions, though I don’t want to saturate the dungeon with them or it’ll turn into a combat grind.

I also want traversal challenges. I decide the lab will have three or four levels accessed via a central lift, which will be off when they enter the dungeon. If the party wants to get around, they’ll have to climb, turn the power back on, or figure out another way.  

The seed of a traversal challenge that requires the players to cross a chasm via a series of moving gears and mechanisms is bouncing around in my head too, which sounds like a lot of fun.

I’ll need to consider how magic might affect some of these challenges, but I want to be careful not to negate a character’s hard-won spells. Where’s the fun in that?

I’ll include some puzzles and skill challenges around dungeon mechanisms and machinery too. I’m partial to the idea of a water wheel designed to provide electricity to the lab, which could change the dungeon entirely by powering doors, machinery, and lots of other things!

I also love the idea of an encounter that could result in the players actually building an NPC ally, perhaps even realizing the engineer’s ultimate goal of restoring Sintri, the engineer’s wife.

The demon responsible for the whole mess will also feature as an encounter, although I’m not quite sure how yet.

Finally, I’m going to throw in a boss fight. I’m partial to the idea of a clockwork dragon who’s remained to guard the vault, though the party may be able to skirt around it, trick it, or perhaps even turn it into an ally!

And of course, the dungeon will have traps, likely coming online after an alarm is triggered.

A Clock

Every good dungeon needs a clock and a couple of ideas jump out of the story.

First, whatever techno-magical summoning machine Gimblewynn is using is almost certainly unstable, particularly after decades of inattention.  If it’s not shut down in time, It could easily explode, sprew demons into the prime material, or even tear open a portal to the Abyss! 

It’s also possible that Gimblynn, in a moment of lucidity, realized the lab could pose a danger to the outside world and built in a self-destruct sequence, which will activate when the party enters the lab and triggers the lockdown. Whether or not it works is another question entirely.

I like both, but I’m leaning toward the first option. I’ll wait to choose.

Twist

Twists are important, helping to change the pacing, subvert expectations, and keep the players engaged. 

Luckily, our dungeon already has several built-in. First, the party will be expecting a dusty, abandoned lab, so the demonic infestation will be a surprise. I also decide that whatever clock mechanism I choose will activate as a result of an action the players take, although I’ll still need to figure out what form that’ll take. This will almost certainly change the pace by adding some (explosive) urgency.

Finally, I may decide to incorporate some sort of an alarm into the dungeon as well, depending on how it all shakes out.

Seeeeecrets

Our dungeon is already rife with secrets for the players to discover as they venture through. Why was the lab created? What was the focus of Gimblewyn’s research and its unfortunate results? What was the fate of our doomed engineer and his wife? What’s the demon’s ultimate goal? 

And yet, I think there’s room for more, particularly if the additional secrets provide clues or insights into what’s happening in the dungeon and why. Assistant journals could provide clues and story details. 

Choices

The dungeon’s structure and the elements we’ve already discussed will pack the dungeon full of meaningful choices, but some big ones leap to mind.

• Do they try to sneak around or blunder through?
• Do they use the waterwheel to turn the power back on, allowing for ease of access?
• What do they do when they realize the lab could explode?
• Do they try to deactivate the alarm when it’s inevitably triggered or simply push through?
• Do they try to fight, trick, or deactivate the vault’s guardian?
• Do they bargain with the demon?
• Do they attempt to complete the engineer’s work and restore his wife?

When framed within the clock mechanism that we’ve discussed above, these become particularly meaningful.  We’ll talk more about incorporating choice as we move forward.

A Narrative Hook

There are a lot of ways to hook this dungeon. It could easily be incorporated into the main plot thread of a campaign. Gimblewyn collected huge amounts of texts and tomes, any of which might be vital to the player’s goals.

If you have an engineer or artificer in the party, the dungeon could serve as an important step in their own personal scientific journey.

You could also thread rumors and legends about the lab and its treasures into the setting. Before he spent it all, Gimblewyn was fabulously wealthy.  He’d also created a lot of fantastical devices that could be of use to a party of adventurers.

Finally, if there’s a gnome pc in the party, the dungeon could easily figure into his family history. They might even be a direct descendant of the Gimblewyn and Sitri!

The Map

At this stage, I make some very general notes. I want my dungeon to have multiple levels connected by a lift and some partially collapsed stairwells. I also want it to feel like it could exist without sacrificing fun.

For the dungeon levels, I’m thinking of:

• A level containing the assistants’ living quarters 
• A level containing labs, storage, the transference chamber, and other operational rooms
• A level containing Gimblewyn’s vault, his library, and the control room housing the demon

I may also add a lower level, but we’ll get into this in more detail next week.

And there we have it, a robust concept ready to be expanded into a player experience that will surprise, delight, and maybe even horrify your players!

In part 3, we’ll talk about the dungeon’s layout and how to map it!

As always, feel free to reach out to me on social media here!

Take care!

Tags: Dungeon Design, DM Advice, Dungeons and Dragons, Tabletop Roleplaying Games, Adventure Design