Let’s Design a Dungeon, Part 3: Maps!

Hey all!

Welcome to Let’s Design a Dungeon, Part 3: Maps!

Apologies for the slight delay. I’ve been hard at work on my second novel, and while I’m not ready to share details yet, it’s going to be great. I will be sharing some exciting stuff related to Anti-Hero Blues soon, though, so stay tuned.

Today, we’re going to draw on the core elements and concepts we talked about in previous articles to design the map (or maps) for our dungeon!

If you haven’t had the chance, check out Part 1 and Part 2 to get up to speed on where we’re at in the process.

Before we divine in, I want to preface today’s post by mentioning a couple things.

First, maps are arguably the most important way you convey a dungeon’s sense of place to your players, and like any visual medium, there are a lot of ways to think about them. Today I’ll largely focus on maps as a function of game design. We’ll talk about making them pretty later.

Second, while I grew up making physical maps for in-person games, lately all of my gaming is done via a virtual tabletop as a result of my players (aka, friends) being scattered across the globe. As such, I’ll be designing maps with a virtual tabletop in mind, but everything I’ll be discussing will apply to making physical maps as well.

With no further ado, let’s break out the shovel and start digging.

Having come up with a core concept (the secret lab of a mad scientist), developed a story (in which a gnome engineer unwittingly binds demons into constructs in a tragic attempt to save his wife), made some notes on challenges, and considered the overall layout, I’m ready to start designing the dungeon’s maps. 

Our general process can be broken down into a few steps.

1. Decide on rooms and locations
2. Pick a toolset
3. Build a dungeon

Step 1: Rooms and Locations

Before we load up mapping software or break out pens, we need to decide what to include.

Because I’m using the dungeon as the culmination of a plot arc (and because I like to make work for myself), I’ve decided to create a complex, multilevel dungeon. Although Gimblewyn’s lab will still be a far cry from the old mega-dungeons of yore, it may take two or three sessions for the party to complete it. 

I begin by taking another look at the core concept and the story. I want to make sure that the narrative elements are represented within the player’s experience of the dungeon, which means they need to be represented on the map. I also want to make sure that I can feature all the cool encounters I’ve cooked up.

Mostly because I’m curious, I take a look at some real-world research stations and the layouts of some other dungeons. After that, I start writing.

I decide on the following dungeon levels, jotting down the rooms or areas that I want to include in each one. 

Basement Level

The basement level contains the lab’s operational facilities and will provide some fun (if filthy) surprises. While the party might avoid this level altogether, there’s a good chance they’ll end up here, by choice or by accident.

• A Storage Room to handle raw materials. I might place something the players need to fix the power system here along with crafting materials and supplies that could be of use later or outside of the dungeon.
•  A Water Treatment Room with an otyugh or other appropriately-disgusting monster.
• A Laundry Room, because it could be a good place to hide some loot.
• A Waste Disposal Room where I may include a damaged but repairable construct created without a demon that could help them in the dungeon. We’ll see!
• The Waterfall Room generates power for the entire facility. It’ll have a traversal and skill-based engineering challenge that could change the whole experience of the dungeon, particularly if they choose to restore power to the upper levels where the demon holds sway in the monitoring room below.
• A Maintenance Room that might hold some clues to the waterfall puzzle and the dungeon as a whole.
• A Monitoring Room will allow the party to decide what levels or systems to power up, assuming anyone speaks gnome.

Entry Level

More than just being the party’s way in, the entry level will reveal that all is not as it seems, provide narrative texture, and spring a surprise that’ll trap the party in the lab.

• An Entry Room and a Security Room used to keep the facility safe.
• A Display Hall, revealing some of Gimblewyn’s strange creations.
• The Main Lift, which could provide access to the rest of the dungeon. It’ll be off when they find it, and if the party tries to use the lift, it could send them plummeting below.
• A Stairwell.
• A couple of Meeting Rooms, just because.
• The Trapped will drop a massive blast door that will need to be repowered in order to open, which should propel them onward.

Level 1 Habitation Level

Gimblewyn’s technicians lived and worked in the lab, so I’ll need to represent that to create the illusion of a real place. 

I also want the Habitation Level to convey the sense that something went dreadfully wrong and to serve as a vehicle for exposition and clues before the full horror is revealed. 

• A Mess Hall, Kitchen, & Storage, because gnomes need to eat.
• Common Area where the technicians used to congregate. Some decaying corpses will be the first real sign that something went terribly wrong here.
• The Technicians’ Quarters will provide clues and seed background material like journals or notes that foreshadow what happened. I may also place mementos and trinkets that connect the lab to other plot leads or locations outside of the dungeon I want to include later. Finally, lots of suitably horrifying tableaus will add to the ambiance.
• The Head Technician’s Quarters will contain meaningful clues that could help the party to unravel the mystery and bypass some of the lab’s dangers.
• A Recreation Area with some old workout equipment.
• A Religious Shrine where the lab’s gnome inhabitants once worshiped.  It’ll have what will likely be the first encounter with one of the abyss-powered constructs!
• A Library containing books the gnomes read for leisure, some of which might be of value to a collector outside.

Level 2, Workshop Level 

The workshop level is where most of the action will take place. It’ll have a variety of different encounter types and a lot of big reveals.

• The Prototype Labs were where Gimblewyn’s creations were designed. One of them will have a skill challenge, perhaps to assemble a piece of gear or equipment, and another will have a dangerous construct locked away.
• The Construction Bay is where Gimblewyn produced his constructs. If the party chooses to power up the facility in the basement, it’ll be producing abyssal constructs under the malign guidance of the demon inhabiting the lab. 
• The Transference Chamber contains the machine that drew demonic energy from the abyss.  I’m thinking I’ll put the moving gear traversal puzzle in the hallway leading to it.
• Soulstone Lab is where the wondrous techno-magical creations capable of housing a creature’s spirit were devised and produced. As an encounter space, it’s bursting with possibility.
• A Technical Library filled with texts, manuals, and schematics.

Level 3 Gimblewyns Sanctum

Gimblewyn’s private level holds the biggest challenges, secrets, and rewards. 

• A Display Hall containing a lifetime of mementos and, of course, a massive clockwork dragon that could be an enemy or even an ally, depending on the choices the party makes. 
• A Vault containing Gimblewyn’s little remaining wealth and a few creations of great value.
• Gimblewyn’s Bedchambers contain the gnome engineer’s remains, his journal, and other clues that could help the players escape the lab with their lives.
•  The Master Control Room is where the demon resides, housed in a device connected to the manufacturing controls. If the lab is off, he’s largely powerless. If the party reactivates the facility’s power, it’ll be a much different encounter.
• Sintri’s Statis Chamber houses her body, her soul stone, and the artificial body Gimblewyn crafts for her. He was very close to his ultimate goal and, with a skill-based challenge, perhaps the party could complete it for him, gaining a new ally in the process.
• Gimblewyn’s Private Library contains a variety of valuable and dangerous tomes, including the book responsible for the entire tragedy.

The whole dungeon will be connected by lifts and by a couple of partially collapsed staircases, so it’ll be important to keep their placement in mind as I move forward.

I’ll also include a scattering of little rooms, bathrooms, storage rooms, and broom closets on each level as appropriate.

Step 2: Pick a Toolset

Now that I know what rooms and spaces I’d like to include, I need to pick a mapping tool to create the actual maps. There are a lot of options, so it’s important to understand what your criteria are. For me, the three most important factors are time, ease of use, and aesthetics.  

My first choice is usually Inkarnate. Inkarnate is a flexible, web-based mapping tool designed for battle and campaign maps and can produce some visually appealing stuff if you’re willing to invest the time. 

In this case, however, given the size of the dungeon I’m looking to create, using inkarnate would probably take too long.

Instead, I opt for Dungeonscrawl, a free, easy-to-use web-based dungeon mapping tool. I’ll be able to use it to quickly crank out some maps with a great old-school feel, even if it lacks the artistic touches that you can get from Inkarnate.

If you want a more in-depth look at other options, check out Arcane Library’s Guide to Dungeon Mapping tools here!

Step 3: Map your dungeon

Starting with the habitation level, I open Dungeon Scrawl and begin mapping.  After half an hour or so, I have five maps! I’ve annotated and included them below. They look a little bare, but I’ll beautify them after we decide where the encounters will be placed.

And there we are!  Each of the five maps of Gimblewyn’s lab is ready to be filled with danger and excitement.

When arranging your rooms, you’ll want to consider how their layout guides the party through the dungeon. With practice, you can get the narrative beats to fall where you want them to by laying the dungeon out carefully. 

As an example, in the habitation level, I’ve positioned the Chief Technician’s Quarters and the Shrine, locations with big reveals, at the far ends of the dungeon. It makes it likely that the party will explore other things first without destroying the illusion of verisimilitude.

You’ll also want to consider size, space, and distance, particularly when thinking about challenge and enemy placement.

In part 4, we’ll discuss encounters we want to include in more detail.

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

See you next time!

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