DUNGEON TITLE & DESCRIPTION DUNGEON CONSTRUCTION

Use the following three charts to generate not only a dungeon title Now that you have an idea and general theme of your dungeon, it’s
but also a description of the dungeon. Example, The Abandoned time to build it. Use the following charts to determine things like the
Maze of Madness. age, dungeon entrance, the rooms and elements in each room,
additional dungeon content, difficulty of the dungeon, etc. Don’t fel
1. Dungeon Descriptors (roll 2 dice) obligated to roll on every chart provided. Simply use this content as
1. Abandoned 1. Drowned 1. Haunted a way to generate ideas to build your dungeon.
2. Black 2. Eldritch 2. Hidden
Dungeon Age (4d6 x 100)
3. Blasted 3. Floating 3. Legendary
4. Buried 4. Forbidden 4. Secret Roll 4d6 x 100 to determine the dungeon age in years. Roll more
dice if you want it to be older.
5. Cursed 5. Forgotten 5. Shattered
6. Cyclopean 6. Forsaken 6. Sunken Dungeon Location Ideas (Roll 2 dice)
2. Dungeon Purpose (roll 2 dice) 1. On a Giant creature 1. Forest/Forest 1. Sky/Floating
1. Barrow 1. Dungeon 1. Sepulcher 2. In a Giant Creature 2. Graveyard 2. Swamp
2. Castle 2. Fortress 2. Stronghold 3. Canyon/Cliff 3. Icy/Glacier 3. Temple
3. Catacombs 3. Maze 3. Temple 4. Catacombs/Sewers 4. Island 4. Underwater
4. Caverns 4. Mine 4. Tomb 5. Chasm/Pit 5. Mountain 5. Volcano
5. Crypt 5. Monastery 5. Tunnels 6. Desert 6. Sea Cave 6. Shrunken
6. Den 6. Pyramid 6. Ziggurat
3. Dungeon Titles (d66) Dungeon Entrance Ideas (Roll 2 dice)
11. in the Titan 31. of Terror 51. of Obsidian 1. Bigger on the Inside 1. Hidden 1. Portal
12. of Acid 32. of the Damned 52. of Serpents 2. Bone Archway 2. Mirror 2. Squeeze
13. of Blades 33. of Moans 53. of Shadows 3. Bridge to Cave 3. Orifice 3. Statue
14. of Blood 34. of Fangs 54. of Souls 4. Giant Head 4. Overgrown 4. Trapdoor
15. of Chaos 35. of Fire 55. of Suffering 5. Giant Door 5. Painting/Sculpture 5. Tree Trunk
16. of Bones 36. of Fumes 56. of the Banished 6. Skulls and Creepy 6. Platforms 6. Waterfall
21. of Death 41. of Giants 61. of the Crazed Entrance Guardian or Key (Roll 2 dice)
22. of Deceit 42. of Madness 62. of the Crimson Blade
1. Easy Enemy 1. Puzzle
23. of Demons 43. of Ill Winds 63. of the Dark God
2. Hard Enemy 2. Riddle
24. of Desolation 44. of Iron 64. of the Mad Wizard
3. Key 3. Sacrifice
25. of Doom 45. of Despair 65. of the Undead
4. Light Source 4. Secret Door
26. of Eyes 46. of Nightmares 66. Under the Mountain
5. Medium Enemy 5. Secret Word
6. Object Needed 6. Trap

DUNGEON BUILDER ADDITIONAL DUNGEON DESCRIPTION

1. Room or Corridor? 5. Doors Use the charts below to generate additional ideas for dungeon
1-4 5-6 Roll 1 die for each possible door. contents, items, sensory details, and architecture.
A 5 or 6 indicates a door. Dungeon Sensory Details (d66)
1-4 5 6
11. Acidic 31. Dripping 51. Mildew
2a. Room Shape (d6) 12. Airless 32. Dusty 52. Moist
13. Bare 33. Earthy 53. Moldy
1 2 3 14. Burnt 34. Echoes 54. Scorched
Wood Stone Metal 15. Choking 35. Filthy 55. Silence
16. Cold 36. Foggy 56. Slick
21. Collapsed 41. Foul 61. Slimy
4 5 6 22. Damp 42. Gloomy 62. Squalid
1-3 4-5 6 23. Dank 43. Grim 63. Stains
2b. Corridor Shape (d6) 24. Decaying 44. Hazy 64. Stench
Traps (d6) 25. Dismal 45. Howling 65. Unnerving
1 2 1. Spikes 4. Darts 26. Dreary 46. Infernal 66. Vapor
3
2. Pit 5. Gas
3. Blades 6. Explosive Dungeon Stuff (d66)
4 Trap Activation (d6) 11. Bars 31. Journal 51. Orrery
5 6
1-2 Entering room 12. Alcove 32. Flask of Oil 52. Refuse
3-4. Object trigger 13. Altar 33. Food Scraps 53. Remains
3. Room Size (d6) 5-6. Floor panel 14. Archway 34. Gravel 54. Sarcophagus
Make a Scale roll (d6) to 15. Blood 35. Fireplace 55. Scratches
determine the size. Secrets (d6) 16. Bas Relief 36. Pendulum 56. Spent Torch
1-2. Secret Wall Door 21. Brazier 41. Map 61. Pool
4. Room Element (d6) 3-4. Hidden Ceiling Door 22. Candle 42. Flagstone 62. Statue
1-2 5-6. Hidden Floor Door 23. Chasm 43. Cut Stone 63. Torture Stuff
3-4 5 6
24. Coffin(s) 44. Post 64. Webs
Stairs (d6) 25. Column(s) 45. Pack/Pouch 65. River
Check for stairs as needed by 26. Dais 46. Pit 66. Waterfall
Secret Empty rolling a d6. A roll of 6 indicates
Trap Monster stairs are present in that area.
 DIFFICULTY & TIME
Setting Dungeon Difficulties
To determine Difficulty for traps, encounters, puzzles, secrets, etc.,
in a dungeon, you can…
1. Set a Difficulty of Easy (6+), Medium (8+), or Hard (10+) and
apply to all conflicts within that dungeon...
or
2. Determine Difficulties for each individual room/area…
or
3. Randomly determine difficulty for each element (trap,
encounter, secret, etc.). Roll a d6, 1-2 is Easy, 3-4 is Medium,
5-6 is Hard.
Time
Time can serve as a point of conflict and inspire a sense of
urgency in a dungeon as resources dwindle, torches go out,
enemies get closer, water fills chambers, etc. To keep play simple,
use the Difficulty of a dungeon element to determine the time it
takes to solve a puzzle, pick a lock, search for a trap/secret, disarm
a trap, find something hidden, etc. Harder elements should more
time than Medium and Medium more time than Easy.
A failed attempt to solve an element results in a loss of time as the
PC exhausts precious minutes in the attempt. Of course, another
try can always be made. The key is using time as the driver of
potential conflict in order to regulate non-combat PC actions.
Timers
Timers refer to mechanisms in game that create a sense of urgency
for the PCs. For example, water filling a chamber or a bridge
crumbling beneath the feet of the PCs are both timers. GMs can
employ timers to create a sense of impending doom, urgency, or
dread in the PCs.
Whenever a timer is used, the GM may require the PCs to make
multiple checks for speed, strength, holding their breath, etc. These
checks can of course be modified by Class bonuses if applicable.
DUNGEON HINTS AND HELP
Light in the Dungeon
Light in a dungeon is important! Loss of light will leave the PCs in
sheer darkness making everything more difficult.
Listening at Doors
PCs can listen at a door before entering a room to see if any sound
is present. A successful listen attempt can be made with a Conflict
Roll against the established difficulty (Class bonuses may apply).
Being Quiet
Being quiet in a dungeon is imperative to survival as one doesn’t
want to draw all of the denizens down upon them. The GM can
make secret Favorability rolls with a d6 to determine if dungeon
denizens hear the PCs when too much noise occurs.
DUNGEON ELEMENTS
Determine a dungeon element’s Difficulty (Easy. Medium, Hard), if
the PCs have the ability/tools to perform actions to overcome
elements, and how long it takes to overcome an element.
Darkness & Torches
A torch burns for 1 hour and provides enough light to see at a Near
distance without penalty. A candle burns for 30 minutes and
illuminates a Near space. Darkness reduces rolls to a d6 (Class
bonuses still apply) for creatures who cannot see in the dark.
Doors
Wooden doors can be smashed open with proper weapons/items.
Stone and metal doors cannot be smashed open under most
circumstances. Smashing doors will make loads of racket notifying
dungeon denizens of the party. Some doors are trapped!
Locks
Things like chests and doors have locks that can picked if the PC
has the skill and the tools to do so. Locks can be smashed off too.
Obstacles
Obstacles hinder the PC’s progress in the dungeon. Finding a way
around or through the obstacle can eat up valuable time in the
dungeon and can burn through resources like torches.
Puzzles & Riddles
Puzzles are solved by PCs, not players. Present a puzzle and
establish a Difficulty. PCs with an aptitude for puzzles may attempt
to solve the puzzle with a Class bonus. Determine how long each
puzzle solving attempt takes based on puzzle/riddle difficulty.
Traps
The Difficulty of the trap determines damage (Easy: 1 damage,
Medium: 2 damage, Hard: 3 damage), difficulty to spot the trap, and
difficulty to disarm. Traps must be found before they are disarmed.
Roll a d6 when a disarm attempt fails. A roll of 1-3 indicates the trap
is sprung, 5-6 indicates the trap remains set.
WANDERING MONSTERS
Monsters might wander about the dungeon, especially big
dungeons. Every hour (or a time interval that feels fitting) the PCs
are in the dungeon, the GM rolls a d6. A roll of 5 or 6 indicates a
wandering monster. Another d6 roll of 4+ indicates the monster is
headed in the direction of the PCs. If the PCs were noisy, the
chances of a monster headed in their direction is greater.
To determine the Difficulty of a wandering monster, roll a d6. 1-3 is
an Easy monster. 4-5 is Medium. 6 is Hard.