How Mega is Mega ?

Just how big should a megadungeon be? How "mega" is "MEGA" really?

Mapping is never the problem, I love mapping, I could map all day and all night. Filling the map so people have fun is the issue.  So how mega should a megadungeon be?

A dungeon level I'm working on.

If you want the dungeon to be a dungeon wilderness it should be a big place. So big mapping for players is essential. Big enough to support many sessions of play. Big enough to have room to support the campaign if it's all the players want to get involved with. Big enough to cram a bunch of different monsters in together and not have them exterminate each other quickly. How big is a dungeon that supports all that?

Hub and State Generation (Random Dungeon Generation)

Random Dungeon Generation is an old stand-by in the bag of tricks for the DM, it gets the job done but is often haphazard and unfocused due to the random nature (no surprise there). One method of reducing the haphazard nature of random generation I've been playing with is creating Hubs to define sections (or even entire levels of a dungeon).

A Hub as applied here is a general focus for the use/purpose of a dungeon area. Generating the dungeon at this level of abstraction requires determination of the general state of the hub itself as it will filter down into more specific details later. Even at this level of abstraction figuring out what to do with a Hub and it's State gets my DM juices flowing.

Twisted Simians

I've been on a apes kick lately, here's a few horrible simian mutant horrors to haunt your unfriendly local forbidden zone.

Scorpipanze

Disgusting hybrids of chimpanzee and scorpion that haunt forbidden zones. 

Scorpipanze: HD 2; AC 5[14]; Atk 2 pincers (1d3), Bite (1d3), sting (1d4 + poison); Move 12; Save 16; AL N; CL: 3; ML 9; WIL 10; Special: Lethal poison sting.

Octorang

Freakish hybrids of orangutan and octopus  with a pair of tentacles where each limb should be that roam alone or in small packs throughout forests bordering forbidden zones and area of ruin that offer ample opportunities to climb. Should 2 or more of an octorang’s tentacles hit a foe in the same round the ocotorang will hold tight automatically hitting the foe on following rounds with each tentacle until the prey is crushed.

Octorang: HD 4; AC 6 [13]; Atk 2 to 8  tentacles (1d4), 1 bite (1d6); Move 12; Save 13; CL:5; AL N; ML 10; WIL 10; Special: Crush.

Wormarilla

Huge disgusting hybrids of ape and worm feeding on the hapless who do not spy them burrowing beneath the tainted earth of the forbidden zone. If 2 or more of their 4 clawed arms grabs hold of prey they will drag them down into their loosely packed tunnels to smother them in the earth,

Wormarilla: HD 10; AC 6 [13]; Atk 2 claws 1d110, 1 Bite 1d8 Move 9 (Burrow 6); Save 5; AL N; CL 11;  ML 11; WIL 13; Special: Smother.

Remoraboon

Viscous pack hunters with ringed blood-drinking maws that will hang onto prey remorselessly feeding on their sanguine fluid.

Remoraboon: HD 2; AC 7 [12]; Atk 1 bite (1d6); Move 12; Save 16; AL N; CL/XP 2; ML 10; WIL 11; Special: Blooddrain

Werewolf Lanterns.

These five lanterns and an invitation at  Le Chaudron Chromatique  inspired the following.

Lamp of the True Face, should the light of this lamp fall on a lycanthrope their nature will be revealed by a ghostly aura that shall surround them. Other shape changers are allowed a save vs wands to avoid being revealed if not in their trueform.

Lantern of the Moons, exposure to the light of this lamp will cause a lycanthrope in their natural form to begin the transformation as if exposed to the light of a full moon.

Beacon of the Silver Bite, while in illumiation of this lantern normal arms may strike lycathropes as if they were fashioned of silver. There ecsist some superior versions of the beacon where in addition to the effect above all silver weapons inflict double damage vs lycanthropes within the light of the beacon.

Torch of the Witchqueen, while in the illumination of this lamp all lycanthropes are +2 to hit and save and they will regenerate 2 hp per round (even if hit by silver or fire), they will be compelled to defend the bearer of the lamp but will otherwise disregard all other requests unless compelled by other influences.

Wolf Cage, if placed on the ground no lycanthrope within the illumination of this lamp will be able to exit the illumination of this lamp if in beast or semi-beast form, they are allowed a save vs wands if in their normal form to exit the area of illumination.

Magical Masks

A selection of magical masks for your fantasy campaigns

Goblin Mask- an outlandish and grotesque goblin mask that let’s one pass for a goblin. It works flawlessly on goblins, orcs, and hobgoblins other bwgs, bugbears, ogres, and trolls get a save vs spells to avoid being fooled anyone and everyone else can tell it’s a mask.

Skeleton Mask-  this white mask totally covers the wearers head in a white skull. All undead under 3HD will disregard and ignore someone wearing this mask. “Zombies” that are actually those infected by disease or some sort of demonic possession who have not actually died will not be fooled.

Witch’s Mask- this mask makes one look like a stereotypical witchy hag. The wearer will be able to cast a fear spell 3 times a day while wearing this mask.

Ruby Mask- this mask is cut from a solid piece of red gemstone, crystal, or glass. While wearing this mask the waere is +4 to save vs fear but is also more trusting of stangers (making them easier to surprise) due to the rose colored view experience while the mask is donned.

Mirror Mask- this mask works as a mirror does vs  gaze attacks. The wearer may attack medusa’s and such at full capacity if they wish as the mask provides the wearer with a +4  save vs gaze attacks.

Breathe Mask- this bizarre beaked mask covers the users head almost completely offering a +4 save vs gas attacks. Unfortunately the glass lenses of this mask are a little tricky to see through and any ranged attack made with the mask on have a -2 penalty.

Harlequin’s Mask- while wearing this mask all performances are enhance as if one had a Charisma 3 points higher and charm spells cast by the user are harder to result giving the target a -2 to saves.

Playing with empty rooms.

This post if for the players not the DMs out there. Empty rooms are a feature for you to exploit. Yup they aren't just the DM wasting your time. Take advantage of those empty rooms.

Pester your DM for information about the empty room, there's something in there and you might just find it if you look hard enough.

Rooms are empty because nothing in the dungeon has the resources to keep this room secure. Is it worht it to you and your fellow players to secure the room?

Are there any hiding spots in the room, any nooks where some loot can be stashed? The locals might be used to this room being empty, those coins you boosted might just be safe here in this room instead of weighing down your faithful henchman.

Have you just had a big fight and the party is exhausted, is it a good idea to stay where you just had the fight to bandage up and rest? Wouldn't it be smarter to go back to that empty room and recover there?

Why are you and your buddies always kicking in doors and having a fight on the baddies turf?  Knock on the door, make some noise and have the baddies come fight you on a battleground you have readied, you know, in that empty room.

Empty rooms and the passage leading through them offer a means to corcle arroudn foes and for the baddies to circle around you. It's a lot harder for monsters to circle you or simply wander up to you unnoticed of you take time to bar doors and place alarms in those handy empty rooms.

Talk with the folks living underground now and again. They might not want to talk with a band of kill crazed dungeon looters in their living room but they might be convinced to have a meeting in the empty room down the hall.

Those empty rooms are territory for you and fellow players to exploit to your advantage because the monsters/baddies don't have the time and resources to exploit them.

Different Magic Swords, A Proposal

 In my last post I pointed out I felt a +1 bonus was boring. The “+X” magic weapon is iconic and a handy shorthand notation but is ancient and dull as dirt. A different method of defining magical swords might be interesting to try out with a campaign.

Get rid of the traditional +1 nomenclature. Dump it, get rid of it, say goodbye. Replace it with something else of course. But what?

Well it has to be something identifiable with the game as it is now (or has been), all new is just going to be disregarded and lack significance. One way to go in changing the notation is also changing the application at the same time; plus this, plus that leads to an ever creeping numbers bloat that some don’t care for. Let’s change magic swords to define how well one fights with a magic sword in hand not how it modifies their ability to attack.

So in this suggested method magic swords could be rated equivalent to how well one compares to an experienced fighter. A magic sword will not be +1 or +2 it will be a Hero’s sword, A Super Hero’s Sword and a Warlord’s Sword each allowing the wielder to attack respectively as a 4^th level fighter, and 8^th level fighter and a 12^th level fighter. I used level titles for the 1^st two grades of attack and made up one for the last . One could certainly be pickier with a more levels of swords tied to more levels but this serves for the example here. If able to use a magic sword one attacks as per the ability of the sword or their own capacity if greater (still being able to use special powers and strike foes only harmed by magical weapons).

Variable damage bonus. I’m keen on dumping the flat damage bonus to be something variable. There are three reasons for changing from static to variable: increase uncertainty and increase the capacity of magic sword wielding fighters (boosting fighter types vs spell casters not allowed to use swords), and lastly to have an easy and consistent method for tracking banes and boons related to a magic sword.

One could key the dice ranges for added damage to keywords or note the damage bonus in dice. I like the keyword method but it really needs to be a set keywords for each grade not just one per grade to keep the mystery up. Lacking a set of keywords simple dice notation would do the trick of course.

Banes are troublesome features of magical swords and boons are special attack results. A weak bane would rear it’s ugly head any time a bonus die comes up a 1, a stronger bane on a 1 or 2.  A weak boon would only come into play when a damage bonus die comes up a 6, a stronger on a 5 or 6, I suppose if one were wildly generous there could be some awesome magical swords that had a boon on a 4,5,or 6.

Boons could be vorpal strikes,fear bursts, hp  drinking, stoning attack, knockdown foe, shield breaking and such.

Banes could include self immolation, backbiting, hitting adjacent allies, frightening wails driving off allies and such.

Here’s a couple examples for consideration:

Xiphos of the Ancient Hero, +1d6, L: sunder shield on 5 or 6. Fight @F4

Sword of the Bear-king, +2d6, Paralyze foe with fear on 5 or 6, allies within 10’ must save vs fear or be shaken until end of next round on 1.Fight @F12

Dancing Blade of the Swordmaster, +2d6. Extra attack vs foe within 30’ on a 6. Fight @F8.