Last post we laid out the floorplan of our dungeon and rolled for room contents, both reposted below. I find keying a dungeon to take the longest time of any step for hex crawl prep, so plan on a few hours to get it ready. Lets start working our way through our key five rooms at a time, keeping in mind this location is an Ancient Temple.
1. Trap, Treasure 16. Empty, Treasure
2. Monster, Treasure 17. Empty, Treasure
3. Trap, Treasure 18. Trap, Treasure
4. Empty 19. Empty, Treasure
5. Monster, Treasure 20. Empty
6. Empty 21. Empty, Treasure
7. Empty 22. Monster
8. Empty, Treasure 23. Trap, Treasure
9. Monster 24. Special
10. Empty, Treasure 25. Empty, Treasure
11. Trap, Treasure 26. Monster, Treasure
12. Special 27. Monster, Treasure
13. Monster, Treasure 28. Monster
14. Empty, Treasure 29. Empty
15. Trap, Treasure 30. Trap, Treasure
1. Trap, Treasure
Altar with deep bowl, center of the north wall. A woman from the waist up is posed as if praying over a coin filled bowl. Taking any of the coins (160c) from the table causes the statue to animate and grab (4 in 6 chance) a player. The statue holds the player in place by the armor or clothing.
2. Monster, Treasure
Two Corpse Beetles (HP 3, 1) eat at a pile of skeletons, cracking heads to eat the brain. In the pile four silver rings can be found (40c).
3. Trap, Treasure
Behind a locked door with metal bars is a large silver holy symbol (150c, 10lbs) on the far wall. Touching the symbol causes an electric shock dealing 1d6 damage. If knocked off its stand two cables can be found and cut to prevent this.
4. Empty
This large room is an ancient library, all the books have been molded and the room reeks of mildew .
5. Monster, Treasure
Two Skeletons (Hp 4,1) walk around this room. They voicelessly speak to people long dead and to each other, the room has rotted wooden furniture along it's edge.
The idea for room 1 with an animated statue hit me and gave me a theme for my encounter table for the dungeon. I want whatever used to be in this temple to be long gone, no cultists or priests or anything. Instead we will have the evil they used to worship cause the dungeon to animate and fight the players, along with wildlife that has dug into the dungeon. With that I wrote an encounter table;
Name, Hit Die, Armor, Attacks, Movement, # Appearing, Morale
1. Animated Statues, 1HD, Plate, Melee as Mace, 20', 1d6, X
2. Candle Golem, 2HD, Leather, 2x Melee as Mace, 30', 1, 9
3. Skeleton, 1HD, Chainmail, Melee as Dagger, 30', 1d6, X
4. Corpse Beetle, 1HD, Leather, Ranged 2 - 20', 30' 1d6, 6
5. Burrowing Rat, 1HD, Leather, Melee as Sword, 50", 1d6, 8
6. Giant Ants, 1HD, Leather, Melee as Dagger, 40', 1d6, 7
6. Empty
Rotted pews facing the door to the north where two statues are posed as if praying.
7. Empty
Old chairs sit around a large table in the middle of the room.
8. Empty, Treasure
Inside this room is a pile of molding robes. On the wall is a painting of the local scenery. (80c, 3lbs, 3' by 3') Behind the wall is a hidden compartment with a +1 Dagger.
9. Monster
This room has four blood stained stone tables in the north east corners and the south west corners. In the middle of the room is a pile of candles that will animate when the players enter the room. Candle Golem, 7hp.
10. Empty, Treasure
Behind two locked wooden doors is a room with an altar in the north east corner, A woman from the waist up is posed as if praying. On the table is a gilded sword (120c)
We have more rotting debris and altars dotting the complex. I roll with a 1 in 6 chance of magic items found along with treasure and in room 8 behind the painting we have our first magic item, a +1 Dagger.
11. Trap, Treasure
In this room is a simple wooden table, not rotting, with a closed and buckled book on the table. Opening the book causes a save vs magic. Success awards 50xp, failure causes 1d6 damage. A "Ring of Telekinesis" and three silver candle sticks (40c) can be found next to the book.
12. Special
In this room we find rows of new bunk beds and chests filled with robes. More time spent here reveals more, indicated by number of turns. 1, Voices from unseen spirits speak as if they were alive, excited of the coming of the Midnight Maiden. 2, The voices are cut by a booming voice, angry they are not asleep yet and that they will need the energy for the coming that evening and to embrace her symbol. 3, Molded blankets move as if people are climbing into bed, then suddenly all the beds rot and collapse and the robes mold over as if time has effected them at once.
13. Monster, Treasure
Six statues are in this room, depicting a woman with hands raised up. After entering the room three Statues (HP 3,4,5) will animate.
14. Empty, Treasure
In this room on the floor next to a rotting table a large gold tray can be found (20c, 1/2 lb) and a scattered pile of coins (130c). Two Statues are posed as if praying in the southern corners.
15. Trap, Treasure
A chandelier with glass panes is attached to the ceiling and in the north west corner of the room is a table on which a silver holy symbol rests (100c) a neatly folded white robe with gold trim sits, untouched by mold (150c). Entering the room will cause the robe to float and animate, asking the new arrivals to approach. If the players enter the room the robe will ask who they are, what they seek, and how it can help. Any mention of treasure, exploration, or the Midnight Maiden will anger the robe, which will fall to the floor and the candles of the chandelier will light and begin to spin quickly, flinging glass at anyone in the room, treat as arrows fried from a bow.
Half way and we have out first Special room in these results, a look back into the history of the temple a bit and a warning not to touch her symbols, hinting at the trap in room 3. Room 15 also has an interaction with a spirit, if the players can lie for the three questions they may bypass the trap entirely. Room 11 also has our second magic item, a ring.
16. Empty, Treasure
A private study, On the old desk sits three silver candle sticks (40c, 2lbs)
17. Empty, Treasure
This room is another large library, the bookcases along the walls are ruined but on a rotting wooden table is a silver holy symbol (100c, 5lbs).
18. Trap, Treasure
Bookcases cover the walls of this room, all in good condition. In the middle of the room is a table with a silver holy symbol (100c, 5lbs) and a few books around it. Trying to pull any book from the bookcases will reveal they are held in place by magical means, opening the books on the table will cause books to fly from the bookcases at the players. All characters in the room have a 3 in 6 chance to suffer 2 points of damage every turn they spend in the room. After six turns all the books will have been thrown and will quickly rot on the floor, leaving only the holy symbol in the room.
19. Empty, Treasure
Pews face to the north of this room, at the end is a pulpit with two gold candle sticks (75c, 2lbs) and two Statues are posed as if praying behind it.
20. Empty
This room was once a study, now empty save for a rotting desk and chair. An old, smudged diary can be found that only reads "I'll have to rem- ask brother fal- across the hall abo- this."
We had a bunch of treasure in these rooms and further reinforced the idea that the people here before were studious, which may come into play later. Room 18 has a trap that only occurs if the players get too curious and open a book, the treasure is freely available if they don't get too nosey.
21. Empty, Treasure
Pressing the single square stone on this wall opens a hidden door to a study. Inside we find two skeletons, one with a gilded dagger (60c, 1lb) in it's eye, slumped over a rotten table with two silver candle sticks (40c, 2lbs).
22. Monster
In this room are two altars in each eastern corners, depicting a woman from the waist up is posed as if praying and a Candle Golem (hp 2), it has been trying to escape the room and has rubbed it's wax all over the walls, weakening it.
23. Trap, Treasure
This room has four chairs floating in the air above and a table in the middle with two silver candle sticks (40c) and a pile of coins (30c). Entering the room and trying to take the items will cause the chairs to attempt to slam into the characters in the room.
24. Special
This room has a stairway inside, leading down to the next floor of the dungeon. The stairway is flanked by two metal doors with chains and locks on the outside of them, but the locks are open.
25. Empty, Treasure
This open room has chair and a table along the south wall, on them sits four candle sticks (40c, 2lbs) Two Statues are posed as if praying in the northern corners.
In room 20 we included a note that mentions a room across the hall, this is the tip to find room 21 and the treasure inside. Rolling for the monster in room 22 and double 1's for HP was interesting, I imagine a creature that has worn down it's candle limbs to nubs trying to claw its way out. Homestretch now, last five!
26. Monster, Treasure
This entry way is decorated with tall silver candle sticks (60c, 10lbs) on the north wall with a painted holy symbol taking up the bulk of the wall. Players can find the wounded Troll that broke into the complex. Wounded Troll, 3hp, Chainmail, Melee as Mace, 15', Morale 7
27. Monster, Treasure
Two Burrowing Rats (HP 5,3) can be found here crunching bones of a skeleton. The room was once a bedroom, having two silver candle sticks (40c, 2lbs) on a table, a ruined bed, and in a chest among molded robes a silver necklace with the holy symbol emblem can be found. (30c, 1/10th lb)
28. Monster
From a hole in the roof six Giant Ants (6,5,5,4,3,2) have begun exploring this room, breaking apart wooden shelves and other furniture in the area. Statues are posed as if praying in the corners.
29. Empty
This room has a few tables and chairs, a simple sitting area. Two Statues are posed as if praying in the northern corners.
30. Trap, Treasure
From the door a woman can be calling for help from inside this room. Opening the door the players will find an empty bedroom, spotting another silver necklace with the holy symbol (30c, 1/10th lb) on the desk between two silver candle sticks (40c, 2lbs), a bed, and a chest. Touching anything in the room will cause robes from the chest to fly and attempt (3 in 6 chance) to grab any characters in the room, causing 1 point of damage every turn they are not helped free. 1 in 6 chance to free yourself, +1 for everyone helping.
These last five rooms have a lot going on, as they will be the first few rooms the players encounter. Room 28 may be particularly challenging for combat. When the players first find the temple they will spot two trolls fighting and one will be thrown into a stone wall that will break into the dungeon, as shown in room 26.
That finishes it! We keyed the whole dungeon, keeping to a theme that this was a forgotten temple. It can be challenging to have a dungeon with no intelligent creatures currently living inside, but a forgotten dungeon is easier for some to reconcile the whole Piles-of-treasure-just-sitting-there thing. I don't have much advice for keying a dungeon really, Write a theme and stick to it then just put in cool stuff you would want to see. All my traps have some form of activation and a save or chance to activate. Only two special rooms offered a little way to breath some lore into the dungeon. I won't walk through the second floor of the dungeon, but I will post it here once finished. Next week we will be drawing the town map, populating it with NPCs, and creating our rumor tables.
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