Stocking the Dungeon with a Newb, Part 2

Welcome to the second part in a series of posts in which I - a neophyte GM - explore the arcane and enigmatic art of dungeon-stocking. In our first post, we introduced our canvas: this sprawling underworld from Dyson Logos.¹ We then counted all the rooms and assigned them rough room-type designations (i.e., monster with treasure, special, etc.). We finished up by sketching out a rough dungeon 'narrative' and keying the first seven rooms, with a focus on thematic connectivity and utility at the table.

In this post, I'll present the finished key for the next 10-or-so rooms in largely the same manner. However, in order to make the keying process slightly more transparent, I will include in each room description the room-type designation originally prescribed to it. If I decided to change this label during the process, I will include both the new label and the old.

The Lesser Barrows

This section of the Catacombs - comprising rooms 8 through 17 - serves as both a gallery of imperial propaganda and a tomb for lesser nobility. The wide corridors are lined with bas-reliefs depicting conquests and secular achievements. The numerous alcoves bear vertical stone sarcophagi, engraved with flattering depictions of various military leaders and high-ranking members of the clergy.

Rooms 8 - 12

8. Exploding corpse trap (special). Smell of rot. Echoes of dripping water. A gleaming crystal bull skull (500gp) sits on a stone pedestal in the central alcove, flanked by two doors of thick iron. If removed (or if any additional weight is placed upon the pedestal), an iron portcullis will fall on the northern stairwell, and the iron doors will open, revealing 1d6+1 Corpse Bombs per side. 

Corpse Bomb: HD 1-1, AC 9 [10], Claw (1d4), Mv 6, Sv 18, AL C, CL 1/15, Special: When reduced to 0 HP, the Corpse Bomb will violently explode. Anyone (including other Corpse Bombs) must save or take 1d6 damage as they're showered in putrid, concussive viscera.

9. Unfinished tomb (monster, no treasure empty). Smell of damp. Sound of dripping water. The walls and central pillar are lined with unused coffins and stacks of cut stone. Rain water trickles into this room through cracks in the ceiling, pooling and slowly draining into the secret passageway. With the right equipment, a party can break through the sealed-up masonry here in 3 turns (roll for random encounters).

10. False tomb (trap, no treasure). Smell of mold. Stagnant air. An unadorned stone sarcophagus sits in the center of this room, within which are only the mummified remains of a nameless slave. The floor is covered in several inches of stagnant rain water draining in from room 9; every other surface in the room is coated in condensation. A Grey Ooze clings to the slick cover of the sarcophagus.

11. Tomb of the bastard (unguarded treasure). Air thick with dust. This is the burial chamber of one of the Sorcerer-King's illegitimate male heirs. Burial gifts include a clay urn containing 7 tiger eye gemstones (10gp each), 3 black pottery vases depicting mythological vignettes in gold leaf (50gp each) and a marble bust of the heir himself atop a gold-trimmed plinth (450gp). The heir was also entombed with 1pp over each eye. A small but obvious tunnel connects this chamber to the Corpse Bomb cell in room 8.

12. Embalming room (empty). Smell of chemicals, faded but still stinging. A number of stone slabs populate this room, marred with ruddy brown stains. The floor is littered with empty jars and ancient trocars.

A. Graffiti. A mural depicting the Sorcerer-King in golden plate has been vandalized; his eyes have been painted over with ruddy brown pigment, the phrase "Trust not your eyes, for they are blind" written beneath them.

13. Dead adventurers (trap, no treasure, empty). Smell of ammonia and corpses. This room is largely identical to room 8 in its layout and function. The central pedestal is empty, and the two iron doors hang open. The room is decorated in dried putrescence, and six dead adventurers lie on the stone.

Rooms 13 - 17

14. Rynn's lair (monster, treasure). Smell of mold and infection. This is the chamber of Discordant Rynn, one of the Sorcerer-King's 13 deathless minotaurs. Rynn suffers from advanced stages of dementia, and has found comfort in these long millennia by surrounding himself with blankets of Yellow Mold. What remains of his immortal flesh drips with purple sores and boils.

Discordant Rynn: HD 6, AC 6 [13], Atk 2 Claws (1d4 + 1), Mv 6, Sv 14, AL C, CL/XP 7/600, Special: Acidic Pustules - whenever struck, there is a chance (% = damage times 10) that the attacker will rupture one of Rynn's many sores. The resulting splatter possesses the corrosive properties of a Grey Ooze.

A large, rotted wooden chest sits against the eastern wall, covered in mounds of Yellow Mold. Within the chest are 1112gp, 851sp, 2156cp and an intelligent longsword +1 named Discharge. The sword grants its bearer the ability to assume the form of a man-sized eukaryotic jelly twice per day. Discharge longs to be corroded; the sword automatically fails any save against acidic or corrosive effects that target metal. Also hidden at the bottom of the chest is a small watertight scroll case of tanned leather, containing the deed to Thurstaston Silver Mine; it will not survive a fire.

15. Laboratory (empty monster, no treasure). Smell of chemicals. Uncomfortably warm. Stone slabs dot the room, and most walls are lined with shelves and bookcases. Every surface is cluttered with jars of pickled organic matter. The wall separating rooms 15 and 16 is illusory; any physical contact ends the effect and reveals the secret room.

A colony of 4d6 Giant Rats makes its home within the drainage system beneath the stone floor here. 1d6 + 1 rats lurk here at any given time, with an ongoing 50% chance of 1d6 additional rats arriving every two combat rounds (or every turn).

Giant Rat: HD 1d4hp, AC 7 [12], Atk 1 bite (1d3), Mv 12, Sv 18, AL N, CL/XP A/5, Special: 5% are diseased.

16. Secret library (unguarded treasure). Filled with well-preserved and neatly organized vellum scrolls. Many are scientific reports documenting the creation of and experimentation with various forms of undead (including the Corpse Bombs), while others are highly decorative religious texts complete with gold-leaf illumination (50gp worth, if scraped).

Also here are a scroll of light, a scroll of wizard lock, and a large leather-bound spell tome bearing the title A Treatise on the Place of Magic in Empirical Research. Amongst its waxing essays, the book contains the spells hold portal, knock and magic mouth; any magic-user user may use this artifact as her spell book. While doing so, there is a 5% chance (non-cumulative) that any spell cast by the magic-user will not expend a spell slot, so long as the magic-user's list of prepared spells has remained unchanged for longer than 24 hours.

17. Stassi's oasis (special). Smell of salt and sea. Sound of rolling ocean waves. This room has been enchanted by the satyr Stassi to appear as an idyllic island paradise. Tropical vegetation sparsely populates a floor of white sand. A hot sun sits permanently in a cloudless sky. Despite all this, the melancholy Stassi longs only to be reunited with his true love, Priscilla, who has become lost somewhere within the catacombs. Stassi promises wealth beyond measure in exchange for the PC's help.

Stassi keeps a large clam shell buried beneath a non-descript section of sand, within which are 19 pink pearls (100gp each) and a ring of magic resistance (+5 to save vs. magic). Also burrowed beneath the sand are 4 loyal Giant Centipedes.

Stassi: HD 3, AC 12, Atk Weapon (1d6 - 1), Mv 12, Sv 14, AL N, CL 5/240, Spells:purify water, cure light wounds, read languages (3/day), obscuring mists, heat metal (2/day), cure disease (1/day).

Giant Centipede: HD 2, AC 14, Atk Bite (1d8 + poison), Mv 12, Sv 16, AL N, CL 4/120, Special: poison bite (+6 save or die).

B. This tall stone door is reinforced with brass straps and engraved with imagery of a skeletal minotaur with four arms. It is barred from the south side.

Concluding Remarks

This was a long post, and we've covered a lot of ground. Whether or not that ground is any fun to walk across is another matter.

First, let's step back and see what we've done so far...

Entranceway & Lesser Barrows

Obviously, there are sections of the full map that we haven't keyed yet. Rooms 18+ are next on the docket, and will lead us back into the wide sewage tunnel. I have no idea what's going to be in room 66, despite the fact that my players could well get through door B with the knock spell in room 16.

There was quite a bit of label-swapping this time. The trap originally written into room 13 (a hive of flesh-eating insects in the gut of one dead adventurer) felt slightly too stressful when viewing the final map and tracking potential routes of progress. Likewise, the laboratory felt too empty, hence the hive of trope-appropriate giant rats.

We've also met two NPCs, one of which is our first of the 13 eponymous minotaurs. As a self-described dungeon slime/gelatine enthusiast, I'm a big big fan of Discordant Rynn. But who knows, he may just get fireballed.

Also, I have no idea who Priscilla is...

Thus far, dungeon-stocking is an energetic yet tedious exercise in not knowing what the hell is going on. Until you do.