The One Page Dungeon

Codex
2009

Edited by Philippe-Antoine "Chatty DM" Ménard and Michael "Chgowiz" Shorten

Introductions
Philippe-Antoine Ménard, Michael Shorten

I'm a firm believer in Terry Pratchet's take on inspiration. In one of his early novel he explains
that ideas travel through the Cosmos as tiny particles of creative energies. Getting an idea
involes being at the right place, at the right time where an idea particle hits a tiny place of your
brain... which then explodes with a new idea.

Wait, that's not how it works for you? It sure does feel like it to me.

During the winter of 2009 , shortly after I discovered the One Page Dungeon template, I thought
to myself "Now wouldn't it be nice to get more people to know about the One Page Dungeon
Template". I had successfully used it in my new Primal/Within campaign and I really wanted to
show people how cool the template could be.

The idea of making a contest on my blog naturally followed. However, while the template was
distributed under the creative commons licence, I wanted to ask the creator of the template
permission to go ahead with the contest.

As I wrote that first email to Chgowiz, who had probably never heard of me up to that point, I
decided to not only ask permission, but to bring him in so we could co-host the contest. From
my cursory review of his blog, it was obvious that he was as much Old School as I was a New
and I wanted the contest to appeal to the whole spectrum of D&D fans. Chgowiz was
understandably wary of my proposal but he agreed to mull it over.

Our early discussions led to what I think was the best decision we made about the whole contest
and was likely pivotal in its success: we decided to ask participants to make thier entry system -
neutral. No monster stats, just descriptions and names.

The idea snowballed from there, we got more than 10 sponsors, awesome prizes and 112 entries
in the contest. It was hard work, much more than I had envisionned but the results are
staggering. I wish to thank Chgowiz and our 4 judges: Sham, Amityville Mike, Dave the Game
and Alex and my friend Graham for sharing the work, providing technical support and wading
through all those entries.

This PDF is the culmination of my little idea , I want it to be a gift back to the community that
has shown tremendous interest and support of the whole project. I don't know if I'm ready to do
it again next year, but I'm proud beyond belief of what the project achieved.

I wish you hours of fun with theses dungeons!

Philippe

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Every so often, serendipity and obsession get together and create the right environment for
something wonderful to happen. I think that if Dave Arneson and Gary Gygax hadn't had a little
bit of obsession and serendipity in how they came together to create Dungeons & Dragons(tm),
we probably wouldn't be having the same kind of conversation. They did, so here we are. That's
what happened to create the One Page Template, as well as pull this contest together.

Telling a computer geek "I wish someone would create XYZ" is like laying out the Ultimate
Challenge. Ask those guys that made the Apollo spacecraft computers, or the guys who
programmed those breadboard microcomputers. I have the same "attribute" - someone says "It
can't be done..." or "Wouldn't it be neat if..." and I start to create ideas in my head.

When Dave and I collaborated on the One Page template, we were just thinking how neat it
would be for us to share megadungeons and our odd bits of obsession with a "niche within the
niche" - the old school movement. We really didn't give much thought if this would be applicable
anywhere else. Little did we know...

When Philippe/Chatty approached me in March with his enthusiasm about the One Page
template and his idea for a contest, I was really surprised and worried. I knew of Chatty and his
love and support of the newer versions of D&D, and I had the irrational fear that our old-school
tool was about to be co-opted. Silly, I know... right? Well, I hemmed and hawed and with advice
from my wonderfully supportive wife, I decided to enter into the contest venture with Chatty.

I really wanted something that would bring together gamers, not separate them. I wanted the
contest results to reflect the purity of the dungeon - that place that the game of D&D started from
- so Chatty and I agreed that we would run a system-neutral, all-ideas-welcome inclusive contest.

The results were far beyond my wildest expectations. I thought we'd get forty entries - fifty
would be fantastic. We ended up with one hundred and twelve! We had dungeons of multiple
entry points, dungeons inside of living things, dungeons in jungles, dungeons in the air, infinity
level dungeons - you name it. We saw the most amazing nuggets of imagination, fantasy,
mystery and above all, a sharing of a person's love for this game.

I've said it many times and I'll say it again - I am humbled and honored to have been able to read
each and every dungeon submitted. Each one told me that the simple "playing field" that we all
enjoy shares timeless and edition-neutral commonalities. I think that's an amazing thing to see,
over 35 years of history and play reflected in these entries.

I hope you enjoy what you find in these winning entries. Each one represents a neat and amazing
idea on a theme, or across a broad spectrum of fantasy gaming. Most of all, I hope you have the
same fun in playing in these dungeons as we did putting this little contest together. Have fun!

Michael

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The Contest Judges
We were thrilled to have a wide variety of gamers and bloggers agree to judge and help us with
the contest. We'd like to acknowledge all those involved in the organization of running of the
contest:

Chatty DM AKA Philippe-Antoine Ménard is one of the crazy minds

behind the One Page Dungeon Contest. He also is the person behind Musings
of the Chatty DM, a D&D-Centric RPG blog that captures that familiar feeling
of hanging out at your favorite gaming shop. It is the perfect place to discuss
with friendly geeks who share your passion for RPGs.

Chgowiz AKA Michael Shorten is another crazy, obsessive geek behind the
One Page Dungeon Contest. He writes the blog Old Guy RPG Blog where he
shares the fun and joy of the original editions of D&D, one game at a time.
He's been published in Fight On! and Knockspell, is part of Three-Headed
Monster Games and writes for Examiner.com as the Chicago Dungeons &
Dragons RPG columnist.

Kensanata AKA Alex Schröder is the grumpy old-school gamer wanna-be

with a German accent living in the land of the Swiss Gnomes. The RPG
category of his blog is where he puts his rambling thoughts on adventure
design, D&D rules, RPG publishing, international shipping rates, and neo-
classical gaming. He has been published in Fight On! and runs the very simple
but serviceable Campaign Wiki.

Sham AKA David Bowman is a 30 year veteran of D&D. Three decades of

campaign building, rules tinkering and home brewing have brought Dave back
to the source of all this madness, 1974’s original D&D. A contributor to Open
Game Table, Fight On!, Knockspell and the recently announced Three-Headed
Monster Games, the author can often be found rambling about various game
topics online at Sham's Grog 'n Blog.

Amityville Mike AKA Michael Curtis is neither crazy, obsessive, nor

grumpy, but he was picked to help judge the One Page Dungeon Contest
nonetheless. Crawling through dungeons since Holmes Basic, Michael
currently spreads his philosophy of “Stop worrying and love the Dungeon”
on his blog,The Society of Torch, Pole and Rope. He has written articles for
Fight On! and Knockspell magazines, and is the author of Goodman Games’
forthcoming The Dungeon Alphabet.

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Dave The Game AKA Dave Chalker is the editor-in-chief and co-founder of
Critical-hits.com, executive director and co-founder of RPGBloggers.com, and
his Gygax Number is 1.

Graham Poole is the warped mind behind CriticalAnkleBites.com, and the

technical mind behind about half of the RPG Blogosphere. As one of the
founding members of the RPG Bloggers Network, he keeps it afloat through
constant infusions of code and metahuman-level force of will. He has been
published by nobody, and writes purely for himself on his own sporadic
schedule. (He doesn't mind if people like to read it, though.)

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Contents
The Origin of the One Page Dungeon Template ............................................................................ 1
Building the Font of Sorrows with the One Page Dungeon Template ........................................... 3
Creating a map for the One Page Template with GIMP ................................................................. 6
"How to use the One Page Template" Contest posts ...................................................................... 7
The One-Page Manifesto .............................................................................................................. 10
The 3 Winning “Best Of” Dungeons ............................................................................................ 11
The Runner Ups ............................................................................................................................ 15
Honorable Mentions...................................................................................................................... 22
Our final thoughts ......................................................................................................................... 35
Our Sponsors................................................................................................................................. 37

Cover Art by Mark Allen - Marjasall Productions http://portfolio.marjasall.com – Mark is the

first place (Color) winner of the 2009 Erol Otus Art Challenge by Fight On! magazine and
Otherworld Miniatures. Mark is also known for his work with Troll Lord Games LLC. Cover art
is used with permission, all rights reserved by artist. The cover depicts a scene from the “Best
Overall One Page Dungeon” winner.

All dungeon contest entries and the One Page Dungeon Template are released under the Creative
Common Share-alike license (v. 2.5 - US 2008).

All other content is copyright 2009 by the authors of article or text: Philippe-Antoine Ménard,
Michael Shorten, Santiago Luis Oría, and David Bowman. All rights reserved by authors.

Page footer graphic courtesy of Karen’s Whimsy, public domain image.

v
 more than ample creative opportunity, either
The Origin of the One Page beforehand, during a session, or afterwards
when restocking or altering the dungeon.
Dungeon Template
by Michael Shorten I designed Level 1A, The Tunnels of the
Mole-Men. A 30 square x 30 square map
In December of 2008, Dave of Sham's Grog which encompasses the north-west corner of
'n Blog had started a personal project called Level 1:
"The Dismal Depth". A discussion on the
OD&D Boards (a forum dedicated to the
original 1974 edition of Dungeons &
Dragons) about megadungeons had
prompted Dave to reconsider how he went
about creating his dungeons. [2] (The post
has been slightly edited for brevity) –
Chgowiz

The notion of a no-frills megadungeon was

the kindling for this project, but what truly
pushed it over the edge into actual design
process was a comment by one of my
favorite odd74 posters, Dwayanu in this
thread. For ease of clicking and scrolling,
here's the blurb: This was then scanned and cropped after
filling the map in greater detail.
I'm trying out an approach of
mapping by sectors of 30 x 30 The rest of my time has been spent working
squares. That leaves room on the with scanning, Photo-shop, and Word. I
same page for a succinct "key." cropped, pasted, and played with all the
various Word settings to produce this first
Now, in hindsight I don't think Dwayanu draft version of Level 1A:
meant for his design process to result in
anything more than a handy key on the map,
but his words helped me form the approach
for The Dismal Depths, a megadungeon
with dungeon level maps, tables and room
descriptions entirely on a single page.

It sounded like a brilliant idea. We've all

seen plenty of similar maps online or in
print, but I hope to offer a megadungeon that
requires no more than a few handwritten
notes on the part of the referee to dive in and
enjoy a full-blown dungeon crawl campaign.

The Dismal Depths will hopefully embody

the Empty Room Principle; giving referees

1
While I haven't typed in the Room Key just And then Dave asked the all-important
yet, the end result will be something limited question:
to what I can type on a single line, maybe
like so: ... My troubles with the entire scanning,
cropping, lay-out have forced me to scrap
3-The Laughing Idol. Four shafts the initial plans, BUT I am moving full
with ladders leading down. Mole- steam ahead with the project without the one
Men (7), Silver (300), Gold (50). page approach.

With just simple text, a referee could invent I'll update the project once I have the first
details on the fly, and still have the basic map done, but the gist of DD will now be
text for future use in order to jog his detailed, involved maps with bare-bones
memory on how he handled the room in the room descriptions and monsters.
past.
In essence the same approach, but no longer
But then, in a comment, Dave confesses: limited by the quadrant, one-page template.

I'm realizing that if given time, I could write I hope someone with more computer skills
pages of text on nearly every aspect of my can take up the torch.
campaigns, but these words are simply
messages to myself. I enjoy writing my This is where Michael (Chgowiz) came into
thoughts and ideas, but perhaps the focus the picture in a comment a few hours later...
should be on the actual play and less on the
frills. Thus I've been pursuing the notion of ... I've created an OpenOffice Document
an economy of words for dungeons, with a 30x30grid (6 lines per inch) and the
encounters and monsters. This is a major same "layout" you had. I've not tested it with
departure for me. an example, but here's how it would work...
you could sketch something out to get the
After fooling with this for the past few days, basic rooms, write it up in OO, then print,
I'm afraid I cannot quite get everything to draw the actual map and you've got it done.
my liking. I might scrap the single page If you wanted it to really be one stop shop,
idea, which I do believe has great merit but you could scan the map and using OO
requires better computer art skills than I Draw, copy/paste it back into the ODT
command (and perhaps better equipment (document) I suppose.
and more time), and revert to a single map
but maintain the bare-bones room From his blog, Chgowiz posted on the
descriptions. I'd simply merge the proposed following day (12/31):
four quadrants per level onto a single map.
This would require multiple pages of text to ... one of my "McFly" weaknesses is
describe the greater number of rooms, but I someone saying "Gee, I wish a geek would
could actually get back to drawing maps do this...". ... it's how I was tempted
and stop scanning, copying, pasting, (obsessed) to solve Sham's problem.
cropping, coloring and making tamplates.
The hardest part actually was getting the 6
Maybe this is simply a neat idea, but not so line/in, 30x30 grid from the Incompetech
easy to implement and master. PDF (I used the Cornell template, based on

2
Norman Harman's suggestion) into the I wasn't looking for software mapping tools,
OpenOffice document ... After that, it was because the barriers to entry are too high for
pretty easy to use frames (text boxes) and me. Furthermore, all the options of such
line everything up. software tend to distract me from actually
designing. What's worse, when the software
The One Page Dungeon Level Templates does not do exactly what I want, I obsess
can be downloaded here. This zip includes about it for hours and stay stuck .
both Word and OpenOffice documents and
templates. No, really, nothing beats a sheet of paper
and a sharpened pencil...
Some back and forth ensued, with versions
of the one page template were traded back That is, until I found out about the work that
and forth between the old-timers for both Chgowiz , Sham and Amitiville Mike did to
dungeon and wilderness adventures. A develop a dungeon design tool.
couple of bloggers even started their own
long term megadungeon projects based on The One-Page Dungeon Template
the One Page Template - most notably the
"Stonehell" megadungeon by Amityville It started in a discussion back in 2007 about
Mike of the blog The Society of the Torch, making Megadungeons. The idea of
Pole and Rope. The template remained with drawing part of a Megadungeon's level on a
the old school niche, but little did we know 30X30 map, making it fit on one page and
what we'd just created. 4 months later, leaving room for some brief notes for
ChattyDM discovered the One Page Wandering monsters and room key was
Dungeon Template and brought it from the discussed. From there, Chgowiz, Sham and
old school blogosphere to a wider audience. Mike developed tweaked and used a One
Page Dungeon Template (as well as a larger
scale 30X30' map) to create all kinds of cool
old-school dungeons.
Building the Font of Sorrows
with the One Page Dungeon I've really got to thank these guys for
making the idea into a tangible tool. While
Template initially developed to answer their needs of
By Philippe-Antoine Ménard creating dungeons for older editions of D&D
and its myriad of retro-clones, I've found
This is the blog post I wrote when I these tools to be very helpful for my current
discovered the One Page Dungeon. It shows 4e needs as well.
how I designed the first dungeon of my
Primal/Within Campaign where an The templates can be used many different
underground City grows within a sentient ways. If your are the type to follow the
Dungeon. -ChattyDM classic "Fill the Map" method, you can print
out the empty template and start drawing
Recently, I was trawling the Web for ideas your dungeon. Once this is done, you can
and tools to create dungeon maps to actually fill in wandering monsters, legends and the
have places for my players to adventure in. room key.

3
For DMs who like to improvise adventures,
doing just this is often enough to create a
full gaming session.

Alternatively, if you want to follow the 'Fill

the Map' method but want a larger map to
draw in, you can use this large scale 30X30
map created by Sham. Once done, you scan
the sheet at 600 dpi, cut it in your favorite
software (I'm fond of The Gimp), import it
in the template and fill the rest in your
favorite word processor.

If you're more of the "Map the Fill" type

(i.e. you design your encounters then make a
map to fit them in), you can open an empty
template on your word processor and fill in
all the text boxes. Once done, you print out I then printed out the template and started
and draw your dungeon or import it image drawing a dungeon. I didn't have any
file from your favorite imaging software. specific idea when I started out. I wanted
some sort of abandoned temple complex.
Using the Template for D&D 4e Having it dedicated to an aspect of
Elemental Chaos establishes the influence of
Anyway, when I looked at the template, I the dungeon's imprisoned Primordial and
realized that a 30 X 30 grid was the perfect goes in the direction of the campaign's
size to create a 10-15 room dungeon at a background.
scale of 10' per square. This is exactly what
I'm looking for in my next campaign. With I started by drawing an entrance leading to a
such a scale, you can get 4e friendly scaled pillared hall (I like pillars, they provide
rooms without any problem. cover and can often be toppled on the head
of PCs/monsters). From the hall I drew a
In fact, you can use the same grid at huge temple room, complete with a raised
different scales to represent a regional map basin/altar and a large circular pool. (The
(1/4 mile per square), a Dungeon level (10'- post's image is the dungeon I'm describing
20' per square) and a tactical battlemap (5' here)
per square).
That made me think that a cult devoted to
Being of the 'Fill the Map' school of Primal Water elements would have a lot of
dungeon design, I modified the template to water running around. That's how I made a
suit my needs and used it as a planning tool. hidden room filled with water accessible
from the Pool only. In that room I put a lone
sarcophagus and let the concept simmer at
the back of my mind.

4
Water Elemental Vampire! Sea-Mist lair nearby, I could picture monsters walking
Wraith, Mummified Shauagin Lich Priest... around and interrupting PCs during a rest
possibilities endless! period.

Having a temple and one sarcophagus, I I added more tunnels and caves , including
thought about adding the obligatory crypt. the obligatory collapsed passageway for
DMs wanting to expand the dungeon
That's when the main trick of the dungeon further. I also had the tunnels breach certain
came to me. Abandoned evil water cult areas of the temple.
temple, water everywhere, crypts...
At that point, I thought about the possible
How about I made the guardians of the effects that a large burrower could have on
temple be the spirit of enslaved undead the dungeon, so I knocked down pillars,
humanoids, all ex-enemies of the Cult, busted door open and even destroyed one of
forced to serve for eternity? the ghoul's glass sarcophagus.

In my mind's eye, I could see a room filled As I was doing this, to story of the dungeon
with glass coffins in which marine ghouls was taking shape and I hadn't even written
were forever trying to claw through the one room description yet.
transparent walls while their spirits were
forced to guard/patrol other areas of the The last element that cliched the whole thing
temple as spectral guardians. was to determine what kind of burrowing
creature could have set a lair here.
Ding! I had a winner! Considering that my players would likely be
level 6-7 when they'd be playing it, I
I added another crypt and some guardians searched the online D&D Compedium for
and I had my dungeon. all burrowers between level 7-9.

At that point, I was thinking how to work in I got the Bulette...

wandering monsters into the place. I
abandoned random encounters when I Joy!
switched from AD&D 1e to Gurps in the
late 80's. Re-implementing this aspect of Since the Bulette is a level 9 elite Skirmisher
Old-School gaming in my adventures wasn't it's a perfect model to create an unofficial
going to be easy. For it to work for me, I "level Boss" monster by upgrading it to a
needded a rationale to explain monsters Solo monster with a few more HP and new
walking around an abandoned temple. I had powers (the real boss would, of course, be
the temple's guardians, but I wanted the one in the hidden Water crypt room).
something more... random yet believable
within the design space defined by my So I pictured a dungeonbred Bulette, large
players' suspension of disbelief. sized, covered with silvery runes, that
escaped from some Mad Wizard's laboratory
That's when I thought about adding that settled in this dungeon.
burrowed tunnels around and through the
temple structure. Thus, with a dungeon that's The concept and maps of the Font of
been breached by a burrower that made its Sorrows was done.

5
I then described , very briefly, what each and the fine RPG mappers at Cartographer's
room would contain so that when I actually Guild Forum. I did want to share the things
prepped for that game, I'd have all critical I've been doing in GIMP and the resources
elements to build from. I've used to create my dungeon maps in
GIMP.
Of course the dungeon is not playable as is.
Unless you're a great improv DM (which I'm
not), more prep needs to be done. I'll need
to stat out all monsters, flesh out interactive
terrain elements (falling pillars, acid pools,
etc), place treasure Parcel and work out to
present each elements like the various
implied rituals.

Finally, I need to place the exploration of

this dungeon in the context of a plot that I was inspired by these three forum threads
involves factions of the city, the dungeon or and highly recommend them as starting
both to get my storytelling players to enjoy points:
it more.
• How to create simple dungeon plans
Heck, I'm thinking of adapting the one page (this thread has specific GIMP
template to allow one sheet 4e encounter... instructions, see post #12)
• RobA's Using GIMP to create artistic
I'll let you know how that works out! regional maps
• Creating an old school map in GIMP

These, as well as the aforementioned

Creating a map for the One ZombieNirvana videos have really helped
Page Template with GIMP me to learn alot about mapping and using a
program like GIMP. Although the ZN
By Michael Shorten techniques are done in Photoshop, you can
easily translate to GIMP. There are posts on
One of the most widely asked questions I've Cartographer's Forum where people offer
gotten is how to create the actual map in the advice on how to do that.
template. While some people choose to draw
their maps the old fashioned way, on graph To use the One Page Dungeon Key with
paper, and then scan it, I have been using GIMP, I do the following:
drawing programs to create my maps. It's
not as hard as you might think, and the 1. Draw my map in GIMP, using this
programs one can use are cheap. (as in free) template of the 30x30 squares grid map.
This GIMP native file (XCF) is set to 5"x5",
I've been drawing my maps using GIMP (a 300dpi, the grid is roughly 6 squares/inch
freely available, open source image editing (about the same as what we use on regular
tool similar to Photoshop) and my trusty old graph paper).
school serial Wacom tablet. I started doing
this last year. Alot of this is thanks to the
ZombieNirvana set of RPG mapping videos

6
2. "Compress" the map by setting the colors together?" Whether you're doing a sandbox
to indexed. Menus: Image > Mode > or plot-based adventure, you want the
Indexed - select/leave it on the "Generate various pieces to fit. Sometimes, trying to
Optimum Palette" option. This reduces the come up with the complete megadungeon or
number of colors your image will "save", entire city full of places to go seems
making your file smaller. overwhelming.

3. Export it as a PNG. Import the PNG into When I'm designing a dungeon, I tend to
the One Page Key template in Open Office doodle the general outline with maybe some
(or Word) and move it to fit the space for the big areas sketched in. I'll then jot down
grid. (You will need to remove the existing various brief keywords or notes about what I
blank grid if it's still there.) want to go where. Once I've done that, I'll go
in and detail out those areas, then move on
4. Format the picture so that it “floats” over to fill the rest of the dungeon. Since I
the text. This allows you to precisely place it subscribe to the original edition theme of
into the area that you want it to go. "empty rooms outnumber filled rooms", I
may have quite a few rooms that I'll either
That’s it! leave for "in game inspiration" or I'll fill at
design time with the results of random fill.
Doing this in brief allows me to move
quickly through the dungeon, getting a feel
"How to use the One Page for the overall theme quickly.
Template" Contest posts From that, I've often gained inspiration for
By Michael Shorten & Philippe-Antoine the entire area around the dungeon, or hooks
Ménard that will bring adventurers into the dungeon.
An example is the current dungeon that my
In case some of you are still wondering players in my Dark Ages campaign are
"Just how can I use this one page going through. They heard of the dungeon
template?", Chatty and Chgowiz did a bit of via rumors in the city. As they began
"He Said/He Said" on the fourth week of the delving the caves, they found a factional
contest. We hoped that we could give the fight between cavemen and kobolds. The
contestants some advice that might help cavemen were actually the result of my
them to get the creative juices flowing. We above approach - they were a random
also hope to help readers use the one page monster that suddenly clicked in my head -
template going into the future for their own there's a fight going on down here. Using a
campaigns. minimalistic, "fill it in" approach led me to
that point.
Chgowiz’s Post:
2. How do I approach dungeon building
1. How can I use the template to that includes a sense of setting when being
Brainstorm adventure ideas? brief?

One of the most daunting places for many I answered that in part above - usually the
DMs to start is with "where do I send my dungeon or level will have a "theme" that
players today and how do I tie it all plays out as the party moves through it. The

7
one page encourages me to With the one 4. How do I think the one page can be
page template, I tend to leave in keywords used by other DMs?
for each room, that help me to decide on the
spot how to describe this, but also gives me It sets the tone to "just the facts, Sir/Ma'am!"
the room to modify it or wing it on the spot. I think one page dungeons/adventures
encourage a DM to pick up the dungeon and
An example is from my Kobold Caves of use it with a lot of ease in their campaign.
Terror from Winterwar 2009: There's not alot of room for fluff for the DM
to have to read through and it's enough of a
8. Ivy choked room. Movement slowed to skeleton that the DM can add to it very
half. 4 Assassin vines bearing melon like easily to reflect their unique setting. To me,
fruit (AC15 HD 4d6, slam +2 (1d6+2)) having the basics and allowing me the room
to expand and change a dungeon makes it
The phrase "Ivy choked room" gives me a more valuable.
sense of what's happening, without going - Michael
into details - I can change it to suit my
needs. Maybe the ivy is just choking a
certain portion, maybe the whole thing. Chatty’s Post:
I also let the monsters and the hooks set the How can I use the template to Brainstorm
theme. With the one page, I can adapt the adventure ideas?
dungeon to fit my needs for the campaign
without having to undo a lot of things. What's great about a one page template is
that you can print out a bunch of them and
3. How do I make the one page fit my own have at them with nothing but a pencil.
system of choice? Depending on your personal adventure
design style, you may start with drawing a
That's pretty easy for me, as I use systems map and then as you draw/cross-
that have very simple stat blocks to begin out/erase/redraw you might see an adventure
with. Using the above example, I have seed unfold.
enough in a few characters to run those 4
vines effectively. As ideas come to you, you can jot them
down directly in the large white spaces (The
One other "cheat" is that I might have the Title bar, the right box or the bottom half
common monsters of the level statted on the 'dungeon key') sitting around the map.
wandering monster table, and leave the
statblocks off of the key, except for the Don't feel constrained by the page, you don't
monsters who are unique to the key. You have to finish one, you can scrap it and start
can see that in Kobold Caves pdf. again, or you can return to an unfinished one
to steal an idea, a structure or complete it.
The other nice thing is that my dungeons, as
simple one pagers, are system-neutral for the Once you've got your dungeon's idea firmly
most part. Just about any system could in mind, you can re-do it with your favorite
support the assassin vines described above - document creation tools (Word, Gimp,
and allow the DM to adapt/change to his/her Photoshop, etc).
liking.

8
Alternatively, you can start by jotting down This was as clear a roadmap to finish the
plot ideas and room contents on the template adventure as I was likely to get.
and draw a dungeon to fit your ideas. This
backwards approach is also a great How do I make the one-page template fit
brainstorming strategy as the constraints my own system of choice?
you give yourself by pre-designing the
adventure's content can help you draw a map I think that the one-page template is perfect
more easily. for D&D 4e if you use it at two different
levels of your prepping.
At least, that's how my creative process
works for me. First off, the template is perfect to act as a
summary of your site-base adventure.
How do I approach dungeon building that Exactly like the maps and short keys you
includes a sense of setting when being find in current D&D published adventure, a
brief? completed template can represent each
locale or dungeon level in your adventure.
A common thing among GameMasters is In that, the template is used exactly like for
that they get lost in the details of their other role playing game.
adventure. They start to design an adventure
and get caught up in writing pages and pages But here's where the template really shines.
of maybes/options/background material. All You can modify it a bit to use one sheet
this, while possibly useful in the coming (possibly two) for each encounter! The map
game, can end up eating a lot of your most is there to draw a larger scale depiction of
productive time where your mind is set to the encounter's battlemap and you can use
prepping your game. all the remaining white space to include
monster stat cards, tactics and terrain
Using a one-page document to fit your features.
adventure forces you to focus on what the
PCs are going to have to do in the adventure, Even if you keep monster stats in a different
and spend less time on "getting it perfect". place, you can detail individual NPC
If you see it to the end, you'll at least have a reactions and describe traps and other
good idea of what's going to happen and hazards in detail.
how.
How do I think the one page can be used
Once you are done doing that, you will by other DMs?
likely have a To-DO list of things to finish
your prep, keeping you organized and The template is simple enough to cater to the
focused. For example, when I designed the styles of all types of DM.
Font of Sorrows, I drew the map and filled
the template in less than 2 hours (counting Freeform DMs that prefer Sandbox
me inking over my pencil-drawn map and campaigns can create many one-pagers to
cutting and pasting the document). After drop on players at a moment's notice and
that, I knew that I had to get monster stats, improv anything that isin't already written.
place treasures and work out the terrain In fact that's probably what many old-school
features and of each encounter. users of the template do.

9
DMs who prefer more structured game notes Have a 1 page of random encounter charts:
can use the template like I've been like the ones of the AD&D DMG - you
describing above. First they can use it as a could have 1 for hot climates, 1 for
brainstorming tool. Then, they can use it temperate and 1 for cold, finally 1 for sea
again as a more refined adventure summary adventuring and 1 for cities. But you are
to place at the start of thier gaming notes. using 1 at a time.

Also, note that the one-page limit only Have many 1 page cities: like Enharza.
applies to the contest we're having now.
DMs are free to explode the template to take Have many 1 page adventure sites: ruins,
as many pages as they need too. dungeons, caves, crashed spaceships, you
name it - like what we have already seen.
- Philippe
Have a 1 page player's handout of your
campaign.
The One-Page Manifesto
by Santiago Luis Oría Have a 1 page "stock monsters"
compendium of stats: like the JG ready ref
Originally posted at the OD&D Boards. sheets.

One of the greatest joys for someone who Have 1 page of weird tables.
writes and creates gaming content is to see
that content taken to places the author(s) Of each of anything... have 1 page.
never imagined. With the one page template,
that has certainly happened. – Michael

I'm getting very exited about all this one-

page philosophy. I love how, by self
constraint, you get much more energy to
produce your own stuff. You focus on
what's important and relevant to the game,
you leave the rest to healthy, good
improvisation. You don't over prepare, you
can adapt to your campaign needs and the
decisions of the player's easier. Everything
also becomes much more manageable at the
table.

The One-Page Manifesto goes:

Have a 1 page wilderness map: like Melan's

Fomalhaut maps or Chgowiz's One Page
Wilderness Template

Have 1 page of hex descriptions: like early

JG products.

10
The 3 Winning “Best Of” Dungeons
These top 3 dungeons represent a lot of hard work, imagination and a very interesting situation
from a judging perspective - these 3 were the easiest to agree up on as nearly all of us had them
at the top of our lists. These entries each earned a bundle of valuable prizes from our sponsors.
So, here are the Best of the Best entries:

Best Overall One Page Dungeon: Secrets of the Old City by Simon Bull

Best New School Dungeon: Cry of the Gravegod by Heron Prior

Best Old School Dungeon: Valley of the Necromancer Kings by Andrew Gale

11
 Secrets of the Old City – A One Page Dungeon Level by Waysoftheearth
Background
Almost every inhabitant of The City has heard that it
was built upon the ruins of an older place – indeed,
evidence of the Old City is everywhere. And rumors of
its hidden treasures persist, even now.
The histories recount that the Old City was buried by
cataclysmic ashes long before The Kingdom grew up to
resume the industry of these parts.
However, few among the wisest scholars know that the
Old City was itself founded upon an even deeper ruin –
a far more ancient and treacherous place. None now
recall who the Ancients were, or what disaster befell
them…

The Old City

The Old City now lies buried some 30’ below The City,
above. Its dilapidated streets now serve as a drainage
system. The stink of rubbish and sewerage is pervasive
throughout the dank tunnels, as are rats and centipedes.
Most of the Old City buildings are at least partially
collapsed, and filled with rubble. Some few may yet be
entered – as may scores of unexplored crawlways.
The two principal causeways have been shored-up by
dubious stone work, and are dimly lit through the
overhead sluice grates and by torches maintained by the
City Guard. The remainder of the Old City is of far
older stone work, and is unlit.

Map Legend
[8] Goblin Foothold. A band of 12 Goblins have [16] Drop Hole. The causeway filth drops some 30’
(*) Torch. 1-2 lit, 3-4 guttering, 5-6 spent. recently arrived in the sewers, but have already sent into a wretched cesspit (welcome to dungeon level 2).
(S) Secret Entrance. Hidden in the broken stonework. word to summon their cousins. They know of the toad [17] Fugitive’s Hideout. A terrified Girl has escaped
and of the thieves. Their treasure is limited to the result
(?) Unexplored Crawlway. An opportunity for the of today’s minor mischiefs in The City, above. the Ogre’s cook-pot (area 18) and hides in this tiny
referee to extend the Old City. cave. A single shaft of light falls from an awkward
[9] Thieves’ Den. A gang of 7 Thieves hide out in this crack between street cobblestones, 30’ above. Her poor
(#) Sluice Grate. Drainage from The City’s streets 20’ ruinous knot of free-standing Old City buildings. They parents will pay a modest reward for her rescue.
to 30’ overhead. A narrow grate that admits sewerage, may feign cooperation, but betray and rob the PCs
storm water, and a dim shaft of daylight (or moonlight). given half a chance. They have amassed a modest hoard [18] Ogre’s Lair. A narrow ledge 20’ above overlooks
which is hidden in 2 separate stashes; a small locked a grisly cave occupied by an Ogre and his pet Worg. A
(&) Yellow Mold. This hazardous growth is almost chest of coins lies beneath a loose floor-board, and a giant cook-pot in the middle of the cave is surrounded
indistinguishable from other filth in the dark sewers. sack of silver wear is hidden up a chimney chute. They by children’s shoes (former victims). 2 terrified Boys
know of and avoid the Ogre. are penned in at the rear. The Ogre wears a stout ring
Keyed Areas mail shirt and carries a great flail, the Worg wears a
[10] Renegade’s Stash. A double-crossing thief stole collar that protects it from magic. If pressed, the Ogre
[1] Entrance. Spiral stair descends from the surface to
the gang’s prize loot and smuggled it here. His Rot throws black toadstools into his fire, creating a stinking
a locked door. A sign on the door says “Keep Out”.
Grub infected corpse still clings to a small lockbox that cloud that he and the Worg are immune to, or upends
[2] Guard House. 3 bored City Guards are here, contains a small coin purse and an enchanted lantern. his boiling cauldron. The Ogre’s loot is children’s dolls
shuffling work rosters, cleaning gear, drinking coffee, and toys, and the gear and coin of slain guards. The
[11] Trip Wire Traps. Set by the thieves to warn them boys’ poor parents will pay a pittance for their rescue.
and playing cards. They will object to PCs trespassing
of visitors. Causes stones to topple off a wall with a
in the sewers, and may even try to arrest them.
clamour, possibly causing injury. Random Encounters
[3] Causeways. A foul 9” deep slick of city waste 2d6 Encounter
[12] Spiders’ Ante. A web-strewn cave littered with
crawls toward area 16. Luckily, a 2’ wide ledge is raised 2 1 Girl (escaped from the Ogre).
skeletal remains. 4 Large Spiders are hidden in dark
3” above the filth along either side. Unluckily, it is d3+1 Boys (1-2 fleeing for their lives, 3-4
recesses, watching over 23 un-hatched giant spider
slippery and broken in many places. Fallen stones make 3 lost and afraid, 5 looking to become brave
eggs. One of the dried corpses wears a silver ring, but
tiny, unsteady islands amid the horrid flow. adventurers, 6 looking to join the thieves).
an alluring gleam is visible ahead (see area 13).
[4] Submerged Pit Trap. The ledges are badly broken d4+2 Thieves (1-2 heading to a job, 3-4
[13] Spider’s Lair. Another web strewn feeding ground 4 setting a tripwire trap, 5-6 returning from a
hereabouts, and a number of slippery “stepping stones”
where a Giant Black Widow awaits. She will likely job with loot).
may tempt explorers. Hidden by the filthy runoff is a
surprise from above and behind, possibly dragging her d4+2 City Guards (1-4 on patrol, 5
10’ deep, 6’ wide fissure. Anyone slipping into it will
luckless victim into an dark tunnel to be devoured. The 5 returning with wounded, 6 making dirty
vanish into the foul muck and risk drowning.
gleam visible from area 12 is from a brass helm. deal with local thieves).
[5] Works Depot. A large area mostly cleared of Former victims’ goods make up the loot, but access to 6 1d6 Giant Centipedes
rubble. Tools and equipment suitable for maintaining area 14 is the main prize. 7 Rat Swarm of 4d6 x10 Rats.
the sewers is stored in a locked, dilapidated building. 8 1d6 Giant Slugs
[14] Old Gem Cutter’s Workshop. Forced entry into
d4+2 Goblins (1-3 scouting, 4 setting a
[6] Thieves’ Entry. An unsteady stair hidden within a this Old City building may reveal a small trove of Old 9
trap, 5 disarming a trap, 6 hiding loot).
ruined building leads right up to a loose sluice grate. City vintage coin, uncut stones, as well as gem stones. 1 City Surveyor (apparently surveying
Shifting the grate aside a slim PC may access the sewer. 10
[15] Old Watch Tower. The only access is via an open state of The City’s foundations, but…)
[7] Toad’s Grotto. A Giant Toad lurks beneath the window space some 14’ above (reachable by an Ogre). 1 Ogre (1-3 scouting, 4-5 heading out
11
filthy mire, likely attacking by surprise, and possibly The tower contains a dark stair up to a condemned ruin child-snatching, 6 returning with a child).
swallowing whole. It submerges itself for protection. in The City’s poor quarter, where children sometimes 1 Wight (tormented spirit of an Ancient that
12
The grotto contains evidence of a recently eaten Goblin. play. Optionally, also leads down to dungeon level 2. has found its way up from deeper levels).
Cry of the Gravegod – A One-Page Dungeon written by Heron Prior ([email protected])
Vekkoru, God of the Ghostly Pathways
Vekkoru was a legendary hero of a people now lost
from memory. When at last he was slain, his Gods
were heartbroken. Rather than allowing him to pass
into the Heavens, they bestowed upon him a place
in death - to guide and protect the spirits of the dead
on their long journey to the afterlife. His tomb
became a shrine, and his killer - the Night Hag,
Greva - was sentenced to guard over his remains
for all time.
Now, his people have vanished, and their Gods
have faded. Only Vekkoru remains. As the
pantheon died, so did the pathways to its afterlife.
The spirits of the last of Vekkoru’s people gathered
around his barrow, but he could deliver them no
longer. He remained trapped in this plane, tied to
his tomb by the same magic which had bound his
killer.
The hill above his shrine became a haunted place,
its rocky crags thick with the ghosts of the fallen.
To free Vekkoru and the tortured souls who
surround him, his guardian must be destroyed and
the ritual of binding undone.

Random Encounters
- Ghostly Procession (a line of wailing figures, groping
and stumbling along as if in darkness )

- Phantom (touch causes glimpse of spirit’s final

moments of life. 50% chance of uncontrollable panic)

- Spectre (a visitor to the shrine, attracted by the

spiritual upheaval)

- Wraith (same as Spectre)

General Note: Undead native to the Shrine cannot be

turned

1. Vestibule. A steep-walled sinkhole, 20 –30’ deep, open to the sky and full of leaves and tumbled stones. (A) Small stone door, concealed by ivy and wedged ajar. Within
are 2 charred skeletons. Carved in the floor before doorway to 2. is a bas-relief of a bear, wreathed in flame. Inscription above doorway, in forgotten tongue. (if deciphered:
“Who shall lead us on the final path?”) Speaking Vekkoru’s name allows passage. Otherwise, touching door summons a Huge, bear-shaped Fire Elemental.

2. The Dead Shrines. Lit by eternal torches. Signs of combat in main hall…many green stone shards and splintered bone. Shrines A & B are darkened, no longer holy. (A)
shrine of Zan, Lord of the Skies. Statue has gold inlay, some missing. (B) Minah, Goddess of the Hearth. Statue has jade details. (C) Vekkoru’s Shrine. Statue has pearl eyes.
West wall is lined with hundreds of eternal candles in many colors. A carving on the South wall shows a line of wretched souls moving through a burning wilderness. Above, the
three gods of the shrines look down. Below each god is a small alcove. Placing candles of the correct color in each alcove (A – gold, B – green, C- white) opens a secret door to
area 3. Placing the wrong candles or damaging the statues triggers a trap - a horde of Petrified Skeletons begins to stream from hidden room (D.). (99 skeletons total. Covered
in greenish mineral deposits. Treat as sturdier, double-strength Skeletons with stone clubs) The skeletons pursue only as far as the Vestibule.

3. Deserted Chambers. Abandoned rooms once used by caretaker priests. One holds 3 Phase Spiders and a desiccated corpse. A milky blue Etherweb Stone is hidden in
the dust. Functions as a minor Ioun Stone, but cursed. Creates disturbances in the Ether. 20% chance per day of attracting 1-3 Phase Spiders at a random hour, day or night.(!)

4. The Graven wood. Lit by magic starlight. Elaborate stonework, carved to resemble a forest in exquisite detail. An illusion of a real forest shifts in and out of vision. This is
the dream-realm of Daughter of the Leaves, a sylvan spirit allied with Vekkoru. Her domain has been invaded by a Spirit Naga - a servant of Greva’s mother. The power of its
will corrupts the dream realm, and DotL cannot drive it out. …When the party enters, ghostly forest animals attempt to lead them to DotL at her Stone Oak (A.). She begs them
to kill her enemy, but cannot answer questions about rest of shrine. If Naga is destroyed, she rewards with healing, several useful scrolls, and by revealing the door to the Hall of
Brides. If attacked, she disappears.
…The northern half of the wood is corrupted, its stone crumbling and dripping with slime. Wandering are 3-6 corrupted ghostly wolves. (Incorporeal Dire wolves) The Naga is at
(B), coiled high in the branches. Below it sit two Yeth Hound servants and the withered corpse of a charmed warrior who starved to death. The Naga wears a valuable collar of
gold and jade, and a rune-etched false tooth functions as a brooch of shielding. Warrior’s corpse has adventuring gear and a magic shield.

5. Hall of the Brides. Lit by eternal candles. Alcoves hold sarcophagi, depicting Vekkoru’s earthly brides. Damaging a sarcophagus causes the bride within to emerge as a
Wight. A faceless, 7’ “fertility figure” statue blocks the door to 6. If examined, her surface is crudely chiseled, but lips are smooth and polished. A watery basin at her feet holds
semi-precious stones, small bits of jewelry, and odd coins. Stealing from basin animates statue as Clay Golem. Returning stolen items halts attack. Retreating to Graven Wood
resets the golem. …Placing a gift of 100+ gold value in the basin causes the statue to kneel and hold open its arms. Kissing the statue on the lips causes her to step aside and
allow passage.

6. The Well of Sorrows. Ringed by a descending stair. A stench rises from below. In the center, hundreds of moaning spirits swirl like a spiraling pillar, giving off a faint blue
glow. Anyone touching the beam will be rended as if by a Blade Barrier. Each minute, 25% chance a spirit splits off from the spiral to approach the party. (treat as Phantom or
Shadow, as desired)

7. Greva’s Prison. The night hag, Greva, (Night Hag, mid-level Cleric/Sorceress) riding an Abyssal goat (treat as Nightmare) and carrying a magic, acid-tipped spear. She is
aware of any intruders and will be waiting. Eager for knowledge, she pretends to parley, but will kill all regardless. If killed, she dissolves in a mist. (A) Three former victims,
impaled on stone spikes, can animate at Greva’s command. [Treat as Mummies] In North corner is a plain stone chair where Greva spends eternity. Tucked below is a box
made from a mummified head, (holds gems) and a valuable magic tome. Greva has etched elaborate images on the walls with her spear. These are crude but truly disturbing
artworks. Examining for too long may bring nightmares in days to come, and a chance of attracting the attention of one of Greva’s sisters.

8. Tomb of the Gravegod. Room is interior of massive red crystal geode, formed from Vekkoru’s heart’s blood. Floor of crushed shells. Sound of a slow heartbeat
reverberates. In center, a large, pulsing heart made of ghostly fire hovers above a single candle. Items of gold and silver are heaped below. An impenetrable wall of spirits swirls
around all of it. …Greva’s skeleton lies on a raised slab near entrance, staked through chest with a crystal spear. A rune-covered jar holds her withered organs, and allows Greva
to resurrect after seven days. The Spear binds her to the shrine. Destroying both spear and jar causes spirits to draw back. Snuffing the candle releases Vekkoru’s spirit with a
grateful, echoing sigh. At this point, the entire shrine begins to creak and collapse. The party has 30 minutes to get out – be sure escape feels urgent! If they are quick, they can
grab whatever portable valuables the referee deems appropriate, as well as a magic bow, mace and talisman used by Vekkoru in life.
 Valley of the Necromancer Kings
BACKGROUND:

S
Seeking to evade capture for his atrocities, Ungoth, the last
29A
Necromancer King fled his besieged city of Tyrsis to a desert valley.
28 There, he completed rites to attain immortality; a state the Necromancer
King has enjoyed for a millennium. Recently, a coven of cultists led by a
29B
triumvirate of evil necromancers (Manse, Darghul and Balagos) have
discovered this secret valley. They have moved to the catacombs within
S S 29 and every night, practice rites to renew the reign of the Necromancer
Kings. The Triumvirate see their cultist minions as mere fodder to be
27 7 exploited as they see fit.

ENTRANCES:
25 E1: The worker’s tombs, now dormitories for the cultists.
E5 E2: A new tunnel that leads an empty mausoleum and the main
catacomb complex.
E3: Elements have exposed the tomb wall at area 12. Ghouls inside
24 26 6 8 now use the short tunnels to gain access into the valley and beyond.
E4: Limestone cave leads to area 22. Formerly a Troll’s lair.
E5: The Black Gate. Weathered statues are indiscernible. Stone
22 doors are barred and arcane locked (or equivalent). The tunnel
5 beyond has collapsed. The walls of Areas 28, 29 and the passage

SLOPE DOWN
E4 between have been enchanted to forbid teleportation spells at or
below 5th level (with the exception of the Crypt Thing at area 27), as
21B
17B 4 well as all transformation spells. Because of the cave-in however, a
transmute rock to mud has a 50% chance of working in the entryway.
21C 23 Doors in 29 (including the secret doors) are arcane locked (or
E3 3A
equivalent) and bear a Symbol of Insanity and an Alarm spell.
20 21D 12 17A
3
21A
S 2 WANDERING ENCOUNTERS (d20):
21E 17 8A
(Encounter chance is a base 11%, checked hourly or as required)
21 21F
01-04: 1d3 Ghouls
1 05-08: 1d4 Cultists
1A
09-12: Cleric Overseer and 1d3 Zombies or Skeletons
13-16: 1d4 Cultists and 1d2 Hyenas
11 E1 17-19: 1d3 Lacedons
20: Troll from area 21A hunting for food.
18

15 LEGEND: =10ft
10
CAVE STATUE SARCOPHAGUS
E2
CANDLE WELL PENTAGRAM
13 16A
9 FISSURE DOOR LOCKED DOOR

19 14A 16 WATER THRONE CURTAIN

N
14
DAIS STAIRS UP

100FT 75FT 50FT 25FT

1. SMALL CAVE: Low-ceiling and sandy floor. Many tracks. Faint sound of excavation comes from 16/16A. DRY WELL & SPIDER LAIR: A dry well leading down to area 16A. 3 Giant Spiders were
the west. Foul dog-smell drifts from east. brought in by Sarixx who farms their poison. Two live in area 16A and the third on the ceiling above
1A. HYENA LAIR: Unlit cavern, overwhelming stench of dogs. 6 trained Hyenas. In the many the well in area 16. It will drop onto anyone that descends inside the well. Standard Treasure at 16A.
gnawed bones littering the ground is 2d20sp. 17. STATUE: Secret door hidden behind statue. Activated by pressing the statue’s left eye.
2. ANTECHAMBER: Featureless. Excessive noise alerts occupants of areas 3 and 4. 17A. CANOPIC STORAGE: Fresh organs occupy canopic jars within a marble basin.
3. UNFINISHED CHAMBER: 5 Zombies (Cleric Overseer in north passage) toil at the west wall of 17B. DARGHUL’S CHAMBER: Darghul, second of the Triumvirate lays here in a desperate bid to
this rough chamber, tunnelling through the bedrock to the passage leading to 3A. The Zombies are overcome a magical wasting disease and become immortal. Instead of creating Darghul as a
equipped with various picks and shovels. The Cleric Overseer has standard equipment and 13gp. mummy, Balagos turned Darghul into a Son of Kyuss. 6 zombie cultists also guard this chamber.
3A. DEAD END: 6 Skeletons toil tirelessly against east end of passageway. 18. ANCIENT GALLERY: Four stone statues of the Necromancer Kings stand here. The statues are
4. CULTIST DORMITORY: Formerly a worker’s tomb. Alcoves contain open sarcophagi that cultists in fact 4 inert Stone Guardians and if anyone not wearing cultist robes enters, they attack.
now use as rest areas. 14 Cultists. Each has a black cult robe, dagger, and 1d4x5gp. 19. THE NECROMANCER CULT: 14 cultists reside here having recently marvelled at Darghul’s
5. STORAGE: Formerly a canopic jar storage. A number of barrels contain iron rations and a 6 transformation. At night, Balagos conducts necromantic rites in this chamber with the Dark Adepts
locked trunks contain cult robes, weapon racks contain swords and maces. from area 8. A silver ring on the statue’s finger is a Ring of Invisivbility. The Spectre of Ungoth’s last
6. WELL: Stone well leads to area 22. Oft-used as the cultist water supply. Water brackish and vizier lives within the statue, attacking anyone who tries to steal the ring.
cloudy. Loud noises will attract 1-2 Lacedons from area 23. At the bottom of the well submerged in 20. TRIUMVIRATE CHAMBER: Meeting chamber for the Triumvirate. Long oaken table with only
silt is a locked coffer that contains a Scroll of Transmute Rock to Mud, a Potion of Flying, and a ruby three chairs. 10 skeletons (falchions, shield and plate armor) stand to attention along the west wall.
worth 50gp; being the items of a treasure hunter who sought to bypass the cave-in at E5 but was This area is off-limits to cultists. Various plans for expansion and conquest are strewn on the table.
killed by Lacedons years ago. 21A to F. PRISON: Holding area for prisoners of interest and captured PCs. 21A: Troll Gaoler lairs
7. PLUNDER STORAGE: Items plundered from caravan raids: Tack and harness, tents, camping here, having moved from the cave at area 22. Scattered in this filthy chamber is the gaoler’s keys
gear, several crates of adventuring gear and other odds and ends may all be found here. and the possessions of any prisoners. The Troll disposes bones and waste in the fissure at 21B.
8. ADEPT’S CHAMBER: This small tomb now serves as a dormitory for four Dark Adepts who have Mercia the Cleric from New Tyrsis is imprisoned at 21C. 21D-21F Are empty.
risen from being mere cultists. Dark Adept #1 (+1 Mace), Dark Adept #2 (+1 Dagger), and Dark 22. LIMESTONE CAVE: This cave situated 50 feet above the valley floor. Excessive noise will attract
Adept #3 (+1 Shortsword). The fourth has become a Wight that now is down in 8A. So far, the Wight 1d4 Lacedons from area 23. Natural stone steps lead down to a murky pool.
has not attacked its former companions. Each of the Dark Adepts wears cult robes, standard 23. SUBMERGED TOMB: A minor cave-in has caused this tomb to flood with water. The dead
equipment plus 1d4x10gp each. resting within are unquiet and have arisen as 12 Lacedons. Standard treasure for each.
8A: WIGHT LAIR: Tunnel slopes down to this chamber. Wight. Standard treasure and +2 Scimitar. 24. THE NEW NECROMANCER KING: A stone slab dominates the centre of the room and
9. EMPTY MAUSOLEUM: Sand from the valley has blown in here from the NE. Faded frescoes bookshelves containing necromantic lore occupy the north and west wall (as area 14). A finished, but
depict the golden age of the Necromancer Kings. inanimate Flesh Golem lays on the slab. Manse the Deathpriest (Rod of Thunder & Lightning (or
10. COLLAPSED ROOM: East section of this chamber is filled with scree that tapers to the roof. equivalent), Flesh Golem Manual (or equivalent), +2 Shield, +3 Chain) carries the blood of demons in
11. CATACOMBS OF THE NECROMANCER CULT: These stone steps lead up into the deeper his veins, sits at a desk in the NW. If necessary, Manse strikes his rod on the floor, alerting the
reaches of the valley. Two ancient statues of Necromancer Kings guard the stairs. There is a double Lacedons from area 23, the Skeletons from area 20 and then tries to activate the Flesh Golem.
chance of wandering monster in this area during the day, triple chance at night. 25. MANSE’S CHAMBER: Largely unadorned except for a pentagram ringed with candles on the
12. GHOUL WARREN: This large tomb is now home to 12 Ghouls and 2 Ghasts. The eastern floor. Owing to his heritage, this is where Manse meditates instead of sleeping. Mercia’s Staff of
alcoves open onto the valley wall at E3. The main door in south wall is made of stone and is locked. Healing stands in the SW corner. A glyph of warding guards a chest containing priest robes, a Periapt
Balagos in area 14A has the key. A large mountain of bones dominates the floor of this chamber, an of Foul Rotting (which formerly belonged to Darghul) and 1000pp.
extensive search reveals +1 Elven Chain, +1 Shield, +2 Longsword and 29gp. 26. WELL: If alerted by Manse, the Lacedons arrive from here. Water Weird. No treasure.
13. ANTECHAMBER/TRAINING AREA: Training area for Sarixx from area 15. Swords and daggers 27. SENESCHAL OF THE TRUE KING: A Crypt Thing sits on a throne atop a dais as the final
of every type rest on wall-mounts along the SE and SW walls. guardian to Ungoth’s sanctum. The Crypt Thing uses his ability to teleport those worthy enough to
14: THE NECROMANCER’S STUDY: This room is always guarded by 5 skeletons (falchions, area 28 after inscribing Ungoth’s Mark on their forehead. So far, the Crypt Thing has not allowed
shields, plate armor). A large stone slab dominates the centre of the room upon which are various Manse or any of the others to pass. The Crypt Thing is immune to turning. No treasure.
books, implements and devices relating to the black arts. A bookshelf occupies the south wall and 28. CHAPEL OF SHADOW: Richly appointed chamber with black velvet curtains along N, W and S
contains similar information on necromancy and mummification rites (worth 500gp). walls. The stone sarcophagus is where Ungoth reclines during rest and Astral Projection. Hidden in
14A: BALAGOS’ CHAMBER: Furnished room with a bed, a small table and chair as well as a locked the curtain folds are 16 Shadows that attack any group not bearing Ungoth’s Mark. Candelabra and
chest in NW corner. Balagos the Necromancer (ring of wizardry, wand of magic missiles, wand of object d’art are worth 9000gp. Behind the west curtain above the dais is a Mirror of Mental Prowess.
lightning) and Kerxit, his Quasit familiar are located here when not in areas 14 or 19. The chest 29. THRONE OF THE TRUE KING: Ungoth the Deathless (Robes of the Black Archmagi, Staff of
contains Balagos’ spellbook, Darghul’s spellbook (see area 17B), extra material components, and Power, Mirror of Life Trapping) resides on his throne. In the east alcoves stand 13 Skeleton Warriors
spare clothing. Balagos owns the key to the chest and the key to area 12. If Kerxit is slain, Balagos (+1 plate, +1kopesh) and Sothgar the Death Knight (+3 Plate, +5 Defender). A secret tunnel leads
advances from the ‘middle aged’ to the ‘old’ age category and loses 2 levels. deeper into the valley. Anyone not bearing Ungoth’s Mark are attacked immediately.
15. ASSASSIN OF THE NECROMANCER CULT: Sparsely furnished with a straw mattress, a chest, 29A: UNGOTH’S TREASURY: 50,000gp in coins & jewels, and the following magical items: a Holy
and a table and chair. Trapped chest contains 5 vials of spider poison, a potion of poison as well as a Avenger, 2 weapons, 1 rod, 1 armor, 1 ring, 1 staff, 6 potions, 3 scrolls and 5 wondrous items.
number of courtesan’s gowns. Private chamber of Sarixx the Assassin (+1 leather armor, cloak and 29B. READING ROOM: Bookstands contain: Ungoth’s spellbook and a Book of Infinite Spells.
boots of elvenkind, dagger of venom, +2 shortsword, Figurine of Wondrous Power - Golden Lions). Alarmed stone chest contains the 13 Circlets belonging to the skeleton warriors in area 29.
The Runner Ups
These dungeons were the top of the Judges Picks, after we had picked the top 3 winners. Each of
these represents an outstanding dungeon, certain to appeal to most everyone. These entries
earned a prize each. The category that they won in is as the Judge picked it:

Best Hack-n-Slash: The Gray Goblin Warrens - Christopher Brackett

Best Non-Fantasy Entry: The Horror of Leatherbury House - Michael Wolf

Best Pub: Arendt's Old Peculiar- Antti Hulkkonen

Best Replayable Entry: The Infinite Tower - James E. Raggi IV

Best Retro Use of 30x30 Space: Megadungeon of the Mad Archmage Gary Stu - Adam
Thornton

Best Silly Dungeon: Maze of NAMCAP - Patrick Riley

15
The Horror of Leatherbury House
c 15 12 Background:
7 It’s the year 1889. A group of investigators has
6 been contacted by Lady Catherine Westmoreland.
She is the heir to Leatherbury House, a mansion
13 in the country, that has been abandoned by her
5 9 8 14
family for over 50 years now, and the locals be-
lieve that the house is haunted. Lady Catherine
wants the investigators to look into this.
10 Lord Winston Leatherbury had made quite a for-
11 tune in his early years and after the death of his
3 F 4 Background:
wife his interest turned to the occult. His only
son Robert was a good-for-nothing
Lord Winston Leatherbury, that the
spent his
father’s money on women and gambling. One
former owner of the mansion,
evening Robert lost a lot of money in a game and
1 so he asked his father for money. Lord Winston
2 2b was outraged and told him that he won’t be pay-
ing for any of his escapades again. The discus-
sion got heated and then Robert struck his father
1 square = 1 yard
16 down with a poker. He panicked, dragged the
lifeless body down to the cellar and bricked him
up behind a wall, not realizing he was still alive.
When Lord Winston awoke he screamed for help

Introduction:
but nobody could hear him. With his last breath

The investigators arrive at Leatherbury House in the early evening. A short

c he uttered a terrible curse. Shortly after that sev-
eral servants died in accidents in the house and
gravel walk leads to the front porch. The house is in a bad state of disrepair finally Robert fell ill and died shortly thereafter.
and the front porch is partly overgrown with ivy. A large dead willow tree, A few weeks the dead servants and Lord Win-
stands right next to the house. ston’s son rose again from their graves, bound
boards with spoiled food. Aside
by the curse to defend Lord Winston’s fortune

Room Key:
from that the room contains two
even in death...
female zombies that attack the
1. Front porch: The front porch of the mansion is partly overgrown with ivy. players as soon as they enter the
Both entrances to the house are locked. The windows have been boarded up. room.
No sounds can be heard from within the house. 9. Bathroom: This bathroom contains a bathing tub, a toilet and a bathroom
2. Staircase: The staircase leads up to the second floor. The door to the living sink. The first time anyone opens the water-tap blood gushes out.
room is closed but unlocked. The floor is thickly covered in dust and there 10. Hallway: The hallway on the upper floor is empty aside from three paintings
are a lot of cobwebs in the corners of the room and the staircase. When the on the right. The paintings are portraits of Lord Winston Leatherbury, his be-
players first enter this room, footsteps can be heard that seem to come down loved wife Elenore and their son Robert when he was approximately six year old.
the stairs but nothing can be seen. There’s a chance of 15+ on a d20 that one When the players pass these portraits the faces start slowly to change into terrible
of the steps of the staircase breaks when a player step on it. This is automatic grimaces. When examined closer, the paintings start floating from the wall, arms
when two players step on the same step at the same time. with clawed hands emerge from the picture frames and start attacking.
3. Living room: The living room contains several comfort chairs that are 11. Master bedroom: This was obviously the bedroom of Lord Winston and his
covered with white linen sheets. The large open fireplace on the right wall wife. A large bed stands in the middle of the room. Although the room hasn’t
obviously hasn’t been lit for ages. On a small coffee table in the corner of the been used for many years it still is in a surprisingly good condition. On a roll of
room lies a leather-bound book. When someone opens it, the pages turn to 10+ on a d20 the silvery laughter of a woman can be heard. On the nightstand
dust. When a player examines the fireplace closer, it suddenly starts burning lies a small bronze key. The armoires contain old and half-rotten clothes.
with an explosive flame possible hurting the player that examined it. The 12. Robert’s bedroom: The walls are covered in dried blood and all the furni-
poker is missing from the fireplace. Two crossed longswords are hanging ture has been smashed. When the players enter the room, the shadows seem to
above the fireplace. grow even darker. Then suddenly an elite zombie (Robert warped by his father’s
4. Foyer: This large room contains a couple of comfort chairs covered with curse) and two zombies attack the players out of the shadows. Robert carries a
white-sheets, a large grandfather clock and the fireplace on the left wall. On iron key on a chain around his neck. His father’s musket pistol causes double
a roll of 15+ on a d20 scratching sounds from above can be heard. When the damage against him but not the other zombies. In the remains of the furniture
players stay in the room to examine it more closely, a swarm of bats comes Robert’s diary can be discovered that reveals what he has done!
flying down the chimney and out of the fireplace, attacking the players. 13. Study: The walls of the study are covered by bookshelfs that contain hun-
Strangely the bat corpses disappear after a few minutes leaving no traces. dreds of books. Lord Winston was a learned man and had books about several
5. Porch: The porch on the left side of the house is in slightly better condition fields of study from the natural sciences to the occult. In the middle of the room
than the one in the front. stands a large desk. The desk is locked but can be opened with the key found in
6. Dining hall: The dining hall is dominated by a large dining table surround- the bedroom (see room 11). The desk contains various papers, a golden pocket-
ed by six heavy chairs. On the far side of the room there is a large cupboard. watch, a silver locket containing a portrait of Elenore Leatherbury and a musket
The furniture is covered by large greyish-white linen sheets. Everything is pistol and some blackpowder and 2d6 balls.
covered by a thick layer of dust. Four zombies are standing in the middle of 14, 15. Bathrooms: The bathrooms in the upper floor are dusty and filled with
the hall, clothed in servants’ livery. They don’t move or attack as long as the cobwebs but otherwise unremarkable.
players keep a distance of at least one yard. The cupboard contains various 16. Cellar: The cellar contains several shelves along the walls filled with the
dishware and silver cutlery. remains of rotten food. A wine rack stands before the back wall of the room. A
7. Kitchen: In the kitchen two undead dogs guard the door attacking anyone closer examination shows that the wine rack contains d20 bottles of expensive
who enters. The cupboards contain normal kitchen utensils and spoiled food. wine and that the wall behind it has a different texture than the rest of the walls.
The steel door to the cellar is locked and can only be opened with the key When the players move the rack from the wall, a wraith (Lord Winston) appears
that hangs on a chain around Robert’s neck. Even brute force won’t open from behind the wall and attacks them. The locket of his wife (see room 13) can
that door. keep him at bay and he disappears as soon as the sun is up again. When he is
8. Storeroom: This storeroom contains two empty barrels and several cup- defeated he reappears on the next night. He can only be laid to rest by burying
his remains that can be found behind the wall.

This adventure is ©2009 by Michael Wolf and has been licensed under the Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution-Share Alike license. Some
rights reserved. The textures are copyright bittbox.com. Used with permission.
 – Because you really can’t survive on water and rations alone –
(Dedicated to all those players who’d rather squirrel away their
hard-earned gold in hollow tree stumps than treat their characters to
something nice every now and then... and a bunch of others, I guess.)

For many, Venerable Arendt was a saint. He led a simple life

in a cave in Blackwater Gorge, a deep, narrow fissure in the
hills, yet many people made the arduous journey to visit him.
His underground garden was a wonder, his magnificent railway
a mechanical marvel unheard of outside the grandest dwarven
mines. What made him legendary, however, was the sublime,
invigorating drink he brewed from the aromatic kurá beans in his
garden. Arendt’s hot kurá was bliss in a cup, a delicacy without
peer. But alas, Venerable Arendt is no more.
Decades after his passing, a band of goblins took over Arendt’s
caves. Led by Boss Hog, a smart (for a goblin) and industrious
individual, the band discovered some of Arendt’s secrets and
opened an establishment for selling kurá – at exorbitant prices.
While their version is a mere shadow of what Arendt brewed,
many patrons have become thralls to the addictive drink... and
Boss Hog Gob’s Hot Slop Shop
(as it is now called) has become a lucrative (if seedy) business.
Random patrons: Misc. encounters: Brew of the day:
1 2d4 kobolds 1 Assorted vermin 1 Abdo’s Black Bile:
2 2d4 goblins 2 Boss Hog + 1d6 Belch acid for
3 1d6 orcs goblin workers about an hour.
4 1d4 ogres 3 1d4 escaped 2 Lord Hastings’
5 1d3 trolls giant rats House Blend:
6 An NPC party 4 An NPC party on 2 x speed, 10 min.
(Note: The patrons a spying mission 3 Egnoran’s Bliss:
tolerate each other 5 A runaway cart Become lethargic
– anything for kurá!) 6 1d6 giant bats for 1-2 hours.
Note on style: While not dead serious, “Arendt’s Old Peculiar” is by no
means a comedy dungeon. Attempting to loot or trash the place should
N lead to disaster for the PCs. The patrons and employees may tolerate a
well-behaved PC party, but troublemakers will be dealt with... brutally.
Note on treasure: There’s very little gold and just a few magic items in the
dungeon, but clever PCs could make a killing with kurá – it is a valuable
commodity if they manage to cart it to civilization.

1 Blackwater Gorge: A narrow ledge descends from the surface. Halfway to the important goblins) work and live here. They run and maintain the carts and care for
bottom, a bridge spans the chasm. Most of the time, 2d6 patrons loiter on the bridge the giant rats used for pulling them. The rats are kept in a pen at the back.
in a semi-orderly queue, waiting to be admitted in to the kurá shop (#3). 14 The Grindery: A platform strewn with empty sacks leads to a room housing a
2 The Yard: A covered ledge cut into the cliff face. The larger buildings reach the giant kurá grinder. It is powered by a treadmill run by a hamster – grown to enormous
ceiling, some 30’ above. The W end is overgrown with kurá plants. In the E end is a size by a Girdle of Gigantism it wears as a collar. The 20’ animal is quite timid, but if
storage area, separated by a 10’ tall wooden fence. let loose, its panicked scrabbling can be quite devastating. Garn the troll, who oper-
3 The Common Room: A smoky, dimly lit hall strewn with crude tables, stools and ates the machine, feeds the hamster kurá beans to keep it energetic.
benches. Gorra the troll bouncer guards the front door and maintains order, while 3 15 The Junkyard: This disused platform serves as a scrapyard for the engineers
goblins serve bowls of kurá to the patrons. The place is usually packed. The small (#13). Someone has recently cleared a hidden path to the N door.
private room at the back is reserved for important (or potentially dangerous) guests. 16 The Secret Room: An unknown party has managed to ferry some sacks of beans
4 The Kitchen: A crude fireplace with several pots of boiling water; copper kettles to this room. They smuggle them out through a vertical shaft accessible via a secret
for brewing drinks; open kegs of the latest batch from the warehouse; piles of mis- tunnel at the back of the room. (Note: The PCs could also enter through here.)
matched earthenware bowls for serving hot kurá. 17 The Well: A circular shaft leads to the underground stream (from #19).
5 The Office: Boss Hog the goblin proprietor keeps his ledgers here (the entries are 18 The Alchemy Shop: Sly Eyes, Boss Hog’s brother, studies alchemy here. He
gibberish – he can’t write). A stone block on the E wall can be pushed aside, opening tries to recreate Arendt’s Perfect Cuppa with his foul chemicals. Boss Hog show-
a crawlway out. A bag of coins is hidden under a loose flagstone in the NW corner. ers him with gold from the bar, but it keeps turning into lead (or so he claims – he
6 The Warehouse: Sacks of beans and kegs of ground kurá. The NE door opens actually smuggles it out through the well in #17).
under the arch of a gateway connecting the house to the one on the north. 19 The Waterfall Cave: Cold, clear water rushes out of fissures in the ceiling to
7 The Huts: The stench of unwashed goblin workers hangs heavy in these form a deep pool. The railway crosses the pool on a creaking, dilapidated bridge.
ramshackle sleeping huts. Straw, trash, and animal hides cover the floors. The nearby “S” bend on the tracks, together with the engineers’ penchant for speed-
8 Side Chambers: These small rooms, carved by idle hands suffering from a ing, results in spectacular crashes here every now and then. Near the water on the
severe caffeine rush, serve no practical purpose. They are full of trash and vermin. NE wall, shadowed by the bridge and obscured by spray and moss, is the door to
Lazy goblins hide here when they’re in the mood for shirking their duties. Arendt’s crypt, which the goblins haven’t found yet. There’s also a small opening on
9 The Caverns: Natural caves with an uneven, rocky floor. Some kurá plants try to the W wall, some 10’ above the cave floor.
thrive in the dim light trickling in from both north and south. 20 The Antechamber: The first chamber of Arendt’s crypt houses his collection of
10 The Platform: A small, raised alcove opens into the main railway tunnel. Boss fine china. Several valuable kurá services are displayed on niches cut to the walls.
Hog leaves for his frequent inspection tours from here. 21 The Crypt: Venerable Arendt left his diary here for the edification of those who
11 The Plantation Cave: A large cave lit by a single, huge, glowing mushroom in came after him. The book of recipes and instructions lies on an ornate bookstand.
the centre. The best kurá plants grow here. A gargantuan toad – too large and lazy Behind a stone door to the NE lies his stone coffin – on top of which is a simple cop-
to leave – eats the kurá berries, then regurgitates the beans and spews them out. per kurá pot, The Blessed Pot of Brewing. (It is the secret of Arendt’s Perfect Cuppa:
A troop of goblins scurry about, picking the beans from the pools of bile (and some- It produces a smooth, inimitable flavour – with no annoying magical properties.)
times end up on the toad’s menu, to the amusement of their co-workers). 22 The Hermit’s Cave: Ancient Melith, Arendt’s last apprentice, lives here. He
12 The Roastery: Rahra the troll roasts the beans (carted from #11) on mesh grilles is reduced to begging and appears to be quite mad. While old and somewhat
set over jets of hot, volcanic gas on the floor. He is always sweaty and irate. disoriented, Melith could act as a guide – but he claims he really needs his
13 The Workshop: The Glorious Order of Engineers (really just a group of self- morning kurá first... Spare some gold for a cuppa, kind sirs?
 Floor C transport the enterer to a random level: Level of the spell cast +
This is a common room where level residents d8.
socialize and eat. The room to the south is a storage
room. Because of this, residents of each level are both free to leave,
and also trapped because leaving often means they can only
No level residents are aware of the secret door. The rejoin their tribe if they fight their way through many levels…
left-hand room contains cells with long-dead Note that the ceiling height of various levels will match the
prisoners in them. The right hallway has a large residents, so the kobold level might have a 4.5’ ceiling while
sarcophagus at the end of it. Inside is an undead the hill giant level has 15’ ceilings.
creature, as described on the Crypt Occupants chart
below. There will be treasure worth d6 x 1000 x The gnolls realize they are on level one, but the residents of
tower level (treat negative numbers as positive) in every level higher than that will exaggerate their level to seem
non-empty sarcophagi. more powerful and important, and the residents of levels -1 to -
3 will pretend they are level 1. If parleying or making alliances
Floor D (many creatures, if obviously overmatched by the PCs, would
This is the sleeping chamber for the common folk of the level. rather get help to gain a level in the tower rather than fight…
The western trapdoor goes up to Floor E of the same level, the and they will use that “we want to gain a level” term) this can
The Infinite Tower north trapdoor down to Floor C of the same level. be used to confuse the PCs even more about where in the tower
By James Edward Raggi IV they might be.
www.lotfp.com/RPG/ Floor E
This is another guard room as this is a point where levels meet. Level Occupants
The Infinite Tower runs up the side of a 10 11th Level Evil MUs
th
cliff, its base sunken into a lake. Stairs The north door is an Outside Door that goes to the top of the 9 10 Level Evil Clerics
lead from the lake to a landing with a cliff. The westernmost trapdoor goes down to Floor D of the 8 9th Level Evil Elfs
door. At the top of the cliff is another same level. 7 Hill Giants
door. 6 Ogre Magi
The leftmost southern trapdoor goes up to Floor A of the next 5 Trolls
The tower looks immense from outside, level higher, and the rightmost trapdoor goes up to the roof. 4 5th Level Evil Dwarfs
clinging to the cliff face for many 3 Ogres
hundreds of feet. But inside, it has an Floor X 2 Bugbears
infinite number of levels. Each level is This is a common basement. The northern trapdoor goes up to 1 Gnolls
composed of a series of floors, labeled Floor A of the same level. -1 Orcs
above Floor A – X. -2 Goblins
The water in the eastmost room is the outside lake leaking in. -3 Kobolds
Each level has 3d20 occupants. These One can swim under the edge of the tower to the outside (treat -4 Empty
occupants are listed on the Level this as an Outside Door, so anyone swimming in comes in at -5 Empty
Occupants chart below. Each level has a Floor X of Level 1. -6 Spider-Men, 2HD with 6 arms and save-or-die
total of 1d4gp x 100 x tower level. poison bites
(count negative numbers as positive for The southern set of rooms are where the women and children of -7 Snake Men, 3HD with acid spittle
this purpose), except for the goblin level the level’s tribes live. -8 Sulphur Men, 4HD, can cast 4d6 fireball once per
which has 2d% gold and the kobold level round, immune to fire
which has d% gold. The treasure will not The western passage with curved walls is a time trap. Anyone -9 Men of Living Crystal, 5HD, are only hit on a
all be plain gold pieces, but a walking down this hall is lost for d6 x d10 years before coming natural 20, do 2d6 damage in combat
combination of various coin types, gems, back to this same place on the same level. There is a 50% -10 Soul Suckers, 6HD, energy drain gaze, but are not
jewels, etc. chance they come back this many years after they left, and 50% undead.
chance they come back this many years before they left. Every
One square equals five feet on the maps. tribe is used to strangers coming to them this way and have a … and so forth and so on. The creatures get nastier the further
guard posted here. up you go, and the further down you go.
Floor A
This room is used as a guard room. Each The square southwest room is a storage facility with Crypt Occupants
level’s occupants wants to prevent the miscellaneous junk. The contents completely change every d3 10 Vampire (d10+7 Lvl MU)
lower level from rising up, so they keep days. 9 Vampire (d10+7 Lvl Ftr))
a garrison here of about 25% of their 8 Ghost
warriors. Outside Doors (the door on Floor A, the southern right trapdoor 7 Spectre
on Floor E, and the north door on Floor E) lead to the outside, 6 Wraith
The West door leads to the stairs that go on every level. However, you can only enter Level 1 through 5 Wight
to the lake. It is an Outside Door. The any of the entrances. For example, if you are on Floor E of the 4 Ghast
northern trapdoor leads up to Floor B of 8th level, and you go out the North door, turn around, and walk 3 Ghoul
the same level. The left southern back in, you will be on Floor E of level 1. It doesn’t matter if 2 Zombie
trapdoor leads to Floor E of the next someone holds a rope or another character’s hand. You can exit 1 Skeleton
lowest level, and the right southern from any level, but all external entrances lead to Level 1. -1 Empty (25% chance Skeleton)
trapdoor leads to Floor X of the same Another example: The southern right trapdoor of Floor E goes -2 Empty (25% chance Zombie)
level. up to the roof. Every level has this trapdoor to the roof. There is -3 Empty (25% chance Ghoul)
only one roof, and every level’s trapdoor leads to this one roof, -4 Lich (17+d4 Lvl MU)
Floor B but if you climb down the trapdoor from the roof, you are on -5 Empty (25% chance Wight)
This floor houses the important residents Floor E of Level 1. Note that opening an outside door makes -6 Lich (17+d6 Lvl MU)
of the level, who get their own rooms. you visible to every level, and all sounds outside these doors -7 Empty (25% chance Wraith)
The chief lives in the southeast room. are audible on every level. -8 Lich (17+d8 Lvl MU)
The trapdoor goes down to Floor A and -9 Empty (25% chance Spectre)
up to Floor C, all of the same level. Using a dimension door, passwall, or similar magic on an -10 Lich (17+d10 Lvl MU)
Outside Door from the outside before going through will … and so forth and so on.
Megadungeon of the Mad Archmage Gary-Stu – Level 5 - Crypt
Wandering Monsters
Check every 20 minutes, 1 in 8 chance; then d12:

1-4: wraith of character previously slain in dungeon.

Causes level drain. Silver or magic weapon to hit.
5: 1d3 ghouls. Cause paralysis.
6-7: 1d8 skeleton warriors armed with scimitars
8-9: 1d6 zombies with clubs and claws
10: 1 wight. Causes level drain. Silver or magic
weapon to hit.
11: Abbot Yorick (see below)
12: Carlotta (see below)

Legend
S – Secret Door
crosshatching – Pit in floor
dark – solid rock
dark with light center (5,6,23) – shaft to other level
(no entrance this level)

Subtable A: Q—n Room

a: cool water
b: illusory bottom, 20' drop to next level
c: murky water hides angry viper
d: treasure pool with gold and silver
e: firewater: belch flame or hold it in and explode
f: green slime
g: dimensional portal
h: acid pool with gold-plated key at bottom (no
matching door)
i: boiling water
j: lair of water weird
k: fake dry pool: appears dry, holds tepid water
l: healing pool, one drink per character per day
m: living, pulsing entrails. Edible (ew!)
n: cold lager
o: blink juice: next five hits received may cause
short-range teleport instead of damage

Room Key
1. Grand Stairway: up and down to other levels. Ceilings on level are generally 10' high; levels are 20' apart (for pits, stairway, fireball calculations, etc.).
2. Halls of Bone: each room has 10 skeleton warriors armed with crossbows behind the iron lattices indicated by dots.
3. Zombocalypse: 25 zombies (“Z”). Appear to be corpses until one of the dotted lines “b” is crossed, then all animate at once. Ruined fountain at “a” with
a little silver coinage, some copper coins, rusted magical dagger.
4. Hall of Shadows: check at each of a-e. Torchlight or less: 4 in 6, lantern 3/6, Magical Light 2/6, of a shadow appearing and attacking. Drains strength.
5. Catwalk: Dark Knight (strong skeletal warrior, turn as ghoul) guards bridges, attacks with greatsword. If struck, target may fall in pit to next level (20'
fall). Ceiling is 16' high.
6. Barrows: Wights drain levels. A: Wightsnake (4 platinum albums, constrict), B: Wighty Ford (4 world series rings, ranged attack—baseball), C: Barry
Wight (5 gold albums, 5 platinum albums, can charm), D: Great Wight (“Are you ready to rock, Rhode Island?” then self-immolates with fireball, half-melted
gold album), E: Wight Zombie (2 platinum albums, dreadlocks, scary eyes). No entry to shaft in column from this level.
7. Winding Corridor: nothing special, but roll dice at each corner, purse your lips, and shake your head sadly.
8. Q—n Room: 15 pools. See subtable A or use Room 31 from B1 if you have it. Domed ceiling is 10' at walls, 16' in center.
9. Secret Armory: magical sword, silver-plated war hammer, magical bracers
10. Unholy Church: altar at “a”, 2 gargoyles attack with horns and claws. Altar furnishings and 3 fairly valuable gems. Spiral staircase down. 16' ceiling.
11. Parlor: Comfy couches, bookshelves (books mostly lurid vampire romances). 25% chance Carlotta is here, reading.
12. Vampire's Lair: home of Carlotta the Vampire (75% chance at home). Her bite drains levels. Magic/silver weapons to hit. Can take gaseous or bat
form, cannot cross running water, only stays dead with stake through heart, etc. Coffin contains delicately scented scarlet silk pillow, dirt from homeland
(local, so stealing it just pisses her off), jade erotic clockwork appurtenance worth a lot to a discerning buyer. Room contains stylish and expensive
garments, potion of Giant Strength, Ruby of True Vision, a bit of platinum and gold coinage, and valuable gold jewelry.
13. Cloister: 25% chance of encountering Abbot Yorick here.
14. Kitchen: Kobold chef de cuisine and 3 halfling line cooks armed with knives. Various foodstuffs.
15. Kitchen Staff Dormitory: 3 bottles of cheap wine, a few copper and silver coins, girlie magazines.
16. Abbot's Cell: 50% chance of encountering Yorick here. Abbot Yorick, midlevel Evil Priest. Wears magical plate mail and magical shield, attacks with
magical mace or any appropriate priestly spell. Carries some silver coins and an unholy symbol.
17. Treasury: 25% chance Abbot Yorick is here. Lots of gold and platinum coins, 6 valuable gems, Flying Carpet, magical dagger “Goblin-bane”
18. Lawn. Stone tree trunks at “t” ascend to ceiling. Central one has Assassin Vine, which grabs and constricts. 16' ceiling.
19. Stairs: 19-21 are a separate lair not reachable from this level except via teleportation, magical wall-tunneling, or similar. 12' ceilings.
20. Dining Room:30% chance Edgar is here. Table settings are valuable, but bulky and fragile.
21. Study/Bedroom: 70% chance Edgar is here. Edgar, Ogre Mage: attacks with large scimitar, can fly, turn invisible, create darkness, sleep, charm, icy
blast. Carries a little platinum, some gold, and a portable hole.
22. Churchyard: Each crypt “b” holds a ghoul: claws paralyze, stench nauseates for 1-3 minutes. Crypt “a” holds a ghast (like ghoul but stronger).
23. Egyptian Temple: 2 cobras: bite paralyzes immediately/die in 1-3 minutes, spit poison.
24. Temple Maze: traps at a) swinging bladed pendulum, b) giant grinding rollers under illusory floor, c) north and south walls slam together, d) sleep gas
released, e) corridor pivots longitudinally around centerline dumping party 20' into level below, f) floor-and-ceiling spear trap.
25. Mummy's Crypt: Mummy. Vulnerable to fire. Touch causes horrible rotting disease. Gold sarcophagus, scepter, crown.
26. Toilet: actual flushing toilet. With 10' ceilings and 20' between levels, there's plenty of room for pipes and air ducts in inter-level spaces.
MAZE OF NAMCAP
Background: In a long forgotten age (the '80's), in a
Legend dark, twisted arcade dimension, a legend was
conceived. It sucked the souls (and pocket change)
of countless adolescents (and adults who should
: Entrance have known better). As its renown and reach grew, it
spawned many children, inspired countless knock-
offs, and even had its own pop song. And yet now, it
: Key is all but forgotten, a footnote of history known only
to the geekiest wisest sages.
: Force Wall
Incorporating the dungeon into your campaign:
This one-level dungeon can be included as yet
: Re-spawn Point another level in a massive dungeon complex, a floor
in a mad wizard's tower, or simply a nostalgic
: Treasure diversion from their epic, plane-spanning quest. To
escape this awful place, the PCs must collect the
four keys and return them to the entrance room.

How the PCs arrive to this dungeon is up to you but

a portal malfunction is common. If incorporated into
a larger dungeon, the PCs can arrive by stairs,
ladder, or flume ride (not shown). No matter how
they get here, they begin at the entrance, as shown
on the map.

The Maze: The floor, walls, and ceiling are perfectly

smooth. All the corridors are exactly 10 feet wide
and 10 feet tall. The corridors leading off to the left
and right connect, creating no escape except to find
the keys and return to the starting room. Though the
maze is fairly simple, the PCs may have trouble
= 10 feet navigating all the twists and turns to find the keys.
Just figuring out where they are and what they have
to do is much of the challenge. Going old school
and making them do their own mapping helps. The
PCs can make efficient work of the maze if they split
up, but it would leave each one vulnerable to the
guardian of the maze.

The Guardian: Several options are provided for the guardian of the dungeon. Feel free to use the one that is most appropriate to the power level of the
party. Or not. Whatever, man. The guardian has precise knowledge of where the PCs are at any time and can adjust its movement accordingly. To increase
the tension and suspense, you can have the PCs hear the guardian moving closer with an ominous, never-ceasing waka-waka-waka sound.

The guardian has infinite quarters lives. Each time the guardian is killed (and when the PCs first arrive), it reappears in the re-spawn point noted on the
map. For added excitement, increase it's movement speed by a 5 feet per round (or more) each time it re-spawns. You may also want to cycle through the
list of guardians, to keep the PCs on their collective toes.

1) Gelatinous Cube: If you want to describe it not so much as a 10' translucent cube as a yellow sphere with a gaping maw, I'm not going to stop you.
2) Eye Stalker: It could start off as simply a large floating sphere with a mouth and a single, hideous eye, but with each re-spawn, it grows another eye
and gains another funky power.
3) Air Shark: Frickin' lasers optional. You may also change the theme music to “duh-dah, duh-dah...”
4) Purple Worm: At 5' in diameter and 80' long, it cannot actually turn around in the maze and must instead make long, looping turns. The PCs can attack
it from behind or the side, but they're in serious trouble if it can line them up with its mouth.
5) Minotaur: Sometimes the classics are best.
6) Flaming Sphere: Not a monster that can actually be killed—just a runaway spell.

The Entrance Room: An arcane pattern is carved into the floor, just as it shows on the map. Four empty slots for keys are clearly visible within the design.
While in this room, the PCs are safe and invisible to the guardian. A force wall, through which only they can pass, protects them from the guardian. If all the
PCs are in this room, the guardian will move randomly through the maze (roll a die at each intersection to determine its direction).

The Keys: The PCs must collect four keys, which are positioned at the edges of the maze, as shown on the map. You can describe these as being shaped
like actual keys or glowing orbs of energy. Once put into their proper positions in the entrance room, the PCs are transported to where they were going
before being sidetracked to this silly place. If the guardian runs into and consumed a key, a cruel GM would have the PCs turn blue and lose all of their
defenses for six turns.

The Treasure: Periodically, a treasure or reward of some sort will appear where indicated on the map. Typically, the treasure is a fruit (cherry, banana, etc.)
that acts as healing potion. Other times, it might be something inedible, like a bell. To increase the treasure available in this dungeon, you can place a coin
every five feet in the center of the corridors (on the floor is logical, but hovering 5 feet in the air would be cool too). Of course, these will probably be
scooped up the guardian as it moves around the maze, so the PCs will have to kill it to get the full reward. The coins do not re-spawn.

Afterwards: Having escaped the dungeon, you can send the PCs on to their next destination, whether that be the next leg of their quest, the stairs to the
next level of the dungeon, the portal they were trying to reach in the first place, or a weird aerial plane where they are attacked by knights armed with
lances and mounted on vicious flying ostriches.
Honorable Mentions
These dungeons did not receive a prize, but they are extremely worthy of note and made it into
the final Judges Picks before we had to whittle the list down to the last winners. The category
that the dungeon was given was the decision of the judge who selected the honorable mention
entry.

Best Aquatic Entry: The Barnacle Caves - Sam Kisko

Best Classic: Ruffthroat's Rathskeller - Lee Barber

Best Dungeon Circa 1974: The Crumbling Dungeon - Lord Kilgore

Best Dungeon Crawl: Shrine of the Savage Jungle - John Laviolette

Most Elegant: Clockwork Crypt - Gary S. Watkins

Funniest: The Vareh'gra Depths - Gary McCammon

Best Geometry: Halls of the Mad Mage - Justin Alexander

Best Homage: The Omenous Portent of the Highlands Meteor - Tim Hensley

Best Introductory One-Shot: The Tomb of Durhan Oakenshield - Dyson Logos

Best Non-Dungeon: The Great Cloud Caper - Jonathan Lee

Best Unconventional: Traps-R-Us - Chris Torrence

Best Use of Tables: Mountain Lair of the Misanthropic Magus - Sean Wills

22
The Barnacle Cave Adventure for Levels 2-3
1 Square = 10 Feet
Wandering Monsters d6
1 – A fetid Hippo that is insane with pain.
2 – 6 Kobolds poke a large rat with a stick.
3 – A Walking Bush shuffles about.
4 – A talking Hedge Lizard gives the PCs
non-sense advice if they give it food.
5 – An Orchid plant that always points north.
6 – A fire-breathing Were-Boar is heard
long before it is seen.

Hook

The PCs are asked to aid in delivering a

lockbox to the Ulerishian Temple, which
is 30 miles outside of town. The path
can occasionally be treacherous with
highwaymen and forest drakes. Two
Acolyte maids, Avrareen and Bingood,
travel with PCs along with their holy
familiar, the Hooduk, to deliver the box.
The Hooduk is diminutive, has no hair,
no eyes and has vestigial wings on its
back that look vaguely like chicken
wings with no feathers. It follows the
Acolytes orders unquestioningly.

One morning during the journey, the PC

awake to find the lockbox has been
looted and Bingood and the Hooduk
are missing. Tracks can be followed to
a nearby cave.

Barnacle Caves Key

1 – Steam billows forth from the cave entrance. Bleached bones and dragging tracks are easily spotted on the ground.
2 – A Cave Fisher nests above the cave entrance hidden by the rising steam. It attacks only if loud noises are made.
3 – A white ‘river’ of crystalline rocks lines the floors in this large cavern. Large toadstools cover erratic areas and the floor
emanates heat. Six Steam Turtles are here, milling about peacefully and are only hostile if attacked.
4 – The phosphorescent toadstools here can be as large as tall as 10’. A large waterfall cascades from the southern wall
and a whirlpool violently drain the water coming from the waterfall. The toadstool have a number of large barnacles attached
to them, 10 Barnacle-Encrusted Kobolds. The barnacle Kobolds attempt to push interlopers into the whirlpool. When 5 or
more are slain they will make a shrill droning noise that will summon the Steam Turtles from area 3, which will aid them.
5 –The cavern is very warm and smells sweet, like heated fruit or honey. Here dwells Derkomai, a wingless and blind Black
Dragon that ‘breaths’ the 12 Stirges trapped in its huge maw at interlopers. The Hooduk is here also, prostrating itself and
offering a holy amulet, which the Derkomai seems to be wholly unaware of. While the Derkomai attacks relentlessly, the
Hookduk merely watches. The Hooduk will offer the amulet to the victor and will gladly follow the PCs or Acolyte.
A pile of coins and objects are scattered about the Derkomai lair. 575g, 732s, 822c as well as a Magical Hammer.
6 – A large central plateau rises 12 feet above the ground with blankets of steam radiating downward. The chamber is very
large with many rock piles, toadstools, piles of sand, and farms of fossilized coral. 12 Barnacle-Encrusted Kobolds and a
Huge Crab inhabit the upper plateau. The barnacle Kobolds have a stash of polished coral (value 350g).
7 –A muddy geyser is here that erupts every 4 minutes. The Barnacle Kolbolds make offerings here, 7 pearls, one of which is
Black (total gp value 1200). The pearls are jammed in the muddy walls and will take 2 minutes to work out for each one.
Geyser spray will cause 3d6 damage to any foolish enough to be hit.
8 – This cave is the home of the Molluetuesk, a Mimic, which appears as a tranquil pool of water with small fish swimming
inside. The pool is faintly radiant and is lined with stalactites and stalagmites. In the refuse under the Molluetuesk a Magic
Shield sits along with the bones of its previous owner.
9 – This sloping cave holds dozens of mineral pools and toadstools. The Acolyte Bingood lays hidden in the north section
as 6 Barnacle-Encrusted Kobolds are hunting for her methodically. If found Bingood will gladly join the party and will insist
on finding the Hooduk and the amulet (see area 5). Three of the pools radiate mild magic. The other pools are normal.
Yellow pool – Spindly crystals grow in the yellowish water. Any metal coated in its waters no longer rust or dull.
Muddy pool - An albino frog lives in this pool, it is the size of a dog. It will obey simple orders if spoken too.
Blue Pool – This blue water drips upwards in slow motion. Fey creatures are attracted this unearthly water.

http://valleyofbluesnails.blogspot.com/ skisko 4-15-09

 Encounter Key
The Crumbling Dungeon 1. 3 Large Spiders in webs between columns– Kobold skeleton (dead) hangs in webs
by Lord Kilgore 2. Potion of Healing buried in pile of rubble
3. 6 Giant Rats gnawing on skeleton of Kobold
4. 4 Kobold guards with spears and daggers, will fall back and try to draw invaders into pit (#5)
5. 10’ trapdoor pit – Kobolds will know to avoid it
6. Defensive barrier of stones piled in doorway manned by 4 Kobolds with spears
7. Giant Badger (Koobold leader’s guard dog) chained to wall
8. Kobold leader with 3 Kobold bodyguards, each has spear and short sword
8a. Hidden under loose stone in floor: Iron box with three 50gp gems, 100 gp, 250 sp
9. 2 Large Bats and 150 normal bats – 2 vials of holy water buried in guano
10. Dead human in chainmail with shield, longsword, dagger, and 50gp
11. Leaves on floor - fissure in ceiling leads to surface, humans can not fit through
12. 4 barrels: 3 of wine (100gp value), 1 containing Large Scorpion
13. 2’ deep water on floor contains swarm of leeches (1-2 damage per round spent in water
st
after 1 )
14. 2’ deep water on floor, +1 dagger lies near center of chamber
15. 2’ deep water on floor
16. Rubble strewn on floor of corridor – half movement rate, Dex check to avoid fall if running
17. Corridor filled with thick webs
18. Moss-covered fresco, must clear to see horned giant opening door for travelers
19. 5’ wide crevasse spans corridor – 50’ deep
20. Huge fireplace, chimney leads to surface but is inhabited by 200 normal bats
21. Rubble-strewn chamber, west door is locked and trapped (dart fired from above)
22. Bag on floor contains 100gp, scroll of Cure Light Wounds, and scepter for statue in #23
23. Statue of ancient queen, her crown broken and right hand empty. If scepter from #22 is
placed in hand, secret door in #36 opens
24. Portcullis jammed in lowered position
25. Partially-collapsed chamber – six skeletons (normal) partly buried. 2 hours to dig out north
door. 5% chance each turn that further collapse undoes all digging.
st
26. +1 Spear, 6 +1 Arrows, and a scroll of 3 random 1 -level magic spells
27. 6’ diameter well, 200’ down to underground lake – walls of well contain entrances to levels
2, 4, and 5
28. 2’ water pooled in corner
29. Rubble piled high in corridor, must crawl over one at a time
30. Crypt – 20 skeletons, 1 rises every other round, cannot be turned in chamber. Each crypt
contains 2-24gp
These ruins can be reached via a narrow tunnel in the side of a crevasse in a region known for 31. 6 Shriekers clustered in doorway
earthquakes and landslides. The chambers and corridors are often littered with broken stone, the 32. Lit fireplace in southwest corner contains Hell Hound. Key to west door in #21 lies on mantle
walls are often cracked or uneven, and the doors are often jammed by the geological forces in the 33. Illusion of five-headed Hydra guarding door
area. What power fuels these forces, no one can say. 34. 6 giant rats lurking in cracks near ceiling waiting to drop on prey
Random Encounters (1 in 6 35. 3 large clay jars: one contains 20 doses of water that heals 1-4 hp (once per person per day),
Tremor Sub-Table one contains 20 doses of sleeping potion (save vs. magic or sleep for 2-12 turns), one
chance every half hour)
contains water and a sealed scroll tube with a treasure map
1 Tremor – see sub-table 1 Save vs. paralyzation or take 2-5 damage from falling rock
2 1 Large Scorpion 2 Floor cracks open, Dex check or fall in to 10’ pit 36. 2 Giant Lizards nest in a huge pile of bones and stones which contains 5 gems (100gp each),
250gp, potion of speed, ring of 5 keys for level 2, and a necklace (250gp). Horned giant
3 1-4 Giant Rats 3 Entrance tunnel collapses – 1d6 days to clear carved on wall near southeast corner. Secret door cannot be opened except by giving the
4 1-3 Giant Centipedes 4 Crack reveals ancient tomb – 1-6 Skeletons rise and attack scepter in #22 to the statue in #23.
5 2-5 Kobolds 5 Water floods area 37. Stairs lead down to level 2 and further adventure.
6 1-4 Skeletons 6 Total collapse – Dex check to escape in random direction
Shrine of the Savage Jungle – Level 1 by John Laviolette ([email protected])

Defiled temple turned into shrine of Miazeim,

the Lord of the Fiery Green.

Surface level: jungle ruins, large open pit (30-

foot drop to chapel area 2) and intact 15-foot
chimney (climable, 45-foot drop to area 1C.)

Needs 2nd level w/ old priests' quarters in NE

corner and 3rd level, any design.

Wandering Monsters (1d6) and Map Key

1. 2-5 Pteroblins (winged 1' high goblins

armed with darts, blow out candles &
torches and deflect arrows with gusts of
wind from wings.) Also marked “p” on
map. Worship Miazeim & vine seed pods.
2. 6-20 Giant Rat-sized red snapping lizards.
Marked “L” on map.
3. Vine infection seed pod (1' diameter,
floats slowly, contact with flesh or burst
after hit: victims become vine zombies in
a matter of hours.) Asterisk on map.
4. Vine zombie goblin, seed pod bursts from
chest when slain. Marked “z” on map.
5. Jungle rot (slow crawling fungus, destroys
cloth and leather, eats flesh.) Marked “R”
on map.
6. Jungle fever (mobile, ravenous green mist
of insect-level intelligence.) Cloud symbol
on map.

In areas 3, 4, and 12, results 3-5 are treated as 1-6

ordinary goblins. They fear seed pods, vine
zombies, jungle rot, and jungle fever.

Scale: 1 square = 10 Feet

Multi-location or Tunnel Traps/Features

Pit covered by wooden slats: 15' deep, crossable, but slats might break for heavily encumbered characters.
Anti-plant zone: section of red stone burns vine-infected, seed pods, other plant life.
Pit of green fluid: may be mistaken for acid, but does less damage. Odor causes slowed movement for an hour.
Water jet: blast of scalding water triggered by pressure plate. Resettable.
Fear gas: released by wire attached to top of door. Resettable.
Pendulum trap: tripwire releases wooden beam + stone weight from slot in wall, smashing as a war hammer. Resettable by goblins, not pteroblins.

Room Key

1. Entry Chamber: locked room next to stairs: pool of glowing holy water (no affect on vine zombies.) 2 Seed pods. Pteroblin carries 1 dart, small golden bottle (20 gp) of
"unholy sap" with golden vine inlay. Shaded area: ledge 5' from floor, rooms with 4' ceiling; 3 pteroblins, rack of 30 extra darts, bag of 150 copper coins, vine zombie backup in
nearby room. Small blade stuck into inconspicuous slot in south wall unlocks secret door.
2. Chapel: pack of red snapping lizards. Short, locked brick pillar contains 10 gold coins. Secret door behind rotted curtains opened by lifting stone slab (weight: 2 grown men.)
Must be propped open or held to pass through.
3. Vestment Room: Seed pod, massive stone mattock, peg on wall w/ vestments of high priest of (human) God of the Gentle Dark. Brass sacral crown worth 10 gold, much more
to someone who recognizes historical value. Room beyond contains stone altar with ashes from burnt sacrifices in central depression.
4. High Priest's Chamber: Large pack of snapping lizards. 3 silver bars under huge pile of rubble (300 coins worth.)
5. Priests' Antechamber: Secret door opens when pushed. Rotted carpet covers door in floor down to subchamber w/ two staircases to 2nd level (NW and South areas.)
6. Skeleton w/ crushed skull marks location of pendulum trap. Secret door at end of passage opened by dagger in slot as for area 1.
7. Cloud of jungle fever guards bag of 280 copper coins beneath rubble.
8. Preparation Chamber: Seed pod, large table, locked door down to 2nd level (NE, old priests' quarters.) Pulling chain in south opens secret door, revealing jungle fever.
9. Hidden Double Cavern: Entered by slanting passage from sublevel. One silver bar near water jet trap. Another hole in ground leads to another subtunnel to area 10.
10. Hidden Cavern: Pendulum trap triggered as characters exit crawlhole. Small chest near eyeslit in wall contains leather bindings and a copper branding tool with vine pattern.
11. Treasure Chamber: Extra difficult lock on door. Contains a sack of 200 copper coins. Signs that several chests used to be in room.
12. Double Cavern: East door protected by water jet trap. Cavern split by gate (rusted shut.) Jungle fever in south can pass through bars. Pterolin and seed pod can't. Burning
wood in cursed oven creates a jungle fever cloud. Door to down staircase releases insect swarm onto landing.
13. Guard Room: Jungle rot covers 4 silver bars.
14. Storage: Broken glass and pottery, rusted pots, and wood. Seed pod. Lizards behind door crawl on small box of rare incense worth 20 gold coins.
15. Jail: Two goblin-made cages with stone bars, vine zombies near each. Jungle rot in one cage can crawl through bars. Locked rooms contain more jungle rot and a seed pod.
16. Cellar: Pack of lizards, 2 kegs strong wine (60 gp each, 1 glass = confusion, 2 = sleep.) Covered pit drops victim 10 feet, then floods with water.
17. Annex: Vine zombie and jungle fever, locked chest contains bronze flask of aromatic oil (10 gold coins.)
The Clockwork Crypt r Level 1

Lighting: Magically lit glyphs illuminate each room

(equivalent to moonlight).

Background: The clockwork crypt is the final

resting place of Findle Cynwyk Etchwhistle, an
eccentric gnomish tinker and musician. The complex
lays concealed beneath a wondrous, musical water
fountain in the pastoral city of Wellspring. This
morning, the fountain didn't seem to be functioning
properly. Several pipes alternately became clogged,
then spewed slightly acidic blasts of water, injuring
several onlookers. The fountain was shut down and
a low level group of adventurers was called in to

le investigate the disturbance and clean out the

waterworks.

€L
5il j,*
t
I ffi ffi
\sry.1
*3--
r
ia.
Unknown to the community, Findle's crypt,
containing his secrets and treasures is hidden
within, awaiting those clever enough to solve the
tinker's tricks and traps.
F{rNFl {', (The fountain is fed from a springhouse located
o
FT :3 several hundred feet away and slightly uphill.
Channels carry water to the fountain and beyond to
3 f...1
two watering troughs a hundred yards to the south
of the fountain. The water continues, flowing over a
large (10' x 30'), inclined slate slab set in another
lu trough where city folk can wash their laundry. The
water is then used to irrigate parks and gardens in
other parts of the city. Only the fountain and its
$ substructure are used in this adventure.)
ili
Legend
S - Secret Door G - Clockwork Gnome
T - Trap

Room Key
1 . Fountain: A gleaming cascade of slotted pipes in copper, bronze, and brass, surrounded by a low wall of flagstones. One flagstone, hinged, opens to

reveal a series of valves that varies the water patterns and songs produced by the fountain. Rotating one of the fountain's pipes (cunently out of alQnment
and slightly otr-key) causes a 5'x 5'paving stone on the east side of the fountain to slide aside, uncovering a spiral staircase going down 15 feet.
2. Collection Pool: The circular staircase ends in a room beneath a web of pipes and valves that forms the fountain's substructure. A 5-foot wide poot
occupies the center of the room and collec'ts any water dripping down from the plumbing above. The walls of the pool gently slope up to a 3-foot wide
walkway. A closed door is located on the left (south) side of the room. (A secret door resides in the west wall.) Monster8: Two ooze mephits were trapped
in the pool when the fountain shut down. They are not happy about it and attack immediately.
3. Workshop: This 10' x 1 0' room contains various tools for cufting, bending, and threading pipe. A small anvil sits on the right side of the room with a small
stone trough and an empty wooden bucket next to it.. A door occupies the left side of the opposite wall. Treasure: magical anvil - any metal placed on the
anvil can be heated on command (as the spell), yet the anvil remains cool to the touch. The command word, "ignus," is inscribed on the bottom of the anvil.
Trap: Moving the anvil uncovers a magical glyph on the floor (explodes for moderate frost damage in a 5' radius).
4. Supply room: The door from the workshop opens onto a long supply closet 10'x 20'. The room contains several shelves, racks, and crates filled with
various gears, belts, chains, pipes, pulleys, work clothes, and a few tools. A small pile of broken and discarded equipment has been swept into the far right
corner. Monster: A guttersnipe hides amongst the cast ofb and will attack the last charac'ter leaving the supply room. lf it gains control of the character, it
will try to ese€pe to the city above as quickly as possibte.
5. The secret gnome: Opening the secret door activates a magical voice which says, "Enter Findle's clockwork crypt and leam the tinker's secrets, if
you're worthy and if you dare, lest the crypt become your own!" The secret door in Room 2 opens onto a 5'x 10' conidor that ends at a slightly expanded
landing. At the end of the corridor, a stone stairway slopes downward. Above the stairwell, etched into the wall are the words, 'Watch your step." A bronze
sculpture of a gnome (G) stands on the right side of the conidor, just prior to the stairway. His small, outstretched short sword points the way down the
stairs. Trick: Carved on the vertical surfaces of each step are the words, 'This Side Up t," but the words and arrow are upside down. Anyone will notice the
inscriptions if they turn around and look at the stairs from somewhere on or past the staircase. The sculpture is actually a clockwork winch system. Anyone
examining the gnome can activate the mechanism with a sue,cessful disable device skill check, causing the gnome to raise its sword arm. As it does so, the
stairway pivots 90 degrees upward, becoming a stainray up instead of down. Anyone on the stairs will be thrown back for minor damage. In the upright
position, the stainray ends at the "Watch your step'wall. The wall is an illusion. The winch is also activated by a pressure plate O) in Room 6.
6. False crypfi The stairway ends at a short hallway that extends 5' to a doorway, which opens onto a 10' x 1 0' room. At the center of the room is a marble
casket capped with a gnome carved in bas-relief. The casket rests on a pedestal of interlocking gears. Leaning againsl the base of the pedestal are a large
brass bound tome with three ornate locks and a small chest of jewels and gold coins. Trap: lmmediately in front of the pedestal is a pressure ptate that
causes a large slab of granite to slide into the doorframe, trapping all within. Anyone struck by the stone suffers 8d6 points of damage and is pinned
beneath it. The staircase leading down to the crypt rotates 90 degrees upward, becoming a stairway up instead of down. The book only has writing on the
fiat page, which reads, "Greedy fools. Welcome to your final resting place." The jewels and gold coins are cut glass and brass coins.
7. True crypt Stepping through the illusory wall, the characters see a marble gnomish sarcophagus standing against the far wall in this 5' x 15' room.
Teasure: 10' into the room, on a simple wooden lable can be seen the following: a battered leather bound tome, a sheaf of scrolls, a small silver hammer,
and a pouch with 15 assorted gems spilling out of it. The tome contains all of Findle's clockwork designs and copious notes granting a character a +10 skill
bonus on creating or disabling clockworks. The scrolls are a collec{ion of the gnome's musical compositions (of liftle value). The hammer has an enchanted
+1 combat bonus. Trap: Anyone damaging or attempting to open the sarcophagus CD will trigger a pit trap covering the entire floor that drops everyone into
the false crypt for minor damage before closing back up, trapping the tomb robbers.
8. Cistern: A large cistern is set into the ground north of the fountain. Water released from the cistem provides the hydraulic pressure to power the various
traps and other clockwo* mechanisms in the complex.
The Vareh'gra Depths – Level 6

Wandering Monsters – (2d6)

2-5 Plaid slime
6 Orc with flamethrower
7-9 1d20 Gold Bugs (as in area 4)
10-11 Nurse (roll on Nurse Reaction Table)
12 Gelatinous Sphere

Legend
C – Concealed Door
[]- Door
||||||| - Stairs

Nurse Reaction Table (d20)

1 - Drags random PC off to “see the doctor”; PC is
never seen again
2-8 – Heals random PC of all damage
9-15 – Heals all PCs half-way
16-18 – Demands PCs pay “doctor's bill” of 1d100x6
gold
19-20 – Attacks

Fruit Consumption Table (d20)

1-2 - Consumer's skin turns bright green
3-4 - Consumer switches alignment
5-6 – Consumer adds 1d6 to random stat
7-9 – Consumer's voice is 1-3 louder 4-6 quieter for
2d10 turns
10-12 – Consumer's hair grows 6 feet longer
13-15 - Consumer falls asleep for 1d10 turns
16 – Save or turn to stone
17-19 – Consumer gains 1 additional language
20 – Save vs. poison or die

Room Key (Note: North is at top pf page)

1. Sound Amplification room – Door slams and locks shut 2 turns after entering; thereafter all sounds made within are 100
times louder than normal
2. 2d6 DNA monsters – look like huge strands of DNA; 1d6 atoms in each monster are actually gems
3. Faded pentagram on floor; inside is a six-armed snake-woman demon holding 4 laser swords and a .50 caliber machine
gun
4. Pile of 1d100 Gold Bugs (look just like gold coins, if bitten save vs. poison or bitten area turns into living gold for 1d6
days)
5. Magic Library – books contain all known spells, but if PCs touch any of them without a library card (which they of course
don't have) the Medusa librarian turns the offender into stone and stores him in the concealed room with 2d4 other petrified
“troublemakers”
6. Living head of Crool the Wizard, set on a steel platter and carried by a kobold slave – Crool is anti-social and will attack
with spells if bothered
7. Zombie Jamboree – 2d10 zombies standing around, ghoul band plays music on rib-bone and skull instruments – will not
attack if not attacked themselves (it's a party, after all!)
8. Artist's easel set up with half-finished painting and a fruit “still-life” on a nearby table – if fruit is eaten roll on Fruit
Consumption Table for result
9. Flying man-sized strip of bacon armed with trident that shoots hot grease in combat with man-sized slice of burnt toast (w/
face & arms) – winner of the combat attacks the party
10. West-facing wall has mounted on it a Mirror of Gender Opposition – the first person into the chamber must save vs.
spells or look into it; an exact duplicate of them, but the opposite sex, will appear and attack them
11. There is a dwarven rune meaning “TURN BACK – DANGER” carven into the floor at the entrance to this maze - the first
Random Monster encounter rolled therein will be with Slivvy The Rat-Demon; the rat-demon is immune to spells and
weapons, but takes damage from the PC's saliva (thus they have to spit on it to defeat it!) - maybe they should pay more
attention to warnings hereafter...
12. Skeletal corpse of artist from Area 8, paintbrush still clutched in bony hand – if the brush is used anything non-living it
paints will become real w/ 3 “charges” of paint left in the brush
THE HALLS OF THE MAD MAGE (1 square = 10 feet)
The archmage Callisto once claimed to have “conquered the insight of the seventeen quasi-dimensions of the elder lords of Oud”. It was not long before he had become
known as the Mad Mage. But perhaps there was some method in that madness: His long-abandoned sanctuary – inhabited now by his former slaves and arcane
experiments – is a place where space is contorted impossibly upon itself.

ESCHER EFFECTS
Teleportation spells and similar effects within the complex render random and
unpredictable results (roll 1d20 on the area key to determine destination).

Everfalling River: The river leaving area 11 flows downhill to area 12, where
it turns into a waterfall leading back to area 11. The river is waist-deep and
can be easily waded in either direction, except for the 20’ pit hidden
underwater at the point indicated.
Endless Stairs: The stairs in areas 7-10 all rise in the direction indicated by
the arrows. (You can climb counter-clockwise and end up where you started
without ever descending again, or vice versa).
Twisted Observatories: The ladder marked A in area 5 leads up to the ladder
marked A in area 6. Similarly, the stairs marked B in area 5 lead to the stairs
marked B in area 6. This is impossible, but neither the ladder nor the stairs
appear to care.
Mobius Chambers: The ceiling of each chamber in areas 14-19 is the
corresponding chamber 14A-19A. Characters flying up to the corresponding
chamber will find their gravity inverted if they touch the floor. Passing
through the red door leads seamlessly to the inverted chamber on the opposite
side. (A character completing two complete circuits through these chambers
would end up back where they started).

AREA KEY
1. Entry: A balcony studded with grotesque statuary surrounds three sides of an entry hall lined with gothic arches. 8 three-eyed, purple-skinned goblins lurk on the
balcony, firing crossbows at those below.
2. Inverted Halls: Two halls leave the entry, one from the balcony and one from the lower level. Both halls proceed in a straight line, but the hall from the balcony
arrives in the lower level of the ballroom while the lower hall arrives upon the balcony of the ballroom.
3. Ballroom: A floor of marble mosaic encircled by a balustraded balcony. Four automata dance amidst their 13 ruined brethren (who stand like broken marionettes).
Each automata contains a small heart of mithril (worth 100 gp), but disturbing any of the automata triggers the wrath of the dancers (who attack as lesser golems).
4. Hall of the Ballroom: This hall is arrow-straight, but both ends enter the ballroom from the east (one from the balcony and one from below).
5. Ethereal Observatory: This telescope peers into the Ethereal Plane. Proper alignment of its chaotic lenses allows observation of the plane anywhere within 50 miles.
6. Observatory of the Unseen Sky: This telescope can be trained anywhere in the sky. Looking through it reveals constellations alien to this world, even if the
observations are made during the day or while the sky is overcast.
7. Callisto’s Library: Hundreds of books and scrolls can be found here, detailing impossible and improbable knowledge of all sorts. Many of the tomes are now
infested with bookworms. Lairing here are six imps who once served as Callisto’s librarians but have now reverted to savagery.
8. Tripod Salon: All the furniture here has three legs and some of it is suited only for alien physiologies. There is a collection of fine wines behind a hidden panel.
9. Ethereal Fishery: Dozens of stone fish hang motionless in mid-air. Those upon the Ethereal Plane find the chamber filled with water and there the fish swim freely.
A large ethereal marauder lurks here, feeding periodically upon the fish.
10. The Slipstream: A blue vortex of arcane energy is suspended in the center of this empty chamber. Anyone touching the vortex is immediately pulled onto the
Ethereal Plane. There is a 10% chance that anyone merely passing through the chamber is similarly affected.
11. Pool of Black Crystal: Clumps of strange black crystals protrude from the walls of this natural cavern. The cerulean pool, rimed with more of the black crystals and
stygian in its depth, is home to the Tentacled Thing.
12. Waterfall Cavern: Portraits and statues of multi-colored, living water fill this chamber. The roar of the waterfall provides pleasant white noise. Two of the
“statues” are actually water elementals geased to protect the art.
13. Bedchamber: Small globes glowing with magentic hues float through this richly-accoutered bedchamber. A poltergeist haunts the room, but anyone holding one of
the globes is invisible to him. The globes burst like soap bubbles if removed from the room.
14. Circle of the Fiend: 6 legless, well-cushioned chairs float around a magic circle. If any of the chairs are used, the illusion of a pit fiend appears in the circle. If
attacked, the pit fiend vanishes forever. If addressed, the pit fiend will answer 1d6 questions as per a commune spell. If blood is shed in the circle, the pit fiend
summons 1d6 lemures who serve their blood master for 1d20 days.
14A. Fairy Pond: The lily pond here is home to a water fairy named Ussa. Ussa is petitely attractive, knows much of the complex, and is a consummate liar. She will
particularly warn the PCs not to trust the “fiend below” (referring to the pit fiend illusion in area 14).
15. The Twice Pit: The pit is 20’ deep. Those who fall then suffer reverse gravity and fall up to the floor of the inverted chamber.
15A. Battle Chamber: Animated toy soldiers endlessly play out the assault upon the Moathouse in miniature. If disturbed they band forces against the interlopers.
16. Crystal Lies: A crystal ball sits on a pedestal of dreadwood. It shows only endless lies until the victim realizes it’s lying. It then reverts to normal operation.
16A. Tomb of Many Callistos: The 12 sarcophagi in this room each contain an identical corpse.
17. Eldritch Pole: A pole of blackened adamantine thickly etched with arcane runes extends from area 17 to area 17A (it can be easily climbed). The flagstones in this
chamber are rounded domes. Several stones, if pressed upon, glow with a magical light which will be mirrored by the identical stones in the inverted chamber.
17A. The Other End of the Pole: Indistinguishable from area 17.
18. Hall of Mobius Portraits: 13 portraits hang on the walls here. 11 depict the other mobius chambers and can be climbed through as if they were windows (return is
not possible). The remaining 2 depict strange vistas, but are quite impassable.
18A. The Imperfect Mirror: The floor of this chamber is mirrored glass, but does not reflect anyone walking upon it. At first glance, it appears to reflect area 18
perfectly, but anyone studying it carefully will realize that their own reflection is imperfect – its actions slightly (and disturbingly) different from their own.
19. Reagent Stores: The low, tightly crammed shelves in this chamber contain a vast storehouse of common magical reagents. A thorough search turns up 6 pearls
suitable for identify spells. A dusty skull sitting atop one shelf acts as a stone of alarm, screeching loudly if any of the room’s contents are disturbed.
19A. Garden of Black Roses: The room is filled with black-bloomed roses. They fill the room with mild, nausea-inducing fumes. The blooms themselves are a contact
poison. A giant black snake (immune to the poison) lairs here.
20. Sphere of Twin Trees: The interior of a huge sphere of smoky-grey glass (impossibly four times the size of the area shown on the map). Those inside can walk
completely around the sphere in all directions. In the center of the chamber are two large, gnarled trees, growing in opposite directions with their roots tangled
together around a silvered branch of Yggdrasil (which can be used as a staff with the function of a rod of wonders). The tree with leaves of pure white is home to
the Pearlescent Dryad. The tree with leaves of midnight black is home to the Obsidian Dryad.
Dungeon by Justin Alexander (http://www.thealexandrian.net)
Map made with Dundjinni software, http://www.dundjinni.com
The Omenous Portent of the Highlands Meteor
Tim Hensley ([email protected])
Background: During the long winter
months, the Highlands witnessed the
fiery crash of a silvery meteor into
nearby Dover’s Peak. Being
superstition, they took it as an omen that
the harvest would be particularly bad this
year. As the growing season began,
however, the ill fate appeared in the
guise of farmers going missing. The PCs
are hired to investigate the crash for
signs of the missing people and a
possible means to appease the heavens.

GM’s Note: The meteor was actually a

crashing flying saucer. The aliens
onboard survived and have been using
local humanoids to “farm” the
surrounding land for “food.” General
guidelines for the aliens are listed below.

Encounter Key:
1 square = 10 feet
1. Entrance: A cave in Dover’s Peak
makes the most reasonable entrance.
Like much of the complex, it’s dark and
smells slightly earthy.
2. First sentry: 2 Orcs stand guard in
this natural alcove. Treasure: light coins.
3. Stasis trap: Walking around the
corner triggers a stasis device (treat as
Hold Person spell, save is treated as Slow
spell), giving the orcs in #4 and #5 a
chance to attack.
4. Sleeping quarters: This large cavern
serves as the sleeping quarters for 10 orcs. If the trap at #3 is triggered they will rush to attack. Treasure: light coins.
5. Kitchen cavern: The kitchen is a makeshift fire pit with various large metal pots. Stores of rancid meat and other such
supplies are stacked on the south wall. A dry well in the northern section drops into area #12.
6. Chasm: The cavern opens into a 40’ wide chasm that falls hundreds of feet. The southern corridor is nearly 25’ lower than the
northern.
7. Ambush: If the stasis trap is tripped an alien will wait in this alcove to ambush the players as they attempt to cross the chasm
at #6.
8. Iris valve: If the players come from area #7 this will be opened; if they come from area #9 it will be closed. If it’s closed, the
doors will require a lot of damage to get through.
9. Open valve: This iris valve was stuck open during the crash.
10. Closed valve: The aliens keep this valve closed unless they’re disposing of bodies in area #13. It will require a lot of damage
to get through.
11. Secret doors: Nothing is visible of the door, but there are alien looking handprints on the wall next to each of these secret
doors. Placing the hand of an alien on the print will trigger the door.
12. Below the well: The well in #5 drops 25’ to this chamber. The chamber is empty but if the Mouther in area #13 hears/detects
the PCs it will begin gibbering.
13. Mouther lair: The aliens have been disposing of the remnants of their victims in this giant chamber. Over the last month the
remains have soaked up the ships radiation enough to coalesce into a Gibbering Mouther; like all such creatures it will attempt to
draw the party into the chamber in order to attack.
14. Cockpit: This large metal room contains several chairs and consoles shaped and fitted to the aliens. Three aliens will be
found here, guarding the inside of their ship, where they’ll fight to the death. Along the northwestern wall are six lidless coffins
containing unconscious farmers, wrapped in a gauzy, web-like substance. Treasure: Various odd, but valuable, devices made of
precious metals.
Aliens: Each alien should be drafted as a moderate opponent with slightly better than average defenses and weak natural attacks;
however, they carry Death Ray guns (save reduces to damage instead).
 The Tomb of Dûrahn Oakenshield
(by Dyson Logos for level 3 characters)
The tomb of the dwarven warlord Dûrahn
Oakenshield is said to still be home to his
remains, including his skull which is needed
by his clan brothers now to prove their
provenance in order to reclaim their title.

Wandering Monsters
1 in 6 every turn of wandering monsters

1-3. 2 guards from 2b

4-5. 2 guards from 5
6. Leader from 7

If a wondering monster rolled is already slain,

then no encounter occurs.

Map Legend
1 square = 10 feet

Doors
strong wood construction.
hinges are old and not oiled.
Lighting
natural light in 1
natural light from outdoors in 2
shadowy light from outdoors in 2a
very dim light from outdoors in 2b
no light in 3, 4 & 6
torches in 5 & 7
Structure
hewn stone with masonry overlay
floors are clean and smooth

1. Tomb Entrance: The entrance to the tomb is a massive stone archway obviously carved by dwarven craftsmen in years past. The archway is built into
the cliff face in the cemetery of the abandoned city – looking up from the entrance the ruins of the old city hall can be seen amongst the trees sixty feet up
on the top of the cliff. There is a 15 foot wide passage leading ten feet into the tomb from here, to room 2. Trails in the graveyard indicate that people travel
to or from this tomb with some regularity.

2. Antechamber: This multi-level room was the main room of the tomb, where offerings were made to the ancestral dwarves and their deities, as well as
where mourners would gather before opening the doors to the individual tombs. The ceiling of this chamber is 35 feet above the floor and bears a mosaic
of a dwarven noble with gold armour and a huge axe. Both 2a and 2b look down on room 2 – 2a is 8 feet above the floor level, and 2b is 24 feet above floor
level. The floor is scattered with debris from outside – mostly leaves and some dirt, along with many dwarven skeletons in funeral wrappings (evicted from
2b). See rooms 2a and 2b for encounters.

2a. Raised Platform: This section of the antechamber is raised 8 feet above the floor below, and is accessed by one of two open stairs. There is a brazier
in the northeast corner. 2 human raiders are on this platform on guard duty (one on watch, the other sitting in the corner). Unless the party is exceptionally
sneaky, they will have seen their shadows obscure the sunlight when they entered if the party is entering by day.

2b. Observational Chamber & Tomb: This raised chamber has niches carved into the walls where dwarven remains were once kept. It is the primary
camp of the raiders, with 4 human raiders up here right now – there is a small fire pit and a table and four tree-stump chairs in the rough middle of the
room, along with 8 small cots spread along the floor against the walls.

3. Stairway Passage: This passage way has stairs leading up 16 feet to it from room 2 and stairs leading up another 8 feet to room 2b. It is empty and
dark.

4. Isudan's Crypt: The door to this chamber is slightly ajar. Inside is a sarcophagus within which are the remains of a dwarf – Isuldan son of Dûrahn.

5. Guard Room: This room was once a crypt like 2b, with niches in the walls. The door to the North is barred and locked, the door to the East is ajar. 2
human raiders are here, guarding the doors.

6. Dûrahn's Crypt: Since the defilement of the tomb by the raiders, Dûrahn has been forced back into unlife as a dwarven wight. Treat as a wight in all
ways, but his heavy golden scale mail inmproves his armour class by 2. He waits behind the door to his crypt at the top of the stairs. His axe is forgotten in
his sarcophagus, the haft rotted away, the enchantment long gone. The amulet he wears is worth 1,000 gp.

7. Gneissus' Crypt: Once the crypt of Dûrahn's wife, this tomb has been taken over by the leader of the raiders. He is a level 4 thief with +1 leather armor
and a +1 sword. He has a potion of healing and a potion of gaseous form he will use to escape if needed. On the table are his books indicating that he sold
the treasures of the tomb to merchants and fences in the nearby city. A coffer under his table contains 1,000 gold and 4,000 silver.

Human Raiders: level 2 thieves with leather armor, sword, 3 daggers and light crossbows (with 10 quarrels). Each has 2d20 gold pieces and 2d20 silver
pieces.
 AFT

1.
=locked door
This dungeon takes the form of a great oak
16. =unlocked door airship commandeered by pirates of a Gnome
2.
18. variety. Players begin as stowaways on the
4. 3. 5. middle deck (furthest to the left) and must make
their way to the top deck and slay the Captain and/or gain control of
the ship. But to get to the top deck players must seek out the drunken
6. 7. 14. 15.
first mate who holds the keys (alternatively players could start in the
prison).
Treasure: detailed treasure should used as a guide, DM can alter
quantity/kind as necessary. The most valuable treasure noted is the
8. 9. telescope in the special cargo.
12. Enemies: Gnone Pirates- Indiviual pirates should prove reasonably
17. strong but by themselves should prove little bother to the party. As a
group (3-6) they should prove to be more of a challenge. Drunken
10.
First mate- if woken from his intoxicated slumber he should prove to
be an *interesting* chellenge (interpret as you will). Captain- Should
11. 13. be quite powerful, especially in a group; should attempt to flea to his
Mid. Lower UPPER
cabin if bested. All should be equiped with short swords and light
fore armour except first mate and captain who should be a bit better

1. Storeroom (Entrance)- Locked door that can be picked (easy) or bashed (easy) or players can make noise to attract attention of nearby guard. If suffcient noise is made then guard in room 2 may notice.
2.Rigging Room- One Gnomish Pirate, if not dealt with in room 1. 3. Corridor. 4. Workshop- Full of Gnomey bits and bobs. If workbench is tampered with a shock trap is released. 5. Mini Laboratory-
Full of bubbling potions. A succesful tsearch roll reveals a potion of intelligence and a potion of strength. 6. Engine Room- Contains the ship engine, if damaged or destroyed may cause ship to crash. Contains
tools. Very loud. If players spend more than 2 rounds they take sonic damage unless preventative measures are taken. 7. Sleeping Quarters- Contains 2 Gnome Pirates (some may be sleeping to begin with).
Several chests altogether containing gold and common clothes. 8. Sleeping Quarters-Contains four Gnome Pirates, several chests containing more gold and common clothes. 9.Dining Room- Contains set common
cutlery. Also a cabinet of expensive cuttlery with a shock trapped handle. 10.STAIRS- there are two sets of stairs, one leading down, one leading up (upper stairs lead to locked door- very hard to pick-key gained
from first mate in room 13). 11. Galley/Kitchen- Contains a Gnome pirate chef. Also contains cheap utensils. A Gnomish cookbook. A locked chest contains several valuable wines (medium lock), chef holds key.
12. Main Lower Deck- Contains six sleeping Gnome Pirates, will wake easily if disturbed. 13. Special Cargo Hold- Entrance is locked (very hard), key obtained from First Mate in room 16. 13.Mostly
empty crates- Succesful search roll reveals very expensive telescope. 14. Prison- holds two prisoners- Jerome the Gnome (Chaotic good) and Cpt. Jones of the Gnomes (Lawful Evil). Each will attempt to
persuade the party that they are good and that the other is evil and will backstab them if set free. 15. Temple- Temple of a god of travel, engineering or something equally Gnomish. Contains Cleric Quentin who
will not attack players unless provoked. May heal party if persuaded. 16. Main Cargo hold-contains First Mate passed out in, holding keys to special cargo and top deck door. Also contains crates containing
normal weapons (short swords, short bows, daggers etc.). 17. Top deck- Contains four Gnome Pirates and Gnome Pirate Captain. When losing the battle the Captain will run to his cabin. 18. Captain’s quarters-
Locked (medium), keys held by pirate captain. Also a chest of 200 gold, various trinckets and gems.
level 7a (interlude) – traps-r-us 1 Square = 5 feet

Background
Where do all those traps come from? How does
your megadungeon get restocked with bats and
skeletons? ThatÊs right, level 7A, located halfway
between levels 7 and 8, just beyond the secret door!

The PCÊs can treat this as a standard hack-n-slash,

or they can haggle with the kobolds for the latest
tricks and traps, and maybe even pick up a pet
giant spider or two.

The kobold entrepreneurs will follow the party

incessantly, fawning, and asking if there is anything
they are looking for in particular. All inhabitants are
peaceful unless provoked.

Lighting: Torches everywhere except 5 and 10.

Random Encounters (1d20 every 10 minutes)

1!10: No encounter
11!12: Magic mouth, shouts random questions
13!17: 1d4 kobolds with giant spider
18!19: 2d6 tame giant rats
20: The giant worm from area 10

Traps (1d6)
1.Gas, blindness and weakness
2.1d6 flaming arrows
3.10! pit with spikes
4.Collapsing wall
5.Teleport to Reception Area, all clothes that the
PCs are wearing are randomly interchanged
6.Broken trap, roll again for type

1. Reception Area: Two stone benches, large stone sarcophagus desk, 1d4+2 kobolds, giant spider on leash. Top of desk has assorted potions, vials of
poison gas, all neatly labelled with prices. A hidden compartment within the desk contains 50 silver, 20 gold, and assorted gems.
2. Trap Showroom: From left-to-right, there is a blindness and weakness gas trap, a flaming arrows trap, a 10! pit with spikes, a collapsing wall trap,
and a teleport trap (see Trap Table for details). All traps can be disabled via levers under the desk in area 1. Giant rats are used for demonstrations. The
pit trap has a desiccated halfling thief, wearing a magic dagger with a jeweled pommel. Each trap is hand-built to custom order, with free delivery to all
dungeon levels.
3. Break Room: 2d6 kobolds + 1 leader-type kobold, sitting at a scarred wooden table, minor treasure.
4. Spider Farm: Lease or buy spiders, 6 kobolds running 3 giant spiders through their paces. Two sickly giant spiders in cages, one has 4 glass eyes
(really diamonds). A dense web near the ceiling has a dead kobold in it - „Poor Scabby never was a fast runner.‰
5. Trash Dump: (Pitch black) Huge mound of broken traps and shattered stalactites. A large gray ooze lives in the center. Every 5 minutes of exploring,
roll on the trap table.
6. Empty Room
7. Dungeon Accessories: Hollow stalagmites, 12 large pots of dungeon dust, 2 sets of giant wooden feet, for use with the dust. Bats flitter about.
8. Undead Dealer: Sign on entrance - „Sale on skeletons! 10 silver each! Money back guarantee!‰. Inside: 12 corpses in various states of decay, 2d4
animated skeletons, mildly evil cleric named Raleth. Raleth has a magic rod and an obsidian unholy symbol.
9. Raleth’s Room: A curtain conceals a secret passage. If Raleth is attacked, he will run around, re-enter area 8, and attempt to reanimate his skeletons.
10. Lair of the Giant Worm: (Pitch black) This huge worm can easily swallow an unlucky adventurer. Stomach acid causes ongoing damage. If found
wandering, adventurers can use torches to herd the beast back into area 10.
11. Pool of Reflection: Kobolds shun this area („bad bad monster‰) except when they need water. At the bottom of the pool is a very lifelike statue of a
medusa.
12. Dragon in a Bottle: In the center of this tall cavern lies a huge old red dragon, Drangorg by name. Actually a young red dragon in disguise. A shelf
on the back wall (15! above floor) holds 20 potions of growth, hidden behind these are 500 copper, 750 silver, and 200 gold, all very neatly stacked.
This is DrangorgÊs share from the Rent-a-Dragon service.

The Power Behind the Throne

The stone sarcophagus desk contains a very cranky lich named Karerak. He is the original owner of this dungeon level, and was trapped within the
sarcophagus by the kobolds. If all 5 levers within the desk are pulled simultaneously, then the lid will arise and Karerak will awaken. Inside are gems and
jewelry worth 500 gold. In his hands, the lich holds a highly-reflective silver-plated shield with the hideous image of a medusa burned within it.
 Mountain Lair of the Misanthropic Magus – To gain a huge reward, the characters must
rescue the Merchant’s daughter Fayona from some Bandits who dwell deep within a mountain, home to a reclusive Magus.

Room Key written by Sean Wills

1 Entrance Hall: 1d3 Giant Spiders emerge from rubble at
far end. Walls are painted with murals of pastoral scenes.
2, 5, 6, 8, 12, 14, 16, 32 Empty
3 Chamber of Cacophony: Loud discordant noise fills the
room if both doors are closed, magic users and clerics
cannot concentrate to cast spells within this room.
4 Black Pool: Sunken floor, 5ft deep pool of murky water.
7 Cave In: ceiling collapsed, blocking access on two sides
9 100ft Ceiling: no gravity, entrants float upwards 10ft/round
10 The Drop: Floor drops by 10ft/round for 4 rounds.
11 Flypaper: Entrants stick to floor. Must be burnt free.
13,19,22 Bandit Guard Posts: 1d4 Bandits in each.
15 Deep Pit: 1d6 Stirges will fly out to attack.
17 Storeroom: Crates, Yellow Mold, empty Treasure Chest
18 Gallery: Ceiling has a painting of a dragon hunt across it.
20 Dark Room: One-way door opens into this. No non-
magical light can penetrate the dark. Otherwise empty.
21 Bandit HQ: Bandit Chief (who is actually Fayona) and
2d4 Bandits, Treasure Chest. Fayona will try to escape.
23 Bat Room: 1d8 Vampire Bats hanging from high ceiling.
24 Teleporter Room: Currently de-activated. Needs Star
pendant inserted in depression and turned to activate
teleporter to transport people to Room 25.
25 Teleporter Room: Straw and empty barrels in the bottom
Map Key left corner. 1d3 venomous Snakes are nesting there.
S - Secret Door, an arrow beside it means the door is one- 26 Guardroom: A Stone Golem is pacing the room and
way only. attempting to whistle. Upon seeing the characters he smiles
Circled S - Secret Trapdoor. and says, in a deep booming voice, “He doesn’t want to be
Circled T - Teleporter. Transports individual to another room. disturbed, Get out or else” then adds “Please choose the
Boxed X - 10ft deep covered pit with either (roll 1d6): latter option.”
1 to 3 Tar at the bottom, a dropped torch will ignite it. 27 Gas Room: Anyone attempting to open the one-way door
4 to 6 Rusted spikes down the sides and at the bottom. into 28 has a 2 in 6 chance of setting off this trap. The room
Rumours (Roll 1d6 once per character at start.) will fill with sleeping gas that lasts 1d4 rounds.
1 to 3 - Goblins have been spotted nearby by shepherds. 28 Parlour: Exquisitely furnished, Magus’ pet Wolf is in here.
4 to 5 - Merchant’s daughter is shy and scares easily. 29 Storeroom: sacks, staircase that leads out of mountain.
6 - The Bandits work for a Magus who shuns mankind. 30 Study: The Magus is here, wizened and anti-social, he
Wandering Monsters shakes his head and sighs, ‘You wouldn’t leave me alone,
The GM should check every third turn; 1 in 6 (roll1d6) would you’ then rolls up his sleeves, preparing to spellcast.
chance. If encountered, roll 1d6 to indicate which monster. 31 Magus’ Bedroom: Treasure Chest under bed.
Then determine if either side is surprised. 33 Cell: Bruised Halfling shepherd imprisoned here.
1 to 2 – 1d6 Goblins. 3 – 1d4 Giant Rats 34 Guardpost: Rotund Goblin Jailer with club eating gruel.
4 – 1d4 Giant Ticks 5 – 1d6 Bandits Winch mechanism on wall operates portcullis to cell.
6 - Roll Twice. 35 - 41 Goblin Quarters: mattress, pot, 1d3 Goblins in each
Restocking Rooms if return to Lair (1d6). 42 Leader’s Room: Sarcastic Hobgoblin with Star pendant
1 - Monster. 2 - Monster & Treasure Chest. and 1d6 Bodyguard Goblins. Will fight rather than flee.
3 to 6 - Empty (1 in 6 chance of hidden Treasure Chest). A – L Catacombs: No wandering monsters in this section.
Contents of Treasure Chests All catacombs contain skeletons (each has 2 in 6 chance of
2 in 6 chance of gas being released on opening, causing coming to ‘life’ and attacking characters with swords. If A=1,
itching for 2d4 rounds, the opener cannot spellcast during B=2 etc, roll d12 for location of Treasure Chest.
this time due to inability to concentrate. Empty Room features (Roll 1d6 once per room)
Silver 1d6 x 100. Gold (3 in 6) 1d6 x 10. 1 to 4 - Water drips from ceiling at regular intervals.
Gem (1 in 20). Magic Item (1 in 20). 5 - Low ceiling (4ft) 6 - Goblin graffiti on walls
Entering The Mountain Lair Arms and Armour
Characters enter via a long steep flight of stone steps When Goblins or Bandits are encountered, 2d6 should be
leading to Room 1. A sign above reads ‘UNWELCOME’. rolled for each individual, one die for the weapon they carry,
Lair Description the other for the armour they wear. Bandit Chief, Hobgoblin
Rooms and tunnels are cold, unlit and musty. All doors are and Bodyguard Goblins add 1 to each roll.
stuck shut and require force to open. Magus’ chambers are 1 to 3 Spear No Armour
warm and lit by oil lanterns. Whole lair is magically sound- 4 to 5 Light X-Bow Leather Armour
proofed so noises are contained within each tunnel/room. 6 Sword and Shield Chainmail Shirt
Our final thoughts
I hope you've enjoyed this collection of the winning dungeons and some of our thoughts on the
One Page Template. The idea is still alive and well, with people using the idea of brevity and
simple thoughts to give Game Referees the ideas they need to easily plug into their games. We've
seen a lot of different hobbyist contributions show up all over the web lately using that idea. The
Society of the Torch, Pole and Rope blog has an ongoing megadungeon based on the One Page
called "Stonehell" that has received a lot of favorable reviews. The blog Sham's Grog-n-Blog
also has a One Page based megadungeon/game system called The Dismal Depths that is exciting
to watch develop. Many ideas, like Santiago's One Page Manifesto, are giving people the
incentive to put forth their ideas without having to write reams of content. I can only see that as a
good thing.

Will we do this again? I don't know - best I can say is that "we'll see." Most of us have Gamer's
Attention Deficit Disorder and we might be taken to the latest, newest thing. This collection,
though, will be our way of marking a point in time when the various cantankerous camps of RPG
and D&D came together to share in a simple love - the dungeon.

As a final thought - we are making the full collection of all 112 entries available from our blogs.
While we've presented the winners here, we think that there are many good dungeons that you
ought to take a look at. Go check out our blogs for the link to the archive.

Thank you for reading... and remember - Have Fun!

- Michael

Never in a hundred years would I have thought that our little idea of a one page dungeon contest
would end with such a high PDF anthology of the best entries. As I reviewed all contest entries, I
was amazed to see such skill and creativity at work..

I strongly believe that a community thrives or dies through the initiation and completion of
collective projects. From edition wars to the explosion of online-based indie RPG micro-
companies, from the rise of RPG bloggers to the creation of the Old School Renaissance
movement our community is going through one of it's most turbulent periods ever. It is my
fervent wish that other nitiatives like the One Page Dungeon contest see the light of day. I'm an
optimist at heart and I know that awesome things are awaiting us just around the corner.

I truly hope you've enjoyed these dungeons and I wish to thank you for having read this
document. I wish you many hours of exciting dungeon crawling.
-Philippe-Antoine

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Our Sponsors
The prizes awarded to the "Best of" and "Runner-up" winners were generously donated by our
sponsors. We are truly thankful for the enthusiasm and support that they gave us. They were key
to getting this thing rolling and we hope you appreciate their support as much as well do. Please
be sure to show them your support as well.

Avatar Art
Malhavoc Press/DungeonADay

Mythmere Games

Necromancer Games

Brave Halfling Publishing Neoncon

Obsidian Portal

Fight On Magazine Open Designs

Otherworld Miniatures

Smiteworks

Goblinoid Games

Goodman Games Tabletop Adventure

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