What do you think of my new Megadungeon idea?

[doseyclwn]

Hey all,

Working on an idea for a megadungeon that I want to write. I'll probably write it for 5e and 1e/BECMI and have it take a group from 1st level all the way to somewhere between 11th and 13th. Writing the set up to get the party to the dungeon, so let me know what you think. Now, I'm a big boy; if you hate it and say so, I'm not going to run crying to my mommy and never log on to the internet again. The only thing I ask is that if you hate my idea please tell me a) Why you hate it and b)How you might change it (though a is more important to me than b). I appreciate it. Thanks.


The adventuring party arrives in the town of Grendal to find the town in complete disarray. It seems that the town has just been raided by the Orcs of the Closed Fist. With a little asking around, they discover the general direction the Orcs came from. They also find out that this is not the first time they’ve been raided by these same Orcs. When they take off after the Orcs they find them at an old abandoned castle that lays in ruins.

If they’re able to clear the castle, they will find in the dungeon (assuming they go there) a door to a sub-dungeon. When they get there, they will find a strange symbol and some strange writing. If they are able to translate this writing, it will say something along the lines of “ABANDON HOPE, ALL YE WHO ENTER THE LOST TOMB OF ATAXUS. LET WHAT LIES BURIED STAY THAT WAY” They realize that this is the Lost Tomb of Ataxus. Adventurers have been looking for this for centuries. There are rumors of a few groups going in, but not of any of them returning. And so it begins . . .

[LordEntrails]

A couple of thoughts come to mind. None of these you have to answer, but they are things I would suggest you think about, if you haven't already.

First, what is the ecology of this mega dungeon? I ask this because, if it is huge, and has hundred of creatures living within, how has it remained mostly isolated from it's surroundings? Is it self-contained? Are the entrance/exits controlled so their is little exchange with the surrounding communities? (I assume yes, otherwise the locals would already know about it.) Perhaps there are some entrance/exits, but they are via portals or planar travel so their is little exchange with the locals. Now, if the dungeon is undead, traps, oozes, plants and bugs, then little interaction could be expected by any means so the above wouldn't need to apply.

With the above considerations, how do the orcs play into this? Are they a group trading with the dungeon denizens? Or have they simple camped at its front door?

Next, can the party come and go freely from the dungeon? If not, how are they going to resupply?

Also, does it connect to the underground realms?

If applicable, once they (re-)break the seal, are the denizens going to emerge if they don't kill them all?

Does the dungeon pose a current threat to the world? Does it once they break the seal/awaken the guardians? Why haven't previous adventurers triggered this?

Finally, back to ecology. Is there a rhyme and reason to why certain creatures are in certain places? Is it just a huge map of disconnected rooms and encounters? Or are their various water and food sources that get fought over? Are their several power groups within either at peace or war with one-another?

Hope that helps.

Oh, and the warning should not use the word "Lost", because the tomb wasn't lost when that was inscribed
*G*

[doseyclwn]

See, that's exactly the kind of feedback that I need. Thank you! This will be my first attempt at a Megadungeon.

[darrenan]

If you haven't already, I would highly recommend you read through the "Let's Build an Angry Megadungeon" series of articles at The Angry GM (https://theangrygm.com). (as well as every other article there!)

[Andraax]

Don't forget to put in a few "Rat on a Stick" franchises...

[doseyclwn]

I figured the 4th Level of the Dungeon will be the Food Court with a "Rat on a Stick", "McZombies", "Burger Ghast" and a Sonic.

[Phystus]

LE makes some great points.

One other thing. You wrote "When they take off after the Orcs..." as though it's a sure thing. Now most parties will do just that, since they'll know an adventure hook when they see one. But some might consider alternatives, like using the chaos as cover to pull off a heist in town, or trying to run some sort of con game on the residents. Some might hang back, figuring that a band of orcs big enough to do that to a town will TPK a small group of 1st-level characters.

For that matter, how exactly are you going to plausibly explain why the orcs could cause so much trouble for a town without being much too strong for a 1st level party?

Just some food for thought...

~P

[doseyclwn]

Hadn't thought of that. I need to make sure that the party isn't scared from the get go. At least, it will be a pretty short gaming day if I don't, lol.

[Phystus]

I actually had that happen once, back in 1st Edition days. There was a tower keep occupied by goblins. Underneath was the inevitable dungeon that was supposed to be the adventure. There were four guards at the top. I figured the party would use a sleep spell to take care of the guards, the thief would throw a grappling hook, climb the rope, and help everyone else up, and the assault would begin. But no, the party decided to shoot arrows at the gobs but kept missing (the gobs had cover, after all), and eventually ran out of arrows. When they returned from the village with more arrows, I just couldn't resist, and the goblins (who were quite alert at this point) started doing the French Castle Guard bit from Monty Python & the Holy Grail. "So, you have come to be taunted a second time!"

The party turned around and left. Shortest campaign I ever ran.

[LordEntrails]

First level I like to start with Goblins and Kobolds. Nobody's afraid of them :)

[doseyclwn]

The idea is kind of that when the party shows up at the castle, the orcs are holed up in the tower and there's another group trying to hold the Guard House, so there's a full-scale battle going on when they show up.

[damned]

I dont think too much attention to ecology and realism is required in a megadungeon.
Its old school and old school plots were pretty sparse...

[leozelig]

Perhaps you could change the hook altogether. Maybe a hunting party or some mischievous youths return to town overcome by a kind of madness, rambling on about the tomb or Ataxus in the old castle. The megadungeon is cosmically linked to certain individuals, and this is its way of calling out to the adventurers. Give the dungeon a consciousness almost, which would also explain why it houses random collections of monsters and has not been found before. It "feeds on" a certain type of individual. Makes you wonder what kind of fellow this Ataxus was...

[Trenloe]

I dont think too much attention to ecology and realism is required in a megadungeon.
Its old school and old school plots were pretty sparse...
A lot of "average" old school dungeons were like this. But not good old school dungeons - these all had thought out dungeon design in terms of creature grouping/locations, psychology and interactions with other groups. The classic B2 - Keep on the Borderlands does this with the Caves of Chaos and all of the groups and tribes that live therein. The one I remember the most was Judges Guild's "The Caverns of Thracia" (an updated D&D 3E version of which is available here: https://drivethrurpg.com/product/1358/Caverns-Of-Thracia?it=1) which has dynamic factions, a rich history, distinct areas in the cavern, etc.. Playing this (the original AD&D version) in my early teens was a breath of fresh air and a revelation as to what good (nay great) dungeons can be.

EDIT: Found this on The Caverns of Thracia: https://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/4176/roleplaying-games/odd-in-the-caverns-of-thracia The linked Jaquaying the Dungeon (https://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/13085/roleplaying-games/jaquaying-the-dungeon) gives a good oversight on design that, IMHO, makes this scenario great.

If you want to randomly populate a dungeon and go on a hack/slash dungeon crawl then that's cool - go nuts. But I think campaigns like that won't last too long. A bit of thought and design of your dungeon will help the players (and the GM) to enjoy the game more.

But, each to their own style...

[Phystus]

Agreed, a good dungeon will pay attention to this. Knowing what the monsters are eating, how they get water, and where their latrine facilities are really is important. It can help define conflicts between the residents (imagine what the goblins would do if the orcs cut off their access to the well, for instance). It can help you do a better job of describing the setting ("it smells like frying mushrooms in here"), and it can help generate mini adventure hooks. For example, those goblins might seek an alliance with the party to wipe out the orcs and regain access to the well.

Knowing what problems and motivations are driving the NPC's will help you do a better job of playing them as something besides just another creature destined to die on the end of someone's sword (even though they often will be just that). And when the NPC's start acting like real creatures with real lives, the players may start to care a little bit more about their surroundings. They will enjoy the game more, and you'll feel better rewarded for the work you put into building the adventure as well.

Just my 2 cp...

~P

[Trenloe]

The megadungeon is cosmically linked to certain individuals, and this is its way of calling out to the adventurers. Give the dungeon a consciousness almost, which would also explain why it houses random collections of monsters and has not been found before. It "feeds on" a certain type of individual.
The Grand Temple of Jing (https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/155303/The-Grande-Temple-of-Jing) does something similar to this (and does it very well). This is a huge complex with a consciousness, reasons/links why people/groups get transported in, other trapped parties, areas where groups of creatures have setup shop to try to make the best of their situation in the dungeon, etc.. This is a massive product (over 500 pages) that can be raided for numerous unique/different ideas.

[leozelig]

The Grand Temple of Jing (https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/155303/The-Grande-Temple-of-Jing) does something similar to this (and does it very well). This is a huge complex with a consciousness, reasons/links why people/groups get transported in, other trapped parties, areas where groups of creatures have setup shop to try to make the best of their situation in the dungeon, etc.. This is a massive product (over 500 pages) that can be raided for numerous unique/different ideas.

Whoa, 60 levels! I see Grimtooth is listed as an author :)

Make sure you put a large red dragon in one of the lower levels in a room not much bigger than the dragon... no, I think that's been done before.

[dberkompas]

I was a GToJ backer, and the book is a thing of beauty. If you've only seen the PDF, you're missing out.