Dungeon Design Principles

 

Dungeon design - 9 principles 

1.     Multiple entrances and exits. At least two obvious and at least two secret ones. Add information to each entrance to the dungeon giving the players clues as to what they might discover in that area. Carvings and glyphs, types of monsters guarding that door, etc. 

2.     Consider the dungeon’s original purpose. Ex. Prison is not a fortress is not a wizard’s tower is not a natural cavern converted into monster space is not a dwarf or kobold delve. Consider shape and materials. Consider the kinds of traps and which way they would face. 

3.     Levels. Each one should have a theme. Some levels will have stairs or other vertical passages within the level. Think of super Mario bros in terms of level theme. These levels also represent a gradation of danger. The higher-numbered levels are more dangerous. These do. It have to be literal stacked vertical levels but you should have different areas of the dungeon where more dangerous ones are farther away from the dungeon entrance than less dangerous ones are.  Give the players some good clue that they are transitioning to the next level. There is a gambling aspect here (risk/reward) that players love - more choices. 

4.     Have physical loops in your dungeon. Looping paths give good guys and bad guys both tactical choices to make. It also gives exploration choices, and grants the players a sense of discovery if they complete a loop that is not obvious. 

5.     Add some verticality. Not just the stairs or a chute, but trap doors and even shafts. Have a tall cavern. Rooms with galleries where PCs can look down or shoot down, and so can enemies. Players enjoy being able to use their rope. They enjoy finding their characters can go up, over obstacles and down again and not just have to push through. 

6.      At least one secret area - an area only accessible through a secret or concealed door. Elves are good at noticing these things. Other characters have a good shot too. There should be clues pointing towards them so an observant player will have a chance to “defeat” you. Hold on the map, gap between evenly spaced doors, breeze blowing candles coming from… nowhere. Dungeons where everything is meant to be discovered doesn’t really feel like discovery. 

7.     Weirdly shaped/filled rooms. Tall, pentagon, water hazards. Pillars, debris, low walls, statues. Analogously, rooms with surfaces of an unusual material or with interesting frescoes, etc. consider different architectural motifs for different areas of the dungeon (levels or inside levels.)

8.     Choke points. Allows a few to battle many (or inferiors to gang up on superiors.) bridges, corridors, low or tight doorways, high ground within a cavern, places with good cover. 

9.     Spying opportunities. Listening at doors. Scrying spells. Portcullis and bars - enemies can communicate but can’t pass. Rooms with echoes that will allow hearing sounds at a great distance. One-way mirrors.