Dungeons
Ruins are engines of pressure. Start with the short loop below, then pull deeper design tools as needed.
At-a-Glance
- Use Dungeon Checklist to verify table usability fast.
- Build compact sites with Five-Room Dungeon and expand with Xandering the Dungeon.
- Generate quickly with Die-Drop Dungeon Generation.
- Keep revisit value alive via Dungeon Revisit and Restocking Pressure Loop.
- Make traps fair-but-sharp using Information-Choice-Impact Trap Doctrine.
Play Mode Routes
Solo Route
- Build compact loops with one obvious exit and one uncertain shortcut.
- Keep pressure visible via light, noise, or pursuit clocks.
- Prioritize extraction decisions over full-floor clears.
Duet Route
- Anchor each delve to one personal stake and one opposing force.
- Keep room choices short and high consequence.
- Ensure each obstacle offers a non-combat bypass.
Table Route (Party)
- Use mixed room types to rotate spotlight between player roles.
- Keep mapping calls and caller decisions explicit.
- Escalate pressure through faction response and depletion, not only damage.
Player Quick Rules (Dungeon Turns)
- Declare marching order, light sources, and fallback route before entering.
- Assume each exploration turn costs time and carries encounter risk.
- Probe unknown elements before committing body weight or resources.
- Track extraction condition: what must you leave with to call this run a win.
Referee Procedure Loop (Dungeon Turn)
- Present local geometry, clues, and immediate pressure.
- Resolve declared actions and checks.
- Advance turn clock, light, and noise.
- Roll/check encounter or hazard response.
- Update map state (doors, depletion, alarms, collapses).
- Offer next concrete decision with visible stakes.
Use Dungeon Adventuring OSE SRD for default cadence.
Sci-Fantasy Room Pressure Table (d8)
| d8 | Current pressure |
|---|---|
| 1 | Reactor pulse: metallic gear heats up each turn. |
| 2 | Spore haze: torches dim, optics bloom, sensors lie. |
| 3 | Security lattice reactivates one corridor section. |
| 4 | Flooded chamber exposes old wiring and live current. |
| 5 | Relic priest-machine demands identity token. |
| 6 | Local scavengers are currently stripping this level. |
| 7 | Gravity inversion cycle starts in 2 turns. |
| 8 | Structural tremor opens shortcut and seals retreat path. |
One-Click Deep Dives
Design and Structure
- Compact Dungeon Design Toolkit
- Six Dungeon Ideas
- B1: In Search of the Unknown
- B2: Keep on the Borderlands
Generators and Stocking
- Traversal-Triggered Dungeon Generation
- Die-Drop Dungeon Procedure Sheet
- Simple Die-Drop Dungeon
- Megagonzo Monster Generator
- Salvage Extraction and Exfiltration Procedure