I like dungeon generators. I think they are great if you want to have some fun and, at the same time, do not spend too much time preparing in advance mega-dungeons and other stuff.
This article is an introduction to others. Just to share some ideas about technics to make dungeon generators.
If you want to have a better idea have a look at the preview of the Dungeon Crawl Generator – Catacomb.
That means employing tables and dices, and have the characters explore a subterranean location, while the Game Master may have fun (much more fun than the average), rolling some dices and placing tiles, rooms and monsters.
After all, many cool people out there have made amazing work with 3D printed tiles!
I have seen them on kickstarter also. I bet that many of you have bought some of these tiles. Let’s add even more value to these pieces of art.
So, dungeon crawling is something we have to experiment, but it is even better if we can enjoy this game style with modern resources.
A dungeon generator is a tool the Game Master employs when he wants the players to explore a new site, without any previous preparation.
The Game Master doesn’t know what lies beyond the next corner, because the dices will tell him what is there.
Dungeon crawl is dangerous however, and mortality rates among the characters maybe high, or at least higher than normal.
However, not all dungeons are the same.
What dungeons have in common is that they are placed underground.
However, an abandoned mine is not like a catacomb, or a necropolis, or an ancient stronghold occupied by foul humanoids like orcs, goblins, kobolds and the like.
A dungeon may possess its own flavor. A dungeon can be thematic.
The Elements of a Dungeon
Dungeons all have something in common.
Corridors, rooms, wandering monsters and treasures.
A dungeon generator must contain at least a method to employ three of these four elements: corridors, rooms and wandering monsters.
We are not excluding treasures of course, but the purpose of a dungeon generator is not providing a random treasure generator. The purpose of a dungeon generator is providing quick to use tools to generate a dungeon and, eventually, provide some hints of what treasures can be found inside.
About Corridors (width, length, end and traits)
Corridor’s width, length, end and trait represent the four variables that make a corridor.
A corridor is composed of sections, and every section should represent the base movement rate of a character in a round, that is 6 squares, with every square measuring 5 feet/1.5 meters.
Corridors have traits, that includes doors, wandering monsters or other stuff.
About Rooms
We will include different types of rooms, accordingly to the type of dungeon.
DUNGEON’s THEME
You can call it typology, category or whatever. As we said, dungeons are not all the same.
CATACOMB
This kind of dungeon is about undead, necromancy, tombs, graveyards, coffins, mausoleum and all that stuff related to dead and undead. Insects and the like follow, and all those creature that prosper where rotten flesh is abundant.
UNDERGROUND CAVES
These kind of dungeons are the most common. They are mostly natural formations and sometimes intelligent and semi-intelligent humanoids call these places home. However, all sort of creatures may inhabit the depth of the world, and the deeper you explore the nastier they become. Aberrations are just an example; dark elves, duergars are classical humanoids that can be found underground.
ABANDONED MINE
Once a mine ceases to yield precious ore, the tunnels remain there and no one care. Creatures employ the mines as shelter or to establish their lairs. Almost anything can be encountered inside these reclusive places.
About Content
We may state that a dungeon theme determines the general content of the dungeon itself.
Thus, we assume that the rooms found inside a catacomb, are not the same of those found in an underground cave or an abandoned mine.
The same we said about wandering monsters; the ecology of a mine is not the same ecology of a cave.
So, we’ll keep this in mind while making the dungeon generator. We may employ the same criteria to roll the corridors and their traits eventually, but we will not employ the same criteria to roll the rooms.
It is highly probable to find a crypt inside a catacomb, however we cannot say the same for a cave; the last one probably contains a spider nest or an ant colony…who knows.
With these principles in mind, we can now proceed to build a dungeon generator.
Dungeon Crawl Generator – Catacomb
Dungeon Crawl Generator – Cave
Dungeon Crawl Generator – Mine