year of the

dungeon

2010 january

compilation

tony © 2010 dowler

“A few months ago, I was at my printer's when I spied a box of 4" x 3" cardstock note pads. "What are those?" "Oh just some leftovers from a print job. Want some?" I took 10 of them, 200 pages in all. Within a few days I picked on up and started sketching a dungeon map on it. Pretty soon I'd done a half dozen. I started drawing more maps and handing them out as presents or business cards. I was having a blast. Fast forward to December. I'd drawn about 60 maps and given away more than half of them. I'd been toying with the idea of starting some kind of blog again, which is when it hit me: a microdungeon blog. This is a blog of maps for dungeon-exploration games in the style of Dungeons & Dragons. I love dungeon maps. I think they're art. But mostly I think they're fun. I've got enough maps to last the next five months, and I'm not even half-way through my paper yet.”

I wrote the above at my blog on January 3rd, 2010. I’ve since had the idea to compile each month’s offerings into a handy pdf. This is the first compilation. I hope that you enjoy and gain as much inspiration from reading and looking at the dungeons within as I have in drawing them. ~ td, 17 february 2010

All contents ©2010 tony dowler

Compilation & Editing The Fantasy Cartographic

contents

Hall of the Water Weird 2 Thelon’s Rift 3

Manse by the Sea 4 The Hell of Doors 5 Snake and Sword 6 The Mad Sculptor 7

The Spelltower of Dremetar 8 Lair of the Possessed Otyugh 9

Under Gavin’s Woods 10 Writer’s Block Dungeon 11

Kobold Perfidy 12 Goblin Back Door 13

Hall of the Crystal Giant 14

first published at year of the dungeon on 01 january 2010 2

Hall of the Water Weird

In the Atlases stored in the Library of Alexom, it’s called “The Valley of Wonders”, but to adventurers, it goes by the common name of “Cavewalk”. Whatever you call it, it’s a gold mine if you’re lucky and a deathtrap if you’re not. No fewer than 28 caves, lairs, and underground ruins dot the 50 league valley system, and while some lead to nothing more than a dusty chamber or a bear’s cave, others conceal considerable treasures or terrible perils from another age. The map you bought at the Inn leads to one such entrance–an old pair of bronze doors noted down on the map by a travelling ranger but not explored. What lies within?

first published at year of the dungeon on 04 january 2010 3

Thelon’s Rift

"Through the cascade and across the Bridge of Death" lies Thelon's Rift, greatest treasure of..." That's all the old fragment reads. Nevertheless, when you throw in the map, it's more than enough to excite a dungeon delver's heart. The map shows the entrance is barely a day's march from Streiveport. As for the nature of the Thelon's Rift and identity of the treasure holder, who knows?

first published at year of the dungeon on 05 january 2010 4

Manse by the Sea

Sir Kond lies in state in the Town Hall and his house, Manse Kond, stands empty for the first time in a century. They say that alive, the Baron treated with monsters, that he poisoned his one true love, and that his wealth is buried in a hidden mine beneath Manse Hill. Then again, perhaps he was just the lonely, bitter man he always appeared. But if so, what was the fate of Lady Kond, and where is his fabulous treasure? The answers surely lie beneath the manse by the sea.

first published at year of the dungeon on 08 january 2010

5

The Hell of Doors

It is said that if you kick in too many doors in the Apocalypse Megadungeon, you will find yourself trapped in the Hell of Doors.

first published at year of the dungeon on 11 january 2010

6

Snake and Sword

What a sight was Terrance the brave, brandishing his Borealis Blade, vanquishing friend and foe alike. But all good things come to an end, and Terrance the Brave subsided into a cranky retirement and downright surly old age. In his final days he invested his considerable stores of loot in creating an underground vault he considered worthy of his genius. There he set the legendary Borealis Blade, until an adventurer worthy of it should claim it from its resting place.

first published at year of the dungeon on 13 january 2010

7

The Mad Sculptor

In the infamous Apocalypse Megadungeon there is a door cast in bronze depicting the fall and incarceration of the goddess Asundra, a master work so fine that more than one scholar has braved the dungeon (with proper escort) just for a look at it. Beyond lays the workshop of the mad sculptor. His genius transcends the boundary twixt art and thaumaturgy, producing effects indistinguishable from magic. Monsters, relics, and unfortunate adventurers have all found themselves unwilling components of his twisted works. What is the mystery behind the mad sculptor?

first published at year of the dungeon on 15 january 2010

8

The Spelltower of Dremetar

As you approach the City State of Dremetar, you can see the Spelltower for miles upon miles. It dominates the view, sparkles in the setting sun. As you draw close to the walls, you may even catch a glimpse of a moving figure behind the great arched windows at the summit. But ask any inhabitant about the Spelltower, and you will rarely receive more than a grunt in reply. Point it out to them, and they will only look at quizzically before glancing away and changing the subject. Is there some enchantment upon the city, that makes its inhabitants ignore its most prominent landmark, or does the tower have some other secret that the people are loathe to dwell upon?

first published at year of the dungeon on 18 january 2010

9

Lair of the Possessed Otyugh

Back at the tavern, it sounded pretty tame; even a little bit ridiculous–a possessed otyugh? But down here in the dark, with its ravenous bellowing shaking the flagstones even at this distance, with the palpable stench of death sapping our limbs of strength, with those bleached-looking ghoul acolytes gathering themselves for another charge, you’re starting to wonder if you really ever should have entered the Lair of the Possessed Otyugh!

first published at year of the dungeon on 20 january 2010

10

Under Gavin’s Woods

The fishing town of Gavin’s woods has been plagued by a determined band of Goblin highwaymen. Now, in a daring raid on the Old Trunk Road, they have captured the Baronesses sapphire torc. The constabulary has tracked the robbers to a hidden dungeon entrance under a boulder in the woods. Dungeon delving being no business of theirs, they’ve hired a likely bunch to recover the torc, with a nice cash reward offered.

first published at year of the dungeon on 22 january 2010

11

Writer’s Block Dungeon

Keep on writing!

first published at year of the dungeon on 25 january 2010

12

Kobold Perfidy

In the south end of the Wildwoods, where the thick oak woods turn into steamy marsh, the usual run of goblins, ogres, and bandits give way to a particularly feral breed of kobold. It's easy to underestimate these blighters because of their size, but don't be tempted. They have a fierce cunning and attack without fear when they have the advantage numbers. You will find their lairs on rocky islands in the swampiest areas. Their dwellings are surprisingly sophisticated and built to a human scale. No doubt they were once the homes of some other people, but their names are lost to history.

(This was an experimental dungeon to see if I could get the "old school blue" look using blue pens. I kind of like the effect, but not as much as my black-and-white dungeons.)

first published at year of the dungeon on 27 january 2010

13

The Goblin Back Door

“There’s always a back door. If there was an adventurer’s handbook, that should be page one.” That’s what old one-eye taught me, and I’ve made it the foundation of my career. And they can call me “back-door Durnick” all they want when I cash in my horde and retire to a sweet little stronghold on the Centaur Coast. I just need one more haul. I’ve got the map ready and everything. Just remember the back door basics: the toughest monster’s the first, the treasure comes before the trap, the watchers before the door. Okay, let’s go.

first published at year of the dungeon on 29 january 2010

14

Hall of the Crystal Giant

The Taxonomies describe the crystal giant as an edge-case hybrid stone giant with exaggerated igneous facets, but this description is inadequate. The crystal giants are a race of ancient and distinguished pedigree. And if they are rarely encountered by mortals of the ordinary sort, it's because they prefer to live in their crystalline cities beyond the plane of fire. A few, however, being of a solitary bent, may be found living in astral geodes, pocket Earth dimensions, and even large crystal deposits on the primary planes. Their disposition is not specifically evil, however, they are surprisingly quick to take offence, measuring the behavior of all races by their own skewed set of laws. The home of a crystal giant is very perilous, yet even a poor outcast is likely to have a cache of gems, often of enormous size.

year of the dungeon 2010 january

© 2010 tony dowler