year of the

dungeon

2010 october

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. 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

The Wreck of the Lammasu 2 The Risen Dragon 3

Alice 5 Opera House 6

Megadungeon Crossroads 7 Good Fishing 8 Disco Dome 9

Minecraft 10 Nethackery 11

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

The Wreck of the Lammasu

Questions never to ask near the Lighthouse:

• How did the Wreck of the Lammasu get there?

• Who lives in Gondola House?

• What's the lighthouse fore?

• Who is Mute?

• How come the boats stopping at the ice house never pick up ice?

If you ask these questions, the locals are likely to take it very, very ill. But if you find out any of the answers, let me know. I'll pay well to know.

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

The Risen Dragon

Every time that the PCs go back to town without clearing out The Risen Dragon, add one to the countdown: 1: Dwarven prospectors are seen in town. They have a mysterious map, and they're very closed about where they're going, fearful others will tap into the treasure they're after. If someone can win their trust, get a look at their maps, or just listen in on their conversation, they can find out the Dwarves have a map purported to lead to a buried trove of loot. 2: The Dwarves have broken the seal on the Risen Dragon. A few days later, rumors start going around as the Dwarves have missed a regular supply pickup in town. A good tracker could probably find out where the Dwarves were camping and digging, though.

first published at year of the dungeon on 04 october 2010 4

The Risen Dragon (Continued) 3: A minor earthquake shakes the region. A day later, a half-starved and fully insane member of the Dwarven expedition appears in town. He's barely coherent, but magic or persistence might get the story of the terrible things the Dwarves found when they broke in The Risen Dragon. 4: The Harbinger, a powerful sorcerer from foreign lands arrives in town, drawn by the Dragon's call. He's scary, mysterious, and smart. He heads out to the dungeon and sets up shop, intent on bringing the Fallen Dragon to life. Perhaps a smart party can figure out what he's up to, stop him, or even raise the Dragon themselves. 5: Another earthquake, this one heralding the rise of the Fallen Dragon. Whether the Harbinger maintains control of the beast once raised, is up to you.

first published at year of the dungeon on 06 october 2010 5

Alice

first published at year of the dungeon on 08 october 2010 6

Opera House

Summer Schedule for the Opera House of Forgotten Gods Death of a Stranger: the stranger may be you! Clash of the Titans: featuring new Titans every week! Griselda Darkelf and her Confounding Feather Closet And remember, Owlbear baiting every second Friday. Don't forget to tip the Owlbears!

first published at year of the dungeon on 11 october 2010 7

Megadungeon Crossroads

When you spend the night in the Apocalypse Megadungeon, roll 1d8 1. The last monster you left alive spreads the word of your incursion. 2. Rumors spread in the dungeon about you, but they're false or wildly exaggerated. 3. A new monster or group moves into an area you left behind. 4. Something powerful and dangerous picks up your trail and starts following you. 5. Some incidental but identifiable piece of your equipment shows up back in town, along with a very believable rumor of your untimely deaths. 6. There's an earthquake, flood, cave in, or other terrain-altering event. 7. Nothing happens of note at all. 8. Something you've seen, sought, or left behind appears in the wizard's store.

first published at year of the dungeon on 15 october 2010

8

Good Fishing

Fish Caught: Table 1 1. Mackerel 2. Cod (small) 3. Cod (large) 4. Brass Cod: scales worth 1d6x10 gp 5. Boot 6. Special (Roll on Table 2) Table 2 1. Selkie 2. Razor Cod 3. Gigantic Cod 4. Intelligent squid, 50% can grant minor wish, 50% just claims to be able to 5. Catch 1d10 of random roll on table 1 6. Catch random roll on table 1, but attacked by a Peryton

first published at year of the dungeon on 25 october 2010

9

Disco Dome

Desktop Tower Defense is one of my all-time favorite games. I don't have anything particularly cool or profound to say about it. It's just plain fun.

first published at year of the dungeon on 26 october 2010

10

Minecraft

Minecraft. It's worthy of love. It's a thing of beauty. That's why I've had to delete it from my computer and erase every world I've created.

first published at year of the dungeon on 27 october 2010

11

Nethackery

I have been playing Nethack since there was an Internet. I have never beaten it, not even once. I am apparently terrible at this game. I fail and fail and fail again. Yet I keep coming back. My current favorite flavor is the spectacular Stone Soup Dungeon Crawl.

year of the dungeon 2010 october

© 2010 tony dowler