The Moathouse from T1-4 The Temple of Elemental Evil is one of my all-time favourite modules. I think it’s a great example of genius dungeon design and I’ve always wanted to design a similar location.
Continue reading Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands: Design Principles Case Study
The iconic view of a dungeon is of a constructed underground complex stuffed full of monsters and loot. There are other kinds of dungeon, though, ripe for adventure.
Designing a megadungeon is hard. If you don’t get the dungeon’s metaphorical foundations right, you are wasting your time.
A good dungeon forces explorers to interact with its terrain features. Dungeons with nothing but smooth floors, featureless walls and plain ceilings realise only a fraction of their potential.
Musty dungeon corridors set with uneven flagstones whose walls are daubed in goblin graffiti are infinitely more interesting than “a dungeon corridor.”
