Dungeon Design Part 1

 Our intrepid party entered the dungeon.

Jarsala, the Wood-elf warrior, took the lead.  She held her longbow at the ready, her keen eyes easily piercing the darkness.  Following close behind were her companions; Klk, a bird-like Aarakocra and student of lethal martial arts; Azeria, a shape-shifting Changeling and agent of the Count who had sent them on this quest; Bildorf, a man with great skills of magical and mechanical artifice, and Ser Dunstan, a Paladin sworn to the druids of the Oaken Circle.

As they descended slime-slick stairs, they all strained their senses for the slightest hint of danger.  The Shrine of Anaximander was built by a famously cunning Wizard, and was infamous for the cunning traps it housed.  Yet it was likely from this ancient prison that their common foe, Sithidis the Conqueror Worm had escaped.  If any evidence remained that would help them against their adversary, they would find it.

A faint glow lit the chamber at the bottom of the stairway, and the companions moved into a long, wide hall.  Almost every surface was covered with Sithidis' rot, perhaps a petty vengeance against the prison that had held it so long, or perhaps an unavoidable side-effect of its passing.  One wall, however, was clear of the slime.  Opposite the entrance, a grand mural occupied the entire surface from floor to ceiling. Standing centrally was a figure of a wizard, with robe and staff and pointed hat.  Surrounding him were all manner of conquered beasts and brave companions, a testament to many long years spent adventuring.

Two other doors led out of the chamber. 

Klk fidgeted, nervous in underground places where his wings couldn't carry him to safety. He was eager to find something to hit, and take his energy out on.  "Which door?" he asked his friends.

Before any could answer, Azeria--curently in the form of a middle aged nobleman-- spoke up.

"Jarsala, you have a wand that detects magic, what does it tell you about this wall?" They gestured thoughtfully towards the mural.

Jarsala drew out the wand, and pointed it towards the wall, then blinked in surprise. "Its detecting very strong illusion magic!" 

Bildorf approached and tapped the wall with his cane.  The head passed straight through without making a sound.  He tapped forward along the ground as well, and nodded to himself when he felt solid floor on the other side.  He shrugged at the others, and stepped through, vanishing from sight.

As the others followed, Klk asked again, "Shouldn't we check the other doors?"

"If this place is full of traps, we'd be better off avoiding them," Azeria responded, "Besides, I have a feeling this is the way we want to go."

Beyond the illusory wall, the hallway continued a short distance, ending in another door.  Now Ser Dunstan pressed forward, his halberd held close for fighting in the tight confines of the passage, should any foe approach.  He halted almost immediately, the others piling close behind him.

Blocking the entire passage was a huge armored figure, standing nearly fifteen feet tall and holding an enormous greatsword, point downwards. 

"NONE SHALL PASS!" Its voice boomed.

As Ser Dunstan raised his weapon and Jarsala drew an arrow, Azeria hissed, "The wand!  It might be another illusion!"

"That sword looks real enough to me," Dunstan growled, as the armored figure began to move, pivoting its blade into a fighting stance. But Jarsala shook her head.

"Zerry's right!  Its another illusion!" She stepped forward cautiously, and flinched as the massive sword swung down--and passed harmlessly through her.  She pressed forward and walked through the armored figure altogether.

"Damned illusions..." Muttered Dunstan.

Beyond the phantom guardian, the passage opened into a large chamber.  The ceiling vaulted high overhead, and the companions stood upon a balcony. Across the room, just below the balcony stretched a sea of roiling purple fog, and a grand door stood upon another balcony, some fifty feet away.  At interval throughout the fog, broad pillars protruded.

Klk crowed in satisfaction, spread his wings, and soared directly to the opposite balcony.

Jarsala, watching her winged friend with some envy, gauged the distance, then leapt toward the nearest pillar. But her feet never touched it. Instead she found herself plunging directly through it! Suddenly falling below the fog, towards a floor--now visibly cover in spikes-- sixty feet below!

Luckily, Klk had been watching.  When Jarsala vanished, he took to the air again and dove towards her, pumping his wings to drive himself downward.  He caught the tumbling elf, but then strained and sank lower, his light-boned frame not able to keep them both aloft!

A rope snaked downwards out of the fog, and swinging her weight, Jarsala grasped it, and was quickly hauled back up. The group stood for a moment, gathering themselves after such a close brush with death.  "Thank you, Klk," Jarsala murmured.

"Let's remember to stay cautious!" urged Azeria, "Who would expect, after the first illusion, and the second one that there would be a third!" Their tone was mixed between sarcasm and relief.

Alas, this time the wand could not help.  The fog that saturated the room prevented the wand from detecting which pillars were real and which were false, but Klk quickly discovered them by flying across them with his staff. Once the path was clear, it was a simple mater for all to leap across.

Azeria studied the door.  They gingerly tested the handles, but nothing moved.

"Stand aside, aye?" said Bildorf, pulling out a finely crafted locksmith's kit.  He peered into the large keyhole, and frowned as he saw raw stone flush against the other side.  After a few moments prodding, he exclaimed, "This door's a fake!  We've been had!"

"Where else can we go?" asked Ser Dustan, "Back to the other corridors at the beginning?"

"No, that feels wrong," said Azeria, "Try searching the wall, see if there are any other illusions or hidden doors here."

But their search availed nothing.  The back wall of the chamber seemed to be solid stone.  Klk flew about the chamber in frustration... then summersaulted in the air, crowing as he dove back beneath the fog.  A moment later he emerged again.

"I almost forgot I saw it!" He crowed again, "There's a walkway below the fog, around the edge of the room!  I caught a glimpse of it while I was catching Jarsala!  There's a ladder just below the first balcony, on the left side."

Reluctantly, the company made their way back across the pillars, and found the ladder and the walkway just as Klk described.  It ran narrowly almost all the way around the chamber, and ended in a simple door.  This one opened easily into a spiral stairway, heading downward.

"Well, are we ready for more?" Azeria asked.

* * *

The above is a narrative accounting of part of my last session!  When the group finishes the second level, I'll share that as well as my note on designing this particular dungeon, which was lots of fun!

It was very gratifying to watch my players tackle these problems.  They breezed through the initial challenges, only to nearly stumble at the next one!  Only some very good rolls from Klk and Jarsala saved them from an unfortunate fate!