Quick Dungeon Generator

     I've been running games for almost two years now, but I still consider myself a Rookie Game Master. I've never been an actual player in DnD (or any other TTRPG) under the tutelage of a GM extrordinaire. Everything I know has been self taught from watching youtube channels, listening to game podcasts, and scouring the internet for blogs, tips, and general advice.

     The next couple of posts will be for other Rookie GMs/DMs out there; if you are anything like me, you spent a majority of your time stressed, with no idea where to start prepping or how to homebrew material for your session. So you turned to premade modules for guidance, but found the length and plethora of information material overwhelming.

     So I decided to put something together in a simple, easy to use, and comprehensive format to help ease the stress for fellow Rookie GMs, and to give you an idea of where to begin your prep. With lists of elements ready to go, you should be able to just roll a few d20s, and be ready to run a session in a half hour of prep.

     I still use these generators to help me plan and stay focused, using them as a foundation, and over time I adjust and evolve ideas.

     The first generator I'll post is for Quick Dungeons. The goal was to have a dungeon ready to play in just a few minutes, complete with a rough idea, inhabitants, and be stocked with treasure, contents, and traps.

     My Quick Dungeon Generator includes:

1. Dungeon Type (mine, ruin, sewer, tomb, etc)
2. Dungeon Entrance
3. Factions (monster type and specific creatures of that type)
4. Faction Motifs/MacGuffins
5. Dungeon Threats/Timers (optional to give players an impetus to accomplish their goal)
6. Treasures (magic weapons, valuable items, etc)
7. General Loot (rope, crowbar, etc)
8. Scrolls, Potions, and Wands
9. Special Rooms/encounters/hazards
10. Traps/Tricks (a list of ready-to-place traps, and a list of general ideas to brainstorm your own)
11. Empty Room Contents
12. Terrain Pieces
13. Battle Complications

Download PDF here!

Download Excel sheets here!

Let's use this generator to create a quick dungeon together!

O) Map
     If you don't want to draw your own dungeon map, find one online (Dyson has a plethora to choose from, and Donjon has a very simple generator). Your dungeon doesn't have to be a huge sprawling megaplex. 8-10 total rooms is sufficient for starters.

We'll use this one from Donjon

I) Dungeon Type
     Onto the first first step: decide what type of dungeon this is. Is it a Mine, a sunken city, or a Mad Wizard's Playground?
     I rolled a 15 - Thief Guild.

II) What is the secret entrance?
     I rolled a 6 - Mouth of a dark cave.

III) What factions/creatures are found here?
     Well if it's a Thief Guild, then obviously there are thieves...but let's think outside the box. I rolled twice on the Faction/Creature chart, you can roll as many times as you'd like.
     I got Fey and Lycanthrope. Hmm... Maybe it isn't a thief guild for masked cut-throats and black market dealers (which is what I immediately assumed too). Maybe the "thief guild" is actually a group of mischievous faeries stealing from a village. Let's keep generating ideas and see what we come up with.

IV and V) For a "dungeon goal" I like to use this phrase:
[Faction/Creatures] [does verb] to [Motif/MacGuffin] but is opposed by [Faction/Creatures].
     What does that mean? Well, roll for a verb - I got Explores. Then roll for a Motif/MacGuffin - I got Rare Magic.
     Let's put all our rolls into the phrase:
[Faeries] [Explores] [Rare Magic] but is opposed by [Lycanthropes].
     Are the Faeries trying to uncover the secret magical ritual that turns men into Werewolves? Not a bad idea. But I do like our original idea of the Faeries being a "thief guild," so let's keep that. Always feel free to reroll anything on the chart if you aren't inspired by the result!
     We'll say our thieving Faeries aren't just trying to explore/uncover the magic used by the Lycans - they want to take it. (For good intentions or malevolent? Decisions, decisions.)

Sidestep!) Wandering Monsters
     While we have dungeon factions on our mind, let’s throw together a simple Wandering Monster Chart. I like to come up with 5 creatures that could inhabit my dungeon.
     We’ve already rolled Fey and Lycanthrope, so let’s use Faeries and Werewolves. If it’s a cave, we need some cavern critters: How about dire rats, and a grey ooze. And I always assumed Faeries like plants, so let’s top it off with some Plant Elementals (maybe there’s a luscious grotto hidden in the back of the cave?).
     There are countless ways to put it all into a Wandering Monster Chart, but for simplicity’s sake, we’ll just maybe it a d6 roll.
1: 2d4 Dire Rats. 2: Grey Ooze. 3: Plant Elemental. 4: 1d6 Werewolves. 5-6: 1d4+1 Faeries.

VI) (Optional) Threat or Timer.
     If you want your players to feel a sense of urgency to clear the dungeon or accomplish its goal as soon as possible, consider a Timer.
     I rolled a 1 - Return of Apex creature. Maybe the Faerie leader is returning to their cave guild in 2d6 turns...

VII) Room Stocking
     Now onto the dungeon rooms themselves. Room stocking procedures are pretty standard for OSR. Roll a d6 for each individual room. The result will indicate whether that room will have a monster, trap, or "special" encounter within it, or if it will be empty. Also roll another d6 for treasure in the room as well.
     As you continue using the generator for the contents of the rooms, you can either roll these going room by room, or roll for the entire dungeon contents and divvy it out as you see fit later on. I’ll do it room by room with you.

Stocking procedures let you know what each room contains.

VIII) Roll for treasure!
     If there is treasure, decide whether you want it to be unique items (worth a nice chunk of silver, or magical weapons, etc), scrolls/potions/wands, or just general loot. Roll on the d20 charts for each category as many times as you like.
     For Room 1, I rolled an ornate carved pipe (worth 100sp), and a Scroll of Protection from the Unholy.
     For Room 5, I rolled a Bonecrusher Mace +1/+2 vs Undead; and a giant red egg.
    For Room 7, I rolled a crystal bowl (worth 200sp) and a spool of ribbon.
     Treasure tables are easy to put together, and I recommend you keep a running list of interesting item ideas you find in movies, books, video games, etc. Throw a handful of them onto a table and reuse again and again for the rest of your DMing career!

IX) Traps/Tricks
     If the stocking procedure indicated a trap, roll on the traps/tricks table. A trap isn't necessarily a swinging blade that deals 4d6 damage; they can also be one way doors, trap doors that dump players into subterranean lakes, or alarms that let all inhabitants in the dungeon know where you are. I've included a category of ready-made traps/tricks to choose from, and another category for Trap/Trick General Ideas to brainstorm your own.
     For Room 1, I rolled: a bricked up door (forces the party to take an alternate route – maybe roll twice for a Wandering Monster in the alternate passage).
     For Room 4, I rolled: something traps player within a Gem. A giant emerald is surely enticing to snatch from the cavern wall…but if the player’s look closely they will see a humanoid figure swirling within it…

X) Special Rooms
     These can contain traps/tricks as well, but I prefer to use them as interesting encounters or hazards. These can be beneficial or harmful. For example, maybe there is a magic fountain that heals whoever drinks from it; or, there is a magic pedestal can transmute iron into silver; or the floor is lava and the party must figure out a way across. Special Rooms should give the players something to interact with and give them the opportunity for choices.
     For Room 9, I rolled twice: an Item produces positive effect the first time and negative effect afterwards, and something that Heals. Perhaps there are magic flowers that grow in the Faerie’s garden. If eaten the first time, it heals 1d6 HP like a potion of healing; but if a player ingests more than one flower, it causes vivid hallucinations.

XI) Empty Rooms
     These are not just empty 10x10 stone walls. Use them to add flavor to your dungeon. Perhaps it is a sleeping chamber, has murals of the long forgotten Elven king painted on the walls, or is covered in webs to give a hint of what monsters lurk in the next room...
     For Room 2, I rolled: scorch marks caused by magic damage. This works perfectly, as Room 2 is located by an entrance “stairwell” to the cave, and sets the tone for the rest of the dungeon, alerting the players that Faeries possess dangerous magical abilities.
     For Room 6, I rolled: food supplies. Simple enough, Faeries gotta eat too. There are enough grub worms and herbal-nectar-milkshakes to scavenge one day’s rations for a single person.

XII) Terrain Pieces
     I've made a short list of terrain pieces to add more pizzazz to your rooms, if you need a quick idea for a centerpiece feature.
     Let’s just roll one for Room 3 since it’s the largest chamber in the dungeon.
     I rolled: Trees/plants. Well Room 3 is near our Faerie garden with the healing hallucination flowers. It would make sense that the entire nearby area is covered in trees and plants too. It just so happens we also rolled a monster encounter for Room 3, giving us a perfect opportunity to showcase a Plant Elemental acting as a guardian. Sometimes the dice love it when a plan comes together too.

XIII) Battle Complications
     And finally, if you want to set a battle apart from the other skirmishes in the dungeon, consider using the battle complication chart.
     We still need to decide what monster is in Room 8, so let’s make it interesting while we’re at it.
     I rolled: insect swarms. Perhaps there are large hornet nests in the corners of the ceiling. If disturbed, the hornets will swarm on EVERYBODY in the room, PCs and enemies alike. This will disrupt magic casters and throw another variable into the battle that the players will have to decide how to overcome. Same goes for the DM - how will this affect your monsters' tactics?
     For the actual monster encounter in Room 8, let’s throw in a werewolf scout searching for their stolen MacGuffin.
     In Rooms 5 and 7, let’s have some Faeries hang out.

Everything put together!

     And done! In about 20 minutes I came up with a rough idea for this dungeon – who inhabits it, and what are they doing? Added a couple treasures, a couple traps or interesting encounters, and a dedicated “boss battle” if you want to call the Plant Elemental that.

     Is this an award-winning dungeon? Absolutely not! But it was quick, simple, and built a foundation for me to improve upon. If I only had half an hour to prep before my players arrived for a session of DnD, I could definitely run this dungeon (of course, with a lot of improvisation – which is a good thing for DM/GMs to practice!). If I had a week to prepare, I could definitely transform this into a bigger and more detailed dungeon. But for now, I have a structured foundation of ideas.

     I hope this Quick Dungeon Generator helps Rookie GMs feel less overwhelmed by the process of creating a dungeon. For more experienced GMs, this makes for great practice; use a few rolls and let your imagination run wild!

     Please let me know what dungeons y’all come up with!

     And stay tuned, my next posts will include Village Generators and Wilderness Encounter Generators!

Mana Dice - Magic System

Mana Dice - Magic System

     While there is nothing inherently wrong with standard DnD (Vancian-style) magic, I am personally not a fan of spell slots, spells memorized, and spell levels. My goal was to streamline magic by removing those elements and replacing them with a visual mechanic to represent just how much energy a caster has to cast spells.

     Thus, my system’s magic is based on Mana Dice.

• Magic Users have a Mana Die, starting at d6. This increases to a d8 at Level 4, a d10 at Level 7, and a d12 at Level 10 (see my Character Sheet post, under the Magic User class).
• This Mana Die is rolled each time they cast a spell; on a roll of 1-2, their Mana Dice is drained (lowered) by one step (i.e. d12 -> d10 -> d8, etc) until depleted.
• Some spells can be “powered up” by increasing the chance of Mana Drain by one point (from 1-2 to 1-3, etc).
• There are no spell levels, some are just better than others. There are also no spell slots; you may continue casting as many times as possible until you run out of Mana.

Download printable PDF version HERE! (available in color and greyscale)

Download original Excel file for editing HERE!

(I imagine he's powering up this spell by a couple damage die...)

     My goal was to keep all spells as simple as possible. In my experience, players seem daunted of playing Magic Users because spell guides are too dense with long descriptions. Hopefully I’ve made it so just by reading the name, you should know exactly what it does; also, I wanted to keep the spell description short, sweet, and to the point.
     Spells are categorized into the standard DnD “schools,” but there is definitely a lot of overlap. Many spells could be placed in multiple schools.
     When creating a first-level MU, I recommend choosing a school and still rolling randomly for your starting spells. If a player has a certain type of MU in mind, it’s easy to sort out a character-specific spell list to roll from.
   
     This magic system needs more play-testing, but so far has worked pretty well for us. Feel free to try out this system for your own games! If you do, please let me know how it goes and what changes you make!

My Character Sheets

     As a follow up to my homebrew rules, here are the Character Sheets I made for my games. It contains any info a player would need to easily/quickly reference during character creation or game play.
     Nothing too fancy, but it is easily edited with Excel. Feel free to download and use as a skeleton foundation for your own sheets!

Download printable PDF version HERE!

Download original Excel workbook HERE!

• Character Sheet - Note that some cells have the red flag for a comment bubble that contains additional information. 
• Weapons, Spells/Special Abilities, and Henchmen Sheet
• Personal and Mount Inventory Sheets
• Plus a Combat Options checklist that is easy to cross reference from round to round

I've also included

• Class sheets for Fighter, Specialist, and Magic User - including Saving Throws, Attack Bonuses, XP requirements, etc. 
• Multi-class and Hybrid-class rules
• Starting Inventory and basic Equipment Shopping List

Hopefully this will be of use to you as well! 

Stay tuned, my next post will be a detailed look at the Mana Dice spell system and spell list.

House-rules from my OSR homebrew

     My TTRPG experience began with DnD 5e and I enjoyed it for about a year. However, it was too complex for my taste; combat took an hour (or longer) and involved too much math; I personally found it time-consuming to prep before sessions, and difficult to wing on the fly during sessions; and I kept noticing that myself and players felt restrained by the rules and a system of “class builds.” While the ideas were fun, I wanted something more free form, relaxed, open to imagination, and thankfully found this in the OSR.

   Nowadays, I play a homebrewed Frankenstein system mostly based on LotFP, with tidbits from BFRPG, LL, OD&D, AD&D, inspiration from various other OSR bloggers, and my own ideas for good measure. These systems are all pretty much compatible and follow the same basic rules, but here is a list of my house rules that differ from others.

   Some systems are simpler, but I think mine is a good balance between simplicity and options. It also helps having a Character Sheet with all the info and adjustments at a player’s fingertips for easy reference. In a future post I’ll attach the Character Sheet I use.

 

     But for now, my house rules:

• Ascending Armor Class.
• LoTFP Encumbrance rules.
• Silver standard, 1 SP = 1XP.
• Experience points also awarded for defeating enemies, completing quests, and exploring the world.
• In the past I’ve ran games with all the 5e races ported over to be more OSR-like. Most recently ran with Humans only. Next campaign I’ll probably allow the common fantasy races, but fluff only, no mechanical differences. 

Saving Throws
     Original 5, but named Doom, Mobility, Area Effect, Device, and Magic. The names aren’t as sexy as Death, Paralyze, or Dragon Breath, but players seem to grasp them better.

     I’ve also adjusted Saving Throw numbers to make a little more sense to myself and players: base number is 14, good save is 12, bad save is 16. Each class has at least one good save and one bad save. Specialists have the best saves of all. Saving Throw numbers are lowered as you level up. Saves at level one are:

                  Doom / Mobility / Area / Device / Magic

Fighter        12            14           14          14         16

Specialist    14            12           12          12         14

Mage           14           16           12          14         12

   

     I should note that I don't like the "one save or die" aspect of some old school games. For things like petrification that are deadly, I give two chances. For example, if you fail the first Doom Save, you feel your legs freeze in place as you begin turning to stone, you can not take any further action this round. Next round, make a second Doom Save. Succeed and you are immobilized, but not dead. Fail, and you are completely turned to stone.

Ability Scores

• 3d6 down the line, swap one score with another. If total modifiers add up to be below zero, start over and reroll all.
• Ability Checks are usually a d20, roll at or under your ability score. Occasionally an Ability Check is a d20+Modifier versus a set Difficult Class (DC).
• At level up, choose two Ability scores. Roll a d20. If you roll higher than your current score, then it is increased by 1 point.
• STRENGTH – modifier added to melee attacks; Fighters add modifier to melee damage.
• DEXTERITY– modifier added to Armor Class (AC) and to ranged attacks; Fighters add modifier to ranged damage.
• CONSTITUTION – modifier added to Flesh and Grit points (more on that later).
• INTELLIGENCE – also called Knowledge; modifier added to number of Skill Points gained, and added to number of starting spells known for MU’s. Knowledge checks are used to gain information during play.
• WISDOM (Renamed WILL) – measures a character’s inner willpower and “sixth sense”; modifier added to all Saving Throw rolls.
• CHARISMA – modifier added to Reaction checks and Loyalty scores of henchmen and companions. 

Classes
     Core classes are Fighter, Specialist, and Magic-User (Mage).
     Cleric spells are combined with MU spells.
     I feel any “archetype” can be accomplished with these three and some imagination, possibly with some Multi-classing. If you wish to play your typical “armor and mace-wielding undead-killing cleric,” then you can be a multi-classed F/MU (more on multi-classes later).

     Fighters gain a point to their Attack Bonus (AB) every level, and gain a +1 to damage at certain levels; Fighters are also the only class to add their STR/DEX Mods to damage. Specialists gain a point of AB every three levels, and MU’s gain a point of AB every four levels.

     Fighters and MU’s begin with 1+INT Modifier Skill Points, and gain 1 Skill Point every three levels. Specialists begin with 4+INT Mod Skill Points and gain two more every level.

     This keeps the class niches of LotFP, but still allows some overlap between classes. Fighters are still the best at fighting and dealing damage, Specialists are skill monkeys and survivors thanks to good Saving Throws, and MU’s can obviously cast magic.

New Skills:

• Arcana – MU’s begin with 2 Skill Points invested in this (does not count towards their starting Skill Points). Arcana checks are used to identify magical items and interact with magical objects. Fighters and Specialists may also cast spells from scrolls by passing an Arcana check; if the check is failed, there is a 1/6 chance the scroll is wasted and backfires; otherwise, nothing happens.
• Inspire – essentially a “Bard Song.” On a successful roll, the party gains a bonus equal to the number rolled on the dice; this bonus can be added to their Attack Bonus, Saving Throws, or Morale checks. Alternatively, this can be used to enforce a penalty against enemies in the same manner.
  (Idea inspired by Sword and Scoundrel [1].)
• Medicine – Used to stabilize fallen allies, properly address lingering wounds, and increase the amount of healing received upon rest.
  (Pretty much taken wholesale from Cavegirl [2].)
• Faith – Skill Points are not invested in this. They are rewarded by the DM for good roleplaying. At any time, a player may make a Faith check to apply a bonus to a d20 roll, to beg for divine intervention from their gods, or to perform a spell or ability they typically couldn’t. This is to be negotiated with the DM. Once the check is made, the score resets to 0/6 skill points, regardless of success or failure. 

Combat
     All attacks deal d6 damage, regardless of weapon or player class. However, the type of damage (bludgeoning, piercing, slashing) is considered, as some enemies are resistant to certain damage types.

     Two handed weapons such as Greatswords or Polearms deal damage by rolling 2d6 and keeping the higher dice, discard the lower.

     Some rolls are made with Advantage/Disadvantage from 5e: roll 2d20s, keep the highest or lowest. Other rolls receive smaller bonuses/penalties of 1 or 2 points. This depends on the situation and can vary from round to round depending on position, assistance, etc. There aren’t really any set rules for this, but it is up to DM interpretation.

     My base AC is 11 for no armor, Light Armor 13, Medium Armor 15, Heavy Armor 17.
     Dexterity modifiers applied to Base or Light. Dex Mod only applied to Medium armor if your STR score is 15+, and Dex Mod is only applied to Heavy armor if your STR score is 17+.
     I do this because Heavy Armor (plate) is very rare and expensive in my setting, so YMMV.

Combat Options

• Aggressive Stance – player has Advantage on the attack / enemies also have Advantage on their attack.
• Defensive Stance – Enemies have Disadvantage on attacks against the Defender / Defending player also has Disadvantage on their attack.
• Disarm, Trip, Push back, Grapple, Stun, etc – On a successful attack, instead of dealing damage, Enemy makes Mobility Saving Throw with a penalty equal to your BASE AB + STR/DEX Modifier.
• Single Weapon (nothing in Off-hand, or a Torch) +2 to AB.
• Dual Wielding Weapons +1 AB and +1 AC.
• Shields +2 AC (+3 vs ranged attacks).
• Great weapons 2d6 damage keep higher. 

Flesh/Grit
     Flesh is your actual number of “Health” points.
     Grit is your stamina and ability to not get hit.
     Once you run out of Grit, damage goes to Flesh. Critical Hits (nat20s) and Surprise Attacks go straight to Flesh.
     Flesh maxes out at your full HD size + (Con Mod per level).
     Flesh is regained by 1 point per night of rest (2 if resting in the safety of town). Grit is regained by one HD roll per Turn of rest.

     I’m soft on my players and allow them to begin at level one with their full HD size + CON Mod in Flesh, and allow them to roll one HD die worth of Grit. At each level up, they gain 1+CON mod in Flesh (minimum of Zero), and roll another HD die worth of Grit. CON Mods are also added to Grit.

     (Flesh and Grit is also taken pretty much wholesale from Cavegirl [3].)
     I also use Cavegirl’s Horrible Wounds as my Death/Dismemberment table [4].


Fatigue and Exhaustion
     During prolonged strenuous activity (marches for days on end, being severely-encumbered, etc) a player can be asked to make a Constitution check. If two Constitution checks are failed in a one-day period, they suffer one point of exhaustion, increasing from Fresh, Lightly Fatigued, Heavily Fatigued, and Exhausted.
     A good night’s rest removes one level of Fatigue.

• Lightly Fatigued causes a -2 penalty to Attacks, Saves, Ability Checks; -1 penalty to all Skill checks; and increases chance of Mana Drain to 1-3.
• Heavily Fatigued increases these penalties to -4 / -2 / 1-4; also cuts your Grit max in half; and cuts movement speed in half.
• Exhausted further increases these penalties to -6 / -3 / 1-5; removes all Grit; and quarters movement speed. 

Alternate Magic System
     My system’s magic is based on Mana Dice.
     MU’s have a Mana Die up to a size d12, which is rolled each time they cast a spell; on a roll of 1-2, their Mana Dice is drained (lowered) by one step (i.e. d12 -> d10 -> d8, etc) until depleted.
     Some spells can be “powered up” by increasing the chance of Mana Drain by one point (from 1-2 to 1-3, etc).

     There are no spell levels, some are just better than others. There are also no spell slots; you may continue casting as many times as possible until you run out of Mana.

     This magic system needs more playtesting, but so far has worked pretty well for us. I will probably make another post about it later.

Multi-classing or Hybrid-classing
     (Rules taken from Sword and Scoundrel, then slightly modified [5].)
     Full Multi-classing takes all the features of both classes, averages the HD and Saves, and combines the total XP requirement of both classes.
     Hybrid-classing is more of a “Full primary class, half secondary class.” HD and Saves are averaged. XP cost is 1.5 times your primary class.
     Secondary class benefits are:
          Fighters +1 AB every odd level.
          Specialists +1 Skill Point every level.
          MUs cast as if they were half their level, and begin with a smaller Mana Die. 


     And that’s about it! Thanks for reading my first blog post! What are your favorite house rules, or notable aspects of your homebrew?



     I use so many tidbits from so many sources that I can’t keep track of them all, but here are the blogs I can remember. As for anything else, credit belongs to its original author and I’d be happy to add a link for them.

[1] http://swordandscoundrel.blogspot.com/2016/07/simple-bards-for-lamentations-of-flame.html

[2,3] http://cavegirlgames.blogspot.com/2018/02/cavegirls-really-simple-d.html

[4] http://cavegirlgames.blogspot.com/2018/08/horrible-wounds-in-osr-games.html

[5] http://swordandscoundrel.blogspot.com/2015/07/lotfp-multiclassinghybrids.html