How to Make GOOD D&D Dungeons

[@pointyhatstudios]

It's too dangerous to go alone, take this (me, take me)

[@d73w80]

Magic +1 pointy hat of advice

[@darg5332]

Okay, come here lil buddy

[@echo3568]

I will gladly have someone with your intellect with me

[@danielcardosovaz4955]

Mi boy wiz get ya

[@ExplosiveFloofBall]

*equips the pointy hat* :D

[@vonkug]

I did a food dungeon for some of my restaurant working friends (chefs, line cooks, bartenders, barbacks, etc.). Peanutbutter slimes and grape jelly oozes, meat elementals, environmental herbs, culinary traps (fryer oil was the worst). Weapons had advantage on certain food types, etc. I have since lost that notebook. :(

[@leonardocota4703]

PLEASE LET ME STEAL THIS THIS IS SO FUCKING COOOOLLLL

[@jimmygerano7163]

I can just see it, a Noble's cook tasks the players with getting ever increasing bizarre ingredients only to one day confuse a ritual with a recipe. Giant sentient meat pie boss fight anyone?

[@appleandbees7652]

Fried chicken zombies? Peanut brittle darts? SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALL TORANDO This is literally cloudy with a chance of meatballs and I love it

[@MemphiStig]

Seriously great idea. I'm not aware of any food-based rpg material out there, but there should be. Maybe you've got a ks in the making... Throw in some appropriate character backgrounds, a few spells and magic items, I could think of other stuff too, but it's all right there.

[@johnnelson4411]

​@@MemphiStigI think one of the chain fast food restaurants actually made a food kingdom based ttrpg as a joke some years back? Either Burger King or KFC to my poor recollection

[@samuelbeardslee724]

Mister De Mico, I just want to thank you for taking the time to put out such high-quality content, both in terms of video editing/production and actual game design. Your videos have inspired so many aspects of what I do as a DM, and I am eternally grateful.

[@gamersedge891]

Adding on to your comment, I'm amazed that he's able to do it so quickly and consistently too

[@matthewmatthew4804]

@@gamersedge891 i really need to learn his motivation lol

[@OutlawMaxV]

And the best part? Its absolutely **drum roll** FREE

[@TheEnergie360]

I agree +1

[@andrewlustfield6079]

Dungeon Masterpiece has great advice on this topic. There's a lot of good information in this video above, but I think there are critical things you've missed. For instance, making the dungeon as a part of the living world--why is it here in the first place, what is it's role in local history and how is impacting towns, villages and cities nearby? In a narrative driven game, looting random dungeons isn't really a compelling story hook--the dungeon needs to be intruding and impacting the lives of the people nearby. The movie Thirteenth Warrior is an excellent example of this. Though it wasn't a technical dungeon in a classical D&D sense (I would argue that North of the Wall as a wilderness dungeon) , in Game of Thrones, Crastor's Keep north of the wall was another example of this---it was absolutely creepy when all of Crastor's wives stood up and started saying, "give to the gods...." It was a whole new dimension of, "just what the hell are we dealing with here?" These are great examples of what I mean by how does the existence of the dungeons intrude. I'm not so sure the notion that you're right about the current trends in the TTRPG space. It's certainly the direction WOTC has gone---but OSR style games are gaining popularity and converts from 5E. Ben Milton on Questing Beast has it on the nose when he outlined the difference between official D&D and folk D&D. And the truth is that official D&D is going to be in it's own walled garden with endless micro transactions in the not too distant future. Live pen and paper tabletop play for 5E will become another type of OSR.

[@EnjeoLineMedia]

One more encounter type for ya: The combat encounter meant to be skipped. Make your dungeon feel more dangerous by having a lot more potential combat encounters in them, that all have relatively easy ways of avoiding them. From talking, to sneaking, to getting the monsters to die from a dungeon trap. Its up to the players to discern the best way to conserve their resources and not fight everything in front of them.

[@jeanremi8384]

Unfortunately, you must not abuse it or you will start taking away the freedom that most players want. The ability to actually fight sometimes is important. It empowers the party, makes them feel as if their characters can actually take on the threats. They may have tricked or trapped this monster, but that one they took down through their other skills. Otherwise your game just becomes a bunch of puzzles, a point-and-click paper adventure

[@Debbiefromcompliance]

Just reminds me of my messed up first play of Undertale.

[@enderfire3379]

@@jeanremi8384 he mentioned to only do it for some. plus if your players are feeling bloodthirsty they can very much kill them, there is just other ways

[@DFAnton]

This is a dangerous one, because a lot (most?) players work under the assumption that if it's in front of them, it can be solved. You need to make it ABUNDANTLY clear that they can't handle the encounter, or they'll try to do it and get stomped, then blame you.

[@EnjeoLineMedia]

@@DFAnton my players go out of their way to skip encounters, as they like feeling clever so I dunno about most. Also the encounters don't have to be hard, they just have to be plentiful so players know they need to conserve resources for the actual boss. I've killed 3 PC's in my DMing career and nobody has lost it on me yet

[@Tony-nt5zd]

As an old RPG head (been playing over 20 years), OSR player, and dungeon crawl enjoyer, I'm glad you didn't give this the "crawl bad" treatment so much as just explained that there's a rise and fall in the trends in any given way. I appreciate that even though you don't favor my camp, you didn't disrespect our way of doing things. Your stuff is pretty handy even for those anyway, since you can break up individual things within a megadungeon with stories and encounters like the ones you build.

[@indiana47]

I loved running the Undermountain megadungeon. Sad that type of play isn't too popular anymore.

[@michealbohmer2871]

I'm with you. Haven't played 5th nor will I. BECMI and AD&D are my games. Glad to be an old fart. I'll be interested to see if today's crop of players are still going 40 years from now.

[@mollywantshugs5944]

Monarch Factory described a houserule she uses in one of her videos where when you set off a trap, you get a “click”, some kind of clue about what the trap does. Before you roll you can preemptively take an action to either evade the trap or at least make your save easier, stuff like raising your shield to block the dart or hitting the floor to dodge it. What you decide to do affects how hard the save will be and can potentially circumvent the roll entirely

[@mollywantshugs5944]

Addendum: I really like this rule as it makes traps a kind of mini-puzzle where the player has to think fast or suffer the consequences

[@johntodd6413]

@@mollywantshugs5944 I believe that idea comes from The Angry GM, not 100% sure but they're a great resource with the same concept.

[@ctje1638]

What if you hit the deck but it was a trapdoor. Roll avoided cuz there’s no coming back from that

[@johntodd6413]

@@ctje1638 I would make them roll with disadvantage and laugh at them 😆

[@iCarus_A]

@@ctje1638"You feel your feet drop as the ground below you gives. What do you do?" "I HIT THE DECK" -- says literally no one ever

[@jeroen1989]

The most fun dungeon I've ever run was a dungeon crawl within the literal mind of an elder God in search of campaign defining answers 😅 It included bodily defense constructs (white blood cell - like beings), world's surrounded around particular senses, fast travel by the electrical nerve-train and a whole fantasy realm where his dreams of certain constructs eventually came to life into the real world.

[@pablotomasllodra4423]

… How did your characters get in the god’s brain in the first place?

[@Mico-Xiyeas]

​@@pablotomasllodra4423they are god brain eating amoeba, elder god probably took a swim in the astral sea

[@dashiellgillingham4579]

2:03 I’ve run dungeons as heists for a while now. “Get back my people’s stolen artifact from the Empire, It’s too well-protected for us to get it back,” is always a strong hook.

[@SusCalvin]

I like the hooks used for conquistadors, VOC goons and other adventuring bums. Explore shit and get stuff.

[@daniloroganovic9359]

Just started watching and wanted to propose a possible video idea "Alinment Flip" where you could take beings that are characterised as always evil,good,neutral etc.. and create a version that is the opposite yet still recognizable example Mind Flayer->Mind Healer or something like that

[@valiensr1037]

Or kindly goblins called dobbs. It’s a cool idea I’d like to see him expand on

[@Turabbo]

He's very vocal about how he hates alignment lol. I don't think I see him doing this. Because a good aligned mind flayer isn't a different creature. It's just a friendly mind flayer.

[@daniloroganovic9359]

@@Turabbo I know that he doesnt like alinments but i honestly drew a blank on a name other than that, and i had in mind what happens when for example a number of friendly mind flayers converge and try to form a society? What will change about them, what new flavour will they bring to the table? It is kinda fun to think about

[@Cuprite1024]

​@@Turabbo Honestly, I think that's more reason the idea's good. It flips the "stereotype" of any given thing's alignment on its head to show that you don't *need* to follow that as a strict rule (Cause I imagine it can be hard to break away from that without having an example or two). That's how I see it, anyway.

[@BrendanKOD]

@@Turabbo Yes, video game tends toward an alignment system that's mostly "Gandhi or Hitler, those are your only options", and he has admitted that's a strong foundation for him. Plus for most types of creatures alignment shifting is just 'give this group a different culture, or swap out their gods." Well except for outer plains creatures, Demons aren't just evil, their made out of evil which makes it very hard to justify any changes beyond just using a half fiend because "Their mortal half provides the capacity for them to be something other than pure evil."

[@void-creature]

Y'know, this video has made me realize that in all my years DMing, I've never actually used a "dungeon" in this sense, just conflicts and challenges that arise naturally in the wider world of the campaign.

[@Dpmt]

This video made me appreciate how well integrated and realistic the dungeons are in Pokémon. Looking at the original games you have caves to travel through (Mt. Moon, Rock Tunnels), Caves with Legendary Pokemon at the end (The Seafoam Islands, Cerulean Cave), abandoned human construction (Cinnabar Mansion, the Power Plant) and active buildings (the Game Corner, Silph Co., Pokémon tower) all acting as dungeons and almost always with a reward at the end without diving into any explicit dungeons in the classic sense.

[@crystinapierce6833]

I watched this video like an hour ago, sat down with the google doc, and made a whole dungeon arc in like 30 minutes. It’s got the theme of healing, takes place in an old Druid grove that used to cater to people from all over that were deadly sick. Something is going on where people in the nearby area are being healed, but healing so much that they are actually anti-aging. I won’t go into the rest in case someone from my table sees this, but I am soooo excited. Thank you so much!

[@darkmaterial499]

This Dungeon making advice will be really helpful, thanks! I've had several dungeon ideas in the works, but haven't been able to properly realise them. Now I should be able to actually make them playable. The part about picking a theme at the start and having it be represented in basically every aspect of the dungeon is really cool, and should make the process easier and more fun, at least for me.

[@wyattschaefer6819]

Dude. I’m a first time DM, and I’m struggling with a bunch of stuff like this and your videos have been game changers for me. Thanks!

[@randomish2757]

You made this just in time, I needed inspiration for a Mind Control themed dungeon for my players TOMORROW. They’ve been hunting a Mind Flayer Arcanist for a while so yeah

[@kumonoameai]

This is incredibly helpful! Not just from a DMing perspective, but from a more conventional story writing perspective too. I'm really glad you made this and can't wait to see what else you create and talk about. I hope you have a great day ^.^

[@thegnarledwood317]

Just in the process of making a dungeon under a mansion, you're a lifesaver!

[@duanebradway1627]

This is a good process for developing a dungeon. I started playing D&D back in the early 90's and have spent my share of time in AD&D dungeon crawls. I think a change of pace and scenery is welcomed and enjoyed by most players. I appreciate what you do.

[@paulsanders7287]

If you ever decide to compile all your work into a book, know that I would absolutely buy that book. These are the greatest videos for D&D, and I look forward to the release of the next o e every time I get to the end of the video.

[@Rexir2]

I had a 4-room dungeon themed around kobolds. Kobolds have large communities, so the mechanic was reinforcements; designated "leader" kobolds would call in more kobolds at the end of each round of combat. It didn't end well. The boss kobold called in additional leader kobolds, which led to compiling reinforcements. Despite focusing down the boss and defeating him, those guys were overrun by the legion that had built up. 😅

[@darkminkey]

Hey, thank you for making these. I stop everything to watch your videos when they drop. They're a bright and happy part of my day. You deserve all the opportunities you are getting here, have fun at Gencon.

[@ASTARH]

as someone planning to study game design i absolutely love all these game designy vidoes! they give me a look into the thought process of a professional and i feel like i learn a ton!

[@liaml.e.5964]

Why is it that I never found about this channel before?! The content is great, the editing and humour are on point, the advice is not only solid but deeply useful, and the additional content is not only great, but deeply appreciated. This channel deserves... no, scratch that, has EARNED far more subscribers, views and likes than it has! "We shall watch your career with great interest..."

[@IceDrake071]

I for one, LOVE the more game design centric videos. Pushing myself to change rules and mechanics can be a challenge, but videos like these help a lot!

[@oldmankatan7383]

Please keep bringing the game design videos! Once you've DMed for any length of time, you realize that game design is a lot of what you do during prep.

[@kashbaldauf1433]

I made a “sort of dungeon” for a campaign I want to do. The party finds a bunker that was a prison that they were all supposed to relocate to. When they reach it, they see the door is left open. Once they descend the stairs they discover a werebat (possibly modified to accommodate what I’m using it for) they need to turn on these lights in the rooms to drive out the werebat and use sound to direct away from where they need to be. Obviously traps aren’t a thing that would make a lot of sense, nor would many combat encounters since this place would’ve only been recently breached. But I still think it would be very fun to run.

[@keirtheashby2]

I LOVE the game design videos! Your depth of experience in this and ability to articulate it clearly (and enjoyably) is one of the things that makes this the best dnd channel 😍

[@ethanbaer65]

Best dungeon I ever had was breaking prisoners out of a Goblin camp inside a huge cave system. The first half was stealth, assassinations, and traps, and the second half wad a "combat" section that used horde rules as the players were chased by a ton of goblins mixed with elite soldiers employed by the BBEG. It ran a lot like the goblin scene from the Hobbit and was a ton of fun.

[@axolotl706]

"Number A" physically hurt me haha Great video as usual!!!

[@FiddleForge]

In my Eberron campaign the party had to clear out an ancient underground hobgoblin fortress to claim it as their base. However, a rival band of monsters want to claim it for Daask. It was a race to see who could claim the command center first. Rooms were locked with different level keys throughout the complex to allow further exploration and many rooms had hazards from long ago to add obstacles. It was a fun session.

[@SusCalvin]

How does the monster progression work? Do they reach room g on turn 11?

[@roycemitchell1692]

As a new hopeful DM vids like this are amazing and much needed. Thank you for all your hard work. ❤❤❤❤

[@RedSiegfried]

1. Listen to what your players want to do. 2. Give them enough of that to make them feel like they have a say in the story of the game. 3. Alternatively, design the dungeon with the other players on the fly with their direct input as you all play together. (In other words, collaborate and improvise.) 4. Repeat step one. This works for every part of D&D, including dungeon design.

[@lukelavigne5474]

As always, an amazing video! I’m really looking forward to a paladin Litch episode! My very first, proper, full-size dungeon adventure was with my first campaign. Way back ages ago in my setting there was a temple to a god of dreams who has long since been forgotten. They found the entrance and some parts of the temple in utter ruined in many places blocked off, but when they camped for the night at the entrance, they woke up to find that have been completely restored! They learned things about the history of the world, were able to solve some puzzles with minimal combat and used what they learned to realize that this wasn’t the temple of dreams restored, they were still in a dream and had never woken up.! When they did wake up, they were able to use what they learned to find the treasure room and ransack it.

[@mathers90]

Gets all pumped up to make a dungeon. Gets curious to find out what this Fey dungeon looks like, Clicks link to Fey dungon....404

[@Jeromy1986]

I gave a fierce thumbs up when you said that combat isn't the only kind of encounter. Thank you for trying to teach people that.

[@stefaninilucas4380]

Just a quick comment to thank you for all the work you've done for your ttrpg community 😊❤

[@meiswaffle101]

I wanted to come down here and say; while I might not speak for everyone, I enjoy when you break down stuff in terms of game design. You may think it feels preachy but to people like me who are game design adjacent hearing the terms and explanations of them really help. Being a DM is very close to game design because we are responsible for the mechanics at our table. So thank you

[@rocizonzin7399]

adoro seus vídeos e seus temas no mundo do DnD, eu só jogo a versão 5e na maior parte do tempo, um abraço Antônio se cuida irmão!

[@elvisjunior192]

Brasileiro tbm?

[@RockingRavine]

@@elvisjunior192 curiosamente tem bastante brasileiro que vê os vídeos dele

[@guiseppechagas890]

Aqui mais um br pra conta dos senhores 😊

[@ren1tro]

​@@RockingRavine nem me fala kkkkkkkkkkk

[@nyckollaus7397]

Brbrbrbrbr

[@Bond_alexander]

I know this is an old video and you probably don’t check the comments anymore, but I finally ran across this one in your archive and I found it at the perfect time. I’m planning to DM my first game and this is giving me great ideas for turning my themes into game mechanics to better tell the story I’m trying to tell.

[@BlaireRabbit1440]

This channel was my gateway drug to D&D. Now I've binged critical role, am looking for a good group to do sessions with, and desperately gnashing at the bit when a new pointy hat video comes out. Thank you for getting me addicted to the high of nerdy worldbuilding and creative writing with Tabletop games, its completely destroyed my life in an affectionate sense.

[@benjamindavis2475]

Look up angrygm blog. He's really good

[@KaelinGoff]

These are the best videos. This is the type of thing that SHOULD be in the dmg because its so ubiquitous to dnd games while just as often glossed over by those writing advice or instruction. Like all advice for DMs though, just start. Don’t Let “Perfect” Be the Enemy of “Good” is cliche but also really true here. Have a reason to be there, a theme, have a few encounters that use supporting mechanics, and then end it. Have fun.

[@jameswebb4545]

Love this type of content, especially with the way it’s delivered. Please keep providing us with more of this game-design-led inspirations.

[@alkemyst337]

I know I'm late to the party, but this isn't the first time I've watched this video. I realize I've come back to it multiple times for advice when doing dungeon design, which tells me that this video rocks as an informative source! Thanks again, Lord Hat!

[@christianyoung7328]

This was the exact video i needed right now! I love dungeons but always felt like i had trouble making them interesting and fun to play in. I love the mechanics talk!! I would love more videos like this. Great stuff!

[@ZenPaladin]

Bro I love your I did that reveals at the end of the vid. We all know they are coming we all know that we have goodies but some how it never gets old. I'm always smiling at the end of a Pointy Hat vid.

[@eneko8298]

Mister De Mico ! Can't wait to watch your video ! You're rapidly becoming my favourite DnD youtuber. Actually I named an NPC bard "Antonio de Mico" in my campaign, it just rolls off the tongue ! Big love 💋

[@herddragon9215]

so as someone who was actually typing out the tips as I was listening... the ending bit somehow took me for a surprise... even though the ending is always so similar. im generally trying to figure out how to make dungeons. so this was helpful. also as someone who also loves circuses, trains and boats... this is appreciated. as I will be making a lot of dungeons that take place in trains, boats and circuses. (players always want to rob the train) then I have made smaller "puzzle towers" using the advice in this video. safe travels to you.

[@doomscorp8122]

Another absoloutly fantastic video, I do now hope we get a part 2, How to Make GOOD D&D Dragons

[@mortusdraco8361]

Love your videos, you actually give me the inspiration to run games and make me excited for my favorite hobby. Don’t stop being fabulous for even one minute.

[@syrupchugger421]

I love this idea of a theme throughout. I'm designing my first dungeon crawl and can use this to help me design it. Now to think of mechanics associate with greed/gluttony. Thanks again!

[@RealSaintB]

Great work! I use dungeons exactly like that; sparingly. They are usually no more than a few rooms, I also avoid calling them dungeons, I call them ruins, tombs, crypts, etc. My dungeons are the leftover cellar from a ruined temple, the abandoned keep repurposed but not repaired by the evil dragon, the sewers beneath the city where the kobolds have built their warren... etc. One of my favorite dungeons I designed was a manor where things were stuck in a time loop, the players kept traveling forward and backward in time during three different eras of the building (at its prime, at its fall, and in the present). They relived the same encounters over and over, learning more about the history of the manor and the family that once owned it and eventually they discovered the devil that was the catalyst for all of the destruction. They fixed the past by defeating that devil and in the future there was a prosperous town with a new noble house in charge of it instead of a rundown village full of terrified fishermen.

[@Hoivey]

As someone into game design, I love videos like this. Give me MOAR!

[@kingsmoothy8480]

The quality of your videos is fantastic. I honestly feel joy whenever i see that you brought out another ones of these bangers. Thank you for your effort!

[@neonzitro4032]

I AM ABOUT TO MAKE A DUNGEON FOR MY CAMPAIGN THANK YOU SO MUCH😭

[@craziegirlee]

Omg gosh! My husband and I came across your fey wild video, and that was already incredible and insightful! But wow! I'm so glad we found this one! Thank you for using your knowledge on game design to share in really concise and thoughtful ways to incorporate into dming!

[@amazingoranges]

As a game designer that’s poured hours into understanding this kind of stuff… yeah, I do like your more game dev-y videos 🎉

[@SylvianusHimmelhuber]

personally, as a aspiring game designer I would actually love more game-design oriented videos (or maybe a whole series pretty please oh mighty hat?)

[@old_man_dunsparce]

Always love your intros, well done mr Hat!

[@jaypuck5783]

Literally my go-to for good quality DND content. You provide aspects and advice that really set apart from other content creators:) I can’t wait to watch this channel continue to grow

[@somerton4383]

I watched the Feywild video, don't worry 🙌✨🦄 Love your content Mr Hat! Awesome to hear your thought processes on this too. Currently trying to create a Feywild campaign arc to run for my usual group to give the DM a break so while I'm still anxious and unsure, I'll definitely find this video and that one invaluable!

[@anoaktree]

I ran the Feywild dungeon for a few friends for my birthday, and they all absolutely loved it. It was also such a huge weight off me not having to prepare the game and just running it, best birthday gift I could ask for :)

[@gaburelmesmo3824]

The link is broken to me, did you manage to download it just fine? I was curious as to how the actual mechanics would play out.

[@christurner5791]

The link is broken for me too Q~Q

[@roguegamer1173]

This came out when I felt I needed to improve my dungeons drastically. Amazing timing

[@Accidental_Medicine]

Lol when you said the part about listening to this while working on a dungeon I was actually working on a dungeon. I love your stuff Pointy Hat, hope you have a great day!

[@BShamow]

The Jenny Nicholson numbered list broke me

[@000Codex]

Love this idea. I wanted to have a dungeon in the body of a long dormant robot titan, so went with the theme of a bodies natural defences. So my mechanics are base on the 3 body defences. 1. Physical barrier - the npc they need to save it trapped behind a force field until the local area is fixed (players get stuff). 2. Non-specific immune response - the large white creature (white blood cells stand in) are healed by the small red creature (red blood cells stand in). 3. The specific response - the boss - the body as seen these intruders now, and will have ways to counter everything they have used against he white cells, they will need to get creative. I will probably introduce a basic version of the boss or something for them to get used to that mechanic. No idea about a trap/puzzle yet, but I’ll work it out. Thanks for another great video, based most of my campaign around your sports game idea.

[@SusCalvin]

I would go there without an NPC to save. Just to poke around and maybe see if we can steer the robot. You just make a body-map and which bit fits to what else. I imagine more sensitive systems like power and processor nodes would have more protection.

[@francotejerina4524]

Mr Pointy Hat, the link to the adventure doesn't work anymore!

[@LeeTheDM]

Keep an eye out for Nature and Cryptids for me! Thanks buddy, you’re the best narrator on KZbin by far.

[@Wolvesofthenight]

The Fey Dungeon link does not work.

[@ignoreme29]

the single fact you showed footage from "Krull" earned my like for this video

[@zachbohonos4241]

Tried to check out the Fey dungeon and got a message saying the file type doesn't exist?

[@traitorouskin7492]

I especially like the bit about using things you've learnt to finish last challenge. Cheers man!

[@thomaspedersen6661]

the link for the fey dungeon doesn't work

[@Random_Gamer-sh6pf]

Thank you for the tips. Just made a dungeon, an Artificer's old lab with moving clockwork platforms, monster filled test tubes, and some robots

[@aidanshort3767]

As a hopeful DM to be this is great thanks Mr.Hat. Also I was wondering if you could do a video on Changelings, they're one of my personal favorite races but they can be done poorly, so advice would nice.

[@princeofdyved9837]

Yes, I for one humble DM greatly appreciate these game-designy videos!

[@RoguelikesDen8829]

The docs link doesn't work anymore

[@dejaypage1575]

They do now

[@nils-peterwihlney8732]

I love this video. I am an active GM/DM and I have been for maybe eighteen to twenty years. I have been playing rps for longer. And I have various ways I build dungeons. I try to follow three basic principles, but I sometimes go way off-topic but I try to fit it. 1: Location/Theme. Design the dungeon based on the location it is built on and the nations, current or long gone, that have occurred in the area. If it is a natural or supernaturally created dungeon try to settle the theme based on the creator or the circumstance that created it. The location also determines the possible traps, puzzles, NPC encounters, or monster encounters. 2: Purpose/Story. What is the purpose and origin of the dungeon? Is it a crypt of an ancient demon lord? The lair of a seven-headed purple worm? The basement of your mother's house? I try to fit the purpose of the dungeon into what the dungeon will be structured around. Was it the lair of a dragon who died and is now the home of a drug-enthusiastic hobo druid/wizard? Make it filled with drugs/poison hazards, fungal/alchemical creatures, and with remnants of the dragon's lair still visible. Is it the sewers of a once undead-infested dwarven citadel where adventurers go to find lost treasures of the old citadel? Add some undead encounters and maybe some lost ragged adventurers, either undead or alive, and fill it with a lot of already triggered traps or hazardous rooms because of the lack of upkeep. Or was made naturally in an arctic mountain range close to the north pole? Fill it with some arctic-based traps, like slippery floors, thin ice floors over deep chasms, slip-and-slide chutes, and so on. Have the encounter of the ice cave based on the structure of the rooms. Large monsters would not fight well inside a small space, so keeping the space of the encounter AT LEAST around ten times the amount of the largest size creature in the encounter grants you a decent amount of space for movement., There are exceptions to this but it is a good baseline. The story/purpose of the dungeon is what influences the loot of the dungeon as well. I like to keep a loot ratio of around 100g times the rooms in the dungeon, either in coins, common items, or potions. Grant magic items based on the history of the dungeon, and if the dungeon contains monsters who can use these items, GIVE THEM THE MAGIC ITEMS. Do not leave the monsters unarmed, this not only increases the difficulty of some basic encounters but it also encourages the players to not underestimate common foes. Container-held magic items should be at most 1-5 for every floor of the dungeon. Roll a 1d6 for each floor, and on a 6 roll twice but do not do so again. Determine the rarity based on your party's average level or with another randomizer. Roll 1d100- party total level (1-60: common 51-80 uncommon 81-94 rare 95-99: legendary 100+: unique) (Raise and lower the opportunity based on the encounters/difficulty of the dungeon) Level List 1-4: 4 common, 1 uncommon / 2 common, 2 uncommon / 2 common, 1 rare / 1 uncommon, 1 rare / 2 rare 5-10: 3 common, 2 uncommon / 1 common, 3 uncommon / 2 uncommon, 1 rare / 1 uncommon, 2 rare / 1 common, 1 uncommon, 1 rare / 3 rare / 1 very rare 11-15: 5 common, 3 uncommon / 3 common, 4 uncommon / 3 common, 2 uncommon, 1 rare / 3 uncommon, 2 rare / 1 uncommon, 3 rare / 4 rare / 2 rare, 1 very rare / 2 very rare 16-20: 8 common, 5 uncommon / 4 common, 7 uncommon / 4 common, 6 uncommon, 1 rare / 4 common, 5 uncommon, 2 rare / 4 common, 2 uncommon, 1 rare, 1 very rare / 5 uncommon, 4 rare / 5 uncommon, 2 rare, 1 very rare / 1 uncommon, 2 rare, 2 very rare / 4 rare, 1 very rare / 2 rare, 2 very rare / 3 very rare / 1 very rare, 1 legendary 3: Exceptions/Twists: When making a dungeon it is not wrong to add an odd twist or total out-of-the-blue unexpected situation. There can be reasons why you would encounter a mummy in the city sewers. Or why there could be a sleeping dragon in the main hall of the undead-infested castle ruins. And the camel trapped inside a storage room in the yuan-ti temple in the jungle could have ended up there for some reasons unknown to the party. Do not be afraid to add your own little or big twists to a dungeon. There is always fun to be had when players get that oh-so-special WTF reaction when the chests they open contain a swarm of fist-sized spiders in the bandit leader's room in the middle of the forest. And later they discover his diary and discover that he was a secret Lolth worshipper who had kept several giant spider eggs in a chest to raise a future spider army.

[@lamichka]

Fey dung link does not work.

[@coalcreekdefense8106]

This was so much more useful advice than all the other dungeon making videos I've seen.

[@douglascheesman]

Broken link? Dungeon isn’t accessible in the Link

[@AndrewWhite_Arts_and_Projects]

I do like these! You're summing up and putting to use the principles I forgot that I learned about from Extra Credits half a decade ago. Thank you

[@robepicboy]

Fey DUngeon file doesnt exist anymore :(

[@CitanulsPumpkin]

I have a Deck of Many Things themed campaign framework. Basically, the party finds the deck right away, and anyone can roll one of their hit dice and draw up to that many cards before the end of the day. I curate the cards that they'll get early on by mapping them to Magic the Gathering cards I have lying around. Then, once they've drawn key cards that reveal how the deck is messing with them, they'll start to draw cards with effects I made up. One of the early cards I try to get them to draw is the one that gives them the deed to a keep they have to clear out. Once they've moved into the keep, I add a card that represents a door. The door appears in the back of the kitchen and leads down to a small cellar. In the cellar is another door or portcullis that leads to a funhouse dungeon. Various cards they can draw add npcs or pets that can populate the keep. Most add monsters that populate the dungeon. I've fiddled with using the numbers on the cards as rolls for tables. Mana costs for loot table rolls. Power and Toughness for dungeon layout table rolls. This still needs work.

[@voidboi2831]

the implication youre making is that someone is making these dungeons on purpose and filling them with monsters as a test which is hilarious to imagine

[@Uruz2012]

He was so close to getting it when he mentioned pyramids. They're meant to prevent entry to protect something. As is a dungeon in a traditional dungeon crawl. It's not meant to be a theme park for the players to ride all the rides in. It's meant to prevent them from reaching the end.

[@reaperzslicer235]

I needed this video. I'm planning my first proper dungeon for my players where they must descend into the hidden lair of a man who has been making mechanical monstrosities to assault a local town as the equivalent of a weapons test

[@JohnathanDavis-r5c]

DUNGEON LINK DOESN'T WORK

[@BasketCurly]

as a forever DM. My favoruite kind of dungeons are the dungeons that either A drive the strory forward, or B a fun and entertaining small-medium encounter the players find along the way and can decide to enter it. Perfect example, I love the bag of magical beans in the DMG that has a chance to summon a big pyramid that is just 1 boss fight. Can be used anywhere, any time, and it was the player(s) choice to use the bean. So it feels like they did that instead of the DM. Great Video btw, love it.

[@alik9783]

i just came up with a dungeon theme the other day and was stuck on how to put it into action, this cannot be a more perfect video to see right now!

[@maveater]

i just ran my first real session of my own campaign setting and it went EXTREMELY WELL with huge thanks to your videos. i love your content so much, Mr. Demico and i beg you, NEVER STOP!!

[@speakingtowind]

Thanks mr. hat I’m stepping out of my comfort zone and build a very small dense locked in game where I need rooms and different spaces to react to the player and have trigger able events and some sound advice is really what I needed. I’ve got my theme locked in and will be writing all events to add to the story of the session.

[@drflannelxd904]

There is a subtle cosmic horror to the idea the voice we hear comes from a thrall of the true mind behind the content. Rad.

[@insertname7466]

I have an adventure planned that isn't necessarily a dungeon, but kinda? It starts with an adventure through the faewild, I casually "took inspiration" from your video on that with the chest ferret and night cap for a couple fun puzzles. Introducing the concepts that creatures in the wildes feed on emotion and that sleep is tied to the ethereal realm. They get to the entrance to the shadowfell and have to journey in. Going to be creepy sounds and stuff to keep them on edge. Puzzle/trap involving shadows leaning more to delay over damage, combat to weaken, boss. The boss is going to be a night hag, re-affirming the sleep to ethereal thing, accompanied by some jackleware to help the party rest. Then a skill event to escape the coming hoard of shadow creatures, after they heist an artifact. Unwind with a journey back to the fae domain they hail from, with a magically forced dance on the way home (puzzle/trap again no damage), and a quick check in from an arch fae. Might not be super hp heavy, but it's pretty dense. Story ending with getting back in time to cure the elarein lord-ling from a deathly illness, and setting up the war between the fae realm and the shadow realm.

[@CrotaTheStrike]

OMG GUYS THE VIDEO HAS A FREE BONUS NO WAY (once again, Pointy Hat pops off, and I bloody love the game design knowledge)

[@anthonyvalverde7741]

I'm a newbie baby DM, as in one day last year my boyfriend and I just decided to play D&D without actually knowing what we're getting into and now we're here. Me and my player's have been learning D&D on the fly, and I'm learning to DM on the fly. It's been chaotic, but fun. All that just to preface that I really, REALLY appreciate these types of videos from you Pointy. The game design aspect you mentioned is something that hits the g-spot of my DM'ing brain and is probably my favorite part of prepping. I love your videos, I love your style, I love topics like this, and I love this channel. Please continue making more videos and have a lovely day.

[@Owl_of_Omens]

One of the most favorite dungeons that I ever ran was the inside of an Aboleth. I made the alien digestive tract a huge maze and then I had different monsters being produced by organs or kind of like polyps for instance I had a choker as a polyp creature that would somehow seeth its way through the guts to grab the PCs. The goal was to get to the heart and kill the beast, however they realized that once they killed the beast they wouldn't know exactly where they would be able to stop and so they decided to go to the brain and psychically battle the aboleth for control to which they were carried across a deep underground ocean to the drow city. They actually made an ally of the creature which came back later on during the campaign.

[@mr.bluemoon6759]

As someone who (hopefully if I get enlisted) studies and finds game design an interesting topic I think it was a great video, keep up the good work and thank you for the guide to dungeon build, I may not use it myself since I personally suck at DMing but it can come in handy to some of my DM friends ^^ Ps. Have fun at the Gencon

[@felipebraga7270]

Hey thanks! I am the DM for one campaign focused on dungeons, and I really wanna make them more fun, so this is a big helper!

[@shanebox9516]

I actually came up with a fairly simple dungeon idea towards the end of the video, where the party is sent in to recover an item located at the center of the dungeon, and they are not the first party to be sent in. Getting to the center of the dungeon is actually easy and reveals the party's objective: a magical Mcguffin or whatever it is you want to be there. But it's protected by a magical barrier powered by 3-4 different nodes located in other parts of the dungeon. Getting to these different chambers reveals different challenges and puzzles, either being skill-based challenges, stat based challenges, or a riddle that needs answered, and the answers and hints are located both around the chamber and on the dead bodies of the previous parties that had come in, shood the PC party decide to loot and investigate the dead bodies. Failing one of these challenges or riddles would result in a combat encounter, each one themed to each chamber. But either way, once they complete the challenge or the battle, they deactivate that chamber's node and move on to the next one. Once they deactivate all nodes and return to the central chamber, they are presented with one final challenge, and should they succeed, they can leave with the item without issue. But should they fail, they are then engaged in a fight with the dungeon's final guardian.

[@Assienda]

that.. that is just such a wonderful kick under the butt to go and write that one idea i've had in my head for a while.. i've really found some answers that can help me finally write that one Atlantida-Laputa adventure i've been wanting to write for my DM (she really enjoyes history and stuff, so, yeah), but i've been quite stuck not knowing, where to begin so like this is exactly what i needed thank you, mister Hat! x)

[@DarthSyric]

I swear to God you must be omniscient. I’ve been planning a campaign over the last few months and every single time I get snagged on something or need some inspiration, you come out with a video that addresses that very thing. Thank you so much for all of the help and inspiration you provide! 🤩