Dungeon Master's Guide

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eholder·s disintegration eye ray have walls that are un naturally smooth, and the beholder's lair might include vertical shafts connecting different levels. Amphibious monsters such as kuo-toa and aboleths use water to protect the innermost reaches of their lairs from air-breathing intruders. Details bring a dungeon setting's personality to life. Great bearded faces might be carved on the doors of a dwarven stronghold and might be defaced by the gnolls who live there now. Spiderweb decorations, torture chambers, and slave pens might be common features in a vault built by drow, telling something about that location and its occupants. The Dungeon Creator table includes creatures that typically build dungeons. You can choose a creator from the table or roll randomly, or choose some other dungeon builder appropriate for your campaign. DUNGEON CREATOR d20 Creator 1 Beholder 2-4 Cult or religious group (roll on the Cults and Religious Groups table to determine specifics) 5-8 Dwarves 9 El ve s (including drow) 10 Giants ll Hobgoblins 12-15 Humans (roll on the NPC Alignment and NPC Class tables to determine specifics) 16 Kuo-toa 17 Lich 18 Mindflayers 19 Yuan-ti 20 No creator (natural caverns) CULTS AND RELIGIOUS GROUPS d20 Cult or Religious Group Demon-worshiping cult 2 Devil-worshiping cult 3-4 Elemental Air cult 5-6 Elemental Earth cult 7-8 Elemental Fire cult 9-10 Elemental Water cult ll-15 Worshipers of an evil deity 16-1 7 Worshipers of a good deity 18-20 Worshipers of a neutral deity NPC ALIGNMENT d20 Alignment d20 Alignment 1-2 Lawful good 10-ll Neutral 3-4 Neutral good 12 Chaotic neutral 5-6 Chaotic good 13-15 Lawful evil 7-9 Lawful neutral 16-18 Neutral evil 19-20 Chaotic evil
NPC CLASS d20 Class d20 Class Barbarian 9 Paladin 2 Bard 10 Ranger 3-4 Cleric 11-14 Rogue 5 Druid 15 Sorcerer 6-7 Fighter 16 Warlock 8 Monk 17-20 Wizard DUNGEON PURPOSE Except in the case of a natural cavern, a dungeon · crafted and inhabited for a specific purpose that influences its design and features. You can choose a purpose from the Dungeon Purpose table, roll one at ;--andom, or use your own ideas. DUNGEON PURPOSE d20 Purpose d20 Purpose Death trap 11-14 Stronghold 2-5 Lair 15-17 Temple or shrine 6 Maze 18-19 Tomb 7-9 Mine 20 Treasure vault 10 Planar gate Death Trap. This dungeon is built to eliminate any creature that dares to enter it. A death trap might guard the treasure of an insane wizard, or it might be designed o lure adventurers to their demise for some nefarious purpose, such as to feed souls to a lich's phylactery. Lair. A lair is a place where monsters live. Typical airs include ruins and caves. Maze. A maze is intended to deceive oi- confuse those who enter it. Some mazes are elaborate obstacles that protect treasure, while others are gauntlets for prisoners banished there to be hunted and devoured by the monsters within. Mine. An abandoned mine can quickly become infested with monsters, while miners who delve too deep can break through into the Underdark. Planar Gate. Dungeons built around planar portals are often transformed by the planar energy seeping out th rough those portals. Stronghold. A stronghold dungeon provides a secure base of operations for villains and monsters. It is ually ruled by a powerful individual, such as a wizard, ·:ampire, or dragon, and it is larger and more complex ilian a simple lair. Temple or Shrine. This dungeon is consecrated to a deity or other planar entity. The entity's worshipers control the dungeon and conduct their rites there. Tomb. Tombs are magnets for treasure hunters, as well as monsters that hunger for the bones of the dead. Treasure Vault. Built to protect powerful magic items and great material wealth, treasure vault dungeons are : eavily guarded by monsters and traps. HISTORY n most cases, the original architects of a dungeon are ong gone, and the question of what happened to them can help shape the dungeon's current state. The Dungeon History table notes key events that can transform a site from its original purpose into a dungeon for adventurers to explore. Particularly old dungeons can have a history that consists of multiple events, each of which transformed the site in some way. DUNGEON HISTORY d20 1- 3 4 5-8 9-10 11 12 13 14-15 16 Key Event Abandoned by creators Abandoned due to plague Conquered by invaders Creators destroyed by attacking raiders Creators destroyed by discovery made within the site Creators destroyed by internal conflict Creators destroyed by magical catastrophe Creators destroyed by natural disaster Location cursed by the gods and shunned 17,-18 Original creator still in control 19 Overrun by planar creatures 20 Site of a great miracle DUNGEON INHABITANTS After a dungeon's creators depart, anyone or anything might move in. Intelligent monsters, mindless dungeon scavengers, predators and prey alike can be drawn to dungeons. The monsters in a dungeon are more than a collection of random creatures that happen to live near one another. Fungi, vermin, scavengers, and predators can coexist in a complex ecology, alongside intelligent creatures who share living space through elaborate combinations of domination, negotiation, and bloodshed. Characters might be able to sneak into a dungeon, ally with one faction, or play factions against each other to reduce the threat of the more powerful monsters. For example, in a dungeon inhabited by mind !layers and their goblinoid thralls, the adventurers might try to incite the goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears to revolt against their illithid masters. DUNGEON FACTIONS A dungeon is sometimes dominated by a single group of intelligent humanoids, whether a tribe of orcs that have taken over a cavern complex or a gang of trolls inhabiting an aboveground ruin. Other times, particularly in larger dungeons, multiple groups of creatures share space and compete for resources. For example, orcs that dwell in the mines of a ruined dwarf citadel might skirmish constantly against the hobgoblins that hold the citadel's upper tiers. Mind !layers that have established a colony in the lowest levels of the mines could manipulate and dominate key hobgoblins in an attempt to wipe out the orcs. And all the while, a hidden cell of drow scouts watches and plots to slay the mind !layers, then enslave whatever creatures are left. It's easy to think of a dungeon as a collection of encounters , with the adventurers kicking down door CHAPTER 5 I ADVENTURE ENVTRONMENTS 101
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CREDITS D&D Lead Designers: Mike Me
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INTRODUCTION T'S GOOD TO BE THE DUN
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KNow YouR PLAYERS The success of a
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OUR WORLD IS THE SETTING FOR YOUR C
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for example, might also be patron o
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FORCES AND PHILOSOPHIES Not all div
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SETTLEMENTS The places where people
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_ lost settlements are agricultural
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each is ruled by a council of drow
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11ARPER5 ORDER OF THE GAUNTLET EMER
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dedicated to preserving the natural
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CREATING A CAMPAIGN The world you c
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PuTTING EvENTS IN MoTION -------- W
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• Describe or name the creature t
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Who or what is to blame for the los
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times of day. And some holy days ar
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CHARACTER NAMES Part of your campai
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Characters who reach 20th level hav
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DARK FANTASY Vampires brood on the
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HAPTER 2: CREATING A MULTIVERSE lHE
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"PLANAR PORTALS • aistlin's] eyes
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dead god or other chunks of rock dr
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Page 55 and 56: PLANE OF FIRE Fire represents vibra
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Page 61 and 62: O PTIONAL RULE: INTENSE YEARNING -e
Page 63 and 64: that figure into the schemes of the
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Page 72 and 73: USEFUL MAPS A good adventure needs
Page 74 and 75: O""i'Mi:.'i\ C.o~"L~ dl2 Goal Seize
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Page 82 and 83: COMBAT ENCOUNTER DIFFICULTY There a
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Page 86 and 87: CHECKING FOR RANDOM ENCOUNTERS You
Page 89 and 90: CHAPTER 4: CREATING NONPLAYER CHARA
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Page 95 and 96: o1 LL AIN 1 S METHODS d20 Methods M
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Page 106: WILDERNESS Between the dungeons and
Page 109 and 110: STRONGHOLDS Strongholds provide the
Page 111 and 112: THIN leE Thin ice has a weight tole
Page 113 and 114: RANDOM BUILDINGS Pulse-pounding cha
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Page 117 and 118: determining exhaustion. Swimming fo
Page 119 and 120: AIRBORNE AND WATERBORNE VEHICLES Sh
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Page 123: 15 Dexterity check using thieves' t
Page 126 and 127: To keep players from straying, save
Page 128 and 129: MoRE Do-\\~TIME AcTn~TIE Chapter 8,
Page 130 and 131: individuals interested in buying ma
Page 133 and 134: CHAPTER 7: TREASURE DVENTURERS STRI
Page 135 and 136: 250 GP ART OBJECTS dlO Object Gold
Page 137 and 138: TREASURE HOARD: CHALLENGE 0-4 CP SP
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Page 143 and 144: WHAT MINOR PROPERTY DOES IT HAVE? d
Page 145 and 146: MAGIC ITEM TABLE c dlOO Magic Item
Page 147 and 148: MAGIC ITEM TABLE G dlOO Magic Item
Page 149 and 150: MAGIC ITEM TABLE I dlOO 01-05 06-10
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APPARATUS OF K W A LISH ANIMATED SH
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BAG OF 110LOING dlOO Effect 01 Sd4
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The belt of stone giant strength an
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BooTs o• STRIDING AND SPRINGING B
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CLOAK OF THE MANTA RAY C I RCLE T O
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The tower is made of adamantine, an
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CHAPTER 7 I TREASURE
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~t il the start of your next turn,
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DR IFTGLOBE DusT OF DISAPPEARANCE E
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Eves OF THE EAGLE SERPENTINE Owe FI
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FLAME ToNGUE GAUNTLETS OF OGRE PowE
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HAMMER OF THUNDERBOLTS Weapon (maul
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1oLv AvENGER I MMOVABLE Roo 110RN O
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A stone has AC 24, 10 hit points, a
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JAVELIN OF LIGHTNING KEOGHTOM'S OIN
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To create a golem, you must spend t
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NINE LIVES STEALER Weapon (any swor
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P I PES OF liAUNTING PiPES OF THE S
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POTIONS OF HEALING Potion of ... He
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RING OF ANIMAL INFLUENCE FREE ACTIO
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RING OF P ROTECT ION RING OF SPELL
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Rose oF Eves The eyes on the robe c
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slots, up to a maximum of 5th level
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RoPE oF ENTANGLEMENT by the rope ca
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successfully copied. Whether the ch
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equal to 16 x the number of charge
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STAFF OF THE WooDLAND S STAFF OF WI
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TALISMAN OF THE SPHERE TALISMAN OF
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Vecna watches anyone using this tom
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AND OF LIGHTNING BOLTS -land, rare
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dlOO Effect 54-58 You cast darkness
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A LIGN MENT A sentient magic item h
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when it wants to communicate someth
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MAJOR DETRIMENTAL PROPERTIES MINOR
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Blessings of Moradin. If you are a
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psychic damage, and each non-evil c
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SwoRD OF KAs Wondrous item, artifac
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A character should receive only a b
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more·concerned about doing right b
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BooN OF CoMBAT PROWESS When you mis
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Have another player run the missing
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CONTESTS A contest is a kind of abi
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For example, imagine a wizard is ru
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• RESOLUTION AND CONSEQUENCES You
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TRACKING Adventurers sometimes choo
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Also, characters and monsters with
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ogres, each of which has 59 hit poi
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launch a lightning bolt (100-foot l
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OPTIONAL RULE: DIAGONALS The Player
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Characters can create their own com
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SIEGE TOWER Gargantuan object Armor
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and is poisoned for 24 hours. On a
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LONG-TERM MADNESS dlOO Effect (last
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CHAPTER 9: DuNGEON MASTER's WoRKSHO
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Honor measures not only a character
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A character who uses a healing surg
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PLOT POINTS Plot points allow playe
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Initiative Modifiers. Modifiers mig
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Instead of using the effect describ
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adjust the challenge rating uggesre
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STEP 9. DAMAGE VuL "ER..'\BILITIES,
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The Monster Features table list \·
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Name Light Sensitivity Magic Resist
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The NPC Features table summarizes t
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The simpler your approach. the easi
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Age. Aasimar mature at the arne rat
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SPELL POINTS BY LEVEL Class Level S
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DOORS Whenever a table roll indicat
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DUNGEO N: LAIR d20 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8-
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GENERAL DUNGEON CHAMBERS d100 Purpo
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I / d20 2 4-8 9-12 13-14 15 16 17 1
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AIR dlOO 01-60 61-70 71-80 81-83 84
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CONTAINER CONTENTS dlOO Item dlOO I
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Monsters Challenge Rating (XP) Brow
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UNDERDARK MONSTERS UNDERWATER MONST
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Half-ogre Harpy Hippogriff Imp Kuo
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CHALLENGE 11 (7,200 XP) Vampire Mum
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APPENDIX C I MAPS
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APPENDiX C I MAPS
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APPENDIX D: DUNGEON MASTER INSPIRAT
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creating a wi lderness, 14, El emen
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shipwrecks, 118 structure (ad ventu
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