Dungeon Master's Guide

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