What's your theory of proper dungeon design?

>>53794491
Same as my theory for any other sort of level design. Gimme a half-hour to get home and type it all up.

>>53794491
Whatever it takes to make it fun for the players without being too difficult for the dm to run.
If its a killy group lots of enemies, rp group should get lots of puzzles, npcs and neat environmental effects. Traps should be deadly and common enough to keep players on thier toes, but not tedious or ridiculous. some traps should be obvious and others more cunning.
Depending on the group the dungeon can range from very realistic to very spectacular and fantastic. Either way it should be well described feel dangerous. Dangerous enough to tax resorces and abilities to the limit. Keep the threat of death constantly looming overhead without reling on actually killing a PC. Only bad player decisions and really bad luck should do that.
Most important is that it keeps everybody involved and having fun.

As far as combat goes, interesting environments is a must. Nobody likes fighting in empty rooms.

My general philosophy is that in a pinch, every room should have at least one object or feature in it with potential energy, whether it's a chandelier that can be dropped, a column that can be toppled, a priceless vase that can be shattered, a device that can be activated, a pit that can be fallen down, a ledge that can be leaped from, a rope that can be swung from, a trap that can be activated or set up, a box that can be hidden in, a secret door that can be found, vines or moss that can be climbed, rapids that can carry you away, etc. When you have more time to prepare, there should be interesting combinations of interesting objects or features. There just needs to be SOMETHING in any given environment so that a player can make creative decisions and inspired maneuvers instead of just attacking something.

When it comes to general layout and architecture (assuming the dungeon is a constructed building or area) the very first question that needs to be asked is what was its purpose. Was it a stronghold for nobles? A fort for soldiers? A crypt for the dead? A store room for treasure? A temple for acolytes? Everything about the raw layout and style of the dungeon will stem from who made it and what they made it for.

>>53794563
>a half-hour
Alright, so that was a lie, but I'm working on a PDF of basic level design shit.

>>53794491
Give this thing a proper backstory and make environments reflect it. Perhaps even a proper story told via found journals and NPCs. Just walking from meaningless room to meaningless room slaying stuff is guaranteed to make the players bored.

File: Basic Level Design Principles.pdf (51KB, 1x1px) Image search: [Google]

51KB, 1x1px

>>53794563
>>53796178
Alright, here's a rough document. I was going to put an example on the end, but couldn't be assed.

>>53796178
Awaiting.

In the mean time, iCan bastardize a common technique. The three room dungeon can be made into Hubs and Spokes.

3 steps, right?

Step one is <<engagement>>. 90% of the time this means murdering a gaggle of goblins or similar on-theme level-appropriate hazards.
>unless you're playing an obscure system that handles largegroup fighting well rather than as a linear progression of busy work, make this actually three or so enemies and pull a trick like making every other hp another dead kobold if scale is desired.
Step two is an obstacle to progress. Some key found, riddle solved, gorge passed, door breeched, spell lowered, etc etc.
>embrace player agency if they find alternative routes
Step three is the prize and it's defender. Boss usually, of the more or less talkative sort depending on your judgment. Stereotypically you shank a drake and get his gold.
>make it something they want

Hubs and Spokes begin such that you come into a Step One, and then have multiple Step Twos you can go to. Ones are hubs leading out to one or more Twos. Differences in kind works well here--gorge to cross, lock to pick, rubble to clear, etc.

Each ends in another Number One, however. Maybe not a group fight but am engagement of some kind should be in ~30-70% of the hubs. Make dead ends off them with loot linked to the hub--barracks could have an armoury and a sleeping quarter and a mess hall, but keep them tacked to the hub and don't spokify them.

If you want to get fancy put lateral links on the far sides of some Step Twos. This can help evade some but not all skill checks.

Finally, produce a Number 3 at the end of the spoke. You can funnel them into one final antechamber or leave many approaches, but be forewarned many players will try to full clear for xp and loot.

>>53796683
I like it.

>>53794491
>Geared towards what the players like
>Difficulty curve rises, then falls a bit. Repeat through the dungeon.
>Mechanics gradually introduced and made more complex
>Breathing space. Rooms without encounters or treasure are immensely important
>Props and set pieces to encourage player creativity
>Dungeon layout vaguely makes sense, so players can tell what to expect
>A reason the players can't dawdle, or heal back to full every encounter without consequence
>The best traps are encounters, not damage rolls out of the blue
>Memorable landmarks in rooms the party will be returning to
>Your architecture doesn't need to be perfectly functional; just avoid utter nonsense
>But ideally, style, content and structure should tell a story.

>>53794491

Always include functional components to hint what the dungeon was originally used for... and sneak them among the insane corridors and randomized rooms that make no sense because it's fun.

>>53794491
Realism is priority. Where do the wandering enemies eat, drink, and shit? If the players can't find out then it is a bad dungeon.

>>53794491
My theory on proper dungeon design are three ways.

1. it is a living organism and grown bigger overtime. Every trap is a immune system cell. Prison is a stomach and gold or iron is like calcium.

2. its build by magic. Its transmuted material. The esrth and stone determind what kind of room formed. If there was a iron ore, thrre will be a prison or trap.

3. Humans or other races found ressources and used the holes as rooms. Over time they invented traps and specialised room, growing into an undrground fortress.