Quick Links
A typicalDungeons & Dragonscampaign features many dungeonsit’s in the name.
When done right, dungeons can be a high-octane, action-heavy romp with memorable twists and turns.
When dungeons go wrong, they can feel like a long slog to progress the plot.
The Screaming Gate by Zuzanna Wuzyk
Learn effective strategies for initiating an early-game Hag encounter in D&D with this guide.
Like with most elements of tabletop RPGs, there’s no wrong way to create a dungeon.
That said, there are ways to generate more player-centric spaces that promote fun interactions and environmental storytelling.
Faerun Map by Mike Schley.
The best dungeon is the one that best suits your campaign and your group’s play style.
Keep players engaged by avoiding the most common dungeon crafting mistakes.
Think In 3D When Making Dungeon Designs
This mistake is pretty understandable.
Faerun Map by Mike Schley.
Themapswe use to visualize D&D are typicallyrendered in 2D.
Thinking about a dungeon in 2D when designing the layout creates two potential problems.
If you’re not prepared, this can mess with your plans.
Sea Hag by Andrea Piparo
D&D is full of ways to traverse vertically (Feather Fall, Levitate, etc.).
When designing a dungeon,imagine you’re dropped into it in first-person view.
What vertical elements stand out?
The Outlands Splash Art by One Pixel Brush
Could you easily add some vertical elements to facilitate interesting traversal or combat?
How are your players likely to interact with what’s there?
This simply didn’t make sense.
Nowadays, DMs like to put a little thought into these spaces.
When populating a dungeon, considerwhy each monster or creature is there.
What drove them to this space?
The Procession Hall by Chris Casciano
Why do they stay?
Where does their food come from?
What’s their relationship with the other inhabitants?
Who’s the biggest, toughest creature of them all?
How does this creature enforce its will?
Players notice little details, and every little detail immerses them further into your world.
Tradegate by Zuzanna Wuzyk
attempt to make dungeons where the monsters' common cause makes sense.
Different creatures with hostile relationships can occupy the same spaces if their size differences make sense.
Humans often unwittingly cohabit with rats and other pests, for example.
Scale Your Dungeon Properly
One ofD&D’s most impressive qualities is its scale.
Little touches and details for plausibility are important.
Butif your players could spend hours in your dungeon without progressingthe adventure,consider a rework.
Mega dungeons and deliberate dungeon crawl-style adventures are exceptions to this suggestion.
Because you spend enough time on the campaign as it is.
Avoid Creating Rooms That Serve No Purpose
Not every room needs an interesting, fantasy-adjacent theme.
Havinga single word written on the DM’s copyof the dungeon map is often enough.
Think about where the inhabitants of your dungeon sleep, prepare food, practice their combat drills, etc.
Every DM has a different tolerance for “realism.”
D&D is a fantasy game, so there’sscope toignore practical concerns or account for them.
Players may notice if a large creature occupies a room with a single, small entrance or exit.
Because of his size, Professor Tolkien’s Smaug must use the Lonely Mountain’s main gate.
Clever writing allows for another passage too small to be worthy of his notice.
It depends on the tone of your adventure, butthinking about size considerationscan be worthwhile.
Torches, candles, braziers, andcampfires don’t burn indefinitely.
This is not how the game is written.
Darkvision is a useful abilityfor a reason.
Despite their similarities, TTRPGs and video games have some marked differences.
Even the mostchoice-heavy, open-world video game has more restrictionsthan D&D.
Video game players dislikeinvisible walls and inexplicably locked doors.
TTRPG players often just won’t accept them.
However, D&D players are notorious for becoming curious about what they can’t get to.
In video games, we accept that an area is locked off until we level up.
In D&D,players need a more compelling in-gameexplanation.
However, they also getchoice paralysiswhen confronted with too many options.
Dungeon layout is a complex topic.
Generally, dungeon layouts stick to one ofthree archetypes: linear, branching, or circular.
Dungeon throw in
Explanation
Linear Dungeons
Linear dungeons have asingle entrance and exit.
Although there may be side rooms, the way forward remains obvious.
This key in of dungeon canhelp keep newer players on trackbut can feel too on-rails for some people.
Branching Dungeons
Branching dungeons may haveseveral exits with interconnecting pathsandmultiple ways to reach the endpoint.
A branching design can be fun if your players love exploration, choices, and longer sessions in dungeons.
Circular Dungeons
Skyrim introduced many players to circular dungeons.
In these instances,progressing through the dungeonalsoreturns the player to the entry pointusually through some previously unseen means.
Experienced players often prefer more complex dungeons with branching paths and tricky choices.
Experiment to see what your players respond best to.
Keep your party rolling the dice with excitement.
