How to create an ever changing dungeon for DnD

I have been playing the Critical Role Dungeons and Dragons adventure ‘Call of the Netherdeep’ with my best friends for roughly a year now. In our last session the party reached the ‘Betrayers’s Rise’ Temple. Basically their first dungeon crawl. The adventure describes the temple as such:

“The interior of the Betrayers’ Rise is different for each group that enters. The chaotic magic of the Abyss warps the configuration to stymie explorers and baffle cartographers.”

Yet what we are presented with is a basic dungeon, complete with an entrance bridge the moment you head through the outer doors. I wanted to try and change this dungeon up a little, in order to capture the ever-shifting nature of the temple they had been warned about by multiple NPCs.

In order to do this I decided to try and combine the Ironsworn solo roleplay ‘Delve’ rules*, with the published adventure and the official DM’s guide random tables.

The basic structure of the ‘Delve’ system is that you make a roll based on how you are approaching the site and then either mark progress, find an opportunity or reveal a danger (or a selection of them) depending on the score. In ‘Delve’ you are trying to make progress to complete the site you are investigating. In my version I decided that you would need to make a certain amount of progress between the major rooms of the actual site in the book. As a result, I ended up with a map that looked like this:

Each of the circles are progress points that need to be met before continuing on. Whenever the group entered somewhere new, I would roll on the ‘Dungeon’ random tables in the back of the DM’s Guide (pages 293-295) and describe the players’ surroundings. Sometimes I also rolled on a ‘Betrayer God’ table, to link the iconography of the room back to the adventure we are running.

The Ironsworn system uses a contested D6 roll against two D10s, with the aim of your score on your D6 plus any modifiers being higher than the numbers on each D10. If it is higher than both, then you get a strong hit, higher than one and you get a weak hit, lower than both is a miss. Here is the table that I used to see whether they would make progress, encounter a danger or receive a boon. I got one player in the party to lead the group at each section, with them describing how their character would approach the temple. For example, if they used speed and power they would roll their D6 and add either their STR or CON modifier. If they went with a more sneaky approach they would roll the D6 with either DEX or CHA. Finally, if they wished to use their brains or mind, they would roll with their INT or WIS modifiers. This way each character should have a good chance of getting a decent result (my players tended to add +4 to each roll). The table I used is below. I tended to have one of the other players roll one of the D10s whilst I rolled the second. That way they were never quite sure if they were going into something good or bad. I kept saying “interesting…” as I looked at my dice and notes and it definitely put them on edge!

All that was left for me to do was to create a couple of random tables for ‘Reveal a Danger’ and ‘Find and Opportunity’. Once again I tried to base these on the published adventure suggestions and also borrowed (stole) ideas from the DM’s Guide.

Find an Opportunity (D100)

1-25 You find a cache of Aurora Watch supplies including 3d4 rations

26-45 You find a chest containing 142GP

46-57 You locate a secure area

58-68 This area has vegetation and mushrooms you can scavenge for food and a fresh water source

69-78 You find a stash of 1d4+1 regular health potions

79-86 You find a greater health potion

87-90 If you drink from a small fountain, you will gain +1 AC for 1 hour

91-94 If you place a weapon in a shaft of light, it gains +1 until you finish a long rest

95-98 If you consume this mushroom, next time you drop to 0HP you will automatically stablise

99-100 You find a diamond holding the revivify spell (one use only)

Reveal a Danger (D100)

1-8 Shadow demons attack (one per character)

9-15 3 Ochre Jellies defend this area

16-27 You come across 1d6+2 quasits resting in a decaying corpse

28-33 A roper drops from the ceiling and attacks the party

34-42 3d6 Manes are traversing this area and attack you

43-50 You come across a yochlol in giant spider form

51-58 Spider webs fill a 60ft area (behaves like the web spell)

59-63 Poisonous gas fills this area (1d6 poison damage per minute of exposure)

64-73 Brittle flooring collapses onto sharpened stakes (use the Spike Growth spell for damage)

74-76 A Wall of Fire (use the spell) blocks passage

77-80 Magic missiles shoot from the wall when crossing the floor. A DC16 perception check will reveal a button controller 60ft away (AC20 to hit it and turn it off)

81-88 A statue which casts the Polymorph spell (DC15 WIS save) on whoever touches it

89-94 A sphere of magical energy casts Confusion on anyone who gets within 20ft of it (DC14 to save)

95-100 At the bottom of a chasm, a Balor sleeps in molten lava. It awakens if attacked

Overall, the dungeon has gone quite well so far and it certainly feels more like an amorphous, shifting place. The only thing I did not count on was how terrible my friends were are rolling the D6. It took a lot longer to make progree than I thought it would! I assumed it was just me who was cursed when rolling Ironsworn style, but clearly not. I think next week I might allow another player to help if they have proficience in a skill of the relevant stat being used to grant either a +1 or advantage on the D6 roll.

In Other News…

I have ordered some cards from a printers to sell in an online shop. Very scary! I have also signed up to Ko-fi mainly as a location to have my portfolio (as I hate Instagram). It feels good, albeit terrifying, to try and do something with my art. I am also finally working on my Illustration course from London Art College, see below for what I am currently working on!

*I highly recommend this system. I really enjoy playing my solo sessions.