Monday, June 29, 2020

New maps for How to Host a Dungeon

A few ideas for maps.

The Crater of Inoa.
Home to Bagan the Great Beast of Inoa. Kaiju in HtHaD.

Inlet to the Underworlds. This is so I can work out some aquatic civilizations.

Tributary to the Sea of Sable Flame. So I can do more with water additions.

If you guys haven't played, Tony Dowler created How to Host a Dungeon, and he lots of videos on YouTube and a Patreon going.

How to Host a Dungeon: Ophidian start

 How to Host a Dungeon is a dungeon creation game by Tony Dowler. I also find extremely useful for generating ideas.

In ages long past, the Ophidians were the dominant species across the land. Serpents that walk as men. They were powerful sorcerers, yet as powerful as their mastery over the arcane was they were driven underground by the rapidly propagating mammals. The Ophidians plotted their revenge and eventual return to dominance...

The Primordial Age



The Badlands has the "Desert" trait. Any sources of water are instead natural caverns.


Mithral deposits


Rolled a 6, Choose or Create. I chose gem stone deposits because they are critical to the Ophidian's plans.


Primordial Beasts are indicated. My dice seem to prefer the right side of the map today...

The Age of civilization.


The Ophidians arrive and build the Blood Fang Temple, converting the 3 gemstones into treasures to be enshrined within.


To increase their numbers, they build a Brood chamber.


The Ophidian's plans require that 7 Clans must be present to perform the Blood Fang Ritual. The 3 heads of Sesket the Serpent god be joined the Mithral Fangs. The Ophidians need a Mithral mine.


Mithral is acquired. One of the Fangs has been crafted.


More Mithral is mined, the second of the Sesket's fangs is created. Another brood chamber is constructed.


The 7 Clans with the 5 artifacts are ready to perform the Blood Fang Ritual.

The Great Disaster.


The Star stone has fallen.

The Age of Monsters.


Humans are drawn by the Star stone. They build Star Stone Castle (I am so changing that name, just as soon as I can think of something more clever)
The Ziru, Crystal Insects arrive. Drawn by the presence of Mithral. (Breeder Group) Hivemind.
The Morlocks arrive to build their workshops and fill them strange machinery.
The embers of an idea is stating to glow...


The Ziru breed, and their construction breaches the ZOC of one of the primordial beasts. (Still trying out different names for these guys)
The Morlocks mine Mithral.
The humans are setting up farms.
Rolling for beasts of a primordial nature, the first roll reveals a Xorn. The Xorn is about to become and unwitting participant in the Blood Fang Ritual. Xorn likes Loot! (At this point it would seem that there is a portal to the Elemental Plane of Earth open somewhere)
A Formian Cyclops has taken up residence in a cave. Jorzo is very confused. How did Jorzo get here? Jorzo does not know.
Garc heard the call of the Star stone. Garc open a gate to where the Star stone is. Garc must find the Star stone.


The Ziru mine mithral and breed.
The Morlocks mine Mithral.
Humans build more farms.
Xorn likes Loot! Don't go near the dead stuff...
Jorzo like it here. It is quiet. Jorzo build house.
Garc must find Star stone!


Ziru mine and breed. (It's what they do, it's all they do)
Morlocks mine more Mithral.
HUMANS ARE GETTIN BIZAY! Another farm and a city. (Nope not a clue when it comes to a name for the city)
Xorn find MOAR LOOT!
Jorzo build Planar Forge. Jorzo ask Hox to come work forge. Hox think that good idea. Jorzo happy.
Garc is almost to the Star stone. Keep digging Garc.


Ziru mine and breed. (Knock, knock.. Who's there? Banana)
The Morlocks go exploring.
Humans are settling in, a Wizard has now joined their ranks.
Xorn still finding Loot! Xorn getting full but food not digesting. Xorn doesn't care. LOOT!
Jorzo able to make toys for Hox. Hox like toys, they build Jorzo a vault. (This getting weird, even by my standards)
Garc has the Star stone! Garc will build the Tesactum. (Busted! I was watching Captain America while playing)
Garc carelessly left the Planar gate open after he arrived. Something short, round and bumpy has wandered through the gate... Truffle Men!


Ziru and minding their own biz, mining and crystalizing little Ziru.
Unfortunately, the Morlocks thought they the Ziru wouldn't miss any of their Mithral, so they tried to take it. It did not go well for the Morlocks. The Morlocks are going to need reinforcements. The Morlocks will go ask Jorzo.
Jorzo sells the Morlocks instruction on how to build clockwork soldiers.
The Xorn hasn't figured out that even though he keeps finding and eating very tasty loot, he hasn't digested it...
Garc built the Tesactum. Garc used the Tesactum to build a Garc mirror, what is that banging noise that disturbs Garc's work?
Humans have constructed and Orrery. The Magick University is ready. The University must have some thing to study. Go forth and bring me Star stone! Whadda ya mean it ain't there, GO FIND IT! Hey boss, let's go down this tunnel. WTF?!?! The Star stone! Get it! What is that?!?!?! Garc is no more.
The Truffle Men find a nice dark tunnel and settle in to their new digs.
How did that Mimic get in here?


The Ziru mined the last of the Mithral and sent a scout to explore. The scout met with an sad end.
The Morlocks are still building Clockwork Soldiers.
The Humans have returned from the depths. They bring the Star stone and Garc's mirror. They build the Temple of the Star stone to house them.
Xorn has found a mighty buffet. That loot wasn't there a second ago...
Jorzo and the Hox mine metal through the Planar Gate and make Magick stuff in the Planar Forge.
The Truffle Men have spored all over the hallway. (There just isn't cleaning any of that up)
The Mimic is...


Everyone was having a wonderful day, until....
The Xorn breaks into the Blood Fang Temple to get at the Amazing loot contained within. Also inadvertently completing the Blood Fand Ritual by collecting the artifacts and uniting them with the Heart of Sesket to Serpent God thereby summoning the 3 headed Avatar to wreak havok and prepare the world for the return of the Ophidians.

I stopped the game at this point so I can put all this together into a great big dungeon. Then the PCs will have to stop the Avatar of Sesket.