Today’s Map Monday goes back to the non-generic towers with FlameShout Tower. No random underground structures here! No usable structures above ground, either. In fact, it’s eerily ruined…
It’s a little different from the other towers. I won’t spoil the details, but my thinking behind this one was that the other surviving weapons were not necessarily usable by PCs, unless they plan to set up base there, or come up with some clever scheme. But this tower produces renewable, portable weapons that could cause some trouble.
Side Note: Almost didn’t make it on this one. Had plenty of time, came up with the idea a week ago, had no plans for the weekend… then I was wiped out by illness. Wasn’t even online for a couple days. And I’m still woozy. But I made it through! Just let me know if there are any delirium-caused typos.
Also, I’ve added a “tower” tag to the towers to make them all easier to find.
... now with 35% more arrogance!
Showing posts with label tower. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tower. Show all posts
Monday, July 8, 2019
Tuesday, July 2, 2019
Generic Ruins Pamphlet Dungeon PDF
Here’s the compliment to the Generic Bandit Tower and Generic Crumbling Tower. It’s the Generic Ruins trifold pamphlet PDF. Same emphasis on semi-random elements as the previous two towers to provide minor differences between two different ruins. I made the focus of each generic tower different: intact towers would be tempting to bandits looking for a defensible base, crumbling towers are easy for wildlife to take over as a lair. Ruins, though, provide less shelter, so they seemed like a good spot for standard undead remnants of the previous inhabitants.
I’ve also uploaded a corrected version of the Crumbling Tower. The link should be the same. Changes were minor, a handful of format errors that most people wouldn’t notice, a spelling error or two… but I did leave off “webs” on the entry for giant spiders. You probably could have guessed that, but still…
Some thoughts about developing the three generic pamphlets: I picked the state of repair of the tower as a way of categorizing the generic versions because the non-generic towers I’ve created themselves come in different states of repair:
As hinted at a couple times, multiple generic towers improves the variety of possible towers. Here are ways you can mix and match:
Another possibility is to take the dungeon for one of the “named” towers, change or remove any reference to the weapon or special feature of that named tower, and use it as either the first level or a lower level of one of the generic towers. Special rooms like the vent in Death’s Kiss Tower can be:
I’ve also uploaded a corrected version of the Crumbling Tower. The link should be the same. Changes were minor, a handful of format errors that most people wouldn’t notice, a spelling error or two… but I did leave off “webs” on the entry for giant spiders. You probably could have guessed that, but still…
Some thoughts about developing the three generic pamphlets: I picked the state of repair of the tower as a way of categorizing the generic versions because the non-generic towers I’ve created themselves come in different states of repair:
- Death’s Kiss and CorpseBrood Towers are intact, like the Bandit Tower.
- The Shrieking Tower’s upper floors are crumbling.
- One tower planned for the future is nothing but ruins on the surface.
As hinted at a couple times, multiple generic towers improves the variety of possible towers. Here are ways you can mix and match:
- Connect the escape passage in one tower to an escape passage in a different tower.
- Use the bandit type table in the Generic Bandit Tower pamphlet to make small bandit camps at crumbling towers and ruins more interesting.
- Use the dungeon of one tower with the upper levels of another tower (bandit tower with ruined lower level, with or without undead.)
- Use any of the three dungeons as a level below the first dungeon level of a tower, reached via one of the stairs results. Replace the trap door on the second level (or lower levels!) with stairs up.
- Remove the bandits from the bandit tower and use predators or undead as the primary inhabitants of the upper levels.
Another possibility is to take the dungeon for one of the “named” towers, change or remove any reference to the weapon or special feature of that named tower, and use it as either the first level or a lower level of one of the generic towers. Special rooms like the vent in Death’s Kiss Tower can be:
- Left non-functional (opening vent doesn’t release a cloud)
- Changed to a room with a staircase down to another level
- Replaced with a short passageway full of doors, as described above
- Replaced with a room you designed or borrowed from another source
Monday, July 1, 2019
Generic Crumbling Tower Pamphlet Dungeon PDF
Today’s map is another trifold pamphlet dungeon designed to work like and work with the Generic Bandit Tower. It’s the Generic Crumbling Tower.
As I mentioned in the Semi-Random Maps post, the generic towers with randomized content help to increase the apparent number of towers. Adventurers will find lots of intact bandit towers, half-intact crumbling towers, and less intact ruined towers (coming tomorrow.) These will act as a diversion so that players will be surprised when they find a tower that looks the same, but has some unique feature.
Crumbling towers are almost always lairs for wild animals, although it’s possible that a small band of bandits has started to move in. The above-ground levels are very simple for the crumbling towers. Only the dungeon level and the occupants/treasure are randomized.
I’ll have more to say when I upload the next pamphlet tomorrow.
As I mentioned in the Semi-Random Maps post, the generic towers with randomized content help to increase the apparent number of towers. Adventurers will find lots of intact bandit towers, half-intact crumbling towers, and less intact ruined towers (coming tomorrow.) These will act as a diversion so that players will be surprised when they find a tower that looks the same, but has some unique feature.
Crumbling towers are almost always lairs for wild animals, although it’s possible that a small band of bandits has started to move in. The above-ground levels are very simple for the crumbling towers. Only the dungeon level and the occupants/treasure are randomized.
I’ll have more to say when I upload the next pamphlet tomorrow.
Tuesday, June 18, 2019
Generic Bandit Tower Pamphlet Dungeon PDF
There was no Map Monday yesterday, but the map is finished now. It’s another trifold pamphlet dungeon, this time a Generic Bandit Tower.
Wait, what?
As I completed my first three pamphlet towers, in the back of my mind I was still thinking of the plan I mentioned in the Semi-Random Maps post. There would be a lot of towers, and the PCs are searching for a particular tower. Furthermore, just in case the players have seen one of the Watchtower series pamphlets, there had to be a way to avoid giving away which tower was which… so there has to be more than one example of an intact tower, more than one crumbling tower, more than one completely ruined tower, and so on. I didn’t want players to say “The tower is intact? Oh, OK, it’s CorpseBrood Tower” and have an immediate plan to deal with it. There needed to be an incentive to investigate further.
So what I wanted was some generic towers with randomized content to act as red herrings. The Generic Bandit Tower is the first of these. The above-ground levels are nearly identical for each bandit tower, but the race of bandits is different for each tower, and the leaders can be of still another race. Plus, the dungeon level is mildly randomized, too, and there’s a chance that the dungeon of one tower has a connection to the dungeon of another nearby tower. It makes exploring the towers just a tiny bit more interesting.
I plan on releasing another generic tower pamphlet this week.
Wait, what?
As I completed my first three pamphlet towers, in the back of my mind I was still thinking of the plan I mentioned in the Semi-Random Maps post. There would be a lot of towers, and the PCs are searching for a particular tower. Furthermore, just in case the players have seen one of the Watchtower series pamphlets, there had to be a way to avoid giving away which tower was which… so there has to be more than one example of an intact tower, more than one crumbling tower, more than one completely ruined tower, and so on. I didn’t want players to say “The tower is intact? Oh, OK, it’s CorpseBrood Tower” and have an immediate plan to deal with it. There needed to be an incentive to investigate further.
So what I wanted was some generic towers with randomized content to act as red herrings. The Generic Bandit Tower is the first of these. The above-ground levels are nearly identical for each bandit tower, but the race of bandits is different for each tower, and the leaders can be of still another race. Plus, the dungeon level is mildly randomized, too, and there’s a chance that the dungeon of one tower has a connection to the dungeon of another nearby tower. It makes exploring the towers just a tiny bit more interesting.
I plan on releasing another generic tower pamphlet this week.
Monday, May 13, 2019
CorpseBrood Tower Pamplet Dungeon PDF
Another Map Monday, another trifold pamphlet dungeon. This time, it’s CorpseBrood Tower. I decided this time the tower needed to be intact and in use, although not necessarily by the tower’s original inhabitants.
The process went even more smoothly than before. I’ve worked out a lot of graphic details for the pamphlets, and the layout is no problem at all anymore. Well, maybe a few tiny problems. I mostly have to remember to trim and rescale the graphics after I export from InkScape. Somehow, the sizes always come out wrong.
The process went even more smoothly than before. I’ve worked out a lot of graphic details for the pamphlets, and the layout is no problem at all anymore. Well, maybe a few tiny problems. I mostly have to remember to trim and rescale the graphics after I export from InkScape. Somehow, the sizes always come out wrong.
Monday, May 6, 2019
The Shrieking Tower Pamplet Dungeon PDF
Today’s Map Monday is another trifold pamphlet dungeon, The Shrieking Tower. It resembles Death’s Kiss Tower on the outside, but there are differences… especially in terms of the danger.
This one went a lot more smoothly than Death’s Kiss Tower, since I worked out most of the layout and map details already. Just had to create new monster stats and change the content.
This one went a lot more smoothly than Death’s Kiss Tower, since I worked out most of the layout and map details already. Just had to create new monster stats and change the content.
Monday, April 22, 2019
Death's Kiss Tower
I almost wasn't able to finish this in time for Map Monday, but I made it. Here's Death's Kiss Tower, one of those trifold brochure format dungeons that the kids are all into these days.
Watchtowers of the Golden Hills: Death's Kiss Tower
I wasn't able to print it because there suddenly didn't seem to be a printer in the house. Will have to look into that... I'll have more to say about the background of Death's Kiss Tower and some production notes later this week.
Watchtowers of the Golden Hills: Death's Kiss Tower
I wasn't able to print it because there suddenly didn't seem to be a printer in the house. Will have to look into that... I'll have more to say about the background of Death's Kiss Tower and some production notes later this week.
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