Dungeon Immune Response
Table of Contents
I had an idea a while back for simulating a more adversarial type of “dungeon spirit” or intelligence. My thoughts were of a sapient entity receiving specific pieces of intelligence and sending counter-measures to foil interlopers—this would be an alternative to wandering monsters.
The idea was to roll a die every time the players do something conspicuous or a monster flees combat. That die becomes a timer ticked down every turn. I still like the idea but after listening to Nightwick Abbey's Miranda Elkins on Into the Megadungeon, I wanted to do something more “living body” less “man in a chair”.
DUNGEON IMMUNE RESPONSE
When the players do something conspicuous roll 2d6. The die that lands closer to you becomes a timer decremented every turn. That other die is for the category of immune response:
- SWELLING: Doors in the area immediately become stuck, when the timer is removed some lock, walls in passages constrict, ceilings lower.
- ANTI-BODY: Pores open in the stone, gasses poisonous or flammable fill the space
- KILLERS: Monster are coming
- KILLERS again
- MUCUS: Traps appear: puddles of grease, pit traps, chutes that flush bodies into lower levels, stoney spikes protrude from the floor
- ADAPTIVE: The dungeon changes to specifically prevent the conspicuous action from occurring again in that area
- Wind rushes in to blow out torches, or anemones squirt water from the ceiling
- A demonic spirit interdicts Turn Undead, or an unhallowed altar is erected
- A door that was kicked in is smoothed over with stone or turns into an illusion before a trap
- Deadly plants grow or monsters move into the area.
- Crystalline spell eaters crawl the walls creating an anti-magic zone
This is the kind of thing that would be fun to not disclose to the players and to let them instead figure out. Only SWELLING has an immediate tell, so players that aren't paying close attention may not discover the direct correlation between their actions and appearing hazards.
Anyhoo, this feels like a readily-had idea so lemme know if you've done anything similar :)