Development Diary: The Deep Vaults - Outer Gallery

Based on my sketch of the whole dungeon, I have completed maps for the Outer Gallery (both main and upper levels) and the Outer Vaults (East and West, main and upper levels)—six maps in all. I've started on the East and West Gallery maps, and have the Central Chamber and North Gallery sketched out. I've keyed the (mostly empty) Outer Gallery, as well as the Outer Vaults (West), and am working on the Outer Vaults (East).

The idea for the Outer Gallery is that it serves as the entrance/nexus point for the rest of the dungeon. The central part of the cavernous hall (which is 300 ft. long, 100-160 ft. wide, and 60 ft. high) has completely collapsed, meaning direct progress into the deeper dungeon is blocked off. 

The PCs will have to choose whether they want to start off on the ground floor or climb to the upper level balcony, and then whether they want to explore the passages into the Outer Vaults on the east side of the gallery or the west. Their chosen route through the Outer Vaults can lead them into either the East or West Gallery, or back into the northern half of the Outer (South) Gallery, on the other side of the collapse. This last area will be covered in the Central Chamber key.

This is the map of the main level of the Outer Gallery. It is the first area the PCs will enter upon descending an exterior shaft.

 

OVERVIEW

This entire complex was once a city inhabited by a race of subterranean humanoids called the Leng. The dungeon is actually made up of (10) different sections.

The main dungeon feature is a series of four gallery wings that form a cross radiating out from a central chamber. Each gallery wing is an open space 160 ft. wide by 300 ft. long at the floor level, shrinking to 100 ft. wide at the balcony level, which is 20 ft. above the main floor. Massive pillars hold up the gallery ceiling, which is 40 ft. high and flat.

Each wing is "separated" from the central chamber by a 20 ft. high, 30 ft. wide wall, atop which is a catwalk with no railing. Thus, the central chamber is 160 ft. square. 

In the quadrant area between each pair of gallery wings is a series of interconnected chambers—the remnants of the ancient Leng city. Each of these quadrants features a main and upper level with multiple access points into the two gallery wings it touches. Finding the routes between levels is one of the challenges of navigating each quadrant. The balconies/catwalks of the upper level provide another route to navigate the dungeon.

The tenth and final dungeon section is a sprawling series of flooded, cave-like passages and chambers beneath the city. This sub-level touches all other parts of the dungeon, and can be used to quickly reach more remote areas if the PCs can discover the paths. 

In addition to numerous hazards and threats found throughout the complex, the PCs will encounter various creature factions. The party’s interaction with these factions forms the basis for conflict in the dungeon.

There is very little in the way of traditional “loot” to be found in the vaults (coins, jewelry, etc.) Instead, the PCs will find remnants of the Leng’s advanced society, including bizarre crystal formations—some loose; others "blooming" in large clusters from the stone—as well as unknown materials and weird technologies powered by these crystals. Much of the value of these items is derived from their utility, rather than their inherent worth, so each item has an XP value associated with its discovery to compensate for the lack of conventional treasure.

INTERIOR FEATURES

The original architecture was of uniform construction, hewn from ancient bedrock to a high degree of precision and angularity. Throughout the dungeon, except where noted....

• Ceilings in passages and chambers are 10 ft. high and flat. There is 10 ft. of solid* stone between floors. (*There are actually lots of ducts and mechanisms within the stone, but this is not apparent.)

• The stonework is carved without ornamentation; a person familiar with stoneworking will notice that the tooling marks are strange (smooth ripples instead of angular chisel marks).

• Perfect angles once joined every seam between floors, walls, and ceilings, but the seismic event that created the rift has fractured the stone, forming large cracks and fissures in every surface, shifting whole sections of the dungeon, and even collapsing portions of it.

• As a result of the Leng’s curious biology, there are no stairs between levels—only ramps and elevator platforms.

• There are no doors, although most thresholds between passage and room (where a door might be) feature a 3-in. wide band of translucent crystal embedded in the stone. It takes great effort to destroy or remove the crystal.

• Any stone objects or furnishings are carved directly from the surrounding rock. They are not separate pieces that can be moved.

• Streams of water trickle from the many cracks in the ceiling and walls, then pool on the floor and drain away through more cracks. The whole atmosphere in the dungeon is cool and moist, and the wet makes it difficult to track creatures as there is little dust and any tracks quickly wash away.

The key to this area is under the break...

THE OUTER GALLERY

The entrance area of this complex has already been cleared out by a band of Dungeon Raiders, who have set up a camp and begun exploring the immediate area.

Encounters
The Dungeon Raiders have thoroughly searched both levels of the Outer Gallery, so the type and scale of encounters in this area is limited compared to other areas of the dungeon. For every 10 minutes the party spends in the area, roll 1d6: On a ‘1,’ roll a second 1d6…

RESULT	ENCOUNTER TYPE
1	Wandering Monster (roll 1d6)
	1) Skorpataur      2) Troglodytes      3) Aggroach Swarm      4) Bat Swarm      5) Slithering Tracker      6) Gibberling Horde
2	Falling Rocks (as standard Hazard) [TBD]
3-4	Dungeon Raider Patrol, Small
5	Dungeon Raider Patrol, Large
6	Event (roll random) [TBD]

Encounter Descriptions 

• Skorpataur (1). This monster has only recently been released (inadvertently) as a result of the Dungeon Raiders’ exploration (see 2.21). It comes barreling into the gallery from either 1.7 or 1.8 on the main level.* When reduced to 50% HP, it retreats to its new lair (area 2.25).

• Troglodytes (2d3). For every ‘6’ rolled on 1d3, add 1d3 trogs to the total (repeat if '6' is rolled again). These creatures enter the gallery from 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, or 1.8 on the main level.* They skulk along the outer walls seeking easy prey, but  their tell-tale stench serves as early warning of their approach. When 1/3 or more of the Trogs are slain, they retreat the same way they entered.

• Aggroach Swarms (1d3). For every ‘6’ rolled on 1d3, add 1d3 aggroach swarms to the total (repeat). These voracious bugs can come out of nowhere and attack mindlessly until killed.
• The aggroach is a terrific dungeon critter I'm stealing from Zenopus Archives.  
  

• Bat Swarms (2d3). For every ‘6’ rolled on 1d3, add 1d3 bat swarms to the total (repeat). These blind rodents can come out of nowhere, and they disperse and fly away when half are slain.

• Slithering Tracker (1). This ooze is perfectly camouflaged among the puddles of water on the floor. When encountered, it will stealthily follow the party, waiting for someone to fall behind or perhaps be incapacitated, at which point it will strike.

• Gibberlings (4d3+3). For every ‘6’ rolled on 1d3, add 1d3 gibberlings to the total (repeat). These creatures enter the gallery from 1.5 or 1.6 on the main level.* They are probing the Dungeon Raiders’ camp for weaknesses, but their rabid hooting and hollering can be heard from a long distance and usually gives away their approach.

• Dungeon Raider Patrol, Small (2d3). For every ‘6’ rolled on 1d3, add 1d3 mercenaries to the total (repeat). For every (4) mercenaries encountered, one is a veteran. These explorers patrol the gallery perimeter, searching for incoming threats from the vaults. In most cases, a patrol retreats to the camp when they detect signs of Gibberlings or Trogs. Confronted by a party of adventurers, however, the patrol becomes immediately combative (see Faction notes).

• Dungeon Raider Patrol, Large (3d3+3). As above, except that, in addition to the veterans, for every group of (10) mercenaries, one is a principal member of the faction (see NPCs).

*NOTE: If the PCs are on the gallery’s upper (balcony) level when a wandering monster appears on the main level, then the PCs potentially witness the creature(s) enter the gallery and engage the Dungeon Raiders.

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Dungeon Key — Main Level (Map 1A)

1.1 Entrance Hall. The entry shaft is a ramp that descends more than 100 ft. before entering into an oddly-shaped open hall with a 30 ft. high flat ceiling.

• The chamber is lit by wood fires burning in a pair of iron braziers against both north and south walls (4 total). A cord of split firewood is piled next to each brazier.

• A series of parallel 10-ft. wide by 10-ft. high passages (like a weir dam) exit the room to the north.

• The north wall continues up another 10 ft. to a balcony with no railing (20 ft. off the floor). The balcony ceiling is another 10 ft. high and merges with the chamber’s ceiling (total 30 ft. high).

• Chalk markings on the floor at the base of the ramp indicate: (pointing N) “↑ Camp.”

• More chalk markings on the floor before the pair of center passages in the N wall indicate: “Safe” (the other passages are also safe, but these are thoroughly checked and traveled).

• The Dungeon Raiders aren’t too concerned about interlopers from outside, so they don’t keep a tight watch on this chamber (other than tending to the fires). There is a 1-in-6 chance that 1d3+1 mercenaries are here adding fuel to the brazier fires.

• If the PCs encounter Raiders then depart the dungeon, the Raiders will have positioned (3) mercenaries with heavy crossbows up on the balcony to repel returning PCs.

1.2 Outer Gallery. This cavernous chamber has a 40-ft. high flat ceiling, supported by massive 10-ft. square pillars. To the north, the gallery has collapsed entirely, filling the chamber with an impenetrable wall of rubble. Other piles of rubble litter the floor where sections of the ceiling have collapsed.

• The interior section of the gallery is well lit by wood fires burning in iron braziers next to each pillar (7 total), but deep shadows fill every corner and gap at the edges of the chamber. A cord of split firewood is piled next to each brazier.

• The gallery’s once-perfectly carved floor is now cracked and broken. A large section of the central floor has buckled under the weight of the collapse, raising it above the surrounding floor. An armed camp has been erected on the 8-ft. high terrace and its perimeter is surrounded by a picket fence.

• Groups of men can be seen milling about in the camp and on the gallery floor.

• A 20 ft. high balcony with a 10-ft. high ceiling and no railing surrounds the lower gallery. Below the balcony, various passages—10 ft. high and either 10 or 20 ft. wide—lead into the Outer Vaults.

1.3 Dungeon Raiders’ Camp. A company of explorers have erected an expeditionary camp in the main outer gallery on fortified high ground (the floor terrace). The company consists of (30) rough-and-tumble mercenaries as well as a cadre of senior members (see NPCs)…

• A half-dozen veteran fighters and their captain (a 7th-level fighter, the group’s tactical leader).
• A trio of clerics (two acolytes and a priest) who provide healing, bookkeeping, and logistics
• A 6th-level wizard, who is the group's senior member and its strategic leader. He is deeply intrigued by the mysterious crystals the expedition has found recently.

1.4 Rubble Wall. The ceiling collapse has totally blocked off the rest of the gallery. Climbing over the rubble is fairly easy (DC 12); the stones are loose, however, so a check must be made for each round spent on the pile. Failing a climb check means the PC tumbles 1d4 x 10 ft. down the rugged slope, taking 1d6 bludgeoning damage for every 10 ft. they fall before hitting the floor.

1.5 Barricades. The Raiders have erected a series of fortified timber barricades down this passage, from which all prior Gibberling attacks on the camp were mounted (see 3.1).

1.6 Exploration Signs. Chalk markings on the floor in front of the passage openings indicate: (pointing E) “↑ East Staging Area” and (pointing S) “↑ Dead-end - metal wall.”

1.7 Exploration Signs. Chalk markings on the floor in front of the passage opening indicate: (pointing W) “↑ Danger! - crystal bloom.”

1.8 Exploration Signs. Chalk markings on the floor in front of the passage opening indicate: (pointing W) “↑ West Staging Area.”

__________

 

Dungeon Key — Upper Level (MAP 1B)

1.9 Balcony. A 30-ft. wide stone balcony with no railings rings the gallery floor at a height of 20 ft. Anyone on the balcony can easily observe areas 1.1 and 1.2, but if the PCs employ light sources on the balcony, they will be seen by the Dungeon Raider camp.

1.10 Exploration Signs. Obvious signs that the Dungeon Raiders came this way...

• A rope stub is spiked into the SW pillar; it appears to have been cut recently.

• Chalk markings on the floor map out a series of passages and rooms (areas 2.41, 2.42, and 2.44), along with dates and coded glyphs. A splash of red chalk has been cast across the white chalk map (code for “Don’t go this way.”)

1.11 Exploration Signs. Chalk markings on the floor indicate that the Raiders tried the south passage and came to a single room with three exits, along with a date and coded glyphs. A splash of red powder has been cast across the white chalk map.

1.12 Hidden Route. Anyone investigating the wall of rubble in this area might notice that several large slabs of fallen stone near the top form a precarious-looking “bridge” over to the middle part of the rubble wall. A PC who climbs up to this bridge can determine that it is stable. If they then cross over to the mid-part of the rubble pile, they discover a previously-unseen gap which appears to lead into the rubble.

• The gap indeed passes through the rubble, providing easy access to the northern section of the Outer Gallery (area 4.1).