As I'm finishing up the final sections of Level 1 of the Gwarnath mega-dungeon, I thought it might be fun and possibly useful to record the series of rolls I made to generate the dungeon from the tables in OSRIC. This is what I have generated so far...
I have zones O and P to complete on the Level 1 map, so this walk-through will be for zone O. As you can tell from the image below, most of the zones surrounding it are completed, so most of the routes into this zone are already set (lettered A-G in the order that I progressed to generate the dungeon).
As corridor A is a continuing passage, we will roll on Table 18: General (in OSRIC) or on TABLE I.: PERIODIC CHECK (in the DMG). Both versions use a d20 to determine results, with some variations in % and outcome, but roughly the same format.
We're using OSRIC v2 for these rolls with a few personal modifications, which I'll discuss as we go. The result of the d20 roll is a '15' = "Stairs." The table indicates that there is an immediate follow-up roll on Table 13: Stairs. A quick d20 roll on that table results in a '7' = "Stairs down 3 levels."
Since the first roll indicates "what's next" after the end of the continuing passage ('A'), I simply add 20 ft. to the passage length so as to accommodate the stairs, and then close off the end. I drop in the lines (which are 11 pixels wide, centered on the 1 pixel grid line – so 5 pixels to either side of the grid line). To draw the dungeon walls, I create an 11x11-pixel square using the rectangular marquee tool, filled with black, then I stretch the square to the desired length using the transform tool. This gives me a nice, consistent solid line that lets me line up and connect various wall segments, quickly and easily. For caves, I use an 11-pixel brush and free-hand the contours using Ctrl+mouse clicks.
Once the walls are set, I add a mask and insert the stairs icons, along with a key note to myself that these stairs go down 3 levels to level 4 (the 'v' is a directional indicator, not a letter). These results end this particular route into zone O, so we move on to the next access route 90 ft. to the east (labeled 'B').
I've been using a slight modification to the tables here, just to mix things up a little: Instead of a flat 30 ft. length for each continuing passage, I roll 1d3 to create a passage 10-30 ft. long. When the table results call for a 60 ft. long passage, I roll a d6.
For this one, the d20 result on Table 24 came up '15' = "Right 90 degrees." Rolling 1d3 to determine the length of the continuation comes up a '2' = "20 ft." In general, I don't count the 10x10 square in which the passage turns as part of the continuation, so I add the 20-ft. long line sections and a mask to the map.
Continuing with this same corridor, we roll again on Table 18 and come up with a '3' = "Chamber." Instructions are to consult Table 2(b): Chambers to determine the size of the chamber (plus some additional rolls on various sub-tables), then check Table 18 again 30 ft. after leaving the room (or d3 x 10 ft. using my tweak).
A roll on Table 2(b) results in a '2' = "20x20 ft." I like to randomize as much of this as possible, so to determine which 10x10 square of the east wall the passage opens into, we roll 1d6: 1-3 = the north square; 5-6 = the south square. The result is a '3', so the "player" enters the 20x20 room in the north square of the east wall.
The number of exits can be dependent on the size of the room or chamber, as generated in Table 2(b). Rooms or chambers of a certain square footage or less roll on the left column, while larger areas roll on the right column. Higher d20 results apply to rooms of "Any" size.
Note that any exits present are in addition to the original passage that led to this space. To the solo player, that passage is technically an "entrance." We know this is the case, as it is possible to have ZERO exits, but there must be an entrance to function as a room or chamber.
Exit locations are given relative to the perspective of the solo player. Since we (as the "player") enter on the east wall and are facing west, the descriptions will be from that viewpoint.What is the difference between a "room" and a "chamber?" These tables establish that, in terms of random dungeon generation, "rooms" are entered and exited via doors, while chambers are entered and exited via open passages. It's the only place that distinction is made in the rules, and it was never established that way in any other AD&D products as far as I can tell. I bring it up because it's definitely important to this particular sub-system, and because I was schooled in the difference a while back on the CAG Discord, before I began diving into these tables. The grammarian in me insisted the terms were interchangeable, but as it turns out, they're not in this case.
Something else important to note about Tables 5 and 6 are the asterisked instructions under each table. These details are easy to miss and/or forget, but they come into play a LOT while generating the dungeon.
Back to determining the number of exits for this chamber, we roll a '7' = "2" exits for chambers less than 500 sq.ft., or "3" exits for chambers greater than 500 sq.ft. A 20'x20' room is 400 sq.ft., so there are two exits in this room. Next, we determine where the other exits are located, rolling twice on Table 6. The results come up '7' = "Opposite Wall" and '13' = "Right Wall."
Thus, to the solo player standing at the chamber's entrance, the terms "opposite" and "right" are resolved based on their perspective, regardless of actual cardinal directions. In this case, since the entrance is on the east wall, the "opposite wall" is the west wall, while the "right wall" would be the north wall. We roll d6 again for each exit to determine which half of the wall the exit is on (the d6 is arbitrary; in these cases there are only two 10' squares so any method can be used to determine the 50/50 chance). The rolls result in a '3' = The opposite exit is located on the north half of the west wall (directly opposite the entrance), and a '2' = the right exit is located on the west half of the north wall, meaning that this exit is likely to drift back into the neighboring zone (K).
For each exit passage, we have to determine three more factors. First is a roll on Table 7: Exit Direction, Chamber Passage. When exiting a room via a door, we roll on a different table to see where it goes and in which direction. Here, our rolls come up a '3' and a '7', both of which = "Straight." Next is a roll on Table 22: Passage Width (this is another roll that is easy to forget about, but which can be really important to the dungeon's layout, as we will see here a bit later). For this chamber's exit passages, our results are '4' and '7', both of which = "10 ft. wide." We then roll 1d3 to determine the exit passages' lengths. The opposite passage results in a '1' = "10 ft. length," while the right passage results in a '2' = "20 ft. long."
With these factors determined, we add the chamber and exit passages to the map, and then roll a d20 on Table 8: Chamber or Room Contents. The result is a '10' = "Monster," which is also noted on the map.
I've mentioned in other blog posts that I am working on customized stocking tables for the Gwarnath mega-dungeon, so a quick note about the content codes I'm using on the map until I am ready to do the actual stocking: 'e' = "Empty," 'm' = "Monster," 'm+t' = "Monster plus Treasure," 'st' = "Stairs" (used where it may not be obvious, such as trapdoors), 't/t' = "Trick or Trap," and tr = "Treasure." Fairly obvious, right?
So now we have two directions to roll out, north and west. The north passage is likely to resolve more quickly compared to the west passage, so let's go in that direction first. The d20 roll on Table 18 results in an '18' = "Turn." The follow-up roll on Table 24 results in a '3' = "Left 90 degrees," and a d3 roll for passage length indicates a 10 ft. passage.
Continuing with this passage, the roll on Table 18 results in a '2' = "Chamber." Rolling for the size of the chamber on Table 2(b) results in a '20' = "Special" (roll on Table 3: Special Rooms or Chambers). That roll results in a '4' = "Circular," with a follow-up roll indicated on Table 4: Approximate Size Table for Unusual Rooms. The result of that roll is a '13' = "4,000 sq.ft." Obviously, that can't fit here; the largest circle I can fit in the available space is a 30 ft. diam. area, which is roughly equivalent to 700 sq.ft. An asterisked note on Table 3 indicates that some circular rooms may contain a pool, a well, or a shaft by rolling d20, but the result is an '18' = no special feature.
Rolling the number of exits on Table 5 results in an '11' = either "0" exits for areas less than 1,000 sq. ft., or "1" for rooms greater than 1,000 sq.ft. Since I'm using actual dimensions rather than rolled dimensions, this chamber is a dead-end). The roll for contents on Table 8 results in a '3' = "Empty." I draw the circle on the map and add a mask using the ellipse tool, then cut away the entrance and add content notes.
Now we can move back to the western exit from the previous chamber and resolve that direction. The roll on Table 18 results in a '20' = "Wandering Monster." This result is a caveat to solo play, but it doesn't really apply to random dungeon generation for regular parties. For this purpose, I do something different for results of '20'. One thing these tables lack is the possibility of tricks or traps in a corridor (they only occur in rooms and chambers), so I make a roll of '20' on Table 18 a "Trick/Trap" result (as on Table 8) and then roll on Table 18 again, placing the trick/trap somewhere in the next section that makes sense.
The second roll on Table 18 is a '1' = "Chamber," with the follow-up roll on Table 2(b) coming up a '7' = "40x40 ft." Since, again, we can't squeeze these dimensions into the available space, I bump the chamber down 10 ft. to the south and add a little connecting piece to the entrance, then place the Trick/Trap from above in this entrance area. As with room contents, I don't roll up what this particular Trick/Trap is, just indicate that there's something here. I'll resolve that matter when I do the actual dungeon stocking.
A roll on Table 5 comes up a '9' = "4" exits for a chamber larger than 500 sq.ft., with rolls on Table 6 indicating the exits are on the '5,6,10' = "Opposite Wall" (the south wall in this case), and on the '1' = "Left Wall" (the east wall). Since there are three exits on the 40-ft. wide south wall, we roll randomly to determine which 10-ft. section of wall each exit is located on (first with a d4, then a d3, then a d2): '4,3,1' = only the second 10' section has no exit. The exit on the east wall has 3 available 10' sections so we roll 1d3: '6' = the south-east corner.
Typically, when rolling on Table 7: Exit Direction and Length for multiple exits leaving the same room, I tend to just roll the results first and then apply each one to whichever exit fits best. I also rolled a d3 for each passage to determine the distance before triggering a new roll on Table 18. The western exit on the south wall got a result of '13' = "Straight" for '3' = "30 ft." The middle exit on the south wall got a '17' = "Left 45 degrees" for '3' = "30 ft." The eastern exit on the south wall got an '18' = "Left 45 degrees" for '1' = "10 ft." Finally, the exit on the east wall got a '7' = "Straight" for '1' = "10 ft." To finish this room, we roll on Table 8 for contents, resulting in a '3' = "Empty."
Since these additions bring some of the new passages very close to access route 'C' from Zone N, it makes sense to resolve this direction next. Note the direction of the solo player's movement is now west-to-east for purposes of determining "left/right/ahead" on some table results.
Starting now from passage C, the Table 18 result is a '3' = "Chamber," with follow up rolls on Table 2(b) and Table 5 resulting in a '4' = "20x20 ft." chamber with '18' = "1d4 (any size)" exits (result = '4' exits). Rolls on Table 6 place the exit locations as one on the "left" (north) wall, one on the "right" (south) wall, and two on the "opposite" (east) wall.
After drawing the room to these specs, we then determine passage directions/distances for the four exits. Since space is too limited for exit passages wider than 10', I only check for 5' wide passages (a '1' result on Table 22), but none are. All of the exit passages are "straight," with the north, south, and south-east exits being 30 ft. long, and the north-east exit being 10 ft. long. The south exit links up nicely with the chamber to the S that overlaps Zones N and O, while the and northeast exit connects with the exit from the chamber to the north which we just rolled previously. This weird synchronicity occurs often, where things just line up naturally, per the rolls.
Since the north exit has limited potential space for further dungeon generation, this is the direction I will resolve next. But first, a roll on Table 8 to determine this room's contents results in a '14' = "Monster + Treasure."
Working the north exit from this chamber, a roll on Table 18 results in a '5' = "Dead-end." A footnote on this table instructs us to check for secret doors per Table 6, but the note for that table pertains to passages and doors that intersect with previously-mapped areas. I believe the note for the dead-end means to check per Table 5, which reads: "Check for secret doors: any section of wall close to another mapped room or passage has a 25% chance of a secret door, otherwise this room/chamber is a dead end." This note pertains to rooms with zero exits, but it seems to correlate with a dead-end passage as well.
Comparing the wording in OSRIC to the same tables in the DMG doesn't help resolve the matter, either. There, for rooms with no exits, the footnote says to "Check once per 10' for secret doors (see TABLE V.D., footnote)." That footnote reads: "If a passage or door is indicated in a wall where the space immediately beyond the wall has already been mapped, then the exit is either a secret door (1-5) or a one-way door (6-10) or it is in the opposite direction (11-20)."
The reason Table 6 and/or TABLE V.D has that footnote is to account for when the random rolls take the solo player back into an area that he has already explored and mapped: "Oh, I'm back in the fountain room, but why didn't I notice this entrance last time? Aha! It was a secret door I missed when I came through here before."
Obviously, the percentage for a secret door is 25% in either method, but the Table 5 mechanic is a straight % roll with a binary answer ("yes/no"), whereas the secret door roll in table 6 is a range on a d20, in the context of other possible outcomes. I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I can't help but see a difference in the distinction. The language could be clearer in the either case.
So, the method I use when I get a "Dead-end" result is to look at the space around it and roll 25% for each possible direction a secret door might lead, including into adjacent, already-mapped spaces. In this particular case, there is room for secret passages/chambers to the north and east; a secret door on the east wall is possible but doesn't make much practical sense, so I'll skip the roll in this direction. For the remaining directions, I roll '52' and '86' on the % rolls = no secret doors. This is a true dead-end, so I close off the passage and move on to the next (north-east) exit of the previous chamber.
The available space is extremely limited in this direction as well, meaning it will be easier to adapt the adjacent south-east passage to however the north-east exit rolls out. A roll on Table 18 results in a '19' = "Turn;" the follow-up roll on Table 24 comes up a '10' = "Left 45 degrees." A d3 roll to determine the length of the next section of passage results in a '1' = "10 ft. We keep going with another roll on Table 18, resulting in a '13' = "Side Passage." A roll on Table 21: Side Passages results in a '6' = "Left 90 degrees," with a length of '3' = "30 ft."We're basically out of room at this point, so the passage simply bends and then dead-ends of its own accord. Since there isn't really anything interesting here for a secret door to do here, I don't bother rolling the percentage chance.
Bouncing back to the empty 40x40 chamber to the north, there are several unresolved exits, including one on the south wall that has a chance to intersect with the south-east exit from the 20x20 chamber to the south-west. No specific reason why I'm prioritizing the northern chamber over the western one, but that exit feels like a more prominent route so I'll let it take the lead on what happens next. From this exit, the direction of movement is now from the north-west to the south-east.
The roll on Table 18 results in a '15' = "Stairs." A follow-up roll on Table 13 is a '20' = "Down 1 level into chamber." I extend the hall and add stairs and a note, then bounce back to the south-east exit from the 20x20 chamber.
From this exit, a roll on Table 18 results in a '20' = "Trick/Trap" (replacing the normal "Wandering Monster" result, according to the system tweak I referenced above), then we roll 1d3 to see how much farther the passage goes from here, which turns out to be '2' = "20 ft."
Continuing on, another roll on Table 18 results in a '10' = "Door." Here, we roll 1d20 on Table 19: Door Location , resulting in a '7' = "Right," which means the passage continues on for 1d3 x 10 more feet (result of '2' = "20 ft.") A note on Table 19 indicates that if the encountered door is to the left or right (as opposed to straight ahead, ending the corridor), then we roll another d20 to see if a second door exists on the opposite "Left" wall (a 1–3:d20 chance). The result is a '2', meaning there is a door on the opposite wall.
Before continuing on with the corridor, I want to resolve the northern door, as there is very little that can actually fit in here and so this direction should resolve quickly. It's likely to be a room, maybe stairs or a dead-end, but I want to see what the rolls come up with first. The roll on Table 20: Behind the Door results in a '1' = "Side Door." This outcome can mean one of two things, depending on whether the door is at the end of the passage, or on one of the side walls. Had the door blocked the corridor, the space behind it would have been a 10x10-ft. room (with all the follow-up rolls that go with it).
Since this door is to the side, the result is a "parallel passage," meaning an adjacent corridor also running west-to-east. As the space here is limited, the passage can only be 20 ft. long so I roll 1d2 and it comes up a 2 = "20 ft." I've run out of room in this direction, but theoretically there is some space to the N in the point of the triangle, so I roll again on Table 18, resulting in a '5' = "Dead-end" (Hah! The dice provide!) Since there is a weird space to the north, I roll a single % check for secret doors, resulting in a '33' = no secret doors. So, this ends up just being a door to a dead-end passage. The ways of the Gwarnath architects are mysterious, indeed.
Stepping back and looking at the map, I want to go back to the 40x40 room to the north and extend the two passages there, just to see where they start to lead. We'll begin with the angled exit on the south-east wall, since it is more likely to intersect with the east-west passage we were just working on. A roll on Table 18 results in a '5' = "Dead-end." It's weird how certain features tend to cluster up in the dice rolling. This appears to be the "Hell of Dead-ends" zone. The only likely direction for a secret door would be straight ahead (to the south-east based on current direction of movement), so we make a single % roll resulting in a '28' = no secret doors. So close, but no such luck. I close this passage off and move to the exit on the east wall next.
A new roll on Table 18 results in a '12' = "Side Passage." A follow-up roll on Table 21: Side Passages results in a '20' = "Five-way intersection." A table footnote describes this type of intersection as "usually two passages along the x-axis, two along the y-axis, and one diagonal." I am able to accommodate that suggested layout here, but it's not always possible as we'll see later. You sometimes have to get creative with how multiple passages intersect.
The two x-axis passages go east and west, the two y-axis passages go north and south, and since the diagonal passage can't really go north-west or south-west, we roll a 50/50 chance to determine whether it goes north-east or south-east. The result is a passage angled to the south-east. Again, because space is limited here, I won't roll for passages wider than 10 ft., but I do roll for 5-wide passages. None come up, however. The west passage is already determined to be 10-ft. long from when I rolled the 40x40 chamber details above, but I roll lengths of each remaining passage direction on 1d3: The north passage rolls out to be 10-ft. long, the east passage is 30 ft., the south-east passage is 20 ft., and the south passage is also 20 ft.
I want to resolve the northern fork of the 5-way intersection first, since it is the most limited in potential space. A roll on Table 18 results in a '9' = "Door." We roll the location on Table 19, which comes up a '1' = "Left" (i.e., west). We roll to see if there is a second door on the right wall (east), but it comes up a '15' = no second door. Then we roll 1d3 to see how much farther the passage continues north, with a result of '1' = "10 ft."
To resolve what's behind the door first, we roll on Table 20, with a result of '18' = "Room." Rolling the room's size on Table 2(a) may seem pointless as it can't be larger than the available space of 10x20, but it could be smaller. The result is a '12' = "20 x 40." Obviously that can't happen, so the room simply fills the available space. A roll on Table 8 for the room's contents comes up a '2' = "Empty." So, another dead-end.
Returning to the passage, we're essentially out of room unless there's a turn to the east or another door. The roll on Table 18 results in a '12' = "Door." The location roll on Table 19 comes up a '6' = "Left" (west again). Whenever I have two adjacent or near-adjacent doors into the same space, I tend to make these double doors instead. This doesn't really change much, but is more aesthetically interesting.
Since a passage with a side door continues on past the door outcome, there are still technically options in this direction (such as a "Turn" result) that could keep this passage going, even though we are technically out of room for forward progress. Rolling again on Table 18 results in a '1' = "Chamber." We roll on Table 2(b) for size, which comes up a '14' = "40x50 ft."
At 2,000 sq.ft., this is quite a large chamber; too big for the available space to the east unless we distort the room's dimensions to fit. A 2,000 sq.ft. area consists of twenty 10x10 squares; we can easily fit 15 of those squares into a 30x50-ft. chamber, and if we add a 20x20 alcove to the east and a 10x10 alcove to the north, we can fit all 20 squares into the space, giving the room an irregular shape. I try to squeeze the rolled square footage in as often as possible.
The number of exits on Table 5 results in a '10' = "1" exit for rooms larger than 1,000 sq.ft. The exit location roll on Table 6 is a '6' = "Opposite Wall" (east), and the exit direction roll on Table 7 comes up a '15' = "Straight" for a d3 result of '2' = "20 ft." Finally, a roll on Table 8 for contents results in a '6' = "Empty."
Moving back down to the 5-way intersection, we'll resolve the short southern passage that also has some severe space limitations. A roll on Table 18 results in a '7' = "Door." Rolling its location on Table 19 comes up a '5' = "Left" (east by current direction of travel). In theory, the passage is supposed to keep going, but we've run out of available room so I just end it outside the door.
Before determining what's behind the door, we shift over to resolve the diagonal hall to the east. Rolling on Table 18 comes up a '7' = "Door," with the location roll on Table 19 resulting in a '7' = "Right," meaning it will enter the same space as the previous door we established. We then roll d3 to see how much farther the passage continues, resulting in a '1' = "10 ft."
What's behind the doors? A roll on Table 20 results in a '7' = "Straight Passage". For these results, I assume they are meant to be longer stretches of corridor, so I tend to determine length with 1d4+2 to generate a passage that is 30–60 ft. long. The result here is a '2+2' = "40 ft." In cases like this where I run out of "straight" progress, I will bend the corridor in an appropriate direction to satisfy the length. Here, I need to use a little interpretation with the doors to make the passage work. If I count the irregular area as part of the 40' length, the passage bends 90 degrees to the left (east) and brings it into near contact with the diagonal corridor to the east. We're also now making contact with the west-to-east passage to the south. We'll resolve this weird middle passage next to determine what happens with the bookend passages to the south and east.
Continuing with this passage, a roll on Table 18 results in a '3' = "Chamber." Rolling size on Table 2(b) comes up a '2' = "20x20 ft.," with the entrance being on the north section (50/50 chance) of the west wall. Rolling for the number of exits on Table 5 comes up an '8' = "3" exits for rooms smaller than 500 sq.ft. The exit location rolls on Table 19 are '7,8,18' = "Opposite Wall" (east), "Opposite Wall" (east), and "Same Wall" (west). Since there are only two 10x10 squares on each of the chamber walls, there's no need to roll which section of the wall the exit passages occupy.
The direction (Table 7) and distances (d3) of the exits result in the north exit on east wall) being '13' = "Straight" for '3' = "30 ft.," the south exit on the east wall being '1' = "Straight" for '2' = "20 ft.," and the south exit on the west wall also simply connecting with the existing passage to the southwest. A roll for the chamber contents on table 8 results in a '20' = "Treasure!" I'll resolve what the treasure is later when I stock the dungeon.
To complete the resolution of the existing south-west passage as it intersects with this new chamber, we make a roll on Table 18, which comes up a '12' = "Side Passage." We then roll on Table 21 to get a '1' = "Left 90 degrees." Since this is impossible, we roll again for an '8' = "Right 90 degrees." A d3 roll for length results in a '1' = "10 ft." We'll return to this direction later, but for now, I want to backtrack and find out what happens with the diagonal passage to the north of the new chamber, now that the way forward has been blocked.
The roll on Table 18 results in a '17' = "Turn." The follow up roll on Table 24 to determine direction comes up a '13' = "Right 90 degrees." This is impossible, so we roll again for a '1' = "Left 90 degrees," and then roll 1d3 to determine length of next section, which comes up '1' = "10 ft."
Now we'll bounce up to the other unresolved passage just to the north and see what comes next. The roll on Table 18 is a '16' = "Turn." The direction roll on Table 24 is a '10' = "Left 45 degrees." Again this is impossible so we roll again for a '14' = "Right 90 degrees," with a d3 roll for length coming up a '2' = "20 ft." This means it intersects with the diagonal passage we were just working on. Continuing this passage, we roll on Table 18 for an '18' = "Turn." The direction roll on Table 24 results in a '1' = "Left 90 degrees," with the d3 roll for length coming up a '2' = "20 ft."
So now we've mapped about 25% of the zone, and on the upper portion of this map we have four parallel passages all heading east, one of which is approaching a pre-existing door connection to the north-east. We also have directions to the south and south-west to resolve in order to flesh out the lower part of the zone.
This has already turned into a huge post, so I think I'm going to break it up into a second post. Now that the process is firmly established, I think one more post of about the same size will cover the rest. It's a lot of rolling to generate the dungeon, but once you get comfortable with the rolls and the process, it goes pretty quickly. I like to draw out the dungeon while watching TV or listening to music, and then stop when I get tired, so it never seems like a chore.
Okay, that's it for Part 1. Part 2 will be along shortly.
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