In my opinion, the central conceit of Warframe—that you are a Tenno, whose most pivotal power is not destruction but connection—works much, much more effectively when Warframes are interpreted as full beings in their own right, and not just "meat suits" with mere echoes of personality remaining.
For game design reasons (i.e. blueprint acquisition, Helminth system, they don't want to produce unique AI and scripts for every Warframe), they must all be treated as game items, and there have been attempts to explain them in canon as inanimate, Tenno-made replicas. And I'm not saying that this shouldn't be possible at all or that you can't tell that story. It's just not the only way the game of Warframe can or should be interpreted.
The gameplay is about Warframe combat, but the thematic point is that Warframes (and their Tenno) are not mere weapons or tools. That's what the Orokin wanted, and it's why they failed. The Orokin wanted Warframes who were bodies without their own wills, mass-produced responsive war machines. They never got that. Warframes are certainly animalistic, but they are also intelligent, with mannerisms and thought patterns now alien to humans. They can spiral into Infested madness without help, and the solution is for a Tenno to meet them where they are, as the no-longer-human but still person they have become.
Transference is to connect with the person that the Warframe is, to "see inside an ugly, broken thing—and take away its pain." If every Warframe our characters use (save Umbra) is merely an echo of a dead person, they no longer involve this present compassion and care. They no longer channel the essence of what being Tenno means. You can still sprint, bullet-jump, and fire off abilities in an inanimate Warframe, yes, but thematically speaking, that's not and never has been the point.
Warframe is about the power of connection and love. Transference, on its deepest thematic level, is love. It's a Tenno stalwartly acknowledging a Warframe's personhood, communicating with them and taking their needs seriously even when it's not straightforward. It's a Warframe entrusting another with shared control, holding their Tenno close in their very body as they fight in tandem.
Great storytelling comes from embracing, accepting, and confronting the idea that Warframes are beings with their own needs and alternative methods of communication. Both Tenno and Warframes were once merely human, but have since transformed into something both "more" and "less". Their extraordinary abilities come with deep scars and a fundamental disconnection from their former kind, whether that's due to ageless immortality or physical transformation. Most humans can no longer understand what they've been through. In the wake of this ruin, they reach out to one another.
Do people usually do tons of world building around book/tv show/movie universes for fandom stuff or am I just weird?
Sometimes I feel awkward about it, like I should only be doing this level of stuff for an original universe or something. (Part of why I’ve been dragging my feet on my neocitites)
So do people do a ton of fandom world building and if so how is it usually formatted? I’m genuinely curious
I don’t think it’s all that uncommon to flesh out a pre established franchise. I can’t speak for how other people organize it, but most frequently I see the results of such things in either fics or collaborative headcanon posts. In some ways it’s a lot easier to do than creating a new setting wholesale, since you have preexisting content/lore to work from. Half the fun in this case is theorizing what exists beyond the view we’re given based on implications in the media.
For example, back when RWBY was still in full swing I saw at least a few forums dedicated to speculating how geopolitics and architecture would be affected by the existence of Grimm.
Even small fandoms like my personal favorite game of all time, Fossil Fighters, have had fanfics which I consider defining for how the setting works. (Those being Dark Horse Gambit and Stalking Horse Games. Worth a read, though the second is incomplete.)
In short, if you’re having fun with it, it’s never a waste time to worldbuild. Even if it’s only for yourself.
WELL NOW I KNOW WHAT THE ORIGINAL TUMBLR POST IS AND I JUST FUCKING STUMBLED UPON IT!!! THIS IS THE OG! This is just a great day for me! I feel great about my sexuality AND I find the original Tumblr post AND it’s officially pride month!!! I’ve peaked!
i feel like the youth should be reminded that the point of shipping is not for a ship to become canon. the point of shipping is to collect all the canon crumbs like starved mice, run away cackling and make some fun little scenarios with them just for the hell of it.
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Hello OP, i don’t have anyway to prove this is the same recipe they make in the shows but i make this to calm my inner kid from wanting the fictional soup:
300gr bacon, beef or chicken. A meat of your choice. These go specially well. I prefer chicken tights. Diced
1 medium onion, diced.
Garlic minced (i used 2-4 pieces depending on size)
300gr carrot, cleaned, peeled and diced.
3 sticks of celery, washed and diced.
800gr potato. Washed, peeled diced in quarters.
1 head of broccoli.
8 cups of stock of your preference. I recommend using the bones of the beef or chicken, but veggies stock works too for a vegetarian or vegan version.
3 tablespoons all purpose flour.
1 cup whole milk. (Almond or rice milk work fine for a vegan option)
½ cup heavy cream. (Skip it for a vegan option)
Salt and black pepper to taste.
½ teaspoon paprika, use the spicy one to get the warmth up a notch in winter.
1 tablespoon fresh chopped coriander. Optional.
1 cup diced gouda or manchego cheese. Optional but really ties all together.
Make sure you have all your ingredients ready and at hand for this one to make sure it comes out nice and tasty!!!
In a pot put water and the bones to prepare your stock (chicken, beef, veggie) You can use premade or bouillon cubes, just make sure its 8 cups worth of broth. In a different pot boil the potatoes until soft.
In a big pot put some butter or olive oil to fry the onion, when it turns a little transparent add the garlic, move constantly.
Add the celery and diced carrots, moving constantly.
The carrot will get a little brighter in color, add the diced meat. Salt and pepper to your taste.
Meanwhile, blend the potatoes with enough stock so your blender wont have trouble blending. If you have a food processor, it’ll be easier.
Ad the remaining stock to you big pot with the veggies and meat, add the broccoli chopped in bite size pieces. Add the paprika and taste for salt and pepper. Let over a medium fire for 10 min.
Separate 3 tbsp of the stock to mix with the flour, set aside. This will be a thickening agent.
Pour the potato mix on the big pot, move to integrate and taste for salt and pepper.
Add the milk and heavy cream. Move with a laddle. Have a final taste and let over low fire for 5 min.
Serve hot and decorate with a pinch of coriander and some cubes of cheese.
ENJOY!
Notes:
I personally prefer to use chicken, love how it goes with potatoes and veggies. Also the tight is very tender and flavorful. With beef you have to be careful not to overcook it or it’ll get gummy and hard to bite, so make adjustments.
VEGAN: could also skip the meat, cheese and heavy cream for a vegan option.
I make it for my younger sister and she loves it. Instead of meat i add some diced, toasted nuts when served. Cashew, pecan and pistachios work nicely.
You’ll have to use 5 tbsp of flour to thicken up the broth a tid bit more without the heavy cream but you can still use a vegan milk.
You can totally skip the coriander, but it adds another dept of flavor.
Do try it with the cheese tho, i promise it’s GODLY. Gouda and manchego are my fave, the melt nicely and have a strong after taste, but i guess any cheese that melts could work.
Finally, if you are like me and like spicy food you can add chopped chili. Serrano and arbol chiles are my go to’s, freshly chopped sprinkled just after serving my bowl.
Hope y'all give it a try and if you have any doubts do ask!
Substituted spinach for broccoli because my partner is not a fan of the latter and used chicken and bacon. Gonna try it again with a nice Italian sausage in place of the chicken next time.
According to this reddit comment, Gale’s tower is most likely in the Dock Ward on the corner of Sea Lion and Sail Street. Assuming Gale and Tav spend most of their time in Waterdeep either at home or at Blackstaff (well, depending on what your tav does for a living! I imagine mine works nearby), here are some possible locations for all your fanfic needs. I’m using this map and the descriptions it gives for the locations. This is not an exhaustive list–just the ones I thought might be the most useful to writers.
- Near Gale’s Tower (Dock Ward) -
Taverns and Inns:
The Quaffing Quaggoth
Tavern. A favorite among sailors, merchants, and young nobles, this dwarven owned and operated establishment is known for its own specialty brew – the Quaggoth, a thick house-brewed stout mixed with a shot of a house secret liquor.
The Sailors' Own
Tavern. The place is low-beamed and crowded, with weary sailors slumped on benches playing at board games, cards, or merely getting thoroughly drunk. This place is just what its name implies. It belongs to the sailors, and they don't really want anyone else here. The proprietor is Guthlakh 'Hands' Imyiir. (so, maybe not likely for them to frequent this one, but who knows!)
The Pickled Fisherman
Tavern
The Soaring Pegasus
Tavern
Bard inn
A cozy inn owned by a family of past adventurers, it appears to have been fixed up recently. Most of its visitors are sailors, but it has been known to house meetings between gangs in order to keep the peace. In the basement is a hidden underground fighting ring.
The Angry Coxswain
The tavern contains a one-way portal connecting with a prison cell in the slave market in the Mulhorandi city of Skuld.
The Yawning Portal
Inn. Built in 1306 DR on the ruins of Halaster Blackcloak's old tower, the Yawning Portal gained most of its renown for being the primary open route to the Undermountain. The Portal's innkeeper, Durnan, is a former adventurer of great power and renown.
The Gray Griffon
Tavern
Darth's Dolphyntyde
Tavern
Selune's Smile
Tavern
Azuth's Mug
Tavern
The Rearing Hippocampus
Inn. Probably the classiest inn in Dock Ward. Favored by many caravan masters and merchants who want a good, secure place to sleep, and regular visitors to the city who have business near the harbor.
The Splintered Stair
Inn. The entry hall of this room rises up three floors, overlooked by interior balconies linked by elegantly spiraling stairs.
The Blackstar Inn
This dignified, even haughty inn is like a fortress on the outside, with barred windows, stone walls, and a slate roof. Its lobby has two armed guards, and the four hostlers in the locked stables are also armed. Fees are high, but in return, guests get almost soundproof rooms. Each room has a hip-bath, a double bed, water and wine provided for drinking and various pamphlets and chapbooks provided for light reading. Each room also has its own fireplace, albeit with a miserly supply of firewood, and the patrons tend to keep to themselves. A good place to get a long soundsleep. Asiyra Boldwinter is the proprietress of this inn. Her manner is one of uppercrust, noble dignity.
The Empty Keg
The Empty Keg is a rowdy beer-hall. Later at night, it sees visits from workers from Mother Salinka's next door to reinvigorate business there.
The Red-Eyed Owl
This is the closest thing Waterdeep has to a comfortable, unimpressive, welcoming gathering place for the neighborhood. It is the kind of place where friends will come in and hail each other across the room. The food and drink are pleasant, if unspectacular, and you'll be allowed to sit in peace. It is a rambling old wooden building that looks as if it's about to fall into the street. Balarg 'Twofists' Dathen, a man with long, red hair, owns and runs the tavern.
The Sleepy Sylph
Tavern. Locals in the neighborhood come here for a single drink, to enjoy the music and to watch the waitresses (wearing diaphanous robe), and then go to the Owl, just steps away to eat and drink at about a third the price. The owner is Callanter Rollingshoulder, a tall man dressed in dark silken robes with a magnificent mustache.
The Bloody Fist
Tavern. Bullies and angry people come here to pick fights, and a room upstairs is retained for a succession of novice priests of Tempus who dress broken bones and perform minor healing magics in return for donations to the war god. Members of the Bull Elk Tribe can usually be found drinking here. Proprietor: Uglukh Vorl, a half-orc.
The Sleeping Snake
Tavern. This rowdy place is roughly furnished in hastily mended furniture. Members of the Black Boar Tribe can usually be found drinking here.
Festhalls and Entertainment:
From the Forgotten Realms wiki: “A festhall was an establishment combining the services of brothels, casinos, and private clubs. Festhalls provided a variety of adult-themed leisure activities and entertainment, including sex work, gambling, day spas, dining, exotic dancing, companionship, role-play, and other specialized interests.”
The Mermaid's Arms
Festhall. Elegant dining lounges, in which one dines or just drinks with an attractive host or hostess (or alone). Increasingly, the Arms is being used by single gentlefolk for a night of love. In other words, patrons are going there to meet each other, not to hire a host or hostess for the night. The Arms is large, well-lit, always busy, and can be quite expensive.
The Hanging Lantern
Festhall. The Lantern, an escort service known for the stunning beauty of its workers, and for the skill of its matchmakers, is famous up and down the Sword Coast.
Blushing Nymph
Festhall. The long stair links the oubliette of the Blushing Nymph festhall with Undermountain's first level.
Mother Salinka's House of Pleasures
This is a dingy low-coin festhall owned by halflings and frequented by those who are there for a 'brief visit', or can't afford or are turned away from the Yawning Portal.
Three Pearls Nightclub
Festhall. Pearls, as it is called, is a popular evening destination for Waterdhavians, offering stand-up comics, trained animal acts, illusionists' recitals, bards, orators, and exotic dancing. It has a low ceiling and is usually hot and smoky. The manager, Xandos Waeverym, is known as 'the Dandy'.
Seven Masks Theater
The theater caters to a lower-class clientele, and ship captains and sailors are admitted for free. The owner of the theater is a burly and jovial Shou man with a braided goatee named Rongquan Mystere.
The Purple Palace
Festhall. This is the closest thing Waterdeep has to a Calishite silks-boudoir. Its lavender silk draperies and gauzy hangings are heavily perfumed. Everything is cushions, soft carpets, music, and purple-tinted, spiced wine. Companionship is expensive and very good.
The Smiling Succubus
Festhall. Not exactly the pride of Wharf Street, but one of its most popular destinations.
Businesses and Shopping:
Whistling Blades
Business. Weapons.
The Fishscale Smithy
Adventuring gear
Talnu's Ropeworks
Adventuring gear
The Old Xoblob Shop
This curiosity shop is filled with lots of battle trophies and souvenirs from Undermountain. Worth a look to see the stuffed beholder for which the shop is named. The shopkeeper is a deep gnome.
House of Pride Perfumes
Business. The House of Pride is crammed with a forest of glass bottles of all sizes, shapes, and hues. It is protected by a special enchantment that prevents glass from breaking. The shop is run by two sisters and is guarded by trained hunting dogs.
Khostal Hannass, Fine Nuts
Business. Food.
Felhaur's Fine Fish
Business. Food.
Miscellaneous:
Mirt's Mansion
Villa. Mirt is a friend of Durnan (see The Yawning Portal). Both used magic to extend their lives.
House of Two Hands
Monastery. Order of the Even-Handed.
Harborwatch Tower
City building
The Griffon
The walking statue called the Griffon is shaped like the beast for which it is named. Though it stands on all four legs, its back is fully twenty feet off the ground, making it a mount fit for a storm giant. Although it has shown itself to be capable of flight, with the granite feathers of its wings spreading like a bird's, the Griffon now merely stands in a regal pose near Peaktop Aerie atop Mount Waterdeep, looking to the southeast over the Dock Ward. Newcomers sometimes assume it to be a monument to Waterdeep's Griffon Cavalry, but Waterdavians know better.
Peaktop Aerie
City building
Castle Waterdeep
Thick-walled stronghold that broods over Castle Ward from the flanks of Mount Waterdeep. Pennants and banners are often hung and flown from its battlements to signal the arrival of diplomats or the commencement of ceremonies.
Starry Cradles orphanage
The Starry Cradles orphanage is a Dock Ward orphanage run by Matron Griselda Hoppletun, a halfling care-taker, and funded by the House of the Moon and the Selûnite clergy thereof.
- Near Blackstaff Tower (Castle Ward) -
Taverns and Inns:
Sapphire House
Expensive rooming house on Swords Street. The inn is a five-story building.
Tavern of the Flagon Dragon
Tavern. Three Stories high, stone dragons at the base of the walls are all gouting fire, two dragon helmed guards at the door. Caters more to the less-than-noble class.
The Singing Sword
Tavern. Three floors of busy diners enjoy one of the largest menus in Waterdeep. They are entertained by the high-voiced ballads of the wondrous magical blade for which the tavern is named. Gothmorgan Ilibuld, the proprietor, is a polite host.
Wyrmbones Inn
Inn
The Pampered Traveler
Inn. This inn stands like an exotic castle. There is inside a library filled with books and a reading table with a glass top, under which can be seen a map of the known Realms as far west as the Moonshaes, as far east as Thay, and as far south as the Shaar. All in all, a quietly luxurious place to stay. This is undoubtedly the wealthy scholar's choice of hostel. The inn is run by Brathan Zilmer, guildmaster of the Fellowship of Innkeepers.
Dauntlyn's Doors
Luxury Inn
The Elfstone Tavern
Tavern. This old, dimly lit tavern caters to elves. By night, dancing lights spells bathe the place in soft, floating, blue motes of light. Gentle harp, pipe, flute, and choral music is performed and service is fast and graceful. Dwarves and half-orcs will be driven away; humans and halflings are tolerated in small parties; half-elves are just accepted. Yaereene Ilbaereth is the tavern's proprietress.
The Blue Jack
Tavern. The tavern specializes in low prices and fast service, and it's a success. Immithar the Glove, the tavern's proprietor, is quick with a joke or to mimic the speech of other.
The Jade Jug
Inn. Waterdeep's plushest inn. Guests are attended by a personal servant for the duration of their stay and their every need is attended to. The charming, beautiful, one-armed hostess is Amaratha Ruendarr. She notices every detail.
The Dragon's Head Tavern
Tavern. This modest place is aimed at those who like to sit quietly and chat over their drinks. The proprietor is Vorn Laskadarr.
The Asp's Strike
Tavern
Festhalls and Entertainment:
Jhural's Dance
Festhall
Silavene's
Festhall
The Smiling Siren
Festhall. Nightclub & Theater. Home to a company of popular local actors who can perform everything from rowdy comedy to high tragedy. Nobles often hire the place for an evening for exclusive performances. The Siren is also home to traveling troupes of vaudeville jugglers, comedians, and nearly nude dancers or burlesque dancers. Before and between performances, the place is used for drinking and dancing to live music, sometimes with show dancers on the stage. The mage Perendel Wintamer runs this nightclub.
Lightsinger Theater
Business. Entertainers.
Mother Tathlorn's House of Pleasure
Festhall. Entertainers. The most famous house of pleasure in Waterdeep is a large, five-floored building with two additional levels of dungeons below ground. Mother Tathlorn's has on staff several priests of Sune. The most popular service performed at Mother Tathlorn's is massage and bathing, but all of this luxury and pleasure doesn't come cheaply.
Businesses and Shopping:
The Market
Open marketplace. Largest open space in the city surrounded by stone buildings that enclose the maze of temporary stalls and carts that appear here day and night.
Blackwell's Fine Books and Good Tomes
Blackwell's Fine Books and Good Tomes is a posh retail shop, located in the shadow of the God Catcher statue. Owned and operated by the Blackwell family, Blackwell's Fine Books and Good Tomes specializes in rare and antique manuscripts. The shop is especially known, among the noble set, for its restoration, document preservation, as well as transcription services. Mr Blackwell's son, Aldous, has been known to keep an eye on any ancient texts which spend time in the family's shoppe.
The Bookstore occupies the bottom of a three story building. The upper two stories are the Blackwell's lavish townhome apartment.
Paethier's Pipeweed
Business
Eilean's Maztican Delights
Business
Sharkroar - Harth Shalark's Broadsheets
Business
Sorynth's Silverware
Business
The Curious Past
Business is run by Bronwyn Caradoon, dealing in exotic items while also being a front for Harper Activity.
Diloontier's Apothecary
Assassins. Drugs. Poisons. Potions. Now renamed to 'Diloontier's & Sons Apothecary'.
This upscale store catered to the elite of Waterdhavian society. Those who had the right credentials and money for it could quietly purchase poisons and more nefarious potions from the proprietor.
Balthorr's Rare & Wondrous Treasures
Business. Magic items. Balthorr 'the Bold' Olaskos will fence stolen items for 40% market value.
Old Knot Shop
Adventuring gear
Rebeleigh's Elegant Headwear
Business. Clothing.
Halls of Hilmer, Master Armorer
Armor. Hilmer, a tall, strong, and soft-spoken man, with shoulders as wide as most doors, only makes plate, but he's known as the best, or among the best, in all the Sword Coast lands. He's a master craftsman.
Halambar Lutes & Harps
Business. Entertainers. This shop sells all sorts of stringed musical instruments. Kriios Halambar, guildmaster of the Council of Musicians, Instrument-Makers, and Choristers owns and runs this shop.
The Golden Key Locksmiths
Business. The proprietor, Ansilver, makes custom locks to order, and guarantees that he's never sold a key that will open the lock you buy from him to anyone else.
Phalantar's Philtres & Components
Business. Drugs. Poisons. Potions. Here you can buy medicines, herbs, and rare substances used in the making of perfumes, scented oils, poisons, and as material components in the casting of spells. Phalantar Orivan will fence stolen goods for 40% market value. He is said to be fabulously rich.
Olmhazan's Jewels
Business. All the gems one can think of, except very rare or magical sorts. Jhauntar Olmhazan, Gentleman Speaker for the Jewelers' Guild, owns and runs this shop.
Temples:
Font of Knowledge
Temple of Oghma. Largest public library in the city.
Halls of Justice
Temple of Tyr. Holy Order of the Knights of Samular.
Spires of the Morning
Temple of Lathander. Order of the Aster.
Temple of the Seldarine
Temple of all elven deities.
Miscellaneous:
Melody Mount Walk
A magically lit tunnel that runs west up to the cliffs on which the New Olamn barding college is situated. The tunnel contains a little-known portal between Waterdeep and the keep in Rassalantar. The tunnel continuously resounds with music due to an ongoing concert known as the Neverending String of Pearls that is performed by bardic students from New Olamn in a small alcove in the tunnel.
Syndra Wands' Tower
Wizard's domicile.
The Lady Dreaming
One of the eight enormous statues called the Walking Statues of Waterdeep, scattered throughout Waterdeep to defend the city in times of great peril. This statue has the appearance of a titanic sculpture of a noble lady asleep in her garden.
The Great Drunkard
One of the eight enormous statues called the Walking Statues of Waterdeep, scattered throughout Waterdeep to defend the city in times of great peril. The unconscious pose of the statue and the tavern in its lap made the name of the Great Drunkard a natural fit.
Duir's Alley
This busy, winding passage is often the scene of spell demonstrations and practice, as patrons or staff spill out of the rear of the Elfstone Tavern and unleash magic down the alley.
Cat Alley
Recently, a masked, rapier-wielding, quietly chuckling assailant has made this a dangerous place for women after dark.
The God Catcher
One of the eight enormous statues called the Walking Statues of Waterdeep, scattered throughout Waterdeep to defend the city in times of great peril. This is perhaps the most famous walking statue in the city, thanks to its dramatic pose : a well-muscled but impassive male human with a sphere of stone floating above its right hand raised skyward.
Piergeiron's Palace
White marble Palace and main office location for many city officials, the majority of which are dedicated to the administration of city services, such as the Watch, the Guard, city clerks, and the Loyal Order of Street Laborers. The ruler of the city - the Open Lord of Waterdeep - resides and works here.
Tower of the Order
Guildhall. Magic items. Scrolls. Watchful Order of Magists & Protectors.
Since I've had a few people asking about megadungeon stuff recently, and I am an avowed megadungeon megafan, I thought it might be fun to walk through an actual example of megadungeon play that exemplifies what I like best about it.
This post is going to be the first in a series talking about a room from a megadungeon that I ran over 20 years ago (brushing past that fact quickly lest the horrors set in.) It was a major room, probably the most complex and important in the dungeon, and the players passed through it frequently throughout the campaign. In this post I'll introduce you to the room, and then in later posts I'll talk about what it does well and how to use that lesson more generally. Below the cut is a reproduction of the map as I remember it.
Without getting into The Lore too deeply, some dwarves accidentally dug into hell, as one does. Classic trope, nothing wrong with using them. They quite sensibly shut the mine down and sealed if off, but word got out. A human king heard about this, and took over the mine, expanding it into a temple complex to curry favour / barter with hell. It went badly, as such things do.
This concourse connects several wings of the dungeon, spanning several floors. An enormous devil face statue emerges from the northern wall, above the second floor balcony and below the fourth, and a column of light shines through a hole in the ceiling onto the center of the floor. Several floors of balconies overlook the chamber, though the stairs to the fourth floor balcony have long since collapsed.
This chamber was not too far from the main entrance, with the party first encountering it on their second delve into the dungeon, though it would take two more delves for them to gather the courage to enter it. At the time they first encountered it, it was swarming with imps and other little devils worshipping the big face.
I'll summarize the key:
A. Hallway from the Entry Chambers, the first and easiest section of the dungeon.
B. Doorway to the Pilgrim's City.
C. Doorway to the Unholiest of Unholies. Sealed and warded against simple spells.
D. Doorway to the Old Dwarven Quarters.
E. Doorway to the Nobles' Section. Barred from the far side.
F. Portcullis to the Pilgrim's City. The mechanism has rusted out and no longer functions.
G. Doorway to the Halls of the Clergy.
H. Doorway from the King's Inner Sanctum.
I. Doorway to the Archive.
J. Doorway to the King's Inner Sanctum, locked.
K. Doorway to The Indulgences.
Stairway from floor 1 to floor 2.
Light from the hole in the ceiling.
Broken stairs from floor 2 to floor 4.
Big ole devil face. Its eyes are a one-way illusion, allowing anyone within the face to view the room below.
Okay that's a lot, thanks for sticking it out. While I don't want to wander too far off topic into the rest of the dungeon, I'll just briefly note that the Pilgrim's City and Old Dwarven Quarters are easier sections of the dungeon, the Nobles Section and Halls of the Clergy are slightly more difficult, the King's Inner Sanctum, Archive, and Indulgences are very dangerous, and the Unholiest of Unholies is, as one might expect, where the worst things (and best loot) in the dungeon are. This was 2nd edition AD&D, so there was not a presumption of fights being balanced, and traipsing through more dangerous sections of the dungeon at lower levels wasn't uncommon. The players also understood the varying levels of danger fairly implicitly, since the custom at the time was that any time you went a level further away from whatever the ground floor was, things got more dangerous. The only exception to this is the Unholiest of Unholies and I think we can agree that when it's beyond a magically sealed door under a giant devil head the danger is telegraphed.
Next post I'll start talking about what made this room work so well in practice.
Recontextualization is a word I use pretty much every time I talk about megadungeons. Let's talk about what I mean.
The first time my players reached the concourse, the room represented a fight. Light matters a lot in dungeon crawling, and the concourse is illuminated by the skylight in the ceiling, so when the thief, scouting for the party, looked down the hall into the room, they could make out most of the layout without risking being seen. They did not like what they saw. Multiple tiers of balconies means multiple places for enemies to shoot from or throw stuff at you, and makes it that much harder to get at them. Meanwhile, the entryway is very exposed, and the enemy would be sure to see them coming. On top of that, there was the giant devil face and the column of light, neither of which posed any actual danger, but both are the sort of thing that sets off alarms in the minds of cautious adventurers, especially since the thief could see the imps very specifically avoiding the light.
As I mentioned in the first post, it took several more delves for them to decide to actually risk the room. Only once they felt they'd gotten everything they could out of the entry chambers were the party willing to brave an attack on the concourse. Justified caution. It was a difficult fight, with the imps on the balcony using their breath weapons to make the party's life miserable, and one of the PCs died. But, victorious, the room suddenly presented a lot of possibilities. Before taking the room, they'd essentially exhausted all the dungeon they had access to. Now they had access to three new wings of the dungeon, and the concourse represented the frontier.
So far, this is all standard dungeon stuff. Nothing mega about it. But the party had already done enough delves into the dungeon to face restocked rooms, and after how hard the fight to take the concourse had been, they were not looking forward to the possibility of new monsters moving in. Especially scary was the fact that there were doors to a higher floor in this room, which presented the danger of monsters from those levels coming in and taking the concourse. They checked all the doors they could access, and when they found that they could open G, they spiked it shut. (Incidentally, this was a smart choice. The first time I rolled to restock this room, they totally would have gotten monsters from the Halls of the Clergy if the door hadn't been spiked.)
For the next few expeditions, the concourse became base camp. Then, during one of their delves into the Pilgrim's City, they triggered a trap that caused a room to rotate, cutting off their path back and forcing them into an unknown section of the dungeon. For several terrified days, harried by spectral nobility, they skulked through dark and deadly halls looking for a way back to safety. And then, with several party members on the verge of death, they reached a barred door, opened it, and found themselves back in the concourse. Nobody has ever been so happy to see a giant stone devil's head before. Having finally unbarred door E from the far side, they immediately spiked it shut.
By this point, the party had needed to re-clear this room several times, and it had sucked each time. So, when they solidified an alliance with some dwarves living in the old dwarven section, they persuaded them to take control of the concourse. This finally made the room safe, and it effectively became the base of operations for the party for a while. It was the room they came back to to rest in, store stuff in, and they really felt rewarded for their alliance.
But they'd still never been to the fourth floor, and reader, some of those doors were not locked.
After more than a dozen sessions of having this room be their safety, the party managed to piss off the creatures in the Archives during one of their delves. Blissfully unaware that they had done that, they continued merrily on their way. Meanwhile, the Master Archivist, quite a powerful wizard, came out of door I and threw fireballs off the balcony until there was nothing left to fireball. By the time the party was done with their expedition, they came back to find their allies, their base camp, and their sense of safety nothing but a smouldering mess.
Without knowing what had done that (the popular theory was that something had finally triggered the devil head), the party spent a while not really trusting the concourse. It went back to a space that they moved through cautiously, a nexus of wings, but always with a constant looming danger.
But with the dungeon getting riled up, a local knightly order showed up to shut down all this dungeon delving nonsense and barred the party from entering, fully collapsing the tunnels previously used to enter. Denied access to the dungeon entryway, the party found another use for the concourse. They climbed up on the mountain, found the hole of the skylight, and Feather Falled down into the room. While the party would find a few other ways in and out of the dungeon, for a while their primary means of access was to Feather Fall in and Levitate out of this room. (After a troublesome fight Feather Falling into some oozes that had seeped into the room during restocking, the party wizard also started throwing a fireball down the hole first, just in case.)
Fully more than a year into this campaign, they'd get one last recontextualization of this room in the adventure. The Damned King, within his inner sanctum, had been a recurring antagonist as they progressed in their exploration. After finally confronting and defeating him, the party opened door H, and found themselves looking at the concourse from out of the devil's eyes. It chilled them to realize that all the time they'd spent in the concourse over such a long campaign, the King had been watching them from inside this room. It was also here that they found the lever to open door C and delve into the darkest part of the dungeon. With that, the concourse became the threshold of the final wing of the dungeon, and the gates of hell.
When I talk about recontextualization, I'm talking about a relationship to the space. Within this campaign, this room was a looming fight, a costly victory, a wild frontier, a foothold to be defended, salvation from disaster, home base, the site of a tragedy, shattered safety, a secret backdoor, treachery revealed, and the threshold of hell itself. That's an intense journey to take with a space, especially given that nothing in this room even does anything. There's no traps, no mechanisms aside from a simple door lever, no enchantments or magical effects. It's just a central space within the dungeon, and the player choices and megadungeon mechanics create the story. Important story arcs that formed the backbone of the narrative, like the dwarves falling to the Master Archivist, emerged entirely unplanned. If I were to run some version of this dungeon again, it would likely tell a completely different story, but I have every confidence it would be a compelling one.
As I noted in the first post, this room is one of the most complex in the dungeon. How do we keep the complexity manageable?
What makes the concourse manageable is that when the party first arrived there, it wasn't really particularly complex at all. It was a large room, for sure, but for the party, it was essentially just a room with three doors. The players had to care about doors B, D, and G. Everything else could be consigned to a problem for later.
The "problem for later" feature is an easily overlooked aspect of running a megadungeon compared to a standard dungeon, but it really does pay off. A party exploring a single-delve dungeon that comes across a challenge or feature will feel that they have to tackle it immediately. Either they are going to overcome the challenge now, or they're not going to overcome it. But in a megadungeon, unless something is in some obscure, difficult-to-reach corner of the dungeon*, the party can easily just come back. This makes it easier to put things like difficult puzzles into the dungeon, since the players don't feel forced to engage, but it also very neatly caps complexity. As long as the players have some path forward, anything that requires deeper engagement and which the players are finding too much to deal with in the moment can become a problem for later.
*You can also use this to your advantage. If you want to encourage your players to engage with something, for example something they'd ordinarily be cautious about, putting it somewhere hard to reach will encourage them to do so. I have seen many a player push an Inadvisable Button because they weren't trekking all the way back there later.
Choosing what to leave as problems for later also creates an opportunity for the players to express themselves. My party had just had a hard fight and lost a character, and were seeking safety. Not only were they not interested in pressing the riskier options, they actively eliminated them by spiking G shut. But another party might have immediately tried pushing their luck. Indeed, if they'd climbed straight to the 4th floor and gone through doors I or K (or, on an extremely lucky lockpicking roll, J), they would probably have been able to get their hands on some very powerful magic items and treasure without being forced into any unwinnable fights.
The second aspect that simplified the room was that the party could grow into it. They made it into the concourse at level 2/3 (depending on the class, in old D&D classes level up at different rates.) This meant their abilities were relatively limited. They were aware of all the other stuff they could potentially interact with, and they certainly could have tried some things, but they just didn't need to. They knew they'd have more options later, and so they waited.
As the party levelled up and continue to pass through the concourse, they started to consider the other options the room presented. The portcullis, F, could be lifted or broken down, or they could send someone through with a potion of gaseous form. The thief could, in theory, climb up to the 4th floor (in practice, the thief was extremely reticent to climb anything. In my experience, all AD&D thieves were either extremely risk averse or died quickly.) A Levitate spell could let them explore the upper floor and even out of the skylight.
Once they'd gotten so used to the room that the basic options no longer posed any cognitive load, they tried to lift the portcullis F and failed, before eventually using a potion of frost giant strength to get another crack at it and succeed. Eventually, they'd climb to the 4th floor and hang a rope down for easy access, pick the lock on door J, and start using the skylight as their primary dungeon access, but all these complications came on gradually, so they never felt like a lot to manage. The party simply developed a mastery over the space as time went on.
Some groups don't need that sort of complexity management. There are players who will absolutely juggle a room with 10 doors with no issues. But a lot of parties will fall into analysis paralysis with that many choices. Dungeon crawling does provide a natural pressure release for this. The party can always just open another door and see what happens. But in a megadungeon scenario, it's actually surprisingly easy to layer the complexity in such a way as it stays manageable, opening up gradually as the party grows into it.
Thank you so much for answering all my questions, it's helping fill in a lot of gaps as I prepare to run my own OSR game.
Speaking of which, what rules if any do you use to restock your dungeon?
So, I talk a bit about the restocking rules I used for one megadungeon in this post. Part of why that post took me longer than the others in the series to write is that I went looking for where I got my restocking procedures from and couldn't find them anywhere. I went through the DMGs for AD&D 1st and 2nd edition, B/X, BECMI, even looked at some old dungeons. I got it from somewhere, I certainly didn't make it up wholesale.
Regardless, I tend to vary my restocking rules a bit based on the specific megadungeon. The main factors I take into consideration are:
How far is the dungeon from the party's base of operations? Restocking will mostly happen when the party goes back to resupply, so this determines how often I want to have restocking happen. If the party is going to be away for 3 weeks minimum every time they want to resupply, I probably don't want to roll a 1-in-10 to restock each day, because that will just mean that the dungeon is almost always restocked by the time the party gets back.
How hostile is the dungeon? Perhaps counter-intuitively, the more hostile it is, the less often I want to restock. Restocking is at its most interesting when restocked rooms don't automatically mean fights, and the evolution of the relationships between factions is more interesting. In a dungeon like Undermountain where restocked rooms are often just Halaster conjuring new monsters to kill you, I want a lighter touch. It's still an important mechanic, just one I want less frequently.
How disruptive are restocks in the specific system I'm using? I've mentioned before that I very much prefer a system where any fights from restocked rooms are going to be quick to handle. But that's a spectrum, and I restock accordingly. When I run my PF2e megadungeon, I only do manual, bespoke restocking. OSE? Bring on the restocks, baybeee.
How much do I need to juice my creativity? This is almost always on a case-by-case basis. I'll have a procedure in mind, but I'll stop and do the rest manually once I've got a good idea of what I want to do with the restock.
So, in practice, this generally means I'll choose how often to roll based on how long the party is likely to be away for. I usually want to roll 2-5 times for each absence. If I'm restocking on a 1-in-10, this means around a 20-40% chance of restocking for each zone I'm rolling for, which with a couple of zones in play should mean some but not all get restocked. I might change the restocking die to a d8 or d12 depending on player actions or the system/dungeon in play. I'll almost always roll to determine what type of creature/faction the restocks are, and sometimes roll to determine which rooms they're in. Both of those are in a "make a table as needed" type of thing.
And that's basically it. I hope this isn't too vague, it feels a bit "draw the rest of the owl" as advice goes. But that's what I do.
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