How to Decide on Your Next Dungeon: A Quick "Dungeon Questionnaire"

by Riley Rath

Title image © Jose Vega

First thing's first... 

This is NOT a blog post about "how to build the perfect dungeon": 

• It's not detailing ideal dungeon design
• It's not articulating actual principles
• It's not formulating fun furnishings and monster fillings

There are TONS of blog posts and videos about that (there are some here, here, and here). 

THIS post is about DETERMINING the type (or version) of a dungeon you want to build for your campaign; figuring out what dungeon fits the short and/or long term needs of your campaign. 

Table of Contents

Why Is This Necessary? 

Simple: I don't like most dungeons in the campaign modules. 

Case and point: I am running Tomb of Annihilation WITHOUT the Tomb of Annihilation (needless to say, it is VERY homebrewed... more on that in the coming months). 

Before some of you lambaste me as a simpleton or moron, I want to make it clear that this is NOT an objective declaration of module dungeons' inferiority to my preferences. 

They are just MY preferences. 

That said... I believe that many people who were introduced to TTRPGs through D&D 5e also do not like most dungeons in the campaign modules. I contemplate that this is for a few reasons: 

1.  They Are Too Long

If you play weekly or every other week, you might be in the same dungeon for 2+ months. In my experience, that is way too long. A single dungeon in the fantasy world should not take longer than a weather season in the real world. 

2. (Some) Are Not "Realistic"

This frustration is probably not shared by the least of us, but in my opinion many of the dungeons in the modules don't reflect anything in reality. Most temples do not have endless rooms, most mines do not have more than one open area, and most castles do not have anything other than the jails in the dungeon. 

NOTE: Maybe none of what I said it true... I have researched ZERO for this blog post and am simply going off my gut... but those GUTS of players cause them to think: "Why does this castle have a labyrinth of rooms, including a kitchen, storage, and places to sleep? Shouldn't it just be jail cells and a secret passage to the outside?" 

3. They Are "Too Detailed"

For players many of the long dungeons in adventure modules feel like a SLOG. Every room has some trap, some little monster, someTHING for them to do. And at first glance, you would think this is a GOOD thing. After all, who wants a bunch of barren grey stone rooms? But if it goes on for too long, this leisure fantasy imaginative adventure begins to feel like homework or busy work; just something you have to do to discover something, defeat a boss, and gain a reward (the REAL reason they go into the dungeon in the first place). 

And as a DM, long dungeons are so, so hard to wrap my head around. In a module: 

• Since the maps are battle maps, they don't have the monsters in them already, so I need the descriptions.
• But the descriptions are almost always on different pages, so I'm flipping back and forth.

• There is rarely a summary of all the monsters or of the pacing or flow, so I have to read the dungeon at least 3 times to get a sense of what it should feel like.
• The monster stat blocks are at the back of the book, or in a different book.

Admittedly, nearly all of these problems would be solved if the dungeons were just a giant poster I could put on the wall... but even that only works if you play virtually. 

My Preference: The 5-Room Dungeon

Due to these frustrations, I sought an alternative. And like many others, I fell in love with the "5-room dungeon" design by Johnn at Role Playing Tips. This style is over 20 years old, but is as relevant and helpful as ever. 

You can use the link above to check it all out for yourself, but a brief summary of the method: 

• There are 5(ish) rooms
• Room 1: Entrance or Guardian
• Room 2: Puzzle or Role-playing Challenge
• Room 3: Trick or Setback
• Room 4: Climax, Big Battle, or Conflict
• Room 5: Reward, Revelation, Plot Twist

Like any good salesman, he also lists the benefits: These are 1) short dungeons, 2) require little planning, and 3) are easy to detail and polish while simultaneously 4) can be placed anywhere in your adventuring world. And despite their structure and helpfulness, they are 5) flexible to meet your campaign needs. 

In my opinion, these types of dungeons are easier for players and DMs alike to consciously understand and unconsciously accept. Because unless the dungeon is a wizard's tower or fortress, it is likely not going to have a sprawling labyrinth of rooms. Instead, it will have some rooms either close together or separated by long tunnels/passages. 

However... I was still having problems. 

The 5-room dungeon method is amazing, and I am very grateful for it. But while I design based off of this template most of the time, I was still taking way, WAY too long to create and build my dungeons. 

I knew my campaign/session called for one, and yet I would have the worst "writers DM's-block" and stare blankly at my computer, not sure where to start. And even once I did get started, I would often realize that this dungeon I was creating also happened to have gray, square, stone blocks, was lit by magical braziers, and had an illusion puzzle. In other words, all my 5-room dungeons were too similar. 

That's why I created my "dungeon questionnaire." 

I repeat, this is NOT a "dungeon generator"; it wouldn't work if you tried to automate it. That's because the problem isn't CREATING the dungeon... it's about DECIDING what kind of dungeon you want in the first place. 

It's about honing in on the exact feel, size, style, length... and any other relevant design choices... so that it matches your adventure and can be easily distinguished from the other dungeons in your campaign. 

The Awesome Dice "Dungeon Questionnaire"

The following are all the questions I ask myself when deciding on a dungeon. A few will have some clarifying commentary: 

Why was the dungeon built? (What was the reason it was put here?)

• Tomb?
• Protect treasure/secrets?
• Accident?
• Prison?
• Experiment? 
• Merchant (business reasons)?
• Religious?
• Interplanar?

Why has no one raided the dungeon yet?

• Lost? 
• Locked? 
• Hidden? 
• Forgotten?
• Buried?
• Cursed?
• Guarded?

What kind of architecture is your dungeon?

• Labyrinth?
• Crypt?
• Military?
• "Residential"?
• Laboratory?
• Vault?
• Cave system?
• Mine?
• Temple?
• Sewer? 

How old is this dungeon?

• Before time immemorial?
• Ancient times?
• Generations ago?
• Recent?
• Layers/rooms added at different time periods?

Does the dungeon itself tell a story? (Does each room naturally reveal the purpose, construction, and history of the dungeon?)

• Yes
• No

What is the layout?

• Short or long distances between rooms?
• Straight or curved rooms?
• Same level or multi-level?

Are there multiple entrances?

• Yes
• No

How did the party learn about the dungeon's location or existence?

• Book?
• Statue?
• Key?
• Old mage/NPC?
• Folklore?
• Map?
• Magic?
• Magical creature?

What are the traps for?

• Keep people in?
• Keep people out?
• Take people out?
• Kill people?
• Purify people?
• Curse people?
• Prepare people?
• Confuse people?
• Deceive people?

What kind of traps are they?

• Mechanical?
• Magical?
• Psychological?
• Toxins?

How stereotypical is this dungeon? (How familiar will it feel to long time fantasy or TTRPG fans?)

• Classic dnd?
• Classic fantasy?
• Doesn't fit the mold at all?

What are the primary colors of the dungeon?

Where is it?

• Above, below, or in the air? 
• In a city, town, or wilderness?
• Barren, normal, or teeming with life?
• Cold, normal, or hot?
• Material, inner, or outer planes?

Why are there living things there?

• They built it?
• There aren't?
• They were trapped in it?
• They were put there?
• They broke in?
• They grew?
• They were placed there after?

What kind of monsters are there (mostly)?

• Mobs?
• Undead?
• Aberrations?
• Victorian?
• Classic?
• Dnd originals?

How cluttered with stuff is the dungeon?

• Stuff everywhere?
• Some stuff?
• Not very much stuff?
• Bare?

What is the primary material of the dungeon?

• Natural stone?
• Unnatural stone?
• Carved stone?
• Layered stone?
• Metal?
• Wood?
• Dirt?
• Mineral? 
• Plants/trees?
• Weird (water, fire, light, sound, etc.)?

What is the aesthetic?

• Cultural?
• Ancient?
• Political?
• Racial?
• Religious?
• Mercantile?

What does the dungeon feel like for characters inside it?

• Claustrophobic or expansive?
• Sacred or cursed?
• Sturdy or falling apart?
• Contained or porous?
• Plain or ornate?

What is the party's goal?

• Escape?
• Steal?
• Kill?
• Liberate?
• Activate?
• Discover?
• Return?
• Destroy?

How many sessions do you want the dungeon to last?

• 1? (Indiana Jones) (5 rooms)
• 3? (The Mummy) (7-10 rooms)
• 5? (Khazad-dum) (10-13 rooms)
• 10+? (Sam and Frodo in Return of the King)

Do players HAVE to visit this dungeon? (Does the plot require they be railroaded there?)

• Yes
• No

Is there anything inside that's relevant to a specific character in the party?

• Yes
• No
  

What treasure is waiting for them?

• Character sheet improvement?
• Blessed/enhanced gear?
• Magic items?
• Money?
• Information?
• Reputation?

How dangerous is this dungeon?

• Harmless?
• Mildly threatening?
• Dangerous?
• Deadly?
• TPK worthy?

© Julia ''Madeline'' Nagel (Baranova)

An Example: Red Wizard Mountain "Observatory"

Here is an example of a dungeon I made using this method. It took me about 10 minutes total. 

- Why has no one raided the dungeon yet? Because it is unknown to the public and guarded.

- What kind of architecture is your dungeon? Residential.

- What is the layout? Short distance between rooms with straight hallways. Multi-levels. 

-  Are there multiple entrances? Yes: portal, mountain pass, and secret mountain stairs.

- How did the party learn about it? An NPC will have escaped and tell them about it. 

- How old is this dungeon? Brand new, though built on ancient ruins. 

- Does the dungeon itself tell a story? No... it is purely practical.

- What are the traps for? Keep people out of the facility.

- What kind of traps are they? It is run by Red Wizards of Thay, so magical (illusory and glyph traps).

- How stereotypical is this dungeon? Doesn't really fit the mold... more like something from Mass Effect.

- What are the primary colors of the dungeon? White, red, black.

- Where is it? Above ground, high up in a barren, mountain wilderness on the material realm.

- Why are there living things there? They built it and occupy it.

- What kind of monsters are there (mostly)? Undead and a few other imported by Thay. 

- Undead zombies

- Red wizards

- Shadow hounds

- Harpies

- How cluttered with stuff is the dungeon? Each room is filled, but more minimalist and neatly organized. Almost corporate.

- What is the primary material of the dungeon? Unnatural magical/artificial stone.

- What is the aesthetic? Political/Cultural (Thayan)

- What does the dungeon feel like? Expansive rooms with high ceilings. It is a sturdy structure with some ornamentation on the interior and exterior. It feels very contained; the only entrances are the established entrances.

- What is the party's goal? To discover what is being done at the facility, get evidence, and destroy the facility.

- How many sessions do you want the dungeon to last? 3 tops. 

- Outdoor gardens and glass dome

- Giant telescope room for stars

- Area where "astronomers" work

- Cave Layer 1

- Housing and living for red wizards

- Cave Layer 2

- Magical experiments

- Cave Layer 3

- Captive and storage

- Secret cave at sea level (transportation out)

- Underwater cave

- Treasure? Magic items

- Do players HAVE to visit this dungeon? Yes?

- Is there anything inside that is relevant to a specific character in the party? No.

- How dangerous is this dungeon? Dangerous. 

- Synopsis: This dungeon is a research facility of Red Wizards of Thay that is disguised as a mountain observatory. They have a special portal to take lizard folk eggs from a far away jungle and transport them here to these jungle mountains. It is built on the ruins of a mountain star altar, but beneath are the personal chambers and laboratory. There is a long staircase that winds through the heart of the mountain to a secret cave where the Red Wizards use smuggler ships to transport essential supplies and their magically mutated lizard folk.

Conclusion: Additional 5-Room Dungeon Resources

That's it! Just a questionnaire you can follow to help you design dungeons. I, for one, very much experience that "limitations increase creativity," and these questions help me narrow down by goals so my imagination can thrive! 

I wanted to end with a few additional resources that make the "5 room dungeon method" shine even brighter. 

Resource 1: JP Coovery has a great video called "Creating Dungeons... the Easy Way!" that expands the 5 room dungeon to 10 rooms. While 10 rooms is often times too long, 5 rooms is sometimes too short, and he provides additional archetypical rooms for you to choose from: 

1. Entrance/Guardian Room
2. Logical Location (something that helps build/establish the background for his particular adventure site)
3. Environmental Complication
4. Secret Exit/Entrance
5. Alternate Threat/Ally
6. Helpful Information
7. Resource Drain/Setback
8. Secret Room
9. Big Boss Battle/Final Conflict
10. Reward/Revelation/Plot Twist

It is also helpful that rooms 2 - 8 can be in any order. 

Resource 2: Speaking of any order... Gnome Stew came up with 9 basic designs for the 5 room dungeon. They basically change the order and layout of the rooms so that even if they are the same 5 rooms, the dungeon still feels very different to your players. Here is one example: 

Resource 3: If you were disappointed that that post is NOT an automatic 5 room generator, Scabbard.com created some random tables you can use. Enjoy! 

Finally, you can still make the dungeon feel huge and expansive even if it only has a handful of rooms. If there are chasms or long winding hallways, you can always break up the rooms with a lengthy description of their surroundings, having the party take some sort of rest, or encouraging some sort of role-play between the characters.