If you’ve missed the previous posts about a snowflake dungeon, you can find them here.
Man, some posts are longer than others. I’ve been toiling away in the background, working on the snowflake dungeon. This step really feels like it’s the “Write the damn book” step. I’ve gathered all the information, I just need to forge it into the might blade it shall be.
Or something.
Today, I have the overland hexes. You’ll notice some of those are still blank – these are locations in and of themselves, dungeons or otherwise, most requiring their own maps. I thought it would be helpful if I were to finish them first and them come back for their hex description.
I don’t want to describe the front door before I know what’s behind it.
One thing I noticed while writing these was that I had to add more hexes based on some of the rooms I created in the monastery. I’m sure this will be true when I flesh out the other locations as well, so the overland map is likely to grow somewhat. This has often been a difficult task when I take on creative work – figuring out the best order to do the thing in when it’s all so tied together with itself.
But in any case, I digress. Here’s the land of Chambra as it currently stands. (The map is just a stand-in.)
Chambra
Chambra
H1 Riverbend Mills
H2 Riverbend Mills Cemetery
SOUND of a priest leading others in prayer and pounding on wood, SCENTS of freshly dug dirt and decay, FEEL of cold, clammy air.
Burial: A dozen citizens of Riverbend Mills (HXXX) bow their head as a priest prays. They stand around a freshly dug hole in the ground.
Chain-bound Wooden Coffin: This is the source of the pounding sound. Atoni Benni, a nervous, fast-talking Ghoul (XXX), is chained inside, believe to be cursed by the citizens (rightly so). If saved, he will offer to lead them to Fancissi (XXX) in the Belltower. If the PCs do not intervene, they will lower the coffin into the hole and the conclusion of the prayer and bury it, the thumping sound slowly becoming more and more muffled with each shovelful of dirt.
H3 Shrine of the Watcher
* SOUNDS of crickets chirping, breeze blowing, and a distant conversation, SMELL of lilacs and lavender, FEEL of a cool breeze.
Statue of a woman cradling a skull: Hollow in the base for offerings. The Hollow: Contains three candles, 17 sp, dried rose petals, bottle of wine. Following the conversation: Brother Benadrine speaks with two mutants. He is fearful, apologizing that he was unable to bring anyone else with him today. The mutants threaten him – if he doesn’t bring someone next time, Lugpopple is going to want him!
The mutants will head back to the Ruined Temple (HX, XX) after the conversation. Brother Benadrine will return to the Monastery (HX, XX).
Sidebar: The Shrine of the Watcher
Watchers are merciful figures akin to today’s Death Doulas. They are midwives of death, guiding the living to the realm of death and easing their passage.
H4 Hunger
Long, moving grass: The grass waves. Yes, it’s because something is moving through it.
Monitor Lizard: Starving. Moving quickly towards it prey.
1 / 4
Chambra
H5 Lizard Feast
SCENT of musk and meat, SOUND of chomping.
Three Monitor Lizards eating the remains of a Gullygug.
H6 Lounging
SCENT of musk, SOUND of drown-out, breathy hissing
Two Monitor Lizards: Lounging on rocks. Recently fed, but don’t necessarily like people.
H7 The Monastery
H8 Hot Springs
SOUND of babbling water, FEEL of warm humidity
Small Path cutting through the trees: The sound of water is coming from the direction this divergent path goes.
Hot Spring: An underground spring feeds a steamy pool. Anyone who spends an hour soaking in here gains 1d4 hp. They can do this once per day. There is a 2 in 6 change a random Riverbend Citizen (xxx) will be soaking here, despite the danger.
H9 Dead
Strewn about bones: Look like they’re form a giant frog. Teeth marks in them. Actually form a Gullygug
H10 Old Cemetery
**H11 Ambush
SOUND of rustling leaves, SCENTS of flowers and rotten eggs.
Wooden Stump: Old carving, weather worn. “AM + DC”
Ambush: Four Mutants are hiding in the trees, hoping to ambush passerbys and take them captive. PCs are surprised on a 4 in 6.
H12 Pond
Greenish Water: Smells of rotten eggs.
Gullygug: Bloated. Floating in the water face down, dead. Half a small fish in it’s mouth. Small Fish: Blueish grey. Dart form space to space. Some feeding on the Gullygug. If eaten, save vs poison or die.
2 / 4
Chambra
H13 Mushroom Patch
Small grey mushrooms with bright purple gills: If ingested, save vs poison or roll on the table below.
Gullygug: Laying on the ground, huge closed mouth grin on their face, eyes are missing. Dead. If mouth is opened, eyes are in there.
1d6 | Result |
1 | They see little pointy eared women, the size of a rat, crawling around on everything. |
2 | Go blind for 1d4 days |
3 | Everyone they talk to too looks like a Gullygug, sounds like a Gullygug, and speaks in a language they don’t understand. |
4 | See beautiful, bright flashing colors. Unknown to the ingester, if they are not stopped, will spend the next ten minutes trying to claw their eyes out of their head. They grin like an idiot. |
5 | For four hours (1 watch), any sound they hear sounds like a variation of a goose honking. |
6 | They die. |
H14 Rock Tumble
SCENT of decay
Large Rock: Two Gullygug legs stick out from underneath of it. It’s body is horribly smashed under it.
H15 Feeding time
SCENT of wet dog and pine, SOUND of water crashing over stone
Black Bear: Fishing in the river. Make a reaction roll for it’s attitude.
H16 The Ruined Temple
H17 Cold Roses
Could Mountain Rose: Icy blue petals and thorns. On vines, creeping down the side of a ravine. PCs arrive on the opposite side of said ravine.
Ravine: Fifteen feet across, sixty feet deep. Decomposing corpse of a Gullygug at the bottom. Takes half a day to travel around.
H18 Forest Clearing
3 / 4
Chambra
Four Cut Trees: Cut down at around head level, small twisted branches coming out form the coppice. Each once has long scabbed over cuttings that face the clearing. North: A locust with outstretched wings.
East: Insect-limbed slug with a distended humanoid face
South: A massive carbuncled toad coated in swarming insects.
West: A Mushroom
Twisted Roots: A patch of twisted roots (Elder Iron Root), surprisingly hard, grey and spikey. Can be removed with great toil in four hours.
H19 A Bitter Mint
SOUND of chewing and grunting, SCENTS of musk
Patch of Bitter Mint: Jagged, purple leaves.
Monitor Lizard: One-eyed. Eating Bitter Mint. Ornery.
H20 The Patch
SCENTS of garlic and musk
Patch of Wild Garlic: pungent and spicey.
Ground Hog: Rotund, laying on her back, munching a garlic clove, unbothered. 4 / 4
That’s it! As always, if you have thoughts, share ‘em with me. Either hit reply or post in the discord.
Talk soon,
-James
TAGS: Game Theory, GM Tips, Dungeons, Snowflake Dungeon
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Bones. So many bones. How many people have been buried here?
You find a rusty long sword and a small, golden vulture head worth 250 gp.
The sand here on the edge of the sacrificial ground is loose and looks recently churned.
The Vulture Priests are the enemy of knowledge and enlightenment. They seek to bring the eternal silence, the end of all things. Decay and obedience is their only god.
Armor Class 6 [13]
Hit Dice 1 (4hp)
Attacks 1 × Beak (1d4 or by weapon)
THAC0 19 [0]
Movement 120’ (40’)
Saving Throws D12 W13 P14 B15 S16 (1)
Morale 8 (11 when at their temple)
Alignment Lawful
XP 10
Number Appearing 2d4 (1d6 × 10)
Treasure Type D
Immune to the Divine: The spells and powers of clerics and paladins have no effect on them.
Weapons: They frequently use wickedly curved daggers, which they use for sacrificial purposes.
Soul Clouders: There is a 10% chance that any Vulture Priest can use the sleep spell once per day. The targets are still awake, but they are beset by such a deep depression that it has the same effect as sleep. They may only watch what unfurls around them.
