Medieval Cappadocian dungeon design!

Archaeology and real-world architecture is always super inspiring. But one of the problem is that real-world architecture, unlike fantasy dungeons, is often linear and too simple. Not enough weird interconnections to really make dungeon exploration interesting! I posted about this in the early days of this blog.

Well, this Cappadocian rock-cut monastery at Selime Kalesi is a non-linear dream!

Map:

The map is from Cave Monasteries of Byzantine Cappadocia by Lyn Rodley (p. 64).

My favorite detail is the narrow passage between areas 13 and 18. Good design, Cappadocians!

And the detailed room-by-room description is like a keyed dungeon... Albeit without monsters. Some excerpts from the book:

Room 2

At the south side of the east wall of Room 1 a small rectangular opening leads into Room 2, a narrow rectangular room with a bench along west, east and south walls. The room is roughly barrel-vaulted at its north end and has a flat ceiling at the south end, carried above a cornice. West, east and south walls at this end of the room have a decoration of arched blind niches; those on the west and east walls taper off at their north sides. The niche of the south wall contains a large rectangular window, overlooking the valley.

 

Room 8

The porch, like the church, was plastered, but most of the plaster has fallen away. Fragments remain on the east wall, around the church entrance, and on the easternmost edges of north and south walls. Just below the cornice on each side is a painted inscription of seven lines on the north side and three lines on the south. The lines of the inscription appear to be complete and since they occupy the whole width of the plastered area of the porch it is possible that the plaster did not extend right across the porch wall, but was confined to a narrow vertical band the width of the inscription. Unlikely though this may seem, the alternative is to assume that by chance the area of plaster with the inscription has been preserved while the rest is lost. The text, a dodecasyllabic poem, is as follows:

‘Let no one be misled by the desire for wealth for the love of money has destroyed many. For this flesh is earth, clay and...’

The poem appears to refer to the tomb chamber below it, but clearly does not supply any information on the inhabitants of the chamber.

 

Room 12

A secondary opening in the west wall of Room 12 leads into Room 13, described below. The only original opening is the rectangular entrance from Area 10, described above, which opens into the south wall of Room 12. In the southeast corner of the room a chimney has been cut through the ceiling, and the room is much blackened by smoke.

 

Room 18

There are two openings in the south wall of the east gallery: to the west, the entrance to another elbow-shaped passage leading to the east end of the south gallery (18c) and to the east an opening into the long tunnel (b) which links the east wall of Room 18 with Room 13.

 

Room 28

This is a small barrel-vaulted room with cornices, a transverse arch and wall arches, like so many others of the monastery. One lunette is decorated with a relief carving of a horned animal. The location of the stable suggests that the tunnel was once the only entrance to the monastery, and that horses and pack animals had to be left at the foot of the hill and the tunnel entered on foot. The room with the horned animal may conceivably have been a gatehouse of sorts.

Set the stage like it's 1681!!! [Inspiration/Random Table]

 I won't rest until I've turned everything into a random table!

Today's offering comes from "Des Représentations en musique anciennes et modernes" by Claude-François Ménestrier (link to scan; the passages of interest begin here, pp. 171-174). Published in 1681, this is a treaties on musical and theatrical plays. It also includes a list of the various types of set decorations. Eleven individual entries, and a twelfth one for "capricci", so this makes a great d12 random table!

Useful for quick inspiration when setting a scene, or describing a painting's contents. Great for historical RPGs, but also for weird / mythological fantasy (John M. Stater's Bloody Basic: Weird Fantasy Edition springs to mind).

The Twelve Types of Scenery

1. The Celestial; the assembly of gods, clouds, spheres, rainbows, the celestial firmament, sunrise or sunset, lightning and storms
2. The Sacred; the temples, altars, sacrifices, sacred places, abodes of priests, augurs, vestals
3. The Martial; the towns under siege, ramparts and walls manned with soldiers, artillery, war machines, weaponry, camps of tents, the General’s quarters, arm stores & arsenals, trophies, spoils of war, battlefields covered with corpses
4. The Rustic; is endless, for it can represent rough landscapes, mountains, valleys, crags, camps, lonely, forlorn places, forests, grasslands, meadows, grottos, streams, groves, hills, shores, villages, hamlets, rustic festivals. According to the season, they can be covered with snow, flowers, greenery, fruits, vines
5. The Maritime; the Sea, ships, galleys, ports & harbors, islands, reefs, storms, shipwrecks, sea monsters, naval battles
6. The Royal; the palace, the throne, facades adorned with columns, statues and other embellishments, balconies, great halls, galleries, private chambers, cabinets, gardens, fountains, magnificent beds, stables full of prize horses, exquisite garments, treasuries
7. The Civic; the city streets, shops of merchants, studios of painters & sculptors, workshops of artisans, markets & fairs, particular buildings, prisons, burning houses, edifices under construction, ruins
8. The Historic; famed cities such as Rome, Athens, Constantinople, Thebes, certain locations of Greece and Thessaly, or Europe, where important events take place, such as the cave of the Sybil or the lair of Cacus
9. The Poetic; the palace of the Sun, or the underwater abode of Thetys, the mansion of Aeolus, Keeper of Winds, the palace of Fortune and of Curiosity; the temples of Death, of Honor, of Fame. The dwellings of Homer, Virgil, Ariosto & Tasso
10. The Magic; the enchanted isles & palaces, the Sabbath, the dreadful & forlorn abodes of Demons, Hell, Pluto’s Court, the Elysian Fields, Styx, Cocytus, Acheron, Avernus, the cavern of the Magician, where everything is dark and full of specters
11. The Academic; the libraries, studies of scholars, the books & instruments of the mathematician, cabinet of antiquities & curiosities, school of painting
12. Capriccio; which can infinitely diversify the appearance of the place [roll twice and mix]

Random aviary generator! BIRDS BIRDS BIRDS

I wrote a set of random tables for generating aviaries and populating them with birds. It runs the gamut from more or less "realistic" to the weird and surreal. 

The Ignatian Aviary was partially inspired by Ignacio who runs an actual play channel on youtube and an old-school blog. If you've seen any of his videos, you know that he has birds. It was also inspired by stuff like The Gardens of Ynn.

I won't copy the generator here, because it's a lot of tables... ~7 pages. But you can see them all in the PDF, and read an example aviary below!

Download PDF

Example aviary:

The aviary stands in the far reaches of the city’s public park. The aviary is an impressive structure, but the funds allocated by the city council are clearly insufficient. A single caretaker and the occasional scholar struggle to maintain order. The pavilions are small and crowded with flapping, cawing birds. The structures are in good condition, but the foul smell scares away most visitors… At least the place is guarded by night by a watchman with dogs.

The aviary consists of a central pavilion, surrounded by three smaller ones.

The Central pavilion, a large, rectangular, domed structure, built in trelliswork. The pavilion is overgrown with grass and plants. A fruit-bearing tree occupies the middle, with a small pond nearby.
Inhabitants:

• A single elderly vulture (an ex-hunting bird, now on “pension”), with grey and yellow feathers. Its wings are damaged, and it cannot fly any more. It munches on the fallen fruits.
• Nine tiny flightless magpies feast on the fruits. Their bodies are red with black and white highlights, and during mating season, the males walk around huffing and puffing their chests. One of the magpies has a chameleonic disguise. The locals think the magpies bring luck and are very-very tasty.

Pavilion “A”, a hexagonal building, domed, with plate glass walls. A barren, artificial glass box…
Inhabitants:

• Fifteen chicken-like birds from a far-away land. They flutter around in the pavilion, eating everything they are given. Their plumage shimmers in all the colors of the rainbow. When aroused or angry, they open their fan-like tails and wiggle their long necks. When the stars are right, eggs laid by these birds hold a great magical power…

Pavilion “B”, a rectangular, flat-roofed building; glass windows in a trelliswork frame. It’s disappointingly empty.

Pavilion “C”, a round building, like a small glass circus tent, divided into four equal segments. A small fountain provides refreshment to two pairs of birds, inhabiting opposite segments:
Inhabitants:

• A pair of larger than average exotic, weirdly elongated hummingbirds, with eye-pleasing patterns: white, with blue highlights and green spots, but no other qualities to talk about. They like to eat fruits.
• A pair of enormous exotic ducks, about 4’ high. They lost their wings during transportation, and now have mechanical replacements. Despite their size, they survive on a diet of insects. The male is of a plain grey color, but performs elaborate mating dances to attract the glowing white-grey female. The female, surprisingly for a duck, sings, and its voice lulls people to sleep.

Have fun, keep on flapping & cawing!

Caryatids!

Somewhere in the city, there is a portico adorned with four caryatids. The locals are used to this sight, and just pass by every day, perhaps only stopping to admire the work of the forgotten sculptor. Now and then a woman, following an old tradition, whispers her deepest wish into the ear of the leftmost statue.
At night, the caryatids step off their bases. They patrol the streets, right wrongs, protect the innocent and the weak, hunt monsters and fight against dark-dark-dark magic.
But they must return to their place at dawn, or become an immobile statue – forever.

CARYATIDS!

OSR rules (based on LotFP) for playing benevolent animated statues in historical urban fantasy type settings! Inspired by this post, that old Gargoyles cartoon, China Miéville's Kraken and other weird urban fantasy stuff.

Caryatids as player characters

The Caryatids are statues animated by a mysterious force. Despite being of stone, their movements are fluid and precise, like that of a human – only much, much louder.

All Caryatids are HD 3

Hit points: by class, see below

Stats: rolled as usual

Base AC: 16

Base AB: +3 or by class, see below

Natural attack: d6

Skills: Caryatids start with a 3-in-6 chance in Architecture and Open Doors; and a 1-in-6 chance in Stealth (which they can employ to muffle their otherwise very loud movements)

Saves:

Paralyze	Poison	Breath	Devices	Magic
12*	8**	12	14	8

* “Turn-to-stone” effects can render Caryatids immobile

** Caryatids are, of course, unaffected by poisons, but corroded by acid

Progression:

Caryatids don’t level up. Their attributes can only increase through magic, the help of artisans, or other in-game ways.

Movement and Encumbrance:

Caryatids move as unencumbered humans, can climb, jump, etc.

All movement is loud and noticeable. With a successful Stealth skill check, a Caryatid can move with less noise (but still audibly). Only the Maiden Caryatid (see below) can use her Stealth skill to move unnoticed.

Caryatids can carry twice as more as a human.

Caryatids sink in water, but can walk once reaching the bottom.

When standing still, Caryatids are indistinguishable from a statue.

Damage & hazards:

Bludgeoning weapons deal damage as normal.

Slashing and piercing weapons deal 1 damage, flat.

Natural perils only affect them if they would affect a statue – Referee’s discretion (e.g. stone statues can crack at high temperatures or if water freezes in their crevices).

Magic attacks deal damage as normal.

When a Caryatid drops to 0 hit points, roll 1d6 to see which part gets shattered. Any further damage triggers a new roll on the chart until total destruction.

1-2	Arm; if both arms are destroyed, see next result:
3-4	Leg (-10’ Movement); if both legs are destroyed, see next result:
5	Torso fractured (-1 HD, adjust maximum hit points and attack bonus); if HD drops to zero, see next result:
6	Head = total destruction

“Healing”:

HD represents the actual structural integrity of the stone body. Caryatids can regain HD only if restored by a highly skilled human artisan or magical means.

Hit points are the force that’s animating the stone body. Caryatids can regain hit points through the Matron’s healing spells and by “resting” during the day; however these options never restore HD.

Classes:

Although visually similar, each the four caryatids each represent an individual class:

The Matron

Hit points: 3d8

Spellcasting as Cleric 3

The Amazon

Hit points: 3d10

Attack bonus as Fighter 3

Natural attack: d8

The Witch

Hit points: 3d6

Spellcasting as Magic-User 3

The Maiden

Hit points: 3d6

Skills as Specialist 3 in addition to the base Caryatid skills