Flatiron Building Map as Dungeon Level

 Turned a map from the Flatiron Building in a single-level dungeon with 30 rooms (so I could add a d30 table or two to go with it—to come in a future post).

Dungeon Master Information: Crime & Punishment

 From the upcoming release, Dragon Horde Zine, Volume 2, Issue 2: In Alley & Shadow.

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Arrest & Trial

In a manorial system, the keeping of the peace generally falls under the jurisdiction of the sheriff, who is also responsible for collecting revenues, fines, and rents, executing writs, and guarding prisoners. However, the onus of law enforcement is placed upon the citizens, who are relied upon to maintain order and apprehend criminals.

The status and position of different groups affects their protections by law. For example, a noble and a peasant committing the same crime may be afforded different types of trials.

The major forms of trial include:

Trial by Exculpatory Oath and Compurgation. All but the most serious crimes are dealth with this way. The defendant establishes their innocence or non-liability by taking an oath and by getting a required number of persons (typically 12) to swear they believed the defendant’s oath. It is the jury’s responsibility to collect evidence in order to make the determination of guilt and assign punishment (if found guilty).

Trail by Ordeal. This is usually reserved for more serious crimes, peasants, persons of bad reputation, or those caught with stolen goods. Guilt or innocence is determined by subjecting the accused to a painful, (and often quite dangerous) experience. Many accused choose to admit guilt (even if they are innocent) in order to receive a lesser punishment.

Trial by Combat. When accusations are made in the absence of witnesses or a confession, the two parties at odds settle the dispute with single combat. The winner of the fight is proclaimed to be right.

Outlawry

Persons who are accused of particularly heinous crimes (e.g., homicide) or defy the laws of the realm (e.g., ignoring a summons to court, fleeing insteading of appearing to plead when charged with a crime, commiting treason, participating in rebellion), may be declared as an “outlaw” by a Writ of Outlawry. This writ places them outside the protection of the law, withdraws any legal protection for them, and legally empowers anyone to persecute or kill them. Furthermore, all of the outlaw’s possessions are seized by the courts.

Outlawry can be reversed in one of two ways:

Plead Error. The outlaw appears in court and declares they were erroniously declared an outlaw. 

Plead Pardon. The outlaw must first surrender to authorities, then present their plea to the court. If the outlawry is reversed or pardoned, the seized possessions will be returned (if possible).

Punishment

Most communities believe that the best way to keep order is ensure that people fear the punishment given when a crime is committed. Therefore, many punishments may seem harsh, especially for lesser crimes. 

Trials by ordeal are their own punishment. The most common forms include:

Ordeal by Poison. The accused is given a posionous substance to eat or drink. If they survive, they are innocent.

Ordeal by Fire. The accused is required to walk nine paces in bare feet on nine red-hot plowshares or to walk nine paces while holding red-hot iron. In most cases, the accused is the bandaged for three days, then found guilty if the wounds fester or not guilty if they have healed. In some cases, there must be no sign at all of injury in order to be found not guilty.

Ordeal by Boiling Water. The accused plunges their hand in a kettle or pot of boiling water (sometimes oil or lead is used instead) to retrieve a stone. The assessment of the injury (i.e., the consequences of divine intervention or lack of it) determines guilt.

Ordeal by Cold Water. The accused has their hands and feet tied together, and is thrown into a body of water (or pit filled with water blessed by a priest). If the accused floats, the water “rejects” them so they are found guilty. The innocent sink.

The table below lists common crimes and their common punishment, though the specific punishment for a crime may change based on the standards of the community.

Crime	Definition	Punishment
Mayhem	intentional maiming of another person	execution
Homicide	the deliberate killing of one person by another	hanging (men) or burning at the stake (women)
Murdrum	the killing of a person in a secret manner	heavy fine on the community where the secret killing occurred
Burglary	entering property without consent	humiliation or torture
Robbery	theft by force	hanging (men) or burning at the stake (women)
Petty Theft	theft with value up to 5sp	varies, includes: fine of 10× value of stolen goods
Theft	theft with value from 5sp to 1gp	public beating or flogging, or mutilation
Fraud	deceptive business practices	comparable to theft, based on number of infractions and total value
Full Theivery	theft with value of 1gp or more	hanging from a tree or a gallows, or by banishment from the city and its environs
Possession	receipt of stolen property	mutilation or execution
Poaching	the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals	hanging, castration, blinding, or being sewn into a deer skin and then hunted down by ferocious dogs
Usury	lending money at unreasonably high rates of interest	fines
Bribery	the giving or offering of a bribe	fines
Forgery	making, altering, use, or possession of a false writing to commit fraud	not generally regarded as a crime unless related to government (e.g., forging of a king's seal) in which case it may be treated as treason
Supposition	creation of false documents, texts, books, and artifacts	public humiliation
Coin Clipping	shaving off a small portion of a precious metal coin for profit	mutilation or execution
Vandalism	deliberate destruction of or damage to property	comparable to theft, based on number of infractions and total value
Rioting	offense against public order involving three or more people	mutilation or execution
Kidnapping	abducting someone and holding them captive	public torture and/or execution
Breach of the Peace	disorderly conduct, public drunkenness, common scold	fines or public humiliation (stocks or pillory)
Indecent Exposure	purposeful display of one's genitals in public	mutilation
Gossiping	spreading rumors	public humiliation (scold's bridle)
Cheating	acting dishonestly or unfairly, especially in games	public humiliation (stocks or pillory)
Adultery	sexual intercourse between married person and non-spouse	public humiliation, mutilation (breast ripper), ordeal by fire, or drowning
Prostitution	engaging in sexual activity with someone for payment	public humiliation
Slander	false spoken statement damaging to one's reputation	tongue cut out
Blasphemy	speaking sacrilegiously about sacred things	torture (pear of anguish)
Defying the Church	acting in opposition to religious beliefs or orders	heretic's fork
Heresy	holding beliefs contrary to religious doctrine	ordeal by fire, ordeal by hot water, or execution (burning at the stake)
Witchcraft	the practice of dark/forbidden magic	ordeal by cold water
Repeat Offenses	multiple offenses of a specific crime	beating, maiming, or hanging
Attacking Officials	mayhem against officials of church or state	execution
Protesting	the public expression of disapproval of government	execution
Treason	betraying one's country	beheading (nobles) or drawing& quartering (commoners)
Rebellion	violent or open resistanceto government or ruler	execution

Flash Lingo: A Thieves Cant Dictionary (Free Agnostic Fantasy Gaming Supplement)

"Flash Lingo: A Thieves Cant Dictionary" is the most comprehensive Thieves Cant glossary ever assembled. With over 2,200 entries, this volume has been compiled from historical resources and edited to specifically support fantasy role-playing games. More importantly, it is designed to bring the lexicon of Thieves Cant to life in your campaign world, as an aid for both players and DMs alike. It’s also just a damn enjoyable read!

Download the free 52-page PDF from DriveThruRPG >> 

Order a print copy from Lulu.com >>

Free PDF Download: Exploration Time Tracker

So years ago, when I still worked for somebody else, and we had to keep track of all of our billable hours, I created a personal timesheet/ billable hours tracker. It let me record my time in quarter hour increments by client, so come time to enter my time into the computer for the week, it was all there in front of me and I could enter my data in record time.

So I had this idea the other day... why not create something like that to track light sources, magical effects, etc., in the dungeon. (I'm gearing up for a possible campaign where resource management will be pretty important).

Each circle represents 1 hour of time, divided into 6 turns (6 pieces of hour pie). Every turn, the DM fills in a 1/6 segment of the pie for whatever's necessary (each torch or lantern, residual magic effects, etc.). It takes only a few seconds of real time for the DM to track the resources, and tell the players when it's time to burn one from their inventory.

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Click here to download a free PDF of the "Exploration Time Tracker" from MediaFire.

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Free Oe/1e/BX Mini-adventure: The Hanging Garden (for characters levels 1-3)

Now that April is officially over, and I'm not bound to the A-to-Z schedule (or commitment for that matter), I can finally get back to some non-d30-related stuff. (Don't worry, Fridays are still "d30 Download Days" 'round these parts.)

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago on Google+ that I'd finished my entry into the One Page Dungeon Contest, and that it was inspired by an Arthur Rackham illustration from Malory's Arthurian stories, showing the fallen grail knights hanging from the tree. Honestly, my goal for this year's OPDC was not to win overall, but simply to earn "most macabre" (or something similar). The adventure I designed starts off innocent enough (orcs kidnapping locals and dragging them off into the woods), but something pretty gruesome awaits our heroes. (The title of the adventure should be your clue).

What's linked below are both the one-page version that was submitted to the contest, and the "expanded" 4-page version. There aren't a ton of differences between them, but they expanded version provides some additional color/aid to the DM. For example, a certain encounter in the one-page version simply says "dozens and dozens of carnivorous plants (some ambulatory)." By comparison, the 4-page version provides a 1-page plant monster generator (converted from the d30 Plant Monster Generator I posted a couple of months back on the blog), that allows the DM to quickly create a roster of plants monsters for the encounter. If the Þrymjahellir adventure I posted back in 2012 is any indication, downloads of the the expanded version should outnumber 1-page downloads approximately 2-to-1.

* For the expanded (4-page) version of The Hanging Garden - click here
* For the official OPDC (one-page) version of The Hanging Garden - click here

My Attempt At Telecanter's Visual Dungeon Challenge

Yesterday, as his 999th post, Telecanter issued the following challenge:

Make a one page dungeon that uses only images
and visual devices. No words. No abbreviations.

I think the challenge is interesting, and it did give me an opportunity to come back from my recent slacking and get some new things posted to this blog. I think the format has both disadvantages and advantages. As for the former: 1) it's hard to do anything too complex for fear of being misunderstood/misinterpreted, 2) #1 seems to drive the content toward familiar clichés, and 3) it feels a little cookie cutter (but maybe that's because I didn't spend too long trying to push the format). As for the latter: 1) it really leaves a lot of things open to interpretation by the DM, and 2) it really does allow flexibility for strength and number of monsters, as well as type and amount of treasure.

I think mine (at bottom of post) is particularly stripped down from Telecanter's intention, since I have absolutely no stats included. But honestly, if you've run enough zombies, rats, bats, and spiders, you can wing it (even if you don't remember exact ACs for example).

What I really miss not having in this format is the detail. Sure, a picture is worth a thousand words, but there are some times when I'd rather have the perfect three or four words, than the other 997 or 997. It was a fun exercise, and something I may re-attempt in the future, but I'm much more of a fan of the single-page format. But maybe that's because it's much easier to do something with only the most minimal of visual needs (like my Tomb of Ludor single-pager).

"Dungeons": A Strange Sameness

I recently acquired a second copy of Bruce Galloway's The Highest Level of All Fantasy Wargaming. I've had a copy of the larger quarto (letter-sized) since it came out in the states back in '82, but the new copy is the octavo (hardcover novel sized) put out through Science Fiction book clubs. It's been a while since I cracked this open, but when I opened the book to insert the receipt before leaving the store, it serendipitously opened on the following passage (p. 103)...

Designing a "dungeon" or adventure
... The basic idea. Surprisingly for games that are claimed to have infinite possibilities, the design of "dungeons" seems to take on a strange sameness: a deserted or ruined building, a secret entrance, a number of levels inhabited by monsters and containing traps, treasures and magic in various forms."

He really just goes on from there to tell you how to make things more interesting. He references Fritz Leiber's Swords Against Wizardry, and R.E. Howard's Conan story Red Nails, and makes some general mentions of legends and myths (as categories for inspiration, but nothing particular). Yes, I know what you're thinking... Bruce selected 2 individual books that were each included in an entire series mentioned in the DMG's Appendix N. But cut Bruce some slack; what he presents in the next few pages is a sort of checklist for GMs, telling them to (in my words) paint both the broad strokes (the setting, the society, etc.) and the finer details (e.g., trap mechanisms) in order to create as many vivid role-playing opportunities as possible. Now give Bruce some credit, he was developing what would become THLOAFW during the late 70s, about the same time the 1E hardbacks were being published, and given the lead time on writing/editing/typesetting/printing in those days, it's entirely possible this section was written before Bruce ever saw a copy of the 1E DMG.

In 81/82, Bruce abandoned gaming for other interests, and died tragically in an accident in 1984. I encourage you to read Mike Monaco's very long and detailed post about THLOAFW from back in October of 2010 (or re-read if it's been a while). It's got some wonderful insights from Bruce's friend Nick Lowe (one of the writers and shared copyright holders on THLOAFW), and a "Cover to Cover" review of THLOAFW by Mike.

Free Oe/1e/BX Mini-adventure (Characters level 3-6)

Okay, so this was another one of those weeks where I really just wanted to procrastinate on my client work, and started working on an adventure I'm building around the idea I tossed out a couple of months back about a scalable encounter key. Unfortunately, it felt like the encounter key idea was more interesting than the adventure itself, so I turned my attention towards a concept I'd been making notes on here-and-there for the last couple of months.

Most of the adventures that I write tend to be conflict (i.e., "story-based") encounters centered around a simple hook (like Þrymjahellir), it's been a while since I created anything where the adventure was (in many ways) out of the hands of the characters. That's not to imply a railroading approach; in fact, it's the opposite. I mean an adventure where the events are "fixed" (as opposed to the fluidity of Þrymjahellir), and the characters must decide whether the next step or action (as simple or as unimportant as it may seem) will seal their dooms or not. That's the idea behind The Grizzly Graveyard of Grimgortha. (Please forgive the Stan Lee-esque alliteration; it's a holdover from my original A-to-Z idea from April.)

This adventure includes several encounters which requires the players to think rather than to have the PCs fight (though there is some of that). And while there is an actual riddle or two to be solved, the strange occurrences that happen within the graveyard are meant to puzzle the players and fill their characters with apprehension. Hopefully, this adventure will create some paranoia in your players, and it provides the DM with a key option for that, based on knowing his player group (and how they might act in these situations).

The Grizzly Graveyard
of Grimgortha

So much dreadful energy seems to emanate from Grimgortha Graveyard you can truly feel it in your bones—and it does not feel good. Surely something that radiates this kind of evil must be imbued with a darkness so vile it defies all that is good in the universe. It must also be protecting something of great value, though one would hope your concern is ridding the world of its evil.

Click here to download "The Grizzly Graveyard of Grimgortha" from MediaFire.

Encounter Table Idea I've Been Playing Around With

This is an approach to an adventure encounter key that I've toying around with. I'm looking to possibly use it for one of my mini-adventures. It's not much more than a set of encounters that are "pre-scaled" to several adventure levels. Would anyone find this handy and/or useful if they were using an existing adventure?

Free Oe/1e/BX Mini-adventure: Sjaudrvergrhall(for characters levels 4-7)

It's official! My viking mini-adventures are now a trilogy. Though the Great Kahn has closed submissions for his one-page dungeon contest with a Viking theme (the submission period ended last night), I did get my third one in before the deadline. The three aren't "officially" linked, and share little more than an Old Norse "vibe" and some names that sound like various items from the Ikea catalog. But there are three of them, and that's enough of a trilogy for me.

The first was The Tomb of Ludor the Beheader, centered around my draugr monster stats.

For the second, I again looked to one of the monsters from the Creature Compendium, and chose the red dwarf as a focal point of Þrymjahellir (Threemyahetler), who's name means both "cave of thunder" and "cave of lies."

For the third in the series, I found inspiration in Wagner's four-cycle opera Der Ring des Nibelungen. I started thinking "ring" and "dwarves" and that led me to today's entry... Sjaudvergrhall ("hall of the seven dwarves.") I really dig the backstory I came up with, so here it is in it's entirety...

Reginn, son of Hreiðmarr (king of dwarves), was a dvergr (dwarf) of not only great size, but of skill and wisdom. Dark in spirit and versed in magic, Reginn created a testament to himself in Sjaudvergrhall (“hall of the seven dwarves”)—a series of trials meant to test the bravest and most heroic of men, while proving the superiority of dwarvenkind.

Long did Sjaudvergrhall seem only legend, its location lost when Sigurd wielded Gram (the sword he used to slay the dragon Fafnir) and cut off Reginn’s head. But the roots of Yggdrasil (the world tree) have twisted and turned as they’ve grown over the ages, and passage between Midgard (the world of humans) and Nidavellir (home of the dwarves) now offers access to Reginn’s conceit.

A solitary cavern writhes for miles through the bowels of Myrkrbjarg (the “dark mountain”) until it arrives at Myrkrgrind (the “dark gate”)—the entrance to Sjaudvergrhall.

Sjaudvergrhall, like the first two in the viking trilogy, will be available for download on the Old School Adventures™ page. Or... to download Sjaudvergrhall now, click here.

Now, just a bit more housekeeping on this before I close for the day. I'd like to thank William Dowie (a.k.a. The Great Khan), not only for the cool Ramblings of a Great Khan magnet, but for the cool artwork created by his wife Mona. (Pics of all below).

Langbeck Castle Map: Free PDF Download

I have a bunch of commitments this weekend. So in lieu of my normal Riot Squad Saturdays post, I'm shamelessly uploading a rework of an old map that many of my newer followers may have missed. This new version has been updated to good ol' black and white so it's more laser printer-friendly, and I've re-keyed it, including the actual room area names/titles. You might also notice that I've changed the name from Wolvesey (the actual castle on which this map is based) to Langbeck. Since my map key is based partly on actuality, and partly on non-actuality, I didn't want historians finding my map years from now thinking the room assignment are accurate. Feel free to turn it into ruins or what have you, knowing it probably needs a second floor (including some bedrooms, wardrobes, etc.)

To download a free PDF of this map
from MediaFire, click here.

Cavern of the Darkmoon Talisman (Preview of Free Adventure Download)

Over the past few months, I've been posting some free "mini-adventures" (see the Old School Adventures™ page). Usually these are 1-3 pages long, including the maps, and contain very topline encounter information.

Partly spurred on by my recent conversion work on the Community Geomorph Project, I'm in a real map-making mood as of late. So I dug out an incomplete cavern map, and started filling it in. Before I knew it, I had all these ideas about the various parts of the cavern. So what I'll be doing over the next few weeks (in addition to the hundreds of other diversions with which I'm currently distracted), I'll be filling in each subsection of this map (pictured above) so that each area essentially becomes a "mini-adventure." As each area's encounters are complete, the PDf for that area will be posted. When complete, the pieces and parts will be compiled into one final "complete" version for download on the Old-school Adventures™ page.

The names and monsters indicated above are subject to change without prior written notice.

Free Oe/1e/BX Mini-adventure: Þrymjahellir (for characters levels 4-7)

The other day I wrote about the Great Kahn and his one-page dungeon contest with a Viking theme. And I created The Tomb of Ludor the Beheader centered around my draugr monster stats. Since the contest goes for another couple of weeks, and some others have expressed interest in making more than one submission. I decided to do the same. Again, I looked to one of the monsters from the Creature Compendium, and chose the red dwarf.

Þrymjahellir (Threemyahetler)
When the PCs come across the entrance to Þrymjahellir, they will find two pairs of half-elves in a stand-off. Each pair will claim the others are dopplegangers, and are preventing them from going inside the cave, where they wish to confront a small tribe of red dwarves and reclaim a stolen magic item (an axe named Tuireann).

For the record, the name of this cave, þrymjahellir, is Old Norse for both “cave of thunder” and cave of lies”--a reference both to the deceit happening outside the cave, as well as the occasional "booming" sounds that echo throughout the caverns. (Somebody who actually speaks old norse, or is just Scandinavian is probably going to tell me it means "poopshelf" or something ridiculous - look... Gandalf was old norse dwarf before he was a Tolkien magic-user; it's called creative license!)

Now for a caveat... I did create a 1-page version for the contest, but kept having more and more ideas about stuff I wanted to add. Before I knew it, I had a two page version with some additional adventure seeds for continued stories (the 2-pager also has more treasure). I am making both versions available here, but only the 2-page version will be available on my Old School Adventures™ page.

* 2-page version of Þrymjahellir - click here
* 1-page "abridged" version of Þrymjahellir - click here

And don't forget to look for more free mini-adventures on the Old-school Adventures page!

Free Oe/1e/BX Mini-adventure:Tomb of Ludor the Beheader (Levels 8-12)

William over at Ramblings of a Great Kahn is having a one-page dungeon contest with a Viking theme. This seemed the perfect opportunity to create something around the Draugr I statted up. I know that by one-page-dungeon standards, this one is a little skimpy on the number of rooms/encounters. Instead, I kind of wanted to keep it in line style-wise with the other mini-adventures I've been creating, rather than "re-inventing" my format/content just for this contest. If that harms me from a judging standpoint, so be it. But don't be fooled, just because the tomb is only four rooms doesn't mean it's not a difficult one. The draugr alone, though a 10 HD monster, fights much tougher than a 10 HD monster (especially considering its magic armor and naturally low AC makes its AC -9, in its "weaker" form).

The Tomb of Ludor the Beheader
Ludor the Beheader was a vicious warlord renowned equally for his avarice, his strength, and his sadism. Ludor the Beheader, son of Finnur the Wanderer, was alternately known as Ludor the Black (a reference to his steely black eyes), and Ludor the Devourer (a reference to his appetite for wealth, women, and blood).

Click here to download "The Tomb of Ludor the Beheader" from MediaFire.

Note: I updated the file at 8:25 CST on 9/4/12 with changes to a couple of placeholder saving throw notes I had forgotten to finalize. If your downloaded file contains "R2" in the name, you have the most current version. Please feel free to download it again, or simply note all saving throws are now "vs. death ray" (for both the trap in room 3 and the new magic item, sword +2/beheader.)

Giant Week Day 4: Free Oe/1e/BX Mini-adventure for Characters level 6-9 - Foray to Filmarion Wood

I know that on Sunday when I announced Giant Week, I mentioned that I would have a free adventure today that would start to fill in the Nimmerland Hex Crawl. That was my intention, anyway. But as I started to flesh things out for the stone giant encounters on Rock Island, it got unwieldy... quickly. I will continue to flesh out those ideas (which I'm really digging), but it may be a while before the world sees them.

Instead, submitted for your approval, I present an adventure based on Tuesday's new monster, the dirt giant. (I guess it's too late for a spoiler alert at this point.)

Foray to Filmarion Wood
The link to download Foray to Filmarion Wood, an Oe/1e/BX mini-adventure for characters levels 6-9, can be found over on the Old-school Adventures™ page.

Some Free Maps You Might Have Missed

In the earlier days of this blog (which wasn't so long ago compared to some around these OSR parts), I didn't have too many followers (not that just under 100 is "many", but it is way more than 25.) As such, many of my earliest downloads may have gone unseen by many of you (especially because they are WAY down now in the archive of this blog).

These days, I'm smart with my posting labels (i.e., "keywords"), and my blog is now on the roll of many another blogger, as well as great sites like ADDGrognard's Eternal Keep (and I can never thank him enough for all the work he has and continues to put it into that thing.) That means newer posts get seen by many, and downloads like the Hex Crawl Worksheet can go from 0-60 downloads in a matter of hours.

As I've reworked this site (you may have noticed all the new links at the header of this page), there were some old downloads that I've left off the new pages either because A) I just haven't quite figured out where to put them, or B) there's just no room for them... yet. This includes a series I started called "Discovered Dungeons" (one of my earliest starts and abandons on this blog.) I've reposted them here until they find a new home.

Undertemple #1 A map I drew in 1981-2. Read the story Download Undertemple #1	Wizard's Keep Another map I drew in 1981-2, that formed the foundation of Module SK1: The Mysterious Mist of Foxpond Download the Wizard's Keep	Wolvesey Castle Based on the actual ruins of Wolvesey Castle Download Wolvesey Castle

Free Oe/1e/BX Mini-adventure (Characters level 8-12)

This was another of the A-to-Z adventures that I mentioned when I posted the free low-level D&D adventure at the beginning of the month. It leans a bit toward BX, but does a little "mix/match" with the monsters and spells (both of which are easily adjusted around your own game, considering the monster stats are included in a framework that supports Oe, 1e, BX, and compatibles.)

The Inexplicable Ice Tower
of Inverlock Isle

The rolling green fields of Orlea, normally aglow with soft sunlight, are blanketed with gray. Clear blue skies have given way to the dismal haze of threatening dark clouds that drizzle cold rain and sleet over the area.

The source of this recent and everpresent gloom is a mysterious tower of ice on a small island in the center of Inverlock Lake. The slender, frosty peak supposedly emerged from the ground and over a few weeks has risen to a height of well over 500'.

No one seems to really know what the tower is or why it appeared, but whatever is happening can’t be good.

Click here to download "The Inexplicable Ice Tower of Inverlock Isle" from MediaFire.

Free Low-level D&D Adventure!

Normally, Friday is "d30 Day" at Save vs. Dragon, but I've been terribly consumed with work and the d30 items I'm prepping (with an eye on the d30 Sandbox Companion) are fairly involved and taking much longer than I expected.

As I mentioned Tuesday's post, I had originally intended "a dungeon a day" for the A-to-Z challenge... until I realized how absolutely ludicrous that would have been to attempt. I did, however, get the first one pretty much done. So with a few tweaks and a few additions, I've finished it and am uploading it for all to enjoy.

NOTE BEFORE FOLLOWING LINK: MediaFire's PDF browser viewer is very buggy and very inadequate. Be sure to hit the "download" button, save the file to your desktop, then view it from a better PDF reader like Acrobat Reader or Preview.

Click here to download "The Auroral Arcazal of Aethaungor" from MediaFire.

Discovered Dungeons: Wolvesey Castle - Ground Floor

Today's Discovered Dungeon is again, not a dungeon, in that it's a castle, and not so much discovered (per the first two posts in this series) as it is "interpreted." It's my interpretation of the ground floor of the caslte, based on the actual ruins of Wolvesey Castle near Winchester Cathedral in the UK, and the scale of the drawing should reflect the dimensions of the actual castle (where 1 square = 10'.) I'm planning to finish this out at some point with a parapet level, as well as an in-ground level, and below ground (i.e. "dungeon") level, the latter two of which will be completely invented.

To download a free PDF of this map from MediaFire, click here.

Discovered Dungeons: Wizard's Keep

Today's post is another one of my Discovered Dungeons. I obviously use that term loosely since today's map isn't a dungeon, but a keep.

In the secret room off room 5 on the first floor, of I would suggest adding a trap door in the floor to an underground complex. You might also consider putting something in the "dead spaces" between the floors.

Download the map from MediaFire.