One thing to note about Dungeons and Dragons is that you won't always be in a Dungeon and you won't always encounter Dragons.
More often than not, you are role-playing your day away.
You could be bartering with shopkeepers or asking the King to raise the pay in that quest you're looking to take on.
Good luck with that one.
In all honesty, those role-playing moments can turn out to be some of the most enjoyable moments in your adventure.
When you do finally meet the Dungeon or the Dragon, it can become a rather special moment.
It's special for both the players and the Dungeon Master.
While dungeons can definitely generate a nice break from the expansive outside world, a Dragon can bring devastation and death.
Finding What Fits
As a Dungeon Master, the layout of the dungeon is just as important as what is in the dungeon.
Working out the layout to make it interesting and non-repetitive can be a difficult task.
Add on the fact that your dungeon needs to be populated with enemies, and it can easily become overwhelming.
Though never fear, your resident A Few Burnt Hairs helpful dungeon master is here!
Below, I'll outline some helpful tips to get you started on your first dungeon dive.
Depending on what type of dungeon you are putting your players in, there are a few key things you need to remember.
Traps, Traps, Traps
Traps are your friends.
But you must be careful of how deadly the traps are, as you can easily kill an entire inexperienced party.
As a dungeon master, you have to be very conscious of the types of traps and monsters you put in a dungeon.
Simple traps scattered throughout your dungeon can help break up the monotony of the simple walkabout.
Keep in mind that too many too early might take out your entire party.
Always introduce your party to the notion that this dungeon could be booby-trapped.
You can do this by placing a single trap near the beginning of the dungeon.
That way, they are more cautious while exploring the dungeon and not sprinting toward their deaths.
Goblins, Ghouls, and Ghosts Oh My!
Populate that dungeon.
Nothing makes a dungeon crawl feel like a slog more than empty hallways with no baddies.
You gotta keep things interesting, not only with traps but with monsters.
Who put the traps there?
For what purpose?
Are they hiding something?
These are all important questions you must ask yourself to help you fill out your dungeon.
More importantly, your players will be asking themselves these similar questions and others.
This can give them a reason to push forward through your dungeon.
Maybe the risk is worth it.
Maybe what the enemy is protecting is really that valuable.
They're gonna love it.
Monsters are fun and all, but you must be careful not to add the wrong ones.
Always keep in mind the level of your party and how many players are in it.
You wouldn't throw a Beholder at a level one party, as it would annihilate them.
You also have to be careful not to throw in too many small enemies at once.
Be mindful of the action economy.
Kobolds may seem weak all on their own, but throw in a dozen, and those 3 hp damage hits will start to add up.
Bringing The Building Down
Make the dungeon's surroundings interactable.
This step can be achieved in a plethora of ways.
This is in addition to the players being able to pick up books and other items and sit in chairs.
That's the regular type of interaction, which is to be expected in a role-playing game.
You should create more specific types of interactions for this
You could create a scenario with a secret room that opens only when a specific lever is pulled.
This lever can come in the shape of the obvious wall-mounted candle holder or a cleverly placed tome.
There can also be a scenario where one or several of your battle maps can have things that the players can interact with.
These scenarios could potentially turn the encounter in their favor or hinder them.
A well-placed stalactite can turn the tide of battle or separate the players and create a greater sense of danger.
I'll leave it to your imagination, the many ways you can play around with this mechanic.
Though it's one I love to implement in many of my dungeons.
Puzzled
Puzzles can be a big break in the monotony of dungeon delving.
Especially for larger dungeons.
Adding puzzles can be a welcome change of pace that offers plenty of chances for your players to role-play.
Who doesn't love a little role-play?
Puzzles like traps can come in many shapes and sizes, as well as difficulty levels.
I've often found that even the simplest of puzzles can confound an entire party if no one is paying attention.
They often end up fighting about what the correct way of solving the puzzle is.
You can utilize puzzles to avoid having too many encounters back-to-back, which can make things feel stale.
Break up the monotony and come up with a few simple puzzles to entertain your players.
An effective puzzle I've found is hidden rooms that can only be accessed via a combination of locks or moves the players make.
A simple yet effective puzzle I've found is guiding a light to a certain point.
With this puzzle, players have to pull levers to make the statues face the right directions to help the light along.
Simple, yet effective.
Have fun with it and come up with a few, see which ones you like, and which ones you think your players will enjoy.
Finish Him, Her, Or Them
We've come to the most pivotal aspect of the dungeon.
The boss fight.
You've got to make it interesting.
What that means is you're going to want to put more effort into it and make more than just a slug fest.
That can get boring real quick.
While a slug fest may be fun to watch, like in a movie such as Rocky 4.
It does not make for an interesting encounter in your role-playing game.
Adding in some flavor to the boss fights can really make the final dungeon encounter more memorable.
There are several ways that this can be done in any tabletop role-playing game.
One way to do this is to add a chase scene where the players have to either chase the boss or be chased by the boss at some point in the battle.
This creates a change in the tempo of the fight and gives players something else to do.
Rather than just sitting and waiting for their turn to attack.
Having interactive surroundings for the battle can make for a more dynamic final confrontation.
You can create some for both the players and the dungeon boss to really raise the stakes.
The dungeon boss would have a bit of an advantage, what with them occupying the dungeon.
The players would, however, be able to perceive their surroundings and gain the upper hand.
It all comes down to how you want to run that final encounter, really.
The power is literally in your hands.
Loot, Loot, Loot
Always reward the players with something extravagant.
This one is very important!
Make sure you reward your players with something awesome.
Especially after that cruel dungeon crawl and that grueling boss battle.
You can reward them with magic items or with a hoard of gold that would make a dragon jealous!
Just make sure that what you reward your players with makes them feel like their effort wasn't wasted.
All in all, running a dungeon can be done in so many ways.
You do not have to incorporate all of these tips into every dungeon you create.
The most important thing for you to remember as dungeon master is making sure your players have fun.
If your players had fun, you've done your job as a DM.
Stand proud!
Best of luck running your next dungeon run, and remember to have fun!
You deserve it.
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