User:ChloeLorde/sandbox

Dungeons were a kind of environment or structure found on Toril. Though often hard to find and extremely dangerous, they were a much sought after source of treasure for adventurers, tales for bards, and lore for scholars. They also served as the homes of bandits and monsters, repositories of long-lost magic, and the tombs of long-dead gods.

Definition
Dungeons were usually some combination of battlefield, ruin, biosphere, and habitation. What separated them from a common ruin or animal den was the complexity of its structure and ecology, which created a distinct environment often far removed from the surrounding natural or urban area. A "traditional" dungeon was an underground structure from an older civilization, inhabited by some variety of monsters and unfriendly humanoids, and protected by magical or mundane traps and defenses.

Ultimately, a dungeon was generally a confined space filled with danger and treasure in which adventurers practiced their trade.

Notable Dungeons
Some dungeons were extremely well known in the Forgotten Realms, or had extraordinary properties compared to their fellows.


 * Undermountain, perhaps the most famous and elaborate dungeon in all of Faerûn.
 * Dragonspear Castle, a great castle on the edge of the High Moor overtaken by successive invaders.
 * Shoonach, the vast sprawling urban ruins of the massive capital of the Shoon Imperium.
 * Myth Drannor, the legendary ruins of the greatest elven city in Faerûn.
 * Paths of the Doomed, a bizarre magical dungeon beneath the Thaymount of Thay.
 * House of Stone, a dwarven citadel and lethal trap.
 * Haunted Halls, an extensive fortified hideout in northern Cormyr.
 * Tomb of the Nine Gods, an extensive and malevolent death trap hidden under the ruins of Omu.
 * Glaur, a fortress in Laerakond built for the Dawn War before the separation of Abeir from Toril.

Dungeons could even be found on other worlds, such as Castle Grayhawk on Oerth and Mordain's Hall on Eberron.

Naming
Many dungeons possessed their original names thanks to being well-known or at least well-researched. Places such as Dragonspear Castle and Shoonach were never lost to time and remained well known,

Some dungeons were explicitly named as dungeons, usually because their original name and history were long lost. They tended to gain new names based on their new inhabitants or some distinguishing feature that explorers noted on the way in and out. Those included the Dungeon of Death, Dungeon of Swords, Dungeons of Torment, Dungeon of the Crypt, Dungeon of the Hark, Dungeon of the Inquisitor, Dungeon of the Ruins, Dungeon of the Shield, Dwarven Dungeons, and Nameless Dungeon.

Origins
Many dungeons were the abandoned and ruined remnants of structures, fallen to disrepair and home to new inhabitants. Castles, temples, and tombs were often made of sturdy stone, built into well-designed underground spaces, and intended to withstand warfare, disasters, and the passage of time, and so survived physically after they were abandoned and lost to history. Many dungeons were thus incidental remnants of the past, their original purpose long lost. Underground cities like Mithral Hall and Gauntlgrym consisted of extensive passages and chambers, stocked with their wealth and defended by traps. When they fell to invasion by dragons or orcs, they became massive dungeons.

Other dungeons were created wholesale as defensive structures, intended to dissuade intruders and kill those who pressed on. These could be the secure vaults of temples and palaces, the warded towers of wizards, sanctified tombs, sturdy fortifications, or the lairs of powerful creatures such as dragons and beholders. Whether or not in continual use by the builders, they were home to well-designed defensive architecture, ingenious mechanisms and traps, and magical defenses such as simple alarms, summoned monsters, and warding against scrying and teleportation. The Dooms of liches were an example of heavily fortified and intentional dungeons, built to act as the home, study, stronghold and vault of the resident lich. As the final redoubt of powerful and often mad spellcasters, they were equipped with equally fearsome traps, monsters, spells, and servants dedicated to defending the lich's treasures and phylactery.

Some rare dungeons were specifically created to lure in and kill intruders. The House of Stone was created for the purpose of defending the dwarven realm of Dardath, a fortress that intentionally invited invading armies inside so that they could be destroyed by traps, hostile architecture, and a small team of defenders. Even after its abandonment, it remained a formidable challenge for explorers and looters. The lich Acererak created dungeons across many worlds, stocked them with treasures and monsters, and used them to attract adventurers and heroes. Whether for his curiosity, cruelty, or fuelling his phylactery with their souls, the intruders would invariably be destroyed by the defenses within.

Variations
The archetypal dungeon was a reinforced underground structure, sometimes the remnant of a larger surface structure. They could be specifically excavated for the dungeon's function, made from old mines and tunnels given new purpose, or take advantage of existing natural caverns. Wave Echo Cave was an example of this common form, as a surface-linked mine that took advantage of existing natural cave formations.

Surface dungeons were also found in the Realms. Expansive structures or even whole cities that fell to ruin formed a maze of overgrown streets, wide and flat foundations, crumbling stone walls, and partially intact buildings. The lost cities of Omu and Tempat Larang were as such, with the cities depopulated and fallen to ruin. The smallest such dungeons were akin to Cragmaw Castle, consisting of a single large structure that had partially collapsed, though intact enough to have distinct internal areas.

Dungeons could also be contained within extradimensional demiplanes as a means of ensuring security and gaining additional room to work with, or made up of physically disconnected spaces linked by portals. Though rare, their arcane origins typically meant that they were stocked with magical defenses, enchanted treasures, arcane lore, and terrifying guardians. They could also have unintended changes to their form, as the demiplanes or portals took on new properties as the magic supporting them warped or failed over time. The Wizard's Pit beneath the ruins of Crownpost was an example of this kind of dungeon, being made up of numerous portal-connected spaces.

Ecology
Unusual creatures often made their homes in dungeons, able to exploit the peculiarities of a dungeon environment to the fullest extent. The bizarre biology of some creatures meant that they were rarely found elsewhere, while many others were widespread. Underdark creatures were best adapted to predating in enclosed underground spaces, and so many dungeons had such monsters close to the surface.


 * Darkmantles disguised themselves as rocky stalagmites before attacking.
 * Gelatinous cubes filled a cubic space and were well-adapted to slowly travelling along regular stone passages, digesting any edible matter found along the way.
 * Lurkers hid and ambushed prey from the ceilings of caves and tunnels.
 * Mimics used their shapechanging to hunt, and had the intelligence to take the form of attractive objects such as treasure chests that adventurers and looters would be drawn to.
 * Oozes such as gray oozes, mustard jellies, and green slimes often inhabited dungeons. They typically lurked in choice areas and allowed prey to blunder into them, removing the need for active hunting.
 * Piercers were almost indistinguishable from stalactites and could only hunt from an overhead ceiling, limiting them to underground caverns and structures.
 * Ropers resembled stalagmites, and ambushed prey from this disguise.
 * Rust monsters were pacifistic and devoured metals, finding ideal homes in treasure-stocked dungeons visited by metal-carrying intruders. Though unlikely to kill adventurers on their own, they were feared and despised for their habit of destroying the weapons and armor used to fend off other threats.
 * Shrieker mushrooms grew underground and in the Underdark, and used their piercing scream to attract predators to kill intruders, and thus fertilize the area.
 * Trappers could use limited shapeshifting to disguise themselves as entire floors, walls, and ceilings, and then surround and crush prey.

Preparation for Dungeons


Dungeon-delvers were well advised to bring specialized equipment along to explore and survive.
 * 10-foot poles and collapsible poles, to probe the way ahead and test for traps.
 * Ball bearings, to test for slopes and other irregularities, or slip up foes.
 * Chalk, to mark paths and leave messages.
 * Climber's kits, to safely ascend or descend perilous heights.
 * Crowbars, to force open doors, boxes and other obstacles.
 * Holy water, to destroy fiends and undead, or reconsecrate holy sites.
 * Magnets, for manipulating small metal objects.
 * Oil, to fuel lanterns, burn obstacles, and finish off trolls.
 * Pitons, to drive into rock faces for climbing.
 * Rope, to climb or tie up captives.
 * Rubbing kits, to make copies of graven text and images for later investigation.
 * Scroll cases, for protecting maps, records, and magical scrolls from water damage.
 * Spikes, to jam doors shut or use as climbing aids.
 * Thieves' tools, to finesse locks, traps, and other mechanical devices.
 * Torches, lanterns, or candles to light the way and start fires.
 * Twine, for securing small objects and devising simple traps.

Magical items had an unending number of uses in dungeons, but some proved more reliably useful than others.
 * Bag of tricks, to produce an animal servant on the spot.
 * Bag of holding, to easily carry in large amounts of supplies and carry out large amounts of treasure.
 * Dust of dryness, to reduce flooding and store water for later.
 * Immovable rod, to provide the perfect anchor point.
 * Nolzur's marvelous pigments, for producing quick solutions to problems.
 * ''Ring of X-ray vision, to see through walls and doors safely.
 * Sovereign glue, to definitively bind or seal a door or mechanism.

Defenses
Many dungeons had some form of defensive measure in place from some stage of its construction and inhabitation.

Traps

Magical dangers included intentional wards and defenses set up by the builders and inhabitants, and the unpredictable phenomena caused by the decay or malfunction of the same. Living spells could be found roaming dungeons as magic ran rampant or experimentations went awry.

The undead were a common threat found in dungeons, whether animated by stray magical energies, part of a greater system of defense, or raised by opportunistic necromancers. Zombies, skeletons and ghosts could be found haunting the tombs where they were interred or wandering the sites that they died. More powerful and intelligent undead such as wights, vampires, mummies, and liches often took over or built entire dungeons to serve their purposes, and used legions of lesser undead as their servants.

Hazards
Enclosed underground dungeons were prone to natural and incidental dangers, many of which were shared in common with the Underdark, especially if the complex linked to or was inside the Underdark.


 * Flooding was a terrible threat in confined spaces, particularly underground. Air-breathers (which included most adventurers) could easily be drowned as chambers and tunnels filled with water.
 * Fires
 * Toxic gases were
 * Volcanism caused a variety of dangers in addition to the obvious threat of extreme heat and exposed magma flows. Volcanism led to earthquakes and cave-ins, toxic gases, bursts of steam, and bodies of superheated water.
 * Cave-ins were a threat anywhere underground, capable of crushing or trapping creatures. They could be triggered by natural geological shifts, or more dramatically as part of magical battles that caused great shocks and impacts. Natural caverns and poorly-shored mines were the most likely to collapse in on themselves, while well-designed underground habitation such as dwarven cities were usually quite resistant to structural failure.
 * Falls were a worry in proximity to the edges of monolithic structures and deep chasms. These dangers were exacerbated if combat broke out in such a location.

Temperatures

History
In Neverwinter, the High Sun Games of the 1490s DR used an imitation-dungeon arena stocked with real monsters such as mimics, displacer beasts, and gelatinous cubes.