Dungeon Dressing: Strange Things III
Dungeons rarely comprise featureless corridors swept clean of debris (unless a gelatinous cube wanders the halls). Instead, they sport a wide variety of growths, ranging from ordinary mushrooms and fungi clinging to survival in their subterranean environments to mineral deposits collecting in stalactites, stalagmites and flowstone. tone formations tell stories about geological events forming a dungeon and can feature signs of destruction wrought by nature, dungeon inhabitants and visitors alike. Finally, in a world touched by magic, stranger growths, such as fleshy polyps or incongruous metallic spikes, can occur with surprising frequency.
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Strange Growths
A mushroom explodes in a seemingly harmless multi-coloured spray of material that splatters the surrounding floor and walls.
Blue-grey shelf mushrooms climb a wall, forming a zigzag staircase.
A rocky outcropping filled with tiny holes juts from the floor; wind passing through the outcropping creates a haunting, shrill whistle.
A low hum emanates from the nearest stalactite when a character enters this chamber; the sound randomly shifts from stalactite to stalactite.
A ball of brownish mould quivers when a character approaches it but does not otherwise move.
This complex stalagmite looks like a stony tree growing from the cavern’s floor.
Spherical, pink mushrooms seemingly roll about the cavern of their own volition.
A sheet of flowstone overhanging a high stone shelf suddenly melts and dribbles down the wall.
A row of stalactites parallels a row of stalagmites, forming a set of jagged “teeth.”
This red and brown flowstone drapery gives off the faint odour of cooked bacon.
Bright red mushrooms stand five inches tall in an orderly nine-by-nine grid.
A pair of stalactites grow at angles that give them the appearance of crossed swords.
All the stalactites in this room are broken off at a uniform height as if an object or creature passed through heedless of the obstacles.
A number of jagged rocky outcroppings look like saw teeth emerging from the floor.
Flickering light gives the illusion of movement to the worm-like stalactites in this chamber.
Cloaks and hats hang from stony knobs used as makeshift hooks along one wall.
Several stalactites, tipped in what appears to be dried blood, hang from the ceiling.
Four stalagmites emerge from the floor; they look like jointed fingers and match the relative finger lengths on a typical humanoid hand, even though they stand several feet high.
Gill-like membranes line opposing walls in this cavern; they open and close regularly as if the room cave is rhythmically breathing.
When a character approaches the entrance to this stalagmite- and stalactite-filled cavern, any lights they carry are momentarily extinguished.
Random Strangeness
Perfectly formed, miniature clouds float by the ceiling.
Stalactites slowly shift their positions.
Warm, magically created sunlight illuminates the area.
The faint scent of smoke and ash lingers in the air.
The foul stink of stagnant, polluted water fills the air.
The area is too quiet; unnatural silence hangs in the air.
A blue light without an obvious source fills the area.
Small swarms of clearly illusory butterflies flutter about.
A stone face slowly emerges from the ceiling; its eyes are wide, and its mouth is a frozen scream.
A faint rainbow-coloured aurora fills the air.
The murals on the walls are all animated.
Sparkling lights fill the air at random intervals.
The walls appear to be in the process of melting. Despite this, they never collapse.
The snapping, cracking and hissing sounds of a roaring fire come from some distance away.
The distinct crackling and buzzing sound of electricity comes from somewhere very close.
The sound of bubbling liquids and other strange alchemical reactions fills the air.
The area has a strange alchemical smell of formaldehyde and other bizarre preserving ingredients and reagents.
The distinct odour of sulphur and charcoal hangs in the air.
The smell of burning charcoal lingers in a few distinct spots within the area.
Numerous scents, including old leather bindings, pulp and paper and glue, combine to form an aroma reminiscent of old books and ancient tomes.
Credit
This is a short system-neutral extract from GM’s Miscellany: Dungeon Dressing. The book is available in 5e, System Neutral and Pathfinder 1 editions. The OSR edition will be available in early 2023.
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