Dungeons rarely comprise featureless corridors swept clean of debris (unless a gelatinous cube wanders the halls). Here, strange things abound.
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Whether it be a cobweb-covered gate, a portcullis adorned with a green iron devil's face or a fissure in the stony ground belching a sulphurous smoke, the entrance to your dungeon sets the tone for the adventure.
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A bridge normally crosses a river, ravine, chasm, gorge or another obstacle. In a dungeon, a bridge could also span a deadly lava flow, glacial lake, pit of spikes, the den of dangerous subterranean creatures or other outlandish terrain feature. Deep pits (or more perilous falls) make bridges dangerous terrain to cross and fight on, particularly for characters without the ability to fly.
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One is hard-stretched to design a dungeon without noting the appearance of its walls. Whether the dungeon is an ancient and forgotten crypt haunted by the ghosts of yesteryear or a newly-built den of smugglers and slavers staffed by men most foul, a dungeon’s walls help set the tone for an adventure as well as player expectations for what horrors might lurk within.
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A ceiling affects a room’s mood and style. A ceiling’s style can vary between simple and plain to expansive and elaborate with ornate painted frescos (or somewhere in between).
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Trapdoors come in many different shapes and sizes and often provide access to hidden chambers, treasure vaults, cellars, prisons and so on.
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The dungeon’s floor is the one feature with which every adventurer will interact.
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Double doors almost always guard areas of great importance. Often throne rooms, subterranean chapels, crypts housing the remains of important personages and similarly important locations lie beyond. Thus, such dungeon features are often well-built, sturdy and ornately decorated.
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Dungeon doors come in many different shapes and sizes. Doors are one of the most basic dungeon features and as such can offer clever explorers vital clues to what might lie beyond.
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While often crafted to represent beautiful people, ferocious beasts, heroes or deities, fountains also serve a vital function by providing fresh drinking water. Fountains in a dungeon or cavern setting may be artistic creations of the current or past occupants, altars to deities (fair or foul) or something else entirely.
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Pools add an element of mystery to a dungeon. In their often murky depths, they can hide both treasure, monsters or other secrets. Dungeon pools can be magical or mundane. Some are naturally occurring with swiftly flowing water, while others feature elaborate fountains, traps or other features. It is a brave adventurer who willing steps into unknown waters.
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Wealthy or powerful individuals may have elaborately decorated sarcophagi dripping with gemstones, precious metals and other decorations. These treasure-filled tombs are certain to be guarded with fiendish traps or deadly guardians to keep out would-be grave robbers.
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Statues come in many shapes and sizes and are a staple of most dungeons.
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Stairs come in many shapes and sizes, including steep, gradual, precipitous and spiral. Stairs in dungeons don’t even have to be made of stone—some can be of wood, bone or other magical or fantastical substances.
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Portcullises are imposing obstacles for adventurers. Their grid-like construction offers a glimpse of what lies beyond while providing defenders a powerful position from which to strike at interlopers.
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Concealed and hidden doors are a requirement for any suitably interesting dungeon, building or ruin. A secret door is generally a deliberate part of the dungeon crafted when the place is constructed. Concealed doors are somewhat more mundane, and can easily be added later.
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Secret doors are prolific in literature and even more ubiquitous in fantasy gaming. Rare is the dungeon crawl that doesn’t feature a handful of cunningly hidden secret doors. The challenge is in making each door a unique experience worth a few moments of wonder instead of just another excuse for a search check.
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Chests, or more accurately their contents, are most adventurers’ favourite dungeon feature. Chests represent their hard-earned reward after days in the dark, exploring new terrain and overcoming challenging foes. Therein new and shiny discoveries await, equipping the heroes for even greater challenges.
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Successful thieves need a fence—someone willing to buy and sell their ill-gotten gains. Like their customers, such folk must keep their true business secret, and thus, they often openly practise some other legitimate trade.
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