Dungeon23 Update February 15

 Well, it was a fun run, but honestly I'm surprised I made it as far as I did! Daily challenges are neat especially when you have the discipline for them, but I am admittedly a hobby butterfly. Still, I have 41 cool dungeon rooms and a multi-level layout done, and that's something. I can always add to it later, but the daily updates have reached their end. Thank you for reading, we'll get some other content up soon.

Dungeon23 February Room 10

10. Cleared cave-in

Dungeon23 February Rooms 8 & 9

8. Empty Room

9. Makeshift Office

Dungeon23 February Rooms 6 & 7

Whoops, missed a day there. That's what happens when you wax poetic about discipline. ;)

6. Vault, locked door

We return to our T-intersection from the beginning of this level.

7. Golem Workshop

Dungeon23 February Room 5

5. Empty Room

Ever wanted to make your players a little nervous? This is a good way. Or maybe it's a nice place for a nap?

Dungeon23 February Room 4

Sometimes it's hard to keep doing something every day. Motivation wanes, inspiration disappears, and sometimes you "just don't wanna." But the discipline you're building is worth it, especially when you need to do literally as little as possible as the baseline. So today I present to you:

4. Empty Room

Dungeon23 February Room 3

3. Cluttered lab, secret storage

Perhaps someone is in here and interested to hear how the maze went?

Dungeon23 February Room 2

2. Mirror Maze

The die is cast! We go to the right, where a relatively simple maze is complicated by mirrored walls, floors, and even the ceiling! Madness!

Dungeon23 February Room 1

1. Junction with Statue

Tomorrow I will roll a D6: on an odd we go left and on an even we go right.

Dungeon23 January in Review

Alright, we made it!

One month down, eleven to go! I wasn't sure how to properly start this challenge (as you can see by the initial entries, and even the earliest entries in the final run), but I settled into it. I now have a ready-to-use dungeon, and so do you! You'll notice that I left off scale (five or ten-foot squares would work fine) and all but the most minimal suggestions of encounters. This is intentional, as early publications assumed that you would be using random monster tables or otherwise filling in the gaps yourself. Maybe not what a lot of people want in a modern product, but it seemed to work well enough back in the day. For me, it has been a feat of mental acrobatics to pare down my thinking and planning, but it's been worthwhile.

Collected below are the three pages that comprise the first three pages and first two levels of our Megadungeon. I'm excited to see what February is like!

Level 1, Page 1

Level 1, Page2

Level 2, Page 3

Dungeon23 January Room 31

31. Ready Room

Decent treasure hoard, plus hidden loot!

Stairs down to level 3

Whew! It's been 31 days of continual effort, and we have the first two floors of our megadungeon! It's been a fun trip, and I'm excited to see where February takes us.

Dungeon23 January Room 30

30. The Arena!

Boss: Undead charioteer

Treasure visible beyond portcullis

Maybe this is a tough fight? Maybe he has a quest for you instead? Only one way to find out...

Dungeon23 January Room 29

29. Ready Room with portcullis

Sandy floors and bones are on the other side...

Dungeon23 January Room 28

28. Trapped hallway, one-way door

A fun little feature that I first saw in the Second Quest of The Legend of Zelda.

Dungeon23 January Room 27

27. Empty Room

Nothing here but the spaces between the music

Dungeon23 January Room 26

Almost missed this one it's been quite the long day. It's nice to look back on what I've another so far, pretty fun!

26. Strange Storage

Miscellaneous dry goods

Magic Item (secret room)

Dungeon23 January Room 25

25. A Minor Maze

Dungeon23 January Room 24

24. Metallic Chamber

What could it be?

Dungeon23 January Room 23

As a note while using this dungeon: sometimes I specify denizens of a room, but a lot of times I don't. I'm channeling the old school method of assuming the Dungeon Master is using monster tables or adjusting things as they see fit. Which isn't always what we expect, especially in the days of paying $50 a book. But hey, this dungeon is a freebie! 

23. Another Ominous Corridor

Dungeon23 January Room 22

A little fun as we enter the home stretch for January.

22. The Kombucha Mushroom People

They sit around all day

Dungeon23 January Room 21

21. Secret Stash

A good treasure hoard, but it is haunted by a priest's ghost

Dungeon23 January Room 20

It's midnight-thirty, which makes it tomorrow, so here we are!

20. Forgotten shrine

caved-in wall, a locked door, a mysterious statue.

Dungeon23 January Room 19

Here we are: a little deeper, a little more dangerous, a little more rewarding!

North is the top of the page, here.

Ramp up to page 2 (18)

19. Abandoned Camp

Dungeon23 January Room 18

Today we say "goodbye" to level one of our megadungeon, with a nice little grotto and some treasure.

18. Hidden grotto

Ramp down 1 level

Hidden chest

Dungeon23 January Room 17

17. Flooded Tunnel

Dungeon23 January Room 16

16: Gallery

Orc mini-boss

Dungeon23 January Room 15

 Halfway into the first month! How's your dungeon going? If you're not writing one, have you found some cool ones out there?

15: Ominous Corridor

There's a secret side passage.

Dungeon23 January Room 14

 14. Old Prison

2d6 goblins

Stashed loot

Dungeon23 January Room 13

 It was mentioned to me that it wasn't clear how the two maps connected. An oversight on my part! Room 9 leads to Room 10. This second nap is rotated 90 degrees, and I've included a compass rose to help orient it.

13. Quarry

-> Direction Down (so that the put has two levels down, one of which has a very steep wall).

Dungeon23 January Rooms 10, 11, 12

 

And this catches me up! One room a day again, starting tomorrow.

10. Empty Room

11. Eroded room, narrow underground stream

12. Den & lake

Dungeon23 January Rooms 7, 8, 9

 

7. The remains of a great hall. A golem stands guard.

8. Vestibule with hidden closets.

9. A weird corridor laden with traps!

Dungeon23 January Rooms 4, 5, 6

 

A maze, a reprieve, and then some good old-fashioned fun!

4. Confusing Caves (hard)
5. Empty room
6. Sliding ice or fire-walk puzzle

Dungeon23 January Room 1, 2, 3

Hello and welcome, I'm taking the advice of "keep it simple, stupid" to heart. I'm leaving my old posts up for posterity. I'll do a few rooms a day until I catch up.

1: Entrance. Key hidden in skull

2: Hallway. 3-foot-deep pit of venomous bugs. A shiny quartz in pit.

3. Alcoves. Locked door (easy). 1 skeleton per player.

Dungeon23 Take Two: Introduction and Room 1, 2, 3

Hello, and welcome to the current iteration of my Dungeon23 attempt. The basic rules of the challenge can be found here. This challenge assumes a game master will be reading these pages and using them as a framework to challenge a party of four or so player characters. It is minimalist, and the game master may need to interpret or create things, but I won't leave them out to dry like that entirely: after all, why read a blog that makes you do all the work you're hoping to avoid by reading something pre-made anyway?

To play this mega dungeon, you could use the Fifth Edition of The World's Favorite Roleplaying Game. A bit coy, yes, but you know how it is. You can actually use anything you'd like, to be honest. I'm writing this game with "standard fantasy", such as it is, in mind. And I'll be making references to suggested checks and challenges in general terms. For example, an "easy History check" could mean trying to roll equal to or over a 10 on a twenty-sided die for a low-level character, or the number could be 14 or 16 for a higher-level or more competent character. 

The difficulties are, in ascending order: easy, average, challenging, hard, impossible.

Without further ado, here we go!

Mega Dungeon Entrance

Before you are the cliffs of the dizzyingly high World's Edge Shear, a section of mountain said to have been ripped out of the earth and dropped onto an ancient monster in the beginning of time. The only indication that there is something else going on is a simple stone door crested with a leering humanoid skull. There is a keyhole in the center of the door, and no obvious handle or markings.

Getting inside is, of course, critical. So let the players attempt any of these below or improvise if something else seems good. At worst, let the highest roller succeed where all others fail, even if it means it's a comedy of errors rather than competence. It happens a lot and can help remind everyone that we're here to have fun!

Hidden Key (easy): The skull atop the archway actually slides up with minimal effort, revealing an iron key that fits the keyhole.

Brute Force (hard): The door can be forced permanently open, the delicate internal mechanisms straining and shattering.

Pick the Lock (average): A satisfying click and sound of mechanisms-in-motion rewards those with a deft hand and analytical brain.

Folklore (challenging): An old riddle about knocking thrice on death's door will encourage players to knock. The first knock does nothing, the second knock earns a foreboding click from within the door, and the third knock sees the door swing open slowly of its own accord.

The Long Hall: A fifty-foot-long hallway choked with ages-old dust awaits you. It is craved from living rock, worn smooth from time and repeated passage over the years. An average awareness check reveals the occasional sound of something dry creaking in the room ahead.

Room 1

This room is forty feet square, tiled with rough stone on the floor but otherwise carved from the living stone. Skeletons, one per party member, lurk in wait just outside of sight in alcoves along the walls. If the party didn't hear the sounds of their occasional creaking, the skeletons ambush the party once they are in the middle of the chamber.

Features: Each alcove has a spot where there used to be a plaque, but they were long removed by looters. In the corner of one alcove, you find a leather pouch caked in dust and cobwebs. Inside is a small quartz worth a little bit of money.

Exit: Simple wooden door has a wooden crossbar that is operated from this side. It is currently set, but easy enough to open. The door is unlocked, if creaky.

Room 2

This is a fresh hallway, forty feet long. About halfway across the stone slab floor has caved in, revealing a three-foot-deep pit that is ten feet across. Inside the pit, hundreds of venomous bugs churn the mealy earth. It's an average long jump for most people, though a creative sort might try to pray some more stones loose (challenging) to drop them on the bugs for makeshift stepping stones. 

Attacking the bugs causes them to swarm violently, and they have a lot of health due to the number of bugs present. They don't inflict a lot of damage on their own, but they can sicken someone they bite from their venom. The same fate awaits any who fall into the pit.

The Far Side: Another simple wooden door awaits, with no obvious lock.

Room 3

In the center of this circular thirty-foot room is a well. The well goes down ten feet and ends in rubble. Amidst the rubble, there is a faint glimmer. It is a golden tooth inside a human skull. It is challenging to get it out without magic or rope, and the tooth is worth a small amount of money, even if it is a bit macabre.

Exit: A locked (average) iron door awaits, and it is inscribed with a representation of a treasure chest.

Dungeon23 Refocus

In the original Dungeon23 post at https://seanmccoy.substack.com/p/dungeon23 , Sean advises "Don’t overthink it. Don’t make a grand plan, just sit down each day and focus on writing a good dungeon room." and "365 rooms written like “3 orcs, 25 gold pieces.” is better than 5 rooms written like “In this beautiful hand carved obsidian room sit 3 orcs arguing over a dice game. 25gp sit on the table, each of them…” See what I’m getting at? The goal is the finish line. Just get to the finish line. Trust me."

What did I immediately? I was ambitious and went for the gold. Now, not saying that my solo dungeon is a total waste, but it's already proving to be a hassle. A: it's very detailed, which is hard to keep up. B: it's getting monotonous, and C: the challenges can only be so diverse. A fighter with 12 HP can get hit by a skeleton for 4 damage three times, and a wizard with 6 can get hit twice (or once if you're rolling for damage!). A wizard has spells and whatnot that exhaust quickly, whereas a fighter can cast "sword to face" until the cows come home. I have a newfound respect for solo adventure writers, and maybe using group-oriented rules for that was ultimately foolish.

So, let's begin again. I'll be posting some makeup rooms every day until I catch up. Simple as.

Dungeon23 Day 8/365

For the summary of Dungeon23, the entrance to the dungeon, and my custom solo-play Background, click here:

https://2d6orcs.blogspot.com/2023/01/dungeon23-intro-and-day-1365.html

Interlude

You have hit your first milestone; you are now level two. When reaching a new level in this campaign, you always gain the maximum amount of hit points per level. Your robust, solitary lifestyle means that you have to rely on your own prowess and willpower to survive.

If you are alone: During your long rest, you have time to think and meditate. You've come a long way in a short time and brushed with more danger than the average peasant sees in a whole year. You still don't know who built this place, or places, and why they are all interconnected. Tunnels and caves, fortress rooms and oubliettes; you have a feeling you'll have seen a lot more once this is through.

If Grok is with you: The goblin becomes talkative during the rest. He is curious to see what you think of goblins, and how you feel about trying to find his tribe. If you are a goblin, he's interested to hear how you were raised and lived in the outside world. If he thinks that you mean his people harm, he will leave your party during the rest. It is a DC 14 Deception (Charisma) check to hide this from him. Otherwise, he seems relieved to have found an unlikely ally in this bizarre dungeon.

Finding his tribe:  He only know that there is a large mushroom patch before his tribe's cave, and that is can sometimes take days to find his way back. This is not the first time he's been separated. He is sure that Chief Broktus will reward you if you help him return.

About this dungeon: He says that it is not unusual to find natural caves and constructed chambers running together. These hills have been home to various factions and creatures over the years, and some have built strongholds, dug mines, or simply squatted here. There is a rumor that the whole thing is actually designed by someone called "The Dungeon Master," but he has no idea who that is or why they would do such a thing.

Arcana (Intelligence) DC 14: "The Dungeon Master" is a title worn by a notorious wizard of ages past. Very few details about them are known, other than they enjoyed nothing more than constructing or repurposing caves and fortresses into elaborate deathtraps to challenge would-be adventurers. Such places always contained deadly monsters and impossible traps, but also vast and unimaginable wealth and treasures.

Once you are ready: The next room opens into a hexagonal chamber, dimly glowing runes adorn a pedestal in the center of the room. A single red rune glows enticingly on the top, the symbols making the vague shape of a hand. There are two exits behind iron portcullises, one to the left and one to the right.

Force the Portcullis Open, Athletics (Strength) DC 18: Although designed to stay put, you manage to wrench them upward, damaging the mechanism and forcing the way open. If you fail this check by five or more, you gain one level of Exhaustion.

Press the rune: Both portcullises open simultaneously, and there is mocking laughter that echoes through the room. The runes cease to glow. Increase the Doom Counter by one.

Dungeon23 Day 7/365

Hard to believe it's already been a week! We're hoping that you've had fun playing so far, or at least reading. It's been stimulating for me to come up with this stuff, and it's cool to think of how much more I'll have once it is done. For the summary of Dungeon23, the entrance to the dungeon, and my custom solo-play Background, click here:

https://2d6orcs.blogspot.com/2023/01/dungeon23-intro-and-day-1365.html

Room 6: 

This squat room is roughly 30 feet by 40 feet rectangular, and there are several moldering benches and a dilapidated basin in the corner. A handful of crates in various states of disrepair and damage and dishevelment line a far wall, near the next door. A cursory rummage through the crates revealed that they have long been picked clean of whatever goodies may have been inside.

Investigate (Intelligence) DC 12: Upon closer examination, these are loafers you find a false bottom in one of the larger crates. Cunningly hidden, you slid a few pieces of wood to unlatch it, and find quite the prize inside.

If you fail this check, but Grok is with you: Grok squeals with glee as he uncovers a secret stash! He claims finder's keepers but will trade you the item for at least 10 gold or a shiny gemstone.

Soul's Beacon. Requires Attunement. (Uncommon) This weapon is the same as your primary weapon, chosen when you encounter it. You have a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. You can speak the command word "light" as a bonus action, causing it to shed light like a torch. The color of the light depends on your alignment: warm golden light for Good, clear white light for Neutral, and fiery red light for Evil.

Rest: It's been a long day, and if Grok is with you, he says he's pretty tired. This room is fairly defensible, and you can get a Long Rest if you so choose. You do not need to roll for random encounters or interruptions. If the Doom Counter is 1 or higher, however, you have troubling dreams or visions of a cackling skull-face knight.

The Exit: This door is made of wood and is locked. It can be opened quietly with a DC 10 Thief's Tools check, or loudly with a DC 10 Athletics (Strength) check.

Interlude & Next Room

Dungeon23 Day 6/365

This is an ongoing series of posts for the Dungeon23 challenge. For the first post which offers a link to the challenge, the expectations of my solo mega dungeon, and a custom character background, click here:

https://2d6orcs.blogspot.com/2023/01/dungeon23-intro-and-day-1365.html

Room 5: Tunnel Vision

These caves twist and turn and have a disturbingly uniform, circular pattern to them. Small bits of fungus grow out of the churned earth, and a foul smell wafts along the air.

Nature (Intelligence) DC 12, or Grok is with you: These tunnels are leftovers from any one of the subterranean creatures that make this area home, though they are most likely left by umber hulks, insectoid horrors that burrow and hunt underground. If you rolled a 17 or higher, you remember that umber hulks like to ambush prey by lurking in the freshly-dug walls of their tunnels, and have a confusing gaze that scrambles the minds of its victims.

If the Doom Counter is 1 or higher: Unstable walls suddenly buckle and collapse! All characters take 6 bludgeoning damage, or half as much if they succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity Save.

Thankfully, there are no signs of recent monster activity here, although you do realize that it would be very easy to get lost in here.

Navigate the tunnels with Nature (Intelligence) DC 12, or Survival (Wisdom) DC 12: Attempting to think like an underground predator, or by examining the subtle changes in the dirt and stone, you conclude that the umber hulks were either chasing or fighting something before eventually wandering off. You manage to find your way to fresh section of worked-stone corridors and out of the tunnels.

If you fail your check: You spend 1d4+2 hours wandering somewhat hopelessly in the foul gloom before finally stumbling into a section of worked stone corridors.

You gain 25 experience if you were able to recall information about the monsters, and 25 more if you successfully navigated the tunnels.

Next Room

Dungeon23 Day 5/365

  This is an ongoing series of posts for the Dungeon23 challenge. For the first post which offers a link to the challenge, the expectations of my solo mega dungeon, and a custom character background, click here: 

https://2d6orcs.blogspot.com/2023/01/dungeon23-intro-and-day-1365.html

Room 4: An Unexpected Party

From your side of the door, you can smell smoke and hear a crackling sound, similar to a campfire.

Stealth (Dexterity) DC 10: If you want to quietly open the door, use this option. The occupant won't notice you until you act, and you will have advantage on your first action.

The door opens into a roughly circular grotto that is about eight feet in diamater. Worked stone blocks end at the door, and give way to stone, dirty, and even some trees and moss. An icy stream runs through the middle of the grotto, from one side to the other. Far overhead (about two hundred feet), there is a large crack in the ceiling that allows some daylight and a breeze inside: only the center twenty feet are in daylight, the rest of this area is dimly lit. 

In the daylight sits a small, green-skinned humanoid, maybe three feet tall and slight of build. His sharp teeth chatter and wet clothes of poor quality stick to him. He rubs his hands and torso vigorously, seeking warmth. Upon noticing the hero, he will leap to his feet and draw his short sword, prepared to fight. He has disadvantage on attacks, saves, and ability checks due to the chill.

Violence: The battle unfolds as you might expect, and the goblin will fight back with all of the courage he can muster. He is lost and miserable and fights to the death. He has 1 gold worth of small trinkets and rocks on him. You gain 50 experience for defeating him.

Diplomacy: You can try to get the goblin to stand down with a DC 10 Intimidate (charisma) or DC 10 Persuasion (Charisma). You gain advantage on this roll if you offer a physical bribe like food or a warm blanket. Once convinced that you need no harm, he goes back to trying to warm up. You gain 50 experience.

Grok the Goblin: He will introduce himself as Grok. He was separated by the rest of his tribe (the Rot Dog Clan) while fishing: he fell into the frigid waters and was swept to this grotto. He intends to head out after he finishes his short rest, which will remove the chill from him. The hero is welcome to take a short rest with him: this area is safe.

Dynamic Duo: He is not enthusiastic about trying to find his way back alone and can be easily persuaded to team up (no roll). He won't sacrifice himself for the hero, but he is willing to help in combat and may have other skills that can come in handy. If the hero declines, Grok will stay behind when the hero leaves, and who knows what will become of him.

The Exit: The water flowing in from the one side is too strong to swim against, and the water leaving the grotto spends far too long in airless tunnels. If the hero can breathe underwater, they can leave the dungeon this way, depositing themselves in a huge mountain lake three miles away, and out of the adventure. The only way forward are the labyrinthine caves beyond the grotto: the floor starts to slope down at this point, leading deeper underground.

Next Room

Dungeon23 Day 4/365

 This is an ongoing series of posts for the Dungeon23 challenge. For the first post which offers a link to the challenge, the expectations of my solo mega dungeon, and a custom character background, click here: 

https://2d6orcs.blogspot.com/2023/01/dungeon23-intro-and-day-1365.html

Room 3: Creeping Death

This room is long: sixty feet from this door to the door at the far end. It's also narrow, a mere fifteen feet across. Some twenty feet ahead of you the floor abruptly gives way to a jagged edge where the stone has crumbled away. The pit itself is ten feet across and only about three feet deep, which wouldn't be bad except for the writhing critters churning the mealy earth inside!

Nature (Intelligence) DC 10: This is a swarm of hundreds of six-inch long cave centipedes. They are usually docile, unless intruded upon or stepped on. They have a venomous bite which can sicken creatures.

Passive Perception (Wisdom) 10: A shiny gem lies half-buried by earth and centipedes near the far end of the pit. It will take a simple DC 10 Acrobatics (Dexterity) Check to safely fish out the gem. Failure by less than five means that you got the gem, but get bitten (as described in violence, below). Failing by five or more means that you not only do not get the gem, but are bitten. The gem itself is a shiny quartz worth 15 gp.

Acrobatics (Dexterity) DC 12: A nimble enough adventurer can tip-toe through the bugs without disturbing them.

Long Jump Strength 10+: With a ten-foot running start, you can safely clear this pit.

Violence: The swarm has AC 8 and 20 HP per square due to the number of bugs. It resists any non-area damage. Any creature attacking the swarm from within 5 feet of it must make a DC 12 Dexterity Save or be bitten as the critters swarm around your feet or crawl up your weapon. Being bitten deals 2 piercing damage and you are poisoned. You can attempt a DC 12 Constitution Save at the end of each of your turns to end the poisoned condition.

Success: Making it across the pit, however you accomplish it, earns you 50 experience.

The Far Side: Once across, you come to yet another wooden door. There is the smell of smoke wafting through the ancient boards, and a crackling sound.

Next Room

Dungeon23 Day 3/365

This is an ongoing series of posts for the Dungeon23 challenge. For the first post which offers a link to the challenge, the expectations of my solo mega dungeon, and a custom character background, click here: 

https://2d6orcs.blogspot.com/2023/01/dungeon23-intro-and-day-1365.html

Room 2: Speak, friend, and enter

This room is made from worked stone with tiled stone floors, in contrast to the previous rough chamber. It is a smaller room, only twenty feet long per wall. Two unlit torches are set in sconces flanking the doorway you just entered. To your right is another wooden door, with a grotesque brass knocker in the shape of a gargoyle.

Upon approaching the door, a voice issues from the gargoyle: "State your name."

Refuse: The door sighs, and if not opened will open itself. "Very well, Recalcitrant One. Enter."

Comply: The door repeats your name, as if committing it to memory. Then it swings open, "Enter, (Name), and good luck!" Your character gains inspiration for your politeness.

Brute Force: The knocker can be destroyed. It has AC 15 and 10 hit points, and resists all damage except bludgeoning, thunder, and force. Upon destruction, there is an ominous groan in the air. Increase the Doom Counter by 1.

Next Room

Warhammer: Painting a Palanite Enforcer

 Good evening! I decided it would be fun to run through my process for painting miniatures, or at least a variation of it. Tonight, I have a Palanite Enforcer, a tough private security soldier who enforces law in the bustling underhives of Necromunda. These models are fantastic and can work just as sci-fi soldiers for other games and settings. I'll likely run him and his squad as "scouts" in Kill Team, since I don't actually play Necromunda these days.

First, here is the bare plastic. It's a little messy since I had tried some Mr. Primer brush-on primer but wasn't happy with the result. It's too cold to spray primer, so I had to do something.

I brushed on some Army Painter Chaos Black. It looks pretty rough, but as they say: "trust the process!" (By the way, this is how it was done back in the day).

I let the model dry overnight since I had to work but letting it dry thirty minutes or so would have sufficed. Looks a lot better! Sometimes you may have to apply a second, more precise coat to get proper coverage, but it worked fine this time.

I decided to hop on the "Slapchop" bandwagon. While it is technically an older technique, "Slapchop" has become very popular recently. The basic idea is to quickly paint up hordes of minis to get them tabletop ready and done. You accomplish this by painting up from black to white, getting your values in, then coating it with strong tones or thin paints like Contrasts that will take advantage of the undercoat to help "automatically" highlight and shade. It's not perfect, but it does let you get a squad of guys on the table in a hurry. And it isn't a bad base to build up from, either. Ultimately, it's about how your models look rather than how you get there.

Now we block in the base colors, all Contrasts: Creed Camo for the armor, Cygor Brown for the leather (pretty rich color), Talassar Blue for the visor and lights. I also did leadbelcher for the metals, and a nice brown for the base. I also washed the grays and gunmetal afterward with Black Templar, which muted them considerably. (I then very selectively highlighted the grays again).

I decided to break up the green a bit (as nice as it is), with some yellow. I redid the gray to white basecoat, then used Bad Moon Yellow (which is alarmingly yellow) followed by Iyanden Yellow as a secondary shade (it's orangey but great).

All that was left was some cleaning up (I painted part of the mask like the visor and fixed it), some light freehand (it vaguely resembled the skull eagle thing), and some light drybrush of a bright, clean silver to accent the gunmetal. The base was stippled with brown leather and fiery orange, then some light splotches of black with gunmetal in the center for wear. Viola, a rusty deckplate base!

And there you have it. Took me about two hours overall, partly because I was experimenting and documenting as I went. His squad mates should paint up fairly quickly now that I have it down. We'll see them in the future!

Dungeon23 Day 2/365

This is an ongoing series of posts for the Dungeon23 challenge. For the first post which offers a link to the challenge, the expectations of my solo mega dungeon, and a custom character background, click here: 

https://2d6orcs.blogspot.com/2023/01/dungeon23-intro-and-day-1365.html

Room 1: Dem Bones

The dusty hallway leads about sixty feet directly into the cliffside.

*Passive Perception (Wisdom) DC 12: You hear the scuffle of movement ahead, the rattling of dry bones.

The hallway ends in an empty doorway, beyond which is a room that is a thirty-foot by thirty-foot square carved out of the living rock. Against the far wall is a single wooden door. Standing in the middle of the room is a skeleton, reanimated by some ancient magic. It will attack once you cross the threshold into the room, and will pursue you to the entrance of the dungeon (but not beyond, where it will walk back to its post).

If you heard the skeleton, you receive advantage on your initiative check. Use the skeleton profile found in your monster book (it is challenge rating 1/4). This is a potentially deadly fight for a first-level character.

Defeating the skeleton grants you 50 experience! Searching the room for a minute reveals a pouch dropped by some previous adventurer: inside is a potion of healing. It is in an old-fashioned bottle, and tastes vaguely of cherry. After consumption, the classic bottle can be sold for 10gp as a collector's item.

The door at the far end of the room is unlocked, and opens easily into the next room.

Next Room

Dungeon23 Intro and Day 1/365

Dungeon23 is a year-long challenge to create a mega dungeon, or twelve small dungeons, one room at a time throughout 2023. Here is the original post: 

https://seanmccoy.substack.com/p/dungeon23

My take is that I am creating a dungeon specifically for the solo adventurer. It can be played by yourself (great for Forever DMs), or just a single DM and a player (good for parents and kids, or friends that cannot or do not want a larger party). You will need to be judicious in resolving the conflicts: I have provided prompts for common skill checks or actions, but it's your game! Speaking of game, this project assumes you are using the fifth edition of the World's Most Popular Roleplaying Game (you know the one). References to rules and stats and the like assume you are using the relevant sources, such as the free Basic Rules or any books you own.

To lend (y)our hero a hand, I've created a solo-specific background, the Lone Wolf. It hasn't been tested at all but seemed pretty cool.

Background: Lone Wolf

Where most adventurers stick in packs, you have excelled on your own. You can make do with very little, and very little surprises you.

Skills: Perception, Survival

Tool: Herbalism Kit (brew potions)

Language: Any one

Equipment: Pole (10-foot), 50 feet of hempen rope, a pouch for storing herbs, a small notebook and a graphite writing stick, a pouch with 10 gp

Feat: You gain the Resourceful feat. 

Lone Wolf Creed

Most loners operate by some set of rules or guidelines, and they are often tied to what led the person to choose solitude in a dangerous world in the first place. 

D8 - Creed

1 - “Trust no one, not even yourself.”

2 - “Attachments lead to loss and pain.”

3 - “We are born alone, we live alone, and we die alone.”

4 - “A solitary life is one of peace and focus not found in crowds.”

5 - “A herd enforces conformity, only alone are we truly free.”

6 - “You don’t have to explain yourself to yourself.”

7 - “A single hero can accomplish what a large party cannot.”

8 - “Legends speak of mighty lone heroes; such legends must be forged.”

Resourceful (Feat). This potent ability is intended for solo heroes, and possibly groups of up to two heroes at DM's discretion It represents the indomitable will and drive that motivates solo heroes.

During a short rest, you can regain a number of charges for limited-use abilities equal to your proficiency bonus (such as Dragon Breath or Lay on Hands). This ability cannot be used again until you have completed a long rest.

Room 0: Entrance

A simple stone door created with a leering skull juts out from the cliff face. There is a keyhole in the center of the door, but no obvious handle. You will need to get it open somehow.

Awareness: With a DC 12 Perception (Wisdom) check, you find that the skull slides up with a little effort, revealing a plain iron key. The key fits into the keyhole and turns without issue.

Brute Force: This door can be pushed permanently open with a DC 16 Athletics (Strength) check.

Lockpicking: A DC 12 Thief's Tools (Dexterity) check actuates the lock mechanism, causing the door to open.

Folklore: A DC 14 History (Intelligence) check recalls an old rhyme about knocking thrice upon Death's Door, at which point he will let you in. The knocks activate the door.

Success: The door opens seemingly on its own accord, hidden mechanisms and gears turning and clicking in a satisfying way. Ages-old dust billows out from the portal, settling to reveal a long, dark hallway ahead.

Reward: However you have chosen to proceed, you gain 50 experience.

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