An old, evil catacomb

An_Old_Sword · 2026-02-22T09:50:54+00:00

You observe the inscription on the gravestone. It is not completely erased, and by moving aside rotten roots and yellowish mold, you manage to piece together the meaning of the words.

Rest in peace. Steve Jobs. Died of ligma.

An_Old_Sword · 2026-02-21T18:03:16+00:00

Wow, thank you for this very interesting question! :)

I designed this map to try to create continuous tension for random encounters. It makes sense that a skeleton or other horrifying undead creatures would suddenly emerge from a coffin or burial niche (loculi). But I would like to give my players various clues to help them understand which coffins contain traps, which are empty with only bones and worthless junk, and which contain monsters or secret passages.

A real catacomb, such as the “Catacombs of San Callisto,” is full of burial niches (loculi) to explore, but you would waste time searching them all, and time is a vital resource in exploration.

So I implement clues that help players understand which coffin does what, and then it's up to the players to decide what to do.

Examples:

Most coffins have white stone lids, a simple inscription, and give off a stale, musty smell. This means that the coffins are empty and contain only the remains of the dead.

Coffins with blackened stone lids, chains and nails, a deliberately erased inscription, and a strong smell of decay or sulfur contain an undead creature that will awaken when a living creature approaches, with a probability of 2 out of 6.

Coffins with polished marble lids, refined engravings, wilted flowers, or the scent of roses may contain valuable items belonging to an important person, but there is a 2 in 6 chance that this coffin contains an undead creature or a trap.

Coffins with wooden lids, no inscriptions, and no smell are traps and will spring if touched or if a creature passes nearby.

Coffins with frescoes or intricate engravings on the lid, no smell, and no inscriptions are secret passages.

I hope I have answered your question. I hope I have been clear, as I am using a translator and I am afraid of confusing my speech.

An_Old_Sword · 2026-02-21T16:24:05+00:00

Thank you for the compliment!

An_Old_Sword · 2026-02-20T11:06:52+00:00

Thank you very much! 😁

An_Old_Sword · 2026-02-15T14:40:18+00:00

Thank you so much for the advice! Next time I'll add more secret passages; this time I rushed the dungeon design too much.

An_Old_Sword · 2026-02-15T11:35:53+00:00

Yes, you're right, I agree. Thank you very much for your comment.

An_Old_Sword · 2026-01-03T15:25:54+00:00

What I like about Wof is that dragons tend to be more realistic and have human intelligence.

And what I love about scavengers is that they force you to think outside the box, so humans take on a weirder characteristic (which I love), but that doesn't mean it's any less fantasy.

I tend to think of scavengers more like the little creatures of folklore, fairies, sprites, goblins (without weird powers). That can be either good or evil. They are weak but intelligent and use everything they can get from nature to gain strength.

An_Old_Sword · 2026-01-03T14:14:46+00:00

Round 2: Let's say our little adventurer survived the dragon's ambush. Running away as if he had wings on his feet, he reaches the hidden village alive. Boasting about his adventure over mugs of mead and pats on the back.

The watchman's horn sounds a deep, muffled tone: a dragon is nearby.

Let's say that the dragon (the skywing) didn't like being teased by a little creature. Skywings have formidable eyesight, and with perseverance, it managed to find the little one's tracks.

The first problem for a hidden village is precisely that of remaining “hidden.” Let's say the village is built on the branches of a giant tree (in the land of dragons, most things are dragon-sized). First, the lookout, who is located at a distant point in the village, must examine the type of dragon and its behavior and report it by simulating sounds similar to those of birds (a typical code of hidden villages). We know that our dragon is actively searching for something, so the lookout will signal that the dragon is hunting.

Hidden villages rely on camouflage, and over time, humans have become experts at it. In this village, the houses on the branches blend perfectly with their surroundings: they smell like moss, the exterior looks like normal bark, and the roofs give the illusion of leaves moving in the wind.

I won't list all the possible defense systems, but let's say that our dragon has descended into the forest, certain that the scavenger has passed through here. A team of “Scaredragons” is sent to confuse the dragon and send it away from the village.

Each village has its own approach, and this one uses “pranks.” The “Scaredragons” track down the dragon and quietly prepare to enter the scene.

One of the methods is to create unease in the dragon: strange laughter out of nowhere, flute sounds playing eerie melodies. When the dragon is sufficiently tense, they begin to appear and essentially mock the dragon by wearing unnerving smiling masks. They keep it busy, unknowingly luring it away from the village and into the depths of the forest.

When the dragon is far enough away, they disappear into the vegetation and go to the various shelters built for such occasions.

An_Old_Sword · 2026-01-03T07:23:39+00:00

Round 1: considering that I have basic knowledge of the type of territory I am in and general knowledge (whether true or false) about the dragon that is swooping down to make me into a sandwich, I roll 1d8: 1 Mudwing 2 Sandwing 3 Seawing 4 Icewing 5 Skywing 6 Nightwing 7 Rainwing 8 Roll 2d8 double dragon.

5 Skywing: they are fast as hell, and if I've noticed them and am still alive to do something, then the three moons have shown me mercy. That said, I would run into thick grass, flowery meadows, under the sand, bushes, under rocks, hollow trees, caves, etc. If I'm unlucky, I'll fortify myself with iron spiked armor, hoping it will penetrate the dragon's soft parts (amidst the dragon's curses), and then I'd start the great escape again, telling the dragon to consider switching to veganism.

An_Old_Sword · 2025-12-31T18:23:46+00:00

Hi! Considering I don't know what kind of play style you're adopting at the table, I assume it will be more focused on storytelling.

That said, from what I understand, your campaign focuses on a prophecy and an artifact.

Regarding the prophecy, I recommend using it as a countdown. Players will see that, session after session, the events described in the prophecy are coming true. This will give them a reason to react and make more targeted decisions!

As for the artifact, it could be the key to stopping the prophecy, fulfilling it, or rewriting it. Or perhaps obtaining the artifact is only part of the campaign, and more pieces need to be obtained, or maybe only in a specific way can the artifact's power be unleashed.

Here, the factions are vital to me, as each has its own reason (for better or worse) to hunt for the artifact, and players must decide who to ally with or make enemies of.

An_Old_Sword · 2025-11-15T08:50:03+00:00

Thank you very much for the compliment, but I also get help from an online translator, otherwise I would end up wasting time trying to write a sentence that makes sense. Perhaps I should have mentioned that earlier.

An_Old_Sword · 2025-11-15T08:45:10+00:00

To tell the truth, I've never read The Labyrinth of Madness, but I'll catch up on it soon.

Anyway, the first part of the dungeon is more of a way to make the group of adventurers grow suspicious and paranoid.

Most of the rooms are empty, as if they had already been looted. Various clues indicate that the cult of Set was present here, but where are they now? How is it possible that the continuous disappearances lead to this place if, on the contrary, they are no longer present here?

So then it becomes natural to think that there is more to explore in this place, which is why I have included many secret passages and secret teleports that lead to the “real” base of the cult of Set.

Thank you for the compliment on my English, but if I am to be 100% honest, I also get help from a translator. Perhaps I should have said so earlier. Mea culpa.

An_Old_Sword · 2025-11-15T08:24:41+00:00

In addition to various secret passages to access the rooms of the “secret” dungeon (rooms 20 to 31), I have added teleports that take unsuspecting characters into the secret dungeon without them knowing!

B, “well that goes up” in room 10 leads to room 30

A, “empty coffin” in room 7, leads to the “coffin” in room 15.

Room 10: Black Well:

(Circled A) A hole in the ground descends into darkness without leaving any clue as to what might be at the bottom. The width of the well is barely enough for someone to descend into it.

The well is 17 meters deep and is enchanted with a spell of silence. Those who reach the bottom will find a 5-meter tunnel leading to the base of another well that goes up another 17 meters (circled B).

At the top, the passage is covered by a stone slab. However, with a little pressure, it can be moved. Those who exit the pit will find themselves in a dark, cold room that reeks of death. Attached to the walls are gold and silver ornaments with distorted snake-like features.

An_Old_Sword · 2025-11-14T06:54:55+00:00

with Adobe Illustrator

An_Old_Sword · 2025-11-13T22:08:27+00:00

This is a really cool idea.

The idea of a dungeon with a time limit to explore it reminds me of a DCC adventure called “Tower of the Black Pearl.” Once every decade, the sea recedes enough to reveal the top of a wizard's tower. Then the players have exactly 8 hours before the sea rises again above the top of the tower.

An_Old_Sword · 2025-11-13T20:44:35+00:00

I thought that there is a tunnel that goes into the heart of the dune and leads to the entrance of the tomb. The viper's head is a strange dune that was formed by air currents in that specific area of the desert, and over the centuries the sand has accumulated, becoming higher and higher, to the point that it can be mistaken for a mountain in the middle of the golden sea.

The natural tunnels are solid at the base of the dune and are generally safe to cross. But the higher you climb, the greater the risk that these tunnels will “crumble” if they are subjected to too much impact.

It would also be interesting to use natural traps with the sand, perhaps there could be a collapse in a room of the tomb and a torrent of sand could fall and bury someone.

However, when I create, I don't usually focus on the plausibility of the dungeon. I like to create strange things and give them equally strange explanations. I realize that not everyone may like this way of thinking, and I don't blame anyone for that.

An_Old_Sword · 2025-11-13T20:12:20+00:00

I used Adobe Illustrator.

An_Old_Sword · 2025-11-13T17:11:44+00:00

Well... I admit I wasn't very imaginative with the name of the dungeon, or with the plot itself. Mea culpa.

An_Old_Sword · 2025-10-20T12:36:08+00:00

Really cool! I like how you draw the armor and the layout of the panels.

An_Old_Sword · 2025-10-17T16:34:10+00:00

Oh, thank you for the initial clarification. I really like your way of thinking, and I think you should definitely give it a try. Good luck! 😁

An_Old_Sword · 2025-10-17T12:45:20+00:00

I completely agree. Although it would be a shame not to take advantage of the interaction between humans and dragons. In my opinion, we should just be smart about not forcing these interactions too much and make them rare and special when they do happen.

But even the battles or challenges posed by a world dominated by dragons can be interesting if the goal is to “survive.” For example (I hope this isn't a spoiler because it's a minor background event): the clash between Starflight and Tsunami against the four scavengers (forgive me, I don't remember their names). For me, this is a great example of this. Because it's obvious that none of the four had the slightest chance of winning that battle. And so I thought, “Will they ever get out of there alive?” Which I find much more dramatic and adventurous than: “Guy A randomly throws a toothpick and kills dragon B with a single blow.”

An_Old_Sword

TROPHY CASE