Appendix A: Random Dungeons - Dungeon Master's Guide (2014)

Appendix A: Random Dungeons. This appendix helps you quickly generate a dungeon. The tables work in an iterative manner. First, roll a starting area, then roll to determine the passages and doors found in that area. One you have initial passages and doors, determine the location and nature of subsequent passages, doors, chambers, stairs, and so on-each of them generated by rolls on different tables. Following these instructions can lead to sprawling complexes that more than fill a single sheet of graph paper. If you want to constrain the dungeon, establish limits ahead of time on how far it can grow. The most obvious limit to a dungeon's size is the graph paper it's drawn on. If a feature would exceed the boundaries of the page, curtail it. A corridor might turn or come to a dead end at the map's edge, or you can make a chamber smaller to fit the available space. Alternatively, you can decide that passages leading off the edge of the map are additional dungeon entrances. Stairs, shafts, and other features that would normally lead to levels you don't plan to map can serve a similar purpose. Starting Area The Starting Area table produces a chamber or a set of corridors at the entrance to your dungeon. When rolling for a random starting area, pick one of the doors or passages leading into the starting area as the entrance to the dungeon as a whole. Once you've selected the entrance, roll on the appropriate table for each passage or door leading away from the starting area. Passages each extend 10 feet beyond the starting area. After that point, check on the Passage table for each passage to determine what lies beyond. Use the Beyond a Door table to determine what lies behind doors and secret doors. 1 Square, 20 × 20 ft.; passage on each wall 2 Square, 20 × 20 ft.; door on two walls, passage in third wall 3 Square, 40 × 40 ft.; doors on three walls 4 Rectangle, 80 × 20 ft., with row of pillars down the middle; two passages leading from each long wall, doors on each s...