An ecological dungeon

#1

Seen somewhere an article complaining about the traditional dungeons, like being too concentrated on killing some monsters and collecting treasure, ignoring things like ecology and common sense, monsters only wait on you till you kill them...

I've seen such articles before. But this time an idea struck me:
Why not do some dungeon that really works? Where creatures live their lives in harmony :-) , just the right ecological way?

Bad example: Lionel the Lich creates his fortress. For being that evil little life is there, populated mostly by undead and magical creatures. Cool, dungeon works, ready to get slaughtered. No problems with ecology 'cause no life there, see?

But I have another reason: don't want to drag my heroes around to find new dungeons every day. I want to use the same dungeon more times. So I need a dungeon that can regenerate.

What's that dungeon I want, anyway?

[*]Traditionally it is underground. Is usually connected to the outside world. (maybe somewhere deeper too...)
[*]Though some corridors and rooms may be digged, it is mostly a set of caverns, big enough to have some kind of ecosystem.
[*]Connected to Upside: means some common life-forms, like bugs, rats, and bats. And others.
[*]Connected to Downside: if your world allows it, can mean any exotic life forms out of the Deep
[*]Some source of magic may care for even more exotic creatures

Inhabitants:

Rats, our friends. They are our company for centuries. A single rat is weak, but a horde of rats can survive much, and with incentive can be a nice foe. Hard living in free nature, but in closed enviroments, like sewers and dungeons, hmmm...

Rats excel underground in many ways. Senses, orientation, agility. Can eat basically anything. Is very social in its own way, and cunning.

Ecology: eats basically anything, makes a handy base of the food chain for that predators. The default dungeon encounter.

Ecological Purpose and Others:
If a dungeon has rats, you can forget any food lying around. Same applies to scrolls and potions, which are sooner or later consumed, or at least tried. Even putting them into wooden containers like chests or crates may not be enough. Rats are smart and can learn to avoid poison, so food just lying around in a rat infested dungeon should not be eaten. Contrary, not all that rats eat should be eaten too. Be carefull, rats spread diseases!

As for rats themselves, dwarwes are known to like their taste (ewww...). If you are THAT hungry, it is recommended to cook or roast them, though. Ask dwarwes for recipes.

Various monsters may survive on rats, while waiting for something tastier (like you).

Stay tuned for bats and bugs! Or submit your own. :wink:

An ecological dungeon

#2

Wild Dog, Small

Wherever people settle, they make sure they kill any wolwes, sooner or later. They bring dogs with themselves. And sooner or later, some dogs get abandoned, lost or ignored, and if they survive, they can attempt to fill a wolf-sized hole in the ecosystem.

Description:
This small canine is usually the size of a small dog (for big stray dogs get killed). Living on the verge of society forces to be silent and not attract attention, living of others leftovers. Hunt they still can, but only small rodents fall prey to them, they are mostly scavengers. Is usually a crossbreed of other small dog breeds, a bastard.

Mostly roam in small groups, or individually. Can be easily scared off by any creature bigger than them unless it is obviously too weak. Depending on their experience may attack weak-looking humanoids, or sleeping ones, or not. But most probably will avoid confrontation with ANY humanoid they meet.

Living space:
Slums of greater cities, and surprisingly even those dungeons - holes filled with monsters smaller and bigger. There they hunt rats and have occasionaly rests of something bigger. Are likely to follow heroes, wait till they kill something and leave it so.

Never far from the civilisation. Would not survive in a serious confrontation with a real predator.

Ecological Purpose and Others:
A minor scavenger and hunter. Would eat undead only if starving.

A minor non-threatening encounter in a not much threatening enviroment. Mentioning to heroes it is a dog, however dirty and poor, may save its live.

1% chance it is a pure breed, possibly in some way valuable. If carefully approached and treated, may be befriended and trained as a guard dog.

Treasure:
None. May use small holes as lair, where they consume their pray. Only if you need bones.

Bats

#3

The Silent Flyers

No cheap horror movie or dark place would be complete without them. The flutter of their wings, and perhaps their sounds (if you got some ability for it) make them mysterious, dwellers in the dark, silently waiting to suck out your blood (Booo!).

If I remember right, the friendly bats live mostly on insects or fruit juices. There's also a variety that likes blood, but that's not a vampire. It is dangerous to sleeping cattle, if to anything. It bites it near some vein on the neck or back, and licks the blood flowing. Little dangerous, but it somewhat weakens the animal, or may transfer diseases. Fantasy mutants may be of course bigger, and more dangerous...

Ecological Purpose and Others:
One of the bases of the traditional underground kitchen, said to taste like chicken if you catch a nice fat one. Also one of the traditional alchemystic ingredients.

Bat's droppings can make the substrate for any weird fungus, bats may feed that bizzare monster next door... still hungry enough for your heroes.

Traditionally (in RPGs) they attack people with sources of light if disturbed. Not too sure about this, but we can leave it so.

Live on insects, fruit-juices, sometimes even on bodily fluids of higher mammals. Require enough place to fly around, if at all possible a connection to the Outside.

An ecological dungeon

#4

Underground-dwellers
(Knowledge Skill)

Given at least a week's careful observation of certain animals and creatures commonly living undergound, on a given location, you get insight into their life. Succesfull use of this skill may give you knowledge of following things:

- locations they evade for some reason (dangerous places, lurking monsters, leaking gases, danger of a cave-in)
- their behaviour may indicate various changes in the local ecosystem
(something scared them, a new threat, earthquake approaching, adventurers arrived, ...)
- can possibly lure them to locations of your choosing, for various purposes

Fore-warning is a very good thing. Hermits living in caves are likely to have this skill, even a smarter Orc could have it. Don't be surprised when the mysterious man is not surprised at your coming. I've been expecting you, come in...

The Wumpus

#5

Harkening from the days of text based games comes the wumpus. No one knows exactly what it looks like, for it caves have no light sources available. One thing that is certain, it is possible to smell the wumpus when it is two caves away! Bats can be heard from a neighboring cave and the draft from pits can be felt likewise. This fearsome creatures main source of food is adventurers after the bounty on it's corpse, supplimented with the odd bat.

http://scv.bu.edu/Games/games.html

An ecological dungeon

#6

Undead

Lesser Undead are commonly found in dungeons. For now let us ignore what they do there and how they got there, let us think about how they interact with local ecosystem.

Undead are not alive (by definition). They are more like life-reversed. They do not like the Living, and the Living don't like the Undead much either.

Undead see Life. They see other undead too, but they can see life's energy in those yet living. According to some sources, they gain nourishment from killing life (not to mention flesh-eating ghouls...). So do they destroy all Life around them? No.

Some hardy mosses and lichens actually survive on undead. The zombies don't seem to object. They don't seem to object to small creatures either: insects, bats and rats live freely where zombies do. How to interprete this?

A) They don't like life, but their hate goes against humanoids. Sounds logical, for they were humanoids, too. But what about undead animals, why do they attack humanoids? Reason may be a built-in programming, or the fact their creator is a humanoid.

B) They hate life, but they ignore minor living forms. Or they are not able to concentrate on the creepers, their life force being too weak.

That means free-roaming undead cannot live next to a cave-bear, nor any other greater animal. In the long run, only one side could stay or survive.

Also might mean that undead can be bypassed, if you disguise yourself (through magic) as a little creature! Question is, whether it disguises your life force enough, too...

Ecological Purpose and Others:

No built-in ecology (undead). Minor life forms are free to live, greater life forms are attacked. Unless commanded to do otherwise, they do not move much, or move not at all.

Are seldom attacked by other dungeon denizens, and if then certainly not for food, being not much tasty or appealing. Another useful kind of cannon-fodder, they can wait a long time for any hero.

An ecological dungeon

#7

Bugs
Bugs you will eat, and bugs will eat you.

Insects were here much longer than we are, and will be when we are forgotten. Practically any ecosystem makes use of insects, in numerous roles. Most dungeons should have THINGS creeping in the corner, on the wall, floor and ceiling, everywhere. Remember Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, the girl and thousands of insects? Cute.

Ecological Purpose and Others:
Eat anything and get eaten very often, handy. Should you try to eat them, choose carefully. Some are poisonous, some may be a local delicacy. Some may a kind of alchemystic ingredient.

Bugs get often magically enlarged in size, to play cannon-fodder for the heroes. They are well suited for this, being not much smart and using mostly simple forms of attack. If I remember right, spiders fall also in the Bugs category, once enlarged and armed with webs, many a DM's favourite!

Another option is to use a swarm of them little bugs... It's a kind of honour to be eaten by a dragon.
What ate him? Ants? Hm, bad luck. What was his name again, can't remember it somehow.
Unless poisonous, individual bugs can be just ignored. A swarm can be mightily dangerous.

Similar to rats, insects are likely to devour much of the perishables, and some of the more enduring items, too.

An ecological dungeon

#8

The Green Stuff

The true base of the food-chain are the molds, lichens, mosses, funghi etc. They grow on the ground, walls and ceilings, produce oxygen and in some cases light. Various varieties have many other functions, some actually climb up the food chain to consume insects or hapless adventurers.

Dungeon greenery is usually hardy and adapted to its enviroment. In the long run, they can survive most threats of this enviroment: stomping monsters, adventurers digging their way somewhere, even fire and explosions, or poisonous gases can not truly erase them. So even fully blasted dungeons would have some remaining. Plants do survive.

There may be a few places where nothing lives. Tombs sealed for long years, without any light or fresh air would be truly dead. Where plants cannot survive, few other life forms dare.

Ecological Purpose and Others:

With light and a good substrate (varies, some can survive on almost anything) produces oxygen (a gas good for breathing, requirement for many creatures). Some varieties are rumoured to shed weak light, and in large colonies may illuminate even great caverns, thus helping many other life forms.

Plants may contain both useful and harmful substances. Some are very valuable.

An ecological dungeon

#9

The horrible and hated Nail Worm

The horrible and hated Nail Worm lives in deep caves near the Evil Labyrinth. It is unknown, whether only one monster exists, or there are several. There was at least one guaranteed sighting in the Labyrinth itself.

The Nail Worm has no visible eyes, but seems to have other good-working senses. It is about 20 yards long, its body covered with short hair or fur. All grey in color, it is hard to note if not moving. But if it moves, it moves fast and effectively with a sidewards wawe-like movement a few snakes are known to move. Its 'head' is not separated from the body, and has no discernible senses. The mouth seems to have many small teeth, or perhaps tentacles. The 'tail' is thinner than the rest of the body, and very hard, able to deal strong punches. The beast is maneuvreable and cunning at defeating humanoids.

The Nail Worm meets its prey in underground locations, and somehow produces a thick black cloud. In the ensuing chaos it chooses a victim, and attacks. It should be noted that all attacks deal only subdual damage, be it hitting with the tail, or constricting the victims neck, like some great snakes do. When the victim is knocked out, it begins to feed...

Nobody knows what the Nail Worm normally feeds on, and how does it survive. But the treatment of its victims is know: it begins to suck on their fingers and toes, its saliva dissolving nails.

When the victim returns to senses, the Worm is long gone, and the fingernails too. The victim is free to go and curse that $#%*@ Nail Worm!

An ecological dungeon

#10

Ohhh I agree with your opinion. It makes sence. Animals to not just exist to kill the adventurers. Some may just ingnore the person till the adventurer provokes them. Not all look as humans as a food. Some may actually be nice.

Blue Stalactite.
What an odd thing this is. This is a stlactite that is blue. YEs blue. IT is made of little bacteria. The bacteria eat the Minerals in the cavern cealing and as they grow they form a saft structure that looks like a stalactite. They are known for haivng curative properties if applied to wounds. Many animals in caves are known to rub against these when wounded.

Fever Crabs.
These crabs live in large colonies that look like scales on the ceiling of the cave. Thier pinchign claws will cause people to have a fever for a few days. They eat blue stlatite. The colony actual mines tunnels in the ceiling to give minerals to the stalactite which they in turn eat. Though not aggresive they will attack any who touch the blue stalactite. They keep the bleu stalatite from over growing.

How is this?
tarock

An ecological dungeon

#11

Nice symbiotic relationship.

An ecological dungeon

#12

- Hey look, there's a blue stalactite!
- Oh sure, stop kidding you fool! :wink:

Nice one! Given the presence of the Fever Crabs, it is not just a cheap way to heal. The animals may have several ways to bypass them:
- Rub against it, then withdraw fast.
- With a thick fur or hide they just don't care.
- May become immune to the fever effect after a few times.

Of course, for the Crabs not to over-populate, something should eat them! But I think that would be no problem in any dungeon.

Note: If you overcame that fever, you should have a better chance to resist it later, after a few times you might be immune, fully or partially.

An ecological dungeon

#13

Solitaire Spider

A very rare spider, combines a certain degree of inteligence and wickedness. Living in underground locales, it can survive for long periods of time without fresh food. Even a rat is good, but it likes bigger prey, even humanoids.

This spider does not use its web like other spiders do. With a black body and brownish-black hair, it relies on its camouflage skill. It often lurks on a victim above doors or tighter spots, unmoving and unnoticed for long hours. In the fore-legs it holds a piece of its web (it is very firm, only a little sticky, but above all: it is black). This web is wrapped around the head of the unsuspecting victim, and it is bitten in the neck. The spider then holds the victim, so it does not scream or move too much, and waits until the poison takes effect and the victim passes out.

Poison: a weakening and paralysing toxin, it can put one to sleep for hours. Might be possible to harvest.

Nest: a place where the victims are deposited. It takes a few days until the victim dies (meanwhile safely webbed in a cocoon). The spider takes care that it does not run away, and administers another substance: weakening and conservating. When the victim is finally dead, the body can endure for tens of years without decomposing. If the spider has enough of other food, it is even excelently preserved. (If your campaign allows raising dead, this can be useful. But a simple Speak with Dead spell can do much too.) If the spider has enough fresh prey, and enough preserved bodies, it lays eggs into some.

The Solitaire Spider is a loner. It is relatively smart, and it can ambush its prey effectively. On the other hand, it is ready to run away if the opposition is strong, and strike when it senses weakness. It avoids attacking groups. You could make it even smarter, and let it use treasure of former victims to lure new ones.

Usage: A properly used Solitaire Spider can with a bit of luck knock out a whole group of adventurers. This is rarely necessary, only if the group does not hold together. It is useful for "vanishing" of a character, often of the last-in-the-line. This way or that way, if the character (group) does not manage to free itself, someone else can do it. Paradoxically, the Solitaire can save someone from a life-threatening situation (at least temporary... :twisted:).

DM: "You hang over that bottomless hole, your fingers slip slowly, and you realise you have left your friends too far behind..."
PC: "Help! Help... well, so I try to gather my last Strength..." (Roll fails)
DM: "Your fingers cannot hold you anymore... but in the last moment some long limb with a claw catches you!"
PC: " ??? ummm, OK, fine..."
DM: "A great black spider pulls you out, and wraps you some black cloth around the head. While you struggle for your breath, you feel something biting in your neck..."
PC: "Nooooooo!"

Extrapolating on a few squirrels...

#14

(While this may not fit exactly the Dungeon theme, it shows a way how a quick-and-easy ecology might be cooked up, and even seem logical, hopefully.)

My players wanted to hunt on squirrels, so I needed to know more about them. Of course I could do serious research, but hey, why should I not pull it all out of thin air?!

Here we go...

Silver Squirrels are for the biggest part of the year very similar to ordinary squirrels. They may be a bit bigger, though. In autumn and winter their pelt turns to a rare silvery shade, and that's a good reason to hunt them.

But now, what's the point of changing the colour? The usual brown or black seems to me a better protection in the average forest. It might be better in winter... but squirrels merrily hopping on snow reminds me too much of Ice Age (a nice movie). But the rumour spoke of no average forest, and Crooked Forest may be different. So why go silvery?

Maybe some tree turns its leaves or needles to a silvery hue. But why? Green is supposed to be better for photosyntesis, white does not sound that good to me. And in winter is dark colour probably better, because ummmm???, because capturing the few sun-rays keeps a tree warmer, and reduces frost damage. I have no idea if it is true, but let's stick to it. And why would a tree want to freeze even more? Maybe it wants to get rid of worms and other nice little biters.

Now, trees tormented by insects do (if I remember right) simply grow over it, or improve their chemical defenses, or both. And if a particular tree-type falls as prey too easily, it will die out. So what is its ecological edge, and how does it survive in large enough numbers to have a species adapted? Hard to explain with the little knowledge I have about Nature, so let's insert something, that has a tendency to move outside of logic: Humans.

Humans, or humanoids in general, cut down trees to make homes, baseball bats, and firewood. They like especially the great tall-grown trees, and wood is a nice decoration anyway. With this approach, trees have a tendency to vanish.

What if one particular tree, let's say a pine tree, adapts to an influence other trees fail to? First, it might support the little feasters that ruin its wood for building purposes, hopefully killing most of them every winter. It may also change its way of growth to produce mangy, knotted, twisted forms, to resist axes better. A limited way to resist fire would be also useful now, for humans will dislike this ugly useless tree.

There we have it. A location with squirrels is now connected to history. It presumes intensive deforestation in the recent past, and creates attitudes and superstitions for the locals ("Don't go into that forest, kids! They say that every White Pine was a witch a long time ago... and some of them have a very light sleep... "). Now that lumbering has ceased, and few go into those ugly woods, the forest may have not only squirrels attached...