I did a food dungeon for some of my restaurant working friends (chefs, line cooks, bartenders, barbacks, etc.). Peanutbutter slimes and grape jelly oozes, meat elementals, environmental herbs, culinary traps (fryer oil was the worst). Weapons had advantage on certain food types, etc. I have since lost that notebook. :(
I can just see it, a Noble's cook tasks the players with getting ever increasing bizarre ingredients only to one day confuse a ritual with a recipe. Giant sentient meat pie boss fight anyone?
Seriously great idea. I'm not aware of any food-based rpg material out there, but there should be. Maybe you've got a ks in the making... Throw in some appropriate character backgrounds, a few spells and magic items, I could think of other stuff too, but it's all right there.
@@MemphiStigI think one of the chain fast food restaurants actually made a food kingdom based ttrpg as a joke some years back? Either Burger King or KFC to my poor recollection
Mister De Mico, I just want to thank you for taking the time to put out such high-quality content, both in terms of video editing/production and actual game design. Your videos have inspired so many aspects of what I do as a DM, and I am eternally grateful.
Dungeon Masterpiece has great advice on this topic. There's a lot of good information in this video above, but I think there are critical things you've missed. For instance, making the dungeon as a part of the living world--why is it here in the first place, what is it's role in local history and how is impacting towns, villages and cities nearby? In a narrative driven game, looting random dungeons isn't really a compelling story hook--the dungeon needs to be intruding and impacting the lives of the people nearby. The movie Thirteenth Warrior is an excellent example of this. Though it wasn't a technical dungeon in a classical D&D sense (I would argue that North of the Wall as a wilderness dungeon) , in Game of Thrones, Crastor's Keep north of the wall was another example of this---it was absolutely creepy when all of Crastor's wives stood up and started saying, "give to the gods...." It was a whole new dimension of, "just what the hell are we dealing with here?" These are great examples of what I mean by how does the existence of the dungeons intrude. I'm not so sure the notion that you're right about the current trends in the TTRPG space. It's certainly the direction WOTC has gone---but OSR style games are gaining popularity and converts from 5E. Ben Milton on Questing Beast has it on the nose when he outlined the difference between official D&D and folk D&D. And the truth is that official D&D is going to be in it's own walled garden with endless micro transactions in the not too distant future. Live pen and paper tabletop play for 5E will become another type of OSR.
One more encounter type for ya: The combat encounter meant to be skipped. Make your dungeon feel more dangerous by having a lot more potential combat encounters in them, that all have relatively easy ways of avoiding them. From talking, to sneaking, to getting the monsters to die from a dungeon trap. Its up to the players to discern the best way to conserve their resources and not fight everything in front of them.
Unfortunately, you must not abuse it or you will start taking away the freedom that most players want. The ability to actually fight sometimes is important. It empowers the party, makes them feel as if their characters can actually take on the threats. They may have tricked or trapped this monster, but that one they took down through their other skills. Otherwise your game just becomes a bunch of puzzles, a point-and-click paper adventure
@@jeanremi8384 he mentioned to only do it for some. plus if your players are feeling bloodthirsty they can very much kill them, there is just other ways
This is a dangerous one, because a lot (most?) players work under the assumption that if it's in front of them, it can be solved. You need to make it ABUNDANTLY clear that they can't handle the encounter, or they'll try to do it and get stomped, then blame you.
@@DFAnton my players go out of their way to skip encounters, as they like feeling clever so I dunno about most. Also the encounters don't have to be hard, they just have to be plentiful so players know they need to conserve resources for the actual boss. I've killed 3 PC's in my DMing career and nobody has lost it on me yet
As an old RPG head (been playing over 20 years), OSR player, and dungeon crawl enjoyer, I'm glad you didn't give this the "crawl bad" treatment so much as just explained that there's a rise and fall in the trends in any given way. I appreciate that even though you don't favor my camp, you didn't disrespect our way of doing things. Your stuff is pretty handy even for those anyway, since you can break up individual things within a megadungeon with stories and encounters like the ones you build.
I'm with you. Haven't played 5th nor will I. BECMI and AD&D are my games. Glad to be an old fart. I'll be interested to see if today's crop of players are still going 40 years from now.
Monarch Factory described a houserule she uses in one of her videos where when you set off a trap, you get a “click”, some kind of clue about what the trap does. Before you roll you can preemptively take an action to either evade the trap or at least make your save easier, stuff like raising your shield to block the dart or hitting the floor to dodge it. What you decide to do affects how hard the save will be and can potentially circumvent the roll entirely
The most fun dungeon I've ever run was a dungeon crawl within the literal mind of an elder God in search of campaign defining answers 😅 It included bodily defense constructs (white blood cell - like beings), world's surrounded around particular senses, fast travel by the electrical nerve-train and a whole fantasy realm where his dreams of certain constructs eventually came to life into the real world.
2:03 I’ve run dungeons as heists for a while now. “Get back my people’s stolen artifact from the Empire, It’s too well-protected for us to get it back,” is always a strong hook.
Just started watching and wanted to propose a possible video idea "Alinment Flip" where you could take beings that are characterised as always evil,good,neutral etc.. and create a version that is the opposite yet still recognizable example Mind Flayer->Mind Healer or something like that
He's very vocal about how he hates alignment lol. I don't think I see him doing this. Because a good aligned mind flayer isn't a different creature. It's just a friendly mind flayer.
@@Turabbo I know that he doesnt like alinments but i honestly drew a blank on a name other than that, and i had in mind what happens when for example a number of friendly mind flayers converge and try to form a society? What will change about them, what new flavour will they bring to the table? It is kinda fun to think about
@@Turabbo Honestly, I think that's more reason the idea's good. It flips the "stereotype" of any given thing's alignment on its head to show that you don't *need* to follow that as a strict rule (Cause I imagine it can be hard to break away from that without having an example or two). That's how I see it, anyway.
@@Turabbo Yes, video game tends toward an alignment system that's mostly "Gandhi or Hitler, those are your only options", and he has admitted that's a strong foundation for him. Plus for most types of creatures alignment shifting is just 'give this group a different culture, or swap out their gods." Well except for outer plains creatures, Demons aren't just evil, their made out of evil which makes it very hard to justify any changes beyond just using a half fiend because "Their mortal half provides the capacity for them to be something other than pure evil."
Y'know, this video has made me realize that in all my years DMing, I've never actually used a "dungeon" in this sense, just conflicts and challenges that arise naturally in the wider world of the campaign.
This video made me appreciate how well integrated and realistic the dungeons are in Pokémon. Looking at the original games you have caves to travel through (Mt. Moon, Rock Tunnels), Caves with Legendary Pokemon at the end (The Seafoam Islands, Cerulean Cave), abandoned human construction (Cinnabar Mansion, the Power Plant) and active buildings (the Game Corner, Silph Co., Pokémon tower) all acting as dungeons and almost always with a reward at the end without diving into any explicit dungeons in the classic sense.
I watched this video like an hour ago, sat down with the google doc, and made a whole dungeon arc in like 30 minutes. It’s got the theme of healing, takes place in an old Druid grove that used to cater to people from all over that were deadly sick. Something is going on where people in the nearby area are being healed, but healing so much that they are actually anti-aging. I won’t go into the rest in case someone from my table sees this, but I am soooo excited. Thank you so much!
This Dungeon making advice will be really helpful, thanks! I've had several dungeon ideas in the works, but haven't been able to properly realise them. Now I should be able to actually make them playable. The part about picking a theme at the start and having it be represented in basically every aspect of the dungeon is really cool, and should make the process easier and more fun, at least for me.
I for one, LOVE the more game design centric videos. Pushing myself to change rules and mechanics can be a challenge, but videos like these help a lot!
You made this just in time, I needed inspiration for a Mind Control themed dungeon for my players TOMORROW. They’ve been hunting a Mind Flayer Arcanist for a while so yeah
I had a 4-room dungeon themed around kobolds. Kobolds have large communities, so the mechanic was reinforcements; designated "leader" kobolds would call in more kobolds at the end of each round of combat. It didn't end well. The boss kobold called in additional leader kobolds, which led to compiling reinforcements. Despite focusing down the boss and defeating him, those guys were overrun by the legion that had built up. 😅
Please keep bringing the game design videos! Once you've DMed for any length of time, you realize that game design is a lot of what you do during prep.
In my Eberron campaign the party had to clear out an ancient underground hobgoblin fortress to claim it as their base. However, a rival band of monsters want to claim it for Daask. It was a race to see who could claim the command center first. Rooms were locked with different level keys throughout the complex to allow further exploration and many rooms had hazards from long ago to add obstacles. It was a fun session.
Hey, thank you for making these. I stop everything to watch your videos when they drop. They're a bright and happy part of my day. You deserve all the opportunities you are getting here, have fun at Gencon.
This is a good process for developing a dungeon. I started playing D&D back in the early 90's and have spent my share of time in AD&D dungeon crawls. I think a change of pace and scenery is welcomed and enjoyed by most players. I appreciate what you do.
If you ever decide to compile all your work into a book, know that I would absolutely buy that book. These are the greatest videos for D&D, and I look forward to the release of the next o e every time I get to the end of the video.
as someone planning to study game design i absolutely love all these game designy vidoes! they give me a look into the thought process of a professional and i feel like i learn a ton!
Why is it that I never found about this channel before?! The content is great, the editing and humour are on point, the advice is not only solid but deeply useful, and the additional content is not only great, but deeply appreciated. This channel deserves... no, scratch that, has EARNED far more subscribers, views and likes than it has! "We shall watch your career with great interest..."
I LOVE the game design videos! Your depth of experience in this and ability to articulate it clearly (and enjoyably) is one of the things that makes this the best dnd channel 😍
I wanted to come down here and say; while I might not speak for everyone, I enjoy when you break down stuff in terms of game design. You may think it feels preachy but to people like me who are game design adjacent hearing the terms and explanations of them really help. Being a DM is very close to game design because we are responsible for the mechanics at our table. So thank you
This is incredibly helpful! Not just from a DMing perspective, but from a more conventional story writing perspective too. I'm really glad you made this and can't wait to see what else you create and talk about. I hope you have a great day ^.^
As always, an amazing video! I’m really looking forward to a paladin Litch episode! My very first, proper, full-size dungeon adventure was with my first campaign. Way back ages ago in my setting there was a temple to a god of dreams who has long since been forgotten. They found the entrance and some parts of the temple in utter ruined in many places blocked off, but when they camped for the night at the entrance, they woke up to find that have been completely restored! They learned things about the history of the world, were able to solve some puzzles with minimal combat and used what they learned to realize that this wasn’t the temple of dreams restored, they were still in a dream and had never woken up.! When they did wake up, they were able to use what they learned to find the treasure room and ransack it.
Best dungeon I ever had was breaking prisoners out of a Goblin camp inside a huge cave system. The first half was stealth, assassinations, and traps, and the second half wad a "combat" section that used horde rules as the players were chased by a ton of goblins mixed with elite soldiers employed by the BBEG. It ran a lot like the goblin scene from the Hobbit and was a ton of fun.
I made a “sort of dungeon” for a campaign I want to do. The party finds a bunker that was a prison that they were all supposed to relocate to. When they reach it, they see the door is left open. Once they descend the stairs they discover a werebat (possibly modified to accommodate what I’m using it for) they need to turn on these lights in the rooms to drive out the werebat and use sound to direct away from where they need to be. Obviously traps aren’t a thing that would make a lot of sense, nor would many combat encounters since this place would’ve only been recently breached. But I still think it would be very fun to run.
This channel was my gateway drug to D&D. Now I've binged critical role, am looking for a good group to do sessions with, and desperately gnashing at the bit when a new pointy hat video comes out. Thank you for getting me addicted to the high of nerdy worldbuilding and creative writing with Tabletop games, its completely destroyed my life in an affectionate sense.
Omg gosh! My husband and I came across your fey wild video, and that was already incredible and insightful! But wow! I'm so glad we found this one! Thank you for using your knowledge on game design to share in really concise and thoughtful ways to incorporate into dming!
I know this is an old video and you probably don’t check the comments anymore, but I finally ran across this one in your archive and I found it at the perfect time. I’m planning to DM my first game and this is giving me great ideas for turning my themes into game mechanics to better tell the story I’m trying to tell.
This was the exact video i needed right now! I love dungeons but always felt like i had trouble making them interesting and fun to play in. I love the mechanics talk!! I would love more videos like this. Great stuff!
I ran the Feywild dungeon for a few friends for my birthday, and they all absolutely loved it. It was also such a huge weight off me not having to prepare the game and just running it, best birthday gift I could ask for :)
I love this idea of a theme throughout. I'm designing my first dungeon crawl and can use this to help me design it. Now to think of mechanics associate with greed/gluttony. Thanks again!
These are the best videos. This is the type of thing that SHOULD be in the dmg because its so ubiquitous to dnd games while just as often glossed over by those writing advice or instruction. Like all advice for DMs though, just start. Don’t Let “Perfect” Be the Enemy of “Good” is cliche but also really true here. Have a reason to be there, a theme, have a few encounters that use supporting mechanics, and then end it. Have fun.
1. Listen to what your players want to do. 2. Give them enough of that to make them feel like they have a say in the story of the game. 3. Alternatively, design the dungeon with the other players on the fly with their direct input as you all play together. (In other words, collaborate and improvise.) 4. Repeat step one. This works for every part of D&D, including dungeon design.
Literally my go-to for good quality DND content. You provide aspects and advice that really set apart from other content creators:) I can’t wait to watch this channel continue to grow
Mister De Mico ! Can't wait to watch your video ! You're rapidly becoming my favourite DnD youtuber. Actually I named an NPC bard "Antonio de Mico" in my campaign, it just rolls off the tongue ! Big love 💋
so as someone who was actually typing out the tips as I was listening... the ending bit somehow took me for a surprise... even though the ending is always so similar. im generally trying to figure out how to make dungeons. so this was helpful. also as someone who also loves circuses, trains and boats... this is appreciated. as I will be making a lot of dungeons that take place in trains, boats and circuses. (players always want to rob the train) then I have made smaller "puzzle towers" using the advice in this video. safe travels to you.
The quality of your videos is fantastic. I honestly feel joy whenever i see that you brought out another ones of these bangers. Thank you for your effort!
I watched the Feywild video, don't worry 🙌✨🦄 Love your content Mr Hat! Awesome to hear your thought processes on this too. Currently trying to create a Feywild campaign arc to run for my usual group to give the DM a break so while I'm still anxious and unsure, I'll definitely find this video and that one invaluable!
I know I'm late to the party, but this isn't the first time I've watched this video. I realize I've come back to it multiple times for advice when doing dungeon design, which tells me that this video rocks as an informative source! Thanks again, Lord Hat!
Love your videos, you actually give me the inspiration to run games and make me excited for my favorite hobby. Don’t stop being fabulous for even one minute.
i just ran my first real session of my own campaign setting and it went EXTREMELY WELL with huge thanks to your videos. i love your content so much, Mr. Demico and i beg you, NEVER STOP!!
Bro I love your I did that reveals at the end of the vid. We all know they are coming we all know that we have goodies but some how it never gets old. I'm always smiling at the end of a Pointy Hat vid.
As a hopeful DM to be this is great thanks Mr.Hat. Also I was wondering if you could do a video on Changelings, they're one of my personal favorite races but they can be done poorly, so advice would nice.
Great work! I use dungeons exactly like that; sparingly. They are usually no more than a few rooms, I also avoid calling them dungeons, I call them ruins, tombs, crypts, etc. My dungeons are the leftover cellar from a ruined temple, the abandoned keep repurposed but not repaired by the evil dragon, the sewers beneath the city where the kobolds have built their warren... etc. One of my favorite dungeons I designed was a manor where things were stuck in a time loop, the players kept traveling forward and backward in time during three different eras of the building (at its prime, at its fall, and in the present). They relived the same encounters over and over, learning more about the history of the manor and the family that once owned it and eventually they discovered the devil that was the catalyst for all of the destruction. They fixed the past by defeating that devil and in the future there was a prosperous town with a new noble house in charge of it instead of a rundown village full of terrified fishermen.
I swear to God you must be omniscient. I’ve been planning a campaign over the last few months and every single time I get snagged on something or need some inspiration, you come out with a video that addresses that very thing. Thank you so much for all of the help and inspiration you provide! 🤩
Thanks mr. hat I’m stepping out of my comfort zone and build a very small dense locked in game where I need rooms and different spaces to react to the player and have trigger able events and some sound advice is really what I needed. I’ve got my theme locked in and will be writing all events to add to the story of the session.
that.. that is just such a wonderful kick under the butt to go and write that one idea i've had in my head for a while.. i've really found some answers that can help me finally write that one Atlantida-Laputa adventure i've been wanting to write for my DM (she really enjoyes history and stuff, so, yeah), but i've been quite stuck not knowing, where to begin so like this is exactly what i needed thank you, mister Hat! x)
I'm a newbie baby DM, as in one day last year my boyfriend and I just decided to play D&D without actually knowing what we're getting into and now we're here. Me and my player's have been learning D&D on the fly, and I'm learning to DM on the fly. It's been chaotic, but fun. All that just to preface that I really, REALLY appreciate these types of videos from you Pointy. The game design aspect you mentioned is something that hits the g-spot of my DM'ing brain and is probably my favorite part of prepping. I love your videos, I love your style, I love topics like this, and I love this channel. Please continue making more videos and have a lovely day.
the implication youre making is that someone is making these dungeons on purpose and filling them with monsters as a test which is hilarious to imagine
He was so close to getting it when he mentioned pyramids. They're meant to prevent entry to protect something. As is a dungeon in a traditional dungeon crawl. It's not meant to be a theme park for the players to ride all the rides in. It's meant to prevent them from reaching the end.
I just wanted to say, I started watching you a few weeks back and I'm very impressed with the content here. And making it easily accessible and free in the description is such a step above and a mile beyond other creators in my book. I just subscribed and am eager for future content and to sift through past content! Happy to see where you go!
Lol when you said the part about listening to this while working on a dungeon I was actually working on a dungeon. I love your stuff Pointy Hat, hope you have a great day!
Love your breakdown here, especially the whole "make the final/big encounter of the dungeon fit the theme and mechanics that were introduced early in the dungeon"--it really helps preserve immersion and satisfaction!
😱 I don't have to come back later to take notes, after verifying w/ the first watch that the video was worth it? My hero. Plus a an example dungeon to study? Wow. First video I've seen by you, but that's an instant subscription. Quality is crystal clear.
This was SUPER helpful. Thanks! I'm thinking to craft a dungeon with the theme of Silence in the Dark, where the main Mechanic would interact with breaking said silence, and lighting up said dark.
Love this idea. I wanted to have a dungeon in the body of a long dormant robot titan, so went with the theme of a bodies natural defences. So my mechanics are base on the 3 body defences. 1. Physical barrier - the npc they need to save it trapped behind a force field until the local area is fixed (players get stuff). 2. Non-specific immune response - the large white creature (white blood cells stand in) are healed by the small red creature (red blood cells stand in). 3. The specific response - the boss - the body as seen these intruders now, and will have ways to counter everything they have used against he white cells, they will need to get creative. I will probably introduce a basic version of the boss or something for them to get used to that mechanic. No idea about a trap/puzzle yet, but I’ll work it out. Thanks for another great video, based most of my campaign around your sports game idea.
I would go there without an NPC to save. Just to poke around and maybe see if we can steer the robot. You just make a body-map and which bit fits to what else. I imagine more sensitive systems like power and processor nodes would have more protection.
Honestly this has really helped in making me think of dungeons as more than a creepy hole in the ground with loot. Definitely going to be applying these ideas
One of the most favorite dungeons that I ever ran was the inside of an Aboleth. I made the alien digestive tract a huge maze and then I had different monsters being produced by organs or kind of like polyps for instance I had a choker as a polyp creature that would somehow seeth its way through the guts to grab the PCs. The goal was to get to the heart and kill the beast, however they realized that once they killed the beast they wouldn't know exactly where they would be able to stop and so they decided to go to the brain and psychically battle the aboleth for control to which they were carried across a deep underground ocean to the drow city. They actually made an ally of the creature which came back later on during the campaign.
That was a great video. I realized that that's how I was doing my dungeons, but without proper words in those concept, it was hard to really figure out what I needed to do, and keep the vibe on during improvised parts. Thank you for those words!
As a fellow GM with a background in game-dev, I LOVE this kind of content. I love sculpting game mechanics to fit the themes of my games, I tend to slot in homebrew and optional rules to better reflect what the games are about (I used the spell point system for my MTG game to mirror the mana system of MTG, all the players were spell casters in one way or another so it let me toy around with that system to better reflect that style of spell casting).
It's too dangerous to go alone, take this (me, take me)
Magic +1 pointy hat of advice
Okay, come here lil buddy
I will gladly have someone with your intellect with me
Mi boy wiz get ya
*equips the pointy hat* :D
I did a food dungeon for some of my restaurant working friends (chefs, line cooks, bartenders, barbacks, etc.). Peanutbutter slimes and grape jelly oozes, meat elementals, environmental herbs, culinary traps (fryer oil was the worst). Weapons had advantage on certain food types, etc. I have since lost that notebook. :(
PLEASE LET ME STEAL THIS THIS IS SO FUCKING COOOOLLLL
I can just see it, a Noble's cook tasks the players with getting ever increasing bizarre ingredients only to one day confuse a ritual with a recipe. Giant sentient meat pie boss fight anyone?
Fried chicken zombies? Peanut brittle darts? SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALL TORANDO
This is literally cloudy with a chance of meatballs and I love it
Seriously great idea. I'm not aware of any food-based rpg material out there, but there should be. Maybe you've got a ks in the making... Throw in some appropriate character backgrounds, a few spells and magic items, I could think of other stuff too, but it's all right there.
@@MemphiStigI think one of the chain fast food restaurants actually made a food kingdom based ttrpg as a joke some years back? Either Burger King or KFC to my poor recollection
Mister De Mico, I just want to thank you for taking the time to put out such high-quality content, both in terms of video editing/production and actual game design. Your videos have inspired so many aspects of what I do as a DM, and I am eternally grateful.
Adding on to your comment, I'm amazed that he's able to do it so quickly and consistently too
@@gamersedge891 i really need to learn his motivation lol
And the best part? Its absolutely **drum roll** FREE
I agree +1
Dungeon Masterpiece has great advice on this topic. There's a lot of good information in this video above, but I think there are critical things you've missed. For instance, making the dungeon as a part of the living world--why is it here in the first place, what is it's role in local history and how is impacting towns, villages and cities nearby? In a narrative driven game, looting random dungeons isn't really a compelling story hook--the dungeon needs to be intruding and impacting the lives of the people nearby. The movie Thirteenth Warrior is an excellent example of this. Though it wasn't a technical dungeon in a classical D&D sense (I would argue that North of the Wall as a wilderness dungeon) , in Game of Thrones, Crastor's Keep north of the wall was another example of this---it was absolutely creepy when all of Crastor's wives stood up and started saying, "give to the gods...." It was a whole new dimension of, "just what the hell are we dealing with here?" These are great examples of what I mean by how does the existence of the dungeons intrude.
I'm not so sure the notion that you're right about the current trends in the TTRPG space. It's certainly the direction WOTC has gone---but OSR style games are gaining popularity and converts from 5E. Ben Milton on Questing Beast has it on the nose when he outlined the difference between official D&D and folk D&D. And the truth is that official D&D is going to be in it's own walled garden with endless micro transactions in the not too distant future. Live pen and paper tabletop play for 5E will become another type of OSR.
One more encounter type for ya: The combat encounter meant to be skipped. Make your dungeon feel more dangerous by having a lot more potential combat encounters in them, that all have relatively easy ways of avoiding them. From talking, to sneaking, to getting the monsters to die from a dungeon trap. Its up to the players to discern the best way to conserve their resources and not fight everything in front of them.
Unfortunately, you must not abuse it or you will start taking away the freedom that most players want. The ability to actually fight sometimes is important. It empowers the party, makes them feel as if their characters can actually take on the threats. They may have tricked or trapped this monster, but that one they took down through their other skills. Otherwise your game just becomes a bunch of puzzles, a point-and-click paper adventure
Just reminds me of my messed up first play of Undertale.
@@jeanremi8384 he mentioned to only do it for some. plus if your players are feeling bloodthirsty they can very much kill them, there is just other ways
This is a dangerous one, because a lot (most?) players work under the assumption that if it's in front of them, it can be solved. You need to make it ABUNDANTLY clear that they can't handle the encounter, or they'll try to do it and get stomped, then blame you.
@@DFAnton my players go out of their way to skip encounters, as they like feeling clever so I dunno about most. Also the encounters don't have to be hard, they just have to be plentiful so players know they need to conserve resources for the actual boss. I've killed 3 PC's in my DMing career and nobody has lost it on me yet
As an old RPG head (been playing over 20 years), OSR player, and dungeon crawl enjoyer, I'm glad you didn't give this the "crawl bad" treatment so much as just explained that there's a rise and fall in the trends in any given way. I appreciate that even though you don't favor my camp, you didn't disrespect our way of doing things. Your stuff is pretty handy even for those anyway, since you can break up individual things within a megadungeon with stories and encounters like the ones you build.
I loved running the Undermountain megadungeon. Sad that type of play isn't too popular anymore.
I'm with you. Haven't played 5th nor will I. BECMI and AD&D are my games. Glad to be an old fart. I'll be interested to see if today's crop of players are still going 40 years from now.
Monarch Factory described a houserule she uses in one of her videos where when you set off a trap, you get a “click”, some kind of clue about what the trap does. Before you roll you can preemptively take an action to either evade the trap or at least make your save easier, stuff like raising your shield to block the dart or hitting the floor to dodge it. What you decide to do affects how hard the save will be and can potentially circumvent the roll entirely
Addendum: I really like this rule as it makes traps a kind of mini-puzzle where the player has to think fast or suffer the consequences
@@mollywantshugs5944 I believe that idea comes from The Angry GM, not 100% sure but they're a great resource with the same concept.
What if you hit the deck but it was a trapdoor. Roll avoided cuz there’s no coming back from that
@@ctje1638 I would make them roll with disadvantage and laugh at them 😆
@@ctje1638"You feel your feet drop as the ground below you gives. What do you do?"
"I HIT THE DECK" -- says literally no one ever
The most fun dungeon I've ever run was a dungeon crawl within the literal mind of an elder God in search of campaign defining answers 😅
It included bodily defense constructs (white blood cell - like beings), world's surrounded around particular senses, fast travel by the electrical nerve-train and a whole fantasy realm where his dreams of certain constructs eventually came to life into the real world.
… How did your characters get in the god’s brain in the first place?
@@pablotomasllodra4423they are god brain eating amoeba, elder god probably took a swim in the astral sea
2:03 I’ve run dungeons as heists for a while now. “Get back my people’s stolen artifact from the Empire, It’s too well-protected for us to get it back,” is always a strong hook.
I like the hooks used for conquistadors, VOC goons and other adventuring bums. Explore shit and get stuff.
Just started watching and wanted to propose a possible video idea "Alinment Flip" where you could take beings that are characterised as always evil,good,neutral etc.. and create a version that is the opposite yet still recognizable example Mind Flayer->Mind Healer or something like that
Or kindly goblins called dobbs. It’s a cool idea I’d like to see him expand on
He's very vocal about how he hates alignment lol. I don't think I see him doing this.
Because a good aligned mind flayer isn't a different creature. It's just a friendly mind flayer.
@@Turabbo I know that he doesnt like alinments but i honestly drew a blank on a name other than that, and i had in mind what happens when for example a number of friendly mind flayers converge and try to form a society? What will change about them, what new flavour will they bring to the table? It is kinda fun to think about
@@Turabbo Honestly, I think that's more reason the idea's good. It flips the "stereotype" of any given thing's alignment on its head to show that you don't *need* to follow that as a strict rule (Cause I imagine it can be hard to break away from that without having an example or two). That's how I see it, anyway.
@@Turabbo Yes, video game tends toward an alignment system that's mostly "Gandhi or Hitler, those are your only options", and he has admitted that's a strong foundation for him. Plus for most types of creatures alignment shifting is just 'give this group a different culture, or swap out their gods."
Well except for outer plains creatures, Demons aren't just evil, their made out of evil which makes it very hard to justify any changes beyond just using a half fiend because "Their mortal half provides the capacity for them to be something other than pure evil."
Y'know, this video has made me realize that in all my years DMing, I've never actually used a "dungeon" in this sense, just conflicts and challenges that arise naturally in the wider world of the campaign.
This video made me appreciate how well integrated and realistic the dungeons are in Pokémon. Looking at the original games you have caves to travel through (Mt. Moon, Rock Tunnels), Caves with Legendary Pokemon at the end (The Seafoam Islands, Cerulean Cave), abandoned human construction (Cinnabar Mansion, the Power Plant) and active buildings (the Game Corner, Silph Co., Pokémon tower) all acting as dungeons and almost always with a reward at the end without diving into any explicit dungeons in the classic sense.
I watched this video like an hour ago, sat down with the google doc, and made a whole dungeon arc in like 30 minutes.
It’s got the theme of healing, takes place in an old Druid grove that used to cater to people from all over that were deadly sick. Something is going on where people in the nearby area are being healed, but healing so much that they are actually anti-aging. I won’t go into the rest in case someone from my table sees this, but I am soooo excited. Thank you so much!
This Dungeon making advice will be really helpful, thanks! I've had several dungeon ideas in the works, but haven't been able to properly realise them. Now I should be able to actually make them playable. The part about picking a theme at the start and having it be represented in basically every aspect of the dungeon is really cool, and should make the process easier and more fun, at least for me.
Dude. I’m a first time DM, and I’m struggling with a bunch of stuff like this and your videos have been game changers for me. Thanks!
Just in the process of making a dungeon under a mansion, you're a lifesaver!
I for one, LOVE the more game design centric videos. Pushing myself to change rules and mechanics can be a challenge, but videos like these help a lot!
You made this just in time, I needed inspiration for a Mind Control themed dungeon for my players TOMORROW. They’ve been hunting a Mind Flayer Arcanist for a while so yeah
I had a 4-room dungeon themed around kobolds. Kobolds have large communities, so the mechanic was reinforcements; designated "leader" kobolds would call in more kobolds at the end of each round of combat.
It didn't end well. The boss kobold called in additional leader kobolds, which led to compiling reinforcements. Despite focusing down the boss and defeating him, those guys were overrun by the legion that had built up. 😅
Please keep bringing the game design videos! Once you've DMed for any length of time, you realize that game design is a lot of what you do during prep.
In my Eberron campaign the party had to clear out an ancient underground hobgoblin fortress to claim it as their base. However, a rival band of monsters want to claim it for Daask. It was a race to see who could claim the command center first. Rooms were locked with different level keys throughout the complex to allow further exploration and many rooms had hazards from long ago to add obstacles. It was a fun session.
How does the monster progression work? Do they reach room g on turn 11?
Hey, thank you for making these. I stop everything to watch your videos when they drop. They're a bright and happy part of my day. You deserve all the opportunities you are getting here, have fun at Gencon.
This is a good process for developing a dungeon. I started playing D&D back in the early 90's and have spent my share of time in AD&D dungeon crawls. I think a change of pace and scenery is welcomed and enjoyed by most players. I appreciate what you do.
If you ever decide to compile all your work into a book, know that I would absolutely buy that book. These are the greatest videos for D&D, and I look forward to the release of the next o e every time I get to the end of the video.
as someone planning to study game design i absolutely love all these game designy vidoes! they give me a look into the thought process of a professional and i feel like i learn a ton!
Why is it that I never found about this channel before?!
The content is great, the editing and humour are on point, the advice is not only solid but deeply useful, and the additional content is not only great, but deeply appreciated.
This channel deserves... no, scratch that, has EARNED far more subscribers, views and likes than it has!
"We shall watch your career with great interest..."
I gave a fierce thumbs up when you said that combat isn't the only kind of encounter. Thank you for trying to teach people that.
I LOVE the game design videos! Your depth of experience in this and ability to articulate it clearly (and enjoyably) is one of the things that makes this the best dnd channel 😍
I wanted to come down here and say; while I might not speak for everyone, I enjoy when you break down stuff in terms of game design. You may think it feels preachy but to people like me who are game design adjacent hearing the terms and explanations of them really help. Being a DM is very close to game design because we are responsible for the mechanics at our table. So thank you
As a new hopeful DM vids like this are amazing and much needed. Thank you for all your hard work. ❤❤❤❤
This is incredibly helpful! Not just from a DMing perspective, but from a more conventional story writing perspective too. I'm really glad you made this and can't wait to see what else you create and talk about. I hope you have a great day ^.^
As always, an amazing video! I’m really looking forward to a paladin Litch episode!
My very first, proper, full-size dungeon adventure was with my first campaign. Way back ages ago in my setting there was a temple to a god of dreams who has long since been forgotten. They found the entrance and some parts of the temple in utter ruined in many places blocked off, but when they camped for the night at the entrance, they woke up to find that have been completely restored!
They learned things about the history of the world, were able to solve some puzzles with minimal combat and used what they learned to realize that this wasn’t the temple of dreams restored, they were still in a dream and had never woken up.! When they did wake up, they were able to use what they learned to find the treasure room and ransack it.
Best dungeon I ever had was breaking prisoners out of a Goblin camp inside a huge cave system. The first half was stealth, assassinations, and traps, and the second half wad a "combat" section that used horde rules as the players were chased by a ton of goblins mixed with elite soldiers employed by the BBEG. It ran a lot like the goblin scene from the Hobbit and was a ton of fun.
"Number A" physically hurt me haha
Great video as usual!!!
Just a quick comment to thank you for all the work you've done for your ttrpg community 😊❤
I made a “sort of dungeon” for a campaign I want to do. The party finds a bunker that was a prison that they were all supposed to relocate to. When they reach it, they see the door is left open. Once they descend the stairs they discover a werebat (possibly modified to accommodate what I’m using it for) they need to turn on these lights in the rooms to drive out the werebat and use sound to direct away from where they need to be. Obviously traps aren’t a thing that would make a lot of sense, nor would many combat encounters since this place would’ve only been recently breached. But I still think it would be very fun to run.
adoro seus vídeos e seus temas no mundo do DnD, eu só jogo a versão 5e na maior parte do tempo, um abraço Antônio se cuida irmão!
Brasileiro tbm?
@@elvisjunior192 curiosamente tem bastante brasileiro que vê os vídeos dele
Aqui mais um br pra conta dos senhores 😊
@@RockingRavine nem me fala kkkkkkkkkkk
Brbrbrbrbr
Thank you for the tips. Just made a dungeon, an Artificer's old lab with moving clockwork platforms, monster filled test tubes, and some robots
This channel was my gateway drug to D&D. Now I've binged critical role, am looking for a good group to do sessions with, and desperately gnashing at the bit when a new pointy hat video comes out. Thank you for getting me addicted to the high of nerdy worldbuilding and creative writing with Tabletop games, its completely destroyed my life in an affectionate sense.
Look up angrygm blog. He's really good
Omg gosh! My husband and I came across your fey wild video, and that was already incredible and insightful! But wow! I'm so glad we found this one! Thank you for using your knowledge on game design to share in really concise and thoughtful ways to incorporate into dming!
Love this type of content, especially with the way it’s delivered. Please keep providing us with more of this game-design-led inspirations.
I know this is an old video and you probably don’t check the comments anymore, but I finally ran across this one in your archive and I found it at the perfect time. I’m planning to DM my first game and this is giving me great ideas for turning my themes into game mechanics to better tell the story I’m trying to tell.
This was the exact video i needed right now! I love dungeons but always felt like i had trouble making them interesting and fun to play in. I love the mechanics talk!! I would love more videos like this. Great stuff!
I ran the Feywild dungeon for a few friends for my birthday, and they all absolutely loved it. It was also such a huge weight off me not having to prepare the game and just running it, best birthday gift I could ask for :)
The link is broken to me, did you manage to download it just fine?
I was curious as to how the actual mechanics would play out.
The link is broken for me too Q~Q
I love this idea of a theme throughout. I'm designing my first dungeon crawl and can use this to help me design it. Now to think of mechanics associate with greed/gluttony. Thanks again!
As someone into game design, I love videos like this. Give me MOAR!
Another absoloutly fantastic video, I do now hope we get a part 2, How to Make GOOD D&D Dragons
These are the best videos. This is the type of thing that SHOULD be in the dmg because its so ubiquitous to dnd games while just as often glossed over by those writing advice or instruction. Like all advice for DMs though, just start. Don’t Let “Perfect” Be the Enemy of “Good” is cliche but also really true here. Have a reason to be there, a theme, have a few encounters that use supporting mechanics, and then end it. Have fun.
1. Listen to what your players want to do.
2. Give them enough of that to make them feel like they have a say in the story of the game.
3. Alternatively, design the dungeon with the other players on the fly with their direct input as you all play together. (In other words, collaborate and improvise.)
4. Repeat step one.
This works for every part of D&D, including dungeon design.
Literally my go-to for good quality DND content. You provide aspects and advice that really set apart from other content creators:) I can’t wait to watch this channel continue to grow
Mister De Mico ! Can't wait to watch your video ! You're rapidly becoming my favourite DnD youtuber. Actually I named an NPC bard "Antonio de Mico" in my campaign, it just rolls off the tongue ! Big love 💋
so as someone who was actually typing out the tips as I was listening... the ending bit somehow took me for a surprise... even though the ending is always so similar.
im generally trying to figure out how to make dungeons. so this was helpful.
also as someone who also loves circuses, trains and boats... this is appreciated. as I will be making a lot of dungeons that take place in trains, boats and circuses.
(players always want to rob the train)
then I have made smaller "puzzle towers" using the advice in this video.
safe travels to you.
As a game designer that’s poured hours into understanding this kind of stuff… yeah, I do like your more game dev-y videos 🎉
The quality of your videos is fantastic. I honestly feel joy whenever i see that you brought out another ones of these bangers. Thank you for your effort!
I watched the Feywild video, don't worry 🙌✨🦄
Love your content Mr Hat! Awesome to hear your thought processes on this too. Currently trying to create a Feywild campaign arc to run for my usual group to give the DM a break so while I'm still anxious and unsure, I'll definitely find this video and that one invaluable!
I know I'm late to the party, but this isn't the first time I've watched this video. I realize I've come back to it multiple times for advice when doing dungeon design, which tells me that this video rocks as an informative source! Thanks again, Lord Hat!
Always love your intros, well done mr Hat!
Yes, I for one humble DM greatly appreciate these game-designy videos!
I AM ABOUT TO MAKE A DUNGEON FOR MY CAMPAIGN THANK YOU SO MUCH😭
Love your videos, you actually give me the inspiration to run games and make me excited for my favorite hobby. Don’t stop being fabulous for even one minute.
The Jenny Nicholson numbered list broke me
i just came up with a dungeon theme the other day and was stuck on how to put it into action, this cannot be a more perfect video to see right now!
This came out when I felt I needed to improve my dungeons drastically. Amazing timing
i just ran my first real session of my own campaign setting and it went EXTREMELY WELL with huge thanks to your videos. i love your content so much, Mr. Demico and i beg you, NEVER STOP!!
Gets all pumped up to make a dungeon. Gets curious to find out what this Fey dungeon looks like, Clicks link to Fey dungon....404
Bro I love your I did that reveals at the end of the vid. We all know they are coming we all know that we have goodies but some how it never gets old. I'm always smiling at the end of a Pointy Hat vid.
Tried to check out the Fey dungeon and got a message saying the file type doesn't exist?
I do like these! You're summing up and putting to use the principles I forgot that I learned about from Extra Credits half a decade ago.
Thank you
As a hopeful DM to be this is great thanks Mr.Hat. Also I was wondering if you could do a video on Changelings, they're one of my personal favorite races but they can be done poorly, so advice would nice.
Great work! I use dungeons exactly like that; sparingly. They are usually no more than a few rooms, I also avoid calling them dungeons, I call them ruins, tombs, crypts, etc. My dungeons are the leftover cellar from a ruined temple, the abandoned keep repurposed but not repaired by the evil dragon, the sewers beneath the city where the kobolds have built their warren... etc. One of my favorite dungeons I designed was a manor where things were stuck in a time loop, the players kept traveling forward and backward in time during three different eras of the building (at its prime, at its fall, and in the present). They relived the same encounters over and over, learning more about the history of the manor and the family that once owned it and eventually they discovered the devil that was the catalyst for all of the destruction. They fixed the past by defeating that devil and in the future there was a prosperous town with a new noble house in charge of it instead of a rundown village full of terrified fishermen.
The Fey Dungeon link does not work.
personally, as a aspiring game designer I would actually love more game-design oriented videos (or maybe a whole series pretty please oh mighty hat?)
Mr Pointy Hat, the link to the adventure doesn't work anymore!
I swear to God you must be omniscient. I’ve been planning a campaign over the last few months and every single time I get snagged on something or need some inspiration, you come out with a video that addresses that very thing. Thank you so much for all of the help and inspiration you provide! 🤩
the link for the fey dungeon doesn't work
Thanks mr. hat I’m stepping out of my comfort zone and build a very small dense locked in game where I need rooms and different spaces to react to the player and have trigger able events and some sound advice is really what I needed. I’ve got my theme locked in and will be writing all events to add to the story of the session.
Broken link? Dungeon isn’t accessible in the Link
I especially like the bit about using things you've learnt to finish last challenge. Cheers man!
The docs link doesn't work anymore
They do now
that.. that is just such a wonderful kick under the butt to go and write that one idea i've had in my head for a while..
i've really found some answers that can help me finally write that one Atlantida-Laputa adventure i've been wanting to write for my DM (she really enjoyes history and stuff, so, yeah), but i've been quite stuck not knowing, where to begin
so
like
this is exactly what i needed
thank you, mister Hat! x)
Fey DUngeon file doesnt exist anymore :(
I'm a newbie baby DM, as in one day last year my boyfriend and I just decided to play D&D without actually knowing what we're getting into and now we're here. Me and my player's have been learning D&D on the fly, and I'm learning to DM on the fly. It's been chaotic, but fun.
All that just to preface that I really, REALLY appreciate these types of videos from you Pointy. The game design aspect you mentioned is something that hits the g-spot of my DM'ing brain and is probably my favorite part of prepping. I love your videos, I love your style, I love topics like this, and I love this channel. Please continue making more videos and have a lovely day.
Fey dung link does not work.
You're such a legend man. Making it easy for new and old DMs and we really can't thank you enough!
Thanks from a South African DM / player!
DUNGEON LINK DOESN'T WORK
the single fact you showed footage from "Krull" earned my like for this video
the implication youre making is that someone is making these dungeons on purpose and filling them with monsters as a test which is hilarious to imagine
He was so close to getting it when he mentioned pyramids. They're meant to prevent entry to protect something. As is a dungeon in a traditional dungeon crawl. It's not meant to be a theme park for the players to ride all the rides in. It's meant to prevent them from reaching the end.
I just wanted to say, I started watching you a few weeks back and I'm very impressed with the content here. And making it easily accessible and free in the description is such a step above and a mile beyond other creators in my book. I just subscribed and am eager for future content and to sift through past content! Happy to see where you go!
Lol when you said the part about listening to this while working on a dungeon I was actually working on a dungeon. I love your stuff Pointy Hat, hope you have a great day!
This was so much more useful advice than all the other dungeon making videos I've seen.
Love your breakdown here, especially the whole "make the final/big encounter of the dungeon fit the theme and mechanics that were introduced early in the dungeon"--it really helps preserve immersion and satisfaction!
Hey thanks! I am the DM for one campaign focused on dungeons, and I really wanna make them more fun, so this is a big helper!
😱 I don't have to come back later to take notes, after verifying w/ the first watch that the video was worth it?
My hero. Plus a an example dungeon to study? Wow.
First video I've seen by you, but that's an instant subscription. Quality is crystal clear.
There is a subtle cosmic horror to the idea the voice we hear comes from a thrall of the true mind behind the content. Rad.
Keep an eye out for Nature and Cryptids for me! Thanks buddy, you’re the best narrator on RUclips by far.
This was SUPER helpful. Thanks!
I'm thinking to craft a dungeon with the theme of Silence in the Dark, where the main Mechanic would interact with breaking said silence, and lighting up said dark.
Love this idea. I wanted to have a dungeon in the body of a long dormant robot titan, so went with the theme of a bodies natural defences. So my mechanics are base on the 3 body defences. 1. Physical barrier - the npc they need to save it trapped behind a force field until the local area is fixed (players get stuff). 2. Non-specific immune response - the large white creature (white blood cells stand in) are healed by the small red creature (red blood cells stand in). 3. The specific response - the boss - the body as seen these intruders now, and will have ways to counter everything they have used against he white cells, they will need to get creative. I will probably introduce a basic version of the boss or something for them to get used to that mechanic. No idea about a trap/puzzle yet, but I’ll work it out.
Thanks for another great video, based most of my campaign around your sports game idea.
I would go there without an NPC to save. Just to poke around and maybe see if we can steer the robot. You just make a body-map and which bit fits to what else. I imagine more sensitive systems like power and processor nodes would have more protection.
Honestly this has really helped in making me think of dungeons as more than a creepy hole in the ground with loot. Definitely going to be applying these ideas
One of the most favorite dungeons that I ever ran was the inside of an Aboleth.
I made the alien digestive tract a huge maze and then I had different monsters being produced by organs or kind of like polyps for instance I had a choker as a polyp creature that would somehow seeth its way through the guts to grab the PCs.
The goal was to get to the heart and kill the beast, however they realized that once they killed the beast they wouldn't know exactly where they would be able to stop and so they decided to go to the brain and psychically battle the aboleth for control to which they were carried across a deep underground ocean to the drow city. They actually made an ally of the creature which came back later on during the campaign.
That was a great video. I realized that that's how I was doing my dungeons, but without proper words in those concept, it was hard to really figure out what I needed to do, and keep the vibe on during improvised parts.
Thank you for those words!
As a fellow GM with a background in game-dev, I LOVE this kind of content. I love sculpting game mechanics to fit the themes of my games, I tend to slot in homebrew and optional rules to better reflect what the games are about (I used the spell point system for my MTG game to mirror the mana system of MTG, all the players were spell casters in one way or another so it let me toy around with that system to better reflect that style of spell casting).