Gurps World's Largest Dungeon!

[Lonewulf]

http://wiki.rpg.net/index.php/GURPS_...argest_Dungeon

Someone gave me the idea to start a project for making the World's Largest Dungeon (may change the name). This is not a conversion from GURPS World's Largest Dungeon. This is a project that's much simpler, but as ultimate in scope.

First of all, this will take characters from a First Level to a Last Level. The CP value isn't as important as making the monsters interesting, and figuring out where their overall difficulty should put them, more or less. This should be compatible, at least somewhat, with Dungeon Fantasy, but can be built for lower-point value characters.

I figure that if enough people are interested and contribute monsters, traps, and nasty stuff they've ALREADY made, that this project could make the most beautiful, incredible sight in the world of GURPS.

To edit on this, you will need an account with RPGnet wiki. It should be easy enough to get. If not, you can always try to post by proxy, through another member.

[KDLadage]

Lonewolf:

As the man gave you the idea, I would like to ask you (the man that is spearheading the project) if you are going to (alone, or perhaps by putting together a committee) have an overarcing plot to this dungeon?

The WLD had a loose plot that was strung through it, which helped in setting up encounters in this thing. I feel that such an overarcing plot would help keep GURPS WLD from becoming too mindless, even for Dungeon Fantasy adventures.

(edit: correcting some typos)

[Lonewulf]

Originally Posted by KDLadage

As the man gave yu the idea, I would like to ask you (the man that is spearheading the project) if you are going to (alone, or perhaps by putting together a committee) have an overarcing plot to this dungeon?

The only plot is to get from the beginning to the end. Everything else is details.

It makes sense that you're being pitted into a test of your wits and powers by an ultra-powerful godlike wizard, though, who's gone insane with boredom from being immortal, so has to amuse himself by pitting you against the creatures.

This would also explain any mind games or puzzles he would put into play that just seem like "WTF?"

Running into crazy things like needing to take out Doom monsters while having a pistol and shotgun up to a plasma rifle for a temporary part of the game, and then leaving the "illusion", for instance, would be an example of "WTF?"

People in the dungeon don't even have to be Dungeon Fantasy characters. In fact, they can range from Average Joe Slob, from a modern world, for instance. The first level, thus, should not be overly powerful, and build the characters up.

[KDLadage]

Insane Wizard-God? I like it!

In which case, I would start the characters someplace inthe middle of the first level of the dungeon. They have no idea how they got there... and they have nothing at all... they are wearing typicl spring-summer street clothes and are in a room with (say...) eight doors -- two going "north", two "south", two "east" and two "west" -- the initial encounters would be very, very low level (think: Munchkin's Lame Goblin type of stuff). In the initial maze, they can get limited weapons and armor and the like... and it slowly builds up from there.

The final set of encounters then is the party being pitted against this insane Wizard-God... some time after they have risen in power so much that they can thward this guy... This would be the Nth level -- whatever we decide the final level would be.

Sound good?

[Lonewulf]

Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking.

If you start them off at this level, I recommend making more normal characters; maybe 25 to 50 points, with -50 in disadvantages. Then build up from there.

This diverges it much from Dungeon Fantasy, and doesn't allow for many Racial Templates. One thing I suggest doing is to actually make racial templates "free"... maybe needing to make a random roll to see if they CAN be another race, so the decision isn't in their hands.

Or, maybe, have them start off as normal humans, but they can turn into the racial templates eventually. You can buy a whole racial template!

If you want to get REALLY crazy, go into random rolling! Not for attributes or skills, but CP totals!

Say, let characters have 10+(1d*10) CP. This will make some chars start off stronger than others, but hey. It's *dungeon fantasy*.

[KDLadage]

Originally Posted by Lonewulf

Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking.

If you start them off at this level, I recommend making more normal characters; maybe 25 to 50 points, with -50 in disadvantages. Then build up from there.

This diverges it much from Dungeon Fantasy, and doesn't allow for many Racial Templates. One thing I suggest doing is to actually make racial templates "free"... maybe needing to make a random roll to see if they CAN be another race, so the decision isn't in their hands.

Or, maybe, have them start off as normal humans, but they can turn into the racial templates eventually. You can buy a whole racial template!

That or we develop a couple set of X-point racial templates that cover the basics with +Y point lenses that can start the players off. Let them spend a total of X points, with a limit of -Y points in disadvantages to start.

Example:
X=25 points
Y=15 points
Characters are built on 25 points, and limited to -15 points in disads.

Elf [25 points]
Attribute Modifiers: ST -1 [-10]; DX +1 [20]
Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: Per+1 [5]
Advantages/Perks: Fit [5]; Magery 0 [5]; Unaging [1]*
Disadvantages/Quirks: Staid [-1]
Skills: none

* In the context of this setting, Unaging is a perk.

Then have, for example, a 15-point "elven magi" lens... and a 15-point "elven archer lens" and so on in order to start the character out. The racial templates (since we would include a human template as well...) would be encouraged; the lenses would be purely optional.

Elven Magi [15 points]
Attribute Modifiers: ST -1 [-10]; IQ+1 [20]
Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: Basic Move -1 [-5]; Basic Speed -0.25 [-5]; HP -2 [-4]
Advantages/Perks: Magery +1 [10]
Disadvantages/Quirks: none
Skills: 1 point in each of 9 individual spells [9]

...and so on...

[KDLadage]

Number of levels:

Some thoughts that sound good:

• 13 -- this is a good number to put the fear of anything into you.
• Any square (9, 16, 25, etc.) -- these numbers constantly make you wonder if there is a hidden meaning to including that number of them.
• 666 -- that may be a bit lofty as a goal.. but it would be interesting to say the least.

[Lonewulf]

666 levels sound just fine to me... it's a bit lofty as a goal, but we can always call it quits when we run out of ideas!

Alternatively, it's possible to make an ENTIRE LEVEL out of a single room. Say, you descend the stairs, and you're in a large cavern with a dragon!

[demonsbane]

Originally Posted by Lonewulf

It makes sense that you're being pitted into a test of your wits and powers by an ultra-powerful godlike wizard, though, who's gone insane with boredom from being immortal, so has to amuse himself by pitting you against the creatures.

Poor man. He is suffering the classic gamemaster's syndrome.

[demonsbane]

Originally Posted by CraigR

I like the idea of a WLD as a sort of transit plane: You enter the maze and fight your way across to another access point that leads to your destination.

Yeah, a "pure dungeon" could be a sort of supernatural dimension, so you don't need to worry about realism, ecologies, etc...

But if WLD would be that transit plane, maybe need to put some effort in keeping and portraying the right Dungeon Fantasy "specific" flavour. I mean with this not only regarding as very optional the Doom material (1), but still putting something else for it being representative of an "archetypical dungeon fantasy dungeon" .

Also, there is a sort of "danger" of design here: to the most quantity, results in less quality, most difficult to keep some degree of flavour and meaning, so I'm not convinced at all about the idea of making this "the largest". That it is a measure, extension, and hence quantity.

(1) It would be COOL, however, for an Ultratechnological Horror Dungeon. . .