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The Light of Law:
Humans and creatures that dwell above the Earth are creatures of Order naturally, children of light and law. This relationship is most evident in their reliance on the Sun, who is the symbol of masculinity, law, order and authority. The Sun gives life to the world and through his light, he imposes order. When bathed in illumination, a thing is measured and weighed. Darkness is formless and chaotic, but light is law.
For this reason, creatures of Chaos fear the light and hide from it, usually restricting their activities to darkness. They only dare walk openly when darkness covers the land, hiding from that unblinking eye that sits enthroned in the Heavens.
This darkness is also not always literal as well. While chaotic creatures love the night, they also crave the darkness of ignorance. Monsters dwell in uncharted lands, unexplored regions and shunned areas for a reason. They love a world of ignorance and superstition, where emotions and the whims of the moment determine reality, not truth or reason.
You can always tell how great the power of Law is in a region by the way it acts and behaves. In areas governed by Law, the world functions according to regular patterns. Spring precedes Summer which foretells Autumn which heralds Winter, year by year. One day proceeds to the next and things function according to reasonable and intelligible patterns.
In lands infected or dominated by Chaos, this is not the case. Here mathematics works differently, magic fluctuates wildly and natural laws often do not work exactly right. Gravity may flicker or intensify, days may stretch on for much longer or vanish back to darkness in minutes and Weird Weather may afflict the land. In a land governed by Law, the only reason it might rain frogs or the clouds might form giant faces that recite erotic poetry is because of a powerful Chaos incursion.
In a Chaotic land, this could simply happen, for no reason. Maybe the Chaos God who rules this area wanted to occur, or maybe it simply happened because no one stopped it.
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Chaotic Incursions:
A Chaotic Incursion occurs when Chaos manages to infiltrate an otherwise Lawful area. This can be obvious and terrifying, such as a massive crack opening in the sky and an army of demons and extra-planar beasts pouring out to go on a rampage, but it could be quiet and almost unnoticeable as well. If a Chaos Cult sets up in an area and starts performing sacrifices to draw the attention of one of the demons or Gods they worship, this might cause the graffiti on the buildings to change, all the local rats to start mutating or people to start suffering from strange and surreal dreams. Maybe it's nothing, but it could just as easily be something dangerous.
Dungeons and their Birth:
Dungeons are born from structures that are abandoned, forgotten or inhabited by the servants of Chaos for too long. These places become infected and plastic, slowly morphing and shifting as Chaos flows into the structure and reshapes it accordingly to the will of the inhabitants. This process can happen naturally if a place is uninhabited or unremembered for long enough, but Chaotic creatures living in it and drawing more Chaotic power to it will rapidly speed up the processes.
If allowed to flourish, Dungeons will grow, spreading like a cancer, sending out tendrils that connect them to other forgotten structures and incorporating them into the dungeon's new, bloated structure.
As they grow, Dungeons will attract Chaotic creatures, who will be drawn to it like moths to a flame. They will inhabit and fortify it, making it their base and home. They function as a Dungeon's caretakers and immune system, driving away foreign threats and helping it to grow larger. In exchange, the Dungeon will protect them and enable them to grow more powerful more rapidly in it's embrace.
Additionally, Dungeons can corrupt otherwise Lawful or Neutral beings who spend too much time in or near them. If a Dungeon grows beneath the village, the villagers may find themselves slowly being twisted by it's malign influence if nothing is done to curb it's spread. They may start to stray from the true worship of the Gods of Law, or they may start to develop bizarre quirks or mutations or engaging in evil and degenerate practices. Similarly, adventurers who spend too much time down in Dungeons tend to become strange, their sanity worn away by years of exposure to low levels of Chaotic energy, as well as all the violence and trauma they have endured.
Strange Changes to the Dungeon:
- It is larger on the inside, containing space it should not
- It's architecture changes and shifts, as if it was composed of multiple buildings that were sutured together
- It's internal layout is nonsensical, as if designed by a mad architect
- Physical laws function in an altered way within it- for example, there may be areas where gravity doesn't work, fire doesn't burn, time flows differently, etc.
- Strange things occur within the Dungeon for seemingly no reason. For example, you hear music coming from nowhere, hear people talking in empty rooms, notice that the furniture rearranges itself whenever you're not looking.
- Hallways shift and change when not mapped or being studied. The same route may not work next time.
- Things from outside are slowly corrupted and changed. Creatures become insane or evil, their forms mutating as their souls become corrupted. Food and drink from outside become poisonous or imbued with corruption. Even mundane items will be changed into grotesque parodies of their former natures- a painting of a farmer and his wife if left here for long enough will become a perversion of it's former self, depicting the rape and murder of the farmer's wife while he looks on, helpless to save her.
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Danger in the Dark:
All Dungeons have a Base Danger Level from 1 to 5. This indicates how dangerous a Dungeon is normally. Until it is cleared out, a Dungeon will remain at it's base Danger Level. Clearing out the Dungeon will lower it's Base Danger Level back to 1.
You can clear a Dungeon by killing all the monsters in it, mapping it fully and taking any treasures you find within it. If you merely steal some of it's valuable treasures or kill the most powerful monster within, that will lower the Dungeon's Base Danger Level by 1, to a minimum of Danger Level 1.
Exploration:
Each time the party enters a new level, new room or new area of the Dungeon, roll on the Dungeon Exploration Table (see below).
Base Table (for Danger Level 1):
1d6
1- Encounter: The party encounters a monster from the Random Encounter table. For example, 2d6 Goblins armed with sharp sticks smeared in feces.
2- Omen: The party finds a clue that indicates the presence of one of the monsters on the Random Encounter table. For example, you find nonsensical graffiti that reads in crude Common "Gobbos was here" underneath a crude picture of some goblins roasting a man on a spit.
3- Difficulty: The party encounters some sort of difficulty in their exploration. Examples include, but are not limited to, a trap, a blocked hallway, a rickety bridge.
4- Strange Happening: Something bizarre and disturbing happens. May be harmful, may provide information, may deceive or may simply be weird.
5- Friendly NPC: You encounter someone semi-helpful and theoretically non-hostile.
6- Treasure: Loot! Roll on the Treasure table.
To increase the Danger Level, increase the Number of Encounters and alter the table accordingly.
Table for Danger Level 3:
1d6
1-3: Encounter
4: Omen
5: Difficulty
6: Treasure
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Light and Treasure:
The power of light is that of measurement, evaluation and solidification. When you carry a light into the darkness, the darkness retreats. This reveals it's mysteries, making what was once formless and capable of concealing anything coalesce into a definite form.
Any source of Light produces Bright Light, Dim Light or Candle Light.
Bright Light reduces the Danger Level of the Dungeon by 2.
Dim Light reduces the Danger Level of the Dungeon by 1.
Candle Light does not reduce the Danger Level of the Dungeon, but prevents you from being totally lost, as well as the Exultation of the Underworld.
After each Exploration turn, which is how long it takes the players to fully explore a room, assuming they search it carefully and don't just rush through, any source of Light is downgraded by 1. Bright Light becomes Dim Light, which becomes Candle Light, which gives way to Darkness.
If all sources of Light go below Candle Light, they go out and Darkness falls. When Darkness falls, increase the Danger Level back to the Dungeon's normal Danger Level and roll on the Exultation of the Underworld table (see below).
Riches beyond Count!
Treasures are the fruits of Dungeons, the "organs" that form the living core of these architectural cancers. Stealing them weakens the Dungeon and makes it less potent, in the same way that a human without a second lung is weaker than one with both.
When you find Treasure or roll the result for Treasure on the Dungeon Exploration Table, roll on the Treasure Table below. To do so, roll 1d6 and add the Dungeon's current Danger Level to the roll.
Treasure Table:
1d6+[Danger Level]
2: Some sort of common trade goods, such as a barrel of barley, bale of wool or cask of beer.
3: Furnishings such as rugs, beds, couches, etc. Could be valuable, but difficult to move and carry.
4: Adventuring supplies, such as rope, extra torches, a pry bar.
5: Food. Brought in from outside, it is likely safe to eat.
6: Money! In whatever form is most common in the local area, thus being the most likely to be stolen by monsters. Since most monsters don't use money, they usually just pile it up or use it as decorations. Smart monsters may use it to bribe adventurers and this might represent such a hidden cache.
7: Gems! Pretty, shiny, expensive gems!
8: Art Pieces. Portraits, sculptures, all potentially valuable.
9: Jewelry. More valuable than raw gems, guaranteed to fetch a good price at market. There is a X-in-6 chance of there being a magical item present here, where X is the Dungeon's current Danger Level.
10: Weapons and Armor! There is a X-in-6 chance of there being a magical item present here, where X is the Dungeon's current Danger Level.
11+: A Treasure Horde. This could be anything from a gallery of beautiful portraits, a subterranean garden full of statues or a heap of gold and silver coins. Riches beyond the dreams of avarice.
Note that rolling on the Treasure table is NOT the only way to find treasure, Dungeons may have dedicated treasure rooms, bosses might carry magic items and so on. The Treasure Table is more for random or incidental treasure the party might find along the way.
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Exultations of the Underworld:
When Darkness falls, the Underworld rejoices and tries to exterminate those who have intruded into it's Dungeon. Roll on the table below when the Light fails.
1d20
1- Abduction! One random member of the party, including pets, hirelings/henchmen, tagalongs, is dragged into the darkness and vanishes. The kidnapped creature is imprisoned somewhere on this level in an unexplored area or in a deeper level of the Dungeon. If not rescued within 24 hours, he will be corrupted and become a creature of Chaos, calling the Dungeon home.
2- Theft. One random item from a random member of the party vanishes. It may be possible to recover the item or it may be lost forever. However, if you see a chance to recover it, be careful, for it might be a trap.
3- Route Shift. The route the party took to get here has been modified. Now it 1d4 [1= Leads to a dead end; 2= Leads deeper into the Dungeon; 3= Features a horrible trap that wasn't there before; 4= Features a new hazard, such as a river of acid.]
4- Fear the Unconquerable Dark. All creatures must save vs fear. On a failed save, frightened creatures run in random directions. While running, they will attempt to evade obvious threats, but their only goal is to get as far away from Here as fast as possible. Each round, a creature may get a new save vs fear. On a success, the fear effect ends.
5- The Shifting Walls! The party is shifted into a new room on the same level.
6- Descent into the Abyss. The party is shifted into a new room on a lower level of the Dungeon.
7- Summon servants of Darkness. The party is immediately attacked by a monster from the Random Encounter table.
8- Rapture. The Darkness calls and the weak obey. All members of the party must save or kill themselves in the fastest way possible. If a creature is stopped from committing suicide, he no longer wishes to die.
9- Call Greater Servant. The party is suddenly confronted by a much more powerful monster- one that might not have appeared on the Random Encounter table. If the Random Encounter table already features a very powerful monster, then that creature is suddenly nearby.
10- Death comes for all. This room or level quickly becomes hazardous to life as some sort of natural hazard is introduced. The area is suddenly more dangerous because 1d4 [1= Suddenly begins to flood; 2= Suddenly begins to fill with choking gas; 3= Acid begins to drip from the ceiling, first in small drops, then in ever-increasing amounts; 4= Hallucinogenic pollen begins to fill the air. Creatures must save or begin suffering powerful and realistic hallucinations.]
11- Voices in the Dark. You encounter someone in the Dark, but you cannot see them. Can you trust them? They claim to be... 1d4 [1= Fellow adventurers, lost in the dark; 2= An innocent, in need of help; 3= A friend of the party; 4= A long dead relative or mentor.] The voice is actually 1d6 [1= Telling the truth; 2-4= Lying, it is a trap; 5-6= Lying, but in a way you don't expect. Ex: They're not actually a friend of the party, but a psychic who stole that information from the Rogue's mind.]
12- A new NPC joins the party. He 1d3 [1= Replaces an existing NPC; 2= Appears as if he was always there, everyone must save. On a successful save, you realize your memories of him are fake; 3= Appears obviously evil and sinister (may not actually be evil though).]
13- A random spell the party possesses escapes and becomes hostile to the party. If the party leaves the Dungeon, there is a 50% the spell is pulled back and restored to normal, with an equal chance it remains in the Dungeon as a menace to future delvers.
14- A random magic item falls under the control of Darkness and begins working against the party. When the party leaves the Dungeon, the item will work as normal, but it will be cursed.
15- Restock. The Dungeon is suddenly filled with monsters again. These new monsters 1d4 [1= Descended from the surface; 2= Rose out of the Dark, coming from a lower level; 3= Appear out of nowhere, as if they were always there; 4= Appear through some kind of magical method such as a portal.]
16- No way out. The door the party came through suddenly disappears, as if it was never there. 17- Mutation Wave. The Dungeon attempts to corrupt you, to make you more like itself. All members of the party must save, on a failure, they develop a mutation. If you leave the dungeon before you take another long rest, the mutation fades. Otherwise, it is permanent.
18- Black Magic Flood. The power of Chaotic and evil Spellcasters grows, while the power of darkness makes it harder for Order or Neutral-aligned Magi to cast.
19- The Door of the Pit. The souls of dead monsters and wicked souls fleeing capture by death assault the party- all party members must save. On a failed save, a creature is possessed by an evil soul. This evil soul will attempt to kill all non-possessed creatures, then escape from the Dungeon to inflict themselves upon the world. If no creatures are possessed, the evil spirits will stalk the party and inflict nightmares on them if they try to rest.
20- Curse of the Dungeon. The Dungeon lays a curse upon the party. If they attempt to ascend upward or leave the Dungeon, they will suffer a Curse. The deeper they are, the worse the Curse is. The only way to break this Curse is to clear the Dungeon or to slay the strongest monster on this level, or if the level is already cleared, the strongest monster on the level below this one.
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