Appendix: 100 Dungeon Descriptors

Something that would really help to kickstarter imagination would be a list of around 100 descriptors that the GM can use for dungeon rooms. Maybe together with another list of 100 descriptors for furniture and other features.

What do you think?

The cool thing about this is that it's sort of setting-agnostic in some ways. I'd love to see something like this; maybe a community/forum project? I don't know if I could see this being an official part of the book, maybe, but it's a cool and useful idea.

I'd be interested in contributing to something like this, for sure.

Courtney Campbell has already made these! And I highly recommend them; comprehensive and useful! And free!

On Tricks, Empty Rooms, and Basic Trap Design has extensive room designs and furnishing descriptors. The companion Treasure goes into much more detail about furniture and other valuable  but mundane things found in a dungeon.

Nice resources.  Thanks!

Thanks for the resource links.

I was thinking about a flat list though. Something like the 100 knacks or 100 instincts.

I was thinking about a flat list though. Something like the 100 knacks or 100 instincts.

Cool.

Maybe the Hypogeum Dungeon Dressing Tables is a good place to start hacking one together?

It's not a free resource by any means, but Alderac's Ultimate Toolbox is some 400 pages of random tables (20 items each, 4 per page) on pretty much any fantasy topic.  One of the cooler bits is the "Empty Room Description" set of tables.

I use this book ALL the TIME.  I don't want to be a schill here, it's just really good for people like me who aren't quick to pull something from the ephemera -- I'm better at taking someone's idea and running with it, so now if I need a "Paladin Order" I can just roll on the table.  (I think the huuuuuuge variety of tables in one resource is a big plus for me, too.  I can find a dwarven city name generator, and a random pickpocket contents generator, but not in the same place.)

Flashback speaks the truth.  I've had that book forever and it keeps wandering into play, regardless of the system.  Random tables are really fun and a nice backup if you're not totally comfortable using the depths of your brain for every single little thing.

That's what I need a list for ;)

I liked Courtney Campbell's lists, but I'd really like something with a more open license, like the Story Games Names Project. I've kind of got an idea or two for this, so I'll keep batting it around and maybe contact a few people.

I was looking for something specific like the 100 knacks for NPCs or 100 impulses. Things that help spark the imagination as part of the final book.

I was looking for something specific like the 100 knacks for NPCs or 100 impulses. Things that help spark the imagination as part of the final book.

Incidentally, the aforementioned Ultimate Toolbox has 160 "Character Backgrounds" which are not actually backgrounds but somewhere between knacks and impulses, 140 "Character Motivations", 80 "Quirks" and "Features", Superstitions and Taboos, Nightmares, Insanities, Hobbies, Phobias, Virtues, Vices...  And that's just within the first 25 pages (all character stuff, not even touching the tables for NPCs yet).

Man, I really feel like a shill now, but I can't explain how much I enjoy this book.

I would, however, be all about contributing to some manner of open source collection!

I think this is along the lines of what you might like:

http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/12288/Bits-of-Darkness%3A-Dungeons?it=1

It costs 5.25 but I find it useful. Good fleshed out descriptions that can be inserted instantly into an adventure. They even have them in card format to print out.

If you're looking for less specific descriptions that give a bit more room to fill in the details, you should check out Risus Monkey's DungeonWords: http://www.risusmonkey.com/2011/02/dungeonwords.html

I think it's a good alternative to what I listed above. You can also turn it into a mini booklet. It's a handy little tool to populate dungeon rooms with word descriptors in the same way that the Bloodstone Idol Dungeon is presented.

In fact, I remember reading it was actually inspired by Tony Dowler's Year of the Dungeon series.