KNOCK! KNOCK!-IN' ON TONISBORG'S DOOR: Using KNOCK! Vol 2 to Individualize a Megadungeon

KNOCK! Vol 2

PREAMBLE RAMBLE

A recent review of KNOCK! Vol. 2 notes that:

However, there is an issue with Knock! #2. There is just too much of it, too much of it to review, too much of it to read, too much of it to use. 

There IS always a lot in each issue, but it is far from being too much to use. Instead, I think it just requires thought on how articles can be used in prep. Here is my "utility review" for Vol. 1, where I look at how it will help you build a dungeon. 

Let's dive into KNOCK! Vol. 2 and how it will help you livin' up a bare-bones or more vanilla dungeon.

I recently received the Lost Dungeon of Tonisborg which is a megadungeon created and run by one of the original Blackmoore bunch in 1973-- one year before the publication of D&D. Its a very interesting beast that is utilitarianly keyed on purpose, I think, in part to get it to the table quicker. Since the creator understands what they want and is more focused on reacting to the players, less attention is paid to writing keys. In one instance there is: "Balrog. 10,000 GP". 

KNOCK! Vol. 2 seems to have a lot of good tables and articles for spicing up the familiar and fleshing out the bare bones. So, here is how I turned it toward Level 2 of Tonisborg.

TONISBORG LEVEL 2

#2:0 LEVEL OPENING: Order Draconae has incomplete control of the dungeon; Portions of the level have collapsed or lead to natural caverns

#2:1 WYVERN (powerful 8000 sp type E): Not much to help to change the monster, but we do have "Combat Objectives" (pg 90); roll under the "instinctual" creature collum and get "Attack the nearest NPC or pack animal- drag them into the underbrush". We could also use "30 Tomes of Magic on pg 130. And after rolling get a half shredded tome containing Levitate and Reverse Gravity.

#2:2 BEDROOM; 6x GIANT WEASELS: Again, let us give them a combat objective, and let's also use "What Are The Spiders Doing?" (pg 140) to not just have them sitting around. Sure these are weasels, but the premise is the same. So 3x weasels are (roll 18)... munching on the body of an orc but will... (rolls 2 on Combat Objectives) attack the smallest PC. 3x other weasels are...(rolls 13) grooming bristly faces with shining eyes staring back, but will... (rolls 1 on Combat Objectives) attack nearest NPC and drag them off.

#2:3 STOREROOM w/ 3 FIGHTERS lead by a LEVEL 5 SWASHBUCKLER with TREASURE: One of the fighters is level 1 so could be a squire. Simple enough. And we can use the "Knight Errant" generator (pg 16) to flesh out the others.

So for both the level 4 & 5 Fighters, we have a colored field of ermine depicting a crane; Brunor the Mirthful fights with a crossbow; Palomedes the Bully employs two axes. Their squire is named Ector who fights with a sword.

#2:4: JUMBO BACON: There are 12x giant hogs in this room. Let's give them some sort of malevolent intelligence so their "Combat Objective" is "hold position until reinforcements arrive" and so they will make a lot of noise. 

How else can we make this interesting? I once saw tattooed pigs so what if these things have some weird 12 part scripture on them? Also a reason for their malevolence? Rolling on "d44 Cursed Scriptures of Petty Gods" we get (2,4)...

...so if all 12 pigs scriptures are read you will transcribe Klakyon- Geode Avatar of Incomprehensible Geometries and the reader's flesh will become pristine crystal (AC 18, STR 18, CON 18), but quickly become tumorous as dust crystalizes as well causing them to lose -1 DEX every hour; DEX = 0 is immobile. Maybe pigs have some crystal taint as well.

That's a pretty fun room and sorta gives a reason there might be rival MU factions or clerics here. Also why the Order Draconae might give a lot of guff to MU/clerics.

#2:5 BEDROOM & LABORATORY: So here we have sorcerors and followers also a magic sword made of kill fighting-men. Hmm, I think this has a good connection to #2:4 and the pigs are some ongoing, failed, or incomplete experiment. Certainly, since we have our first MUs, we have to use "12 Sorceror-Corpse Hazards" (pg 33).

...(rolling) So for the 9th Level MU, the weapon used to kill them will stick to the body magically and the body will explode after a few rounds. The 1st & 2nd level MUs do not have any curses on their bodies.

The three Fighters located here are given some character with the "Knight Errant Generator" which we used above; colored field-green, 2 ordinaries, cross, cross, like to duel and all these folks are mirthful and named deBors. They are trying to resist some form of temptation (?).

Since the magic sword "Fregsallo" kills fighting-men, maybe the knights are trying to free one of their number from the curse of the sword (?) or the temptation to use it?

#2:6 6x WEREBEARS: Okay, it's entries like this that make stocking difficult. By Tonisborg standards, because there is a monster section, werebears are lawful, 7HD, and AC 18. Also, this 10 X 20 ft room is far too small. But some of Tonisborg is supposed to be cavernous, so how about these werebears have just dug into this room. There is actually a sublevel that holds their lair. KNOCK! Vol. 2 has some great maps, so let's use "Tomb of Horrors" (pg 165).

And from the "Knight Errant Generator", their quest is to "protect a child from an affair"-- maybe one of the Order Draconae.

#2:7 HALL WITH 4x GARGOYLES: Hmm, the stairwell leads up to Level 1 which is under more complete control of Order Draconae and is near two secret doors of the Sorceror of #2:5. The sorcerer put these creatures in place mainly to keep the Order Draconae out and they have the password on their person. There is a table, "Monster Modifiers" (pg 60), that can help livin' up standard monsters...(rolls a 14)...these gargoyles are 'brutal'.

#2:8 CRYPT WITH 3 ZOMBIES: A lot of text here but not a lot to work with in my opinion, just zombies and a hallway. What if these zombies are victims of the Fighters in #2:5- the folks with the cursed sword? Maybe the sword has enhanced one of the knight's lust for battle and killing? And there is a pretty cool monster, The Dreamcrawler, in KNOCK! Vol 2 (pg 180). The Dreamcrawler is a fallen warrior so seeks battle in a character's dreams. Kinda half curse/half-monster. But fits the theme of untimely death due to betrayal.

#2:9 ARMORY WITH 10 KOBOLDS DIGGING FOR WEAPONS: Big question here for me is why, by the map, are they so close to the Order Draconae? Maybe they have been tasked with clearing out the wyverns in #2:11? Maybe they are gonna "milk" their poison? Are they after the swine? Will agree to PC aid if the bargain is good? To give 'em a little extra, I lean on the "Monster Modifier" table again and get a result saying they are "naturally corrosive", immune to acid, and corrode armor on a Nat 20 and weapons on a Nat 1.

#2:10 FOUR GIANT SNAKES: Hmm... (roll 7 on Crab Spider Table of "What Are The Spiders Doing", pg 142) and get "dashing to perceived safety underneath a defaced alter" and (roll 3 on "Combat Objectives) "will hold this spot". Okay, these are results I can work with- so maybe the alter is to the petty god that helped create the swine in #2:4.

#2:11 STOREROOM WITH 5 WYVERNS: Like the bears and zombies, this feels like too much fidelity to a random encounter/stocking table. The first thing I think is what could be in this storeroom worth digging for? Maybe another spellbook from "30 Tomes Of Magic" (pg 130). But there is also a very handy "D60 Pointless Items" (pg 65)

#2:12 TWO ELVEN MAGIC-USERS: The two magic items in this room are interesting- Potion of Dragon Control and Potion of Lycanthropy Control. Maybe the two elves want to control the wyverns in #2:11 or bears in #2:6. Maybe they want to remove the Order Draconae use these two factions to do it. How about they want to locate "Fregsallo" the magic sword stolen from them?

#2:13 SIX GNOLLS: Where did these come from? Maybe time for a setting and luckily KNOCK! Vol 2 also provides for that. There are two hexcrawls in fact: the first is on the inside dust cover, and the second is on page 210. With megadungeons, I think it best to keep play focused toward the dungeon. The small surrounding area can just help provide NPC wants, factions plots, quests, materials, and hook-- but not keep folks gone too long. With that in mind, I think "Fort Levant" is a good choice and it also has a hex containing a gnoll army!

#2:14 GUARDS! Specifically, the 27x Order Draconae guards that collect "taxes", keep the lower dungeon creatures out and are in control of a cannon (!) in the center of the room. Of the 27 guards, 3 of them are officers. Again I used the "Errant Knight Generator" to find that the 3 officers are ambitious, but want to recover a magic veil.

I also drew a map of the circular room and have barricades erected on the western double doors leading up to the surface/down to level 2 and on the southern door which leads up to level 1/down to level 2. The cannon is between the northern and north-western doors to cover the two barricades. I also think there might be tents built in the room to allow guards to rotate and provide some comfort.

THERE YOU GO! Level 2 of Tonisborg is more fleshed out. We have emerging stronger factions like the Sorceror who summoned demonic scripture hogs, but currently is helping cursed fighters who have sinned against their bannermen. And there are werebear and elven infiltrators and a group of kobolds who are going to sort out some wyverns. I also just have a better handled on how I want to run my version of Tonisborg.

But KNOCK! Vol 2 doesn't just stop there. Several of the articles are about running such a dungeon above. The importance of choice, warning, description, and the goals of DMing are all discussed. I think I will certainly review the articles on "Cheap Tricks" and how not to create a "Screw You" scenario given the asymmetry with some of the rooms.

And KNOCK! is still is a must-have. It really is what I wanted Dragon & Dungeon to be.