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Making Dungeons/Ruins Interesting

LightningTopaz

LightningTopaz

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As a fantasy fan, writer, and roleplayer, it is inevitable that my characters will tromp through at least one monster and trap filled dungeon of doom. My question is, what are some things I could do (basides character development) to make these parts interesting without turning them into monster and puzzle parades?
 
Are you asking how to design a dungeon and then put it into writing like I do in my Zelda fanfic? If so, I can definitely help with that. :3
 
Ah, alright then! What kind of theme did you have in mind? I mean like water or fire.

Oh, and you're also free to use my Zelda fic for reference. :]
 
This...........is interesting since I have never really thought about it XD

Mind if I help kick some ideas around?

One of my ideas is perhaps give the dungeon/ruin a unique design which attracts attention, neat mechanisms, cool symbols, and other stuff. Try setting the stage and making it as if its the reader walking through with the characters.....I have no more ideas......COME ON KELLO, HELP US OUT
 
Well, with no specific theme to work with, it's kind of difficult for me to come up with something. See, when I design a dungeon, I start by picking a theme and go from there.

But since you said ruins, I'd say a desert or forest location would work nicely. Though, it mostly depends on what kind of ruins they are. If its the ruins of a castle or palace, then it should have a lot of chambers filled with old furniture and doors. If its, say, the ruins of an old mine, then having mechanisms such as mine carts, tracks, and pulleys around would make sense. These things could also be used for the dungeon's puzzles.

It would also help to draw out a rough map of the place. It doesn't have to be a masterpiece, just a quick outline. I also find that having the dungeon revolve around a single primary mechanism is really interesting too. For example, the Magma Cavern in my Zelda fic revolves around restoring the lava flow inside so the boss's chamber can be accessed. The Fortress of Ice, for the most part, requires repeated melting and freezing of the ice inside.

Having a single primary mechanism is just one basic idea though. Another is to make the dungeon itself a puzzle. The Death Forest in my Zelda fic is somewhat like this. It's a maze that requires Link to go back and forth several times, and he even has to revisit several rooms. Another example of this is the last dungeon in Zelda: Skyward Sword. This one is actually quite literally a puzzle. Using the various control panels scattered about, Link can rearrange the chambers so he can visit the one he wants. It's tricky, but unique. I was quite impressed. Lastly, though it's a lesser example, there's the graveyard cave in my fic. It is also a literal puzzle in itself, though the concept of this one is rather complicated, so I'll just leave it at that. xP

Lastly, another idea is to make the dungeon natural. Like the Forest Temple in Zelda: Twilight Princess is basically a giant tree. Jabu-Jabu in Ocarina of Time is a dungeon too. He's a giant fish and Link goes inside his belly! A third example is the Snowpeak Ruins in Twilight Princess. It's just a sprawling mansion deep in the Snowpeak province. It appears to just be a normal mansion, but it's really a dungeon! Looks can be deceiving. ;D

Aaaaand, this is all I've got. xP
 
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Not a bad start, but if it would help you out, here's the basic designs of what dungeons I have planned so far and how complex they are (one star is easy and five stars is the hardest):

--dragon's cave (somewhat small, *)
--magic fortress (pretty big, **)
 
Ah, okay. The dragon's cave sounds like it would have a dragon or fire theme revolving around it. The magic fortress is, well, magic. I'd have to do some more thinking on the dragon's cave, but for the magic fortress, it would probably be a good idea to litter it with magical enemies like witches or wizards and traps activated by magic spells.
 
For dragon's cave, wouldn't it be neat if the entrance to the final/goal room was opened by doing something to a large dragon skeleton in the room, like maybe find the bones and put them together to complete the skeleton, and if you needed an enemy you could always just have the skeleton come alive.....dungeon designing is fun XD
 
That's actually not a bad idea, Chaos. ^^
 
An easy/straightforward dragon themed puzzled could be something along the lines of maybe.....

Imagine a carving of a dragon on the wall, with a torch on near the chest. Light the torch and the flame spreads upwards, through the mouth, and activates something to open a door? Maybe you could also use some of the lore for wherever this takes place. Also, unrelated, what story is this for because now I'm interested in reading it XD
 
A cave or dungeon doesn't necessarily have to have a big puzzel. If it's well-described with great details then you can still get the reader involved.

So... If it's a dragon's cave, I would imagine it being like a labyrinth... You know, the twisting tunnels carved into the rock. But the way the tunnels are formed is obviously unnatural. Maybe the dragon that lived there made the tunnel by digging so you can see where huge claws raked out the rock. Dragons also have a tendency to collect gold and other treasures, so there's piles of treasure here and there or a giant room of it near the end. There could easily be pools of murky, green cave water. Underneath the layer of moss over it could be more gold or perhaps the skeletons of this dragon's victims. And, of course, dragon eggs (either broken or yet-to-hatch) would likely be in aplenty.

Ooh! And let's see- Instead of a puzzel- the great challenge could be the dragon that lives there! Maybe your characters are going through the cave and suddenly see the dragon, but it's sleeping. They have to sneak around it to get to the exit (or whatever). Problem being that the dragon twitches and thrashes in its dream, so they have to avoid its whip-like tail, giant feet, and sharp claws- all without making a sound. You could even have the dragon open its eye in its sleep for extreme tension, but have it not see anything and continue sleeping. Or, it could wake up (or be awake the entire time) and the characters would have to fight it. :D

I'd have to think on the mansion more... Are your main characters Pokemon or Trainer? (I'm thinking Pokemon like in the Mystery Dungeon...?)
 
They are fantastic versions of Pokemon trainers--Ash as a magic knight (eg. a knight that can cast spells), and Misty as a ranger. In this world, people can shift to different classes at will--so far, only Misty can do this (she can shift to a magic knight if need be)
 
Whoa... :O Well, then... So a dragon in this world could be like a LEGIT dragon? Not necessarily a Pokemon? Though, when I picture Ash as a magic knight... I think of Don Quixote, the man of la mancha. (Ha, never try reading that in Spanish.)

Anyway, I'm still thinking on the fortress. Maybe thinking about- Who lived there before? Who were they? Was it a lord? A crazed scientist? An ancient wizard who finally passed? A family of nobles? Which follows to- What happened to them? Why are they gone? Are they truly gone are they haunting the house as Pokemon or as normal ghosts of themselves? Did the fortress ever endure some kind of battle in history? Why was it built? Who/what did it protect? How long has it been abandoned? -All great questions to ask yourself as the author. :)

Also- I have a plethora of gamer-experience with traps in games. Assassin's Creed had absolutely magnificent puzzels that while not overly hard, did require some skill and observational skills. Prince of Persia puzzles are totally insane and can take up to hours to solve. There was actually one puzzle where your partner is teleported away by a wizard and you have to figure out which of the ten clones is her by 'breaking them' with violent physical contact (with your sword)... But, none of them was actually her and every time you hit a clone, it'd come back. The only way to find her was to jump off the tower you were on and then she'd break free to save you. It took me about two minutes to get sick of that stupid game and jump off the tower as a form of suicide.

I do believe I've played another game but I can't think of the title at the moment... ... Heedless to say- I know of various different epic 'traps' and puzzles to offer. I would at least like to know some general things first. Like Kello, I like having a little more to base my thoughts off.
 
Yes, real dragons (of both the Western and Asian variety) exist alongside dragon Pokemon in this world.

Okay--according for my notes for the fortress section, the fortress is an abandoned mage's conclave. Also, by this point they have two other party members--Brock (main form samurai, alternate forms minstrel and paladin) and Dawn (main form mage, alternate form minstrel) at this point
 
Ooh... Nice :) (Western and Eastern is the proper terminology)

Hmm... Alrighty then. You could still maybe use the kidnap and clone thing, just twist it to make more sense in your story.
-You could have there be a garden in the fortress grounds with ponds that are connected together leading to a flood gate that is right in front of the way in or the way out at the end. You have to turn hidden/certain levers to move the gates so the water can't flow. There's a drain underneath it and with out the water flow, the water can finally drain so you can get to the doors.
-A library in the form of a twisted maze. Mages do need plenty of spellbooks after all. :)
-There could be a giant statue of a famous/revered mage and they have to climb his robes to press a jewel in his necklace in order to... Open a door?
-perhaps a wand/staff with some dark magic could be involved. (kinda cliche, but it's not impossible.)
-Dawn or Brock assume the role of minstrel to sing to a song bird left abandoned in its cage- they have to sing because it won't tell them a password that they need until it hears a song.
-and... perhaps the stairs have been destroyed by decay or are weakened and then destroyed when they step on it so they have to find a more creative way to get up to the second floor. (standing on each other, moving furniture)

That's all I got at the moment. I'll keep thinking on it and get back to you if I have more thoughts. :) I hope it helps.
 
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