6-Room Dungeon 8: Auldwood Grove

 

1 Redbrick
2 Goblin Mine
3 Gothic Tomb
4 Magic Mansion
5 Glacial Chasm
6 Jungle Shrine
7 Underland Cavern
8 Auldwood Grove
9 Sunken City
10 Desert Ruin
11 Eldritch Monolith
12 Hell Gate

Possible extra tables for each category
d12 factions
d12 rumours
d12 sounds & smells
doors, walls, etc

Auldwood Grove
Instead of a traditional dungeon, this describes a dark dense, magical forest with pathways instead of corridors and clearings instead of rooms. Maybe you can climb out or hack your way through or perhaps you are on the borders of faerieland and not the nice side with free wine and cake. The Auldwood began after the age of darkness as the heartland of the elves and the great woodland has grown for thousands of years, covering large amounts of the north and overlaps with many kingdoms that believe parts of the Auldwood belong to them. As civilised peoples return to the ruined villages and abandoned farms, people are coming in contact with ancient forest beings and strange paths that seem to come and go. Dont go alone into the woods, they say, but there are woodcutters and hunters who know old rites to avoid perils like offending supernatural woodland beings. Feel free to impose seasonal changes or weather changes for the forest dungeon or even change room to room. Perhaps time flows differently here. Consider doorways are paths through thick vegetation or archways made by avenues of trees forming a clearing. The door may indicate some cutting of vegetation of scrub to go through the clearing rooms. WIld folk and elves may shape linked clearings for magical purposes with earthworks made for rituals or hunters kill zones. Once you learn to see this prehistoric landscaping, you begin to see that they are ritual routes. Later, people may have added to this unwittingly. Many spirits, sylvan beings, and faerie can change shape or conceal themselves. Animals may be larger and talkative.

d12 Auldwood Grove Decor
1 Trees and branches with thick undergrowth

2 Fungus growths, possibly huge or used for construction by small folk

3 Thick grasping roots, with hollows and burrows among them

4 Leaves cover the ground, or blow in the wind or fall

5 Fairy rings of mushrooms or flowers, possibly functional

6 Stone monolith, altar or circle

7 Ancient ruin or abandoned building

8 Mounds, possibly ancient barrows

9 Flower and blossoms or fruit, nuts and berries

10 Cobwebs and spiders or clouds of flies or crawling bugs

11 Ancient human remains in the undergrowth or under roots

12 Thick choking thorns and vines

d12 Auldwood Grove Hazards
1 Ravens or other birds become hostile and swarm

2 Nest of vermin or swarm of wasps or flies

3 Hunters arrow trap or snare or net

4 Hunters pit trap with stakes at the bottom

5 Poisonous herbs or fungi look like a good kind

6 Logfall trap or just termites or beavers

7 Rocky stream or chasm crossing 

8 Lair of a dangerous creature with bones at the entrance

9 Bogs or pond crossing

10 A faerie knight or monster has rules on who may pass 

11 Faerie distortion of time and/or space

12 Spirits of nature, tree or beast or water types

d12 Auldwood Grove Encounters
1 Herd animals like deer, aurochs cattle

2 Demihuman travellers or hunters

3 Wild forest folk hunters

4 Wolves or lions or giant animals

5 Swarm of some kind

6 Skeletons, zombies or ghouls

7 Goblin warriors often riding bats or wolves

8 Satyr or centaur or dryad with her thralls

9 Witch or druid cultists

10 Cariverous apes or terror birds

11 Giant or troll or ogres

12 Beast abhuman hunters

d12 Auldwood Grove Static Encounters
1 Goblinoid village with pets

2 Lair of giant or talking magical animals 

3 Elves or faerie folk

4 Manticore or chimaera or sphynx

5 Unicorn or pegasus or peryton or griffon

6 Magician with guards and pets

7 Lycanthropes

8 Vegetal monsters or constructs

9 Treant or Giant

10 Dragon 

11 Elemental or elemental animals

12 Nature spirit with pets and allies

d12 Auldwood Grove Entry
1 Though the split bough of a huge tree fell into a clearing with more paths. The other side has flowers, insects and pleasant rays lof light. A sylvan guardian may be here but might question rather than fight all

2 Great arch of interwoven vegetation into a clearing. Animal skulls are inset with many horned animals. Vines and moss grow around the archway. Inside is a misty clearing with several paths. A wooden ritual structure with some wild folk druid cult in a ceremony. They hate intruders and will sacrifice any defilers. They have livestock, prisoners and treasure

3 Two stone pillars with ancient carvings, now almost worn away. In a clearing beyond is a small stone circle on a hill tomb. The tomb is unopened but has undead and treasure. A hundred waist-high stones in circles on the hill with a procession way decorate the hilltop. The hilltop is strangely windy and free of animal life. You can hear the whispers of the ancient dead on the wind if you listen carefully, and poltergiests might attack those who lingee

4 Two great interwoven trees forming an archway. Beyond is a clearing formed by thickly intertwined vegetation. Woven animals and figures of sticks and straw hanging in the trees and by entrances. Altars of stone have a cornucopia basket of fruits and vegetables. If the food is touched a spirit awakens many of the woven figures as petty lesser golems

5 Two carved wooden pillars with faces and beast spirit depictions. In the dappled leafy clearing beyond is a circle of wooden poles used for wild folk and sylvan people for rituals. They might be jolly with a maypole and wine or more solemn and easily angered. Wild folk or perhaps satyrs or centaurs or the fairy folk are likley

6 Through a cave or passage through a hill or barrow to reach a strange clearing beyond with clear skies, sunlight, flowers and blossoms. There are small carved stones with faerie script among the fruit trees. Faeries here will be hidden or invisible. They may be curious, mischievous or thieving. They might be offended by certain behaviour. If they dont feel keen to be involved, they may summon guardians from faerieland who appear in faeerie rings of flowers 

7 A iron rung fence, overgrown by dense trees in places has a gate into a dark clearing in woods with a sinister tower. The gate may be intact and locked or chained or broken and rusted. The tower is haunted with several levels and a horror or undead wizard in the top with treasure. Valuable but creepy decor might be worth taking and has a low risk of evil spirits

8 Thick thorn hedge wall with an opening. Through the opening is a square field surrounded by hedges, with passages leading in various directions. Ornate trimmed shrubs, topiaried bushes, a fish pool, tiny fruit-bearing trees in neat rows and marble benches. Spirits maintain this area for petty gods who used it long ago. Some may have a game or puzzle using statuaries that can unlock hidden paths. Damaging the place upsets spirits. In a worst case, a petty nature god or a greater spirit will be angered. Some have pleasant songbirds and squirrels that bring nuts and berries to hungry visitors. A fountain may be magic, producing wine, healing or potions. Hermits or some sylvan being might live here or meet here to discuss philosophy or play tabletop games  

9 A clearing with a large placid pool with reeds, water lilies, rocks and croaking frogs. Paths go beyond the clearing. A path through the pond with small ornate wooden bridges must be crossed to reach other paths. A guardian creature or water nymph may live in the pool and inspect travellers. Otherwise, giant frogs or a giant snapping turtle may five here. Some sylvan being or hermit might be fishing unharmed but will be wary near waters edge. There are ancient building stones and pillars visible on the bottom or semi-submerged. The lake thing could be an aquatic undead, a bog hag, a kelpie or a banshee. If so, the pond has an evil character with slime and mists

10 Ornate bone archway into a clearing in the thick woods. Their is a fence of woven bons around the border. Skulls decorate fence posts and hang in the trees (perhaps they glow in dark). In the centre under a spooky tree is a witch cottage with a tiny herb garden and possiblly some normal seeming small animals. The house could be long abandoned but haunted and cursed. Or a witch lives here and could be benevolent or horrible. She might have information or question intruders to see if they are worthy to go on 

11 Stone or wooden palisade wall with gatehouse, possibly of non-human construction. Beyond is a clearing where some faction camps and maintains the wall. May be abandoned or active. Inhabitants will challenge travellers and negotiate letting anyone in

12 A clearing with a farmhouse and fields inside. May be inhabited with crops and livestock or abandoned with bones and dead plants. Those living here might be a woodland cult clan, cannibals, druids, or possibly sylvan spirit folk in human form. Clans of mutant chaos cults will have horrible livestock and plants. If abandoned, undead farmers and animals may lurk here or some other monster that killed the inhabitants

d12 Auldwood Grove Subroom
1 Creature lair

2 Shrine or idol

3 Swarm of critters or beehive

4 Home of a woodland person

5 Cluster of fungus

6 Prisoner of a trap, gibbet or whicker idol

7 Tiny shack

8 Small stone tomb or body in a

9 Magical fungus or herb

10 Treehouse

11 Hollow tree stash for supplies, treasure or grave

12 Cache of tree nuts and angry squirrels

d12 Auldwood Grove Main Room

1 Ancient barrow mound with undead and treasure

2 Dolmen or monolith may be magical and protected by spirits

3 Cave lair of a forest creature

4 Hunters lodge where hunters meet. May be rich with servants and luxury here to get away. It might be for rest or forbidden vice or a cult. More ordinary hunters dont want visitors and wil make threats. May be non human peoples. Wild folk may be angered by intruders  and even include berserkers

5 Grazing fields of waist-high grass and bushes with fruit, nuts and berries. There are lots of bees (possibly giant). WIld animals graze here peacefully and most will flee. Auroch cattle instead will instead systematicly hunt and kill anything they think is a threat. For other herd beast a bull, buck or a stag might be aggressive. A good place to gather some food and rest. Some spirits or factions might claim this place and claim intruders are poachers

6 Ambush area with a chokepoint to cross, like cliffs, rocks, trees or a gully where a monster or hunters of some kind can wait and attack. Local beast passes through quickly. Some hunters might be friendly, but others will think intruders are poachers. They might also be bandits happy to attack travellers or animals. The earth here was shaped long ago to hide attackers and give them a height advantage or use terrain to make reaching them in melee is hard. Pilkes of rocks are placed just to reduce movement or flee easily

7 Grove with mighty trees around outside and a particularly ancient tree in the middle with a spring and ancient standing stones. Druids, faerie or wild folk might be here performing a ritual. A magic guardian, like a treant or monster or spirit, might be hidden. There may be ritual items best left alone by a stone altar or idol

8 Stone temple with a huge wall of stone slabs around the outside. A stone structure in the middle has carvings possibly in prehuman script. May have funeral niches and undead or may have a faction or priests here for ritual or even a giant. Other guardians or hermits may dwell here and other non human peoples might be here

9 Pool, well or stream possibly blocking other paths. A creature might dwell in the water or some hermit or being may live here in a ancient stone shelter or grotto cave

10 Gauntlet or difficult terrain with cliffs, thorns, pits and water making the room had to cross. Dangerous creatures and spell effects might be included. It was used as a ritual test long ago and still a menace

11 Haunted graveyard with memorial stones, dolmen and crude stone crypts. It is dark with mist by night and dead leaves and fungi cover the ground. Passing may awaken undead or spirits but an offering might appease them. There is definatley treasure and more undead to be disturbed

12 Hedgemaze fills the room making paths out had to find. There will be a d4+2 open areas (subrooms possibly) which may have some kind of magic feature like d4 1=fountain 2=shrine 3=living statue or gargoyle 4=sarcophogi with undead and loot

d12 Auldwood Grove Feature Room

1 Sylvan village of non humans live here with crops and livestock with wooden and stone structures. They may be friendly or prefer to be hidden or require risky negotiations. Humans may be the odd ones. May be a troll or goblin or faerie market with tempting magical risks

2 Holy tree with magical power for druids and faerie d4 1=used to enter the world tree roots or branches or trunk 2=heart of the forest with treants or dryads 3=sacred great tree where wild druids meet 4=guarded by a single magical guardian and pets

3 Cornicopia grove with luscious, magical and giant food plants and herbs. Magical plant beings often protect this place but faerie and wild folk will consider it belongs to them. Giant or magic beast might thrive here too. A pool here may have magical properties also 

4 Stone circle where wild folk, cults or sylvan folk use to perform rituals. They will be holding a festival here and may or not welcome intruders. Their champions and spell users will be defiant to any threats 

5 Beast graveyard full or thousands of bones in a barren area full of pits and crevices. Some species come here to join their ancestors, and some will be hostile to intruders. Usually, a single species us the location. Spirits or a non-human guardian kin to the species may protect this place. Some other sinister force might hijack the place, making it corrupt and undead-filled

6 Witch house where a cult used to gather, with remains of a garden with a fishpond. Area is dark and has giant cobwebs, bugs, and vermin. A witch or hag might live here still or some wicked spirits or familiars. Something here might signal if intruders arrive and a witch or coven will arrive to protect it. The house is full of occult paraphernalia, books and cursed items

7 Ancient wizard tower in a clearing looks ancient and abandoned. There is nothing else around it, perhaps some headstones, mushrooms or strange plants. The door will be a magical puzzle, a trap or even non-existent. Windows up high could be reached. The tower is a magical machine of a wizard or faerie d4 1=mirrir gate 2=prison 3=monster maker 4=. Entering is the first obstacle. Inside will be a magical guardian entity. A great treasure and possibly a prisoner is in the final chamber. Eerie spirits or huge vermin might crawl around, and plants and vegetation have a taint of darkness

8 Haunted house

9 Faerie garden where sylvan and faerie beings frolic will find humans curious. Unusual plants and beautiful garden ornaments surround meandering, gentle paths between floral faerie rings. Intruders may be offered fetch quests or to join festivities or be hunted for sport at a whim. The leading faerie operates as a court and not all creatures agree. Murdering any local probably causes trouble

10 Faerie grotto with coloured mist bubbling from foggy pools surrounded by giant crystals. Creatures come here for magical healing, rest or possibly power. A guardian will challenge those who seek the holy place. Hermits, witches, sylan spirit folk or faerie might live here or even elementals. Magical water may require drinking or bathing. A malignant version instead is more nightmarish, with dark fey prone to evil cackling

11 Dragon lair cavern sprawling with bones, streams and treasure. The dragon might be here sleeping and might not always be hostile. They might be bored or curious or hungry. Some may be in another form and use magic to hide real treasure with illusions, magic traps and summoned beings. Vermin might be dangerous, too

12 Elemental node a portal to one of the elemental planes (or a lesser one). Might affect local weather and climate. Beings from other worlds with elemental properties may guard the portal or just live close to the portal. In other cases, elemental-tainted beasts or mutants might be present. Elemental cults or magicains will seek to control this place. Local spirits my object to this intrusion and fight it. The elementals may in turn be tainted by alignment and include demons, devils or other hybrid planar beings. With effort, powerful planar beings could enter the world here and may guard it. Elemental humanoids, dragons or wicked adventurers might also be attracted