When that dungeon gets boring put in a few of these. Some players will pull every lever some will never touch one. Some trick you into pulling them. Some are for monster defence. Some are made by mad wizards to be jerks.
I'm going through my list of backlog easy ideas for a bit while dealing with bullshit in my life.
Have a few bigger projects to work on too like A-Z cities and a new type of encounter area type - the warzone. Tables for when your region is invaded. Separate hazards and scenes and encounters for different war zones - human, humanoid, dragon, chaos etc. Sewer hell 2 and Xor spells too.
Some only work one or a few times. Some might be hidden, or the lever might be separate to mechanism..Of course you could have these effects in buttons, switches or something instead. Finding lots of mechanisms with different handles might be fun.
d10 Lever Appearance
1 Rusty iron lever
2 Valuable metal with gem knob on end
3 Skeletal leg or arm
4 Crude wooden and splintered
5 Brass with ornamental engravings
6 Black wood with silver runes
7 Ivory with carvings
8 Greasy metal lever
9 Spiked mace head
10 Skull topped bone rod
03 Staircase revealed
04 Pit with ladder opens to another level
05 Opens panel and releases angry and hungry monster
06 Rings alarm bell attracting monsters
07 Starts water flooding in area
08 Shuts and locks doors in area
09 Opens oubliette cell with skeleton on floor
10 Opens a hidden panel with treasure chest
11 Murderholes in ceiling open and snakes drop through
12 Rearranges dungeon floorplan
13 Seals main dungeon entrance
14 Opens panel and activates a fountain
15 Awakens something in depths that heads for this room
16 Seals room with portcullis gates
17 Opens a crypt with multiple sarcophigi
18 Opens a small vent with visible light from surface
19 Illuminates area of dungeon with magical light
20 Rains d2000cp from hole in roof
21 Opens secret panel with rack of magic armour
22 Opens secret panel with weapon rack and at least one magic weapon
23 Opens several doors to secret level across dungeon
24 Opens secret door to wizard lab with several potions on bench
25 Opens secret panel revealing a magic mirror
26 Plunges area into magic darkness for one hour
27 Fires a balistia bolt at operator 2d8 if fail save
28 Opens secret room with treasure chest and human bones
29 Opens pit of acid that divides room
30 Releases sleep gas into area, lasts one hour if fail save
31 Opens secret room with healing shrine
32 A stone table rises from floor with heroic feast laid out
33 Opens panel in wall with magic dungeon pie (d6 uses)
34 Opens chamber with magical fungus and d6 goblin corpses
35 Magic circle on floor alights summons elemental servant appears to obey for a hour
36 Magic circle on floor alights summons a imp appears to obey for a hour
37 Opens shaft in ceiling to upper level but with huge spiders and webs inside
38 Opens monster supply room with food, costumes, healing potion and fake blood
39 Opens room with talking skull answer d4 dungeon questions a day
40 Fires croosbow bolts down main entry coridoor
41 Opens door to magical gateway or teleporter pad
42 Reveals map on wall with glowing line art
43 Opens secret flooded pit and begins to pump out water
44 Opens panel with wand inside but is trapped with magic
45 Opens vent releasing stirge nest with remains of dead adventurers
46 Magic circle on floor alights and summons a succubi who offers sex
47 Summons a monstrous giant devil face who's mouth is a gate to hell
48 Opens a spy hole letting you observe another area unseen
49 Opens a speaking tube lets you speak with other room in dungeon
50 Opens a panel with gargoyle or animated statue inside
51 Opens vent releasing panicked bats but can be used to escape dungeon by crawling
52 Water pours in through roof and room doors shut and are locked
53 Rotates dungeon room confuses mapping possibly accessing new areas
54 Floor opens into slide that deposits on lower level
55 Opens secret door with elevator possibly with a attendant to other levels
56 Opens secret door with elevator possibly with a attendant but only goes to hell
57 Operator struck by ray save or die, if lives now immortal (d4 charges left)
58 Sends the whole room backwards or forwards in time (d3 uses)
59 Fills dungeon level with fog for d6 hours
60 Opens a pit with volcanic steam vent warming the area, some treasure visible below
61 Releases brownie bound in hidden panel who offers to help new friends
62 Releases automatons from secret door that repair dungeon and reset traps
63 Opens secret chamber to magical machine from lost age
64 Opens to secret chamber with ancient machinery from aeons lost
65 Opens hidden tomb with greater undead imprisoned in tomb for aeons
66 Opens hidden chamber with angel nailed to walls will be grateful if helped to escape
67 Opens sealed room with dead adventurers with packs of rope, spikes and other supplies
68 Opens sealed pit with shoggoth gibbering insanely trapped in depths
69 Opens panel with hidden crumbling books and scrolls possibly including maps
70 Opens hidden room with dead kobolds, bricks, mortar and building supplies
71 Opens hidden room with long dead architect and partial dungeon map on workbench
72 Opens hidden door out comes grinning goblin with birthday cake on pushcart
73 Opens hidden dungeon garbage shute can be used to possible escape dungeon
74 Opens hidden well accesses underground river, possible escape from dungeon
75 Opens hidden panel releases bound hellcat who offers to guide most lawful person
76 Makes whole room become elevator, often mechanism only works once
77 Opens panel with kegs of beer and wine with taps and mugs
78 Open secret door into chill room with frozen carcasses possibly a ice toad in cage
79 Opens secret door, inside is a bound salamander if freed goes on rampage
80 Opens secret room with dormant monster eggs and a hatching apparatus
81 Opens secret torture chamber used by some boss long ago
82 Opens secret bedroom with sobbing prisoner
83 Opens secret lavatory, sewer enterance possibly usable for escape
84 Opens secret store room with stolen crates of merchant goods and artworks
85 Opens secret room of statues (petrified victims from long ago)
86 Opens secret armoury with crates of forgotten and corroded weapons and armour
87 Opens room with d6 spirits sealed in bottles by shaman long ago
88 Opens secret room of lamp oil, torches, flints, lamps and candles
89 Activates noisy machinery in depths dungeon self repairs to new condition over d4 hours
90 Activates shimmering pool of light allows communication with distant sister dungeon
91 Opens magic mirror that communes with ancient evil forgotten by mortals
92 Hear machinery, then screaming, then blood leaks from cracks in walls
93 Doors seal and walls close in, 1in6 spikes pop out walls too
94 Bathes room in strange light ages all by 4d10 years if fail save
95 Bathes room in strange reduces all to d6+3 years old if fail save
96 Everything in room is magically cleaned and food and drink purified
97 Pollutes food making diseased and turns drinks into poison
98 Turns all coins in room into equivalent value of copper
99 Turns all non magic iron, steel, copper or bronze into useless dust
100 Healing ray cures d6 HP once per day, causes cancer on second use if fail save
d100 Mystery Dungeon Levers
01 Passageway roof collapses
02 Pit in floor opens to dark depths03 Staircase revealed
04 Pit with ladder opens to another level
05 Opens panel and releases angry and hungry monster
06 Rings alarm bell attracting monsters
07 Starts water flooding in area
08 Shuts and locks doors in area
09 Opens oubliette cell with skeleton on floor
10 Opens a hidden panel with treasure chest
11 Murderholes in ceiling open and snakes drop through
12 Rearranges dungeon floorplan
13 Seals main dungeon entrance
14 Opens panel and activates a fountain
15 Awakens something in depths that heads for this room
16 Seals room with portcullis gates
17 Opens a crypt with multiple sarcophigi
18 Opens a small vent with visible light from surface
19 Illuminates area of dungeon with magical light
20 Rains d2000cp from hole in roof
21 Opens secret panel with rack of magic armour
22 Opens secret panel with weapon rack and at least one magic weapon
23 Opens several doors to secret level across dungeon
24 Opens secret door to wizard lab with several potions on bench
25 Opens secret panel revealing a magic mirror
26 Plunges area into magic darkness for one hour
27 Fires a balistia bolt at operator 2d8 if fail save
28 Opens secret room with treasure chest and human bones
29 Opens pit of acid that divides room
30 Releases sleep gas into area, lasts one hour if fail save
31 Opens secret room with healing shrine
32 A stone table rises from floor with heroic feast laid out
33 Opens panel in wall with magic dungeon pie (d6 uses)
34 Opens chamber with magical fungus and d6 goblin corpses
35 Magic circle on floor alights summons elemental servant appears to obey for a hour
36 Magic circle on floor alights summons a imp appears to obey for a hour
37 Opens shaft in ceiling to upper level but with huge spiders and webs inside
38 Opens monster supply room with food, costumes, healing potion and fake blood
39 Opens room with talking skull answer d4 dungeon questions a day
40 Fires croosbow bolts down main entry coridoor
41 Opens door to magical gateway or teleporter pad
42 Reveals map on wall with glowing line art
43 Opens secret flooded pit and begins to pump out water
44 Opens panel with wand inside but is trapped with magic
45 Opens vent releasing stirge nest with remains of dead adventurers
46 Magic circle on floor alights and summons a succubi who offers sex
47 Summons a monstrous giant devil face who's mouth is a gate to hell
48 Opens a spy hole letting you observe another area unseen
49 Opens a speaking tube lets you speak with other room in dungeon
50 Opens a panel with gargoyle or animated statue inside
51 Opens vent releasing panicked bats but can be used to escape dungeon by crawling
52 Water pours in through roof and room doors shut and are locked
53 Rotates dungeon room confuses mapping possibly accessing new areas
54 Floor opens into slide that deposits on lower level
55 Opens secret door with elevator possibly with a attendant to other levels
56 Opens secret door with elevator possibly with a attendant but only goes to hell
57 Operator struck by ray save or die, if lives now immortal (d4 charges left)
58 Sends the whole room backwards or forwards in time (d3 uses)
59 Fills dungeon level with fog for d6 hours
60 Opens a pit with volcanic steam vent warming the area, some treasure visible below
61 Releases brownie bound in hidden panel who offers to help new friends
62 Releases automatons from secret door that repair dungeon and reset traps
63 Opens secret chamber to magical machine from lost age
64 Opens to secret chamber with ancient machinery from aeons lost
65 Opens hidden tomb with greater undead imprisoned in tomb for aeons
66 Opens hidden chamber with angel nailed to walls will be grateful if helped to escape
67 Opens sealed room with dead adventurers with packs of rope, spikes and other supplies
68 Opens sealed pit with shoggoth gibbering insanely trapped in depths
69 Opens panel with hidden crumbling books and scrolls possibly including maps
70 Opens hidden room with dead kobolds, bricks, mortar and building supplies
71 Opens hidden room with long dead architect and partial dungeon map on workbench
72 Opens hidden door out comes grinning goblin with birthday cake on pushcart
73 Opens hidden dungeon garbage shute can be used to possible escape dungeon
74 Opens hidden well accesses underground river, possible escape from dungeon
75 Opens hidden panel releases bound hellcat who offers to guide most lawful person
76 Makes whole room become elevator, often mechanism only works once
77 Opens panel with kegs of beer and wine with taps and mugs
78 Open secret door into chill room with frozen carcasses possibly a ice toad in cage
79 Opens secret door, inside is a bound salamander if freed goes on rampage
80 Opens secret room with dormant monster eggs and a hatching apparatus
81 Opens secret torture chamber used by some boss long ago
82 Opens secret bedroom with sobbing prisoner
83 Opens secret lavatory, sewer enterance possibly usable for escape
84 Opens secret store room with stolen crates of merchant goods and artworks
85 Opens secret room of statues (petrified victims from long ago)
86 Opens secret armoury with crates of forgotten and corroded weapons and armour
87 Opens room with d6 spirits sealed in bottles by shaman long ago
88 Opens secret room of lamp oil, torches, flints, lamps and candles
89 Activates noisy machinery in depths dungeon self repairs to new condition over d4 hours
90 Activates shimmering pool of light allows communication with distant sister dungeon
91 Opens magic mirror that communes with ancient evil forgotten by mortals
92 Hear machinery, then screaming, then blood leaks from cracks in walls
93 Doors seal and walls close in, 1in6 spikes pop out walls too
94 Bathes room in strange light ages all by 4d10 years if fail save
95 Bathes room in strange reduces all to d6+3 years old if fail save
96 Everything in room is magically cleaned and food and drink purified
97 Pollutes food making diseased and turns drinks into poison
98 Turns all coins in room into equivalent value of copper
99 Turns all non magic iron, steel, copper or bronze into useless dust
100 Healing ray cures d6 HP once per day, causes cancer on second use if fail save
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ReplyDeleteIf you have 4 or more players i a group someone is always going to flip a lever. Some fools will even stick their hands into a hole or put their eye up to a peephole.
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