Generic Dungeons (CSC)

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In the section that follows, we have provided you, the dungeon master, with an assortment of unusual dungeons. Each of these is presented in a standard format and is intended to make your job easier. After all, if there's one thing a DM never seems to have enough of, it's preparation time.
==Dungeon Descriptions==
Each generic dungeon is presented in a forced perspective view which allows the dungeon master to get a better feel for the area than he would with a standard top view map. hi this format, you can better judge the relationships of objects in three dimensions and provide your players with more vivid descriptions of the areas they are exploring.
The first section of each generic dungeon's description is its origin. Here, we give you a little bit of background about the dungeon and tell you why or how it was built or formed in the first place. Obviously, this information is fairly open so that you should have no trouble finding a way to fit the dungeons into your own campaign.
After that comes the section entitled transformation. In here, we present you with a possible means for converting a structure which might not seem like a dungeon (such as the primitive temple) into an underground complex. Once again, these descriptions are not specific so that you should have no trouble finding a place in your campaign world into which you can fit them.
The final section of the dungeon description is the map key. Here, we go into some detail about the dungeon's original construction and uses. None of the chambers are described in great detail, so you can add or delete anything you like without worrying about upsetting the balance of play.
In addition, we have not "aged" the dungeons. We have left out any mention of the monsters which have now moved into them or the spirits which roam their halls in search of living spirits to feed on. Each dungeon master will be able to set up his own unique encounters when he uses the generic complexes we have provided here. Thus, even if two dungeon master's make use of, say, the great pyramid map, you can bet that their dungeons will be greatly different.
==It's up to you now...==
What do you need to do to get a dungeon ready for use? Well, first you'll have to decide how it fits into your campaign and think about its history for a little bit.
Let's assume that you have decided to use the limestone cavern for a game. The secret of its evolution may seem to be quite obvious: it was carved by a river. Okay, we could add more details about the history of the river or its origins, but let's also assume that these will have little if any bearing on your game. Thus, we have decided that the text provided in the generic dungeon description is enough background for the physical cavern itself.
What about the monsters, traps, and treasures? Once again, think about the past. Suppose that a fairy good sized community of goblins lived upriver from the twisting mazes of the limestone cavern. Some 25 years ago, however, a family of ogres moved into the area which they had called home for generations and they were forced to leave. Boarding crude rafts, they set out on the river.
Eventually, they came to the caverns. Imagine their delight at finding so perfect home with so little effort. As one might expect, they moved right in. As they explored the caves, they also took care to clean out anything dangerous which might have been living there, like giant rats or spiders. In the end, the caves belonged to the goblins.
Over the years, the goblins came to love their new homes. It seems that they have everything they need to survive and prosper. The water is fresh and full of fish, fungus grows easily in the dark, damp corridors, and there are a number of human towns in the woods near by to act as targets for raids. All in all, it sounds like goblin paradise.
Now, how will we get the adventurers to go there? That's pretty easy to figure out if you just take the information you already have and follow it through to its logical conclusions.
The local farmers, fed up with having the goblins raid their homes every two or three months, have offered a reward to anyone who can rid them of this evil curse. It may be that friends or relatives of the PCs live in one of the neighboring towns and have been hurt, killed, or captured by the fiendish humanoids. One way or another, there is plenty of motivation for the player's to move against the tiny tyrants.
As for the goblins, one can imagine that they won't take too kindly to being driven out of their new home. In fact, they've probably learned a great deal from their past experiences and taken steps to thwart intruders.
Well I'll be, it looks like things are shaping up real nicely for this adventure. All we have to do now is to insert a few sub-plots and play up the supernatural fear with which the villagers regard the "horrid little beast-men" who terrorize them and before you know it, we'll have a challenging, memorable adventure.