A Reference Sheet: On Creating (Outdoor) Dungeon Doors

This is your creating (outdoor) dungeon doors reference page.

For the sake of easy readability and understanding, I’ll be occasionally referring to what I called ‘doors’ as ‘paths’ when used in the context of the outdoors. But in general, assume that throughout this series, doors = paths = doors. 

Let’s start off with normal, easy to find doors and paths. When constructing paths for an outdoor dungeon, keep in mind the main purposes doors serve in typical dungeons. If I had to take a stab at it, I’d say doors in dungeons are generally doing the following things simultaneously.

Why do dungeons have doors?

Doors break the larger dungeon into discrete sections that players can interact with;
Doors serve as a decision point for players to move from one discrete section to the next; and
Doors entice the players to move to connected sections, and therefore deeper into the dungeon.

Break the larger dungeon into sections.

When designing for this goal, what we want to keep in mind is how can we got our players and ourselves to think of a space as ‘over here’ and ‘over there.’ The room we’re in right now is over here. If we want to interact with things in the other room over there, we need to say we’re going though the door to get there. So we want

Something that divides. Think of a change or break in landscape. It’s hard to break up a featureless field, but slice a river through it and suddenly you have one side of the river and the other, and possibly the river itself.

Something traversible. The point of them is to be traversible. You wouldn’t want something like the gorge between two cliffs, but a small, jumpable ravine would work.

Serve as a decision point for players.

Players need to be able to choose to use your doors to navigate the dungeon. With that in mind, we need

Something you can describe. Players can only choose things you describe to them.

Something that reads as an option for moving forward. Necessary for non-implied doors. Players will probably ignore a massive, steep cliff if they didn’t bring climbing gear, but a 20ft high crag is doable.

Something noteworthy. Enough to remember, so that even if the play conversation leaves the topic of doors, they can come back to it and say ‘ok let’s see what’s on the other side of that tangle of vines.’ (They may need a reminder, but that’s okay.)

Entice the players to go deeper.

I rate this as least important, because it’s something you don’t necessarily need to design for. Players generally have reasons outside the design of the dungeon to move through it (gold, quest, glory). With that in mind, think about

Something that moves them towards their goal. This can be as simple as making sure they know that the options presented lead them deeper into the forest’s center, or further west towards the end of the world.

Something that looks like it leads to more content. This one’s tricky, especially because players probably won’t be used to going through the outdoors as a dungeon. It’s hard enough to get players to read elevation changes as options in normal dungeons. I’d say keep this in mind but focus on all the above.

Something interesting, unique, different. This has a lot of overlap with the next section, but think about adding something different. Something out of place. Weird, arcane, mystical, beautiful. Your players will probably wanna check it out. Something glowing within a large tree with roots so giant they just might act as a ramp.

d10 Types of 'Doors' for Outdoor Dungeons

1. An obscuring of the way forward, like a bend in the road, dense foliage, or simply darkness.

2. One path suddenly parting to become two, forcing a decision.

3. Manmade ways through the wilds that one can choose to follow; roads, bridges, signs.

4. A literal door or openway formed by nature, as into a cave, or a pathway through briars.

5. A sudden change in elevation, drastic or not.

6. A light differential; into the shadow of foliage, or into a sunlit glade.

7. A change in terrain marking the demarcation between two areas, as stepping from a copse of tree into a field of flowers.

8. A notable landmark within sight, poking up over treetops or visible down in a valley.

9. A stretch of difficult terrain cutting off the way forward. A rushing river through a field, a rocky, thorn-covered incline. Nature interposing itself.

10. Two of the above, combined in an interesting way.

Hidden Doors

So on further contemplation on how I can better explain and demonstrate Implied Doors, I decided to change them to Hidden Doors, of which Implied Doors are a subsection along with Secret Doors. With, again, the caveat that we very much want players to find them.

The 'Secret Door' Approach

You already know what secret doors are, they’re in regular dungeons. Here they’re similar in concept, we’ll use similar ways to communicate knowledge of them, but they’ll be wildly different in execution. Remember, ‘door’ is figurative. These aren’t actual doors, these are player tempting devices. We’re tempting players to take a path, but the temptation is hidden, and it’s a lot less hidden than a normal dungeon where you have a 1 in 6 chance of noticing… IDK a crack in the wall or something. We’re not doing those kinds of lame secret doors. Caverns of Thracia has a great secret door on the very first level that consists of a patch of wall covered by plaster. Anyone who thinks, ‘I wonder what that plaster’s covering’ will find it. So with all that in mind, here’s some ways to think about ‘secret doors.’

Logic

Some doors are found through logic, or really, player skill. The players connect dots, poke around, and maybe they find a door. Examples for your outdoor dungeon might look like a draping of vines on a rock face, pulling them back reveals a cave.

Shared Knowledge

Some doors or pathways are known to certain people and not to others. Think of the players getting pre-knowledge from their village elder to take a turn when you see the brook, then go straight to the large willow tree. Or, negotiating with the outdoor dungeon residents to tell you where things are.

Luck

Sometimes it’s luck, or another way, think of the players having the right perspective at the right time. Something visible from a certain point of view, like the top of a seemingly random rock one of your players decided to climb. Or, the moon-flowers light a path to the forest guardian, but only under the ‘light’ of the new moon.

Specialized Skill

Outdoor dungeons can be a chance to let your rangers and druids to shine. Only the druid recognizes the signs pointing to the nearby druid circle. The ranger’s the first to pick up on subtle tracks or animal game trails.

d9 Secret Doors

1. The remains of an ancient path, noticed not by what’s there but by what’s missing in vegetation.

2. A waypoint, indicating to anyone in the know to travel due east once you arrive at the oasis.

3. A flash of color through the brush, standing out from the greens and browns of the forest, noticeable only from the midst of the old Standing Stones of Ononeau.

4. The road ahead strikes a sharp right, and a signpost with a solitary sign nailed to it points due east to ‘Wailahlia’ along the only path. Examining the sign reveals a discoloring and excess nail beneath the Wailahlia sign, hinting at the existence of another road once branching from this point.

5. The curious remains of a fallen tree shaped like a dragon’s head emerging from the ground, maw open. Those brave (or foolish) enough to investigate the open maw will find the entrance to an underground lair. Perhaps this is what the old saying meant, ‘Through the crucible of fire lies treasure unknown.’

6. “Follow the spiders, Harry.”

7. Anyeone knowledgeable of the Wanders of Placidity, religious philosophy of the ancient Wicoshi civiliziation, knows that the existence of three carved figures standing in a row signifies a library nearby.

8. Nothing is revealed in the material world, but anyone in-tune with the arcane notices the strong tide of mana, flowing southwest as if into a vaccuum.

9. Only during low-tide is the entrance to the Coral Caverns revealed.

The 'Implied Door' Approach

Implied Doors are probably the hardest to think about both conceptually and practically. They’re the most separated from what an actual door is, and they often aren’t expilcitly used and designed for in regular dungeons. So we're going to switch to the word 'path.'

To boil Implied Paths down to their basic concept, it’s this. There’s a room (area, zone, a place with things existing in it) over there. This isn’t some quantum or random generation thing, this is a pre-made dungeon. The room has established things in it. Those established things might have some effect on the room you’re in, or at least, because the rooms are next to each other or connected somehow there might be some signs of what’s in the next room, in your room. So, if there’s rushing water in the next room, you hear it. If the next room is a monster lair and the monster leaves spoor in adjacent rooms, you see it.

Following those signs can lead you to a room you previously did not know existed. Not because the way to the room is hidden like in a traditional dungeon (though this would be a great way to start introducing hidden rooms in your regular dungeons). Rather, because in an outdoor dungeon where you could go anywhere, this directs you towards the interesting places, as determined by the person picking up the signs. If you think the sign is interesting, you go towards where the sign is coming from and possibly get more of it. This loops back to the whole enticement thing.

So, Implied Doors refer to signs, symptoms, or traces of a different room, acting as a ‘door’ or 'path' by alerting to the room’s presence.

One of the best ways I’m finding to create Implied Doors is to engage the five senses, particularly senses beyond sight. Also, don’t forget to think magical, otherworldly, wonder. This is D&D after all.

Sight - Something in the other room you can see from where you are, like smoke signals, or something from the other room left in or coming into your room, like a herd of animals all running from one direction.

Smell - A pungent scent that seems to grow stronger traveling in one direction.

Sound - The sound of something in another room, rushing water, talking voicees, etc.

Touch - This one’s hard admittedly. Maybe the ground shuddering from seismic activity below or a giant’s approach.

Taste - …Yeah I’ve got nothing. First person to come up with one and post it in the comments wins.

d10 Implied Paths

1. A set of conspicuous tracks that lead off the wilderness trail.

2. Past the distant hill, a thin trail of smoke seen rising towards the sky.

3. The sound of music barely heard from behind the roaring waterfall.

4. You catch the faint scent of a woman’s perfume. In the middle of a forest.

5. A creature, running forward and then pausing to look back, as if beckoning you to follow.

6. The ringing sound of combat just out of sigh to your left.

7. That subtle, eerie feeling you get when something inside you senses that your life is in danger. It grows stronger in that direction.

8. A voice, calling the group over from a certain direction. Only one character hears it.

9. While fording a river, a wispy orb of light floats by, coming from upstream. Minutes later another. And another.

10. Any interesting landscape feature that makes a player wonder ‘what’s over there.’ A multitude of mossgrown rocks, a copse of trees everyone knows to avoid, or something glittering deep within a cave.

 

~

 

Hopefully all this clarified the word vomit  from the past few posts. This post somewhat delayed because I got a bit caught in the weeds of the outdoor dungeon I'm whipping up alongside this series. Cautiously excited about it, but right now I'm trying to figure out how people design such great-looking dungeon maps. Ah well. Next topic we'll probably be looking at the actual 'rooms' for outdoor dungeons.