DungeonMorphs: Cities Descriptions 1i, 2i, & 3i

A few months ago we released a book of encounter ideas for each of the new DungeonMorphs.  This post is the first of a series which goes back to our prior designs and adds ideas for each of them. These are shorter than those in the book, but they should give you something to get started. As always, change these up and/or add to them as much as needed to fit your campaign.

Note: Each die is given a letter code. These designs go with the “i” die, for sides 1, 2, & 3. See the image for small versions of the actual designs.

1i

• The large building with several expansions in the center bottom section was a large house, but it has become a tavern. Larissa & Owen bought the house with the idea of clearing out the first floor as a dining room.  As it became more successful, they enclosed a patio area for more year-round seating.  The windows can be removed when it is warm enough. Upstairs is their room and one for their children.  Although they don’t run an inn, a third room is available for rent.
• The well just below where the 5 roads meet is a source of several possible plots: perhaps it is a good meeting place for the locals; the PCs might bump into someone important for their next quest; the well could be going dry or poisoned; or a creature may be coming up out of the well at night.
• The top left large “L” shaped building is a workshop for a local artisan, Sven Arklyn.  It was recently robbed and the owner is desperate for someone to look into the crime.

2i

• The large mansion is the home to a retired high level leader named Belinda Mason (a senator or king’s advisor, depending on what fits your campaign). Dignitaries still come to see her to ask for advice and hope for an endorsement. The mansion is still a working processor of rare spices grown nearby.
• The statue is the king or founder of the country. If the staff he is holding is lifted, the statue can be pushed in a circular manor. (A pivot point and the staff locked it in place.)  A ladder leads down. A lever below will reset the statue and staff as well as open it below if needed.
• Most of the other buildings are owned by the estate. The workers are allowed to live in them, in exchange for a portion of their pay. Most feel well-treated and enjoy their work, but a few know Belinda and her family are harboring a secret.

3i

• This area of town is rather run-down.  Most of the buildings are small public housing. The prior town council built them to get the homeless off the streets. But the town’s economy didn’t keep up and now there are far too many people in each building.  (Every resident who got assigned a building had a few relatives who needed a place to stay.) The few larger buildings were in this part of town before the public housing was built.  Once things started going downhill, those residents moved out and now the larger buildings were boarded up, but homeless–and perhaps worse–live in them anyway.
• As an alternative to the first idea, many of these buildings are cookie cutter two-story homes with the same floor plans. The lower floor is a kitchen/dining area and upstairs is a common bedroom.
• The cul-de-sac has a covered manhole in the center.  It leads down to the sewers. One of the residents here uses it to commit burglaries throughout town.