#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 1, Room 10

 Up from Room #8 and across from Room #9 is Room #10.

It appears to be of the same dimensions as the previous rooms 5 through 9. 

Virgil Finlay

Once the room is entered, a group of semi-human Phantoms appears.

The Phantoms can not attack, but a failed saving throw vs. Spells will cause anyone to run out of the room in fear. Once out of the room the fear effect dissipates.

They have 1-1 HD and 1 hp. Magic weapons are required to hit. There are 10 and their AC is 9.

The phantoms can be Turned by a cleric. A bless or dispel evil spell will also destroy them. The entire group is effected by these magics.

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 1, Room 9

This appears to be another empty room.   

Magic using characters feel a greater unease here.

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A detect magic or similar magic will reveal a small hand-sized portal at about 3 ft off the ground near the middle of the room.  Sticking any mundane item through will cause it to disappear as if stuck into a hole. Pulling it out will have it reappear with no damage.  

If a character puts a hand or arm through the will feel warm breezes (like a summer's day). They can pull their hand out again with no problems.

If the characters keep doing this then the 5th time a hand moves through the portal, something will grab it. A combined strength score of 25 is needed to pull the character free.

The character in question will have a bruise on their wrist from whatever grabbed them.

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 1, Room 8

 Across the grand hall from room 7.

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This room is also empty.

I figure many of these rooms on level 1 will be empty. As the magic gets greater, there will be more and more encounters.

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 1, Room 7

 Across the grand hall down from room 5.

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This room is empty.

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 1, Room 6

Level 1, Room 6: Giant Rats

Ten feet ahead from the bottom of the stairs (across from Room 5), there is another small room (inset 5 feet, 20 x 20 feet, no door, same as Room 5).

Inside this room are two giant rats.

The Dictionnaire Infernal, 1863

They are hungry and will attack on sight. They are already aware of the party (their hearing is keen) and cannot be surprised.

Their treasure consists of a few copper cups (1d4+2) they have found worth 1d6 CP each.

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For monster stats, I will defer to whatever game you are using with this, though giant rats have the least amount of differences of all the monsters in all editions of D&D.

The notion here is to ease the players (and characters) into this dungeon and figure out why something is where it is. Rats are easy. They are everywhere.

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 1, Room 5

Level 1, Room 5: Empty Room

Ten feet ahead and to the right, there is an open doorway.

It is difficult to say what this room was for. It is now completely empty. The carvings on the walls appear dwarvish, but they are too worn and too old to determine what they say.  Some have even been scratched out.

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Careful inspection of the dwarven runes by anyone that can speak dwarven will reveal it is a protection sigil.  But protection from what is not clear.

At this point any magic using characters (magic-users, elves, gnomes, witches, warlocks, bards) should make a save vs. Spells.  Success means they feel fine. A fail means they have a growing sense of unease.

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 1, Room 4

Level 1, Room 4: Secret Doors

To either side (left or right) at the foot of the stairs are two secret doors.  These are the guard rooms for when this area was for students. They had normally been kept open, and the guards more relaxed. Now centuries later, they are disused.

The rooms are empty save for normal-sized spiders and rats. Any treasure has long since been looted.

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 1, Room 3

Level 1, Room 3: The Grand Hall

At the foot of the stairs is a wide (30') hall that extends an unknown distance off into the darkness.  There are doorways on either side.  A slight, foul-smelling breeze hits you in the face.

The PCs will have no way of knowing this but this was the grand hall for the training of young dwarven mages. The rooms off to either sides were workshops.  The area is permitted with strange magics. From the time of the ancient wizards, to the larger dwarves and then to the rogues and bandits that explored here before the arrival of the Vampire Queen.

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 1, Room 2

Let's keep going.

Level 1, Room 2: The Stairs

The only structure left standing here is the opening to a set of stone stairs going down.

Photo by Ravi Kant from Pexels

There are 21 steps leading down.  

The 13th stairstep is trapped. If any one heavier than a small dog steps on it the stairs fold down into a ramp and everyone on the stair slides down to the first level taking 1d4 damage.

It can be located and disabled by a thief. (25 xp)

#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 1, Room 1

Her Dark Mistress, Darlessa, Vampire Queen

Ok. Let's do this.

For 2023 I have a lot going on. So what is one more thing?  I am going to be participating in the #Dungeon23 challenge.  

It is my homage to the dungeons of old and to some of my favorite monsters.

Tomb of the Vampire Queen

I will be providing more details as this goes on.  But here are the important parts for today.

This megadungeon was designed as the stronghold for Darlessa the Vampire Queen and her hordes.  After her death, her acolytes placed her body in the lowest part of her stronghold to protect her.

The tomb has the following features.

1. It was built under the ruins of a great citadel of wizards. Magical energies still flow through it.
2. Darlessa's clan of enslaved dwarves dug deep into already occurring natural caverns and dungeons to expand her base.
3. The site sits on the confluence of many ley lines and "witch ways."  So monsters wander in from different dimensions, worlds and planes, but can not as easily get out.

I will do this for B/X era (circa 1981-82) D&D. So OSE and Labyrinth Lord will also work. I will fill in more details and even try to put my meager map-making skills to the test.

Level 1, Room 1

The ground floor of the ancient Citadel of Wizards.  This golden archway still stands though the walls around it are long since gone. The runes are unreadable due to fire and age. Passing through the archway gives the characters a sense of unease.  The Morale of hirelings and henchmen is reduced by 2 points.

Before you are remains of the ancient keep of the Citadel. It's basalt walls still stand. Visible in the open doorway (10' wide, 20' tall) is a staircase leading down.

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Let's see where this takes us!