I'd watch a video of someone with architectural experience analyzing these old dungeons and ranting about how impossible to construct and functionally useless they are for anything other than dungeon delving.
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And now I want to play Dwarf Fortress again.
In the back of the 2014 DMG is a set of tables for generating random dungeons. I thought it would be fun to see how that goes. After spending maybe 6 hours on it across a few days, the abomination I created ended up making DungeonScrawl crash in my browser and be unable to work on it further, but if it hadn't it probably would've ended up like roughly 1/4 of this.
1/10 do not recommend
D20srd.org has an automatic random dungeon creator. It's rarely sensible but even a rogue needs exceptional luck and several levels to make the detect and disarm checks that it comes up with. The monsters it populates the dungeon with are appropriate to the level you set
It creates a player's map and a GM version
Map doesn't make any sense. There is no structure or organization beyond "make a huge block of confusing, pointless rooms".
Maps are a part of telling a story. The story this DM is telling consists entirely of incoherent yelling and swearing.
The "Mad Mage", Halaster Blackcloak, is a specific character from the Forgotten Realms setting. "Undermountain" is a special place that he has surprising control over as it has been slowly created by him over the century/centuries, and its layout both isn't permanent and isn't there to serve any given group of people. Monsters and sentients sometimes move in, at their own risk.
The map as shown is meant to represent its existence at whatever point in time the adventuring party happens to arrive at. And Halaster keeps a remote eye on anyone of interest who turns up. GMs are encouraged to modify the presented material in whatever way suits their interests.
That Mad Mage just isn't making sense!
It's like a purposeful troll on a group with a persistent completionist mentality.
When (if) they catch on the DM can help expedite their routing.
Over half of that map looks absolutely miserable to do combat in, for both the GM and the players.
I once had an encounter happen inside a 3x3 grid room as a GM. It was awful. There was no room for anybody to be creative in. It was just a boring slogfest for over an hour
I've always wanted to play a MEGA-DUNGEON with a DM who wants to run one. I love to making a 2-3 level dungeon when I DM but I don't think I can do a MEGA ones.
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