Dungeon World: Dark Heart of the Wood, a dungeon engine

The Dark Heart is somewhere in the forest. Every great arcane event in history has touched on it and one of them likely created it. The scholars argue about the Dark Heart’s origins and in the general order of the events.

The adventures begin mid-level, food is running low, a few torches are left. They were hired by a small treasure town between  the forest and the nearest duchy to find a group of younglings who fancied themselves delvers, heads filled with stories of gold and glory. These kids had no place entering the Dark Heart. They should have known their place, ransacked a broken wizard’s tower with a troll squatter or tried to kick a ghoul around in the barrow downs. They are in this mess somewhere. You get more money if they are alive but the townsfolk will understand if you bring back bodies to be interred in the family plots.

When you want to know something about the level of the dungeon the players are on, roll 1d6, note the result on Table 1 and then roll another 1d6 and note that seperate result on Table 1 in order to find out which events collided here. Those are the two arcane events that had the greatest obvious effect on this level. If you need more descriptors for rooms, see Tables 2 and 2A. If you need inspiration for Independent Agents, see Table 1A.

Table 1: Arcane Events (roll 1d6)

1. Wizarding Wars
2. Silver Incursion
3. Drow Exodus
4. Modron March
5. Blood Wars
6. Independent Agents

Note: What if I roll the same thing twice? If it is something that interests you, keep it and go with it. This level was untouched by other events or at least the others who came through decided to haul ass. If it is a result you are lukewarm on, roll again or pick your favorite.

1) Wizarding Wars: When humanity first summoned elements and powers from beyond and used this newfound power to make childish war on one another.

2) Silver Incursion: When the Corpse-Queen’s forces tried to take our world as a colony.

3) Drow Exodus: When half of the elves under the sun ventured under the ground to worship a Queen of the Demon-Web Pits.

4) Modron March: The Modrons marched through this plane, scholars still argue about what their great mathematical trans-planar migration meant.

5) Blood Wars: Where Demons and Devils made war on one another.

6) Independent Agents: All manner of other beasts, monsters and such have made their homes in the Dark Heart.

Table 1A: Independent Agents (roll 2d6)

2. Goblin Horde
3. Giant Spiders
4. Illithid
5. Chaos Monk Hunting Party
6. Demi-God
7. Adventurers
8. Death Knight
9. Vampire
10. Gnoll Pack
11. Liche
12. Death Slaad

Inspirations

• On this level, the <roll on Table 1A> are/is feuding with the <roll on Table 1A>/<remnant from Table 1>.
• On this level, the <roll on Table 1A> is trying to find an artifact left behind from the <roll on Table 1>.
• On this level, the <roll on Table 1A>  is desperate and afraid because of the remnant from the <roll on Table 1> they recently encountered.

Table 2:  Room Ideas (roll 2d6)

2. Summoning Room
3. Tomb
4. Barracks
5. Prison
6. Holy Site
7. Library
8. Monument to an Event
9. Monster’s Lair
10. Reflecting Pool
11. Food Storage or Farm of some kind
12. Something Alien

Inspirations

It looks like a <roll on Table 2> but actually it is a <roll on Table 2>.

It looks like a <roll on Table 2> but actually it is a TRAP!

Table 2A: Dungeon-y Words (roll 1d6)

1. Cyclopean
2. Broken
3. Untouched
4. Befouled
5. Ransacked
6. Still in use

Inspirations:

• Dungeon World
• World of Dungeons
• Malcolm’s delving fiction – The Crawl, the Depths.
• Jack Vance
• The Hammer and the Blade by Paul S. Kemp
• And of course, Dungeons & Dragons

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