Dungeon Art Thread

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That's about it for me; I don't have enough interiors, mostly just exteriors or entrances.

thank you, user

you're posting on the wrong board if you want good content

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Underwater levels are the cancer of dungeon design.

"underwater" doesn't mean a space that is below a water level, it means a place that is full of water

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Just to save time.

commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Le_Carceri_d'Invenzione

What's your point?
That map is both.

the dungeon is not filled with water

Yes it obviously is.

Obviously.

Care to explain what gives you that impression?

Physics and fluid dynamics, user....just look at how close to water level those stairwells are....just imagine how long it will take for the waves to fill that entire complex......and don't forget geology, gentle user! Geology tells us that the water will be seeping through the walls of that complex like through a sponge!
tl;dr - that, sir, is a submerged dungeon

realistically, it probably would flood, but the picture gives no indication that is actually is

look at thpse puddles, for instance, and theres nothing floating, no fish to be seen, etc

>but the picture gives no indication that is actually is
Then the artist is a MORON, senpai. THAT is a flooded dungeon, good sir.
But, so as not to derail further, have a dungeon pic...in fact, have the deadliest dungeon of them all!!

>theres nothing floating
Floating is what happens on the surface of water, not deep in the water already
>no fish
Probably listed under the numbers for the rooms or as random encounters, you don't draw the monsters or wildlife directly on the maps

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anyway, I think they just haven't been done right. There's a lot of stuff I want to make, including a good water dungeon, and other dungeons that have good water segments.

related pic

I see an ant hive, but can't quite make out a dungeon, senpai, desu.

>including a good water dungeon
Not saying it's impossible, but there's a lot of obstacles in your way. Not sure it's worth all the trouble honestly.

First you lose cool dungeon aesthetics like torches and pit traps.

Second you need magical sources of light and air which tends to exclude most low magic settings.

Third mobility in the dungeon is restricted since you can't really run, you just swim slowly or slightly faster.

Sound and sight function differently in deep water and if your players haven't experienced it themselves or don't intuitively understand this it will lead to incredible frustration as their expectations will be shattered over and over.

Fourth, combat is super weird since many weapons and spells work completely different (or not at all) underwater.

Fifth, the creatures you really want to feature that are super cool like megalodons or giant krakens or sea turtles probably don't fit.

And finally, the whole point of having undersea adventures is being able to utilize the third dimension. But regardless of how well you make such a place, it's ridiculously hard to translate such 3d maps to 2d tabletop or to roll20 or to describe perfectly and succinctly even if just using theater of the mind.

I'm guessing this is a tiny xcom map for ants.
Xcom 2 worked because high tech, underwater horror, and aliens all work together so well. Medieval fantasy is kind of a different animal altogether.

It's the Water Temple from OoT, but for ants.

>Not sure it's worth all the trouble honestly.

Novelty. Being the guy who did it. Finally having a good use for swim, waterbreathing, necklace of adaption, etc.

>First you lose cool dungeon aesthetics like torches and pit traps.

Torches are rarely used anyway. You need continual torches to light the dungeon, and every adventurer uses lanters, light spell, or sunrods, if not a continual flame or magic weapon, or just darkvision. You can just have non-fire lights, however, like sea lanterns in minecraft or just light spells every so often. As for pit traps, you can have traps that suck the water out of a room and drop you into a pit. You can have a trap that just closes a door behind you, so you eventually drown or starve.

>Second you need magical sources of light and air which tends to exclude most low magic settings.

Who cares about low-magic settings? But even so, a submerged cave would be interesting, having to hold you breath and navigate to find air spots, dunno about the light though.

>Third mobility in the dungeon is restricted since you can't really run, you just swim slowly or slightly faster.

Weighted down characters can walk/jump/climb around, just slowly. Nothing wrong with swimming, and those with swim speeds can run.

>Sound and sight function differently in deep water and if your players haven't experienced it themselves or don't intuitively understand this it will lead to incredible frustration as their expectations will be shattered over and over.

Never been scuba diving myself, but exploring different environments is part of adventuring. Poor baby explorers can't handle it?

>Fourth, combat is super weird since many weapons and spells work completely different (or not at all) underwater.

And? This makes things interesting. Piercing weapons are good, ranged/slashing/bludgeoning need help, fire magic is a spellcraft check to turn it into steam, I don't think they ever properly adressed electricity spells however. Freedom of movement if it's available, otherwise deal with the penalty or try grappling or something.

>Fifth, the creatures you really want to feature that are super cool like megalodons or giant krakens or sea turtles probably don't fit.

Yeah, the big ones are out unless it's a bigass dungeon. I like krakens and sea serpents; a sea serpent could fit like a snake in a hole, kraken would just have to be a smaller squid. Sea turtles are huge, I think, not so big. Sharks/octi/squids/crabs/eels/whatever come in many sizes.

>And finally, the whole point of having undersea adventures is being able to utilize the third dimension. But regardless of how well you make such a place, it's ridiculously hard to translate such 3d maps to 2d tabletop or to roll20 or to describe perfectly and succinctly even if just using theater of the mind.

Good dungeons should almost always have intricate/detailed 3rd dimensions, otherwise you're being lazy. Your players have balance/climb/jump/tumble/swim and they rarely get used. Spider climb, levitate, water breathing, fly, etc etc. It's hard, but it's worth it.

>Forbidden knowledge
That's a penis on the right.

There's a very good water-related level in LoZ: Twilight Princess. youtu.be/BTsgWepH3GY

The infamously difficult Water Temple from LoZ: OoT is discussed here: youtu.be/6LO8Z1DkDqc

A big part of what makes good water levels good are environmental puzzles utilizing the water. Seconding , your dungeons should already have you working in 3d to some extent. Abzu is a game almost entirely about navigating 3d space underwater and completing its very mild puzzles, so you could look to that for inspiration.

If you use it right, you can absolutely make an underwater scene very creepy, very isolated, or very full of life.

>But regardless of how well you make such a place, it's ridiculously hard to translate such 3d maps to 2d tabletop or to roll20 or to describe perfectly and succinctly even if just using theater of the mind.
This is a fair point. Even describing caverns with changes of elevation & inclines & changes in ceiling height, true oddly shaped three dimensional spaces are difficult to translate into normal gaming sessions.