Ever heard the term “dungeon crawl” and wondered what it really means? It’s a broadly applied term that’s been tossed around since the early 70’s, and not only in reference to TTRPGs like D&D. Dungeon crawls are the central element in RPG-related works across a wide variety of mediums, from video games to board games, and (as Dungeon Crawler Carl fans might know) even from novel to film. But what is at the center of this longstanding subgenre, and what makes it different from your average dungeon?
On paper, the dungeon crawl is a labyrinthine dungeon filled with various traps, puzzles, wandering monsters, and loot. If that seems kind of boilerplate, it’s because in many ways, it is. The dungeon crawl is a framework for DMs to build a dungeon that is both fun to play and narratively satisfying. Looking back, older modules and rulesets reveal how the perspective on narrative has slowly shifted away from singularly focused, episodic dungeon-spelunking adventures built on clever twists of fantasy tropes into world-threatening LoTR-esque campaigns driven by deeply personal, unique characters.
While worldbuilding is the art of the modern DM, lessons from the old-school days show us that game design is just as much part of a good RPG as anything else. On the surface, the dungeon crawl may appear to be a simple template for building dungeon maps, but in practice, it’s a framework that provides a central narrative for exploring the dungeon itself. A guiding principle that promises to upgrade your dungeons on the foundational level upon which they are built.
But to lay a strong foundation, you first need quality tools. If you’re looking to build your first dungeon crawl, look no further than the tools provided on Dungeon Scrawl. Whether starting with a blank canvas, revamping an old dungeon, or getting a head start using an integrated Plugin, dungeon-crawl design principles are always the same.
Start With a 5 Room Dungeon
A dungeon crawl can be of any size, though typically, they’re long enough that the party will need to take at least one short rest before it's over. A common practice when designing a dungeon crawl is to use the 5 Room Dungeon method, developed by veteran GM Johnn Four in 2007. In a series of blog posts, Johnn Four revolutionized how GMs approach dungeon design, introducing a format that not only laid out gameplay features from room to room but outlined the necessary story beats every dungeon should aim to achieve.
The 5 Room Dungeon
- Room 1: Entrance and Guardian
- Room 2: Puzzle and Roleplay
- Room 3: Setback or Trick
- Room 4: Climax, Big Battle, or Conflict
- Room 5: Reward, Revelation, or Plot Twist
Applying this method to your dungeon design informs the layout of the dungeon itself before a single line is drawn. Whether you’re setting out to design an isometric work of art, finely detailed down to every individual tile, or a more minimalistic map decorated with only a few pertinent icons, most DMs find this method to be a reliable trick to designing a dungeon that won’t let your players down.
If you’re starting with a blank canvas on Dungeon Scrawl, start by laying out your “Room 1”. Envision how the entrance will foreshadow the themes of the dungeon itself, and perhaps more importantly, how your players will encounter its guardian. From there, draft up four attached rooms, with hallways, back routes, and secret entrances in between. If you’d prefer to work from a pre-generated layout so you can dive into the fine-tuning, Plugins allow users to import maps from both Watabou and Donjon with just a click of a button, so you can spend more time decorating each room with gameplay elements and less time on layout.
The real value in the 5 Room Dungeon method lies in how it gradually exposes players to each type of gameplay element, leaving no stone unturned before they complete the dungeon. In Room 1, players encounter a monster somehow connected to the dungeon, in Room 2, the dungeon forces players to use their minds and their hearts, in Room 3, the dungeon shows how the world reacts to your choices, in Room 4, the dungeon thrusts players into a boss battle, and in Room 5, players enjoy everyones favorite part of any adventure, the payoff.
The key to understanding this method? “5 Rooms” is just a name. Use this guiding principle to design each floor of your dungeon, or even just as a framework to apply throughout your design process, moving section by section as you link 5 Room Dungeons together. The principles of “Entrance and Guardian” to “Reward, Revelation or Plot Twist” are widely applicable to many contexts and can even serve as a guideline for developing larger overarching narratives.
Resource Drain & Loot
This is where the crawl comes in. The dungeon crawl isn’t all doom and gloom, but without a little bit of a grind, it won’t stand out in players' memories as much more than a simple encounter. In general, a dungeon should be a good time for everyone at the table, and while that does include your players, it’s also good to set the expectation: dungeon crawls are not intended for the faint of heart. For the gamers amongst us, the dungeon crawl is almost a souls-like TTRPG scenario. Your journey is one of nonstop grinding against mutated monsters and tortured souls, marked by the occasional and much-needed resting point.
Fortunately for your players, the promise of great riches awaits them deeper into the dungeon. While dungeon crawls can be painful, just as much as they are known for their grind, they’re known for their loot. Ideally, each room should take resources from at least one party member. In a party of four, say a Sorcerer, Fighter, Rogue, and Bard, a good dungeon crawl will call upon each character to use their abilities to game-changing effect. By the third room, the Fighter might have expended their resources battling the guardian, the Sorcerer might have expended some spell slots deceiving hostile NPCs, the Rogue might have lost their thieves' tools to a mimic disguised as a treasure chest, and the Bard might have used their strength to bolster their allies along the way. To reward them for their individual resource spend, by the time players leave the dungeon, each character should be gifted with loot that speaks to their abilities.
While the 5 Room Dungeon won’t lead you wrong, make sure to include some safe zones in between locations to give your players a chance to recoup some of their resources. Between combat, traps, and puzzles, sooner than you think, your players will be looking for some respite. Unfortunately for your players, something far more sinister is looking for them…
Wandering Monsters & Random Events
Almost every dungeon has pre-determined encounters, with villains and monsters designated to specific rooms, waiting patiently for the party to wander into their territory. For boss fights, the static position of this encounter makes sense because having the strongest monster in the adventure seek the players out while they’re taking a short rest would feel a little unfair. However, the same isn’t true for the average monster. Dungeon crawls are not defined as “adventure zones” but as living environments that serve as a home to native or invasive creatures, who will pay no regard to your downtime or intended path of exploration. In dungeon crawls, monsters will find the players, whether they’re ready for them or not. This is a consequence of one of the dungeon crawl's most central features, dungeon turns.
Dungeon Turns
The dungeon changes over time to reflect the habits and behaviors of its inhabitants. At every stage, monsters should move throughout the map, stalking hallways and exploring the dungeon one room at a time.
To keep an air of mystery around what wandering monster may be around the corner, experiment with Connect with Roll20, which allows you to unlock all the tools of your favorite VTT in conjunction with your Dungeon Scrawl design. If you’re playing online, use tools like Roll20’s Fog of War to obscure the map in custom-defined areas and keep the players guessing what lies around the corner. Or, if you’re playing in person, check out Dungeon Scrawl’s Send to Tabletop and Fog of War to obscure and reveal the map in real time while you cast to a TV or monitor.
The important thing is to keep your players on their toes, never able to get their bearings before the dungeon takes another turn. Dungeon crawls are intense encounters, designed to play on player psychology just as much as their combat prowess.
Dungeon Crawl Meets Dungeon Scrawl
Dungeon Scrawl tools take inspiration from the days of old school map design, paying homage to the same principles that led to the creation of the 5 Room Dungeon and the dungeon crawl itself (Hint: it’s in the name). Dungeon Scrawl’s advanced tools, like Unlimited Cloud Library, Autosave, and High-Res Export tools, give you even more ways to create epic Dungeon Crawl maps for your in-person or online games.
Eager to get started? Try out Dungeon Scrawl today and explore its many tools. From Free Isometric Maps to Pro Lighting effects, your dungeon crawl will be a defining adventure for your next campaign.