OK, Long story short my group is having scheduling problems and I am a little burnt being GM. So in response I devised a self generating dungeon where anyone can GM without prep time and also includes a system of alternating GMs.
Anyways, there are 20 levels to the dungeon and each level has traps of CR equal to the level they are on; for instance Level 3 of the dungeon would have CR3 traps in it.
I have taken the lists found on both the www.d20pfsrdand www.d20pfsrd however they both start to dry up in their selection of traps after CR 10 and the PF site only has 1 trap per CR of CRs 11 through 20. I really want there to be more of a selection when the group gets down to those levels because it should be fun for the current GM at the time as well as the players.
So I am putting out a plead for everyone to make suggestions for high level traps of CRs 11 through 20. If you do make a suggestion please include the following.
CR
DC to disarm the trap
What sets off the trap
Trap effects
Does the trap reset?
anything else you feel is needed.
Down Below is how my game is going to run. Two of my players are already excited about giving this a try and are both on board. Note: you don't have to read the following it is just there if you want to know more.
Pathfinder
Dungeon Quest Style
The Story Plot:
Your group has entered the fabled Dungeon of Death on Terrafumus. This dungeon is said to hold treasures beyond measure but not without a price. There is a curse on this dungeon and whomever kills inside it’s corridors is doomed to remain in the dungeon unless the evil king on the 20th level dungeon is killed and the treasure taken, your group has already killed monsters before you realized this. The halls and corridors of this dungeon are not only highly cursed but also highly magical. Every time a group of adventures go down one level, the maze of that dungeon level is always different from when another group of adventures go down onto the same level. The dungeon is alive and if something dies in the dungeon then the dungeon eventually eats that being. Lastly long ago a high level Artificer, Mage, and Oracle managed not to kill on the first level of the dungeon an altered the magic of the dungeon to set up shop. These shops can sometimes be found on any level and allows the adventures trapped in the dungeon to purchase or sell anything they want. The Dungeon allows the trio to do their business because the higher the level of the adventures it eats the more tastier and filling they are.Basic Premise of the Game:
This campaign is designed to run with no prep-work and uses randomizing methods to generate how the campaign grows. The plot of the adventure is a simple dungeon crawl in a dungeon with 20 levels and the only way to get out of the dungeon is for a group to defeat the final boss on the 20th level. The game is designed for anyone to be able be the dungeon master without the need for any prior experience. Lastly the game is designed to be very deadly and thus expect to create new characters on a regular basis.Rules of the Game
Dungeon Levels:
Each dungeon level is filled with dangerous encounters represented by their challenge rating. For example, dungeon level three would contain mostly monsters and traps with a challenge rating of level three or dungeon level four would contain challenges with a rating of four only, however there will be some exceptions. The dungeon and it’s encounters are for the most part random but it also allows the current Game Master to make some choices on the fly with little effort on his part. The dungeon can sometimes be lit by torches on the walls but sometimes there are no torches and the PCs must provide their own light. Lastly once a group goes down a dungeon level they cannot head back to the prior level.Dungeon Mapping:
Each dungeon level is randomly generated by the current Game Master by pulling a random dungeon tile from the board game Dungeon Quest. This is then drawn out on the flip map by the Game Master however if the map for a current level starts to go off the grid then it is the player’s responsibility to map where they have been so that the map may be redrawn at a later time by the players. The Dungeon Master does not have to adhere to the arrow system from Dungeon Quest tiles and may use them in any rotation he desires.Dungeon Quest Tiles
Almost each dungeon tile requires a pull of a dungeon card however each tile often comes challenges of it’s own. The GM does not have to reveal the tile drawn or unless he wants to reveal what he picked randomly. Each tile is drawn blindly.Corridors, Dead Ends, & Four Way: These tiles have nothing special except for how they are drawn and that the GM always pulls a dungeon card for an encounter in these areas.
Door & Portcullis: If a dungeon tile is picked and there is a door or portcullis then there is strength check DC 12 + Dungeon Level to open or pick the lock if locked. Additionally, such pathways have a 10% chance times dungeon level to be booby trapped.
Catacomb Entrance: These lead down to the next level but a dungeon card is still pulled.
Web Rooms: These rooms are filled with sticky webs and have a strength of DC 12 + half of the dungeon level to break. in However burning takes 1 minute per dungeon level to destroy. Any disturbance of the web has a 50% chance to cause whatever created the web to show up an attack the party with a CR that is appropriate for the level, only creatures or being capable of creating a web show up.
Pit, Chasm and Narrow Walkway: These tiles can lead a way down to the next level however each next level is 10 feet times the current level the PCs are currently on so if they fall down then they take falling damage, however chasms are 3 times this distance. If a character falls down in these areas and survive, they find themselves on the next level or on the next two levels down if a chasm.
Example, on level 3 the distance to the next level would be 30 feat if they fall from a pit or narrow walkway but a chasm would have a distance of 90 feet and if they survive would be on the 5th level.
A character that falls must face a dungeon card. The character can be pulled up via a rope or the PCs that did not fall can descend down the hole. If the PC that fell leave the room he is in then the hole closes for him permanently and if all PCs go down to the same level the hole closes up foe everyone permanently. The DC to cross a narrow pathway is 10 plus the level of the dungeon and the GM may rationalize what this is.Trap Rooms: The GM looks up on the pathfinder charts and picks a trap that is appropriate for the dungeon level which is a CR times the level of the dungeon or less. These rooms do not pull the dungeon card.
Rotating Rooms: These rooms will sometimes automatically rotate or will require activation according to the GM’s whims. If activation is required then it may have a 50% chance of being trapped. These rooms also require the pull of a dungeon card.
Dungeon Encounters:
Each time a dungeon tile is picked and drawn out by the current game master he then also draws a dungeon card from the board game Dungeon Quest. Each dungeon card tells the GM generally what will be encountered in a certain area but the GM gets to pick exactly what will be encountered via the following list.Dungeon Quest Dungeon Cards
Almost each dungeon tile requires a pull of a dungeon card board game Dungeon Quest however the cards are interpreted differently in this game. Before a card is drawn for a room the GM must roll percentile dice to determine if a shop is found in that room. There can only be two shops per level and they might be the same type of shop, see Magic Shops and Altars for more details.Empty Rooms and cleared Rooms: These rooms are generally safe to rest in however each hour resting there is a 2% chance times the dungeon level for a random monster encounter to show up and attack the party.
Dead Adventurer: If this card is pulled then that room is like an empty room however each hour resting there is a 4% chance times the dungeon level for a random monster encounter to show up and attack the party.
Catacomb Entrance: If this card is pulled then a way down to the next level is revealed. The GM is allowed to determine what form of the entrance that may take but it must not harm the PCs.
Monster Encounter: If this card is pulled then the current GM looks up the CR chart equal to the level that the PCs are currently on. The number appearing however must be rolled by the GM according to the stat blocks. If the monsters have treasure then it must be dolled out if the PCs win the encounter along with XP.
Threat: If this card is pulled then the current GM uses creatures with same CR equal plus two, so if they are on level three they encounter a CR 5 monster(s) threat. The number appearing however must be rolled by the GM according to the stat blocks. If the monsters have treasure then it must be dolled out if the PCs win the encounter.
Trap: If this card is picked then the GM chooses a trap of CR equal to the level the PCs are on or lower.
Loot: If this card is picked then the PCs discover a treasure. The GM then picks a card from the Dungeon Quest treasure cards. If the card is gold then a treasure chest is filled with that gold. If the card is an item then the GM randomly chooses an item from either the Core Rules or APG.
Magic Shops and Altars
There is a cumulative 5% chance to find a magic shop or altar on any given dungeon. If one of these places are discovered then there is a 1-50% chance to find a magic shop and a 51-100% chance to find an altar. Only two places as these may be found per level and they maybe of the same type. Note: the people who run these shops cannot leave them to access all levels because they would just end up on level 1. They will never kill anything here because then they would be subject to the curse.Magic Shops:
The PCs may sell or buy any item found in the Core Rules book or in the Advanced Player’s Guide book. The Merchant there is an Artificer by the name of Gus Ricinbracher and he has a 18 skill score for “Profession: Trader” if the PCs want to haggle; for better or worse. Only one roll may be made. Gus, while he drives a hard bargain has nothing but the best. He also offers customers custom made items but at a 150% markup price.Also at this shop is Samantha Ricinbracher who is a high level wizard and is Gus’s wife and she sells spell books and scrolls. Like her husband she has a 18 skill in score in “Profession: Trader”. However, while she drives a hard bargain she offers ever spell found in Core Rules book or in the Advanced Player’s Guide book, she can also enchant people at 20th caster level and she can remove curses and some other effects all for a reasonable price however.
Altars of Faiths:
Along with the Ricinbracher couple, came an oracle by the name of Bernard one of the rare Oracles of Faiths inflicted by every single oracle curse because they channel every single pantheon. All of Oracles of Faiths are unique because un-like other oracles they have access to all the priest spells but can still can cast spontaneously. Bernard has set up magical altars that appear almost everywhere in the dungeon. He will heal, raise dead, resurrect, or enchant as a 20th level priest as long as the PC’s make generous donations to the “Diamond in the Rough Orphan” relief fund. Warning he is a little crazy and never seems to have the same personality twice in a row otherwise he is pretty nice guy for someone who is blind, deaf, lame, wasting away, tongue tied and haunted. (Note: Oracles of the Faith can never be played by PCs on the world Terrafumus)PC Death and the Game Master:
The job of the game master is to make the dungeon as deadly as possible within the rules. The dungeon feeds on PCs and that is how it maintains it’s existence. The GM in a sense is the dungeon and it is the dungeon that controls all the monsters, traps and it’s construction. If a PC is killed then over a period of one hour he disappears after which point he/she is digested by the dungeon, gear is left behind. However, if the group found that PC to be useful they might want to raise or resurrect that PC before the hour is up thus avoiding becoming the dungeon’s new meal, but only if it is in the means of the PCs or they have enough funds to donate at an Altar of Faith to Bernard.If a PC gets eaten then that player must then assume the role of the GM. The old GM becomes a player and prepares or uses a prepared character who is of the same level as the average of the party or the equivalent of the level they are on, whichever is higher. He will be equipped with gear equal to twice the character wealth for a character of that level. This new character will always join up with the group as if this character is the last survivor of his own group. This new character will meet the group with less then half of his original HP to represent that he has been fighting for his life.
Note: If more than one PC is killed and digested then the first one to be killed then the first one to die is the one who becomes the next GM.