Dreamlands

Dreamlands are interesting to explore in many settings. In my fantasy game characters would occasionally enter dreamlands of a ruin they explored making it seem pristine or in the past. A world inside a painting or a strange manor place. Dreamlands can be chaotic places that spawn strange creatures or nightmare monsters. You can enter dreamlands that are echoes of a lost mythic past or prehuman times. You could enter the collective dream of a kingdom or place. Meditation, those born with talent or drugs are used most frequently. Magic may allow goods and creatures to pass through releasing magic and demons into the world. There is a bit of this style going at Through Ultan's Door and a few retroclone products.

Other settings like modern or SF have their place also and Call of Cthulhu has HPL's Dreamlands but there are lots of opportunities in horror for other dreamlands. Visiting Mars and then contacting the ancient martian prehuman dreamlands and even their god. Flashbacks to past disasters or warp accidents might affect the waking world. Robert Holdstock Mythago woods is a good example of an sf mechanic of a dreamlike reality of ancient myths and modern humans who deal with it. WW1 nomans land as a dreamland with haunting effects for poor bastards caught inside. Wizards might travel to and through these worlds. A dreamland might operate like cyberspace or shaman trips to the spirit world.

I've used dreamlands encounter in sf Horror and superhero games. Several characters had dreamlands based abilities like a pocket nightmare kingdom populated by imps or another who conjured animals and fire and things but they came from another dimension. When he went there it was the start of him getting dreamlands powers and conjuring nightmare monsters from enemies dreams.

The overlap of the dreamland might vary triggering minor phenomena, supernatural events or encounters. Might be interesting. The hyper reality of both might disrupt mobile phones and signals or make people vanish temporarily. Ghost like haunting effects might increase also and possibly won't be recorded on cameras. Stranger Things upside down world might be a nightmare world. Robert Holdstock Mythago Woods series is great with a machine to simulate human interaction with the other world. Faerie stories might have similar properties. Even echoes of hell or other planes might be possible through dreamlands.

The intruding reality has a kind of super intelligence but not a human one. There are patterns within that behave like intelligent beings but actually are trapped in loops of limited behaviour. Death is not a problem in such a world as you might return again but will be part of the dream reality or just awaken. Some extraordinary intelligence wants to break through to the waking world and create or occupy a body. It might be possible to create things and bring them back for an experienced wizard.

Cyclopedia and later dnd had mention of nightmare land in several monster descriptions and in the illusionist school in Glantri lets mighty illusionists just move to dreamlands to create their own reality and create dream monsters. So in old basic dnd has hints of a nightmare land of monsters with reality warping weirdness that is much stranger than Ravenloft but it could overlap. You could do a weird dnd modern and mythic reality setting using this stuff.

There are many dreamlands many nightmare lands. Like All have the illusion of being complete universes fully populated mostly form as needed. Time doesn't flow the same here either but past civilisations or eras might still exist. It is a good alternative to time travel or gates. Sometimes the waking world and other worlds are overlapping allowing strange things to enter the world, unreal phenomena or cosmetic changes in the area. Some haunted houses might be especially affected. Certain places might let you interact with dream versions of gods (use deities and demigods stats right so you can kill that form). Temples might also overlap with dreamland or graveyards.

Will try to formalise a bunch of this into some mechanics

Dreamlands - borders with waking world, bright faerieland, giantland, positive material plane, arcadia. paradise, heavens. Worlds are fanciful, whimsical, mythic, heroic

Nightmare kingdom - borders with waking world, shadow plane, dark faerieland, negative plane, the void, underworld, hell, abyss. Worlds are desolate, dystopian, horrible, in decay  

I have a bunch of dream spells in my setting but a few extra ones might be handy. I really like the ideas in Glantri sourcebook for basic dnd on dream magic too.

d12 Common Intruding Dream Realities
1 Faerieland bright or dark
2 Giant Land
3 Arcadia
4 Abyss
5 Hell
6 Outer void
7 Shadow world
8 Spiritworld
9 Cloud Land
10 Underworld
11 Mythic Epoch
12 Primordial Past

d12 Gateways Locations
1 Mirror
2 Wardrobe
3 Doorway
4 Crack in a rock you can squeeze through
5 Hole in a wall
6 Well
7 Haunted house or ruin
8 A crumbling old archway
9 Between trees or branches
10 Barrel or container
11 Between stone pillars
12 Under the surface of water from lake to puddle

d12 Signs
1 Locals saw strange creatures
2 Stories of a hero killing a monster
3 Stories of creature chasing someone
4 Stories of someone fleeing haunted place
5 Locals say beware strange voices
6 Lights seen from here once
7 Horrible massacre was here once
8 Burial ground or temple here once
9 Cult used to visit here till exposed
10 Great tragedy happened here
11 Some primordial being strode here once
12 Children in area know a creepy rhyme about strange sightings

d6 World Link
1 Worlds separate unless ritual performed
2 Worlds separate unless planar entity has been here recently
3 Sleeping, meditating or abusing drugs here opens the veil
4 Worlds subtly overlap, certain stars make links stronger
5 Worlds frequently cross over allowing passage to another world
6 Gate open freely but changes where it links to

Faerielands have thriving life, magic animals, faerie folk might be present, everything glistens, dark faerie favour fungus and darkness and ore creepy. Vegetation, magic animals and servitors are encounter first like sprites or goblins or birds. Elves are the most militant defenders and frequently enslave humans coming here

Giantlands is the mythic dreamworld of the giants with fuses into the infinite ruins of a sprawling giant city. Humanoids and orcs come to plunder these places for magic and secrets but some wizards and human giant worshippers might come too. Ruins and creeping vine begin to over take it too. Includes area of the great fallen troll civilisation before the mindless cancerous man eaters we know now

Arcadia is a mythical abundant wilderness with plenty of food and wine for all, vines and vegetation appear first like grapevines then nymphs, satyrs and centaurs and magic animals appear even revellers in praise of certain pleasure gods. Minor nature divinities and animal spirits live here in between incarnations. The ruins of the tower of heaven are remaining on some planes of arcadia

Abyssal planes vary but most are harsh, unpleasant and difficult to survive on. Toxic odours take over and scream and explosions and storms can be heard. Each fragment of the abyss is a leftover fragment from creation occupied by demons eager to have land and power and dominion here. Some evil wizards and chaos champions might hold one for a demon who holds many. Demons keen to torment and abuse dwell here but some are mindless. They enjoy contact with the world for real or through dreams. Mostly they are concerned with own power and cruelty but some do mercenary work for hell like getting escapees or those avoiding death.

Hell is a series of linked planes a great prison where gods decree sinners go to be tormented and possibly might rise to become devils. Demons are failed unlawful devils who cannot abide by rules. Devils have treaties with demons and angels and devas and archons. A hellish stench comes through first with imps and damned souls moaning to follow. Hell houses, in particular, have diabolic decor that becomes more extreme and animated.

Outer Void is a universe existing before and outside of reality, it is the emptiness reality occupies and is hostile to the nature of reality. Entities that live here are alien and mostly hostile to life. When you can see the beings of the great beyond the first ones are small, glassy fish like creatures. Serene at first they often become hostile and attack when they sense flesh or souls.  The larger ones are tentacled or wormlike or like deep sea creatures or cave dwelling horrors with alien intellect and some are wizards. 

Shadow Wold is a shadow of the reality, a black and white world, a noir land of smoke, mirrors and darkness. Shadow beings here hunger for life energy and are attracted to gates or living. Creatures here shun light and lurk in edges of darkness. Echoes of normal life and places but twisted into a twilight world of hunger and madness. Everything becomes increasingly abstract and nightmarish and you might meet your own shadow self seeking to replace you.

Spirit World is a domain of spirits living close to the waking world often affiliated with nature, gardens, temples, graveyards, hills, trees, forests, bodies of water, artworks and other sites. Spirits in cities are very different to ones on farms or wilderness. Some spirits are friendly some are not, many are witnesses and know local information. As spirit world overlaps mist often forms.

Cloudland is a series of other worlds in clouds reachable through tallest mountains or trees or other means. The lands vary quite a bit many are quite sweet and attractive worlds of child like simplicity, giants, goblins, faeiries, spirits, talking animals and golems living together. Walking into such a world can take you far away as the cloud moves from its location around the world. Some humans used this to explore the world. Children have had adventures here or some worlds might change humans into children.

Underworld a gloomy afterlife place where the souls of the dead eat dust and excrement forever unless their kin sacrifice to them. The better class souls and shades here dwell in cities in comfort but without sacrifices, they might be cast into the gutter if their line dies out. Spirits and shades from the underworld are often hungry and can be distracted with blood or wine poured for them on the ground. Deaths reapers and devils and undead roam here frequently. Some come to save loved ones or plunder treasure. Some caves operate as gateways.

Mythic Epochs are alive and well in dreamlands and can be visited such as when giants and gods waged war or the monster kings ruled or the fist city states of bronze. Some of these replay certain events and some are allegorical or seen as modern peoples saw past not as it was and other distortions. Often overlapping worlds makes things look more old fashioned as they were in that era.

Primordial Times when life first walked on the surface, when various alien beings walked the wastes of the earth in darkness. Gibbering alien titans of the void walked the world. When primordial dragons created first gods and giants and beast lords then tried to gobble them up, when creation began and the later generations of gods were just born. Certain beings in these times do not sense time normally and my hunt you and follow you home to eat your soul.

I did a game where most magic and weird stuff happened in a mist-shrouded dream world by night that overlapped in some places like ruins or graveyards. Faerieland was like this too in wilderness mostly. Caves had own dream underland. This let game be gritty and historical then do moments with magic more possible.

Treasure Frogs

Treasure Frog
Small d8 HD AC as leather Bite d6 Mov 9 Swim 12 Hop 1 carries d4x100sp
Medeum 2d8 HD AC as leather Bite 2d4 Mov 12 Swim 12 Hop 2 carries d3x100gp
Large 4d8 HD AC as chain Bite 2d6 Mov 12 Swim 9 Hop 3 carries d6x100gp
Huge 8d8 HD AC as plate Bite 3d6* Mov 12 Swim 9 Hop 3 carries 2d4x100gp
*hit rolls 20+ swallows victim whole and flees crushing them for d6/round
**hit rolls 17+ swallows victim whole and flees crushing them for 2d6/round

Treasure frogs are used by frog folk to carry valuables but as they live for centuries they often carry loot long forgotten. They also smell treasure and dungeons near swamps often attract them. Some semi flooded dungeons are infested with them. Frog folk often use the frogs to find more treasure who can sniff precious stones and metal. A speciality skill is required to train and handle frogs who are experts at escaping and often escape. Each frog has a command word to disgorge loot but they forget them after fifty years or so. Frogs Some frog folk tribes keep their untrained frogs locked in a room. If your not careful frogs will all pour out bouncing everywhere and flee. Frogs mostly only try to eat smaller creatures but treasure carriers makes them feisty enough to attack, especially in large numbers. Frog folk can tell individual frogs apart but humans can't.

Small carries d4x100sp 1in6 chance of a semiprecious stone worth 10gp
+ d4 1=15gp silver ring 2=20gp carved agate seal
3=cat skull  4=semi digested fish

Medeum carries d3x100gp d4x semiprecious stones worth 10gp+ d4 1=45gp gold ring 2=100gp jade idol
3=kobold skeleton 4=bottle of beer

Large carries d6x100gp d4x semiprecious stones worth d3x10gp+ d4 1=100gp ruby gold ring 2=2d4 healing potion
3=knights helmet 4=rotten goat corpse

Huge carries 2d4x100gp 2d4x semiprecious stones worth d3x10gp
+ d4 1=500gp diamond ring 2=crate of beer
3=+1 dagger in scabbard 4=dead semi digested adventurer

d100 Gonzo Dungeon Decor

Unicorn powers activate!
Putting everything in storage and living on sofas for a while again sigh.

d100 Gonzo Dungeon Decor
01 Blinking led lights all over walls with no function, puzzle or point
02 Niches full of giggling drunk and high kobolds who laugh at intruders
03 Open floor panel to monster dressing area where wounded monsters healed and costumes and make up changes for different rolls in the dungeon
04 Dungeon bar where monsters hanging out drinking and ignoring adventurers
05 Punchcard machine where monsters clock on and off, a few monsters watching clock to start shift peacefully until they punch cards and start screaming and waving weapons
06 Luxurious dungeon latrine cleaned by tame gelatinous cube herded by kobold bathroom attendants with bow ties who expect tips and offer hot towels and cologne
07 Bundles of sparking electrical cables through roof 
08 Stone altar with grid of coloured crystals and stone archway in wall. Arranging the crystals opens the arch gateway to strange worlds, often odd creatures come through
09 Posters of the adventurers, wanted as murderers by monsters printed with hand coloured woodblock prints, freshly pasted. Future encounters in dungeon recognise party in horror  
10 Frozen gelatinous cube with remains of crate and straw freshly opened with order note for dungeon supplies signed by a local sub level boss
11 Urinating cherub fountain constantly changes colour, different random effect each user, only work once a day if you drink straight from the stream, any collected turns into urine
12 Storage rack with candles, torches and flints. Once a turn a spirit takes something to replace and light in the dungeon that has gone out 
13 Glass vat 3 yards tall with a wooden seat and ladder on top. The tank is full of sewerage and a tentacled telepathic sewerage monster eagerly awaits fresh night soil to wallow in. It is quite friendly, will asses your recent meals and will discuss other recent monster visits
14 Magic slot machine 1gp a turn. Roll 3d10 on 3x zero gain a gain a magic item and never works for you again, 2x zero gain d100gp, 1x zero gain d100sp. Any other result lose 2d4 HP
15 Theatre props in chests including harmless weapons that look real, armour that offers no defence and is ruined one hit, paste jewellery, robes of nobles that look good but feel fake and are uncomfortable plus several scripts involving tragic murders
16 Magical 3 yard long bronze horn weighs 200lb hanging by chains from roof with steps leading to mouthpiece. Drooling mad goblin says it can summon a god once a month who will grant wishes. Actually are random petty forgotten gods who are mostly cranky about being summoned and most users regret blowing it
17 Painting of a noble feast if entered can join in and eat. Inhabitants are in a 4 hour time loop but live forever. When you leave effects of food and booze instantly wear off. Cannot get a full night rest inside 
18 Infinite staircase goes up or down but as soon as you turn back only 10 foot to start
19 Dungeon beauty contest in progress with cheerful monsters drinking and non threatening. Possibly ask strangers to enter or be a judge but could lead to a riot
20 Goblin selling obscene art decorated pots, naughty art prints, clay tankards with articulated breasts on relief art of nude lady orcs and nude figurines "fertility idols"   
21 Hobgoblin barber shop charges 1cp for haircut or shave, will discus recent dungeon politics and hauntings, will surrender if threatened, possibly a d4 orcs waiting and looking at books about orc ladies, fishing and chariots
22 Old goblin woman with cots of sleeping monster babies, has adoption papers with oaths to sign, explains parents killed by adventurers, accepts donations  
23 Mirror with pocket nightmare dimension, each who enters is attacked by a shadow resembling self, when all killed a demon appears with a chest of lead coins. If taken out of mirror coins turn to gold 
24 Strange luminous mist fills room, causes everyone to lose sense of direction for a turn
25 Kobolds playing volleyball with a fishing net and a explosive floating gas spore resembling a horrible eye monster, invite you to play but only they know secret techniques to handle without explosions
26 Statue of warrior standing on guard with moving bloodshot eyes, looks desperate but cant communicate much, adventurer cursed by petty god, could be saved with stone to flesh
27 Mother dire wolf on pile of straw suckling two orc babies, will snarl but wont attack unless you get within 10 foot
28 Cage full of d6 village idiots kept here waiting for ransoms of turnips and bales of hay and bread, kobold guard happy to accept anything better as idiots eat alot and are lots of trouble and annoying
29 Ogre grinding bones with boulders to make bread in large oven according to family recipe, instructs guests to leave bones in basket and only has d4 loaves for sale 1sp each
30 Goblins in a vat squishing mushrooms with feet to extract juice to make a popular goblin drink. Tastes of shrooms and goblin feet, save or hallucinate for a d4 hours, start small and eventually users have shared fantastic dream and when over awake sweating. 1sp a cup or a bottle for a gp
31 Goblins making bricks with mould from monster faeces and straw, ignore intruders as very busy with a big quota this month
32 Goblin pimp with big furry hat and coat offers you all employment for 50% of your take and will defend you with his switchblade if any customers break contracts
33 Monsters on strike, leader explains won't fight unless paid better by bosses and happy to sell out the dungeon for better conditions and pay
34 Thief trapped in a bronze scorpion idol that snared him when trying to pry out gem eyes, lock in each pincer can be picked to free each arm. If attempt fails pincer snips off hand and tail stings the lock picker for d8 damage plus venom (save or die). Mechanism must be smashed or removing eyes results in setting off pincer trap, tail or bite
35 Creepy doll made of human skin and yeti fur looks valuable and size of child, actually an assassin golem from the black lotus empire. Will try and murder sleeping victims as thief with retractable huge fan
36 Kobold kids building go karts from old boxes and barrels hoping to have a rally when finished
37 Beating heart in a jar guarded by living statues, left by immortal wizard who will die if heart killed
38 Tiny boxing ring with cigar smoking bowler hat wearing kobolds here to see the champ take on challengers. Will offer bets in silver coins. Champ is a high level monk reincarnated
39 Walls are pulsating flesh and some humanoids are harvesting steaks of flesh and filling buckets with blood or dinner
40 Kobold jester offers coins if you listen to his terrible comedy routine involving jokes offensive to humans (how many humans does it take to light a torch? A cleric a wizard and thief go into a bar...)
41 Kenku charlatan offering potions to aid love making and virility, repeats slogans and criticises  adventurers manhood
42 Goblins passed out with pipes and ash on floor except old shaman selling dried smoking fungus and promises divine visions and insight, can see magic for a turn, save or addictive and induces d4 hours of slumber, 1% chance user summons a imp to torment you for life, only 1gp a hit
43 Stone statue of a medusa or basilisk in front of a mirror
44 Art gallery with portraits of local monster bosses or vampires by some poor kidnapped artists
45 Icetoad in a box apparatus used to make ice cream with a crank handle and bags of salt using goats milk and berries. Kobolds here selling 1cp a cone
46 Floor of room with coloured tiles that radiate magic trap. There is no pattern or sequence, 1in6 chance per step you get a magic missile but pattern implies there is a solution. Reality locals avoid or know a password
47 Human trapped in a gibbet moaning, has toungue cut out and badly beaten. Any one getting underneath activates a pit trap. Moving the cage releases poison gas, the lock has a poison needle. Just here to to mess with adventurers
48 Ten foot pit with feather mattress in the bottom with gold coins. Mattress and coins are a mimic occupying a old sprung trap
49 Goblins making hats by boiling them in mercury, all crazy brain damaged idiots, fumes in room unpleasant
50 Goblins scrubbing floors with fermented urine in buckets, they have no fear as life cannot get worse
51 Room with three numbered doors and goblin with a big floppy hat offers you one door try each. Doors change each new user d3 1=save of hit by 4d8 blast of flame 2=medusa in chains 3=healing potion
52 Goblin jester offers party pick one of four chests d4 1=d1000cp 2=d1000sp 3=d100gp 4= mimic 
53 Imp offers to release one of three cages with a woman inside only one is real, feel free to ask questions but prisoners don't know about other cages d3 1=wearing a hooded robe is a medusa 2=succubi pretending to be a innocent 3=swearing woman thief demands to be released from this oppressive patronising cliche
54 Goblins smashing and burning marble statues of frightened adventurers to make lime for brick mortar, 2d6 unbroken statues could be restored with stone to flesh magic
55 Goblin wizard Lv1 with stone to flesh wand making dungeon rubble into piles of meat for buddies having a cook up, d6 charges left
56 Humanoids having a dance battle team contest with a 100gp prize, tough colourful gangs all snear at intruding adventurers chances and lame moves, goblin bards provide music with orc MC. Bookie gives you lower odds than the necromancer and his dancing zombies
57 Kobolds throwing garbage and stuff into a pit with a gate at the bottom that opens into a huge multi planar garbage mound used by dozens of dimensions, locals unimpressed
58 Fissure releasing pleasant steam into room, old goblin woman will rent towels, sell beer or cold water or thrash you with birch saplings if that is your taste 
59 Goblin wizard offer injections of troll blood to make you into regenerating super humans
60 Pit with gold coins and a shiny helmet with a permanent light spell on it in bottom. A troll with an invisibility spell waits patiently, a wizard recasts spell every few days
61 Strange lever if touched hand becomes glued to it with a failed save, if stuck must be pulled off leaving skin but causes d6 damage and -2 all rolls for a d4 days with that hand
62 Tired old goblin woman with six ogre babies in nappies wiping faeces on walls, biting and pinching each other. On sucking on a semiprecious stone worth 40gp but it wont give it up. Goblin will sell you babies then flee dungeon forever
63 Three witches with cauldron offer each of you one choice of three identical magic potions d3 1=poison save or die 2=potion of healng 3=save or cursed with hideous witch face. Will cackle and vanish in a stinking cloud if threatened64 Kobolds with bound troll selling cuts of cooked troll streak. Troll screams and swears constantly. A few other humanoids here eating peacefully
65 Goblins guarding "humans" in a cage will flee on sight of adventurers. The grateful doppelgangers offer to aid and join you and await a good opportunity to eat rescuers 
66 Cluster of modified shrieker fungi shaped like melted brass wind instruments, if startled will play music causing kobolds in uniform to roll out a red carpet to next doorway and offer welcomes
67 Kobold selling werewolf milk "makes you strong and feisty"
68 Zombie farm animals in pens including goats, pig, sheep and a pony with a dark elf child dressed as a farmer who made all this for fun. If angered or attacked the animals attack
69 Black hat gnomes with a owlbear in a cage plumbed into a box milking it for bile for use in alchemy. They are rude and grumpy bullies. If released owlbear will go berserk and kill them
70 Goblin with large wiggling crates with slots, for a fee you can stab the monster inside and increase your prowess risk free. Sell creature heads mounted on plagues or skins as trophies to impress your friends. Goblin promises what happens in dungeon stays in the dungeon
71 Lady gnoll sitting at a booth gnawing on a leg with sign "ethical advice - 1sp" she will tell you it is totally ok to do any horrible act or deed unless it involves harming or robbing her
72 Magic mirror if looked in reveals what you will look like when reincarnated in hell d4 1=lowly human headed larvae writhing in a pit farmed by devils 2=imp fighting with other imps for favour more powerful devils 3=your face on a hellgoat butt vomiting up excrement 4=lowly lesser devil tending a larvae pit
73 Goblin with huge crate offer to sell you a giant battle crab with a llist of commands and runs if given money. Giant crab if released goes on beserk killing frenzy
74 Robed devil cultists with idols of lords of hell offering great deals on souls offering wish like rewards turned terrible by hello lawyers, just sign in blood
75 Clan of albino cave folk offer monster ivory and meat to buy a party member for marriage to save them from inbreeding and extinction 
76 Mirror if looked at forms image of a face, the spirit of the dungeon. It will answer a question per person per day but will mostly lie and offer terrible advice. Will offer you your own lair if you promise to stay and serve the dungeon ecology
77 Sad old pathetic man monsters allow to live out of sadism. Was a paladin who killed some orc babies and has been excommunicated and cursed to never leave. Bitter, swears and complains about young adventurers and their elaborate backgrounds and caring about monster rights
78 Kobold selling potions of gender change, berserker blades and hats of reverse alignment at low low prices
79 Goblin erotic dancers will put on a show for 1sp on tiny stage with poles and mirrors and costumes, 1cp a beer, no touching the goblins permitted by bugbear bouncer
80 Classroom with child humanoids with a old vulture folk school teacher teaching them evil runes, ruination and rioting skills. Charts depict humans as horrible killing machines. Teacher will ask if adventurers will answer adorable children's questions "why do you hate us?" "why did you steal our land?" "why cant you get honest jobs?" "why did you kill my parents?"  
81 Wizard pointing to blueprints of dungeon on table as it should be to kobolds with miners hats shrugging. Wizard offers party jobs as foremen or site managers or safety inspectors
82  Kobolds unpacking crates labelled "armageddon device" and assembling a huge apparatus according to instruction manual. They are feuding over lost parts, interpreting the manual and where will they get the 100 unsullied virgin souls to start it up
83 Surly teenage goblins drinking beer, smoking, flexing muscles and holding knives "wanna know what you are looking at"
84 Elderly goblin woman in room with stone benches offers genuine trained giant snail massages 1cp. A pen of voracious hungry flail snails is close but she knows how to calm them before use but if threatened she lets them loose
85 Party of adventurers arguing over a bound black clad knight. Half the party say it is ok to torture and kill the anti-paladin but other half argue the prisoner is a legitimate knight of the realm and deserves fair treatment and to be held hostage or a fair trial
86 Goblins with bound wizard and a sign "1cp a punch or 1gp for a stab" have several healing potions and a box with a d1000cp and a d20gp. Wizard wants to go home badly. Goblins will swap wizard for a bound troll
87 Tiny village of gremlins and their pet rats swarm, will mobilise against "giants" and sound their kaiju alert bells. Women and children flee into shelters while army mobilise with light crossbows on wheels six can operate
88 Moaning man with bag on head, gagged and chained to pillar, is a flesh golem insane with hatred for any living born creatures somehow left here years ago. If gagged will say anything to be released then go on killing spree
89 Room with lave river through middle and a balancing beam to cross. Kobolds are roasting sausages on sticks over the heat and will flee if threatened
90 Iron turret in ceiling allowing 6 kobolds to shoot below through slots and are very hard to hit. Has a locked door and they use a rope ladder to get in or out
91 Old kobold with bloated belly and beard laying on ground. Will shake his walking stick and swear at travellers provoking them to kill him. On death explodes for 2d4 damage to all in 20 foot radius save or infected with parasitic worms and lose a move point a day until you end up like him or a cure disease spell lets you vomit and shit them out
92 A cleric has set up a clinic to heal monsters and preaches to them about turning good and the wonders of their kind forgiving deity. Will reluctantly treat "murder hobos" if they have a good reason for being here
93 A party of dead adventurers laying about, leap to their feet now hungry ghouls, utter abuse and vile threats while attacking, some will stop to search intestines for gems or loot bodies if they kill someone rather than the best tactical decisions. Once a well known murder hobo party
94 Two orc priests having a argument look pleased to see adventurers who might aid their debate. One sez everyone should look after their own kind and and humans will never tolerate orcs in their cities and schools and markets. Other sez humans are just ignorant intolerant bigots who will eventually come around and eventually even marry orcs and let them have good jobs
95 Angel pleased to see adventurers. Killed some humanoids but found their babies and needs party to take care of them so she can return to heaven to complete her mission. Makes you swear to do the right thing and promises when she gets free chance will pop in to visit and reward you
96 Portcullis gates seal the room with party inside. Wizard steps out and offers them deed of ownership of the dungeon for cash and magic or new spells. If you have nothing leaves and laughs while ringing a bell to signal creatures to a feast
97 Gang of evil halfling thieves in black hoods. Pleased to see visitors and offer poisoned beer while surrounding party for a stab happy fun time
98 Two old kobolds debating if dungeon maps should be in blue or have lots of cross hatching, each has a d4 old dungeon maps and direction to find them   
99 Fancy gilded crypt of a bard. Spirit insists it will reward you with 100gp for a good song performance but if bad mummy arises to attack with a d6x100gp coins spilling out. Offer spectral music to accompany the singers. Anyone doing opera or performing froghop and not a frog folk immediately angers the bard spirit. Has a magic harp also in crypt.
100 A goblin market selling all kinds of strange items and mushroom products with visiting humanoids and demihumans

d100 Horrible Dungeon Decor

Fix that boring old dungeon with guaranteed horrible decorations!!!!
Dial that shit up to 11 and leave the under age poleboys and lampgirls at home
Monsters are sick of human shit and have put in extra effort
BYO vomit bucket

These should make players a bit worried or paranoid at least

d100 Awesome Haunted Dungeon Decor
01 Gutters running along inside walls flowing with blood and chunks of gore
02 Eyeballs in cracks in walls glare back at explorers
03 Kobolds are nailed to the walls with rotting stomach cavities full of maggots
04 Stripped adventurer corpses, horribly tortured, some recognisable
05 Blinded sobbing adventurers with no legs crawling about dungeon
06 Flayed human skins nailed to wall
07 Walls covered in graffiti depicting demons and monsters torturing humans
08 Adventurer heads on spears arranged around dungeon doors 
09 Severed human hands nailed to doors as a warning
10 Goat skull candle holders with eldritch sigils and black wax all over as lights
11 Stone chest carved into floor, just a artistic distraction, not functional
12 False realistic perspective paintings of long corridors on dead ends
13 Artistic depictions of witch sabbath with elderly witches in orgy with demons and goats
14 Ancient artwork of standing figures defaced with giant penises and boobs and horns
15 Gibbets with rotting human corpses hanging from the ceiling
16 Skinless human corpses nailed to the walls
17 Wall decorated with thousands of human teeth
18 Walls decorated with human bones and skulls inset into walls
19 Niches with severed human head s in walls
20 Pyramids of blackened human skulls stacked around dungeon
21 Image of monster boss decapitating human captives while others torturing prisoners
22 Image of human in chains bringing offerings to monster god at spear point
23 Dead human chained to walls covered in bloody cat-o-nine tails whip marks
24 Cages hanging from ceiling with moaning filthy naked captives cramped inside
25 Bloody chopping blocks, cleavers and hatchets everywhere for butchering prisoners
26 Squat evil demon cursed idols with creepy grins and eyes that seem to follow intruders
27 Shrine of monster ancestor with pile of human hearts in a bowl before it 
28 Half eaten human corpses laying about dungeon being chewed by rats
29 Terrified petrified figures trying to cover eyes and look away from something
30 Oozing fluid from cracks in the wall from something revolting behind the walls
31 Strings of human ear necklaces popular with monsters in this dungeon for status
32 Six inch iron spikes projecting from walls making knock backs dangerous
33 Prisoners bricked inside wall cavities begging for help
34 Shelves in walls where sickly prisoners are tied to rotting corpses
35 Trails of vomit everywhere from drunken monsters
36 Trails of monster faeces trail where something dragged its butt to get rid of worms
37 Huge heaps of steaming monster dung pellets everywhere
38 Length of someones intestines trailing through the dungeon
39 Corpses with hundreds of nails through them
40 Leaking pipe or crack in wall flooding area with steam obscuring vision like mist
41 Sounds of whips and screams in distance 
42 Sounds of what might be ferocious dogs tearing someone apart
43 Thousands of bats on ceiling easily frightened into swarming and confusing everyone 
44 Mounds of dung riddled with rat nests
45 Floor slippery with congealed pools of blood and bodily fluids
46 Half flesh off someones face dropped by a snacking monster
47 Monsters here like to wear human finger necklaces and use them as currency
48 Monsters have painted a crude mural in human blood
49 Human skins hanging on hooks
50 Barrels of human heads in brine, an old monster recipe
51 Statues adorned in blood and wearing necklaces of severed body parts
52 Trolls with limbs cut off and stumps sewn to each other furiously chewing on each other to get free
53 Remains of human corpses with looks of horror and gaping wounds where something burst from their bodies
54 Human corpses covered in mould, will collapse into unrecognisable heaps
55 Charred human bodies killed by some beast or spell and not intact enough to eat
56 Humanoid shaped bloody splatter marks on walls, ceilings and floors as if something struck them with great force into surfaces
57 Three kobolds wearing a human skin and a coat and a hat try to trick intruders
58 Semi dissolved human corpses killed with acid by some beast or spell
59 Semi frozen corpses some extremities snapped off or shattered and frozen blood from a monster or spell
60 Corpses on floor with grey pallid skin and looks of terror, will arise as undead soon
61 Walls have trickling transparent ectoplasm oozing down walls, area seems colder 
62 Sudden inexplicable chill goes over area and flames flicker weakly
63 Eerie chilling breeze blows through hall blowing out any un protected flame less than a torch (covered lamp ok)
64 Strange gibbering screams heard in the distance
65 Muffled moaning sounds as if from under the floor
66 Rattling chain sounds heard and occasional moans
67 Spectral figure walks down corridor and through a wall
68 Floating head appears and laughs for several rounds then vanishes
69 Undead severed hand scuttling along like a spider
70 Screaming figure approaches, then blood pours from eyes and it vanishes when close
71 Hear muffled moan and dragging sound as legless adventurer drags self on floor in agony
72 Humanoids in luminescent powder they have found pretend to be ghosts
73 Old coffins smashed open and mummified chunks of bodies scattered everywhere
74 Huge webs with sacks of human bones hanging in them covered in dust
75 Surprised corpse half trapped in stone doorway
76 Staked out corpse on floor gnawed by giant rats
77 Burned area with covered in ash with several charred and exploded bodies
78 Bodies charred by lightning partially charred with intricate lightning pattern scars and bruises
79 Bear trap with a foot still trapped inside
80 Axe headed pendulum hanging from roof, with two halves of a corpse by the spent trap 
81 Surprised corpses impaled on spike trap that swung from a wall
82 Body crushed by boulder dead fall trap head not visible under rock
83 Corpses in a net, trapped then speared to death and left as decoration or warning
84 Severed hands reaching from a sealed pit trap they failed to escape from
85 Pit with desiccated impaled corpses of adventurers at the bottom
86 Kobold children playing in entrails of human corpses for fun and slinging gore at each other
87 Body pinned to wall with daggers in some ritual murder
88 Huge pellets like those vomited up by owls but football sized with human bones
89 Monsters in dungeon like to wear clothes made from human skin leather
90 Pile of human scalps in bloody heap
91 Barrel with rotting corpse in water, bloated and stinking with maggots
92 Humans, naked hanging by spikes through feet, throats slit and drained of blood
93 Human corpse, clothed, drained of blood with a spigot implanted in neck hanging by feet
94 Keg of dried and salted human meat, some recognisable hands and parts the deeper you look
95 Musical instruments made from human bones, skins and sinew in a chest
96 Intricately carved human skulls with symbols of chaos
97 Dried human hearts with nails in them hammered to walls as charms to ward away humans
98 Human heads mounted on plaques as hunting trophies, some might be known adventurers nobody has seen in years
99 Large half barrel tub full of dried blood and fat, with splatter marks and strings of blood sausage hanging on a rack to cure and some butchered human corpses drained of blood
100 Corpse on a slab made from multiple sewn together corpses, a failed attempt at golem or undead making

Dungeon Dunnys

Len Lakofka went mental at a thread I had on toilets in dungeons. I say it is realism, others say "Dunna Wanna Know" or "nobody wants to think about toilets in dnd". A dunny is Strayan for toilet or bog house, shit house, crapper, loo etc. Im sure orcs have exciting names for them. I did some tables on them in my redbrick dungeon book. Here is some options for historic lavatories. What do your dungeons have? Where do the monsters empty their chamber pots, or are dungeons a euphemism for open sewer? I like to think magic solves lots of these problems. Nightmen or Gong farmers would gather excrement from cities and sell to farmers, the richer the poop the more the value. Many streets would be ankle deep in shit with seasonal variations. There were times the river through London was a barley moving sewer and the city reeked from miles away. Concentration camps smelled bad. Plus all the animal waste. No wonder slave operated palanquins were so good. I found a real bronze age palace map with on suite large toilet rooms for royalty. If you don't want a fancy sewer use pigs, China thrived on them. A local swamp can help. As long as the rich don't drain it for land then find it actually had a handy function. At least have a chamber pot or a pig sty in every few rooms or a latrine pit. At least in DnD some monsters probably eat the stuff or breed  in it. I like giant dungeon dung beetles who roll around huge balls of poop that fill the corridoor and run you down. Perhaps a cult take care of this stuff? Let your creativity flow. Everybody poops, except possibly elves. 

Deep Dungeon Missions for EXOPCOM

So the typical beginner dungeon sortie is a time in a forward base or a patrol. Veterans who show a talent for dungeon survival get deeper patrols and missions. The best go on deep missions usually for intelligence or search and destroy specific dungeon entities wanted by command. Possibly will do some dungeon clues tables. Im tempted to map out a great multi level dungeon chasm

Maralinga Experimental Operations Command - The Pit

Pop 1800
Airstrip with underground hangars and the gate entrance
Many personnel unaware of the gates nature
Training facility for newly arrived troops

Headquarters of Dungeon Operations - The Gate
Pop 3000
Central Command Base inside the gate and directly defending the base
Heavily fortified including nuclear blast door over the gateway
180 portable buildings, a small nuclear powerplant, hospital and prison

Fire Support Bases - Supporting the Front

Pop 200
Designated by monster names
Support several forward bases
Often connected by rail to the Gate
Physical phone and power lines to the Gate
Medical and armoury facilities
Heavily fortified with light vehicles and artillery
Able to rush support to forward bases
Monthly major attacks

Forward Operating Bases - The Front Line
Pop 40-120
Named after phonetic alphabet radio codes eg: Tango Alpha Charlie
There are a dozen of these and they occasionally move, are abandoned or established
Most guarded by mine fields, trenches, spotlights, razor wire and machine gun nests
Many are mostly tents with a few kit buildings and diesel generators
Weekly attacked by monsters, frequent skirmishes in area

Broken Morale Squads on the Front-Collect trophies like orc ear necklaces
-Deal in vice and contraband (drugs, sex, looting, gambling)
-Deal in and use unauthorised dungeon items
-Mistreat prisoners and enemy non combatants
-Unauthorised/undocumented dealings with dungeon inhabitants
-Try to influence green troops they are normal
-Fail to report and document encounters
-Unauthorised missions often after treasure

Squad MoraleGreen Zero Level Morale 7
Experienced 1st Level Morale 8
Veteran 2nd-3rd Level Morale 9
Elite 4th+ Level Morale 10

d10 Common Recruit Missions

1 Sent to relieve forward base personnel
2 Sent to escort supplies to forward base
3 Sent on patrol between bases

4 Sent on recon ahead of forward base

5 Search and destroy humanoid camps

6 Search and destroy monster lair

7 Search for missing personel

8 Eliminate humanoid patrols

9 Escort science officer team

10 Escort intelligence officer team

d100 Deep Dungeon Missions for EXOPCOM

01 A wizard making orcs in a great alchemical pit needs to be eliminated
02 Goblin construction site building a new fortified base 
03 Fortified barracks and armoury and barracks of humanoids requires harrasment
04 Destroy a stone bridge to cut off certain enemies
05 Liberate a orc prison camp of allied soldiers and any other inmates
06 A enemy temple acting as a first aid centre and zombie factory requires destruction
07 Destroy goblin alchemist base supplying potions and operating a small derivable
08 Capture a wizard leading a camp of orcs troubling a fire base
09 A manticore nesting colony requires destruction but some eggs would be appreciated
10 A dragon in a great cave requires observation team replacement for a two weeks
11 Goblins have been breeding rust monsters for an attack on a base, free them early
12 Goblins have been fattening up a a purple worm as a siege weapon
13 Patrols have found camps of a foreign power recon teams, contact them
14 AWOL recon teams have left signs they are still alive and have gone native, find them
15 Signs of a surface world criminal cartel base require investigation
16 A dungeon criminal guild base has been dealing in vice to forward bases, destroy it
17 Orcs have been exploring crypts looking for something find out what
18 Enemy wizard has a djinn bottle, kill him and seize it
19 Dungeon bard has been visiting forward bases seducing troops to go native
20 Monastery of evil monks has been coordinating monster attacks on a base
21 New orc priests have been rallying a orc camp previously broken
22 Where do dungeon pies come from? Investigate reports of a wizard bakery
23 Dungeon gnomes have been studying captured army tech, destroy their base
24 Orcs captured modern rifles and are experimenting with them, destroy the weapons
25 Wizard making cursed items in lab found in camp contraband, requires termination
26 A huge orc horde with priests and wizards has been chanting for days, observe them
27 A goblin market has been happy to trade, visit it and trade gold for magic
28 A goblin warlord is willing to help us if we help depose their current king
29 Necromancers have been gathering corpses and scaffolding to build something
30 Sigils found in dungeon indicate a huge summoning symbol, find and destroy it's points
31 Supernatural female monsters have enslaved several squads, rescue them
32 Areas are blocked by giant webs, burn through and investigate what is beyond
33 A flooded chamber has a sunken temple, escort a scuba team to investigate
34 Morale in a forward base is shocking, infiltrate and eliminate the cause
35 A fungus forest has been discovered, explore it 
36 A sprawling mausoleum has been discovered, investigate for enemy camps
37 A giant demon wolf has been prowling around a base picking off patrols
38 Elves have offered some kind of deal, meet their emissaries on neutral ground
39 A wizard has been observed making magical statues, eliminate him
40 Intelligence officer was carried off by a dungeon worm, rescue and remove eggs
42 Dungeon dwarf elders have offered to share Intel, meet them in their stronghold
43 A radioactive tracer on a doppelganger has revealed their stronghold, eliminate them
44 Recon located a golem factory, destroy it and capture any wizards or books on site
45 A monolith surrounded by shadows has been located and command want it destroyed
46 A ghoul nest has collected a cache of magic grave goods scientists want to study
47 A wizard has a helm able to translate languages, cypher teams want it
48 Halflings have been taunting the front line and leading troops into traps, stop them
49 A goblin brewery supplies a orc army camp, poison the brew before we attack the camp
50 A series of chasms is guarded by gorgons, destroy them without being stoned
51 Enter a cave of baslisks , bring back missing stoned recon team to base
52 Some enemy base in a volcanic cavern needs investigating
53 New weapons to counter a specific monster need testing, protect science obsevers
54 Mining specialists need escort to gather samples but Xorn keep eating them
55 Linguists want to document relief writing on ruin walls, escort them into hostile area
56 Beastmen observed chanting and sacrificing victims by a great doorway, why?
57 A daemonic ferryman on a river charges gold, where does he go? gold provided 
58 Criminal cartel stockpiling treasure outside a base, arrest them and seize loot
59 Giants have been gathering, block larger passages with demolition charges
60 Harpies have controlled airspace around a huge cavern, escort a drone and sniper team
61 An elemental node has been activated by wizards to gate in monsters, stop them
62 Destroy a dam guarded by fishmen to flood a goblin stronghold, then pick off survivors
63 Wizards have been breeding green slime in vats in a base, destroy them
64 Wizard camp has been breeding specialist goblins, kidnap some of them for the lab boys
65 Wizard school has been located, kill them, seize or destroy their books
66 A cavern has been growing colder and ice covered, find out why
67 Halflings offer intel in exchange for freeze dried icecream and chocolate but be careful
68 Bugbears are hiding in a open cavern and ambushing patrols, search and destroy
69 Goblins under a wizards control have been erecting some huge machine, why?
70 Gnomes have developed crude anti drone weapons, evaluate them
71 A kobold depot where pre boxed traps are distributed from has been located
72 A secret tunnel complex of kobolds has been located near a base needs purging
73 A huge statue located by recon requires further investigation
74 Portal located where dungeon forces are assembled, use demolition charges to destroy
75 A machine making monsters operated by wizards requires immediate destruction
76 An orc village of non combatants wants to agree to a non hostility pacts, meet them
77 Dark elf spider farm has been located requiring destruction, poison gas supplied
78 A forward base has reports of personnel eating humanoids, infiltrate and investigate
79 A gone native recon team has been advising a evil high priest commanding a orc base
80 An magically lit area overgrown with vegetation has been discovered, investigate
81 A dungeon trade town has been discovered, infiltrate and attempt trade
82 A goblin animal breeding farm where dire wolves and giant bats are bred, destroy
83 A goblin king has offered an exchange of our prisoners in return for guns, meet them
84 Dungeon area overgrown with flesh and horrible protoplasm monsters, investigate
85 Kobolds have been guarding a supposed gate to hell, investigate if this is true
86 An ancient sewer complex has been discovered investigate where it goes
87 An ancient ruined city has been located and a team of scientists need escorts
88 Some kind of goblin festival is taking place, infiltrate and rob the kings magic treasury
89 A large goblin tribe have surrendered to a small recon team who require help
90 Informants say a non combatant humanoid village has a secret tunnel base underneath
91 A series of deep dark caves even monsters dread has been discovered, explore them
92 A temple of human dungeon cultists has been discovered, kidnap some for questioning
93 A great pit of slime where cultists call forth monsters requires destruction
94 Wizards have been using magic to build a stone and iron walled fortress, stop them
95 Recon teams have reported catching magical fish in a hole, escort scientists their 
96 A strange walled garden with hedge maze has been discovered and requires searching
97 Manor house filled with strange magical traps and puzzles has already claimed a team
98 Demihuman council has offered us a seat to plan a united offensive vs the dungeon
99 A magic mirror converts goblins to nilbogs, destroy them before there are too many
100 A witch tower guarded by winged apes requires exploration