Mission Title: The Spectral Pantry
Here is your populated dungeon template, including its text-based map:
[Area 12 (Master Bedroom - The Final Rest / Objective)] | [Area 11 (Cursed Nursery)] | [Area 10 (Servants' Quarters - Upper)] | [Area 9 (Attic Storage)] | [Area 8 (Grand Staircase Landing)] --- [Area 7 (Dining Room)] | | [Area 6 (Kitchen)] --- [Area 5 (Pantry / Main Objective Cache)] | | [Area 4 (Sitting Room)] ------------- [Area 3 (Foyer)] | [Area 2 (Grounds - Garden Path)] | [Area 1 (Main Gate / Road Approach - Entrance)]
--- Area 1 (Main Gate / Road Approach - Entrance) --- Description: The rusted, crooked iron gates creak mournfully in the wind, opening onto a long, overgrown path leading to the decaying mansion. The air grows colder and heavier here, even on a warm day. Exits/Connections: To Area 2 (Up the Path). Features: A faded sign on the gate warns of "Private Property" and "Danger."
--- Area 2 (Grounds - Garden Path) --- Description: The once-manicured garden is now a tangled wilderness of thorny bushes and dying flora. The path is cracked and uneven, leading towards the shadowed, imposing facade of the haunted house. Exits/Connections: To Area 1 (Back to Road), To Area 3 (House Front Door). Creatures: It has creatures (type: undead).
--- Area 3 (Foyer) --- Description: The heavy front door swings open into a grand, but dust-choked, foyer. A sweeping staircase dominates the space, leading upwards into gloom. Chandeliers hang precariously, and the air is stale with the scent of decay. Exits/Connections: To Area 2 (Outside), To Area 4 (West), To Area 5 (North), To Area 8 (Stairs Up). Trap: It contains a trap (type: haunted chandelier drop). The main chandelier is magically rigged to plummet if its invisible arcane trigger is crossed near the center of the foyer. Perception DC 14 to spot the faint magical shimmer around the chains. Potential Damage: 1d8/T1, 2d8/T2, 3d8/T3, 4d8/T4 Bludgeoning Damage.
--- Area 4 (Sitting Room) --- Description: A once-elegant sitting room now features torn velvet curtains, overturned furniture, and a thick layer of dust. A grand piano sits eerily silent, its keys covered in grime. Exits/Connections: To Area 3 (East), To Area 6 (North). Creatures: It has creatures (type: undead). Encounter Type: Battle Area
--- Area 5 (Pantry / Main Objective Cache) --- Description: This room, though dimly lit, is immediately identifiable as a pantry. Shelves line the walls, some still holding jars of preserved goods, sacks of flour (petrified), or cured meats (mummified). A surprisingly large amount of non-perishable food supplies, though ancient, is visible, the core of your objective. The air here is cold, but surprisingly dry. Exits/Connections: To Area 3 (South), To Area 6 (West). Secret Passages/Areas: A loose floorboard beneath a stack of old biscuit tins (Perception DC 16 to find) conceals a small, dry compartment where particularly valuable food items or a useful tool might be hidden. Objective: This is a primary location to locate and retrieve at least 5 days' worth of non-perishable food supplies.
--- Area 6 (Kitchen) --- Description: The vast kitchen, now a scene of utter disarray. Pots and pans hang crookedly or lie scattered, and a massive, cold hearth dominates one wall. A faint, cloying scent of something long-spoiled lingers. Exits/Connections: To Area 4 (South), To Area 5 (East), To Area 7 (North). Creatures: It has creatures (type: undead).
--- Area 7 (Dining Room) --- Description: A long, mahogany dining table stands in the center of this room, still set with tarnished silverware and rotting place settings. Shadows seem to stretch and twist along the ornate wallpaper. Exits/Connections: To Area 6 (South), To Area 8 (West). Trap: It contains a trap (type: ghostly presence / fear aura). A specific chair, when disturbed, triggers a localized psychic manifestation causing intense fear and disorientation. Perception DC 15 to spot the faint ethereal shimmer. Potential Damage: Non-damaging, causes Frightened condition for 1d4 rounds/T1, 2d4 rounds/T2, 3d4 rounds/T3, 4d4 rounds/T4. Creatures: It has creatures (type: undead). Encounter Type: Battle Area
--- Area 8 (Grand Staircase Landing) --- Description: The upper landing of the grand staircase, just as opulent but even more decayed than the foyer below. Faded portraits with eyes that seem to follow you line the walls. A cold spot lingers near a locked, ornate door. Exits/Connections: To Area 3 (Stairs Down), To Area 7 (East), To Area 9 (North), To Area 10 (West). Secret Passages/Areas: A section of the wall behind a large, heavy tapestry (Perception DC 17 to find) slides open, revealing a dusty, narrow servants' passage that provides a discreet route to Area 10.
--- Area 9 (Attic Storage) --- Description: The vast, cobweb-filled attic, crammed with forgotten furniture, dusty trunks, and broken toys. The air is thick with dust, and the only light comes from slivers through gaps in the roof. Exits/Connections: To Area 8 (South). Creatures: It has creatures (type: undead). Encounter Type: Battle Area
--- Area 10 (Servants' Quarters - Upper) --- Description: A series of small, stark bedrooms and a shared sitting area, indicating the living space for the household staff. The furniture is simple, and a lingering sense of quiet despair permeates the rooms. Exits/Connections: To Area 8 (East), To Area 11 (North). Trap: It contains a trap (type: animated doll swarm). Disturbing a specific, seemingly innocent child's doll on a shelf causes a swarm of small, sharp-edged animated dolls to attack. Perception DC 16 to spot the faint arcane glow on the doll. Potential Damage: 1d8/T1, 2d8/T2, 3d8/T3, 4d8/T4 Slashing Damage.
--- Area 11 (Cursed Nursery) --- Description: This room was clearly once a nursery, but now it's a chilling tableau. A rickety crib, a rocking horse frozen in motion, and discarded, tattered toys create a deeply unsettling atmosphere. A palpable sense of sorrow and malice fills the air. Exits/Connections: To Area 10 (South), To Area 12 (East). Creatures: It has creatures (type: undead).
--- Area 12 (Master Bedroom - The Final Rest / Objective) --- Description: The grand master bedroom, now a scene of aristocratic decay. A four-poster bed draped in rotting silks stands in the center. The air is intensely cold, and shadows seem to cling to every corner. The spectral guardian of the house's secrets makes its presence known here. While the primary objective is food, some crucial, highly preserved provisions might be found here or a final challenge related to the house's supernatural nature must be overcome to fully secure the objective. Exits/Connections: To Area 11 (West). Creatures: It has creatures (type: undead). Encounter Type: BOSS FIGHT! Objective: Infiltrate the Old Haunted House and locate and retrieve at least 5 days' worth of non-perishable food supplies from the house's pantry or storage areas. The main cache is in Area 5, but a final valuable supply or a challenge guarding its exit may reside here, the home of the most powerful haunting presence.
This is a fully detailed dungeon template, ready for you to populate with specific monster stats, exact creature numbers, and precise trap mechanics based on your game's current party level and size. It incorporates elements for sneaking, outsmarting, or direct confrontation.
