Codex Entry:
Mana-Alignment:
Threat Level:
Creature Type:
Please follow this format for future Codex posts, if possible.
- Codex Entries created by sindri the loyalist
Codex Entry: Gloom Knights
Mana-Alignment: Death
Threat Level: Silver
Creature Type: Humanoid Undead
There are a few things as frightening to an unprepared party than the deathly pale, glimmering-eyed undead dubbed the 'Knights of Gloom' or as they are commonly called, Gloom Knights. Clad in tarnished silver armor and bearing both a blade and a shield, these elite undead can spell doom for even a seasoned adventurer.
Physically, they share a few characteristics with their undead family members, a degree of resistance to piercing and crushing attacks and total immunity to any debilitating effects that would render a normal human debilitated, a trait shared by all undead. However, the Gloom Knights differ in a few different respects to simple zombies and even ghouls.
Firstly, a Gloom Knight is much faster on his feet then a common zombie and is capable of surprising bursts of speed. Secondly, a Gloom Knight's very nature brings with them a miasma of sorts, a debilitating fog that induces a slight torpor to any living thing in it's presence. The more gloom knights present in a given area, the stronger the the miasma is, but the most terrible of all the Gloom Knight's capabilities is one thing that separates them from the rank and file undead and what gives them the Silver-Tier threat level.
Their intelligence.
A Gloom Knight isn't a mindless beast, scarcely capable of reason. To assume such would be folly, as each and every Gloom Knight is a capable warrior fit to challenge even a seasoned adventurer in a fight, with a keen sense of combat awareness and a uncommon level of self preservation.
A Gloom Knight is never truly at the front of an undead mass, but rather at the back or in the center, guiding their single-minded brethren onwards through a almost instinctual level of command. Creatures such as zombies, ghouls and even skeletons flock to these creatures. Their sheer presence turns a rampant horde into a semi-organized mob capable of some cohesion and tactics.
While reports of Gloom Paladins and Templars are present, luckily it seems that those fiends are much less common then their common kin, for a Gloom Paladin is a creature seldom few survive.
Brave adventurer, beware the fog that brings the eyes of Gloom.
Codex Entry: Corruptor
Mana-Alignment: Death/Life
Threat Level: Low Gold
Creature Type: Area Denial Worm
Few things are are loathed and reviled as a corruptor, vile worm-like creatures that are almost universally loathed by adventurers, and for good reason. For corruptors can not only spread the vile death blight, a aliment that saps the strength of a person until cured, but can also pervert their surroundings.
Twisting through the air like an abominable serpent, a corruptor slowly but surely warps the mana surrounding it and mutates it to suit whatever design the corruptor wishes. In practice, this means that a fire mage may find their spells simply not working as the corruptor mutates the fire mana they carry into death mana. This almost always means that the corruptor is the first creature to be targeted, if only so that the now infuriated mage can properly cast their spells.
Paradoxically, the corruptors themselves do not pose that much of a threat, the creatures prefer flight to fight and unless pressured won't resort to a direct confrontation, whether this is by nature or by some twisted scheme no one knows. But as such, this results in Corruptors being that much more hated in a professional sense, with them being in the words of a many adventurers, "annoying pricks".
As for evolutionary types, there are a few, Defilers are more aggressive and pose a much more of a threat to a party, being much more willing to throw themselves into the fray than to their more shy kin, while Darkspreaders are more supportive in nature, bolstering death magic in the area around them.
To have to fight one of those beasts is a sure sign that one has being marked as a target of the dungeon's frustration and for whatever arcane reason, it has decided that "no fun is allowed" as the adventurers say.
- Codex Entry created by Archon7
Codex Entry: Skeleton
Mana-Alignment: Death
Threat Level: Copper-Platinum
Creature Type: Humanoid Undead
One of the most basic types of undead a Dungeon will create, these monsters of bone often come in packs, ranging anywhere from a measly few to a massive horde. Unlike zombies, which are more durable, they are weak and easily destroyed when faced with an opponent of even baseline human strength. However, they can be equipped with weapons and armor dependent on what the Dungeon has available. This most commonly amounts to iron armor and weapons, but higher tiers of skeletons will often have even better gear, and even basic skeletons can be equipped with steel armor if the Dungeon possesses the resources to do so.
One of the largest dangers skeletons pose is the versatility they gain when they begin to receive upgrades. They can become archers or magic-wielding casters, or even mining crews, or crafters! As such, when encountering Skeletons, always expect there will be more than one type of Skeleton around.
The greatest of threat in the Skeleton family is the Lesser Death, an grim reaper creature that can instantly kill entire teams of adventurers. However, these are exceptionally rare, only encountered in the deepest of the dungeon, commonly around floor 50.
Do not fail to fear these monsters, for though they are weak, the large body count they have managed to accrue over the years speaks of their danger.
Codex Entry: Faeries
Mana-Alignment: Life
Threat Level: Copper
Creature Type: Distraction/Swarming, Tiny Humanoid
Fairy or Faeries if there's more than one, are one of the most interesting yet as the same time, annoying monsters in existence. They will fly straight to adventurer's faces and do their utmost to annoy and distract them, allowing more combat capable monsters to the chance to strike while their attention is drawn away.
However, once they receive upgrades things become both interesting but horrifying. Some Faeries will have the ability to cast fire, ice and other elemental spells while others will absorb light faster, making things dark. Yet others will have the ability to create illusions to scare or distract people.
That is only one half of their upgrades, the other half will have blades in their arms or will become larger and more physically combat oriented. Eventually they will become as large as humans. However, the most dangerous, and beautiful at the same time, upgrade would be the Fairy Queen, also known as Titania by some.
Be weary of these faeries, for they will either be your greatest dream or your worst nightmare.
Codex Entry: Ghost
Mana-Alignment: Death
Threat Level: Copper (Platinum if in a Horde)
Creature Type: Spirit
An undead spirit with errands left unchecked returns to finished them. Due to their spiritual form, physical attacks are unable to affect them as all. However, magical attacks or weapons made out of highly magical metals can hurt them.
They can easily pass through foes and leave behind physical wounds so the best bet in defending against them is wearing highly magical armors. A single Ghost is easily handle but an entire horde will requires an entire team of Gold Adventurers. But even then, they have to be extremely careful around them.
Once upgraded, these ghosts will gain some new abilities, including summoning more spirits to attack foes, and possessing them.
Be very afraid of ghost because the greatest ghost monsters of all is the Ghost King.
Codex Entry: Ancient Ghost
Mana-Alignment: Death
Threat Level: High Copper - Low Silver (Platinum if in a Horde)
Creature Type: Spirit
An upgraded form of a regular Ghost. Form from people who live longer than most or a ghost managed to survive long enough to become an Ancient Ghost. Somewhat stronger than Ghost, they typically appeared around the end of floor 1 of a Death Dungeon to the beginning of floor 3 of a Death Dunegon.
They are slightly resilient to magical attacks and highly magical metals but otherwise are easily fought. Like the ghost, they truly shine if they are in horde, thus requiring a team of Gold Adventurers.
Codex Entry: Lesser Wraith
Mana-Alignment: Death
Threat Level: Silver (Platinum if in a Group)
Creature Type: Corporeal Spirit
A cursed being who has risen from beyond the grave. Upgraded from Ancient Ghost, it is more dangerous even if alone. They are capable of killing a person if they managed to touch a exposed part of a body. Not only that, they are also capable of summoning weak spirits from the recently deceased (Ghost) to battle at their sides.
That alone makes them a silver threat, in a group of 20 Lesser Wraith or more, they are a Gold to Platinum Threat, and requires teams of Platinum Adventurers to cull them at a regular pace to keep them in check before they go out of control.
However, they are naturally weak to both holy magic and silver, making it a essential to retrieve an Holy Mage for a Adventure Team to purge them at a regular basic. They are, however, moderately resistant to many other forms of damages.
One of the most dangerous upgrades of a Lesser Wraith, or a Wraith in general is the Mutated Wraith, an being that combined Death Alignment to another type of mana alignment, thus granting both extra abilities and granting it immunities related to the secondary type.
- Codex Entries created by Wizzrobe
Codex Entry: Regenerator
Mana-Alignment: Life
Threat Level: Copper-Silver
Creature Type: Cancerous (Regenerating) Humanoid
For most dungeon creatures, every bit of damage you deal to them sticks through out the fight. For nearly all monsters that are not undead, if you cut off their limbs, the limb stays off. This is not at all true for these particularly frustrating minions. Regenerators are extremely competent at their namesake: Taking plenty of damage and healing themselves before your eyes.
Regenerators are a mid-tier monster most often found in Life-attuned dungeons that are rarely found in groups of three or more and are somewhat intelligent, akin to a smart pet or a dumb child. Do expect them to use simple tactics and they frequently utilize grappling. They are physically weak attackers and rarely have magic that doesn't enhance their durability. They can be found using tools, although that is a rare occurrence. By themselves, they are only a threat to inexperienced groups as they are weak to fire and weaker than most other monsters found deep in dungeons. The biggest danger about Regenerators is that they tie up an adventurer's group front line fighters enough for more dangerous monsters to directly strike the group's back line.
These monsters' durability is paradoxically among the greatest and worst of monsters found among the same levels like Abominable Beasts, Metal Quill Rats, Plague Rodent Swarms, Giant Geckos and more. While most Regenerators can only take a few hits, they need to be killed fast as their wounds don't need much time to heal. In many cases, adventurers leave Regenerators among the last monsters to be killed in dungeon rooms, simply because they present the lowest threat to the group. Ironically, it is the Regenerators lack of offensive strength that lulls most adventurers to their demise.
One source described a group of six Regenerators acting as a guard for a Carniflower boss. When the Carniflower was injured, it was able to take large bites out of its Regenerator minions to heal itself and the injured minions leapt back to heal themselves for about ten to fifteen seconds before re-entering combat. This tactic has lead to the deaths of several high Silver-Tier adventuring groups because they (presumably) thought they could easily ignore the minions.
Codex Entry: Carrion-Eater
Mana-Alignment: Death
Threat Level: High Copper to Low Gold
Creature Type: Bird/Insect/Vermin
This diverse set of creatures represent a unique threat in Death Aligned dungeons. They come several varieties of large sized ugly birds (vultures and condors), Rodents of unusual sizes and/or as swarms of insects and thus can be different from dungeon to dungeon, with the birds usually coming in pairs while the insects usually spawn as three or four human-sized swarms.
They aren't much of a threat by themselves and are easily dealt with, provided the adventurers have a mage or two with the appropriate spells to deal with the swarming insect variants. The main problem comes with when they are spotted, as giving them time to eat corpses can drastically increase the strength or breadth of their abilities. So killing them as soon as feasible is, generally, the best tactic for dealing with these pests.
They are high priority targets on undead battlefields as the large amount of space and plenty of bodies to feast off of can let the pests reach incredible power and/or numbers quickly.
Codex Entry: Corpulent (Based off of the ones in Diablo 2)
Mana-Alignment: Death
Threat Level: High Silver
Creature Type: Dragon-kin (debatable)
If you thought fighting the undead was bad enough, now you will need to avoid having corpses launched as projectiles at you. These annoying bastards will avoid melee combat for as long as they can, find corpses that they can eat (and partially heal themselves with) before condensing the corpses into a form they will spit at you. Advanced variants can add elemental damage to their attacks, spit out larger corpse-bullets which can stun if the target is unlucky, or dress themselves up with the corpse to add to their durability.
These creatures aren't true dragon-kin, but share many characteristics with them so are frequently considered an off-shoot. They are quadrupedal in nature with the front legs also able to act as functional arms with clawed hands. Their breath can infect open wounds, so healing is very important.
Codex Entry: The Undying (Unofficial name: Those Damn Bastards, Dead-Risers, [CENSORED]) (Also based off of the ones in Diablo 2)
Mana-Alignment: Death
Threat Level: High Silver to High Gold
Creature Type: Skeletal Knights
The Undying are a high tier of skeletons that are almost never seen without weapons and armor. They get their (official) name from the fact they won't stay down for long. Like the basic Skeletal Knights, the Undying can advance to become Undying Templar, Undying Paladins, et. al.
Extreme Heat, whether incineration via fire or freezing via ice, are the best ways to permanently kill this type of Undead as most variants are exceptionally resistant to light/holy damage.
- Codex Entries created by Mr.Impatient
Codex Entry: Rot Slime
Mana-Alignment: Death/Pestilence
Threat Level: Low-High Silver (Size Dependent)
Creature Type: Disease-Spreader, Man-Eater
Rot Slimes are hard to come by, due to the special environment required for one to form. These creatures are hard to find in Dungeons, and harder in the wild, though no sane man will complain of their rarity due to the danger they pose if allowed to grow. Rot Slimes, contrary to popular belief, do not come from the evolutionary line of the Common Slime, as they are the base form of their kind. Rot Slimes form in a very similar environment as Zombies, but the key difference between them are the lack of bones.
When first formed, fools may believe that like the Common Slime, these creatures are weak, but this is not the case. Once a Rot Slime is finished forming, it will seek out the nearest living flesh and pull it into itself, suffocating any fool who gets too close. Once dead, the victim's body is then stripped of its flesh and assimilated into the Slime's form, rapidly decaying to fit it's new role. All bones left behind in the process are simply discarded.
Because of their rapid growth, and the lethal diseases they leave on the bones they discard, it is highly recommended that any newly discovered Rot Slimes are immediately destroyed. In the rare instance a Rot Slime is encountered, ranged fire-spells are your best bet at victory, melee only results in disaster.
- Codex Entries created by InquisitionAI
Codex Entry: Neurax Worm
Mana-Alignment: Life
Threat Level: Variable
Creature Type: Aberrant Parasite
There are few things that even Seasoned Platinum Adventurers will run away from. Those Things are not the Vile Abyssal Creatures, the most powerful Fae, or even the Ancient Dragons of the most powerful Dungeons.
No, what gets these Adventurers to flee immediately is the appearance of tiny, bright orange eggs. Though barely larger than a grain of salt, they are the spawn of the single most dangerous enemy a dungeon can have, not because they have immense strength, or because they can wield powerful magiks, but because they are the single most insidious threat you can face.
An Adventurer can be exposed to the Neurax Worms in a single dungeon, and only realize it months later when they suddenly become a prisoner within their own body. The Neurax Worms is one of the very few monsters that can truly take control of another being. Their initial small size is caused by the need to enter an individual's body and travel to the brain, where they rest upon the brain stem and begin leeching nutrients from the brain's blood flow. Once they reach the size of a pebble, they begin extruding tendrils into the victim's brain, and it is at this point that there is no recovery.
In the initial stages of corruption, the Neurax Worm has limited control over the unconscious portion of an individual's brain, forcing it to prioritize the health and safety of their host, allowing them to do previously impossible feats of both might and magic, all the while it burrows deeper into the brain.
In the Second stage of infection, the Worm gains full control over the autonomous nervous system. Giving them full control over nearly every unconscious bodily function, from breathing to digestion. The increases in victim strength and magic potency increase as the optimizations continue to help ensure the Worm's survival.
Third stage infections are characterized by small nudges and hints that an individual would never even realize weren't coming from themselves, such as where a trap could be, or what plants are safe to use. Eventually culminating in whispers within their mind, talking to them and trying to convince them to do things.
The final stage of infection begins when the Worm finally penetrates the victim's conscious mind, characterized by mysterious blackouts and strange bodily movements. This is the moment that the Host begins losing control, and starts being nothing more than a puppet for the Worm within them. Wizards specializing in the Telepathic arts have stated that 4th stage infected can be heard screaming for death, begging all those they come across to stay away or kill them. One commonality between all Worms is that they have an immense desire to return to whichever Dungeon they spawned from in order to reproduce, but they will accept any sufficiently large body of water, (This is relatively speaking since a small puddle would be sufficient to host thousands of Worm Eggs,) which means that a single infected can cause an epidemic of massive proportions if undiscovered in a village or town.
- Codex Entries created by Lost Star
Codex Entry: Skeleton Bannerman
Mana-Alignment: Death
Threat Level: Copper-Gold
Creature Type: Humanoid Undead
A variant skeleton that deserves a special mention. These specialized skeletons are a threat that scales based on what sort of allies they have around them and should be prioritized if they are seen. This is due to the banners they carry that give them their name. These large (Often cloth) flags are designed to mimic enchanted objects often used in large scale combat. When specific motions are used, these cloths provide movement buffs, coordination buffs, and often defensive buffs as well. A Bannerman can therefore cause what's normally a trivial threat to become a nightmare inducing horror.
Fortunately the Bannerman themselves are often very vulnerable. Alone a Bannerman is usually just another skeleton. Killing them will remove them as a threat. It is for this reason they are not common in higher tier undead areas, with their space being taken up by other more potent monsters. It's not uncommon for people to deliberately seek them out though, because the banners can often be salvaged for cloth suited for all manner of enchantments.
Codex Entry: Skeleton General
Mana-Alignment: Death
Threat Level: Silver-Platinum
Creature Type: Humanoid Undead
Sometimes skeletons advance in very particular ways. The Skeleton General deserves a special mention. These monstrous beings are considered a priority target whenever they exist. This is for two reasons. Generals are spectacularly intelligent, and they can coordinate instantly with other undead. When a General is on the battlefield even paltry zombies and skeletons become elite monsters capable of destroying the most prepared party. Even higher level undead will listen to a General if they exist.
Codex Entry: Dire Puppy
Mana-Alignment: Life
Threat Level: Copper
Creature Type: Canine
The Dire Puppy is a sign of things yet to come. They are tiny, dog-like creatures that look a bit like you could take them home as pets. They are in fact the first step of the Dire Wolf line. These tiny monsters are utterly fearless and ferocious. They can and will bite through a person's leg if that person is not careful. They also make good pets too, if you can manage to get them out of the dungeon and are careful with raising them.
Codex Entry: Troll
Mana-Alignment: Life
Threat Level: Silver-Gold
Creature Type: Humanoid
The troll and its variants are considered an uncommon, but highly known foe in certain dungeons. It is also considered one of the best object lessons on how to be prepared. The reason for this is because a troll can recover from even the most grievous wounds. Higher level trolls can regenerate from a finger left over, while lower level ones just require a disproportionate amount of damage. The only way to stop them from regenerating is to use a specific weakness for that troll. It varies based on subtype. Fire and acid are the most common ways to deal with it. Variants however can require special means.
Codex Entry: Dryad
Mana-Alignment: Life
Threat Level: Silver-Gold
Creature Type: Humanoid Plant
Dryads are a rather rare threat in life based dungeons due to a variety of factors. The largest reason for this is they require a tree to live, and that does not happen often in dungeons. They also cannot range far from their tree. This gives a rather obvious vulnerability naturally, though that can be hard since not many people can destroy a large tree fast enough.
As combatants Dryads typically use a variety of poisons and other spell like effects. They are extremely hard to pin down, since they can blend almost flawlessly with the surrounding terrain. Combined with vision obscuring effects it is not uncommon for a copse of trees to become a death trap. Higher level Dryads even have charm spells, which can cause havoc with the unprepared.
Codex Entry: White Rabbit
Mana-Alignment: Life
Threat Level: Copper
Creature Type: Animal, Rabbit
This unassuming creature is the bane of all new adventurers. The White Rabbit can run fast. That is it. It has no offensive abilities, it does not do anything special magically. It just runs fast and is hard to hit thanks to its didn't capabilities. The reason it is such a bane is because they often leave behind a good luck charm when defeated. Whether it gives luck or not is unknown, but it is known that these charms have a small healing effect as well. The effect is negligible, but persistent, making them in very high demand.
New adventurers will therefore spot a White Rabbit, and chase it. They will chase it into traps. They will chase it into monsters. There have even been reports of them chasing the rabbit into a new floor. The purpose of the White Rabbit is to be chased, and therefore get people into trouble.
There are rumors that the Rabbit is a basis for far more dangerous types of monsters as well. The dreaded [Censored] is one of them, but more common are horned rabbits, or rabbits in the shape of humanoids. The latter type should not be underestimated, as they are extremely deadly and prone to ambushes.
Codex Entry: Unicorn
Mana-Alignment: Life / Holy
Threat Level: N/A
Creature Type: Animal, Horse
The unicorn is a life aligned creature that is considered a warden of life itself. Seeing one is described as a life changing experience. They are extraordinarily rare, and even a glimpse is highly prized. They will not attack unless attacked, and have even been known to heal inside dungeons when spotted. There are even persistent rumors that a dungeon containing one is blessed. Whatever the truth, it is considered extremely bad luck to try to kill one. Those who have unicorn blood on them are considered cursed, and often draw in monsters whenever it happens.
- Codex Entries created by StrangeSpeeder
Codex Entry: Shadow
Mana-Alignment: Death
Threat Level: Copper-Platinum
Creature Type: Incorporeal Undead
Shadows, to the unprepared, are amoung the most deadly of the undead. Capable of sapping an opponent's strength directly rather than dealing damage to the body, whether the adventurer facing them down is a low bronze, or the highest tier of adventurer, they remain equally deadly with their attacks, should they connect. Their greatest strengths are their host of resistances, particularly to most mundane forms of damage, and their ability to hide in any dimly light areas, blending in to the shadows already present.
They are notably weak to sunlight in particular, and holy attacks.
Of note, is their ability to transform any slain non evil humanoid into another Shadow, should they fall to one of its attacks, and their tendency to be drawn to attack the purest of souls first.
Even beginner adventurers are capable of eliminating these pests if they know what to look for- but even the mightiest of adventurers have been known to fall prey to them when caught unawares. Stay vigilant, and watch for what appears to be the silhouettes of past adventurers and monsters seemingly burned into the walls as a sign for Shadows in your area.
- Codex Entries created by Bergre Keneta
Codex Entry: Blood Snake
Mana-Alignment: Life/Blood
Threat Level: Copper
Creature Type: Serpent
A single blood snake on it's own is not much of a threat to anyone and can in fact be a boon, this is due to the fact that the blood magic that powers them makes their bodies very effective as bandages, unfortunately for most who run across them they rarely travel alone.
Being found either in roving swarms under a blood king cobra or in caves under the thrall of a blood snake queen blood snakes are the lowest rung of this serpentine heirarchy and are not much stronger than the average snake other than their speed and ability to launch magical balls of blood at any and all who get too close for comfort
Codex Entry: Blood King Cobra
Mana-Alignment: Life/Blood
Threat Level: Silver
Creature Type: Serpent
Blood king cobras are one of the two types of being that a blood snake may grow into, giving up the chance to ever produce any offspring of it's own the kings typically rove the world searching for lone blood snakes to add to the bank of blood snakes that already follow them, blood king cobras typically they come from dens that have for one reason or another become to dangerous to remain within they take on the mantle of kind in the hope that one of their kin may one day manage to gain the mantle of queen once more.
blood kings sacrifice any growth in magical prowess for growth in physical size instead and can grow large enough to swat even the heaviest of knight around with ease but despite their increased size they can be felled by a sword to the brain as well as any ordinary serpent.
Codex Entry: Blood Cobra
Mana-Alignment: Life/Blood
Threat Level: Low Silver
Creature Type: Serpent
Blood cobras are the only stage in this line to have any form of hood, they are also the only stage that needs more than time to reach the next stage of growth, once a cobra has started down the path to becoming a queen they typically find other cobras and begin forming the base for a nest within a cave and actively searching out people to hunt, to help the cobras hunt they are at this stage capable of using their innate blood magic to inject poisoned blood into a target and to drain any vitality lost to the poison or their blood projectiles.
Codex Entry: Blood Snake Queen
Mana-Alignment: Life/Blood
Threat Level: High silver
Creature Type: Humanoid Serpent
Blood snake queens are born when a blood cobra consumes a (preferably still living) humanoid individual, after consuming the individual the former head of the cobra becomes replaced with the torso and head of the consumed individual and the mind of the individual and the cobra merge, this can result in the individual gaining complete control of the body, the cobra assimilating the persons knowledge or anywhere inbetween.
females are typically sought out by cobras seeking to become queens as all blood snakes and cobras are born male and can only become female and gain the ability to produce off-spring by consuming a female humanoid, but cobras may consume a male humanoid if the role of queen is already taken or if they desire greater strength to defend the nest with.
The most dangerous of the queens abilities is that they can turn any form of damage from a magical source into healing instead, the fact that they can form a mental link with all blood snakes and cobras in their nest/bank and the fact that they retain any abilities from the humanoid, they also learn how to infuse their blood blasts with the poison of their bite.
- Codex Entries created by psuedo nym
Codex Entry: Pottsfielder (insert skeleton here)
Mana-Alignment: Death (tangentially Life)
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Threat Level: +previous
Creature Type: Humanoid Undead
An odd and rarely found variant seen only in the Farmland Biome(?), these Skeletons are armored with gourds and shaped hay making lesser variants slightly more durable as well as making it nearly impossible to determine how a more impressive variant has been upgraded. Often found working alongside
Note: Based on the town of Pottsfield from Over the Garden Wall full of friendly people dressed in various gourds who are actually friendly skeletons dressed in various gourds. The town itself is named after a Potter's Field which is another name for a mass unmarked grave.
Codex Entry: Scarecrow
Mana-Alignment: Life (tangentially Death)
Threat Level: Copper-Platinum
Creature Type: Semi-humanoid Construct
in some ways the Life aligned (inferior) substitute of a Skeleton greater variants allow these creatures to fulfill entirely different niches such as the winged Scare Murder Crow, life drinking Reaper, and vermin directing Piper. This classification is almost as varied as skeletons are, with the caveat of sometimes having body plans that are only vaguely related to any living creature
Note: Yes I took inspiration from the Scarecrow creature type from Magic the Gathering. Perfect for guarding the Farmlands with the Pottsfielder's with the dual named bosses (or Bosses) Jack Skellington and Reaper King
Codex Entry: Voodoll
Mana-Alignment: Life
Threat Level: High Silver-Low Gold
Creature Type: Humanoid Construct (note: small)
Rather than directly manipulate the life energy of itself or others, a Voodoll harmonizes its Life with a single target causing any wound the Voodoll takes to be transferred to the Adventurer it is targeting. Thankfully the Life Resonance can only be maintained for one injury requiring a Voodoll to stop what it is doing and reharmonize. The best way of dealing with one is to strike it as gently as possible and then strike a killing blow almost immediately afterwards, however most adventurers first warning a Voodoll is even present is the little thrill-seeker jumping in front of a lethal attack meant for another monster. Those rare examples of this monster that have learned to find joy in sowing chaos amid a group as it attack itself from a place of relative safety can be even more dangerous though there desire for a good place to view the "action" ameliorates the threat somewhat
Note: It's (slightly) less evil Stuffy Doll with the caveat that it can switch targets. I figured we needed more ways to manipulate life so why not a living voodoo doll. Any injuries it causes will be proportionate to the target which makes it a pain to deal with and being a doll means it can survive stabbing itself in the chest. Just realized this thing probably hates holy magic because it has less of an effect on the Adventurer than it does the doll
Codex Entry: Snax
Mana-Alignment: Life
Threat Level: Copper
Creature Type: Possessor
Hiding in Forests or the rare Dining Hall or Apothecary, Snax appear to be living and bizarrely cute versions of food and other consumables such as potions, in truth they are masses of pure life energy that can possess living though non-motile things and will shift their control to nearby consumables if their current host isn't thoroughly destroyed. As they possess almost no combat ability some adventurers will attempt to lure one into a held consumable and sell them as an exotic pet though such an endeavor is near futile as the Snax doesn't need to be injured to change hosts and can quickly escape into the wild if not properly cared for or simply bored. The presence of a Snax in a dungeon is often of particular interest anyway because of the likelihood that such a dungeon has or will soon have its more advanced form the Mimic
Note: Non-copyright infringing (and Dnd-ized) Bugsnax along with a viable pre-evolution of a Mimic. an unspoken danger that I probably should have added is that actually consuming a Snax plays hell on the body though not to the point of being lethal just (sometimes terminally) distracting
Codex Entry: Mimic
Mana-Alignment: Life
Threat Level: Silver*
Creature Type: Possessor
The Mimic is a larger version of a Snax by nature of being able to possess larger objects though it near exclusively pretends to be Chests. Much deadlier than its prior form it is also capable of manipulating the life energy of consumed adventurers to temporarily upgrade the ability and rarity of Loot received on a given dungeon crawl though this upgrade is not entirely temporary. This has lead to certain unscrupulous adventurers feeding animals and even people to Mimics on purpose in hopes of a "rare drop", though being found to have done so to a member of a recognized Race is a crime punishable by death. Somewhat complicating dealing with a Mimic is the fact that it can possess a Chest on any Floor and moves between them much more quickly than a Snax could, effectively making a Dungeon with even one Mimic a roll of the Dice. A Mimics threat level is determined by the quality of the Chest it is currently possessing so those delving earlier Floors with lesser Chests have less to fear.
Note: A classic Mimic with a twist. who's up for a potentially deadly Gatcha game where you can literally sacrifice farm animals to the Dice Gods. No the rumors that throwing other Adventurers to the Dice Gods can net you a Platinum artifact off of a Moldy Chest aren't true.
Edit: It can possess Dungeon Machinery in the Foundry or Kitchen for interesting results, A Houze would of course possess the entire relevant area
Codex Entry: Houze
Mana-Alignment: Life
Threat Level: Gold*
Creature Type: Possessor
Houze are thankfully the largest Possessor most Adventurers will ever deal with being effectively an entire Dungeon Room brought to life and actively trying to kill you. This is exactly as pleasant as it sounds. complicating matters further a Houze can still move between the rooms and Floors of a Dungeon making it more than almost any other creature a roaming expression of a Dungeon's ire. A Houze cannot shift its attention while the area it is manipulating is being damaged though it can still manipulate it, so the best way to deal with one is to set the entire room on fire and then run like you've just set the entire room on fire. Thankfully the effective Threat Level of a Houze is tied to the Floor of the Room it's possessing is on making it slightly easier to deal with. As the only way to deal with a Houze is to stun it no one has ever confirmed whether a given Houze has temporarily died or can in fact be killed at all though it will always remember those Parties that have caused it particular trouble
Note: Yes a Houze made into a Boss would effectively be Der Kestle. writ small yes there is no other appropriate name for such a creature than Kestle. Luckily it wouldn't be able to swap what floor it's possessing because bosses can't leave their Room and its Room is effectively the Level it's possessing
Codex Entry: Adaptor
Mana-Alignment: Life
Threat Level: Silver-Platinum
Creature Type: Varies(originally Quadruped)
Adaptors are uncanny creatures that can devour the Life Energy of others not to heal but to alter and adapt their bodies to better hunt prey and other sources of Life Energy making old Adaptors practically unique instruments of killing perfectly suited to their current environment. Blunting this threat somewhat is the fact that such upgrades do not carry over when killed meaning a Respawned Adaptor is effectively back at square one though they maintain a memory of which forms did and did not work allowing them to learn what tricks help the fastest and occasionally what will work best on a team of frequent Dungeon Delvers. Upgrades focus on enhancing the speed at which adaptations occur and the outlandishness of adapted traits allowing limited access to traits normally found in other Mana-Alignments.
Note: Again inspired by MtG, this time the Simic Evolve ability and the introduction of Ability tokens that let a creature permanently gain things like First Strike or Trample
Codex Entry: Bone-Singer
Mana-Alignment: Life/Death
Threat Level: High Copper*
Creature Type: Humanoid
Bone-Singers are eerie looking Humanoids that pose little actual threat on their own, rather than use their mana to heal they can alter the bone structure of themselves and those they are in direct contact with though the slow rate at which they can do so and fact that the target has to be willing means whatever form a Bone-Singer has settled on is effectively what they are stuck with. Even when upgraded into a Life-Singer which can effect all biological matter or an Animist which replaces the Death alignment to focus on animating some other element, no upgrade will ever increase the rate at which there powers work. Where they truly shine is as a force multiplier, allowing a Dungeon to effectively arm those monsters it creates which cannot use tools with "natural" weapons they would not otherwise possess and allowing for a degree of customization that would not normally be possible. Many an adventurer has learned to fear old Dungeons that have developed a taste for Singer experiments though thankfully there are no known examples of a Wild Dungeon that was both old enough to use them effectively and specialized to make the most use of them.
Note: inspired by the Simic and Ability tokens but this time the earlier Graft ability and creatures that give Ability tokens to others and a desire to make essentially everything in the dungeon an upgradable nightmare. It probably won't be relevant but Animists can essentially create Homies like Big Mom from One Piece though limited to whatever Mana-Alignment they specialize in
Codex Entry: Silent Singer
Mana-Alignment: Life/Self(?)
Threat Level: Gold* (Debatably Platinum)
Creature Type: Aberrant Serpent
Silent Singers possess one of the more bizarre and unnerving uses of Life Mana of any Dungeon creature, rather than heal, drain, or warp they instead erase their own Life Essence to become not merely invisible but Unmemorable. Any who hear their song forget all details relating to their existence including this entry causing some to question the point of having this entry at all. Upgraded variants can use their song to effect enemies or allies sowing chaos as all but the one whose presence was erased forget they exist, The fact that they or those effected by a greater variant cannot sing and harm at the same time even in groups is honestly the only thing that keeps Silent Singers and any Dungeon that has them from being an existential threat to all life, The fact that no dungeon has ever found its way around this flaw is often attributed to the First Second and Fourth Silent Crusade in which multiple cities descended upon Dungeons found to be creating and upgrading Silent Singers in great numbers for fear that a Dungeon could erase all evidence of its own existence
- Codex Entries created by MangoFlan
Codex Entry: Shattered Image
Mana-Alignment: Death
Threat Level: Silver
Creature Type: Undead
Despair has befallen to this creature. These apparitions linger in the living world not because of some force or business but because of great despair; they simply see no point in moving on, and so they linger upon this world, continually despairing.
Shattered images appear as translucent geometric fragments forming a roughly humanoid shape. They often possess pale colors unaffected by lighting, visible even in the deepest darkness. They are rather fragile, and a good hit can scatter their pieces.
Their presence presses an aura of despair unto their surroundings; any particularly unwary adventurer that passes by them would experience lethargy and ruminate upon their regrets and failures and comprehend a certain futility upon their endeavor. Should the adventurer not resist, they might give up and let despair consume them.
Codex Entry: Fearfiend
Mana-Alignment: Death
Threat Level: High Silver
Creature Type: Corporeal Spirit
Fears made manifest. Fearfiends are black spindly creatures with blades in place of limbs. Three pairs of white glowing eyes are set upon their blade-shaped head. They inspire great fear to those that witness them prowling. They can chill whatever they look at to the point of frostbite and hypothermia. They may extend their fingers beneath the ground to root the feet of their prey to the ground.
- Codex Entries by Nikey21
Codex Entry: Jar Snake
Mana-Alignment: Toxic, Death
Threat Level: Low Copper to Low Silver
Creature Type: Snake
Jar Snakes are peculiar snakes that are only found in dungeons and ruins which have a large amount of jars. These snakes like living in jars that they find lying around, and curl up in hiding until some unlucky animal looks inside or some bumbling adventurer breaks their jar. They come in a variety of colors, from green to light magenta. All types are venomous, and their venom ranges from mildly to extremely toxic. Although their venom can be dangerous to adventurers with low vitality and no healer on hand, most mid ranking adventurers know to bring anti-toxic equipment when frequenting areas that have Jar Snakes.
Codex Entry: Pot Snake
Mana-Alignment: Toxic, Death
Threat Level: Low Silver to Low Gold
Creature Type: Snake
Pot Snakes are a more troublesome variant of Jar Snakes, which live in pots instead of jars, that are much more vicious and dangerous. Pot Snakes often have paralytic components in their venom and are on average 2-3 times stronger than their lesser variants. Furthermore, Pot Snakes are known to be clever and have been noted to steal enchanted items and trinkets. Even mid-ranking adventurers can easily fall victim to these snakes if they are not careful.
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Codex Entries: Lore
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On Dungeons And Mana
By: Skartooth Ironskin
Most Dungeons tend to gravitate towards a single 'theme', so to speak, when it comes to both their monsters and their environs, Dungeons in very bountiful areas tend to be Life-aligned, Those born on great battlefields and ruined cities tend to be Death aligned, in Mountains and Caverns they tend to be Earth-aligned, and near rivers, oceans, or any other large body of water, they tend to be Water-aligned.
This is not always the case, due to the inherent variability of Dungeons, but for the sake of this writing, it shall suffice. Therefore, one would not be faulted for assuming that all dungeons follow this pattern, One mana alignment dependant on the predominant local mana type. You would be incorrect. Most Established Dungeons develop a secondary mana-alignment once the clear advances in their original one have stopped. Following the pattern of 'complementary' alignments, (To provide an example, Earth Dungeons typically use Fire, Death, or Life as the secondary alignment,) You can generally assume that whatever 'Primary' alignment is going to have something that immediately boosts its effectiveness in killing Adventurers.
However, the rarest and most dangerous Dungeons are those with Twin alignments, in particular, that of Life and Death. Since you are currently reading this, I shall assume that you have read 'A Simplified Introduction to Dungeon Exploration', and not gone over that which it has already covered. Twin Dungeons are rare, strange, and most critically, deadly, even the youngest Twin-Alignment dungeon should only be delved by those with a Rank at least one higher than is the norm.
If, for some gods forsaken reason, you decide to try and Delve one of them while not being at least one rank above them. Whatever you do, don't piss them off, and if, by some stroke of luck, you can get out of there with all of your limbs and your life, do so. Nothing in that Dungeon is worth getting killed over.
- Codex Entry created by InquisitionAI
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Codex Entries: Theorized Dungeon Perks
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Perk
[Life Finds a Way:]
You heal those who do not strictly speaking need it. In order to not let such efforts go to waste, healing energy in excess of what is required will be automatically converted into Remnants, small blobs of motile biting flesh that will release a lesser version of whatever healing spell created them upon their death. Remnants do not count towards a Room's monster cap unless upgraded and while Lesser and Greater Adaptive Growths are useful Remnant Spawn do not become as singularly powerful as their level suggests until they become Shoggoths
Life-Mana Alignment has been increased!
Note: I hope it's okay to suggest Perks. Inspired by the Pest tokens of Strixhaven among other things. Growths usually fight while attached to other creatures acting a makeshift living weapons and Shoggoths are as powerful as any creature that has been upgraded as many times as it has. If This Dungeon gives a Boss Shoggoth the name Shub-Nuggarath it will of course be terrifying, but in a surprisingly Elder Sister Like One sort of way
- Codex Entry created by psuedo nym
Above is very large spoiler that has what we've called 'The Codex'.
It is ALL user submitted entries in an informational type way, similar to things you'd find in other fantasy RPG's like Dragon Age.
Currently, its non-canon because if it was to be canon I'd have to edit... a lot of it. And that's a lot of work. We have over, or right around, 8K words in submissions.
So firstly, thanks to all who submitted Codex entries!
Secondly, if you want to create your own, I'm not going to be keeping a track or adding them from anywhere but Spacebattles, so please find this story there if you want to contribute something like that.
Moving on.
Perks, Abilities, Monsters, Bosses
Warning: This section technically contains spoilers if you haven't read the story yet.
Technically.
This is mainly a summary of the things discovered, gained, and what the Dungeon can do.
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General Abilities
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Dungeon Manipulation: Allows for complete control of the area the Dungeon owns.
***
Spawn: Allows you to spawn monsters inside the Dungeon.
***
Observe: Gain basic information about a target.
***
Rule Creation: Allows you to create rules that must be followed, granting new or increased rewards, or decreasing rewards.
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Perk Abilities
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{Life-Alignment} Enticing Aura:
To the living, a designated section of your Dungeon seems particularly appealing. Whether they seek it for respite or to taste a particularly juicy looking berry, their guards will be lower than usual, allowing you to strike with ease.
***
{Dark-Alignment} Necromancy:
Due to the higher than average Death-Alignment, in addition to the way it was gained, you have gained the basic package of skills, summarized into one, called Necromancy. This allows you to raise the dead, channel mana into their bodies to heal them, and give them basic commands.
Mostly able to raise common zombies and skeletons, your ability to use Necromancy has been boosted by Death Is Not The End, and granted an additional effect due to synergizing with Life, Death, and Everything Between.
All undead raised by this ability have their stats increased. Chance of undead raised by this ability to evolve into a higher tier of undead for free.
Due to synergizing two perks, any adventurer you raise will retain a significant portion of their original power. Any abilities the undead gains due to their new nature will in turn be increased by a factor correlated to the adventurer’s original level.
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Perks
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Brief Summary of the Bonuses:
Life-Alignment: ++++
Death-Alignment: ++++
Necromancy: +++
Life, Death, and Everything Between (RARE):
This rare perk grants small bonuses to Life and Death alignments, and you are more likely to receive perks based around them, both random bonuses and random choice. Because of the nature of both alignments and their relation to mana, you also receive increased mana generation.
Gives a boost to Life Mana Alignment, Death Mana Alignment, and Mana Regeneration.
Death Is Not The End:
The most common fate of an adventurer that falls inside a Dungeon is to be consumed by the monster’s they were slain by, or maybe left strung up by the trap that gave them a few new holes. To the great vehemence of those that enter your Dungeon, however, Death Is Not The End.
Death-Mana Alignment Boost!
Your ability to use Necromancy, as well as the abilities of minions raised by or falling under the banner of Necromancy, is increased.
Life, Death, and Everything Between
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Death Is Not The End
The bodies of adventurers you raise from the dead shall retain a significant portion of the power they held while they were alive, and their power level will also boost any skills they gain as an undead.
Example: A level 10 adventurer swordsmen will be granted {Blighted Strike: Lvl 2} instead of {Blighted Strike: Lvl 1}.]
[Slayer of Man:]
Although you lacked the normal means, you’ve already managed to slay a human. Due to your prodigious efforts and spectacular results, your creations and their abilities gain an increased potency when facing humanoids.
[Let There Be Life:]
Life-Mana Alignment Increased. Life grows in your Dungeon and at an increased rate. Flora, fauna, it matters not, if it lives it shall grow and be hearty and hale.
Let There Be Life
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Life, Death, and Everything Between
Let There Be Life now also improves constructs of Unlife. Creatures raised through Necromancy or in the ‘Undead’ Category now also grow as time passes, though slowly.
[For I Am Legion:]
The path of the Necromancer is fraught with peril, and allies are hard to come by. You’ve learned to make your own to better defend yourself and your interests.
For surviving against a physically superior force with the crushing weight of numbers, you’ve earned this perk. Quantity is a quality all its own, but why not possess both?
All undead units cost +2 mana. Doubles the amount of undead units spawned. Upgrade costs follow the same formula (double the cost, minus upgrade discounts).
[Agricultural Renaissance:]
Providing the barest necessities isn’t good enough for you. All plants, crops, or greenery that grows in your Dungeon are of a far superior quality to any equivalents found outside its halls. Plants and seeds assimilated by your Dungeon can be created via [Dungeon Manipulation], but anything created in this manner besides cosmetics spawns as a seed that grows incredibly quickly, and without the need for natural sunlight.
Life-Mana Alignment has been increased!
[Systemic Evolution:]
Life isn’t always easy. In fact, Life is quite hard.
Adapt. Survive. Overcome.
This is the mantra Life in your Dungeon now follows. As your Life-Aligned monsters and flora are destroyed, they learn and evolve. When they rematerialize, they will have gained an incremental resistance to that which killed them.
In combination with your other perks, they will also adapt better to changes in tactics used by invaders and learn how to counter specific strategies faster.
Life-Mana Alignment has been increased!
[Does This Unit Have A Soul?:]
You have invested heavily into making your monsters more capable by strengthening their ability to grow and think. You have created multiple monsters in your short tenure with a strong focus on independence and the ability to think for themselves.
All monsters gain increased intelligence.
The amount gained pertains to their rank. Once a monster is granted a high enough rank, in combination with enough time and experience, they can gain wisdom, self-reflection, and the ability to grow mentally, not just physically.
At the highest tiers of monster you will find your generals, your commanders, and your strategists that will help lead your unending army of cursed Life and creeping Death to grand victories.
Strength of arms is only as effective as the strength of the mind that wields it. Learn well, and destroy all who oppose you.
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Monsters
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Notes about the list:
Monsters are listed at their original, base price, unaffected by [For I Am Legion].
The ^ sign indicates it is the upgrade path for the prior monster listed. Multiple ^^ indicates how many upgrades to reach that tier.
For example, the [Lesser Wraith] has two ^^, meaning a normal [Ghosts] unit, upgraded twice, becomes a [Lesser Wraith].
Monsters without a description or mana cost hasn't had it invented yet, but the monster was mentioned.
DEATH ALIGNED:
[Zombies]
Cost: 5 Mana
Slow and sluggish, but irritatingly durable. Can be upgraded with diseased bites, noxious gasses, and more.
Individual upgrades include monsters such as Draugr, Headless Zombies, Dread Zombies, and more.
[Skeletons]
Cost: 5 Mana
Faster than their more fleshy counterparts, but less durable at lower tiers. Can wield equipment better than zombies can earlier, however.
Upgrades include Skeletal Archers, Mages, and more.
[Skeletal Miners]
Cost: 3 Mana
Although not oriented towards combat, these Skeletons appear armed with pickaxes, but cannot wield other equipment.
^
[Skeletal Delvers]
[Ghosts]
Cost: 7 Mana
Ethereal spirits that pass through their foes and leave physical wounds behind. Susceptible to magic and silver or highly magical metal, these creatures are otherwise unaffected by normal attacks.
^
[Ancient Ghosts]
^^
[Lesser Wraith]
A cursed being who has risen from beyond the grave. It despises light and all things holy, and is naturally weak to silver but moderately resistant to many other forms of damage.
Its touch brings death, and it can call forth weak spirits from the recently deceased to battle by its side.
[Ghoul]
Cost: 4 Mana
A stronger variant of zombie that hungers for flesh. Their strikes cause a weak form of paralysis, and as they evolve they become faster and more agile.
^
[Feral Ghoul]
^^
[Alpha Ghoul]
[Geist]
Cost: 2 Mana
A spirit that does not interact with the mortal world in a normal way. Instead, it can focus on humanoid senses and provide tricks and distractions while remaining undetectable.
[Cursed Sword]
Cost: 10 Mana
A cursed sword, animated and deadly, that inflicts necrotic and disease damage with each blow.
[Skeletal Smithing Crew]
Cost: 22 Mana
Comes with all necessary crafting stations. This crew is capable of smithing armor and weapons to equip your applicable forces. Armor and Weapons are automatically distributed, focusing on the lowest levels first and working upwards.
[Skeletal Tailoring Crew]
Cost: 17 Mana
Comes with all necessary crafting stations. This crew is capable of making clothing from soft materials, and applying varying effects to them as their knowledge and understanding grows.
LIFE ALIGNED:
[Faeries]
Cost: 2 Mana
Faeries have no combat potential, but let off a bright glow and serve as excellent distractions.
[Blessed Sword]
Cost: 10 Mana
A blessed sword, animated and deadly, that inflicts holy and fire damage with each blow.
[Budding Tree]
Cost: 10 Mana
A tree that grows fruit, choosable by the Dungeon. As it grows it gains grasping vines and draining pods.
[Lifedrinker]
Cost: 5 Mana
A small creature that consumes life energy. Though initially small and weak, as they feed they grow larger and drain more rapidly.
[Spriggan]
[Novice Shaman]
Cost: 8 Mana
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Bosses
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Biyaban
First Floor Boss
Title: Rider of the Desert Winds
Type: Alpha Ghoul
Biyaban is the ancient incarnation of the first of his kind. Ghouls are traditionally know as flesh-eating zombies with paralytic venom in their claws, and as they grow and evolve, their teeth as well. Biyaban, the original, was recorded in ancient history for his cunning and brutality, using illusions and trickery to snare his prey. The new floor boss is determined to not only meet the origin legend of his name, but surpass it as well, and has chosen the title 'Rider of the Desert Winds' as an ode to the original, who hunted in the Arabian deserts, and to describe his fighting style. He strikes swiftly, decisively, and flows like sand in the wind around his foes.
[Omen]
Second Floor Boss
Title: The Devouring Dark/The Consuming Light
Type: Mutated Wraith
Immune to Holy, Light, Dark, and Necrotic types of damage.
Resistant to most others.
An Omen to all who see him and wish to dive deeper into your Dungeon.
Omen is a mutated wraith, a strange type of creature very rarely found inside of Dungeons at seemingly random. Wraiths are ethereal creatures, as can be inferred by their evolution from ghosts, and are particularly fierce. Their hatred for the living is legendary, and those they strike down will rise up under their command as the mindless undead.
Mutated wraiths take this to an entirely other level, however. The mutation normally results with a combination of another type of mana alignment, granting it extra abilities and immunities related to the secondary type. Adventurers must take care when facing these monsters, and carefully note what is effective and what is not, for mutated wraiths are tricky opponents that will surprise you when you least expect it.
Rules:
These will be added once people have a chance to read the next chapter. Spoilers, and all that.
Dungeon Map:
Currently just the first floor.
First floor! [https://i.imgur.com/C8sWvXj.png]