Ty reached over and glanced at the lectern, prepared to increase his dungeon. As always, he first glanced at his current set-up.
The Dungeon of the Dryad’s Grove
Air, Soul, Wyld
Level Four Dungeon
Score 11 (12-1) Dungeon
Category
Score
Effect
Monster Level
4
The dungeon has a maximum of Level 2 monsters. [1/10th of Base Dungeon Score, rounded up + Beast Woods w/ doubled effect(x1). Monster Levels may not normally exceed dungeon Level +2]
Maximum Monsters
30
The dungeon can have 30 monsters (cost 30 recovery), spread out roughly equally between its possible levels. [Base Dungeon Score + Nest(x1) + Beast Woods doubled effect(x1)]
Monster
Number
Total Recovery Cost
Special
Boss
0
0
Sub-Boss
2
4
Monster
24
24
Baby Monster/Minion
4
2
Recovery Rate
3.2
The dungeon recovers 3.2 monsters per hour. [.1 x Base Dungeon Score + Nest(x1)]
Magic Effects
9
5 small magical effects or 2 slightly bigger ones or 1 great effect. [Base Dungeon Score, rounded up + Zadrid’s Heart + Dark Heart of the Forest + Entropy Spark w/ double effect]
Traps
0
Loot Rate
1
If they find any monster that drops loot, they’ll count themselves lucky. [Always 1 base]
Loot Quality
1.6
Oh, joy, a knife! Mom can stop working the fields! [Always 1 base +.1 Ty, +.1 Zadrid’s Heart, +.4 Entropy Spark w/double effect]
Magic Output
38
The dungeon adds to the magic of the world, and in its local area. At current level, it adds 19% to the base magic level and node affects and .04% to the rest of the world’s base magic level. (Base score plus Dungeon Level and same over 1000 percent. +4 for Entropy Spark w/double effect. Doubled for ‘Dungeon Passage’ dungeon lord ability.)
Special Categories
Entropy Experience Gain
25%
25% faster experience gain for anyone with Entropy as a magic. [Dark Heart of the Forest.]
Rooms
Category
Number
Effect
Floor One
Nest
1
+1 Sub-Boss. +4 Baby Monsters. +2 Recovery. This is a breeding space for monsters.
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Heart of the Grove
1
+1 Magic effects Level. May accept pieces of progenitors to increase power and gain new rooms. Each one adds a small direct amount of power as well as new room options.
Zadrid’s Heart: +1 Magic effect, will be entropy. +.1 loot Quality.
Dark Heart of the Forest
1
Beast Woods double their benefits on this floor and provide 1 recovery each. The floor this is placed on can gain Entropy magic effects and rooms. All entropy magics effects gained on this floor are doubled. The “Endless Undead” room and “Zadrid, Lost Progenitor” rooms can be discovered through other room combinations. +1 Magic effect, +25% experience gain in the dungeon for Entropy users. +1 Sub-boss.
Beast Woods
1
[effect doubled from Dark heart of the Forest] +2 Maximum Monster Levels. +12 Monsters. Floor is beast-themed.
Entropy Spark
1
[effect doubled from Dark heart of the Forest] +4 Magic Effects Level, shifts the magic toward Entropy. +4 Magic Output. +.4 Loot Quality.
Ty stared. Five rooms, almost entirely built to capatilize on Zadrid’s Heart—one of the two dead progenitor parts I’ve gained so far. The Heart of the Grove to be able to utilize the heart, and the Dark Heart, Beast Woods, and Entropy Spark to capitalize on it. Now I can add the Claws, and see what they make—as well as see what is provided by the current room combinations I have.
“Can you absorb the claws?” Ty asked.
Saelenia reached down and easily picked the claws up, a complicated expression passing across her face. She took them back toward her throne. Behind the throne was a mass of vines, and inside those vines was the dark heart of Zadrid. It still pulsed, as if alive, and bled black… its ventricles were attached to vines that led into the wall.
Saelenia went to the other side of the throne and held the claws out. Vines sprouted from the stone walls and raced toward the claws, sticking into them almost like bones and tendons, then taking them up toward the ceiling. A cage of vines formed around them, and pulled them into position so that you could only see them from one side. But now, the claws occasionally stretched or clenched as if alive.
Creepy.
Ty glanced down at the readout, where the ‘Heart of the Grove’ ability had an extra object increasing its power.
Heart of the Grove
1
+1 Magic effects Level. May accept pieces of progenitors to increase power and gain new rooms. Each one adds a small direct amount of power as well as new room options.
Zadrid’s Heart: +1 Magic effect, will be Entropy. +.1 Loot Quality.
Claws of Foriveltain: +1 Monster Level. +.1 Loot Quantity.
“That’s really good—an extra level for monsters is a huge addition to the room, better than a magic effect in my opinion,” Ty said.
“So you’re an expert now?” Saelenia asked with a raised eyebrow before settling back into her throne, the dark heart in a cage of vines to her right, the claws in a similar cage of vines to the left.
Ty flushed. Dungeon cores were so rare on the continent of Beldin that no one was an expert, but he had studied what he could find on the subject. “Well, no… I just thought that if you compare rooms, but nevermind. Still, glad I got it—the level needs to be increased again.”
Ty glanced down at his page. There were three additional tabs, “Additional Rooms,” “Legacy of the Forest” and “Expansion of the Grove.” Legacy of the Forest had given him the options to gather the ancient parts of Saelenia’s long life—dead allied and enemy progenitor parts, temple stones to gods she was associated with, and the regalia and gear of heroes she was associated with. He didn’t know what “Expansion of the Grove” did yet, or how it worked. He already felt as if he was hurting for building picks—did he need or even have room for another route of power at the moment?
What he needed most, however, was the available rooms tab. He wasn’t sure if new options had propagated yet, but he checked.
Room
Effect
Basic Rooms [Available to all dungeons, no specialty requirements]
Lair
+8 Maximum Monsters. This will look like an inhabited space for monsters, and encounters in this room will seem like it is, in fact, a lair.
Nest
+1 Sub-Boss. +4 Baby Monsters. +2 Recovery. This is a breeding space for monsters.
Spark
+1 Magic Effects Level. +1% Local Magic Level. +.1 Loot Quality.
Treasure Room
+.5 Loot Rate, +1 additional Loot Rate for the floor it’s on.
Advanced Rooms [Available because of combinations of Basic rooms]
The Dead Alpha
+1 Boss. In this room only, random treasure rolls are treated as 1 higher for both Loot Quality and Loot Quantity.
Specialty Rooms [Available because of the Dungeon’s Magics or Boss]
Air Spark (Max 1 per floor)
+2 Magic Effects Level, shifts the magic toward Air. +3% Local Magic Level. +.2 Loot Quality.
Fae Grove (Max 1 per floor)
+2 Monster Level. +4 Max Monsters. The monsters on this floor are shifted toward Fae and Fae subtypes.
Beast Woods (Max 1 per floor)
+1 Monster Level. +6 Max Monsters. The monsters on this floor are shifted toward beasts and magical beasts.
Living Forest (Max 1 per floor)
+1 Monster Level. +4 Max Monsters. +.2 loot rate. The monsters on this floor are shifted toward plant monsters and the loot toward rare plants.
Shrine to Lost Glory
+.1 Loot rate and loot quality both. May accept the regalia of lost heroes still venerated enough to have faith. Each set adds a tiny amount of direct power and will generate a special encounter. May add more room options, but it’s unlikely.
The Forest Temple
+1 Monster Level. May accept attuned Temple Stones to gods associated with the Crone. Each adds a decent amount of power and may add new room options.
Master Rooms [Available because of combinations of Basic rooms and advanced, specialty rooms, or Eldritch rooms, always number limited]
Endless Undead (Dark Heart of the Forest and Entropy Spark rooms)
+20% to total monsters generated on the floor this is placed on. +4 monsters, +1 sub-boss. +.5 Loot quantity. +25% experience gain to any Entropy mage that has become undead.
Eldritch Rooms [Available from fulfilling conditions of the Shrine of the Forest, or fulfilling the conditions and having prerequisite other rooms.]
The Primeval Heart of the Forest (Heart of the Forest and Foriveltain’s claws)
Beast Woods add +1 Monster Level and +1 Recovery when on this floor. All Wyld magic effects gained on this floor are doubled. The “Gaian Forest” room, “ and “Foriveltain, Lost Progenitor” rooms can be discovered through other room combinations. +1 Magic effect, +25% experience gain in the dungeon for Wyld users, raising to +50% for anyone with a beast companion. +1 Sub-boss. May pick Beast Woods for this floor an additional time.
Ty stared for a bit. “Well, I can see where this might be… epic, frankly. I take back anything I once said about the legacy of the forest rooms not being that much greater. This will make my dungeon amazing.”
Saelenia chuckled. “Of course, youngster. Three improved Beast Woods on this floor will be worth about nine rooms in terms of normal benefits—so you’ll be about six rooms up. You won’t need monster levels, monsters, or recovery for your dungeon for ages. You can focus on treasure levels and more unusual things.”
Ty rubbed his chin. “Yeah… that’s the obvious ploy. Put in the Primeval heart and Two more Beast Woods. But I could also go for the Shrine to Lost Glory and add the gear of the ancient one hero. A dark horse play.”
Saelenia crossed her legs and leaned back in the throne. “Don’t be silly, youngling. Keep the deer in camp, don’t run off to try and find a herd elsewhere. The obvious ploy you’;ve worked toward is the double progenitor-beast eldritch room floor—"
“That’s a mouthful.”
“Do I need to get me a wooden spoon, youngling?” Saelenia asked with an arched eyebrow, and Ty laughed.
“As I was saying before I was interrupted by rude youth: you’ve got five picks left before this floor is finished, and no more. The Heart and two Beast Woods leaves only two rooms—Which should probably be the Endless Undead and your boss room. It’ll be a fairly low treasure build, but between everything you’ll have almost an entire second floor worth of rooms for total monsters and monster level and monster recovery. So you can play with your other toys then on your new floor.”
Ty nodded. It was the obvious, and good, choice, he knew.
He picked the Primeval Heart of the Forest. It immediately gave his existing Beast Woods an additional monster level and recovery, which then doubled, taking him to a max of Level Seven monsters and a recovery of five-point-six. It was a solid improvement—he’d gone from Level four monsters to Level Seven. His dungeon, only Level Five, would likely grow very fast for a while.
“So, what about your build?” Saelenia asked. “Are you using it to improve the dungeon further?”
“Well, I’ve actually been sitting on a level for most of the last three days, thinking about it…”