Sunday, August 14, 2022

All the Doors Round Here

 Weird doors in dungeons are fun. 

Top view map

A large stone disk, well balanced on a central axis, spins within a round cutout. Alcoves cut into the disk allow a person to move with the disk and transit between rooms. 

  • The disk only spins one way. 
  • Each alcove only accommodates one person.
  • A full revolution will take about a minute. The stone is heavy.
Why this is great:
  • It's an easily solved obstacle, with many possible variations
  • The door prevents rapid retreat of adventuring groups, prompting hard choices
A few nifty alternatives: 
Extra exit from the spinning door

The alternative exit from the spinning door might not be immediately found if approached from the south but likely to be discovered easily if returning from the north. 
  • The additional passage within the wall, could also be hidden behind mismatched masonry.


Once one of these doors has been discovered, they'll be recognizable even if not in their original position. The out-of-position alcoves can hide treasure (or a trapped monster).
  • Turning the wheel will be easy even without direct access to the alcove
  • Perhaps someone wedged the door to imprison someone else who was trying to pass through.


Rotated to a vertical spin, the disk door can be a tricky trap. 
  • Getting out of the pit below is pretty difficult, especially if there's snakes or zombies in there.

Just an example


2 comments:

  1. Very cool door design here. I like the distinctness it gives a dungeon and makes doors something that's more then just a transition of a word between rooms.

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  2. heck, a horizontal door with an unavoidable verticle pit is a great oh no moment.

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