Swamp Dungeon [80x80] (free version)

My patreons find the high-resolution version, without watermark, a hag lair alternative and the vtt files in the post above.

Dear friends, today we are going on a wonderful little trip. We go to visit a small and completely harmless cave. It may be a little stuffy and smell of stale water and worse, but I promise that the splendor of the plants will knock you off your feet (* mumble * maybe not just literally ... * mumble *). Welcome to my swampy dungeon!

Here is the story of the dungeon and some inspiration how to use this map:

The hook of my story is an elven folk who lives near a swamp. The problem of this people has always been that the water and groundwater of the swamp steadily polluted their streams and wells and repeatedly led to terrible diseases. But for many centuries her people have been protected by the Lady of the Swamp. An elven demigoddess named Karas, who uses her magic to ensure that the swamp does not cause too much damage to the elves. She also keeps down the dangerous beasts that inhabit the area. Statues and offerings were brought to her in gratitude.

But for some years now, the goddess's achievements have been decreasing. Diseases are returning and now people are starting to disappear too. My adventurers are hired by the Elven people to solve the problem. They are their last hope, otherwise they will have to leave their home.

You will be accompanied by a guide. After a journey through the swamp with possible encounters, our heroes find the entrance to the dungeon.

Dangers of the dungeon:

Monster: Different monsters that have adapted perfectly to their surroundings. (Attack and disappear again in the same round in the swampy underground; They pull our heroes down through the swampy ground until they sink completely into it (your dwarfs will be happy)); Leeches as big as cats; "Swamp sharks"

Natural traps: quicksand; Air that has so little oxygen due to decomposition that your heroes slowly pass out without even realizing it

The vegetation: The plants can shoot various vapors into the air with hallucinogenic effects. The trigger can be touch or even stepping into the environment. The purple flowers, which can be found everywhere in the dungeon, have the strongest effect. They are incredibly powerful hallucinogens and make for a brutally bad trip very quickly (e.g. behavior like a berserk)

Within this dungeon, my heroes will hunt down various creatures. The elven giude will recognize their stomach contents as missing members of his people and thus this threat is at least for the time being settled (until more of these creatures come out of the depths of the swamp). In the long term only the demigoddess Karas can give rescue for his people.

The final

We reach the last room in the north-west

Here you will find an old cult site of the goddess and she herself.

She sits drooling on her throne and eats the purple flowers in large quantities.

She seems completely out of the world but has a few clear moments.

She fell for the flowers which cause a very strong addiction and her world is now only completely focused on consumption and she lives like a wild animal. She can no longer be saved from this addiction.

In a very clear moment she asks my heroes to end their suffering and kill her.

The elven leader is vehemently against this proposal. His alternative suggestion is to knock her down and use her magic to transfer her power to her statue. Then the power would be in the statue and could be calibrated to forever purify the water of the swamp and thus protect his people.

The drooling goddess reacts to this with dismay and pleads and pleads. This process would take her power and lock her spirit forever in the stone in the state in which it is right now. Thus means eternal suffering for her.

The choice is either to kill her and thus condemn the elven people or to save them but do eternal suffering to their protector.

In both cases there is a boss fight at the end:

If you kill her, her body is completely taken over by the purple plant and she turns into a mutated undead. Half undead half plant, which also brings other plants to life and also the elven guide could turn against the group.

If you want to lock her in the statue, she will fight against being knocked down with everything her semi-divine body has to offer (and she will also summon a few creatures).

Either way it ends, it will be tragic and hopefully your players will be able to debate a tough moral decision

Credit for the used asset packs goes to Essendi, Synecdoche and Crosshead.