20 Things: Strange Dungeon Growths
As well as the mundane and the expected, dungeons can feature many strange or bizarre things. Adventurers delving into almost any dungeon are virtually certain to encounter and battle outlandish, alien creatures in the course of their explorations. They may also encounter any number of strange things.
Use this list, to add strange growths to your dungeon:
A group of black-stemmed, white-capped mushrooms turns toward the party and sprays them with spores.
A colony of bats claims the stalactites as their home; unless the party makes loud noises or carry bright lights, the bats ignore them.
A prominent stalagmite looks like a colossal stone club; it is composed of a different material than the surrounding stalagmites.
Stalactites form a natural chandelier; someone has wedged several unlit candles in the chandelier.
Fresh water pours from a stalactite; the water is clean and drinkable.
A large stalactite is hollow1; a fist-sized onyx worth 50 gp rests within.
A sheet of green flowstone appears to have a human’s face peering from within it.
A metal spike thrusts downward from the ceiling; rusty water drips from the end of the spike.
A set of soda straws sways in a slight breeze, which creates a delicate tinkling sound.
A stalactite and a stalagmite almost meet to form a column; a gap with the thickness of a sheet of parchment separates the two.
A clump of red-capped mushrooms shudder and shift when living creatures come within 10 ft.
Large icy stalactites continually drip water; they seem precariously attached to the ceiling.
Thin stalactites hold a rounded chunk of mineral in place giving it an arachnid-like appearance.
Calcite deposits on the ground form brain-like objects measuring four inches in diameter.
A mushroom explodes in a seemingly harmless multi-coloured spray of material that splatters the surrounding floor and walls.
Blue-grey shelf mushrooms climb a wall, forming a zigzag staircase.
A rocky outcropping filled with tiny holes juts from the floor; wind passing through the outcropping creates a haunting, shrill whistle.
A low hum emanates from the nearest stalactite when a character enters this chamber; the sound randomly shifts from stalactite to stalactite.
A ball of brownish mould quivers when a character approaches it but does not otherwise move.
This complex stalagmite looks like a stony tree growing from the cavern’s floor.
Want More?
The material in this article appears in Dungeon Dressing: Strange Things by James Graham and Mike Welham which is available in 5e, Pathfinder 1, Pathfinder 2 and OSR editions.
Members of our Patreon campaign got all four editions as a thank you for their awesome support. Join today!
