Dungeon Dressing: Doors
Dungeon doors come in many different shapes and sizes. Doors are one of the most basic dungeon features and as such can offer clever explorers vital clues to what might lie beyond.
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Major Features
There is no readily apparent handle or latch on the portal. A mechanism is hidden nearby.
A large and elaborate baroque doorknocker is affixed to the door.
The door’s oversized hinges enable it to open both inward or outward.
A grate or window allows one to look into the chamber or passage beyond the door.
A small peephole pierces the door. The door is shut, but the peephole is open.
The door slides open into a slot into the wall rather than swinging open.
The door is incongruous to its surroundings. In a plain setting, it is elaborately decorated; in a palatial room, it is plain and unmarked.
A pulley and counterweight mechanism opens the door, which is unusually heavy.
The door is a jib door, a secret door designed to blend in with the wall panelling.
Ventilation slats are built into the door, but do not permit a view of the other side.
Fluted and scroll-like mouldings delicately painted in an array of colours around the door’s frame make the whole an impressive work of delicate craftsmanship.
The door is constructed of folding panels, sliding to one side to allow entrance.
The door is made of hollow material and is exceptionally easy to destroy. (The door is only half as sturdy as normal).
The image of a demonic or devilish face covers the door’s surface, carved in high relief. The face is screaming. A tiny peephole pierces one of its eyes.
The door fits very closely into its frame and is harder to open than normal.
This set of narrow double doors opens like a pair of shutters and is as wide as a normal single door.
The door is cut in half; the lower and upper portions can open separately.
A small door is cut out of the bottom, with a swinging flap, to allow smaller than man-sized creatures access.
The elaborate iron strap-hinges of this door extend from the side nearly to the opposite edge of its surface, forming a floral motif.
The door is designed to appear to be the tongue and throat of a great demonic mouth.
Minor Features & Dressing
The door is crudely barred from the party’s side. Someone has gouged out apparently valuable or dangerous decorations from the door, leaving it pitted and scored.
The door has been detached from its hinges and is leaning against the wall.
The door shows signs of repeated, amateur repair.
A curtain or cabinet has been used to conceal the door from casual observers.
“Way Out?” is written in blood at the foot of the door.
Someone has scratched the word “tyger” on the door.
The prints of two humanoid hands are burned or melted into the door’s surface.
Insects, rust or other rot have so thoroughly eaten away at the door that it crumbles at a touch.
The bottom of the door has been gnawed away; Small or smaller creatures can crawl through the gap.
A pewter bowl, covered in mould, and a wooden cup, filled with stagnant water, sit before the door.
A half-completed attempt to brick-up the doorway is evident. Tools are scattered in disarray on the floor.
A sweet fragrance, as if from many roses, wafts through the door. The door is open and is securely fastened by a chain to a metal ring on the wall.
A bell is attached to a string on the other side of the door, creating a makeshift alarm.
Thorns and spikes, appearing as if they have grown from the door, festoon its surface.
The door is ill-fitting and overlarge for its frame. The door is ajar, and a metal bucket full of liquid is propped above it. Characters opening the door get drenched as the bucket clatters to the floor.
The door is painted a vibrant colour and is the most eye-catching feature of the room.
The door has been cut into the wall and installed as an obvious redesign of the area.
The door opens of its own accord when anyone approaches within five feet.
The door’s handle has been broken off; it lies mangled on the floor nearby.
An empty suit of armour is nailed to the door.
Credit
This is a short system-neutral extract from GM’s Miscellany: Dungeon Dressing. The book is available in 5e, System Neutral and Pathfinder 1 editions. The OSR edition will be available in early 2023.
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