“hmm, yes, the floor here is made out of floor”
- My name is called woody and i am having a snake in my shoes, Facebook, 2013
To floor, or not to floor. That is the question.
And the answer is, no, the answer is to terrain, not floor.
This is all due to the abilities and functions of dungeons, whose existence breaks many laws of physics, nature, and reality to function as they do.
Dungeons are, at their core (pun intended), entities built to create. Create monsters, create traps, create floors, create gold, create life and death. There are few beings found across universes capable of rivaling the creation ability of a proper, full-fledged dungeon, and even fewer in more significant numbers.
Dungeons are also massive machines of destruction and doom, for all those who cross the line. Slimes annihilate entire army regiments, rolling stones crush unsuspecting tomb raiders, and rats flood the hallways containing adventurers. For third-dimensional beings, there are few beings capable of manipulating space, matter, and life as proficiently as a proper, full-fledged dungeon.
During your first few days or weeks of existence, or whichever time scale is relevant for your interactions with others, you will need to develop your defenses as quickly and effectively as possible, to avoid the ultimate consequence of being a dungeon - your dungeon being destroyed. As discussed in earlier chapters, terrains, monsters, and traps are your three primary methods of protection against invaders who wish to plunder your depths and possibly end your existence. Terrains and traps will be discussed in this chapter, due to being very similar in concept.
Terrains
Terrains are the foundation for any good defense, whether it be a young dungeon newly created or an ancient dungeon taken over by you, the isekai-er. Let us dive into more, in-depth options for newbie dungeons, as to ensure they can survive.
Thick fog and steam - One of the cheapest options for a dungeon terrain, due to mostly only needing water and heat. Thus, this kind of terrain can be combined with many other types of terrain, or it can stand on its own.
Working off the concept of obstructing types of vision, fog and steam fill the floor with water vapor, making it difficult to use most vision-type abilities and heat-sensing abilities. This can effectively nullify the threats beginner adventurers face, and it makes dungeons a living hell for those who do not have wind-type or spatial-type abilities.
The condensation and heat of the fog and steam also work on another route - to debuff opponents. Opponents not built to handle high temperatures and humidities will find this kind of terrain highly annoying, due to the constant sticking and degradation of equipment and the quicker paces of dehydration.
Ideally, your fog should be as thick as possible, to keep light from refracting too much. Your steam should also be hot and varied, to throw heat-sensing abilities off as the heat of the floor shifts and changes constantly. Additionally, if possible, your floor itself should contain segments of high heat, to only enhance the steam and turn some fog into hotter fog as well, further disorienting those around them.
The obstruction of vision and heat-based sensory abilities also means more traps can be used without having to worry about being spotted. So more flamboyant traps, such as massive rolling stones and flames, can be used without giving away their locations for longer periods of time.
Open fields - The cheapest option for most dungeons, open fields allow for a lot of possibilities for both sides, the dungeon and the invaders. This terrain can also be combined with watered-down versions of other terrains, making it difficult to predict what the next open field will be like.
Working off the concept of sheer possibilities, open fields allow for almost any number of traps and monsters to be placed and used in the never-ending fight against invaders. Huge numbers of undead monsters could roam the fields, or the ground could be a never-ending hellish landscape of dangerous traps. Limited only by your imagination, open fields are one of the most versatile and common terrains out there.
Ideally, you should also mix in other terrains, or at least make the open field trap-heavy, to catch opponents off guard and force their hands. An open field means large-scale AOE magics are immensely effective, and for a fledgling dungeon, that means very little return for your massive monster army investments. A field of undead skeletons may be less than useful against an army of training holy knights, but a field of undead skeletons with rapid-firing poison traps is a different story, forcing their hand to either heal themselves or heal the undead.
Open fields pair well with traps built to attack huge amounts of area, such as acid rain and, say it with us now, thick fog. More room means you can pack heavier-hitting traps, and more room means more capacity for packing debuffs.
Rocky caverns - one of the most classic options for a beginner dungeon. In fact, most dungeon isekais start with rocky caverns, or they are forced to create it through a tutorial, due to how obscenely easy it is for most dungeons to create them.
Working off the concept of obstructing vision and movement, primarily movement, rocky caverns are essentially pathways and rooms made of natural-appearing stone, although the specifics vary from cavern to cavern. Even two rocky caverns in the same dungeon can have different characteristics depending on the limitations of creation.
The narrow and windy tunnels make it difficult to move in proper formation or fight properly for those with larger builds/equipment. The irregular rocky formations in rocky caverns can also leave room for lots of traps, forcing intruders to approach every stone, every stalagmite, and every tunnel, with caution. Staclimites can fall from the ceiling, pitfalls can open up from a single stepping stone,
Ideally, your rocky caverns should be quite irregular in terms of patterns. Keep them guessing whether the next room will be filled with gaping holes to the depths, or packed with cliffs for attacks to rain from above. Make the corridors narrow and windy, with uneven floors, rough walls, and smooth ceilings. The rock should be tough as nails in some locations, yet extremely soft in others, making it unpredictable about where the footholds will be. Inconsistent, darkened lighting only makes rocky caverns even better, as the unpredictable lightning will force invaders to constantly re-assess the possibilities of the future as they doubt the data of their eyes.
The obstruction of vision and movements means that defending monsters will also have lots of places to defend if designed properly. High, unscalable cliffs can hold goblin archers (discussed later) to rain arrows on intruders, stalactites can enable spiders to drop down from the shadows, and unsteady footholds can disguise slimes to dissolve weapons and boots.
Traps
Traps are the frosting of your terrain-built cupcake, the sprinkles on your death-laden cookies, and the final touches to your terrains. Built to work with terrains in their cores, traps trigger upon activation and have a pre-set output, and oftentimes require re-arming depending on the situation. To neglect your traps is to neglect a major part of your defense, especially in the early run when the most you will be facing are small fry.
Pitfalls
Pitfalls are the most classic trap of all time, from across the multiverses. It is undeniable how effective they are when they perform their job - and are ideal for beginner dungeons as well due to how cheap they are.
A pitfall is, at its core, a hole into some other place. While the size and depth of the hole can vary from pit to pit, they typically are large enough to catch up to a person’s knee, or about as tall as a typical monster in the area. They may also be covered in camouflage to ensure that the intended prey does not notice until it is too late.
Working off the concepts of entrapment, a pitfall tricks the opponent into placing their foot or other such appendages into a hole, to physically restrain their capabilities. This restraint will reduce their range of mobility, as their appendages or themselves are now stuck to a certain traversable area. While this in itself is not fatal, with other additions, it can be.
Ideally, your pitfall should be made of materials the same or similar to those surrounding it, of its environment. This will allow it to blend into the environment better, to more effectively deceive those around it into falling. It should also be quite deep, at a bare minimum deep and large enough to snugly fit the lower part of a leg (although you can choose to make it as large as you want to make it fit entire persons, although do make sure to remember to make it deep as well to keep the invaders trapped. It is entirely optional, but usually performed, but you can also put camouflage over the top to make it appear like a normal part of the floor.
It pairs well with most terrains, particularly beginner terrains, but it works best in terrains with little to no visibility, such as thick fog and rocky caverns mentioned earlier. This is to further reduce the chances of it being spotted. It is also useful in terrains where additional traps have been set up - such as spikes at the bottom of the pit or projectiles aimed at the same general area, as its forced reduced movement will keep intruders from escaping.
Tripwire
One of the most classic traps of all time, it works in conjunction with other traps rather than working by itself. It deals no damage and does little more than perhaps tripping the opponent a little, but its value comes from its versatility.
A tripwire can be used to trigger almost any other trap within its vicinity, particularly those on the same floor and terrain. (However, it can be used for triggering other, farther traps if connected and managed properly). This makes it useful for almost any other trap which requires a trigger to start, and as a young dungeon, you may not have access to the more useful and expensive abilities such as infrared vision.
Working off the concept of physical strength, it relies on the opponent being strong enough to push the wire from its standard position, perhaps even snap it. This will trigger a hidden mechanism, as the pressure on the mechanism is either intensified or released entirely respectively, telling another trap within its vicinity to activate. (Usually, it is the latter, as to assist in avoiding detection, but the former can also be used if you intend for the obvious-but-effective effect of tripping the opponent).
Ideally, the tripwire should be made with three main parts - the wire, the detector, and the mechanism. The wire should be as thin and similar to its surroundings as possible and set near where the targeted area would normally be (this is usually the lower leg area, but can be set anywhere depending on your intentions), to avoid detection and ensure it will come into contact with the opponent. The detector should be as hidden as possible, usually behind a rock or similar, as to avoid suspicion, but also close enough that it will detect when the wire has been tripped.
It pairs well with traps that need a clearly defined target in a certain area, such as pitfalls (right below the tripwire) or projectile-based traps (which will be discussed next), the former due to being extremely area-specific and the latter due to needing proper timing. It also works fairly well in areas with lowered visibility, as to avoid being spotted (in fact, most traps function best in areas of low visibility, due to being harder to detect), since if it is spotted then both the wire and the to-be-triggered trap are effectively nullified. Thus, rocky caverns are some of the best places for tripwires, particularly the narrow tunnels (which make it easy to hide the detector mechanism in the tunnel walls and the string is more difficult to avoid).
Projectile Launchers
Projectile launchers are one of the most effective beginner-friendly traps, as long as they are constructed and placed correctly. Capable of taking out adventurers from the greenest of greenhorns to advanced adventurers, projectile launchers have some of the most potential depending on a variety of factors.
Projectile launchers, as in the name, launch various items as projectiles against the enemy, typically through the air (although it can be done through water or solid matter depending on the specifics), at high velocities, making it difficult to avoid impact (and thus damage). This means they can launch a wide variety of items.
Working off the concept of impacts, projectile launchers rely on two main factors for dealing with effects - placement and projectile. If the target is placed within its effective range, and the projectile is effective against the target
Ideally, the projectile launcher should be from points of view where a projectile would not be anticipated - such as behind, above, or below the target. This means high shelves and low holes are both popular areas for projectiles to be launched out of. The launching should also be catered to the situation - most projectile launchers are silent for this reason, to avoid detection, unless the trap was designed to release as much noise as possible. The projectile should also be able to withstand the forces acting against it whilst during flight and during impact, to perform the damage upon the target. (Although it may shatter after impact, such as if the projectile was a perfume meant to target the olfactory organs).
For beginner dungeons, common projectile launchers are projectile launchers that launch arrows, basic magic spells, and stones, due to how cheap these ammunitions are. Place a fireball spell launcher right above a tripwired looting chest, and watch as when the invader steps forward to gain the loot, they trigger the wire, causing a fireball to be cast at them from directly above their heads. Thus, they pair well with terrains where motion is extremely limited - the projectile has to hit to accomplish its purpose most of the time - such as rocky caverns and thick fog, as these terrains can prevent incoming enemies from dodging your projectiles.
Ultimately, terrains and traps are the bread and butter of any beginner dungeon, and depending on which trap you create, can be used even into the late-game of dungeon isekais. The better you mesh them together, the more effective your dungeon will consistently be, making your initial survival far more likely. More advanced traps in future chapters - you have only just started your dungeon journey, and there’s no need to rush!
AN: Buy me an isekai dungeon core ticket and I’ll write ten chapters a day
EN: NO PLEASE DON’T!
AN: ICE CREAM EVERY DAY FOR ALL OF ETERNITY!
EN: ….
EN: OKAY ACTUALLY PLEASE DO!
EN: ...
EN: ACTUALLY PLEASE DON’T, I DON’T HAVE THE TIME TO EDIT TEN CHAPTERS A DAY!
AN: NO TAKESY-BACKSIES!
EN: WE’RE LITERALLY THE SAME PERSON! I SAY WE DON’T!
*cue the internal argument*
