Every level is different! But how do you make that happen?

The Salamander Mines were created using the How to Host a Dungeon rules. Some levels came in with lots of detail--local monster groups, a history, treasures and specific features. Like the Hobgoblin mines. How to Host told me who livers there, what they were up to, who their neighbors were, and what they were up to.

The Crossroads began is literally that--a place where two major corridors crossed. With a statue.

But due to some aesthetic impulse I cannot name, I decided it needed to be a whole level:

There's not much in the crossroads to stop for. It's a place that's attached to many other regions of the dungeon. It' a place to pass through. Thus, in true pernicious DM mode, I put a portcullis trap right in the middle of it. Denizens who know about the trap can easily route around. But curious adventurers, drawn to a fine tiled chamber full of pillars, are sure to run afoul.

But of course, I could not resist adding something unique. For this level I decided to add some abandoned Dwarven baths to the north, and a band of Gnolls with a temporary camp to the south. I liked these details a lot, so I made few changes for the update. The biggest changes involved moving some hallways around so they fit the big map better.

Here's what it looks like now:

The statue I left undetailed. Maybe it's just a random landmark. Or maybe some clever DM will make the center of a whole plot. I leave the details up to you.

I figure there's a month or two of drawing at my normal page before all the levels are done. I'll keep sharing as I go!