Daggerfall:Dungeons

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Contents 1 Introduction 2 Assembling of Dungeons 3 Dungeon Entrance/Exit 4 Dungeon Maps 5 Main Quest Dungeons 6 Quest Locations 7 Dungeon Scenarios 8 Footnotes

[edit] Introduction

Dungeons are an essential part of the game-play. Most quests demand from the player to enter a named dungeon and find a quest object within, which can be an item, monster or NPC. If one is to kill the quest object, this must be done as well.

Most dungeons, except Common Cemeteries and a few others, are not visible on the local map from the start of a game. They must be found first, which can be done in three ways:

• Exploring the wilderness, which is rather difficult
• Get their locations in the course of quests, which is the most common way
• By reading dungeon maps, that can be found on fallen enemies sometimes or are sometimes a reward for a completed quest or a promotion (see Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood)

The process of finding a quest object in a dungeon is called dungeon crawling, since the location of a quest object is determined randomly and in most cases it is necessary to search the dungeon step by step. The only exceptions are objects in Main Quest Dungeons.

[edit] Assembling of Dungeons

A dungeon consists of a number of so-called modules that are linked to one another. More precisely, there are two connecting passages in each of the four cardinal directions, so there are eight paths leading out of each module. Most dungeons are a random conglomerate of different modules. Main Quest dungeons, however, are an exception, because these are all hand-crafted and their corresponding modules are used to generate the other random dungeons. In this context, random means that the dungeons were created randomly during the development of the game, but their final configuration is hard coded. Main Quest dungeons are also the biggest dungeons in the game. The biggest of them is Scourg Barrow.

One of the major drawbacks of the game are in fact the dungeons because:

1. The number of dungeon modules is limited, causing dungeons to lack diversity.
2. While it would be understandable for Main Quest dungeons to be rather extensive, even the smallest random dungeon is far too large to be suitable for a common quest. The term mating octopi, which is sometimes used to describe a dungeon is quite adequate.

[edit] Dungeon Entrance/Exit

Regardless of its dimensions, a dungeon has only one entrance, which is also the exit. The entrance/exit is displayed as green square on the dungeon's overview map and as a green tag on the detailed 2D/3D dungeon map. Normally, you start at this point but in some quests you must find this exit to escape a dungeon.

[edit] Dungeon Maps

Two types of dungeon maps are available within a dungeon. The dungeon overview map gives an approximate two dimensional overview of the dungeon's layout, with the player's location shown as a red square. The more detailed 2D/3D map displays the player's location as a red arrow and shows details of the explored areas (e.g., corridors and rooms). As you explore the dungeon, the detailed map becomes increasingly confusing. When you leave a dungeon all map information is lost, so the map is reset to its initial, unexplored state.

[edit] Main Quest Dungeons

• Castle Daggerfall
• Castle Llugwych
• Castle Sentinel
• Castle Wayrest
• Direnni Tower
• Lysandus' Tomb
• Mantellan Crux
• Privateer's Hold
• Scourg Barrow
• Shedungent
• Stronghold of Orsinium
• Woodborne Hall

[edit] Quest Locations

Because Main Quest Dungeons are hand-crafted, the location of quest objects is always the same, hence it is possible to give a guidance how to find them.

In other dungeons the location of quest objects is determined randomly. Depending on the dimension of the dungeon and the used modules, there can be up to about ten so-called quest locations within. One or more treasure piles can be found at every quest location and the quest object will also be at one of these spots. Depending on the random numbers it can be a location rather near to the dungeon's entrance/exit, but it is also possible for the quest object to be rather deep within the dungeon.

Regarding this facts, the only way to definitely find a quest object is to search the dungeon, step by step. That process is called Dungeon Crawling. The spot where a quest object is located will remain the same until the quest is over. So repeated exiting and re-entering a dungeon will not alter its location.

The quest locations of a certain dungeon-module are always the same. So if one has explored a lot of dungeons during his adventures, one may remember where these locations are, making the exploration slightly easier.

One can also use a Cheat to cycle through the various quest locations of a dungeon.

[edit] Dungeon Scenarios

Following section comes from Donald Tipton's former webpage, which has been down for many years. Using the Internet Archive WayBack Machine at http://www.archive.org, it was however possible to retrieve some documentation concerning the dungeon-modules, or dungeon scenarios as they are called in the article.

Original Article

There are 32 primitive models for the various dungeon scenarios. As a rule, each scenario appears in four variations: one flooded and three dry. One model, the double moats, has only two (flooded) variations; the moats are never dry. Three models never flood: the stone arch bridge grotto, the tower of crossroads, and the checker board cellar room; they have only the usual three dry variations.

The following tabulates the correspondence between the dungeon scenarios in blocks.bsa. The variations on a dry scenario always appear as consecutive triples in n*.rdb. Flooded scenarios always appear in w*.rdb. Intersticial zeros in the scenario file names have been elided for brevity.

RDB	Description
n000	Big stairs
n001	Big stairs
n002	Big stairs w/ red brick teleporter, blocking statue
w001	Flooded big stairs
n003	Hollow pyramid, short lever opens trapdoor teleport
n004	Hollow pyramid, turnwheel in upper mini-maze, skull fountain teleport
n005	Hollow pyramid, trapdoor over teleport exit
w003	Flooded hollow pyramid
n006	Two towers with catwalks
n007	Two towers with catwalks
n008	Two towers with catwalks
w005	Flooded two towers
n009	Caves, arched ramp grotto
n010	Caves, arched ramp grotto, treasure pile moves stone
n011	Caves, arched ramp grotto
w008	Flooded caves, arched ramp grotto
n012	The stone arch bridge grotto [1]
n013	The stone arch bridge grotto [1]
n014	The stone arch bridge grotto, root teleporters [1]
n015	Wooden suspension bridge grotto, torch moves wall
n016	Wooden suspension bridge grotto, opened wall
n017	Wooden suspension bridge grotto, torch moves wall, teleporter
w023	Flooded wooden suspension bridge grotto
n018	Room of tapestries, small surroundings, teleporting treasure pile/brazier
n019	Room of tapestries, large surroundings, brazier teleporter
n020	Room of tapestries, large surroundings, brazier teleporter
w025	Flooded room of tapestries
n021	Flying J: no unlocking brazier in the rafters
n022	Flying J with unlocking brazier in the rafters
n023	Flying J with unlocking brazier in the rafters
w018	Flooded flying J
n024	Royal audience hall, stone catwalk
n025	Royal audience hall, stone catwalk
n026	Royal audience hall, stone catwalk
w013	Flooded royal audience hall, stone catwalk
n027	Skull teleporter scenario
n028	Skull teleporter scenario
n029	Skull teleporter scenario
w026	Flooded skull teleporter scenario
n030	Caves, stone in crossroad
n031	Caves, stone in crossroad
n032	Caves, stone in crossroad
w000	Flooded caves, stone in crossroad
n033	Basement eight door room
n034	Basement eight door room
n035	Basement eight door room
w002	Flooded basement eight door room
n036	Red brick teleporter maze
n037	Red brick teleporter maze
n038	Red brick teleporter maze
w004	Flooded red brick teleporter maze
n039	The tower of crossroads [1]
n040	The tower of crossroads [1]
n041	The tower of crossroads [1]
n042	The cellar 12-columned/checker board room [1]
n043	The cellar 12-columned/checker board room [1]
n044	The cellar 12-columned/checker board room [1]
n045	One floor meander, (magic) locked room in basement, often w/ 3 levers
n046	One floor meander, (magic) locked room in basement, often w/ 3 levers
n047	One floor meander, (magic) locked room in basement, often w/ 3 levers
w024	Flooded one floor meander
n048	Long attic zig-zag, foe inside packing crate
n049	Long attic zig-zag, foe inside packing crate
n050	Long attic zig-zag, foe inside packing crate
w019	Flooded long attic zig-zag
n051	Attic eight door room/three floor elevator
n052	Attic eight door room/three floor elevator
n053	Attic eight door room/three floor elevator
w020	Flooded attic eight door room/three floor elevator
n054	Caged doorway
n055	Caged doorway
n056	Caged doorway
w021	Flooded caged door
n057	Flying H, zig-zag shaft [2]
n058	Flying H, zig-zag shaft [2]
n059	Flying H, zig-zag shaft [2]
w014	Flooded flying H, zig-zag shaft [2]
n060	Three U's, short elevator shaft in rafters
n061	Three U's, short elevator shaft in rafters
n062	Three U's, short elevator shaft in rafters
w015	Flooded three U's, short elevator shaft in rafters
n063	Flying Y: stem is a ramp leading down
n064	Flying Y: stem is a ramp leading down
n065	Flying Y: stem is a ramp leading down
w016	Flooded flying Y: stem is a ramp leading down
n066	Double spirals [3]
n067	Double spirals [3]
n068	Double spirals [3]
w017	Flooded double spirals [3]
n069	Y in the rafters
n070	Y in the rafters
n071	Y in the rafters
w009	Flooded Y in the rafters
n072	Rafter windowed corridors
n073	Rafter windowed corridors
n074	Rafter windowed corridors
w010	Flooded rafter windowed corridors
n075	Rafter circle of rooms
n076	Rafter circle of rooms
n077	Rafter circle of rooms
w011	Flooded rafter circle of rooms
n078	X/H ground floor
n079	X/H ground floor
n080	X/H ground floor
w012	Flooded X/H ground floor
n081	Pig sty [4]
n082	Pig sty [4]
n083	Pig sty [4]
w022	Flooded pig sty [4]
n084	Spaghetti maze
n085	Spaghetti maze
n086	Spaghetti maze
w027	Flooded spaghetti maze
n087	Double ovals (gray stone sewers)
n088	Double ovals (gray stone sewers)
n089	Double ovals (gray stone sewers)
w028	Flooded double ovals
n090	Big barn [5]
n091	Big barn [5]
n092	Big barn [5]
w029	Flooded big barn
w006	The double moats/windowed corridor
w007	The double moats/windowed corridor

The b*.rdb files furnish the perimeter rooms of the dungeons: either a single room or a connecting stair between floors.

The m*.rdb files are the different styles of graveyard crypts.

The s*.rdb files are the special dungeon interiors associated in one way or another with the main quest:

RDB	Dungeon
s120-121	Castle Llugwych
s160-161	Daggerfall Castle
s180-181	Direnni Tower
s140-141	Lysandus' Tomb
s000-006	Mantellan Crux
s020-022	Orsinium
s999	Privateer's Hold
s040-043	Sentinel Castle
s060-071	Shedungent
s200-205	Scourg Burrow
s080-082	Wayrest Castle
s100-101	Woodborne Hall

The gaps in sequence for the specials are perfectly normal. There are no special settings left unaccounted.

The specials usually provide a unique setting for the dungeon entrance and for the location of a quest object inside the dungeon. The rest of the interior is drawn from stock pieces in b*.rdb, n*.rdb, and w*.rdb. A couple, Privateer's Hold, Scourg Burrow, and Shedungent rework common settings with different treasure drops/foes.

[edit] Footnotes

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8} Never floods.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} The pieces of the "H" are corridors, with the eastern arms ramping to upper levels, usually with a small room bridging the crosspiece of the "H".
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3} Clockwise and anticlockwise square ramps winding around the perimeter of the block.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3} There always seems to be a caged pig in a connecting room in the lower levels of this straight forward block.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2} The one with a high open area and a naked elevator platform that rises up through empty air to a single shaft in the roof. It also has a tricky combination of levers, turnwheels, shafts, and sliding walls to open a grate blocking access to the pinnacle rooms.