Help me add character to a dungeon?

[BTWilliams]

Two of my favorites:

1.) A semi-circular stone trough built into the side of the wall. A spigot, shaped like a gargoyle's head or what ever fits your decore, attached to the wall a couple of feet above the trough. A drinking cup is attached to the wall by a slender chain long enough to reach the standing water. A small but steady stream of water flows into the trough from the spigot. While the water standing in the trough is crystal clear, the stream from the spigot is colored and changes colors every two minutes or so. The color disappears as soon as it hits the standing water. Here's the catch. The water standing in the trough is just that.....plain water that is clear and fit to drink. In fact it has a wonderful, refreshing quality to it. The stream, however, is a potion.....different, depending on the color.....and will affect any player who drinks it according to the type of potion it currently is. No matter what color, though, the first potion should always be healing or some other beneficial type. And once the color/potion correlation is determined it should not be changed. If they drink the "red" stream and it's healing then red is always healing. Otherwise, feel free to make any color any potion. Also, have the area around the trough very clean and appealing. It helps get the party members to drink.

2.) Have a small, ornate but serviceable dagger amongst a treasure find. It should be able to be detected as magical. A +1 to wound or something else slightly beneficial. Whoever claims this will be surprised when at the most inopportune moment the dagger speaks. In a loud voice. Usually something insulting, argumentative or crude. Such as while you're trying to sneak past Ogre sentries all of a sudden a shrill little voice, coming from your belt, yells out, "Hey Orc-Face! You want a piece of me?" And when the party finally realizes the dagger can talk.....it won't shut up. It argues with all the party members. Insults them. Makes crude remarks to any females. Etc. Etc. And the bad thing is, it's cursed. You can't give it away. You can't throw it away. You can't just leave it lying on the ground and walk away. It always finds its way back to its "owner". You have to find the right formula to break the curse (DM's choice). I, personally, had a blast with this in one of my games.

Good luck with your game!

[MagickalMemories]

I used the "open door, boots and ashes" dressing last night.
My group is way too inexperienced. LOL It slowed them down for all of 30 seconds.
Experienced gamers would have contemplated that door for AT LEAST 20 minutes and wasted a spell or 2 on it. LOL

Someone DID pick up the boots and put them in his pack, though.
Now, I've gotta decide if they do anything or not.

I'm thinking they'll be Fireproof Boots.
No harm can come to them from fire.


This ability, of course, does not extend to the wearer.



Eric