I also like the idea of a dungeon as an ecosystem (shamelessly stolen from the anime Delicious in Dungeon). Even if it’s some small bandit hideout, they’re not going to be entirely self sufficient. Maybe a fence that they sell their ill gotten gains to sends some thugs after the group of heroes that messed up his suppliers. The townspeople are thankful you crushed the dragon that stole all their wealth and artifacts, but they won’t take kindly to you burying the stuff they wanted back under a fucking mountain. Maybe the kobolds in there were keeping the local predatory bird population down and now the local farmers’ animals are being eaten by mini-rocs or something.
That level of detail and cause and effect is entirely superfluous for 99% of campaigns, but it can be good to keep those sorts of ideas in your back pocket for when your players manage to sidestep a planned thing. Reward the ingenuity, but actions have (fun) consequences.
Damn artificers.
I also like the idea of a dungeon as an ecosystem (shamelessly stolen from the anime Delicious in Dungeon). Even if it’s some small bandit hideout, they’re not going to be entirely self sufficient. Maybe a fence that they sell their ill gotten gains to sends some thugs after the group of heroes that messed up his suppliers. The townspeople are thankful you crushed the dragon that stole all their wealth and artifacts, but they won’t take kindly to you burying the stuff they wanted back under a fucking mountain. Maybe the kobolds in there were keeping the local predatory bird population down and now the local farmers’ animals are being eaten by mini-rocs or something.
That level of detail and cause and effect is entirely superfluous for 99% of campaigns, but it can be good to keep those sorts of ideas in your back pocket for when your players manage to sidestep a planned thing. Reward the ingenuity, but actions have (fun) consequences.