Editing Legend of Zelda RPG/GM Resources (section)

==[http://www.zeldawiki.org/Dungeon Dungeon] Design==
Still roughing this out right now:

"Four Swords creates a dungeon level by randomly selecting a dungeon setting -- a vast area with many set challenges -- then dropping a randomly selected new dungeon part into it. As you gain more keys and experience, obstacles become more challenging and levels become more difficult. There are dozens of settings and parts available for each separate area, so you'll always be challenged with new dungeon levels!" - [http://www.zelda.com/universe/game/fourswordspast/faq.jsp Zelda Universe]

Boxes connected by arrows:
*Each box defines a rectangular area with the same characteristics (pool of water, field, metal grating, etc.). Distance units between and location of movement points written round the outside.
**Boxes have the item tags needed to solve the [http://www.zeldawiki.org/Puzzle puzzles] in them. For example, to represent rooms with torch switches, the box has the Ignite tag.
*Each arrow tells you how areas are connected, the requirements to move from one area to another ("Defeat Miniboss", "Activate Line of Switches in Order 3, 5, 2, 4, 1"; "Unlock door with Boss Key", etc.), if you can travel back the way you came (falling down is one-way, etc.), if the new area is on a different floor of the dungeon (semi-circular arrow), etc.
**Arrows have the item tags needed to access them. For example, to represent doors blocked by Sun Blocks, the arrow has the Light tag.

Stuff we can <s>mooch</s> learn from:
*[[Lady_Luck's_Door]] - a /tg/ project that never quite finished
*[http://boardgamegeek.com/image/766130/dungeoneer-tomb-of-the-lich-lord Dungeoneer room cards]
*[http://davesmapper.com/ Davesmapper] tile-based map gen
*[http://www.enworld.org/forum/blogs/kamikaze-midget/1782-digitial-design-dungeon-design-tips-zelda.html Lessons from Zelda used in D&D?] We can totally use them in a Zelda RPG!
::All these need to have the exits at exactly the same place, which isn't ideal. If there's a "rim" around the rooms to draw in the connections, it might help, but it feels a bit untidy.
:::The original Zelda dungeons also needed all its room exits in the same places, and I think the randomly generated dungeons in "Four Swords" was the same.  The best dungeons will be drawn freehand, naturally.  These tile-based dungeons will do well at giving the feel of a videogame in an RPG.
::::I guess a tile-based system can speed some things up (less drawing stuff out, but solutions to puzzles can't be pre-set unless you only want to use them once, etc.), but I'm not going to support it myself unless I get bored of doing other things.

If the party has no ___ items coming into the dungeon that gives the ___ item, the routes that don't lead to the ___ item are blocked by things that need a ___ item to clear, while the route to the ___ item is usually made difficult by challenges that the ___ item makes trivial. This then leads to the boss that is usually defeated by using the ___ item.<br>
Sometimes the party will have access to ___ effects from other sources, which are usually rendered obsolete when they get the ___ item (the Earth Temple from Wind Waker is a good counter-example: even though you get the Mirror Shield, you still need Medli's Lyre to solve certain puzzles).


===Dungeon Types===<!-- The Earth and Wind Temples in Wind Waker had about 20 rooms, so I based my numbers on that. -->
*Mini Dungeon (~10 Rooms): Mid-way stages that may not house a boss or even a map and compass, or are smaller in size that show one of these two characteristics:
*#They may be required to complete for reasons not as prominent as those that motivate the young hero to complete the main dungeons.
*#They are optional.
*Main Dungeon (~20 Rooms): House a boss that must be defeated to access a quest-important item.
*Master Dungeon (~50 Rooms) [not always present]: Largest type of dungeon. Require increasing numbers of items for progress. Holds the locations of all the main dungeons.


===Dungeon Architectures===<!-- Needs the writefaggotries. Maybe these should be like the Dungeon Themes and list obstacles and such? -->
*Caverns: Little, if any, artificial architecture within.
*Labyrinths: One floor - progress based on defeating creatures in order to open locked door or collect keys.
*Organic: Irregularly shaped rooms?
*Palaces: Have a more elaborate interior than other dungeons types. Fighting enemies is optional (as long as they're easy to overlook, of course), with more hazards, obstacles and traps. Maybe.
*Temples: Thematic, usually have a central puzzle device, which must be dealt with in order to meet the boss.
*Towers: Many smaller floors. Falling down to a lower floor can help or hinder progress.


===Dungeon Themes===<!-- Also needs the writefaggotries. -->

====[http://www.zeldawiki.org/Desert_Dungeon Desert]====
*Location: Deserts or other sandy areas.
*Atmosphere: "Sand piles up in drifts along the hieroglyphed walls, blown around by the desert winds."
*Enemy Types: ???
*Obstacles: Quicksand or complex traps.
*Puzzle Types: Generic; like Forest Dungeons.
Dungeons of this type are actually similar to forest dungeons when it comes to puzzles (in fact, the Arbiter's Grounds from Twilight Princess are similar to the Forest Temple from Ocarina of Time when it comes to hunting Poes), or at least these are more generic in nature. 

====[http://www.zeldawiki.org/Earth_Dungeon Earth]====
*Location: Underground or inside rocky areas.
*Atmosphere: Earth dungeons are known for their dark, dank environment and organic, vegetative architecture.
*Enemy Types: ???
*Obstacles: Obstacles may include rolling rocks and fragile terrain and walls.
*Puzzle Types: Overlaps with Fire, Forest, and Shadow.
Earth dungeons are somewhat difficult to distinguish, as their placement, depending on the puzzles present.   

====[http://www.zeldawiki.org/Fire_Dungeon Fire]====
*Location: Volcanoes and fire-covered areas.
*Atmosphere: "Sweltering heat blasts up from the metallic floor as lava flows freely nearby."
*Enemy Types: Fire-breathing enemies, etc.
*Obstacles: Lava, fire obstacles, etc
*Puzzle Types: Related to removing or creating [http://www.zeldawiki.org/Fire fire], although others have more to do with the use of Bombs. Moving blocks have been reportedly frequent in these dungeons as well.
Dungeons related to this element can be expectantly more difficult than other dungeons because of the fiery hazards present.

====[http://www.zeldawiki.org/Forest_Dungeon Forest]====
*Location: Forests, groves or swamps usually mimic the ecosystems surrounding them both in context and in atmosphere.
*Atmosphere: "Plant life springs forth from every crevice as a riotous celebration of nature."
*Enemy Types: Floral or arthropodal enemies, such as Deku Babas, Deku Scrubs, or Skulltulas.
*Obstacles: Vines and whatnot?
*Puzzle Types: As forest dungeons are usually encountered early on in the game, the puzzles in these dungeons are usually generic in nature and somewhat simple. Depending on the game itself or the plot, there may be various unique situations in the dungeon. For example, in Twilight Princess, Link has to cooperate with monkeys in order to make his way through the rooms of the Forest Temple, and in Ocarina of Time, he occasionally has to twist some corridors so that he can access and explore new rooms of the same temple.

====[http://www.zeldawiki.org/Ice_Dungeon Ice]====
*Location: Ice dungeons are frozen and located in icy areas.
*Atmosphere: "Frost covers every surface as breath freezes in the cold air."
*Enemy Types: Icy enemies, etc.
*Obstacles: Sources of cold that can freeze Link, slippery floors, falling [http://www.zeldawiki.org/Ice ice] needles, deep [http://www.zeldawiki.org/Snow snow], etc.
*Puzzle Types: move blocks in these dungeons, although the low friction of the floor can make this more difficult than usual.

====[http://www.zeldawiki.org/Light_Dungeon Light]====
*Location: Places of divine goodness.
*Atmosphere: "Every surface is bathed in warm radiance like a mother's embrace, banishing defilement."
*Enemy Types: Mechanical in most cases (Armos, Beamos, etc.).
*Obstacles: Mechanical in most cases.
*Puzzle Types: Escorting or commanding objects (guiding light), manipulating physical [http://www.zeldawiki.org/Light light], etc.
Light-themed dungeons are relatively rare in the series. Unlike the other types of dungeons, whose themes make them markedly different from the main overworld, these dungeons appeal for a more realistic and generic environment. Storyline-wise, these dungeons have a fixation towards light in a sacred or religious sense. 

====[http://www.zeldawiki.org/Shadow_Dungeon Shadow]====
*Location: Graveyards or very dark places.
*Atmosphere: "The absence of light has tainted this place, letting dark forces sprout like fungus in the gloom."
*Enemy Types: Demonic or undead enemies (Poes, Redeads, Stalfos, etc.). "Scary", "creepy", etc.
*Obstacles: Hidden pits, deadly traps, etc.
*Puzzle Types: Invisible elements, illusions; light may also be required to open new paths, as seen in The Wind Waker with the Earth Temple.
Many of these dungeons serve as bases of operation for the villains, such as the Black Tower in Oracle of Ages and the Palace of Twilight in Twilight Princess. In the majority of the cases, shadow dungeons are found late in the games.

====[http://www.zeldawiki.org/Water_Dungeon Water]====
*Location: Lakes and watery areas.
*Atmosphere: "Drops of water from the ceiling fall to form deep pools, leaving ripples behind."
*Enemy Types: Water-based (fishy thingies, etc.).
*Obstacles: Drowning, etc.
*Puzzle Types: Manipulating or crossing liquid [http://www.zeldawiki.org/Water_(Terrain) water] in one way or another.
Among the most controversial, mostly because the difficulty is, more often than not, much higher than in other dungeons. In the Water Temple, for example, Link has to make the water descend and ascend its level at least twice in order to meet the boss, and numerous times if the players guiding him overlook keys that may be needed later and that are only accessible when the water is on its right level; another difficulty is that Link has to constantly equip or de-equip his Iron Boots, depending on whether he is rising to a surface or walking on a bottom.

====[http://www.zeldawiki.org/Wind_Dungeon Wind]====
*Location: The sky, or in places of notable altitude.
*Atmosphere: "A strong wind blows through the place, playing with wind chimes and jumping expanses of sky below."
*Enemy Types: Flying enemies, etc.
*Obstacles: Strong winds, etc.
*Puzzle Types: Using [http://www.zeldawiki.org/Wind wind] to reach new places, crossing chasms carefully to avoid falling.
Wind dungeons are among the rarest of the element themes, and are usually encountered later on in the game (often the sixth or seventh dungeon).


===Dungeon Items===
*Dungeon Map: Reveals the location of all rooms (without the |Secret| tag?) in the specified dungeon.<!-- This totally won't be a massive pain for GMs to make for each dungeon... -->
*Compass: Indicates where the boss is located on the specified Dungeon Map. May or may not reveal the location of Treasure Chests, hidden Treasure Chests or hidden Keys. 
*[http://www.zeldawiki.org/Key Keys]:
**Small Key: Open locked doors and key blocks. Usually dungeon-specific.
**Boss/Big Key: Opens the door to the boss' chamber - may open other important locks too.
**Dungeon Key: Required to access certain dungeons.


===Sample [http://www.zeldawiki.org/Block Blocks]===
*Somaria Block: Mass 8, Switch Block -> Explosion (Cane of Somaria).
*[http://www.zeldawiki.org/Lock#Key_Block Key Block]: Mass 8, Switch Fixed -> Mobile (Key).
*Puzzle Block: Mass 8, Height 2, Climb.
*Time Block: Fixed, Switch Appear <-> Disappear (Song of Time).
*Sun Block: Fixed, Switch Present -> Removed (Light).
*Mobile Block: Switch Position 1 <-> Position 2 (Switches).
*Ice Block: Mass 8, Buoyant (Water) 8, Burn 0.<!-- I should probably make a "Melt" tag instead, since Light can remove Ice too. -->


===[http://www.zeldawiki.org/Switch Switches]===

====What Switches Can Do====
*Open doors.
*Make Treasure Chests appear (frequently with keys in them).
*Move walls or other obstacles.
*Open gates to fill areas with water, or drain them.
*Turn fans on or off.
*Deactivate Armos statues.
*Open skylights.
*Make monsters appear (if booby-trapped).

====Sample Switches====<!-- These need so much rewording... -->
*Mechanical Lever: When switch is switched, stuff happens.
*Floor Switch: When Mass is placed on it/removed from it, stuff happens.
*Rusted Floor Switch: Like a floor switch, but requires significant force or Mass
*Pull Lever: When level is pulled, stuff happens.
*Grapple Switch: When a sufficient Mass pulls it down, stuff happens.
*Torch Switch: When torch is lit, stuff happens.
*Crystal Switch: When switch is hit, stuff happens.
*Eyeball Switch: When switch is shot, stuff happens.
*Sun Switch: When light hits it, stuff happens.
*Monster Switch: When all the monsters in a room are killed, stuff happens.