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Much like books, fantasy dungeons have their own themes and motifs that spur people to look beyond the surface. These themes and motifs are goldmines for unraveling the lore and history of the dungeons. Using the correct combination of both can make the difference between a great dungeon and an outstanding one that only encourages people to want to learn more about! You see this clearly in the spirit dungeon.
The spirit dungeon is unique among all others in that it looks inward. It’s considered the testing ground for the spirit of the hero. Those brave enough to venture through it must confront their fears, doubts, and demons — basically anything holding them back — and emerge triumphantly. Only by achieving personal growth can you successfully complete it and move on.
At its heart, the spirit dungeon is about the hero’s journey to enlightenment and the design must echo that sentiment. As such, many designs incorporate a deity whether it’s a structure that was built to honor him or a small symbol representing him is etched somewhere above the entrance. Here, the deity is associated with enlightenment and only by passing the trials waiting for you will you unlock the inner power within yourself.
The inside of the dungeon is dreamy, almost ethereal-like. Everything inside is meant to test you, from the ceiling to the ground and force you to look deeply in your heart to find the answer you seek. And you have no choice but to face off against unpleasant memories or painful reminders of what you had once or never had at all. This all occurs in a setting that while it feels dreamlike, it is anything but.
Unusual monsters populate the spirit dungeon. The dungeon eschews the idea of traditional creatures, instead featuring those you’ve never seen before or twisted variations of common beasts. In some cases, the monster you’ll face is none other than yourself!
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The dungeon showcases how the hero’s progressed from the beginning of the story, not just physically but spiritually. It makes the hero look back at his greatest triumphs and worst defeats and he must vanquish his fears and doubts before he can move on. This place tests your spirit in many ways so how do you come up with a design that effectively telegraphs that?
Fortunately, a common method is to use a deity. The deity signifies a higher plane of existence, a world only a select few mortals have ever walked. While it’s meant to serve as tribute to the local patron deity, its true meaning is to provide a path to enlightenment and it differs by person. It tests everyone differently. The trials are tailored to match those who venture inside.
How you use the deity is up to you. You can go with using a great statue where the entire dungeon is housed inside or carve it into something like the side of a mountain. Additionally, you can use a temple or cathedral and show the deity in a prominent place on its front.
Where are you likely to find the spirit dungeon? After all, it serves as the site where you look inside yourself to pass the trials in front of you. As such, it ought to be found only in hard-to-reach places or desolate areas.
There are several candidates for where you can find it. One place would be the desert which is one of the toughest environments in the world — and its oppressive heat! — so it’s only fitting that it would be home to the spirit dungeon. Another area would be the frozen tundra, for the same reasons as the desert, albeit it’ll be so bitter cold that you can quickly get frostbite. A fantastic location would be a place that’s drenched in darkness all year round. Exploring a dark place where you can’t see very far in front of you makes it easy for your imagination to play tricks on you.
Once entering the dungeon, you suddenly find yourself in a place you never thought existed anywhere in the world. A calming mist permeates the area. It feels like it’s all a dream and you wish it could go on forever. It’s easy to get all caught up in it and not realize it’s all but a test designed to deceive you.
Literally everything you see is meant to test you and it should come as no surprise, considering you’re in a place where its sole function is to probe your heart to see what you’ll do. Nothing is safe, not even the doors or stairways.
An aura of calmness radiates throughout the spirit dungeon, which is meant to lull you into a false sense of security before the dungeon moves to break your will. You feel a peace you’ve never felt before, despite not recognizing it is but an illusion to lead you astray.
And boy does it endeavor to get you to admit defeat and give up. It throws what feels like a never-ending gauntlet, which is designed to wear you down and shatter your spirit into smithereens.
Many rooms you enter takes a memory from your past and converts it to a trial that you must pass before you can move onto the next room. The memory is usually something painful from your past, whether it be losing something precious to you or someone you once lost. You have no choice but to confront it and doing so makes you stronger in the end.
Instead of memories, some rooms in the spirit dungeon use your fear against you. It reaches into the deepest recesses of your heart to pull it out and make your fear a physical being you must defeat. Vanquishing your fears puts you in a stronger position to prevail over the villain since you have nothing holding you back.
The monsters you battle throughout the spirit dungeon aren’t your typical run-of-the-mill variety. Unique to the dungeon, they serve the same function as the ones you see outside. That is, their goal is to stop you and they’ll do everything they can to ensure that you fail.
Some monsters are the personification of your fears. The dungeon takes those you’re afraid of and force you to fight them. Some can be as vicious as gigantic tarantulas with dripping fangs. Others can be critters like squirrels but with a twist.
One enemy associated with the dungeon is spirits. They come in many forms like phantoms that float through walls or possessed objects like swords or skulls. While you can slay some with swords, there are some that cannot be defeated with any weapon which means you must take great pains to avoid getting into battle with.
The unusual baddies in the spirit dungeon can be twisted variations of the ones you encounter outside. Bats are a common enemy, appearing in nearly every dungeon but in this one, they can be either massive or have poison all over their bodies. Mummies or undead can have flames on their bodies and since they’re already dead, they’re taking no damage from the flames.
Having them be different than the ones you normally fight is another way the dungeon tests you. It forces you to deal with the unexpected and do so in different ways. In some cases, you can’t rely on conventional weapons to defeat them, you must come up with an ingenious method to take them out.
The boss of the spirit dungeon is its final challenge and you must use everything you’ve learned throughout the dungeon to take it down and achieve true enlightenment. Many times, it’s a spirit brimming with far more power than the ones you fought. Other times, it’s a personification of your greatest fear that assumes the shape of a powerful beast associated with said fear.
The spirit dungeon is a series of challenges that test the hero’s spirit. It forces him to look at himself in the mirror to overcome his fears, doubts, and painful memories. Going through it room-by-room helps the hero shred everything holding him back, making him who he was born to be.
The design of the dungeon places great emphasis on the hero’s journey towards enlightenment. To that end, many types use a deity, which represents a world that only a few lucky people have ever seen. By passing all the trials within can the hero reach that mystical realm.
A misty, ethereal-like atmosphere dominates the spirit dungeon. It’s meant to make you not be in as control of your senses as you usually are so that it can throw things at you in order to break your will. Only by demonstrating indomitable willpower can you easily stand on your two feet and deal with the challenges as they come with all your senses intact.
The enemies of the spirit dungeon exist to impede your progress towards self-enlightenment and becoming the hero you were always meant to be. Some take the form of twisted versions of common monsters you see. Others are your fears personified.
For those stories where dungeons are integral to the plot, the spirit dungeon is one you absolutely need to have! It serves as a penultimate trial for the hero as he reflects on everything he’s learned in his life and confront his inner fears and demons. Successfully getting through it means the hero is ready for the final showdown with the villain, where he can fight with nothing holding him back!
Don’t you want to create a spirit dungeon that has everyone talking about for years to come?
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Sunfire
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