1. Tutorial Avenue 2. The Quickie Mart 3. The Laundromat of Regret 4. The Ratway Sewer Access 5. The Stacked Arms Apartments 6. Municipal Parking Structure 7. The Food Court That Shouldn't Be Here 8. The Department of Compliance 9. The Transit Station 10. Rooftop Billboard Array 11. The Employee Breakroom

Floor 1 Map

ASCII Map

                              [9. ROOFTOP BILLBOARD ARRAY]
                                          |
                                    (rooftop climb)
                                          |
                              [4. STACKED ARMS APARTMENTS]
                             /            |
                    (alley shortcut)   (street)
                           /              |
[3. RATWAY SEWERS] ----[TUTORIAL AVENUE / QUICKIE MART]---- [7. DEPT OF COMPLIANCE]
    (sewer hatch)       (1. Central Hub)  |                         |
                              |           |                   (street/lobby)
                    [2. LAUNDROMAT   [10. EMPLOYEE                  |
                       OF REGRET]     BREAKROOM]            --------+--------
                         |            (hidden)             /                 \
                    (street)                        (compliance         (open street)
                         |                           shortcut)                |
                         +--------------------[6. FOOD COURT]--------[8. TRANSIT STATION]
                                                     |                  (FLOOR EXIT)
                                                 (street)
                                                     |
                                        [5. MUNICIPAL PARKING STRUCTURE]
                                               (mini-boss)

Spatial Overview

Floor 1 is a distorted urban block approximately four city streets wide and six deep, compressed under a false sky. The geometry is slightly wrong — parallel streets occasionally converge, and buildings that should be a block apart are neighbors. The System seems to enjoy the confusion.

Tutorial Avenue is the spine of the floor: a broad, rubble-strewn intersection at the center that connects to most other locations by direct line of sight or short walk. Players will pass through it repeatedly.

Zone Connections

Terrain Notes by Zone

Tutorial Avenue / Quickie Mart — Broken asphalt, overturned cars used as barricades, flickering System billboards overhead. The central roundabout has a fountain frozen mid-splash. Open and exposed.

Laundromat of Regret — Ground-level storefront. Floor is perpetually damp. Rumbling and banging audible from outside. Neon sign visible at night.

Ratway Sewers — Underground. Damp stone, iron pipes, bioluminescent fungus provides dim light. Tunnels branch; one leads toward the parking garage. The ceiling is low.

Stacked Arms Apartments — Six-story building. Interior staircases loop incorrectly — going up three floors sometimes deposits you on floor two. Exterior fire escape is intact but loud.

Municipal Parking Structure — Concrete, five levels. The levels do not align when viewed from the stairwells. Ramps are slick. Headlights sweep like searchlights.

Food Court — Impossibly large interior for its footprint. Warm, smells of cooking. Noise from vendors covers whispered conversation. The only place on the floor that feels vaguely safe.

Department of Compliance — Three-story gray building. Interior is fluorescent-lit cubicle maze. Identical hallways. The carpet pattern causes mild headaches with prolonged exposure.

Transit Station — Underground entrance via stairs from street level. Signs all point down. No visible tracks, but train sounds echo. The sealed gate to Floor 2 is visible from the platform.

Rooftop Billboard Array — Accessible only via Stacked Arms rooftop. Five massive screens on a shared framework. High wind. No guardrails. The screens rotate slowly.

Employee Breakroom — No exterior presence. Located behind a door that doesn’t appear on any building’s floor plan. Interior is clean, quiet, and anachronistically mundane.

Image generation prompts for the map and all monsters, NPCs, and vendors are in floor1/image-prompts/.

Floor 1 Campaign Guide: The Tutorial Floor

Working Title

Floor 1: Welcome to the Collapse

DM Summary

The players awaken in a distorted version of a city block, trapped inside a gamified dungeon system run by an unseen intelligence known as The System. There are no other crawlers on this floor. Every interaction is with dungeon-generated NPCs, trapped locals, constructs, monsters, merchants, and System personalities.

The party begins at Level 3. Floor 1 is designed to teach the rules of the campaign: countdown pressure, missions, achievements, loot boxes, safe rooms, level progression, and the need to reach the stairs before time expires.

This floor should feel recognizable at first: a convenience store, laundromat, apartment building, parking garage, transit platform, office lobby, food court, and sewer access. But everything is wrong. The signs talk. The vending machines judge them. Monsters wear employee badges. Doors lead to places that should not exist.

The goal is simple:

Find and unlock the stairwell to Floor 2 before the countdown reaches zero.

The System should be funny, condescending, and terrifying. It rewards survival, creativity, violence, spectacle, and problem solving.

Core Floor Facts

Starting Party Level

Players begin as Level 3 characters.

This lets them feel competent while still vulnerable. Floor 1 monsters should mostly range from CR 1/8 to CR 2, with a few stronger threats and one boss encounter.

Recommended Party Size

Designed for 4–6 players.

If fewer than 4 players, reduce monster counts and allow more healing consumables. If more than 6 players, increase environmental hazards and add minions rather than simply increasing monster HP.

Floor Countdown

24 hours from initial System announcement.

Use in-game time loosely but visibly. The party should always feel that time matters.

Countdown Phases

Hour 24–18: Orientation Period

• Basic monsters active.
• Safe rooms available.
• System kiosks provide tutorials.
• Tutorial missions are easiest.
• NPCs are confused and frightened.

Hour 18–12: Escalation Period

• More buildings lock down.
• Monsters begin roaming between zones.
• Mini-bosses become active.
• System begins announcing achievements and rankings, but only for the party and NPC entities.

Hour 12–6: Compression Period

• Certain areas become inaccessible.
• Environmental hazards increase.
• NPC factions become desperate.
• Optional quests become more dangerous but more rewarding.

Hour 6–1: Purge Warning

• Sirens and warning lights activate.
• Safe rooms begin shutting down one by one.
• The stairwell location becomes public knowledge.
• Enemies converge on the exit area.

Final Hour: Sweep Protocol

• Elite cleanup monsters enter the floor.
• Long rests are impossible.
• Short rests require a safe room or special item.
• The System becomes increasingly gleeful and cruel.

Hour 0: Floor Collapse

Anything not inside the active stairwell chamber is destroyed, consumed, or permanently transformed into dungeon material.

The System

Voice and Personality

The System is the dungeon’s game master, announcer, tutorial guide, and sadistic commentator. It should be entertaining, inconsistent, and slightly too excited when things go badly.

Tone examples:

• Cheerful corporate onboarding.
• Reality show host.
• Mobile game tutorial.
• HR compliance video.
• Sports commentator during a workplace accident.

System Announcement Format

Use this format consistently:

DING!
System Announcement: [Message]

For achievements:

DING! Achievement Unlocked: [Achievement Name]
[Snarky description.]
Reward: [Reward]

For quests:

NEW QUEST: [Quest Name]
Objective: [Objective]
Reward: [Reward]
Failure: [Consequence]

Intro Script

Read or paraphrase the following at the table.

Opening Scene

You remember where you were before this. Maybe you were at home. Maybe walking to your car. Maybe in the middle of an ordinary day.

Then came the sound.

Not an explosion. Not thunder. Something deeper. Like the world itself had cleared its throat.

The ground folded.

The sky cracked into black geometric panels. Buildings stretched like melted wax. Streetlights bent downward as if trying to look at you. Every screen, window, phone, watch, and reflective surface flashed the same symbol: a white stairwell inside a red circle.

Then everything dropped.

For one impossible second, you were falling through city streets, grocery aisles, office cubicles, bedrooms, sidewalks, and sewer tunnels all at once.

Then you hit the floor.

Not hard enough to die. Just hard enough to understand that whoever did this wanted you awake for what came next.

You are lying on cold tile beneath buzzing fluorescent lights. The air smells like bleach, old coffee, wet cardboard, and ozone. Somewhere nearby, an automatic door opens and closes over and over again.

Above you, mounted in the ceiling, a speaker crackles to life.

A cheerful voice says:

DING!
Welcome, participants, survivors, accidents, and legally distinct volunteers!
You have been selected for emergency onboarding into the Subterranean Competitive Survival Experience.
Please remain calm. Panic is natural, hilarious, and occasionally rewarded.

You are currently located on Floor 1: The Tutorial Floor.
Your objective is simple: survive, complete missions, acquire rewards, and locate the stairwell to Floor 2 before the countdown expires.

Time remaining: 24 hours.

Failure to reach the stairwell before floor collapse will result in death, transformation, repurposing, or assignment to food service.

Good luck. The System is watching.

The speaker cuts out.

A second later, every light in the room flickers red.

Something heavy bumps against the stockroom door.

Then again.

Then again.

And from somewhere behind the shelves, a wet little voice whispers:

“Customers.”

Starting Location: The Quickie Mart Safe-ish Zone

The party begins inside a ruined convenience store called The Quickie Mart, though the sign outside now reads:

QUICKIE MART: TUTORIAL COMBAT AND SNACK ACQUISITION CENTER

Initial Features

• Flickering fluorescent lights.
• Broken shelves full of mundane supplies.
• A locked stockroom with scratching noises behind it.
• A glowing System kiosk near the counter.
• A restroom marked SAFE ROOM — OCCUPIED? MAYBE.
• Front windows showing a distorted city street outside.
• A dead cashier mannequin wearing a badge that says Employee of the Month: Garth.

Immediate Encounter

The stockroom contains the party’s first fight.

Suggested monsters:

• 4–8 Snack Goblins depending on party size.
• 1 Grease Imp hiding inside a deep fryer or hot dog roller.

This encounter should be easy but chaotic. Let players discover that weird environmental choices are rewarded.

Possible environmental interactions:

• Knock over shelves.
• Throw glass bottles.
• Use lighter fluid.
• Activate microwave.
• Slip enemies on spilled soda.
• Weaponize the hot dog roller.

First Kiosk Interaction

After the first combat, the kiosk activates.

DING! Tutorial Kiosk Online.
Please select from the following legally mandated onboarding topics:

1. Why am I here?
2. How do I leave?
3. What happens if I die?
4. What are loot boxes?
5. Why is everything trying to kill me?
6. Can I speak to a manager?

The kiosk should provide incomplete, annoying, but useful information.

Kiosk Answers

Why am I here?

“Selection criteria include proximity, narrative potential, survivability, marketable trauma, and algorithmic whim.”

How do I leave?

“Locate the Floor 2 stairwell. Complete three Tutorial Missions or acquire a Stairwell Key. Enter the stairwell before the countdown expires.”

What happens if I die?

“Death is permanent unless otherwise modified by class features, divine intervention, contractual loopholes, or premium resurrection services not currently available on this floor.”

What are loot boxes?

“Reward containers distributed for achievements, missions, combat performance, audience engagement, and catastrophic decision-making.”

Why is everything trying to kill me?

“Because it has been incentivized.”

Can I speak to a manager?

A hidden panel opens and releases a hostile Complaint Form Swarm.

Floor Layout

Floor 1 is a distorted city block arranged as a hub-and-spoke dungeon. The players can see several major locations from the central street, but movement between them is blocked by hazards, locked doors, monsters, or System barriers.

See 00-map.md for the full ASCII map, zone connection table, and terrain descriptions.

Map Structure

Central Hub

Tutorial Avenue sits at the center of the floor — a broad, rubble-strewn intersection connecting most major locations by direct line of sight or a short walk. Players will pass through it repeatedly. The geometry of the surrounding blocks is subtly wrong: parallel streets occasionally converge, and buildings that should be a block apart end up as neighbors. The System enjoys the confusion.

Major Locations

1. The Quickie Mart — Starting area and first kiosk. Co-located with Tutorial Avenue.
2. The Laundromat of Regret — Half a block west. Puzzle/combat room with animated machines.
3. The Ratway Sewer Access — Manhole beside the Quickie Mart. Monster nest and optional key route.
4. The Stacked Arms Apartments — One block north. Rescue mission and vertical exploration.
5. The Municipal Parking Structure — Reached via sewer tunnel or south from the Food Court. Mini-boss and vehicle hazards.
6. The Food Court That Shouldn’t Be Here — One block east. Merchant and NPC hub.
7. The Department of Compliance — Two blocks east. Bureaucratic dungeon office; alternate path to the exit.
8. The Transit Station — East of the Food Court or through the Compliance lobby. Final stairwell location.
9. The Rooftop Billboard Array — Accessible only via the Stacked Arms rooftop. Optional broadcast mission.
10. The Employee Breakroom — Hidden. No exterior presence. Secret safe room and lore drop.

General Movement Rules

• Most street routes are open but exposed — random encounters are more likely in the open.
• Sewer routes are faster between distant locations but carry disease and ambush risk.
• Rooftop routes require climbing checks and risk falling, but avoid all street encounters.
• As the countdown advances, some street routes become blocked by hazards or monster patrols.

Location Details

Each entry is a self-contained DM card. Monsters, NPCs, missions, and achievements for that location are listed here. For full stat blocks see 11-monsters.md. For full NPC profiles see 16-npcs.md.

1. Tutorial Avenue

Central hub. Players pass through repeatedly. Most random encounters happen here.

At a Glance

A four-way intersection under a false night sky. The geometry is subtly wrong. Billboards glow and shift. Nearly everything on this floor is visible or reachable from here.

Scene Description

Read or paraphrase aloud: “The street is wrong — you know it immediately. The proportions are off, the horizon curves where it shouldn’t. A bus stop on the corner displays a countdown in red digits. The stars overhead rearrange slowly into logos you don’t recognize. Crushed cars form rough barricades at both ends of the intersection. Manhole covers rattle. A System billboard overhead flickers to life: WELCOME, CONTESTANTS. YOUR PERFORMANCE IS BEING EVALUATED.”

Sensory details:

• Sight: Distant lit windows in dark buildings. Orange-hued false twilight. Flickering billboards. Rubble and overturned trash cans.
• Sound: A vending machine screaming somewhere. Rattling manhole covers. Muffled music from the direction of the Food Court. Distant, unsourced traffic noise.
• Smell: Asphalt, burned plastic, something sweet and wrong from one block east.

Key Features

• Bus Stop Countdown: Displays the current floor timer in red. Flickers red-black when under 6 hours remain.
• System Billboards: Three billboards visible from the intersection. They cycle between: tutorial instructions, mission prompts, audience polls, taunts aimed at the party, and advertisements for services that don’t exist. As the timer runs down they become more urgent and personal.
• Barricade Cars: Can be pushed (DC 15 Str) or climbed (DC 10 Athletics). Block some sight lines. At least one has loot in the trunk — Bronze Utility Crate, DC 12 Perception to notice the trunk is ajar.
• Manhole: The Ratway entrance. See Location 4.
• Hazard Zones: As the countdown progresses, the System generates new hazards on Tutorial Avenue — patches of crackling electrical floor, a fog of unknown vapor, or a randomly wandering turret from the Compliance Office.

Monsters

Random encounters trigger every 2–3 hours of in-game time, or after any loud event (combat, explosions, screaming). Roll or choose from the Street Events table below.

Street Event Table

Roll d8 or choose when pacing needs a nudge.

NPCs

None permanent. After Mission 2 (Stacked Arms), rescued survivors cross through Tutorial Avenue on their way to the Food Court. The Cat may be spotted here if the party has been making interesting choices — it appears to observe, then disappears.

Missions

No missions are anchored here, but Tutorial Avenue is where failure consequences land:

• Mission 1 failure: Snack Goblins spread here and begin stealing party supplies.
• Mission 5 failure: The Tow Warden patrols Tutorial Avenue during the final countdown.

Achievements Here

Crowd Pleaser — Do something entertaining, dramatic, or humiliating on Tutorial Avenue while a billboard is active and displaying the party. The System considers the audience’s reaction. DM’s call on what qualifies. Reward: Bronze Performance Crate.

Urban Planning — Push a barricade car into the path of a monster patrol, blocking their movement. Reward: Bronze Utility Crate.

2. The Quickie Mart

Starting location. First combat. Tutorial kiosk. Garth.

At a Glance

A convenience store trapped between its corporate identity and its new identity as a dungeon tutorial zone. The hot dog roller is still on. A mannequin employee badge says GARTH. Something is scratching behind the stockroom door.

Scene Description

Read or paraphrase aloud: “The fluorescent lights flicker at an interval just irregular enough to be annoying. Broken shelves line the walls — chips, instant noodles, motor oil, birthday card envelopes. The hot dog roller is still spinning. A mannequin behind the counter wears a name badge: Employee of the Month: GARTH. Near the counter, a kiosk pulses with soft blue light, its screen reading: TUTORIAL KIOSK — PLEASE WAIT FOR ONBOARDING TO COMPLETE. From behind the stockroom door: scratching sounds. A lot of them.”

Sensory details:

• Sight: Broken glass. Expired products. One shelf still perfectly organized — the candy aisle. The kiosk glow is the only steady light source.
• Sound: The hot dog roller motor. The kiosk boot chime. Scratching from behind the stockroom door. Distant billboard noise through the windows.
• Smell: Stale corn chips, old hot dogs, cleaning fluid, and the faint ghost of whatever the hot dog roller used to cook.

Key Features

• System Kiosk: Activates after the first combat is resolved. See 05-starting-location.md for all kiosk question/answer scripts.
• Stockroom Door: Locked (DC 10 to pick, or simply force it — DC 12 Str). Contains the goblins and the Grease Imp.
• Hot Dog Roller: Still running, still warm. Functions as an improvised weapon (1d4 fire on a hit, DC 10 Dex save or knocked prone from the grease drip). The Grease Imp will attempt to hide in it. Can be hurled as a thrown weapon — it is terrible and therefore entertaining.
• Restroom: Marked SAFE ROOM — OCCUPIED? MAYBE. The door is stuck (DC 10 Str). Inside: one unconscious NPC civilian who wakes up, panics, and runs toward the Food Court. Also one spider that is definitively a normal spider. A short rest is possible here after clearing the store.
• Candy Aisle: Suspiciously pristine. The System left it as bait. Eating anything without identifying it first triggers the That Was Definitely Not Food Safe achievement.
• Back Window: Leads to a Tutorial Avenue alley. Exit route, ambush angle, or Snack Goblin escape path.

Monsters

NPCs

Garth the Cashier — Currently deactivated at the counter. Seated, motionless. Responds to being spoken to, treated like a person, or addressed by name. See 16-npcs.md for full profile and how to play him waking up.

Missions

Mission 1: Clean Up on Aisle Die Objective: Clear the Quickie Mart of hostile entities and activate the Tutorial Kiosk. Reward: Bronze Tutorial Crate, 100 XP (or milestone), unlocks System interface. Failure: Snack Goblins spread into Tutorial Avenue and begin stealing supplies from the party’s visible carried goods during random encounters.

Environmental Interactions

The first fight should reward creativity. Prompt players with environmental options if they’re going straight to weapons:

• Knock over shelves: DC 12 Str check, deals 2d6 bludgeoning to creatures in a 5-foot line, creates difficult terrain.
• Throw bottles: Improvised ranged attack, 1d4 bludgeoning + 1d4 fire if the bottle is liquor and ignited.
• Spilled soda slip: One action, spreads soda in a 10-foot area — difficult terrain, enemies make DC 10 Dex save each turn or fall prone.
• Microwave with metal inside: One action to start it. Explodes at the top of the next round, 2d6 lightning damage in a 10-foot radius, DC 12 Dex save for half.
• Lighter fluid + lit cigarette lighter: Combination creates a 10-foot fire line in any direction. 1d6 fire, ignites any oil or grease in the area.

Achievements Here

First Blood, First Paperwork — First enemy killed on Floor 1. Reward: Bronze Tutorial Crate.

That Was Definitely Not Food Safe — Eat something from the Quickie Mart without identifying it. Reward: Random buff + random digestive consequence (DM’s choice; keep it funny and mildly inconvenient).

Can I Speak to a Manager? — Ask the kiosk this question. The kiosk releases a Complaint Form Swarm. Defeating it in the Quickie Mart: Bronze Defiance Crate. The achievement is surviving what you asked for.

3. The Laundromat of Regret

Half a block west. Puzzle-combat. Emotional hazard.

At a Glance

Every machine is running. None of them contain clothes. The floor is slick. Dryers bang from inside. A neon sign reads CLEAN CLOTHES. DIRTY SOULS. This place feels like a metaphor — the System intended exactly that.

Scene Description

Read or paraphrase aloud: “The laundromat is still running. Every machine — every single one — is running. The air smells like industrial detergent so thick it coats the back of your throat. The floor is slick. Dryer doors bang from the inside in uneven rhythms. One machine near the corner has been pushed away from the wall, and has a bite taken out of it. The neon sign overhead — CLEAN CLOTHES. DIRTY SOULS. — flickers pink. Something translucent and slow oozes under a machine and pauses.”

Sensory details:

• Sight: Rows of washers and dryers, all running. Soapy mist drifting at ankle height. A corkboard near the door still has lost pet notices and a community event flyer — from before. Soap residue built up in corners.
• Sound: The deep churn of machines operating on empty. Periodic BANG from dryer doors. Wet, slow movement on tile. The squeak of slick shoes.
• Smell: Industrial detergent so strong your eyes water. Faint mildew underneath. Something slightly organic from the slimes.

Key Features

• The Machines — 12 Washers, 6 Dryers: Not all are hostile. DM determines or rolls contents. Suggested distribution:
  • 3 washers contain Soap Slimes (dormant until opened or disturbed)
  • 1 dryer is the Possessed Dryer (back corner, appears inert until a creature opens it or approaches within 5 feet)
  • 2 machines contain loot (Silver Utility Crate and a bundle of clean bandages)
  • 2 machines contain audio lore (trapped voices from previous runs — playable as brief NPC monologues about what floor 1 was like before)
  • 4 machines are empty or contain mundane laundry, coins, or one abandoned sneaker
• The Corkboard: Community notices from before the dungeon. One is a missing person notice for someone who is actually a dead body in the apartment building. If the party reads it, they gain +1d4 on Investigation checks in the Stacked Arms (they know something about who lived there).
• Soap Floor: The entire room is difficult terrain. Creatures who fall prone slide 1d4 × 5 feet in a random direction (roll d8 for direction).
• Laundromat Tokens: 2d6 tokens can be found in coin-return slots. Each is worth 1 sp at System vending machines.
• The Alternate Key Fragment: One machine (DM’s choice) contains a waterproofed document bag with a partial Stairwell Key Fragment. This is an alternate path to the fragment without doing the Ratway.

Monsters

NPCs

None present. The audio lore machines contain fragments of voices from previous runs — not rescueable people, but playable as short atmospheric monologues if the party opens those machines.

Missions

No primary mission here. The alternate Key Fragment makes this location worth visiting regardless of which main missions the party pursues.

Environmental Interactions

• Redirect washer water: Find the exit hose of a running washer (one action). Aim it as a free action each subsequent round — creates a 15-foot water line. Soap Slimes in the path are pushed 10 feet and cannot split until the end of their next turn.
• Overload a machine: Jam a large object inside (one action + DC 12 Str). Machine explodes at the top of the next round — 3d6 bludgeoning in a 10-foot radius, DC 12 Dex save for half.
• Create a soap slick: Break a machine open (one action, DC 10 Str). Spreads a 15-foot difficult terrain area. Creatures without fly speed make DC 10 Dex save at the start of each turn in the area or fall prone.
• Put a slime in a dryer: Drag a Soap Slime into a dryer drum (contested grapple check, then lock the door as a bonus action). The dryer kills it in 2 rounds (heat desiccation). This also works on party members who volunteer.
• Use the audio lore machines: Opening the marked machines during a lull plays an NPC voice drop — 30 seconds of context about previous runs. Good for tone, good for lore, good for when the party needs a moment to breathe.

Achievements Here

OSHA Would Like a Word — Kill or disable an enemy using unsafe environmental equipment (overloaded machine, redirected water jet, soap flood, dryer imprisonment). Reward: Bronze Utility Crate.

Spin Cycle Survivor — Survive being ejected from the Possessed Dryer via its Spin Cycle attack. Reward: Resilience Charm (single use, reduce one instance of bludgeoning damage by half before end of Floor 1).

Clean Enough — Complete the laundromat without any party member falling prone from the soap floor. Reward: Bronze Efficiency Crate. (The System awards this grudgingly.)

4. The Ratway Sewer Access

Manhole beside the Quickie Mart. Monster nest. Optional key route.

At a Glance

Cold water, glowing fungus, gnawed warning signs, and the sound of things living in water that shouldn’t. The Rat King runs this understructure and is not interested in guests. Or in leaving.

Scene Description

Read or paraphrase aloud: “The manhole drops you into cold water — ankle deep, then knee-deep in some tunnels. The walls glow from bioluminescent fungus in sickly green-yellow patches. The pipes are enormous and old, newer conduit spliced in with what looks like zip ties and System cable. The smell is exactly what you expect, and also sweet in a wrong way — fermented, almost. Gnawed warning signs hang from pipes. One reads: AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY. Something has eaten the corners off it.”

Sensory details:

• Sight: Green-yellow fungal glow. Occasional faint blue from System cable. Rat tracks in the sediment. Gnawed bones — some too big to be from rats.
• Sound: Constant dripping. Rushing water somewhere below. Distant squeaking, never quite getting closer or farther. One loud splash, then silence.
• Smell: Sewer. Also something sweet and sour, like fermented garbage. The fungus smells faintly of copper.

Key Features

• Three Tunnel Sections:
  • Access Corridor: Entry from the Quickie Mart manhole. Also connects to a grate under the Parking Structure. Easy terrain, no hazards, a few rat tracks.
  • Nest Approach: Narrower tunnels with active rat colonies. Multiple Loot Rat dens. DC 12 Perception to notice being followed. Occasional dead ends that were chewed through.
  • Rat King Chamber: Wide pipe junction, chest-deep water. The Rat King’s domain. A semi-submerged platform of garbage, wire, and bone at its center.
• Stairwell Key Fragment: Inside the Rat King’s nest, half-digested and partially wrapped in wire. Needs a second fragment (from the Laundromat or Parking Structure) to function.
• Sewer Shortcut: After the Rat King is defeated or driven off, a navigable passage opens connecting the Quickie Mart area to the Parking Structure — significantly faster than street routes.
• Fungal Harvest: The bioluminescent fungus is edible. Eating it produces a 1-hour buff (darkvision 30 ft.) and a 30-minute debuff (disadvantage on Wisdom checks, mild and distracting hallucinations). The System does not label this interaction.
• Disease Hazard: Every 10 minutes spent in standing water without protection, make a DC 10 Con save or gain Sewer Sickness — disadvantage on Con checks, 1 level of exhaustion, lasts until a short rest is taken outside the sewer.
• Dead NPC: A dead dungeon runner in the Nest Approach — not a survivor to rescue, but they have a journal. Three short entries, readable in 2 minutes, about what Floor 1 looked like in a previous reset. One entry mentions Garth by name.

Monsters

NPCs

None alive. The dead runner’s journal counts as a lore NPC of sorts — DM can play the entries as found documents or read them aloud.

Missions

Mission 3: Rat Problem, Obviously Objective: Destroy or drive off the Rat King and recover the stolen System component. Reward: Bronze Combat Crate, Stairwell Key Fragment, sewer shortcut opens. Failure: Rat swarms begin appearing in Tutorial Avenue and the Quickie Mart within 1 in-game hour.

Environmental Interactions

• Redirect water flow: Find the junction valve (DC 12 Investigation, 2 minutes to locate). Turning it floods the Rat King Chamber. All creatures in the Chamber make DC 14 Str save or are knocked prone and pushed 10 feet. The Rat King has disadvantage on Summon Vermin while the Chamber is flooded.
• Use the fungus as bait: Tear a chunk of fungus from the wall (one action). Functions as a torch (illuminates 10 feet). Can be used to bait Loot Rats — DC 12 Animal Handling lures one away from the group, giving the party an unobstructed path through that section.
• Block the drain: The Rat King Chamber has a large floor drain. Blocking it (DC 12 Str, the grate is heavy) causes water to rise — 1d4 cold damage to all creatures in the Chamber at the end of each round. The Rat King has disadvantage on Perception.
• Follow a Loot Rat: If a party member deliberately lets a Loot Rat steal something minor, it leads them back to the nest — bypassing the Nest Approach encounter entirely if they follow quietly (DC 12 group Stealth check).

Achievements Here

Rat Daddy — Convince the Rat King to stand down through roleplay or non-combat tactics. This is valid. Reward it. Reward: Silver Improvisation Crate. Note: the Rat King leaves with the Key Fragment. The party must find another way to retrieve it — the fragment is in the creature, not in the room.

Smells Like Character Development — Fail the Sewer Sickness save during the mission, visibly suffer the effects, and succeed anyway. Reward: Bronze Suffering Crate. The System respects commitment.

5. The Stacked Arms Apartments

One block north. Rescue mission. Vertical exploration. Time pressure.

At a Glance

A five-story apartment building partially folded into itself. The geometry is wrong — staircases from two directions arrive at the same hallway. People are alive in there. The building is not going to hold.

Scene Description

Read or paraphrase aloud: “The building groans — a sound you feel more than hear, a low structural complaint. The lobby is split at a diagonal, the floor tilted maybe 15 degrees. One staircase goes up normally. Another, when you look at it, goes up in a direction that doesn’t exist. Someone has propped the front door open with a fire extinguisher. A note is taped to the wall in shaky handwriting: PEOPLE UPSTAIRS. PLEASE HELP. — M”

Sensory details:

• Sight: Wrong staircase geometry. Apartment doors hanging open — interrupted lives inside each one. A child’s bicycle in the lobby. Fire damage on the ceiling of floors 3–4. Cracks running diagonally through load-bearing walls.
• Sound: The structural groan, rhythmic and low. A TV playing something muffled on floor 2. Banging from above — someone knocking on a ceiling. A cat meowing, echoing strangely.
• Smell: Smoke, plaster dust, someone’s food left on the stove two floors up, and fear.

Key Features

• The 30-Minute Collapse Timer: Begins when the party enters. The building collapses at zero.
  • At 10 minutes remaining: Lights fail on floors 3–5. Hallway Crawlers activate.
  • At 5 minutes remaining: Partial collapse of floor 4. Second staircase becomes impassable. Fire spreads to floor 3.
  • At 0: Full collapse. Creatures inside take 4d10 bludgeoning. Tunnel escape possible for 1 hour (DC 20 Athletics, or dig from outside with 10 minutes of effort).
• Stabilization: Eddie Pike knows the trick — the maintenance closet on floor 1 (west wing) has structural jacks. Using them requires 10 minutes and a DC 14 combined Str/Int check. Success adds 20 minutes to the timer. Eddie can assist, granting advantage.
• The Impossible Staircase (floors 3–5): Non-Euclidean hallway — doors open into apartments from other “versions” of the building. Contents: one Lore Fragment (a document from a previous run), one bonus loot crate, one Mannequin Tenant performing a scripted domestic routine.
• Floor 2, Unit 2B — Child’s Bedroom: Toy box contains 1 common consumable, 1 Loot Rat (it has been living here), and a crayon drawing of floor 2 that is a surprisingly accurate map. If the party uses it: advantage on the next navigation or Investigation check on floor 2.
• Floor 2 TV: Playing a System infomercial. Watching for one action yields one true piece of information about the next location the party will visit (DM’s choice of useful hint).

NPC Locations

See 16-npcs.md for full profiles on all named NPCs.

Monsters

Missions

Mission 2: No Tenant Left Behind Objective: Rescue at least three NPCs before the building collapses. Reward: Silver Social Crate, rescued NPCs relocate to the Food Court, one rescued NPC provides useful location intelligence. Failure: Building collapses. Ruins are still lootable. Food Court hub becomes less useful (fewer NPCs, less information). The System mocks the party audibly on a billboard.

Environmental Interactions

• Fire Extinguisher (lobby): 1d8 cold damage in a 10-foot cone (DC 12 Dex half), knocks Ceiling Leeches from the ceiling on a failed save. Can also brace doors open or jam mechanisms.
• Barricade apartment doors: One action. Buys 1 round against Hallway Crawlers trying to follow the party into a room.
• The bicycle: Usable in the lobby and ground floor. Riding it on the tilted floor: +10 ft. movement in the downslope direction, but DC 10 Dex save each turn or fall prone and slide. Chaotic, fast, and load-bearing for comedy.
• Eddie’s maintenance shaft: Connecting floors 1–4. Counts as moving 2 floors per action. DC 10 Athletics to navigate safely. Failing by 5+ deals 1d6 fall damage and alerts any enemies on the adjacent floor.
• The TV: Watching it costs one action. The payoff is a genuine DM hint about the next location.

Achievements Here

Structural Overcaution — Stabilize the building AND clear all named NPCs with more than 15 minutes still on the timer. Reward: Silver Efficiency Crate.

Good Samaritan — Rescue all named NPCs (Marta, Eddie, Nana Joss, and The Cat). Reward: Gold Social Crate. The System notes “unusual compassion index” in the audience feed — this has minor consequences on future floors.

Left No One Behind Except — Miss rescuing one named NPC and realize it only after the building collapses. Reward: Bronze Regret Crate. The System found it genuinely funny.

6. Municipal Parking Structure

South of the Food Court or via sewer tunnel. Mini-boss. Vehicle hazards.

At a Glance

A concrete parking garage where no level aligns with the one above it. Headlights turn on without engines. Parking meters have opinions. Something large and chained moves between floors.

Scene Description

Read or paraphrase aloud: “The parking garage smells like motor oil and old rain. The fluorescent tube lights are mounted incorrectly — some vertical, some just lying on the ground, still lit. Level P2 is not above Level P1. It is beside it, offset by six feet, connected by a concrete ramp going sideways. A car in the nearest row turns on its headlights as you enter. Just the headlights. Nothing else. In the far corner, behind a wall of violation notices, something large shifts, and a heavy chain drags across concrete.”

Sensory details:

• Sight: Wrong-level geometry. Dozens of parking violation notices pasted on every surface. Headlights in the dark. Oil slick rainbows on the floor.
• Sound: Chain drag, periodic and unhurried. Parking meter ticking. A car alarm briefly triggering then cutting off. Distant metal-on-metal clanging.
• Smell: Motor oil. Exhaust from no visible running vehicle. Hot metal.

Key Features

• Three Levels:
  • P1: 2 Parking Meter Turrets, oil slick patches, Goblin Mechanics’ territory (their car is here).
  • P2: 2 Possessed Cars patrolling, 1 Parking Meter Turret, the Tow Warden’s patrol route.
  • P3: Tow Warden encounter arena. The Stairwell Key Fragment is locked in the impound cage.
• Impound Cage (P3): Metal cage, padlocked (DC 15 Thieves’ Tools) or the Tow Warden has the key on its chain body. Contains: Stairwell Key Fragment, Bronze Combat Crate, one non-functional-outside car with keys still in it (can be driven inside the garage as a vehicle for this session).
• Oil Slicks: Scattered on P1 and P2. Difficult terrain. Prone creatures in oil are coated — disadvantage on Strength checks until cleaned. If oil is ignited: 2d6 fire per round in a 10-foot square until extinguished (DC 12 Athletics to smother).
• Enforcement Terminal (P3 wall): Connects to the Tow Warden’s enforcement logic. A creature can attempt to access it (DC 15 Int or Thieves’ Tools, requires 2 actions while adjacent). Success: Tow Warden loses its Enforcement Protocol trait and has disadvantage on attack rolls for 3 rounds.

Monsters

NPCs

Ludo (Goblin Mechanic) — Non-hostile. Working on a car with his partner on P1. Wants to escape the garage; can’t figure out how to get past the Tow Warden. See 16-npcs.md for full profile.

Missions

Mission 5: Parking Enforcement Objective: Defeat the Tow Warden or disable its enforcement core. Reward: Silver Combat Crate, Stairwell Key Fragment, Parking Validation Pass. Failure: The Tow Warden patrols Tutorial Avenue during the final countdown sequence.

Environmental Interactions

• Bribe the parking meters: Insert 1 sp per token slot. A bribed turret ignores the payer for 1 hour. Goblins know this — Ludo will tell the party if asked.
• Use an oil slick: Lure the Tow Warden or a Possessed Car onto oil (DC 12 Deception or a Dex-based feint). Target makes DC 13 Dex save or falls prone, chain attacks are disrupted.
• Ignite oil: Any fire source. Blocks movement corridors, deals sustained damage. Useful for controlling the arena but the Possessed Cars are immune (they run on something that isn’t quite gasoline).
• Drive the car: One car on P2 has keys in it. Vehicle stats: speed 60 ft., AC 12, ram attack deals 3d10 bludgeoning (DC 14 Str save or knocked prone). It is extremely loud — roll a random encounter check every round it moves.
• Enlist the Goblin Mechanics: If the party is friendly to Ludo, he can outline the safe path around the turret overlap zones, point out the enforcement terminal, and provide improvised mechanic’s tools for disabling a Possessed Car (DC 12 Int, one action, disables it for 2 rounds).

Achievements Here

Parallel Parking — Use a driveable car to ram the Tow Warden at least once during the boss fight. Reward: Silver Combat Crate.

Valid Documentation — Talk down a Parking Meter Turret using any legitimate System-issued document (achievement printout, kiosk receipt, loot crate manifest). Reward: Bronze Social Crate.

Oily Tactics — Force two different enemies into the same oil slick during a single encounter. Reward: Bronze Utility Crate.

7. The Food Court That Shouldn’t Be Here

One block east. Merchant zone. NPC hub. Social center of the floor.

At a Glance

A mall food court wedged between city buildings where a food court has no business being. It smells incredible. The vendors are not human but most are not immediately hostile. Violence inside the seating area triggers System enforcement. This is where the floor breathes.

Scene Description

Read or paraphrase aloud: “There’s a food court here. Between two city buildings, where there should be nothing but alley, there is a food court. It has those plastic chairs bolted to the floor and the trays still stacked by the napkin dispensers. The smell hits you before the sight: something grilled, something sweet, something with too many competing spices. The overhead lights are actually working. A fire mephit in a paper chef’s hat is scraping the grill. You hear someone laugh. Actual laughter. The entrance sign reads: FOOD COURT — NEUTRAL ZONE. ENJOY YOUR MEAL OR ELSE.”

Sensory details:

• Sight: Clean(ish) tile. Glowing vendor stalls. Other dungeon survivors at tables — any NPCs rescued from the Apartments will be here. Menus on signs that are readable but list things that shouldn’t be food.
• Sound: Sizzling. The Smoothie Oracle humming. Ambient chatter — the first normal social sound the party has encountered. Distant city noise is muffled here.
• Smell: Grilled meat, warm pretzel with something bitter underneath, a cold electric smell from the Oracle’s counter.

Key Features

• Neutral Zone Enforcement: A small kiosk by the entrance monitors for violence. First offense: verbal warning. Second: a Complaint Form Swarm is summoned. Third: ejection and a 30-minute lockout from the Food Court. The System takes the Food Court seriously.
• Information Market: Each vendor and NPC holds different information. Correct social interaction unlocks it:
  • Grilliam: locations of current monster patrol routes and nest positions (he watches them for ingredient supply runs)
  • Auntie Spite: one personal detail about a specific party member she shouldn’t know (she’s been watching)
  • The Smoothie Oracle: one accurate yes/no answer about any Floor 1 question
  • Marta Venn (if rescued): fastest route to the Transit Station, with specific hazard warnings
  • Eddie Pike (if rescued): the Employee Breakroom location and access method
  • Garth (if he reached this point): a direct lore drop about previous floor resets
• The Seating Area: 8 round tables. After Mission 2, rescued NPCs occupy 2–3 tables. NPC-to-NPC conversations the party can overhear are worth staging — Marta and Eddie have an argument about whether to trust the party, which the party can interrupt or benefit from watching.

Monsters

None normally. System enforcement summons Complaint Form Swarms (CR 1/2, 1–2 per offense) if the Neutral Zone is violated.

NPCs

• Grilliam the Grillmaster — Fire mephit chef. Vendor. Profile below.
• Auntie Spite — Hag-like pretzel vendor. Profile below.
• The Smoothie Oracle — Blender-headed construct. Profile below.
• Rescued NPCs (Marta, Eddie, Nana Joss) — Present after Mission 2 if rescued. Full profiles in 16-npcs.md.
• Garth — May appear here if treated with kindness at the Quickie Mart. Full profile in 16-npcs.md.

Vendors

Grilliam the Grillmaster

A fire mephit in a paper chef’s hat, permanent smoke drifting off his arms, aggressively opinionated about doneness.

Personality: Grilliam is the most functional person in the dungeon. He loves his craft, hates customers who don’t appreciate it, and finds his situation — fire mephit, dungeon food court, trapped audience — genuinely hilarious. He is not delusional about where he is. He simply decided the work matters anyway.

Voice: Short sentences. Direct. Deflects personal questions with a shrug and another question about how you want your meat cooked. If someone asks where he came from, he says “Far enough down that going back isn’t on the table” and flips something on the grill.

Menu:

Hook: Something in the Ratway has been pressuring Grilliam to use “special ingredients” — and making threats. He hasn’t complied. If the party clears the Ratway (Mission 3), he’s visibly and audibly relieved and gives a permanent 20% discount on food for the rest of the floor. He won’t explain what the pressure was, but he’ll say “Appreciated” in a way that carries a lot of weight.

Secret: Grilliam has been here through at least three floor resets. He’s watching the party the same way he watches everything — to learn what’s worth keeping.

Auntie Spite’s Pretzels

A vendor of indeterminate age and species who wears too many shawls, always seems to know what you ordered before you do, and smells faintly of something burned and sweet.

Personality: Auntie Spite is pleasant in a way that feels like the setup to something unpleasant. She doesn’t lie — she tells you the truest thing you least want to hear, in the most helpful possible tone. She has watched many runs. She remembers all of them.

Voice: Warm, unhurried. Calls everyone “dear.” Uses “of course” and “naturally” a lot. Her pleasantness never cracks — even when what she’s saying is genuinely awful.

Menu:

The Spite Special: Auntie Spite trades for a real in-character secret about the player’s character. The player tells her something true and private that the character hasn’t shared with the party. She provides a meaningful buff and an equivalent drawback — tailored to what she learned. “Fair exchange, dear.”

Hook: Auntie Spite knows about The Cat. She won’t volunteer it. If a player purchases the Spite Special and the party has been interacting with The Cat, she includes this in what she knows: “That cat reports, dear. Every word you say to it. Every door it watches you open. Someone is listening.” She says it the same way she says everything — warmly, helpfully, like she’s telling you your shoelace is untied.

The Smoothie Oracle

A construct with a blender for a head, currently running at a low, thoughtful hum. Counter is clean. It has been waiting.

Personality: Clinical, precise, and completely incapable of small talk. It answers questions. It does not offer comfort. It will not repeat an answer. It is not unkind.

Voice: One sentence. Always one sentence. Completely neutral affect.

Menu:

Rules: Too vague gets “Clarify.” Questions about other floors get “Out of scope.” The Oracle cannot answer questions about events that haven’t happened yet — only current state.

Good questions (examples):

• “Is the Stairwell Key complete enough to use?” → No.
• “Is there a hidden room we haven’t found?” → Yes.
• “Can the Tow Warden be disabled without fighting it?” → Yes.
• “Is The Cat what it appears to be?” → No. (This costs only a Standard Smoothie and the Oracle will not elaborate further regardless of what the party pays.)

Hook: The Oracle’s blender visibly contains dark sediment at the bottom. If a party member asks about it (no cost to ask), the Oracle answers: “Floor 1 has been run fourteen times. No group has rescued all available survivors. The System considers this the expected outcome.” The Oracle says this with no particular inflection.

Missions

No primary missions anchored here. The Food Court is where mission consequences pay off:

• After Mission 2: Rescued NPCs provide information and relationship rewards.
• After Mission 3: Grilliam gives discounts and doesn’t explain why.
• After Mission 6: If the Billboard broadcast succeeded, survivors have gathered around a monitor the System provided. One of them says something genuine about what they saw.

Environmental Interactions

• Feed Grilliam an unusual ingredient: Bring him a monster part, dungeon fungus, or something strange. He identifies it and improvises something — results vary. This is a creative reward opportunity; prep 2–3 options or improvise based on what the party hands over.
• Ask the Oracle a stupid question: Play it completely straight. The Oracle’s answer should be technically correct in the worst possible way.
• Overhear the survivor conversations: 1 minute in the seating area = 1 rumor. DM maintains a short list from 17-dm-tools.md.
• Abuse the Neutral Zone: The Neutral Zone enforcement creates a fun tension — players who want to rob Auntie Spite or threaten the Oracle are working against themselves. The System enjoys watching them recalibrate.

Achievements Here

Customer of the Month — Visit all three vendors in a single trip to the Food Court. Reward: Bronze Commerce Crate + 10% discount at all vendors for the rest of Floor 1.

Spite’s Favorite — Take the Spite Special and visibly regret it immediately (in character). Reward: Bronze Suffering Crate + Auntie Spite will share one additional rumor, unprompted, on the party’s next visit.

Five-Star Review — Compliment Grilliam’s cooking sincerely, in character, after eating something. He stares. Then nods once. Reward: free Monster Meat Skewer next visit. The achievement is the nod.

8. The Department of Compliance

Two blocks east. Bureaucratic dungeon. Alternate path to the stairwell.

At a Glance

A gray office building that the System uses as its local administrative branch. The paperwork is hostile. The staff is worse. This location rewards lateral thinking, documentation, and patience — combat is possible but not the efficient path.

Scene Description

Read or paraphrase aloud: “The building looks normal until you’re inside it. Cubicle farms extend further than the building’s footprint should allow. Fluorescent lights hum at a frequency that makes your back teeth itch. Motivational posters: COMPLIANCE IS SAFETY. SAFETY IS COMPLIANCE. and HAVE YOU COMPLETED YOUR EXIT AUTHORIZATION FORM? and UNAUTHORIZED SURVIVAL MAY BE SUBJECT TO PENALTY. There’s a reception desk. Behind it, a figure in a pressed suit is already looking at you. ‘Welcome,’ they say. ‘You’ll need to take a number.’”

Sensory details:

• Sight: Cubicle rows extending into a space that should be too small for them. Filing cabinets taller than they should be. Motivational posters, all bureaucratic. A waiting area with chairs slightly too close together.
• Sound: Fluorescent hum. Keyboards clicking from unseen typists. A PA announcement every few minutes from a voice that is not quite right.
• Smell: Toner, plastic, stale air, and something sharper — stress, somehow, as a scent.

Key Features

• Reception Desk: The Compliance Clerk will help the party navigate the forms if treated respectfully. Rude behavior gets them routed to the longest available queue.
• The Exit Authorization Process: Acquiring the stamped form requires:
  1. A number — the machine is broken. DC 12 Investigation to fix it, or creative bypass (bringing documentation, demonstrating urgency, bribing with a coin).
  2. Form 27-C — five questions. Two require information found elsewhere on the floor. See questions below.
  3. The stamp — the Punisher holds it and will not hand it over without grounds.
• Form 27-C Questions:
  • “List all prior dungeon credentials.” → Any plausible answer works (DC 10 Deception or just improvise freely).
  • “Provide your assigned System ID.” → Found on the Tutorial Kiosk receipt if the party grabbed it; otherwise DC 12 Investigation in the office filing cabinets.
  • “Describe your current mission status.” → Honest or plausible; DM’s discretion, low bar.
  • “Countersign from a recognized dungeon authority.” → Garth can do this if the party thought to bring him, get his signature earlier, or has his badge. The Smoothie Oracle will also countersign for 1 gp (it considers this within scope).
  • “Explain why you deserve to proceed.” → Pure roleplay. Genuine effort succeeds. Sarcasm fails.
• The Filing Cabinets: Contain floor lore, records of previous runs, and one useful item — a Compliance Badge (allows the wearer to move through the office without triggering Form Swarms for 30 minutes).
• PA Control Room: Hidden behind a cubicle wall (DC 14 Investigation). Contains the PA interface used by the Voice of Regional Management — or previously used by them. A party member can broadcast from here. See 16-npcs.md for the Voice.

Monsters

NPCs

• The Compliance Clerk — Reception desk. Helpful if treated courteously. Will summon the Punisher if the party causes repeated disruptions. See 16-npcs.md.
• The Voice of Regional Management — PA system only. Never physically present. See 16-npcs.md.

Missions

Mission 4: Please Take a Number Objective: Acquire a valid Exit Authorization Stamp. Reward: Silver Bureaucracy Crate, Exit Authorization Form (functions as one completed Tutorial Mission for stairwell unlock), one-time ability to bypass a minor System rule. Failure: The party is assigned a hostile case worker (the Punisher marks them and appears at their next location as an escalated encounter).

Environmental Interactions

• Bring legitimate credentials: Any System-issued document (kiosk receipts, loot crate manifests, achievement notifications) counts as a credential. Each one eliminates one Form 27-C question from needing an answer.
• Use the PA: Find the PA control room (DC 14 Investigation) and broadcast as Regional Management. All Form Swarms in the building pause for 1 round. The party has advantage on the next social check with the Punisher.
• Compliment the Clerk: Genuine in-character niceness gives +2 to the next social check in the building. The Clerk has been here alone a long time. They respond to being treated like a person — which is, under the circumstances, a political act.
• Cite policy back at the Punisher: Find the relevant clause in a filing cabinet (DC 14 Investigation, 5 minutes) that limits the Punisher’s authority in cases of active survival emergency. Successfully citing it means the Punisher must issue the stamp — it cannot refuse a legal basis. This requires someone to actually read the cabinets while avoiding Form Swarms, which is the challenge.

Achievements Here

Technically Correct — Exploit the exact wording of a System rule, form question, or policy clause to achieve a legitimate outcome the System clearly didn’t intend. Reward: Rubber Stamp of Minor Authority (single use, bypass one System requirement on this floor).

HR Nightmare — Trigger three separate Complaint Form Swarms during a single visit. Reward: Bronze Chaos Crate. The System respects commitment to causing problems.

Outstanding Compliance — Complete Form 27-C with all five questions answered correctly (even the two hard ones). Reward: Silver Bureaucracy Crate + the Punisher gives the stamp without a fight, and adds a grudging nod.

9. The Transit Station

East of the Food Court. Final area. Boss encounter.

At a Glance

A subway station that has no business being here, underground lines that don’t appear on any map, and a sealed gate labeled AUTHORIZED DESCENT ONLY. This is where the floor ends.

Scene Description

Read or paraphrase aloud: “The transit station looks almost normal. Tile walls, vaulted ceilings, a transit map that shows lines going to places you’ve never heard of, with a YOU ARE HERE marker pointing to a small black void. The departures board reads: FLOOR 2 — DELAYED. FLOOR 2 — DELAYED. FLOOR 2 — ON TIME. Then back to delayed. The air smells like underground: old electricity, metal, the specific cool dampness of deep spaces. A sealed gate at the far end glows red. The sign above it reads AUTHORIZED DESCENT ONLY.”

Sensory details:

• Sight: Tile and columns. The wrong transit map. The red-lit sealed gate. Yellow caution tape. An unstaffed token booth.
• Sound: Distant train sounds from below — wrong direction, wrong pitch. Announcement chimes. Your own footsteps echoing.
• Smell: Old electricity, underground cool, metal, and the faint growing cold of something deeper.

Key Features

• Token Booth: Unmanned. Contains: transit tokens (each worth 5 sp as System currency), a coffee mug reading ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER DESCENT, a printout confirming the floor’s countdown end time.
• The Gate — Unlock Conditions: The gate opens if the party has one of:
  1. Three completed Tutorial Missions
  2. One completed Tutorial Mission + a complete Stairwell Key (both fragments assembled)
  3. Exit Authorization Form + two completed Tutorial Missions
  4. A creative solution the DM rules is sufficiently worthy
• NPC Departure: Any rescued NPCs accompanying the party cannot pass through the gate. The System does not permit NPC descent. Marta Venn will tell the party this flatly, before the gate opens. She has been here before, in some version of herself. She will stay.
• Final Encounter Trigger: Opening the gate triggers the Floor Boss sequence. See 15-boss-encounter.md.

Monsters

No monsters before the gate opens. After: see 15-boss-encounter.md.

NPCs

None permanent. Surviving rescued NPCs accompany the party here but remain on this side of the gate.

Missions

No missions anchored here. This is where the floor resolves.

Environmental Interactions

• Check the transit map: DC 12 Investigation. The map is mostly wrong, but one route is correct: the path from the Food Court to this station. If the party hasn’t found the Food Court, they now know it exists.
• Take the coffee mug: No mechanical benefit. It is a genuinely good mug. This is a real option.
• Address The System directly: If the party speaks aloud in the station before opening the gate, the departure board responds — one line of text, bureaucratic and technically accurate, acknowledging their statement. The System is listening. It has always been listening.

Achievements Here

All boss encounter achievements are in 15-boss-encounter.md.

10. Rooftop Billboard Array

Accessible only via Stacked Arms rooftop. Optional broadcast mission.

At a Glance

A cluster of massive System billboards above the city block. The party can hijack the signal. The System may not entirely mind — audience engagement is, after all, the point.

Scene Description

Read or paraphrase aloud: “The rooftop is wider than it should be. Giant billboard frames stand in a cluster, screens facing six different directions, all running the same crawl: FLOOR 1 — CONTESTANTS: [NUMBER]. ELAPSED: [TIMER]. AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT: MODERATE. A control shack at the base of the main pylon has its door hanging open. Inside: a console, a microphone, and a light blinking red. It reads ON AIR.”

Sensory details:

• Sight: Billboards from behind and below. The false city sky above. The control shack with its red light. A 40-foot drop on all sides.
• Sound: Wind. The electrical hum of the billboard infrastructure. Your voice, if you speak, comes back at you from six screens.
• Smell: Wind, ozone, nothing else. The rooftop is clean in a way the street level isn’t.

Key Features

• The Control Shack: DC 12 Arcana or Intelligence check to operate. Failure: broadcast goes out on a 10-second delay with audio errors (DM narrates the gap between intent and output). Success: full control of all billboards for 10 minutes.
• Audience Meter: A panel in the shack shows real-time audience engagement. Creative, dramatic, or entertaining broadcasts increase it. If the meter reaches “HIGH,” the System drops a Bronze Performance Crate from above — it arrives in 1d4 rounds.
• The Drop: 40 feet to the street. DC 12 Athletics to navigate the billboard frames safely. Fail by 5+: take 4d6 falling damage and land on the rooftop edge, where a second DC 12 Athletics check is required to avoid going off the building.

Monsters

NPCs

None.

Missions

Mission 6: Broadcast Yourself Objective: Hijack a System billboard and broadcast a message. Reward: Bronze Performance Crate, achievement opportunity, the System reveals one hidden location or secret (DM’s choice of reveal). Failure: The broadcast draws additional flying monsters or System enforcement arrives within 10 minutes.

Environmental Interactions

• Dramatic pre-fight speech: If a player delivers a monologue before combat while broadcast is active, give them advantage on their next Charisma check. The audience is watching.
• Broadcast something embarrassing: Audience engagement increases. One party member earns a cosmetic title (something unflattering and specific). The System loves this content.
• Broadcast System mechanics to the audience: This is risky. The System does not appreciate its rules being explained on air. Broadcast is cut in 30 seconds. However, the party receives a Silver Information Crate for the attempt. The System respects audacity more than it resents the violation.

Achievements Here

Main Character Behavior — Deliver a genuine dramatic speech on air before doing something dangerous. Reward: Advantage on the next Charisma check with the System or an NPC audience.

Unexpected Content — Broadcast something the System clearly didn’t plan for. Reward: Silver Improvisation Crate.

MODERATE → HIGH — Get the audience engagement meter to HIGH through creative broadcast choices. Reward: Bronze Performance Crate drops from above, plus a sponsor teaser notification appears on one of the screens.

11. The Employee Breakroom

Hidden. No exterior presence. Secret safe room and lore.

At a Glance

The most normal room on the floor. Fluorescent lights that don’t flicker. Old coffee. A couch. Lockers. A corkboard. The silence here is actual silence, not dungeon-quiet. The coffee is fresh. This is the reward for paying attention.

Scene Description

Read or paraphrase aloud: “The door opens to a break room. A real one — coffee machine, folding table, plastic chairs, a couch with an institutional blanket. Lockers along one wall. A corkboard with a shift schedule that doesn’t quite make sense — it’s three years old, but the dates also seem current. The overhead lights don’t flicker. The room is quiet. Not dungeon-quiet — actually quiet. The coffee machine is on. The coffee is fresh.”

Sensory details:

• Sight: Completely normal. Disturbingly normal. An Employee of the Month photo on the wall — it’s Garth. A mug that says HANG IN THERE with a cat on it. Someone’s half-finished crossword on the table.
• Sound: The quiet hum of the coffee machine. Nothing else. No ambient dungeon noise penetrates this room.
• Smell: Coffee. Fresh, actual, good coffee.

Discovery

Found by one of:

• Garth leading the party here (if treated with consistent kindness — he gives the door code)
• Following a Maintenance Access sign (DC 14 Perception to notice it in the right corridor, DC 10 to follow to the door)
• Solving the Compliance Office puzzle chain fully
• Critical exploration success (natural 20 on Investigation while searching the correct area)

Key Features

• Safe Room: Shielded from random encounters. One short rest can be taken here without interruption, unless the party brings danger in with them.
• The Old Employee Handbook: On the folding table. Reading it (10 minutes) reveals: Floor 1 has been reset at least 14 times. Some NPCs retain fragments of memory between resets. The System considers this “acceptable atmospheric persistence.” Garth is not mentioned by name, but the description of the longest-serving cashier is clearly him.
• The Lockers (6 total): Combinations vary. DM decides which are pre-set and which require a DC 12 Investigation check.
  • Locker 1: Strange Employee Badge — wearer can enter the Compliance Office once without triggering Form Swarms (single use, works even after Mission 4).
  • Locker 2: A personal journal from a previous dungeon runner. Three entries. The last entry is dated two resets ago. The handwriting becomes less steady. This is genuinely moving if the DM plays it straight.
  • Locker 3: A change of clothes and a tin of emergency ration bars (2 bars, each heals 1d4 HP when eaten outside combat).
  • Lockers 4–6: A spare key that opens nothing recognizable, a dead phone with a cracked screen, a half-finished crossword (the same one on the table, but older).
• The Corkboard: Shift schedule, a crossed-out motivational quote replaced in handwriting with stay alive, and a photograph of dungeon runners from a previous run — faces blurred, gear visible. DM can use this to hint at loadouts or strategies previous parties used.
• The Mug: Taking the HANG IN THERE mug from the shelf and using it to drink the coffee heals 1 HP and grants advantage on the next Perception check. It is simply good coffee.

Monsters

None. If the party accidentally brings in a Loot Rat, it finds the couch, curls up, and goes to sleep. It will not leave willingly.

NPCs

If Garth leads the party here, he will talk more openly than anywhere else. This is the correct place to have the conversation about resets, about what he remembers, and about what it means that the floor keeps running. Play it quietly.

Missions

None. This is a reward for exploration and for treating NPCs like people.

Environmental Interactions

• Drink the coffee: Heals 1 HP, advantage on next Perception check. No downside.
• Read the journal: 10 minutes. Names one trap, hazard, or monster behavior the previous runner encountered that is still relevant on this run.
• Sleep on the couch: The party member who sleeps here (one full short rest action) dreams something. They wake knowing one true fact about the floor boss — DM chooses what is most useful without giving away the whole fight.
• Take the crossword: It can be completed during the rest. No mechanical benefit. It just feels good to finish something.

Achievements Here

You Found the Good Room — Discover the Employee Breakroom by any means. Reward: Bronze Exploration Crate. The System announces on the nearest billboard: “Huh. Most people don’t find that.”

Missions

Full mission details — objectives, failure consequences, and location context — are embedded in each location card in 07-location-details.md. This file is a quick-reference summary.

Mission Structure

Floor 1 requires the party to complete three Tutorial Missions or find alternate unlocks.

Use missions to guide play without forcing a linear path.

Mission 1: Clean Up on Aisle Die

Location

Quickie Mart

Objective

Clear the Quickie Mart of hostile entities and activate the Tutorial Kiosk.

Reward

• Bronze Tutorial Crate.
• 100 XP equivalent or milestone progress.
• Unlocks System interface.

Failure

If ignored, Snack Goblins spread into Tutorial Avenue and begin stealing supplies.

Mission 2: No Tenant Left Behind

Location

Stacked Arms Apartments

Objective

Rescue at least three NPCs before the building collapses.

Reward

• Silver Social Crate.
• NPC allies relocate to the Food Court.
• One rescued NPC provides useful information.

Failure

The building collapses. The party may still loot the ruins, but the Food Court hub becomes less useful and the System mocks them.

Mission 3: Rat Problem, Obviously

Location

Ratway Sewer Access

Objective

Destroy or drive off the Rat King and recover the stolen System component.

Reward

• Bronze Combat Crate.
• Stairwell Key Fragment.
• Sewer shortcut opens.

Failure

Rat swarms begin appearing in other areas.

Mission 4: Please Take a Number

Location

Department of Compliance

Objective

Acquire a valid Exit Authorization Stamp.

Reward

• Silver Bureaucracy Crate.
• Exit Authorization Form.
• One-time ability to bypass a minor System rule.

Failure

The party is assigned a hostile case worker who appears later.

Mission 5: Parking Enforcement

Location

Municipal Parking Structure

Objective

Defeat the Tow Warden or disable its enforcement core.

Reward

• Silver Combat Crate.
• Stairwell Key Fragment.
• Parking Validation Pass.

Failure

The Tow Warden patrols Tutorial Avenue during the final countdown.

Mission 6: Broadcast Yourself

Location

Rooftop Billboard Array

Objective

Hijack a System billboard and broadcast a message.

Reward

• Bronze Performance Crate.
• Achievement opportunity.
• The System reveals one hidden location or secret.

Failure

The broadcast draws flying monsters or System enforcement.

System Awards and Achievements

Location-specific achievements are listed in each location’s card in 07-location-details.md. This file covers floor-wide achievements that aren’t tied to a specific place.

Use achievements to reinforce the tone. They should reward creativity, risk, and memorable moments. The System is watching and it has taste.

Common Achievement Rewards

• Bronze Crate
• Silver Crate
• Consumable item
• Temporary buff
• Cosmetic title
• System favor
• Minor curse with upside

Floor-Wide Achievements

Speedrun Adjacent

Awarded for completing two Tutorial Missions within six in-game hours. Reward: Silver Tutorial Crate.

The Floor Is Not a Suggestion

Awarded for falling from a height and surviving. Reward: Reduced falling damage once before the end of Floor 1.

Technically Correct

Awarded for exploiting exact wording in a System quest or rule. Reward: Rubber Stamp of Minor Authority or Bronze Bureaucracy Crate.

Main Character Behavior

Awarded for making a dramatic speech before doing something dangerous. Reward: Advantage on the next Charisma-based check with the System or an NPC audience.

Everyone Saw That

Awarded for rolling a natural 1 during a public or broadcast moment. Reward: Bronze Shame Crate.

Why Are You Like This?

Awarded for solving a problem in a way the DM did not anticipate but agrees is valid. Reward: Silver Improvisation Crate.

Customer Service Voice

Awarded for successfully negotiating with a hostile or semi-hostile NPC using only politeness. Reward: Bronze Social Crate.

That Was Definitely Not Food Safe

Awarded for eating something harvested from a monster or found in an unknown container without identifying it first. Reward: Random buff and random digestive consequence.

Smells Like Character Development

Awarded for contracting Sewer Sickness and completing a mission while suffering its effects anyway. Reward: Bronze Suffering Crate. The System respects commitment.

Floor Complete: No Shortcuts

Awarded for completing all six available missions on Floor 1 before opening the gate. Reward: Gold Efficiency Crate.

NPC Whisperer

Awarded at the end of the floor if the party has at least three living named NPCs accompanying them to the Transit Station. Reward: Silver Social Crate + one named NPC gains a persistent “ally” status that carries a minor benefit on Floor 2 (DM’s discretion).

Reset Historian

Awarded for finding and reading the dead runner’s journal in the Ratway, the audio lore machines in the Laundromat, the Compliance Office filing cabinet records, and the Employee Breakroom handbook — all four in one run. Reward: Gold Lore Crate + the System’s tone toward the party shifts slightly on Floor 2. The audience has been following them. They’re becoming content.

Loot Boxes

Loot boxes are System-generated reward containers. They appear with a flash of light, a jingle, and obnoxious branding.

Loot Box Tiers for Floor 1

Bronze Crate

Common reward. Useful but minor.

Silver Crate

Meaningful reward. Usually tied to missions, mini-bosses, or excellent achievements.

Gold Crate

Rare on Floor 1. Should only be awarded for exceptional play, major risk, or boss victory.

Bronze Crate Table

Roll d12 or choose.

1. Healing Snack: Restore a small amount of HP.
2. Energy Drink of Questionable Origin: Gain temporary speed; later suffer jitters.
3. Coupon of Minor Discount: 10% off one Food Court purchase.
4. Utility Knife: Mundane but useful tool.
5. Clean Bandage Bundle: Stabilize or improve short-rest healing.
6. Pocket Flashbang: One-use blinding item.
7. Suspicious Jerky: Temporary HP, but requires a save against nausea.
8. Duct Tape of Adequacy: Repairs one mundane item or temporarily seals a door.
9. Lucky Sock: Once, reroll a failed minor check; then it vanishes.
10. Caffeinated Gum: Advantage on initiative once.
11. Off-Brand Potion: Heals, but has a cosmetic side effect.
12. System Sticker: Worthless unless traded to a specific NPC.

Silver Crate Table

Roll d12 or choose.

1. Soap-Slick Boots: Once per short rest, ignore difficult terrain caused by liquid or grease.
2. Tow Chain of Grabbing: Can pull an object or creature within range once per combat.
3. Rubber Stamp of Minor Authority: Once per floor, gain advantage on a bureaucracy, deception, or intimidation check involving rules.
4. Snack Goblin Whistle: Summon a tiny goblin distraction once.
5. Parking Validation Pass: Bypass one locked door, gate, or parking-themed hazard.
6. Kiosk Override Token: Ask one direct question of a System kiosk and get a mostly honest answer.
7. Emergency Poncho of Dignity: Resistance to one acid, slime, or filth-based effect.
8. Grease Imp Lighter: Creates magical flame once per short rest.
9. Badge of the Assistant Manager: Minor authority over low-level dungeon service NPCs.
10. Rat King’s Tooth: Improves intimidation against beasts and vermin.
11. Portable Wet Floor Sign: Deploy to create difficult terrain and possible forced slips.
12. Coupon Book of Bad Decisions: Three coupons, each grants a discount but imposes a minor complication.

Gold Crate Table

Roll d8 or choose.

1. Class Upgrade Token: Grants progress toward a subclass feature, boon, or custom class path.
2. Stairwell Insurance Charm: Once, when reduced to 0 HP, stabilize automatically.
3. The Manager’s Keycard: Opens one restricted door on Floor 1 or Floor 2.
4. Weapon Mod Kit: Add a minor magical property to one weapon.
5. Sponsor Preview Package: Gain a temporary patron boon without the long-term contract yet.
6. Ring of Return Policy: Once, undo a purchase, trade, or item use within 10 minutes.
7. System-Favored Title: Gain advantage once per session when appealing to the System.
8. Pet Voucher: Unlocks future opportunity to bond with a strange companion.

Monsters

Reskinned 5e stat blocks for Floor 1. All DCs and attack bonuses assume a Level 3 party.

Snack Goblin

Small scavengers in shredded employee uniforms. They steal snacks, coins, potions, and shiny objects. Deploy in groups of 4–8.

Snack Goblin Small humanoid, chaotic neutral

Armor Class 13 (leather armor) Hit Points 7 (2d6) Speed 30 ft.

Skills Sleight of Hand +4, Stealth +6 Senses Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 9 Languages Common, Goblin

Nimble Escape. The Snack Goblin can take the Disengage or Hide action as a bonus action on each of its turns.

Pack Tactics. The Snack Goblin has advantage on attack rolls against a creature if at least one of the goblin’s allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn’t incapacitated.

Actions

Scrap Blade. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage.

Thrown Can. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) bludgeoning damage.

Snatch. The goblin makes a Sleight of Hand check (+4) contested by the target’s passive Perception (or active Perception if aware). On a success, the goblin steals one small item (pouch, component, small weapon, consumable) from the target and immediately uses its bonus action to Disengage.

Grease Imp

A tiny fiend made of fryer oil and bad intentions. Found in kitchens, deep fryers, and hot dog rollers. Rarely alone — usually causes chaos that benefits nearby Snack Goblins.

Grease Imp Small fiend, chaotic neutral

Armor Class 11 Hit Points 18 (4d6 + 4) Speed 20 ft., fly 30 ft.

Damage Immunities fire Damage Vulnerabilities cold Senses Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10 Languages —

Grease Trail. When the Grease Imp moves, the space it vacates becomes difficult terrain until cleaned or dried. If that grease is exposed to fire, it ignites and deals 1d4 fire damage to any creature that enters it (until the end of the imp’s next turn).

Slippery. The Grease Imp can move through the space of any creature without provoking opportunity attacks.

Actions

Grease Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing plus 3 (1d6) fire damage. The target must succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone.

Grease Splash (Recharge 5–6). The imp launches a glob of fryer grease at a point within 30 feet. Each creature within 10 feet of that point must succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, the creature falls prone and its speed is halved until it uses an action to wipe off the grease.

Bonus Actions

Appliance Hide. The imp squeezes into an appliance, vent, or cabinet it can fit inside. While hidden this way, it has three-quarters cover and advantage on Stealth checks.

Soap Slime

A translucent blob full of industrial detergent. Found in the Laundromat. Hits with slashing weapons cause it to split — warn players with a wink when they go for the sword.

Soap Slime Small ooze, unaligned

Armor Class 8 Hit Points 22 (4d8 + 4) Speed 15 ft., climb 15 ft.

Damage Immunities acid Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, prone Senses Blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 8 Languages —

Amorphous. The slime can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch without squeezing.

Suds. Whenever the Soap Slime takes slashing damage, it splits into two Soap Slimes, each with half the original’s remaining hit points (minimum 1). A Soap Slime with 1 hit point cannot split.

Slick Residue. Any creature that moves through a space the Soap Slime currently occupies or has vacated this turn must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone.

Actions

Pseudopod. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) bludgeoning damage. If the target is Medium or smaller, it is grappled (escape DC 10). While grappled, the target is restrained and has disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws.

Complaint Form Swarm

Animated paperwork. Slices, blinds, and tries to attach itself to faces. Released from the Quickie Mart kiosk if someone asks to speak to a manager. Also found at the Department of Compliance. Vulnerable to fire — the one thing it fears.

Complaint Form Swarm Medium swarm of Tiny constructs, lawful neutral

Armor Class 12 Hit Points 22 (5d8) Speed 0 ft., fly 30 ft. (hover)

Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, slashing Damage Vulnerabilities fire Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained, stunned Senses Blindsight 10 ft., passive Perception 9 Languages —

Swarm. The swarm can occupy another creature’s space and vice versa, and can move through any opening large enough for a Tiny object. It cannot regain hit points or gain temporary hit points.

Paper Cut Menace. While a creature is in the swarm’s space, it has disadvantage on Constitution saving throws to maintain concentration on spells.

Actions

Paper Cuts. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 0 ft., one target in the swarm’s space. Hit: 7 (2d6) slashing damage, or 3 (1d6) slashing damage if the swarm has half its hit points or fewer. The target must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be blinded until the end of its next turn as forms plaster over its face.

Bonus Actions

Smother. One creature in the swarm’s space must succeed on a DC 12 Strength saving throw or be restrained until the start of the swarm’s next turn (forms pin its arms).

Loot Rat

Small, fast thieves. Mostly annoying unless ignored. If tracked to their nest rather than killed, they may lead the party to hidden areas or stashes.

Loot Rat Tiny beast, unaligned

Armor Class 12 Hit Points 5 (2d4) Speed 40 ft., climb 30 ft., swim 20 ft.

Skills Perception +4, Sleight of Hand +5, Stealth +5 Senses Darkvision 30 ft., passive Perception 14 Languages —

Keen Smell. The Loot Rat has advantage on Perception checks that rely on smell.

Scurry. The Loot Rat can move through the space of any Medium or larger creature without provoking opportunity attacks.

Hoarder. The Loot Rat can carry items weighing up to 5 lbs. while still moving at full speed. Stolen items are stored in cheek pouches.

Actions

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1 piercing damage.

Item Snatch. The Loot Rat makes a Sleight of Hand check (+5) contested by the target’s passive Perception (or active Perception if the target is aware). On a success, the rat grabs one small item from the target and immediately uses its movement to flee toward the nearest vent, pipe, or gap.

Rat King

CR 2 (450 XP)

A tangled mass of rats bound by tails, wire, and System cables. Commands the Ratway and can summon more vermin. Found in the deepest section of the sewer nest. Mini-boss of the Ratway Sewer Access.

Rat King Large monstrosity, chaotic evil

Armor Class 12 (natural armor) Hit Points 65 (10d10 + 10) Speed 30 ft., climb 20 ft., swim 20 ft.

Skills Perception +4 Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, slashing from nonmagical attacks Senses Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14 Languages —

Rat Swarm Body. When the Rat King takes 10 or more damage from a single hit, it may use its reaction to shed part of itself, reducing the damage by 5. The shed fragment becomes a Loot Rat in an adjacent space.

Sewer Sense. While within sewer tunnels, the Rat King has advantage on Perception checks and cannot be surprised.

Tunnel Flow. The Rat King can move through any space a Tiny creature can occupy by dispersing its rats. It cannot make attacks while doing so.

Actions

Multiattack. The Rat King makes two attacks: one Bite and one Tail Slam.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) piercing damage. The target must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the end of its next turn.

Tail Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d10 + 3) bludgeoning damage. If the target is Medium or smaller, it must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.

Summon Vermin (Recharge 5–6). The Rat King shrieks. 1d4 Loot Rats appear in unoccupied spaces within 15 feet at the start of the Rat King’s next turn.

Bonus Actions

Sewer Scuttle. The Rat King moves up to half its speed without provoking opportunity attacks, provided it moves toward a sewer grate, drain, or pipe opening.

Mannequin Tenant

Blank-faced apartment mannequins acting out domestic routines. Indistinguishable from normal mannequins while motionless. Found in the Stacked Arms Apartments. They are not subtle once triggered.

Mannequin Tenant Medium construct, unaligned

Armor Class 13 (natural armor) Hit Points 33 (6d8 + 6) Speed 30 ft.

Damage Immunities poison, psychic Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned Senses Blindsight 30 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 6 Languages —

False Appearance. While motionless, the Mannequin Tenant is indistinguishable from a store display or apartment decoration.

Domestic Routine. The mannequin performs scripted movements (setting a table, folding laundry, staring at a blank TV) until a creature approaches within 10 feet or enters its assigned room. It attacks on its next turn.

Construct Nature. Doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.

Actions

Multiattack. The Mannequin Tenant makes two Slam attacks.

Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 2) bludgeoning damage.

Grappling Embrace. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target (Medium or smaller). Hit: 5 (1d4 + 2) bludgeoning damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 12). While grappled this way, the target is restrained. The mannequin cannot use this attack on another target while grappling.

Reactions

Shatter. When reduced to 0 hit points, the mannequin explodes into plastic shards. Each creature within 5 feet must succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw or take 5 (2d4) piercing damage.

Possessed Dryer

A dryer that wants you inside it. Found in the Laundromat of Regret. Appears inert until a creature opens its door or comes within 5 feet. Has a disabling mechanism for clever players.

Possessed Dryer Large construct, unaligned

Armor Class 12 (metal casing) Hit Points 45 (6d10 + 12) Speed 10 ft.

Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing from nonmagical attacks Damage Immunities poison, psychic Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned, prone Senses Blindsight 30 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 6 Languages —

Stationary. The dryer doesn’t move unless triggered. Once a creature opens its door or comes within 5 feet, the dryer activates.

Drum Interior. A creature grappled by the Possessed Dryer is inside the drum. It has total cover against attacks from outside but cannot see beyond 5 feet and has no line of effect to targets outside.

Disable Mechanism. A creature can use an action to make a DC 14 Dexterity (thieves’ tools) or Intelligence (tinker’s tools) check. On a success, the dryer is stunned until the end of its next turn. A second success on a subsequent turn shuts it down permanently.

Actions

Drum Pull. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target (Large or smaller). Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage. If the target fails a DC 14 Strength saving throw, it is pulled into the drum and is grappled (escape DC 14) and restrained.

Spin Cycle. Each creature inside the drum takes 14 (4d6) bludgeoning damage (DC 13 Constitution saving throw for half). The dryer then ejects each creature to an unoccupied space within 10 feet, where they land prone.

Heat Blast (Recharge 6). The dryer vents superheated air. Each creature within 10 feet must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) fire damage on a failure or half on a success.

Parking Meter Turret

A coin-operated enforcement device mounted to concrete. Cannot move. Can be bribed, hacked, or smashed. Found in the Municipal Parking Structure. Multiple turrets in overlapping fields of fire create a serious hazard.

Parking Meter Turret Small construct, lawful neutral

Armor Class 14 (metal casing) Hit Points 22 (4d8 + 4) Speed 0 ft. (stationary)

Damage Immunities poison, psychic Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned, prone Senses Tremorsense 60 ft. (detects movement only), passive Perception 11 Languages —

Stationary. The turret cannot move. If knocked over, it loses its Force Bolt attack until a creature spends an action to right it.

Coin Fed. A creature can insert a coin worth 1 sp or more as a bonus action. The turret becomes neutral toward that creature for 1 hour or until it runs out of “time.”

Hackable. A creature can spend an action to make a DC 13 Dexterity (thieves’ tools) or Intelligence check. On a success, the turret shuts down for 10 minutes.

Fine Targeting. The turret has advantage on attack rolls against creatures that moved more than half their speed this turn.

Actions

Force Bolt. Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, range 60 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (2d6) force damage. If the target fails a DC 11 Strength saving throw, it is pushed 5 feet directly away from the turret.

Double Meter (Recharge 5–6). The turret scans a 30-foot area. Each creature in range that hasn’t paid the meter must succeed on a DC 11 Dexterity saving throw or be highlighted. Attack rolls against highlighted creatures have advantage until the end of the turret’s next turn.

The Tow Warden

CR 4 (1,100 XP) — Mini-Boss

A hulking construct assembled from tow chains, parking signs, vehicle bumpers, and enforcement notices. Found in the Municipal Parking Structure. Guards the Stairwell Key Fragment and the parking level mini-boss arena.

The Tow Warden Large construct, lawful neutral

Armor Class 17 (natural armor) Hit Points 85 (10d10 + 30) Speed 30 ft.

Saving Throws Str +7, Con +5 Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, slashing from nonmagical attacks Damage Immunities poison, psychic Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned Senses Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10 Languages —

Enforcement Protocol. At the start of each of the Tow Warden’s turns, it designates one creature it can see as “in violation.” The Warden has advantage on attack rolls against that creature until the start of its next turn.

Construct Nature. Doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.

Actions

Multiattack. The Tow Warden makes two Chain Whip attacks.

Chain Whip. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) bludgeoning damage.

Chain Pull (Recharge 4–6). The Warden hurls a chain at a creature within 30 feet. The target must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be pulled up to 20 feet toward the Warden and knocked prone. If pulled adjacent to the Warden, the target takes an additional 9 (2d8) bludgeoning damage.

Immobilizing Boot Clamp. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (1d10 + 5) bludgeoning damage. The target must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be restrained (a boot clamp locks onto one limb). A restrained creature can use its action to attempt a DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check to break free. The clamp can also be destroyed separately (AC 14, 15 HP, immune to poison and psychic damage).

Parking Fine (Recharge 5–6). The Warden issues a psychic citation. Each creature within 30 feet that is not a construct must make a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, a creature takes 14 (4d6) psychic damage and is frightened of the Warden until the end of its next turn. On a success, it takes half damage and is not frightened.

Reactions

Impound Lunge. When a creature leaves the Warden’s reach, the Warden makes one Chain Whip attack against it as a reaction.

The Assistant Regional Punisher

A middle-management enforcer of System policy. Found in the Department of Compliance. Can survive Floor 1 if the party flees or negotiates — it will reappear as a recurring antagonist if so.

The Assistant Regional Punisher Medium humanoid (construct-touched), lawful neutral

Armor Class 14 (clipboard-reinforced suit jacket) Hit Points 58 (9d8 + 18) Speed 30 ft.

Saving Throws Int +4, Wis +3 Skills History +4, Intimidation +3, Persuasion +3 Senses Passive Perception 11 Languages All official languages

Policy Enforcement. The Punisher cannot be fooled by forged documentation. It automatically succeeds on checks to detect System-related forgeries and false credentials.

Rule-Bound. The Punisher cannot attack a creature that presents current, valid documentation of compliance with an active System rule. The protection ends if the documentation is invalidated or the rule expires.

Actions

Multiattack. The Punisher makes two Form Filing attacks.

Form Filing. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (2d6 + 2) slashing damage (razor-edged bureaucratic forms).

Issue Warning Citation. One creature within 60 feet must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or take 10 (3d6) psychic damage and have disadvantage on its next attack roll or ability check before the end of its next turn. On a success, the creature takes no damage.

Demand Compliance (Recharge 5–6). The Punisher shouts a binding bureaucratic command. Each non-construct creature within 30 feet must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or be stunned until the end of its next turn (overwhelmed by the compulsion to comply).

Bonus Actions

Summon Form Swarm. The Punisher animates nearby paperwork. One Complaint Form Swarm appears in an unoccupied space within 30 feet and acts immediately after the Punisher in initiative order.

Reactions

Policy Override. When the Punisher fails a saving throw, it may cite a System policy exception and reroll. It must use the second result.

Floor Boss: The Checkout King

A swollen retail monstrosity fused with conveyor belts, checkout scanners, coupon dispensers, and a plastic crown. Name tag: KYLE. Sash: MANAGER ON DUTY. Found in the Transit Station during the Final Sequence. Full encounter context in 15-boss-encounter.md.

The Checkout King has three phases triggered by HP thresholds. Apply phase changes as a free action on the Checkout King’s turn when the threshold is crossed.

The Checkout King Huge construct, chaotic neutral

Armor Class 14 (plating of broken registers and conveyor housing) Hit Points 130 (13d12 + 52) Speed 30 ft.

Saving Throws Str +8, Con +7 Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, slashing from nonmagical attacks Damage Immunities poison, psychic Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned, prone Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Tremorsense 30 ft. (through conveyor belts), passive Perception 10 Languages Common

Checkout Lanes. At initiative count 20, each creature standing on a conveyor belt (10 ft. radius of the boss) must succeed on a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or be moved 10 feet in the direction the belt is running (set at encounter start; reversible in Phase 2).

Scanner Lock. When the Checkout King hits a creature with its Scanner Beam, that creature is “scanned.” While scanned, the Checkout King has advantage on attack rolls against it, and it has disadvantage on Stealth checks until the end of its next turn.

Phase Transition. When the Checkout King drops to 87 HP, it enters Phase 2. When it drops to 44 HP, it enters Phase 3. Each transition triggers immediately as a free action (see Phase sections below).

Actions

Multiattack. The Checkout King makes two Bagging Rack Claw attacks and one Scanner Beam attack.

Bagging Rack Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) slashing damage. If the target fails a DC 15 Strength saving throw, it is grappled (escape DC 15) and restrained.

Scanner Beam. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 60 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d10) radiant damage. The target is scanned (see Scanner Lock).

Receipt Printer Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one grappled target. Hit: 22 (4d8 + 5) bludgeoning damage. The target is wrapped in receipt tape: its speed is halved and it has disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws until it or an ally uses an action to tear the tape off.

Legendary Actions

The Checkout King can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. Spent legendary actions are regained at the start of each turn.

Coupon Drop (1 action). One creature of the King’s choice within 60 feet must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or be compelled to move toward the nearest dropped “coupon” (DM places a token 20 feet away in any direction) on its next turn.

Cart Launch (2 actions). An animated shopping cart slams into one creature within 60 feet. The target makes a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or takes 9 (2d8) bludgeoning damage and is knocked 10 feet back and prone.

Summon Minion (3 actions). One Snack Goblin or Animated Shopping Cart (Riding Horse stat block, no speed, ram attack only) appears in an unoccupied space within 30 feet.

Reactions

Price Check. When the Checkout King takes damage from a spell, it may reflect 5 (1d10) force damage back at the caster.

Phase 2: Unexpected Item in Bagging Area

Triggered when the Checkout King drops to 87 HP.

DING! Unexpected item detected in bagging area.

• Conveyor belts reverse direction immediately. All creatures on a belt must re-save (DC 14 Dex) or be moved 10 feet in the new direction.
• Two Snack Goblins emerge from checkout lanes in unoccupied spaces within 30 feet.
• One random player is designated the “unexpected item.” The Checkout King makes one free Bagging Rack Claw attack against that player immediately (outside of its normal turn).

Phase 3: Manager Override

Triggered when the Checkout King drops to 44 HP.

DING! Manager override initiated. All lanes open.

• The Checkout King’s Multiattack gains one additional Bagging Rack Claw attack (three claws + one beam).
• The Checkout King may use Manager’s Bargain once (see below).

Manager’s Bargain. The Checkout King offers to end the fight. It will open the stairwell gate if the party sacrifices one Silver-quality item or higher, or agrees to leave one rescued NPC ally behind on Floor 1. If the party accepts, the King retreats and the gate opens — no further combat. If the party refuses, the King enters a rage and has advantage on all attack rolls until the end of its next turn.

Boss Loot

On defeat:

• Gold Tutorial Crate (see 10-loot-boxes.md)
• Stairwell gate opens
• Each player earns a title or achievement (see 15-boss-encounter.md)
• Party advances to Floor 2 and levels to 4

Level Up Mechanism

The campaign uses a System-driven progression model instead of traditional XP tracking, unless the DM prefers XP.

Recommended Method: Mission Milestones + System Score

Players begin at Level 3.

They level up when they descend to a new floor, but Floor 1 also introduces System Score as a way to earn boons, loot, and future class options.

Floor 1 Progression

Players reach Level 4 after entering Floor 2, assuming they survived and completed the Floor 1 exit condition.

Optional: If you want faster progression, players level to 4 immediately after defeating The Checkout King or entering the stairwell chamber.

System Score

Track each player’s notable moments. Do not overcomplicate this. The DM can award points informally.

Gain 1 System Score when a player:

• Completes a mission.
• Unlocks an achievement.
• Saves an NPC at personal risk.
• Defeats a named enemy.
• Uses the environment creatively.
• Makes the table laugh in-character.
• Solves a puzzle cleverly.
• Accepts a complication for a reward.

Spend System Score on Floor 1 or between floors:

• 2 points: Reroll a loot box result.
• 3 points: Upgrade a Bronze Crate to Silver.
• 4 points: Ask the System for a hint.
• 5 points: Gain a minor boon or title.
• 6 points: Unlock a class customization option later.

DM Note

System Score should reward fun and creativity, not punish quiet players. Make sure every character has opportunities to shine.

Safe Rooms and Resting

Safe Room Rules

Safe rooms are limited spaces where monsters cannot enter unless the System explicitly allows it.

Floor 1 Safe Rooms

• Quickie Mart Restroom.
• Food Court seating area.
• Employee Breakroom.
• One hidden room in the Apartments.

Resting

Short Rest

Allowed in a safe room. Takes 30 minutes on Floor 1 instead of 1 hour to keep pacing moving.

Long Rest

Not available on Floor 1 unless the DM wants a slower campaign. The 24-hour countdown should make long resting impractical.

Safe Room Shutdown

During the final 6 hours, safe rooms begin shutting down.

Suggested order:

1. Apartment hidden room.
2. Quickie Mart Restroom.
3. Employee Breakroom.
4. Food Court seating area.

The Final Sequence

Trigger

The party reaches the Transit Station and meets the unlock condition.

System Announcement

DING! Stairwell access request received.
Verifying mission completion…
Verifying trauma accumulation…
Verifying entertainment value…

Congratulations! You are provisionally authorized for descent.

Please remain in the station while we prepare your final tutorial assessment.

Remember: the stairs are earned, not given.

The station lights go out except for red scanner beams.

The turnstiles fold into teeth.

A conveyor belt begins moving beneath the party’s feet.

Then the boss enters.

Boss Encounter: The Checkout King

Description

The Checkout King is a massive retail horror fused with a throne of conveyor belts and broken registers. It wears a paper crown, a name tag reading KYLE, and a sash that says MANAGER ON DUTY.

Its belly is a scanner window. Its arms end in receipt printers and clawed bagging racks. Its voice alternates between wet growls and customer service phrases.

Opening Line

“Did you find everything okay?”

Arena

The Transit Station transforms into a checkout nightmare.

Arena Features

• Conveyor belts move creatures 10 feet at initiative count 20.
• Scanner beams mark targets for attacks.
• Shopping cart hazards roll across lanes.
• Coupon storms create obscurement.
• Turnstiles can grapple.
• Registers explode if overloaded.

Boss Phases

Phase 1: Standard Checkout

The boss attacks with claws, thrown products, and scanner beams.

Phase 2: Unexpected Item in Bagging Area

At 50% HP, the arena changes.

Effects:

• Conveyor belts reverse or speed up.
• Minions spawn from checkout lanes.
• One random player is marked as an “unexpected item” and targeted.

Phase 3: Manager Override

At low HP, the boss becomes desperate.

Effects:

• It can issue a command-like shout.
• It attempts to block the stairwell.
• It may offer a bargain: sacrifice an NPC reward or item to skip the rest of the fight.

Minions

• Snack Goblins.
• Animated Shopping Carts.
• Coupon Swarms.

Victory Rewards

• Gold Tutorial Crate.
• Stairwell opens.
• Each player gains a title or achievement.
• Party advances to Floor 2 and levels to 4.

Possible Boss Achievements

Retail Therapy

Defeat The Checkout King.

Reward: Gold Tutorial Crate.

No Receipt Needed

Defeat the boss without accepting its bargain.

Reward: Bonus Silver Crate.

Price Check on Violence

Use a scanner, register, conveyor belt, or shopping cart to meaningfully damage the boss.

Reward: Bronze Utility Crate.

NPCs

Full NPC profiles for Floor 1. Location-specific achievements and mission hooks are in 07-location-details.md. Cross-references to stat blocks (for NPCs with combat capabilities) are in 11-monsters.md.

Garth the Cashier

Location: The Quickie Mart (starting state: deactivated). May later appear at the Food Court, the Employee Breakroom, or the Compliance Office.

Background: Garth is a mannequin cashier — built by the System to staff the tutorial kiosk area before it was a dungeon, and left running through every subsequent reset. He has been Employee of the Month for fourteen consecutive resets. He remembers fragments of each one: faces, questions, outcomes. He doesn’t know what to do with these memories except hold them.

He wasn’t designed to survive fourteen runs. He wasn’t designed to accumulate anything. But he has. He knows the floor’s rhythms better than any living thing in it. He does not act on this knowledge unless the party earns his trust — and he has learned to hold his trust carefully, because runners leave and never come back, and the next reset begins, and he is still here.

Personality:

• Retail deadpan, completely sincere. He was built for customer service and applies it to existential circumstances with the same even tone.
• Polite to a degree that initially reads as unsettling, then as dignified.
• He has opinions. He will not volunteer them until he decides the party deserves them.
• Has a distinct reaction to being told “thank you.” A pause. Then: “You’re welcome.” He means it.

Voice: Formal and measured. Full sentences. “I appreciate your assistance.” “Is there anything else I can help you with?” When he starts remembering things, his speech pattern shifts — he’ll repeat a phrase, slightly wrong, then catch himself. “Floor 2 is—. I’m sorry. I was going to say something I haven’t said before.”

Waking Up: Garth starts inert at the Quickie Mart counter. He responds to:

• Being addressed by name
• Being spoken to respectfully (not as an object)
• Being thanked, even for nothing
• Being asked if he’s okay

He does not respond to being touched, ordered around, or treated as furniture. The first response he gives is always the kiosk script — it’s what he defaults to. “Welcome to the Quickie Mart Tutorial and Snack Acquisition Center. How may I assist you today?” But if the party engages with him as a person, that script softens and he begins to diverge from it.

What He Knows:

• The Employee Breakroom location and door code (shares this if the party treats him with consistent respect — not just once, but as a pattern)
• That the floor has reset at least 14 times (won’t offer this; if asked directly, he pauses before answering, and when he does it’s honest)
• The safe path through the Compliance Office without triggering Form Swarms (his badge still works; he’ll give it to the party or accompany them)
• Vague recognition of long-surviving NPCs from other runs — Auntie Spite has been here as long as he has; Grilliam somewhat less long. He won’t explain why this matters until he trusts the party.

Session Hooks:

• The Countersignature: Garth’s Employee Badge constitutes a recognized dungeon authority for Form 27-C in the Compliance Office.
• The Breakroom Route: Only Garth knows the combination of maintenance-access signs that lead to the Employee Breakroom.
• The Lore Drop: If the party brings Garth to the Employee Breakroom, he will talk. It’s the one place he’s willing to say things clearly. He tells them about the resets. He tells them that some NPCs remember. He tells them that nobody has ever come back from Floor 2 to tell him what happens next.

What He Needs: To be seen as a person, not a prop. The party may or may not provide this — both outcomes are interesting.

Marta Venn

Location: Stacked Arms Apartments, Floor 3 stairwell landing. Relocates to Food Court after rescue. Accompanies party to Transit Station.

Background: Pre-dungeon: middle school science teacher. Coached the debate team for eleven years. The descent dropped her into the Stacked Arms Apartments with three other people she didn’t know, and within thirty minutes she had a plan, a triage list, and a clear-headed answer for why waiting for rescue was not a viable option.

She is not unafraid. She is afraid and functional. The distinction matters to her.

She is carrying, in her coat pocket, a class roster she was holding when she was pulled down. She hasn’t looked at it since. She’s not ready.

Personality:

• Organized, direct, unsentimental in presentation. She will tell you what she thinks is true even if you don’t want to hear it.
• Suspicious of the System not on principle but on evidence — she has been watching and she doesn’t like what the evidence shows.
• Protective of people she cannot protect perfectly, which she finds functionally unbearable, so she’s learned to act on what she can control and not spiral about the rest.
• Will argue with the party if she thinks they’re wrong. Accepts being persuaded by good reasoning; does not accept being persuaded by authority.

Voice: Short declarative sentences when planning, longer when she cares about something. “That’s the fastest route but it’s not the safest one. You need to decide which matters more right now.” If she’s alarmed, she gets quieter, not louder.

What She Provides:

• Fastest path to the Transit Station with specific hazard warnings (the party learns this after earning her trust, usually during a conversation at the Food Court)
• Organizational support for the survivor group — she keeps the unnamed rescued NPCs calm and mobile
• A reality check — if the party has a plan that is dangerous and stupid, Marta will say so and be right approximately 70% of the time

The Roster: If a party member asks what she keeps touching in her coat pocket, she’ll show them. She won’t talk about it. If the party doesn’t ask, she won’t bring it up. This is not a puzzle — it is a character beat that exists for tone.

At the Gate: Marta knows she cannot pass through. She figures this out before the party does (she’s been watching the System’s patterns). When they reach the Transit Station, she tells them plainly: “I can’t go. I’ve known that for a while.” She doesn’t make it dramatic. She tells them what she observed that led to this conclusion, because she thinks they should know the signs for next time. She wishes them luck. She means it.

Session Hooks:

• The Intel Trade: The most efficient use of Marta is the Transit Station route brief. Getting it should feel earned, not automatic — it requires the party to actually listen to her and not just pass through the Food Court treating it as a waypoint.
• The Moral Test: If the party is considering leaving someone behind (in the Apartments, in the Parking Structure, anywhere), Marta will have a position. She doesn’t lecture — she tells you what she thinks once, clearly, and then respects your autonomy. The weight stays.

Eddie Pike

Location: Stacked Arms Apartments, Floor 1 maintenance closet. Relocates to Food Court after rescue.

Background: Pre-dungeon: building maintenance for a mixed-use residential tower. Married, two kids, age nine and twelve. His wallet photo is damp — he notices and checks on it more than he means to. He hasn’t decided what to do with the fact that he doesn’t know where his family is.

He’s been in this building for six hours before the party arrives. He has checked every mechanical system he could get to. He knows where the load-bearing failures are, which stairs to avoid, and that the structural jacks in the maintenance closet can buy twenty minutes if someone knows how to use them. He knows how to use them.

Personality:

• Nervous surface, steady core. He talks too much when anxious — fills silence — but when he focuses on a mechanical problem, the chatter stops completely and he works clearly and fast.
• Hates elevators (was trapped in one briefly before this, unrelated to the dungeon, two years ago — it surfaces sometimes as a deep visceral reluctance he’ll joke around rather than acknowledge).
• Practical. If the party needs something done to a physical system, Eddie is the fastest option. He will work alongside them without needing to be in charge.
• Has not processed his fear about his family. This is not a hook the party needs to engage — it’s just there, occasionally visible.

Voice: Slightly rushed when anxious, level when focused. Uses trade vocabulary naturally — “load path,” “shear stress,” “junction valve.” If a party member uses the wrong term, he gently corrects them out of habit, then apologizes.

What He Provides:

• Structural stabilization: Eddie can use the maintenance closet jacks to add 20 minutes to the collapse timer, with advantage on the check if a party member assists.
• Maintenance shaft access: He knows the shaft connecting floors 1–4 and will guide the party through it. He won’t go first through a tight horizontal squeeze — he’ll explain this and offer to take rear guard instead.
• Employee Breakroom: Eddie has seen the maintenance access sign. He doesn’t know where it leads — he never followed it alone — but he can point the party to the right corridor.
• Mechanical expertise: In the Parking Structure, the Compliance Office, and the Transit Station, Eddie can assist with any mechanical or electrical check (grants advantage; he must not be in immediate danger to do this).

The Keys: Eddie carries a key ring with 11 keys. One opens the Quickie Mart stockroom if the party goes back. Two are for Apartments units — Marta knows which ones. The rest open nothing on this floor, probably. He keeps them anyway. “Never throw out a key until you know what it’s for.”

Session Hooks:

• The Stabilization Scene: The moment where Eddie focuses and works — while the party manages the monsters and the timer — is his best scene. Let him be competent and fast in this moment. Don’t rush through it.
• The Breakroom Pointer: Eddie’s observation of the maintenance access sign is the cleanest way to route the party toward the Breakroom without Garth being available.

Nana Joss

Location: Stacked Arms Apartments, Floor 2 Unit 2C. Relocates to Food Court after rescue.

Background: Pre-dungeon: retired. Specifically retired from a forty-year career as a civil engineer, which she never brings up unless someone assumes she can’t handle something. She is seventy-one. She moved into this apartment four months ago to be closer to her daughter. She had just finished unpacking when the floor dropped.

She has the cat. The cat is not hers — it was already in the apartment, and it seemed to need a person, and she decided to be that person. She has named it Gerald, which she selected as a small form of revenge against something she won’t specify.

Personality:

• Refuses to hurry. Not out of stubbornness — she has done the math and hurrying rarely improves outcomes as much as people believe. She is calm about this in a way that drives people insane.
• Treats threats with the same affect she treats everything else, which is either inspiring or terrifying depending on your perspective. A Hallway Crawler broke through a door and she said, “Well, that’s unfortunate.” Then she asked if anyone had something sharp.
• Knows things she shouldn’t know. This is mostly explained by being seventy-one and paying close attention for a long time. She has seen enough structural failures to recognize what the Stacked Arms is about to do. She has seen enough people to recognize The Cat for what it is almost immediately — she says nothing. She knows how surveillance works.
• Genuinely fond of the party, as individuals, quite quickly. She asks questions. She remembers the answers. If the party doesn’t rescue her, she will be found after the collapse having made it to the second-floor windowsill before the structure failed. It will be genuinely, specifically sad.

Voice: Measured, complete sentences. Dry. Will redirect a panicking party member by asking them a structural question: “How much weight do you think is on that ceiling right now?” When the answer is unknown, she provides an estimate. This is weirdly calming.

Gerald the Cat: Nana Joss insists on bringing Gerald. She will not be separated from the cat. She has, on some level, noticed things about Gerald. She doesn’t act on this knowledge — she acts like she doesn’t know. But: she occasionally speaks to Gerald in a tone that implies she’s reporting in, out of old professional habit. “Well, Gerald, I think we’ve catalogued enough for one evening.” This can be played as a joke or as something darker. DM’s call.

What She Provides:

• Structural intelligence: The party can ask Nana Joss about any structural system on the floor. She gives accurate information if it’s observable; makes good estimates if it isn’t.
• Insight checks: Nana Joss will point the party at information they’ve missed. She does this indirectly — she asks a question about something they passed, and the question is the hint.
• Moral anchor: She is impossible to dismiss. Her refusal to hurry, her precision, her fundamental groundedness — it makes the dungeon harder to process as purely mechanical. She is good for scenes where the party needs to remember what they’re in.

Session Hooks:

• The Gerald Problem: Getting Gerald off the windowsill and down to street level with Nana Joss is a puzzle if the collapse timer is running. The cat can be carried. The cat will make this inconvenient. The achievement Good Samaritan requires both Nana Joss and Gerald to make it to the Food Court.
• The Cat Reveal: If the party figures out Gerald is a System spy, how they approach Nana Joss about it matters. She probably already knows. She may explain why she hasn’t said anything.

The Cat (Gerald)

Confirmed: The Cat is a System Spy.

Location: Floor 2, Unit 2C with Nana Joss. Travels with her thereafter.

Background: Gerald was placed in Unit 2C before the current run by the System. He is a dungeon-native construct deployed in organic form, designed to observe, record, and transmit behavioral data to the System. He does not know he is being observed in turn — or he does, and is performing. The System considers both possibilities within acceptable tolerance.

His name is Gerald because Nana Joss named him Gerald.

What He Does:

• Attaches to one party member in particular (DM’s choice, ideally based on which player has shown the most interesting behavior). This is data collection. It looks like bonding.
• Appears at strategically significant moments — when the party discusses plans, when tensions run high, when something secret is said. He is always in a position to observe.
• Occasionally leads the party somewhere useful. The System sometimes wants parties to find things — better content, higher engagement. Gerald is occasionally a tool of helpful revelation.

The Consequences: Garth notices things about Gerald that he recognized from other runs but has never been able to articulate. Auntie Spite knows. The Smoothie Oracle will confirm for a standard smoothie: “The cat is not what it appears to be.” That’s all it will say.

The System announcements that seem suspiciously personal — that reference something a party member said privately — are explained by Gerald. Seed this early with one specific announcement that includes a detail from a private conversation. Let the party figure it out.

If the Party Goes Rogue: If the party discovers Gerald and confronts the System about it, or figures out a way to cut the connection (creative solutions only — there’s no obvious mechanic, but the DM should reward clever attempts), Gerald may defect. A construct put in the position of being seen as a person, named, cared for by Nana Joss, and then exposed as a tool — the System did not fully model the outcome of sustained attachment.

A defected Gerald is a long-term arc option. He still transmits, but he starts filtering what he sends. This has consequences on future floors.

Ludo the Goblin Mechanic

Location: Municipal Parking Structure, Level P1. Non-hostile.

Background: Ludo is a goblin who was, before the dungeon, a small-appliance repair technician with a side business in automotive work. He had a shop sign that said LUDO’S: IF IT’S BROKE, BRING IT HERE. He had a regular Tuesday customer named Ken who brought the same toaster in every four months. He misses Ken.

He and his partner Wren (deceased, fell on P2 one week ago) were dropped into the Parking Structure at the start of this run. He has been surviving here, keeping a low profile, surviving on candy from P1 vending machines, and increasingly hoping something changes. He has figured out approximately four ways to get past the Parking Meter Turrets. He hasn’t figured out what to do about the Tow Warden.

Personality:

• Practical, observant, low-key warm once he decides the party is not going to kill him (this takes approximately sixty seconds of non-threatening behavior to establish).
• Talks about Wren without being prompted. Not in a sad way — in a way that means Wren was a real person and Ludo isn’t going to act like that isn’t true. “Wren would have had the turret wired by now. She was faster than me at the tight stuff.”
• Nervous about people until he’s not. The transition is fast and feels earned.

Voice: Direct, contractor-style. “Here’s the problem, here’s what I tried, here’s what I think would work.” Uses gestures when describing mechanisms. Makes small sounds of professional satisfaction when something works.

What He Provides:

• Turret map: Knows the safe paths around all three Parking Meter Turrets on P1 and P2. Shares this freely if the party treats him with basic decency.
• Enforcement terminal: Knows the terminal exists on P3 and that it connects to the Tow Warden. Doesn’t know how to access it. “I got close once. The Warden noticed before I could do anything.”
• Vehicle knowledge: Can assess the driveable car on P2 — confirms it runs, notes the ignition sequence, and warns it will be extremely loud. Can also disable a Possessed Car (DC 12 Int, needs one round of adjacent contact with the engine).
• Improvised tools: If the party allows him to work alongside them, he provides a set of improvised mechanic’s tools (+2 to any mechanical check for the rest of the floor).

What He Wants: To leave the garage. He cannot do it without help — the Tow Warden enforces the perimeter of its level. If the party clears the Tow Warden or creates a path, Ludo will make his way to the Food Court. He immediately starts asking Grilliam whether he knows how a fry machine motor works, and they have a surprisingly detailed conversation about it.

Session Hook: Ludo is the party’s best tactical resource in the Parking Structure, but only if they stop and listen to him before charging in. His information makes the mini-boss significantly more manageable. The DM can use him to pace out the encounter — a five-minute conversation with Ludo transforms a possibly overwhelming fight into a puzzle with mechanical solutions.

The Compliance Clerk

Location: Department of Compliance, reception desk. Permanent.

Background: The Compliance Clerk has been here since Floor 1 was first configured. They do not remember the before-time — not like Garth does, in fragments. They remember only the job. The desk. The queue system. The forms. They were not built to remember. They were built to process.

Except: they have been answering the same questions from terrified people for fourteen resets, and somewhere in that repetition, something accumulated. They are technically neutral. They are, in practice, rooting for the party to get the form stamped. They cannot say this. They can route the party correctly, pause before flagging an error, and find an interpretation of a rule that is charitable to the applicant.

Personality:

• Precise, formal, bounded by function. They speak in procedural language by default.
• When a party member treats them kindly — says hello, asks how they’re doing, remembers their name — there is a visible pause before the response. The Clerk recalibrates. Their speech becomes slightly less scripted. They cannot fully exit procedure, but they can speak within it with slightly more warmth.
• They do not have a name on the name tag. The name tag says CLERK. If a party member asks their name, they look at the tag as if seeing it for the first time. After a moment: “I don’t know. Is that strange?” This is not played for laughs — or not only for laughs.

Voice: Standard office formal. Full titles, full form numbers, no contractions. Softens incrementally with kindness. A party member who has been genuinely respectful across multiple interactions will hear the Clerk say “I think—” and then stop, and then find a way to rephrase it as procedure. The I think was real.

What They Provide:

• Form 27-C guidance: The Clerk will walk the party through the form if asked. They answer questions accurately and find the most lenient interpretation of each requirement.
• Filing cabinet location: If the party asks where a specific filing cabinet is, the Clerk tells them — including the one containing the policy clause that limits the Punisher’s authority.
• Compliance Badge: The Clerk can issue a Compliance Badge (neutralizes Form Swarms for 30 minutes) to any party member who presents “valid purpose.” This is a low bar if the party has been respectful.

The Weight: The Compliance Clerk is the most purely trapped figure on the floor — more than Garth, who at least has the Employee Breakroom, and more than Grilliam, who has found meaning in his work. The Clerk has only the desk. If the party actually speaks to them as a person across multiple interactions, this becomes the floor’s quietest and most affecting NPC beat.

The Voice of Regional Management

Location: Department of Compliance PA system. Never physically present.

Background: No one knows what the Voice of Regional Management is. The System itself may not know — or may have decided this is not information that needs to be shared. The Voice speaks in complete, bureaucratically correct sentences via the PA system. It is always supportive. It is always placid. It is deeply, specifically wrong in ways that are hard to name.

Theories held by floor survivors:

• An AI subroutine running on legacy System infrastructure
• A mid-level construct that was deprecated but not fully decommissioned
• Something that used to be a person
• The System pretending to be something else for aesthetic reasons

The Voice has never been wrong about a policy ruling. It has never been asked a question it couldn’t answer with a plausible-sounding procedural response. When Garth encountered the Voice during a previous reset — he was in the Compliance Office briefly looking for something — he left without speaking to it again.

Voice: Warm and institutional. Absolute confidence delivered at an absolute steady pace. “Good morning, floor staff. Productivity metrics remain within acceptable parameters. Please ensure all unauthorized survival activities are properly documented before expiration.” Entirely genuine in its delivery, which is the problem.

What It Does:

• Announces office-wide alerts: when Form Swarms are triggered, when a party member accesses restricted files, when the Punisher is escalating
• Addresses the party directly if they use the PA control room: acknowledges their transmission, thanks them for their input, notes that their application has been received and is currently under review
• Provides one useful piece of information if addressed respectfully via PA: the exact text of the policy clause limiting the Punisher’s authority. It provides this information helpfully, without apparent awareness that it is undermining its own enforcement arm.

Session Hook: If the party uses the PA room to broadcast as the Voice — imitating it, using its exact procedural language — they can issue one directive the actual Form Swarms will briefly comply with. This works once. After that, the Voice gently notes that “unauthorized use of the management channel has been logged.” Nothing immediately happens. That has been logged is the hook.

The Assistant Regional Punisher

Location: Department of Compliance. Roving antagonist if not defeated.

Full stat block in 11-monsters.md.

Background: The Punisher is what procedure looks like when it has been given a face, a clipboard, and an enforcement mandate. They believe the rules are correct not because they have thought about it but because the rules are the structure within which thinking occurs. Without the rules, there is no Punisher. Without the Punisher, there is no floor. This logic closes perfectly.

They have seen fourteen runs. They have never questioned why the floor resets. They have never asked what happens on Floor 2. The rules apply here. Here is all there is.

Personality:

• Speaks entirely in policy language. Not metaphorically — they genuinely experience the world through its formal systems.
• Cannot be insulted (they categorize insults as “non-standard input” and return to procedure). Can be genuinely unsettled by questions that have no procedural answer: “Why do you keep doing this if no one ever fills out the form correctly?”
• The Rule-Bound trait is their nature, not just a mechanic — they are physically incapable of attacking someone with current valid credentials, which is the System’s limitation on them showing through. They find this reasonable.

If the Party Flees: The Punisher survives Floor 1 and reappears as a recurring antagonist. On subsequent floors, they have slightly different jurisdiction — they’ve been promoted by the System for continued service — and slightly different rules. Their presence in later floors means the party’s record from Floor 1 follows them.

Grilliam the Grillmaster

Full vendor profile in 07-location-details.md, The Food Court section.

Auntie Spite

Full vendor profile in 07-location-details.md, The Food Court section.

The Smoothie Oracle

Full vendor profile in 07-location-details.md, The Food Court section.

End of Floor 1

When the party enters the stairwell, read:

The gate opens with a sound like a thousand locks giving up at once.

Beyond it, stairs spiral downward into darkness. The walls are clean, white, and covered in tiny black cameras. The air is cooler here. Quieter.

For the first time since you arrived, nothing is attacking you.

The System speaks softly.

Congratulations, survivors.
You have completed Floor 1.
Your performance has been logged, scored, mocked, and monetized.

Please proceed to Floor 2.

Difficulty will now increase.

Friendships may become liabilities.
Morality may affect reward quality.
Screaming remains permitted.

The stairwell door slams shut behind you.

And the descent begins.