Peek Q&A Four! (Patreon)

It's been a while since we had a Q&A, so let's get right too it, shall we?

The Guy Who Asks has a very fitting name and several questions.  Are there ghost spawners?  Intangible undead.  They are rare, since the first two types of ghosts are basically easily-noticed illusions.  Fear can work on invaders, but delvers tend to get over it quickly, especially when they learn there's little the phantasms can actually do to them.  

Are there spawners for constructs?  Yes, automata spawners.  They will generally take a theme, like puppets or clockwork, with the more advanced spawns being larger/more complex.

Mimics and changelings?  Mimics are the pre-sophont tier of the shapeshifter spawner, and yes, changelings are the dweller version.

Abberations?  Aberations are not a thing, though the Harbinger's spawner is arguably that.  It is not an officially recognized spawner type, neither by the dungeoneer's guild nor the system itself.

Beholders, koa-toa, illithid and similar monsters?  As far as I'm aware, beholders and illithids are specifically owned by dnd, so I can't use them.  The koa-toa may be in a similar situation.  Deep old ones like cthulu, I think, are public domain.

Owlbears, I think, are also owned by dnd specifically.

What are Tarl's affinities and class?  He is an Unseen Blade, and has wind, shadow, and some kinetic affinity.

Brandon C asks if the peeks are going into the books.  Some of them are.  Only a few are in the first book, but several more are in the second, and there could be more still in the third.

Are there dragons?  Yes.  Nova is a dragon from Thedeim's dragon spawner.  The only confirmed true dragons (big, scaly, surly, four legs, two wings, tail and sharp teeth) are scions of dungeons.  There are unconfirmed reports of wild ones, or of dragon invaders, but nothing substantial.

Kindred asks about undead residents.  Yvonne is the only example of an undead resident so far, not counting the kobold legends.  Yvonne still levels and gains skills, still grows stronger.

Taylor Marsh has several questions, and starts with asking about the raven and snake spawners.  Lamia and kenku are basically the dwellers from those spawners, though the world simply calls them snakekin and birdkin, and would only rarely bother specifying their particular type.

The lighthouse will likely be finished shortly before the first thaw, and Hullbreak intends to fill it with crabs and gulls.

How many pairs of boots will be headed Thedeim's way come the thaw?  If he has his way, none from the Maw.  From the rest of the kingdom and continent, though... a lot.

Have other influential dungeons heard of Thedeim?  Not especially.  Most dungeons don't worry about things as far away as Thedeim.  They will hear gossip from delvers, and some actively seek information from the dungeoneers, but none of the further away dungeons have anything like a plan for how to interact with Thedeim.  He's simply too far away for them to need to bother.

How fast, comparatively, is Thedeim growing?  Thedeim has been growing over a magnitude of order faster than the typical dungeon.  While the first small expansion can come after a few months, the time between them usually continues to expand.  Thedeim's progress would take most dungeons two to three decades.  It is usually close to a decade before a dungeon will make a Voice, though some will designate one sooner.

Will Thedeim expand to the water?  Unlikely.  First, he'd have to expand through the town, or wrap a forest expansion around to get to the ocean.  He also sees the water as Hullbreak's domain, so he doesn't have any plans to try to encroach.

PickledTink has several questions, including asking if there are measures being taken to prevent a second tragedy for Hullbreak.  As of this instant, the main preventative measure is not having a trading hall like the old one.  Once the lighthouse is finished, it's likely new civic infrastructure will be developed, and Thedeim will probably encourage Hullbreak to make a scion just for that purpose, or have a current one take up the task.

Does Spatial affinity mean portals eventually?  Yes.  Teemo already has the concept, but doesn't yet have the power to create a true portal yet.

How do normal animals exist, since the only way out of a dungeon spawner is by dwellers?  Dwellers are not the only way out.  If a dungeon is subsumed and its territory claimed, the spawners and denizens are inherited.  If the dungeon doesn't want the territory, the spawners are consumed, as well as the territory, and the denizens are freed.  Most often, the victorious dungeon will try to finish off any stragglers, but sometimes enough will escape to form a stable population.

Is there a theoretical limit to how big a dungeon can be?  In theory, no.  In practicality, it gets more and more difficult for a dungeon to sustain itself as it grows.  

The Shatterer?  Don't go listening to the ramblings of just any drunken elf on the street.

Topaz Moon asks about Thedeim's potential expansions and about other dungeons.  Thedeim is inclined to stay well away from the upward expansion, fearing it will cause something more disruptive than the earthquake that lead down.  Other dungeons are always popping up on the outskirts of civilization, and are always winking out, too.  Not all nascent dungeons can protect their core, and get consumed by random invaders.  Most dungeons don't last a year, while some live for centuries, which makes it difficult to actually give an average lifespawn.

Sturstryk asks if Violet will expand to the surface, or if she even knows it's there.  She's vaguely aware of the concept of the surface, but to her, it is a far away, fantastical place.  While she has seen the sky through the eyes of her scion, there is still so much to learn under the surface.  She is more than happy, for now, to play and learn in her sandbox as her mentor keeps her safe.  He also asks about her growth rate.  She's been growing quicker than an ordinary dungeon, but is progressing much slower than her mentor. 

The Lone Wanderer asks about adamantine.  I intend for it to be a thing, though I still haven't decided exactly how to make it a thing.  Should Thedeim get ahold of it, the local miners and smiths are going to beg to join as an enclave, somehow, and eagerly worship with the ratkin and spiderkin.

Ch W asks about Rocky getting other challenges, and about other delvers and the manor.  Rocky has had other challengers from the adventurer's guild, and people have even been taking bets and making it a spectacle.  The fights have stopped with him helping deal with the Maw, but he's eager to return to them once things settle down.  Nobody has beaten him yet.

There are other bards in Fourdock, and they've tried to track down Rocky to have a bit of a jam session with him, but he wants to focus a bit more on his own music before truly going public.

There were bedrooms in the manor, but they are now mostly for exploring and fighting in.  Public workshops include the small smelter/forge in the first floor of the manor, the general workshop on the second floor, the garden in the bellfry, the public warroom in the tunnels, and the enchanting lab in the crypt complex.  Oh, and the new smelters and forges just outside the labyrinth. 

Sonata Fauns asks if the dwellers have merchandise stands in Rocky's arena.  They have some, but most of the dwellers have been more focused on preparing for war than selling things.  With the army set to march, however, the crafters will need something to do with themselves, and making things to sell is very much an option.

Magnadra asks about Yvonne's legal status, as implied in the peek of the dungeoneer paper pusher.  The legal team is looking into it, and while they even have an annotated version of Karn's own legal filings, they have not been able to do their own investigating, at least beyond researching legal precedent.  Karn has a very solid legal point, so they are more making sure he's not using some ridiculous legal loophole to avoid payment, rather than attempting to revoke Yvonne's citizenship or something.  The crown tax collectors are not looking too hard into it, as Yvonne hasn't tried to claim anything special, either.  As far as the taxelves are concerned, she could be literally eating people as long as she's paying taxes.  Eating people is the concern of a different branch of law enforcement.

Raufgar has several good peek suggestions, as well as wondering if the manor needs structural maintenance.  Much of a dungeon's physical self is reinforced with mana.  Otherwise, delvers could accidentally collapse the whole place with a missed attack.  While a dungeon is not invincible, it takes concerted effort for delvers to interfere with the structure of a dungeon.

And... I think that's it.  I don't think I missed any from the previous nudge.  If I did, please keep posting your questions/suggestions, and I'll see it eventually.  If I didn't answer your question/suggestion, it may be a big spoiler, or I may be saving it for a larger peek.  Thank you all for the comments and your support.  Words fail to express my gratitude.

Khenal