Making Your First Dungeon with Dungeon Flow

Welcome to Dungeon Flow! This comprehensive guide will walk you through creating your first dungeon map from start to finish. Whether you're a seasoned DM or new to tabletop RPGs, you'll have a complete, playable dungeon ready for your next session in just a few minutes.

What You'll Learn

By the end of this guide, you'll know how to:

• Create a new dungeon project
• Design room layouts and connections
• Add details like names, descriptions, and encounters
• Generate beautiful maps
• Export your dungeon for VTT or print use

Step 1: Creating Your Dungeon

1. Open the editor: Navigate to the Dungeon Flow editor.
2. Create a new dungeon: Click Create New Dungeon (or Create Dungeon as a Guest if you're not signed in).
3. Configure layout basics on the first step of the setup dialog:
   • Map Size: Start with Medium for your first dungeon.
   • Number of Areas: Try 6–8 rooms for a balanced layout.
4. Click Next to open the content options and choose:
   • Content System: Keep D&D 5E unless you want to skip encounters entirely.
   • Party Level and Party Size: Match your adventuring party.
   • Environment: Pick a thematic backdrop (Forest, Underdark, etc.).
   • Overall Difficulty: Decide how challenging encounters should feel.
5. Select Create New Dungeon to generate your starting flow chart.

Step 2: Design Your Layout

Once your dungeon generates, you'll see a flow chart showing how rooms connect. Where is the map? We'll get there. But using a flow chart lets you define how all the rooms connect to each other without having to draw a physical layout yet.

Understanding the Flow Editor

• Each node (the white rectangles) represent a room/area.
• Each node shows it's ID (like A1) plus the current area title.
• Teal connector ports at the top of each room let you create new corridors by dragging them to another room.
• Selecting a room opens the Edit Area panel in the sidebar.

Editing Rooms

Click on any room (area) to:

• Rename it in the Area Title field.
• Toggle Is Entrance? if this is the entry point to your dungeon.
• Choose a Shape to influence the generated map geometry.
• Add or update descriptions, notes, encounters, and traps with the sidebar fields and generator buttons.

Adding New Rooms

Option 1: Right-click anywhere

1. Right-click on empty space in the Flow Editor.
2. Select Add Room.
3. A new room appears where you clicked—drag it if you need to reposition it.

Option 2: Drag from an existing room

1. Hover over the teal connector port at the top of an existing room.
2. Click and drag into empty space.
3. Release to create a brand-new room that is already connected to the original.
4. Click the new room to open the Edit Area panel and customize its details.

Connecting Rooms

• Hover over the teal connector port at the top of a room.
• Click and drag to another room to draw a corridor.
• Release to finalise the connection.
• Repeat to create branches, loops, or optional side paths.

Step 3: Generate Your Map

When you're happy with the flow:

1. Open the left sidebar if it's hidden.
2. Click Generate Map. Dungeon Flow switches to the Map Preview tab and renders a map based on how you've connected your rooms.
3. Want another variation? Click Generate Map again—the connections stay the same while the visual layout changes.
4. To reshuffle the underlying flow, use Reset the Dungeon's Flow in the same panel, then generate again.

Map Generation Tips

• Generate multiple times to explore different visual layouts without changing the graph.
• Use Reset the Dungeon's Flow if you want a brand-new set of rooms and connections with the same settings.
• Each generation respects your current connections, so experiment freely and keep the results you like.

Step 4: Export Your Creation

Ready to use your dungeon? Dungeon Flow offers several export options:

For Virtual Tabletops (VTT)

1. Open the Export menu and choose Export Map as PNG.
2. In the dialog, pick VTT Resolution (100px per grid) and decide whether to include labels.
3. Click Export to download the PNG for Roll20, Foundry, and other VTTs.

For Print

1. Open Export > Export Map as PNG again.
2. Select Print Resolution (300px per grid). You’ll need to be signed in to access this option.
3. Export the file, then print it at home or at your local shop.

DM Reference Sheet

1. Choose Export > Export DM Reference (PDF).
2. Dungeon Flow compiles the map, area summaries, and encounters into a single PDF.
3. This option requires a saved dungeon (so be sure you’re signed in).

Pro Tips for Success

Room Design

• Vary room sizes in your descriptions for interesting gameplay
• Add environmental details like "damp walls" or "flickering torches"
• Plan encounters for different party levels

Flow Chart Best Practices

• Create logical paths through your dungeon
• Add multiple routes to key areas when possible
• Consider secret passages as optional connections

Map Generation

• Use Generate Map repeatedly to explore visual variations.
• Click Reset the Dungeon's Flow when you want brand-new connections with the same settings.
• Export versions you like before experimenting with major changes.

Ready to Build?

You now have everything you need to create amazing dungeons with Dungeon Flow. Remember:

• Start simple with your first few dungeons
• Experiment with different room counts and connections
• Don't be afraid to regenerate maps multiple times
• Have fun and let your creativity flow!

Start building your first dungeon now!

Need More Help?

• Check out our quick help for specific tasks
• Join our Discord community for tips and inspiration
• Contact us if you run into any issues

Happy dungeon building! 🏰