Line #19 VideoGame/Dungeonmans


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dungeonmansimage_3.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:]]
3
4	->''"And so graduated so-and-so, newly minted Dungeonmans of the grand Dungeonmans Academy"''
5	-->-- '''Opening text'''
6
7	''Dungeonmans'' is a 2014 traditional {{Roguelike}} with {{Macrogame}} elements, developed and published by Adventurepro Games.
8
9	You create a Dungeonmans! Diligent student of the Dungeonmans Academy, Looter of Dungeons, Crusher of Monsters, and Doer of good ([[VideoGameCrueltyPotential Probably...]]).
10
11	Being a roguelike, there are ample opportunities for YetAnotherStupidDeath, completely putting an end to your character.
12
13	What are the {{Macrogame}} elements? Each Dungeonmans starts at the Academy, which can be upgraded with stat points, equipment, pets, and other amenities. All Dungeonmans created benefit from the Academy's upgrades.
14
15	For those who prefer the old-school roguelike approach without the {{Macrogame}}, [[NintendoHard Dungeonmans has that too with Ironmans mode]].
16
17	The developer has been very involved since the game's release, providing consistent support for bug-fixes and adding additional content. Of significant note is the addition of pets in June 2021. A massive gameplay addition nearly 7 years after the game's initial release.
18
19	Can be found on Steam [[https://store.steampowered.com/app/288120/Dungeonmans/ here]].
20
21	[[https://store.steampowered.com/app/636410/Dungeonmans__Pay2Lose/ Pay2Lose DLC]] was released in 2017.
22
23	Not to be confused with ''VideoGame/ThyDungeonman''.
24	----
25	!!''Dungeonmans'' contains examples of the following tropes:
26
27	%% AnAdventurerIsYou: The Dungeonmans!
28	* AntiFrustrationFeatures:
29	** When attempting to enter a Trivial-ranked dungeon with no interesting features, the game informs you that playing it "would be an exercise in grindy boredom" and offers to let you just OneHitKill the entire dungeon, producing a few pieces of loot immediately.
30	** Most HolidayMode events can be activated outside of their holiday by using a (''ridiculously'' expensive) consumable item, the effects of which will last for 72 real-world hours.
31	** Artifacts can be identified to provide random magical items to your future characters. Since this would be useless in [[FinalDeathMode Ironmans mode]], they are replaced with shovels that let you dig up already-identified items.
32	* AreYouSureYouWantToDoThat:
33	** Attempting to open certain chests with a red champion glow warns you that this will summon a horde of powerful champions, giving you a chance to back out.
34	** If equipped with a bow or polearm, it's possible to shoot ''yourself''. The game will ask if you're sure you meant that -- allowing you to confirm with "Right in the face".
35	* AwesomeButImpractical: Foomstorm Circus, obtained by finding and using a rare not-Manga/DragonBall, deals massive damage to every enemy in a ''20-tile'' radius... and then has a cooldown of ''two thousand'' turns.
36	* BareFistedMonk: One of the character classes / skill trees: Psychomanser. Acrobatic jumps, kicks, and barefisted punching are the rule of the day.
37	* BattleAura: Champions, Ancient Kings, and [[spoiler:Echoes from Time Unknowable]] all glow with pulsating auras. If you drink a Combat Potion, you can gain the aura (and buffs!) of a Champion or Ancient King yourself.
38	* BeeAfraid:
39	** Some of the most deadly enemies early on are bees. Some sting you at a distance, some charge you and do heavy melee damage, others are carpenter bees that build up fortifications and restrict movement. The ''most'' feared enemy in the endgame is the Bee Magistrate, which applies "punishment shields" en masse to its bee allies, dealing [[PercentDamageAttack 15% of your max HP]] if you hurt them while the shield is up.
40	** One of the options available in [[ChallengeRun Pay2Lose]] arbitrarily makes a percentage of all bees immortal, forever.
41	* BeeBeeGun: "Bees Please" fires a wave of bees at the opponent, and is available both to the player (as scrolls) and their battle birds (by eating bee steaks).
42	* BlackSpeech: The Southern Gentleman's Blasphemous Tirade skill works by shouting insults in the purple language, heavily damaging everything around them. It ''also'' [[ButtDialingMordor gets the Purple's attention]], which is why you're warned "[[purple:Do not make a habit of this...]]" in the skill description -- if you use it while you still have the "On Notice" status, you'll be punished.
43	* BlatantLies:
44	** Enemy Decoymans have a description informing you that they are extremely dangerous, and the best way to defeat them is to immediately remove all your gear and waste all your consumables.
45	** Enemies that have turned [[VisibleInvisibility "invisible" can still just barely be seen]] -- and their hover description informs you that you are looking at a "Completely Empty Tile".
46	** Terraforming Beacons give you one shot of a skill that removes a mountain from the overworld map. The skill's name is "Gently Adjust Terrain" and it works by ''calling down a meteor storm'' on the target mountain.
47	* BookEnds: One of your [[StarterEquipment starting items]] is "Yesterday's Knife", which is described as "Might be the worst weapon in the game". [[spoiler:You can use it to make the InfinityPlusOneSword, "Tomorrow's War", which is described as "Might be the best weapon in the game".]]
48	* BribingYourWayToVictory: {{Inverted\|Trope}} and {{parodied\|Trope}} with the [=Pay2Lose=] DLC, which, for a cost of five dollars, adds a slew of options to make the game ''even harder''.
49	* ButtDialingMordor: Blasphemous Tirade, using the BlackSpeech of the Purpleonians, draws their attention when you use it. The skill description warns you, "[[purple:Do not make a habit of this...]]" and actually using it inflicts an ominous "On Notice" status effect for several hundred turns. Using it again before the effect expires will summon two Ancient King Purpleonians, and doing this repeatedly will cause them to increase in power. [[spoiler:Eventually you draw enough attention to burn out the star forge, and you are explicitly warned never to use the skill again. If you disobey this final warning, the Academy will be destroyed.]]
50	* ChallengeRun: The [=Pay2Lose=] DLC unlocks dozens of options one can enable at the beginning of a run to make it harder, from "bosses have more HP" to "autocrushing Trivial dungeons is forbidden" to "all damage has a 1/1000 chance of [[OneHitKill instakilling you]]". There's no rewards for any of it, but the more you enable (and in the case of sliding-scale options, the higher you crank them up), the higher of a Brutality score you're given for the run.
51	* CopycatMockery:
52	** The description of the Arbiter of Arbicide (which destroys trees) is "'Oh nooooo, I can't get in the rooooom, there's a tree in the way, I didn't take any jump or teleport powers, mew mew mew mew mew' FINE", as if mocking the kind of player who would need it.
53	** After defeating the Corrupted Fool's first phase, he'll say some stuff about [[IAmNotLeftHanded being done playing games and crushing you with his true strength]], to which one of your available responses is to mock how clichéd he's being by saying "mew mew mew, now face my TRUE power, mew mew mew mew".
54	* CrutchCharacter: Battle birds are ''extremely'' helpful at lower levels, and with liberal use of Poultry Protection Potions can even tank [[spoiler:an Echo from Time Unknowable]] for you. Higher-level adventure maps eventually render them pretty useless, though, since their power scales directly to your CharacterLevel, which is {{cap}}ped at 15.
55	* CutAndPasteEnvironments: Although most areas (and the world as a whole) are randomly generated, the Towers in the game all have the same layout. They consist of 2 floors filled with bandits and wizards, a treasure floor, then the boss at the top of the tower.
56	* DamageSpongeBoss: Using [[ChallengeRun Pay2Lose]] to massively boost the HP of multiple enemy categories (normal enemies, Champions/Ancient Kings, and Bosses/Warlords) turns out to apply multiplicatively to any enemies that belong to multiple categories, resulting in such terrors as [[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/303276678908739584/910011995351289886/unknown.png level 14 warlords with three million HP]]. If it goes far enough, bosses can become unbeatable simply by having such a massive HP pool that you can't outdamage their natural regeneration. Hope you brought some [[WarpWhistle scrolls of Carefully Escape Dungeon]], cause if you didn't, [[UnintentionallyUnwinnable your run is already over]].
57	* DefeatEqualsExplosion: Level bosses, upon being defeated, will float up into the air and explode in rays of light. [[spoiler:Subverted with [[FinalBoss Dread Foom]], who will interrupt the explosion and ask DidYouActuallyBelieve it would be so easy -- your only available response is "not a chance", because ''of course'' he's about to [[OneWingedAngel transform into his true form]].]]
58	* DevelopersForesight: You're not ''supposed'' to be able to die in one hit, not if you're playing the game properly, so if it happens, the Final Report will ask if you were facing something blatantly out of your league -- and tell you that if you think your death was truly unfair, you should tweet the developer about it.
59	* EquipmentBasedProgression: CharacterLevel caps at 15, so PostEndGameContent relies primarily on improving your gear through enchantments, renown, and warding. [[spoiler:The BonusDungeon Amaranth Pandemonium adds glory, which is exclusive to this dungeon and quickly outstrips everything else.]]
60	* EscapeRope: The scroll of Carefully Escape Dungeon will warp you out of a dungeon back to the overworld -- after a 20-turn delay, so be sure you can HoldTheLine from whatever made you scared enough to use it.
61	* FighterMageThief: The three classes of armor map to the three class archetypes -- Light 'Armor' provides little direct protection but allows use of magical shields, Medium Armor is sturdier but focused more on dodging and mobility than surviving hits, and Real Armor relies on easily surviving heavy damage so you can turn around and hit back even harder.
62	* FinalDeathMode: While each individual character already gets but a single life to live, Ironmans mode goes one further and removes the {{Macrogame}} elements; the Academy is a useless ruin, and when your one and only Dungeonmans dies, the whole world is destroyed.
63	* HeroKiller: If a standard mook kills you while in a dungeon, they'll be promoted to the leader of that dungeon and will be much more powerful if they're encountered by the next dungeonmans.
64	* HolidayMode:
65	** Around UsefulNotes/{{Halloween}}, "The Tale of the Horseless Headsman" will be in effect, causing powerful monsters to drop Spooky Baskets full of loot and candy corn -- and sometimes pumpkin bombs. A special sidequest will also be available, allowing the player to seek out and destroy the Horseless Headsman in his lair.
66	** November 3rd, the creator's birthday, is the "Best Day Ever", and playing on this day causes Champion monsters to drop gifts filled with ''extremely'' good loot -- skill books, high-end gear enchantment scrolls, piles of metal, Proofs of Stremf... it really says something when the ''disappointing'' outcome is top-tier potions.
67	** December 25th is Crushmas, and once again Champion monsters drop gifts filled with amazing loot. They're identical to the Best Day Ever gifts except for color and FlavorText -- in fact the holiday seems to be reusing some BDE code, as it shows up in the status menu as ''being'' the Best Day Ever.
68	* InterfaceScrew: The Hexblade has a unique enchantment that "hexes" you. [[spoiler:It displays all numbers in hexadecimal. It's an entirely cosmetic change, but it can be a little disorienting.]]
69	* JokeCharacter: The Touristmans class is described as having "accidentally wandered into the graduation ceremony on the way to the family farm" and is appropriately ''completely'' unprepared for dungeonmansing.
70	* {{Macrogame}}: One of the game's defining characteristics:
71	** The player can deposit Proofs of Stremf to the Academy, which increases the available stat points on the current character by 2. They also increase the stat points of every newly created character by 1.
72	** Characters who die drop a piece of their best gear, which can be recovered by their successor, and if their best gear was [[blue:magical]] or less, it'll be upgraded to Heroic. Characters (un)fortunate enough to acquire ''multiple'' renowned weapons before they die will only drop one, but the rest will be added to a pool of items that can randomly reappear later.
73	** Characters of level 10 or higher can choose to retire, becoming a teacher[[note]]Instantly maxes out a skill tree for all future Dungeonmans, selected at random on retirement from one of those they maxed out themself[[/note]], a tavern keeper[[note]]places a town on the map where they sell loot[[/note]] or wanderer[[note]]become a random encounter for future Dungeonmans, who can save them from an ambush and they offer to become a party member[[/note]]. If a character ''dies'' after level 10, they'll automatically become a ghost teacher, granting the same benefits as if they'd retired but with slightly different flavor.
74	** Equipment that is Legendary, Set Piece, or Heroic can be stored in the Wargear Vault for future characters. Melted down equipment can also be used later on by any character to give equipment upgrades.
75	** Consumables (Scrolls and potions) can be pre-identified for new characters by return books and alchemy equipment to the Academy.
76	** Monster knowledge (how dangerous an enemy is, max HP, etc...) can be accrued by returning monster books.
77	** Pets. Even if a player dies while a pet is in their inventory, it will be returned to the Academy Ovomanser.
78	** Major story advancements -- [[spoiler:locating the Dread Spire, clearing each of its four corners to unlock the Sanctuary Ascent, and finding Amaranth Pandemonium]] -- remain in place for future characters to access as soon as they wish. [[spoiler:Unlocking Amaranth Pandemonium even creates a second portal at the Academy so future characters can jump ''right'' in if they so please.]]
79	** The world map is largely persistent between characters, as exploration progress is kept and dungeons discovered via adventure maps remain on the world map for future characters to plunder if they so desire. Similarly, dungeons ''destroyed'' with Dungeon Dissolver, and mountains destroyed with a Terraforming Beacon, remain wiped from the map forever.
80	* MagikarpPower: [[StarterEquipment Yesterday's Knife]] is described as "Might be the worst weapon in the game", and it's not wrong. But if you hold on to it, [[spoiler:infusing it with two Radiant Starshards at the Cosmic Forge will transform it into a legendary weapon]].
81	* NintendoHard:
82	** The game can be hard enough with the help provided from previous Dungeonmans. If it isn't, the difficulty can be increased with Ironmans mode, which removes {{Macrogame}} and completely destroys the world after the Dungeonman's death.
83	** The "[=Pay2Lose=]" DLC provides a ton of options the make the game more difficult.
84	* ObviousRulePatch:
85	** To prevent "staircase dancing", leaving a map heals any monsters still alive, "emboldened by the sight of a fleeing Dungeonmans".
86	** Using Xespera's Challenge to championize the infinitely-spawning super-weak zombies that appear in graveyard levels ''mostly'' works... but instead of Proofs of Stremf, they'll drop Poofs of Strimf. [[spoiler:You'll want 500 of these for an endgame sidequest, but they're otherwise completely useless.]]
87	** Using Blasphemous Tirade again while still On Notice spawns two Ancient King purplonians as a punishment. Originally, this was ''all'' it did, but since killing an Ancient King reliably drops a Radiant Starshard, some people were exploiting this to farm them. [[spoiler:Now, if you do it too much, the star forge will burn out, and you'll be told in no uncertain terms not to use the skill again -- if you ignore ''that'' warning, the Academy will be destroyed.]]
88	** [[ChallengeRun Pay2Lose]] modifications that spawn extra bosses specify that the bosses in question give no XP. This is [=Pay2=]''Lose'', not [=Pay2HaveMoreBossLoot=].
89	* OneHitKill: Few Normal Attacks in the game will kill a properly prepared player in one shot. There are, however, telegraphed attacks that highlight certain tiles red, indicating they'll be damaging in the near future. These are much more likely to kill players in single hit.
90	* OneSteveLimit: You cannot create multiple characters in a given world with the same name. Whether they die, retire, or quit before graduation, they're permanently done. The game ''does'' suggest giving them a suffix if you really can't come up with some other name.
91	* PaletteSwap: Many later game monsters are variations on weaker monsters fought earlier. Mountain scrobolds look like regular scrobolds but blue/green.
92	* {{Permadeath}}: As with most {{roguelike}}s, a character who dies is gone forever. They're remembered as part of the {{Macrogame}}, though -- names used previously cannot be used again, because the adventurer they referred to is already dead.
93	* PermanentlyMissableContent: [[HolidayMode During the Tale of the Horseless Headsman]], if you use the map to the Headsman's Hollow but fail to complete the incantation correctly, the map will be consumed and you'll never find another one on that character. The quest will restart if you create a new character, but if you're trying this on an [[FinalDeathMode Ironmans run]], that's not gonna be an option.
94	* PlayerNudge: Spawning an [[spoiler:Echo from Time Unknowable]] from the gambling minigame will also toss four [[EscapeRope scrolls of Carefully Escape Dungeon]] on the ground, as if to say "''This is a highly-dangerous {{Superboss}}, consider the merits of fleeing immediately''".
95	* PointOfNoReturn: [[spoiler:Entering the portal to Amaranth Pandemonium]] is a one-way trip -- your hero won't be returning to the world above. Ever.
96	* PostEndGameContent: The ostensible "end" of the game, [[spoiler:finding the Dread Spire and defeating Final Foom]], is fairly simple to accomplish without using most of the high-level character enhancement features. There are, however, infinitely-dropping adventure maps that slowly reach higher and higher levels, allowing players to continue pushing that make-number-get-bigger rush. And if that's not enough, there's a cryptic sidequest to unlock [[spoiler:Amaranth Pandemonium, an infinitely-long dungeon with each floor harder than the last, and the only source of the infinitely-scaling "Glory" gear buff]].
97	* PressXToDie: If equipped with a bow or polearm, it's possible to shoot yourself. There is almost never[[labelnote:Exception (spoilers)]]Amaranth Pandemonium is infinitely long and disables retiring, so dying is the only way to be done with it, and shooting yourself is almost always faster than diving until the monsters overwhelm you.[[/labelnote]] any reason to do this. But the game lets you do it -- after [[AreYouSureYouWantToDoThat confirming that you really want to]], of course.
98	* PretenderDiss: Heavy armor isn't called "heavy" armor in this game, but ''Real'' Armor. Extra disdain is given to robes and cloaks, dismissed as Light [[ScareQuotes 'Armor']].
99	* PuzzleBoss: The Horseless Headsman, in its first phase, requires you to seek it out in a maze. Both there and in phase two, rhyming is required of you -- it will occasionally speak a poem that rhymes, and you must steal it at the last line.
100	* RandomlyGeneratedLoot: Magical loot comes with one or more prefixes, each bestowing a particular benefit. There's some control over this -- there are several scrolls that will bestow random additional enchantments (up to a limit), upgrade hammers to apply specific enchantments (though only once before you risk destroying the item instead), scrolls of Salford's Solvent to erase existing enchantments so you can try again and Salford's Sealant to permanently erase one undesired enchantment, and a handful of very rare items that are the only source of their one enchantment.
101	* RazorApples: Rarely, one of the candy corn skulls in a Spooky Basket will have a razor blade in it, causing you to bleed for several turns.
102	* RhymesOnADime: The Horseless Headsman speaks in rhyme, and responding accordingly is required to advance its sidequest. During its battle, it even tries to trip you up by changing the rhyme scheme.
103	* ScareQuotes: Mage-type armor, robes and cloaks and the like, are referred to as Light 'Armor'.
104	* ShoutOut:
105	** Trainees at the academy will occasionally almost-quote lines from "[[WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}} Make a Man Out of You]]" -- "I am too suited for the rage of war!" and "We must be swift as a coursing river!" and the like.
106	** Some bookshelves contain "a stimulating history of [[VideoGame/DwarfFortress dwarf fortresses]]"
107	%% * SouthernGentleman: A class and skill tree. (What about it?)
108	* {{Superboss}}: [[spoiler:Echoes from Time Unknowable]] are absurdly overpowered monsters that can be found occasionally. The game makes it very clear that they are highly dangerous and outright ''encourages'' you to [[KnowWhenToFoldEm run if you're not sure of your chances]] -- but if you beat them, you get a slew of valuable loot, including the unique [[spoiler:Echoes of Stremf Long Forgotten, a consumable which substantially levels up a weapon's Renown ''and'' spawns over a hundred Proofs of Stremf for the Academy]].
109	* TacticalDoorUse: Doorspikes are a moderately common drop, and they'll seal a door shut until a monster bashes through them.
110	* TechnicolorMagic: '''[[purple:Dread Purple]]''' is the color of {{Eldritch Abomination}}s and corruption, and the opposing element to heavenly Starlight. TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon is a whole spire made of Dread Purple crystals. While all magic is color-coded (red/orange Fire, blue Cold, green Poison, silvery Starlight), Purple is the only one referred to directly by its color.
111	* TooAwesomeToUse: Mostly averted with Consumables. Scrolls and potions are plentiful and many shops stock useful consumables that become affordable in midgame. There are very few elixir-like items that are incredibly powerful but very few exist. Although the player can still hoard items, the game discourages this kind of behavior:
112	-->''"Use your consumables. [[PunctuatedForEmphasis Use. Your. Consumables!]] If you die with a backpack full of healing potions and scrolls of protection, you bring great dishonor to the Academy!"''
113	--->-- '''The Wall of Text'''
114	* TrappedInVillainy: He never really explains why, but it's made ''quite'' clear that Mazzik the Grieving is bound to Dread Foom's service whether he likes it or not. The player can point out that he doesn't seem "into it", and he'll state that his own opinion on the subject doesn't matter -- though he'd rather have an alpaca farm.
115	* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: One quest has the player ascend a tower that initially appears to be empty instead of being filled with bandits. A few floors in, they discover the bandits are fighting off the purplonians who are in the process of taking over the tower. The bandits offer to side with the player. The player can side with the bandits, leave, or take out everything that moves.
116	* VideoGameCrueltyPunishment: Occasionally in towns and on the map, you'll run into an old beggar named Doomsayer. If you call him crazy, he'll summon a horde of bees to attack you for your rudeness.
117	* VillainRespect: Both times you fight Mazzik the Grieving, he acknowledges your strength if you win, and in the second case, seems to be [[DeathSeeker quite glad it's all over for him]], since [[TrappedInVillainy he didn't exactly want to be there in the first place]].
118	* VisibleInvisibility: Enemies that have turned invisible are actually only like 95% transparent -- and hovering over their tile still shows a monster description, [[BlatantLies informing you that you are looking at a "Completely Empty Tile"]].
119	* WhatTheHellPlayer: PlayedForLaughs with the FlavorText of the scroll of [[BeeBeeGun Bees Please]], which simply reads "You are the worst person."
120	* WizardNeedsFoodBadly:
121	** {{Averted\|Trope}} in the base game. There is no mechanic that imposes time pressure on the player. No need to eat, no super nasty monster that shows up after a set amount of time, no impending doom for the world on a greater scale. The player can take their time with every Dungeonmans they create and go through as many Dungeonmans as they like to build the Academy.
122	** One [=Pay2Lose=] option adds food and a hunger meter the player must manage. By default, RestingRecovery ceases while hungry, but additional options allow increasing the penalty to dealing half damage or suffering instant death.
123	* WordSaladHumor: One [=Pay2Lose=] option gives you a chance of [[UnknownItemIdentification misidentifying an item]]. When this happens, the name and description will be randomly-generated nonsense.
124	-->Increased dodge for a monster in line of history's most powerful buff. Die.
125	* WordsCanBreakMyBones: The cornerstone of the "Fire and Brimstone" line of Southern Gentlemans skills:
126	** Blazing Vituperation unleashes several [[VisualPun literal F-Bombs]] throughout the area, dealing fire damage to anything near them for several turns.
127	** Icy Vitriol looses a cone of literal chilling invective, freezing enemies in place and weakening both their attack and defense.
128	** Blasphemous Tirade causes the character to "spew forth the most foul and vile [[purple:Purpleonian]] curses", heavily damaging every enemy within 7 tiles and randomly knocking around anything that survived the damage. [[ButtDialingMordor It also attracts unwanted attention if used too frequently...]]
129	* YetAnotherStupidDeath: The player can die ''very'' quickly if they aren't paying attention. There are also several [[OneHitKill one-hit kills]] in the game which are telegraphed. Trying to tank the telegraphed hits is generally not a good idea...
130	* YinYangBomb: By following a trail of oblique hints starting with [[spoiler:certain loot items dropped by Final Foom]], it's possible to acquire an "Anticosmic" item. Attempting to make it "Cosmic" [[spoiler:by powering it up at the star forge]] results in the thing being torn apart by the conflicting magics, [[spoiler:opening up a portal to Amaranth Pandemonium]].

Context VideoGame / Dungeonmans