Hi all, I'm working on a map of a Necron tomb that will be explored at some point in my campaign. Besides the actual Necrons, what kind of rooms/sections would a Necron Tomb contain?

For a start the idea of tombs seems to be that many may resemble temples and monuments like the Egyptians that the Empire that is GW have "loosely" based them off. So some suggestions are vast cavernous rooms for a start which seem to span deep into the surface of the planet itself made of that eerie black stoney/metallic substance we all know and love. One article I read also suggested elements of space/time compression and that whole "bigger on the inside" approach with billions of necrons held in comparatively small amounts of space.

With interior meanwhile, I would imagine it to be very similar to how a borg cube looks as portrayed in several episodes of Star Trek (only without the huge numbers of cheap plasma disc props!). So basically vast chambers of dormant necrons with scarabs drifting around to act as caretaker and security. Thin green lines down the wall giving it a look similar to a circuit board as power lines/relays. So in terms of structure then you'll have one giant collection of storage areas for the general rank and file warriors, a few smaller perhaps ornate or more intimidating looking chambers for a Lord/upper echelon with a few power nodes and control relays scattered within.

However that is just my interpretation

That is incredibly helpful. I started to draw a map but it wound up becoming part of a space hulk.

The TARDIS analogy was also very useful.

The Tomb itself is going to be housing some important figures, so I'm not thinking of having it store a huge army or anything but it is of great importance.

Its going to be way later anyways so I'm gonna take my time with it.

Necrons actually have a society now, so a great deal of a tomb structure will include things dedicated to that. Libraries, science labs, store rooms, thrones and other ceremonial chambers would all now feature. They used to be the borg, but now they are robot Egyptians, so you could even use a floorplan of a real ancient Egyptian structure.

With the fact that their society is falling to bits, ie with the destroyer and flayer "derangements", there may even be prisons and clear signs that there are some necrons that have been cast aside or locked away.

One of the spookiest things about necron tombs is that they may hardly feature necrons at all. Necrons tend to come out of portals and from things that make their appearance sudden and startling. The things in the tombs should usually be mysterious, huge and suggestive of their function but not initially identifiable as anything other than strange stonework. The alien areas in the Prometheus film have a good handle on this feel, with the giant stone heads and vast, alien caverns full of jars.

The mines of Moria in lord of the rings are also good for this. The huge drops, Escher like stairs and random aliens living in the ruins (goblins) all give a gm tools to convey many layers of complexity. Chaos buildings may be evil and occasionally mad, but necron areas are more to emphasise the insignificance and small nature of intruders. Its like being insects exploring the inner workings of a car engine and yet not knowing what a car actually is.

A few recommendations

-Sliding Block Puzzles. Sounds cheezy, but what will make it work is that your players aren't expecting it. Having this borg-like construction, and then you have players make a perception test, and tell the players(s) that did best (doesn't actually matter if they succeed or fail and by how much, but you want them to feel like it does, and they may have missed something!) that part of the wall is not quite flush with the rest. Don't have it be too basic, either, have at least one or two that lead to just a single door or hallway leading to an isolated room, while at least one is this labyrinthine, multiple block puzzle (possibly requiring them to split the party, and possibly with different destinations for the different blocks). Combine this with random calls for perception checks which, regardless of results, reveal nothing (or worse, something inconsequential- "you hear a faint humming sound from the east", then when they investigate in that direction for a bit, "the sound, whatever it was, is gone now") and they will feel like they're missing things, and that there is a lot more to this place than they're picking up upon. That will add to the air of mystery.

-The feeling of the thing gradually awakening. Your players probably have out of game knowledge of Necrons, use it against them. Things initially should be still and silent as the grave, and you should let them go a fair way at a leisurely pace, but at some point the thing should start responding to their presence. It shouldn't be fast, at all, but it should be noticeable. Something like a door lighting up with a faint glow, and one of the many circuits on the wall lighting up with power when the door is passed through. I personally like the concept of tying this to a big, obvious threat, like a stargate style giant circular object. You can also have things like pillars that were formerly inanimate now chugging up and down like a piston when next they pass by it, lights flickering on when they enter a room, etc. Just signs that they are noticed will do the job, and make them feel like they can't spend forever exploring, they're on a time limit.

-I really like what Silvercat said about a car engine, that about sums up my feeling on it. Giant, wide open dramatic set pieces should abound, as should claustrophobically tight (single file, possibly even requiring squeezing through) corridors that twist and turn, going up ladders (or better yet, not having ladders and forcing them to climb, feeling awefully exposed), and combined with the whole "waking up" theme and things moving or changing as a result, and the "shifting" theme set in place with the block puzzles, they should feel like this thing is purpose built, and *does* something, but have no idea what that might be.

-Traps! Nothing captures the feeling of the dangers of an empty tomb quite like traps. Don't let them get away with "I look for traps", either. That should always result in a prompt "what kind of traps are you looking for, and where are you looking?" the first time, and "your cursory glance around reveals nothing obviously amiss" the second time and thereafter. Let characters with the talent "paranoia" really shine here, this environment is what that's for. The types of traps too can be classics, but should all feel deadly. As an example, one path could lead down a narrow chute (this one should have a ladder), then drop into a hallway shaped like a square, with an end immediately below the ladder, featuring a circular depression. Moving the other way, anyone who cares to inspect might realize the hallway has a slight upwards slope. At some point, they hear a 'click', and here comes a circuitry-encrusted sphere, crackling with power, rolling at them. They then have to flee, jump up to the chute, and climb the ladder with enough speed to get everyone in there before the thing hits, blocking off that path and leaving them to wonder what would have been further on, and if there had been a way to get past the thing.

-Split the party! Whether through wall traps that cut off part of the party from others, as part of a sliding block puzzle, or both, at one or more points the party should be split, it will make them feel far less safe. It also provides unique opportunities for creating dramatic tension. Flip back to the other party when things are at their worst, or something is about to happen. As an example "A, give me an agility test. Everyone else, give me perception checks. A, you got one degree of success? Sorry, doesn't quite cut it. Z, you failed your perception test, you stand there oblivious. X and Y, you notice a the floor beneath A drop out, and see him start to plummet into a pit below. X, with 3 degrees of success, you hear an insect-like chittering from below. And with that, let's switch back to (the other party)! When last we left off, you guys had heard an ominous rumbing in the distance, and then bridge you were standing on had started shaking violently." By leaving them hanging (sometimes literally haha) you can make what would otherwise be a quick moment of danger, easily averted (X or Y reaches out and grabs A by the wrist, and they pull him out before he falls to his doom), and turn it into a much more memorable moment. Hey, if TV shows can do it, why not you?

-Secret Passageways! It maybe goes without saying, having already alluded to the "mysterious" nature of the layout, but I definitely recommend including them. The difficulty to notice the "out" end should be far lower than to notice the "in" end, because nothing will drive your players more wild than feeling like they're on a time limit, finding a secret passageway, and having it link to where they were 30 minutes ago, implying that had they noticed it the first time, they could have saved a bunch of time. Them noticing the "in" end is really not that big of a deal either, don't be afraid of them skipping too much content, if done right there is a 50% chance they'll send the next 30 minutes walking "backwards" only to find the room containing the secret passage, covering all the content and possibly driving them even more wild (hehehe).

-Even though it's a silent tomb, it shouldn't be empty of baddies. Scarab swarms are a *great* enemy to scatter around, and especially if they are coming while the players are in those claustrophobic corridors, or providing an epic scene if in one of the giant set pieces they start pouring out of *everything*. Flayed ones are a great option for when things are still relatively silent, and then with increasing frequency as the thing wakes up, you can have necrons teleporting in, and gradually rise in the level of power of their opponents (necron warriors are bad, immortals are worse. Scarab swarms are bad, canoptek spyders are worse, etc.) as they go. This, combined with heavily playing up their ability to self repair (the ones they leave just reassemble then come after them again, so there is an ever increasing number of baddies in play, unless they do enough damage to cause it to teleport away), and holding them to their ammo count (normal is 3 clips of reloads), will only heighten their thoughts that they just won't be able to survive this.

Remember, Space Marines know no fear, but players sure do! I assume they have something specific they need to retrieve or destroy. Teleport beacons should not work inside this thing, and when they do the task they came here for, the thing should finish waking up, and it should turn into a mad dash for the exit. Depending on the size of this place, if that is unreasonable or unrealistic, there should have been a room they passed which was mentioned in the briefings as having relatively weak shielding or something, so they still have a destination they need to get to, without necessarily having to run back through the *entire* thing. Note that I personally am all for them running through the whole thing, those massive, empty, silent areas they walked through earlier now swarming with baddies, awake and mad like a poked beehive. If you do this, remember to use the horde rules, to keep it flowing, and remember you don't need to play out every single round of the combat. It's ok to have the players say "we cross the room", and narrate out how it happened, especially if you have a horde of stationed warriors shooting at them as they weave from cover to cover, and they can't dodge anyway (it being a horde).

Anyway, those are my thoughts. I hope somewhere in that mess is at least an idea or two that is useful to you. I'll try drawing up an example layout when I have time, or at least a piece of one, to help out. Best of luck!

Remember, this is Necrons, when making the 'map' don't be afraid to have seeming physical impossible happen. For example, if they've got an auto-mapper or inertial mapping/logging device or something along those lines, let it read that they've gone in a circle that is, it reads their motion as having brought them back to somewhere they just were or were previously, but it's obviously not the same place, or it's somewhere very similar with subtle differences.

Have strange structures with no apparent purpose, have entire sections with no apparent purpose.

Do strange things with distance - have seeming great distances be traversable in just a few strides, or conversely have seemingly short distance seem to take longer than it looks like they should to travel.

Do strange things with the progression of time in places, have it move faster or slower in some places, but give them a chance to notice and go around/find a way through - or force them to find a way to rescue/retrieve someone who got trapped within.

Remember, this is Necrons, when making the 'map' don't be afraid to have seeming physical impossible happen. For example, if they've got an auto-mapper or inertial mapping/logging device or something along those lines, let it read that they've gone in a circle that is, it reads their motion as having brought them back to somewhere they just were or were previously, but it's obviously not the same place, or it's somewhere very similar with subtle differences.

Have strange structures with no apparent purpose, have entire sections with no apparent purpose.

Do strange things with distance - have seeming great distances be traversable in just a few strides, or conversely have seemingly short distance seem to take longer than it looks like they should to travel.

Do strange things with the progression of time in places, have it move faster or slower in some places, but give them a chance to notice and go around/find a way through - or force them to find a way to rescue/retrieve someone who got trapped within.

Love that answer. I also do recall remember reading somewhere that some rooms will be there for sometimes no reason whatsoever, a room just there for the sake of it. It's also not improbable for further temporal distortions given that lords have devices such as chronometrons. I especially love about sending their maps around in circles and it would be likely that if you walked down the same corridor twice you wouldn't necessarily come out in the same place each time.

It seems like this is going to pretty much be like exploring a dungeon in D&D, which is awesome.

I'll provide a bit of background on the scenario as well, first off this is part 2 of a mission, in a sense, after the first mission (which I will explain), the players will be sent off to do other Ordo Xenos things and whatnot and later come back to investigate further.

The first part or segment of this mission basically involves the kill-team escorting an inquisitor and their small retinue through a narrow canyon that leads to what has been identified as a Necron Tomb. The only path to this tomb goes through a crevasse, and basically the Inquisitor, not knowing what to expect but clearly prepared for a dangerous encounter isn't going in unprotected. The path is lined on both sides with towering rock faces but is wide enough to allow a Land Raider to move through. So basically the Inquisitor and a crew are piloting the land raider and the Kill-team is there to provide support along with a Dreadnought which they will get turns controlling in combat.

The complication is that a small force of Eldar Aspect-Warriors from Biel-Tan have also discovered this tomb, and have taken it upon themselves to prevent it from being disturbed until they can amass enough forces to purge it completely. So basically my players will have to fight through the Eldar ambush to get to the tomb. Once they get there the Inquisitor calls in a bunch of people who aren't important and are going to die to investigate the tomb.

So the kill-team has been called back for the second part to "find out what happened to them".

What did happen to them?

This is really off topic but if your KT is exploring a primitive planet they could find drawings depicting metal gods coming from the ground, with pictures of entire forests burning from their lasers, or their lightning throwers. Maybe center a whole relegion on them as the natives give offerings to appease the Necrons. The natives stay far away from the hole where the necrons came out of, saying it is haunted by spirits (Scarabs, wraiths protecting the tomb) that kill whoever goes near.Just a setting idea. The natives can help or hinder the KT as they explore the planet. To make things complicated make ot that the natives won't tell the KT where the hole is unless they do some kind of ritual. Try make an inquisitor allow that to happen! So they have a choice, do something that can be deemed almost like heresy or refuse even killing the natives to try find the tomb. Lets not forget this is a jungle deathworld and has a large amount of Kroot who like a midday snack.

What did happen to them?

This is really off topic but if your KT is exploring a primitive planet they could find drawings depicting metal gods coming from the ground, with pictures of entire forests burning from their lasers, or their lightning throwers. Maybe center a whole relegion on them as the natives give offerings to appease the Necrons. The natives stay far away from the hole where the necrons came out of, saying it is haunted by spirits (Scarabs, wraiths protecting the tomb) that kill whoever goes near.Just a setting idea. The natives can help or hinder the KT as they explore the planet. To make things complicated make ot that the natives won't tell the KT where the hole is unless they do some kind of ritual. Try make an inquisitor allow that to happen! So they have a choice, do something that can be deemed almost like heresy or refuse even killing the natives to try find the tomb. Lets not forget this is a jungle deathworld and has a large amount of Kroot who like a midday snack.

I was planning on having it be a pretty desolate, un-populated, planet, it might potentially be Skapula, but I might just say its a random planet.

This mission is quite a ways away for my players anyways. I'm also considering that upon reaching the tomb entrance in the first part a bunch of flayed ones and destroyers are gonna ambush the eldar and the Kill-Team forcing them to decide to team up with the Eldar or just let the 'crons thin them out for them.

This idea sounds awesome! Does anyone know of any Necron stats available somewhere?

Several.

The Outer Reach Deathwatch supplementary book contains a number of rules such as for Lords, Warriors and C'tan.

Meanwhile the Black Crusade core book contain what I feel are perhaps slightly toned down versions. I actually prefer the tougher ones in Deathwatch.

Thank you Calgor