dR Exploration Table
Following conservations with Doc Dandy and Sean Wills, I started thinking about a simple way to mix discoveries, dangers, and encounters in dungeon adventures.
Here's a draft:
1. Monster ambush.
2. Monster patrol.
3. Monster camp.
4. Trap!
5. Natural danger.
6. Prisoners and their guardians.
7. Dangerous flora or fauna.
8. Clues about a nearby room.
9. Monster bodies. How did they die?
10. Visitors. Friend or foe?
11. Traces of monster activity.
12. Unguarded treasure.
If the die goes below d4, some dungeon wide enemy is triggered.
You'd have to add in your dungeon's specifics, editing the table or maybe writing separate ones for monsters, traps, and the like.
Pros. I t adds some more randomness to underground (and overland, and urban) exploration. It also make up for low prep time and/or vanilla adventures.
Cons. As time goes by and the dR gets stepped down, you'd end up with a lit less variety. But that's already how encounters work.
Thoughts?
to be more general maybe you can change the number 6 by somethnig like :
ReplyDeleteintelligent inhabitants of the place (it could be guardiens with prisonner, it could be evil priests, it could be farmers, hunters, miners...)
I think maybe 2 & 3 could just be combined, so that you could give the 1-4 range some more variety - monster ambush, monster encounter, trap, natural danger. That seems like more interesting and variable d4 results to me, but it's pretty minor.
ReplyDeleteI like this idea. I've kinda tried using random encounter tables as a pacing mechanism, but not as good as this.
ReplyDeleteguillaume jentey Non-fighting dungeon denizens. Yup, this is much better.
ReplyDeleteAaron Griffin I was trying to emulate to encounter dR rules, but you're right. And I can add a potentially beneficial entry at the bottom of the table.
Thanks for the suggestions! If this works, I'll put it on the one-sheet adventure template.
ReplyDeleteHere is a revised draft:
ReplyDelete1. Ambush.
2. Encounter (battle, patrol, camp).
3. Trap!
4. Natural danger (flora, fauna, terrain).
5. Dungeon denizens (non fighters).
6. Defended treasure or resource.
7. Clue about a nearby area.
8. Bodies or battle aftermath.
9. Visitors. Friend or foe?
10. Evidence of monster activity.
11. Opportunity: help, weakness, unguarded entrance...
12. Undefended treasure or resource.
Awesome!
ReplyDeleteThis is cool.
ReplyDelete