Exiting a Dungeon
so I’m running Caverns of Thracia using Freebooters but I want to do it as an open table game whereby each session is a single trip in + out of the Dungeon. This means that sometimes we run out of time to do the extraction phase. Hence I have adapted Jeff Rients excellent Triple Secret Random Dungeon Fate Chart of Very Probable Doom and procedure into a set of 3 possible moves the PC’s have to make depending on the level of danger they are in at the time we have to stop the session.
When you exit a dungeon well equipped, though a known route with few known dangers, roll + WIS on a 10+ you survive without incident. On a 7-9 pick one from the list below:
One item from your stuff is gone, randomly determined.
You pick up an extra wound – take d6 attribute or HP damage
One of your hirelings doesn’t make it
You have to use up your luck, lose a point
on a miss, mark XP and something terrible and unforeseen happened, roll 1d10 on the escape consequences table.
When you exit a dungeon without essential equipment, through an unknown route or with vile danger en route, roll + LUC on a 10+ you survive but pick one from the list below. On a 7-9 the GM picks two from the list below:
One item from your stuff is gone, randomly determined.
You pick up an extra wound – take d6 attribute or damage
One of your hirelings doesn’t make it
You have to use up your luck, lose a point
on a miss, mark XP and something terrible and unforeseen happened, roll 1d12 on the escape consequences table.
When you try to escape a dungeon when captured, trapped or seriously out of your depth, roll + nothing, on a
10+ You lucky dog! You manage to somehow escape the dark forces of the dungeon. You return to civilization, naked and half-delirious.
7-9 as above but you are horribly mutilated physically or mentally during your release, pick two:
Perma-burn a random attribute by 1d6
Lose one point of WIS and re-roll your alignment and traits
6- mark XP and something terrible and unforeseen happened, roll 1d20 on the escape consequences table.
Escape Consequences Table (Modified from Jeff Rients original at http://jrients.blogspot.ie/2008/11/dungeons-dawn-patrol.html)
1. Maimed. You escape but suffer the effects of a random critical hit. Also, 50% of your stuff is gone, randomly determined.
2. Opportunity for betrayal. Pick one other character who got away safe. Roll 1d6, 1-4 he takes your place and has to roll on this chart while you escape, 5-6 you both suffer the fate rolled by your victim.
3. Held for ransom by seedy humans. A member of the Thieves Guild can arrange release for 1,000 coins per character level. 1 in 6 chance the money disappears.
4. Captured by monsters. Escaping comrades know the level you were captured on and the type of monster holding you captive.
5. Captured by monsters. Escaping comrades know the level you were captured on, but not the type of monster involved.
6. Captured by monsters. Escaping comrades know the type of monster involved, but not what level to search.
7. Captured by monsters. Unseen monsters spirit you away to an unknown location.
8. Lost in the dungeon. GM sets your location each session. Re-enter play if the party finds you.
9. Also dead. Your body is irretrievable due to dragon fire, ooze acid, disintegrator beam, etc. but your stuff is still around for some other jerk to nab at a later date.
10. Alas, you are no more. If any comrades escape they are able to bring your remains and your stuff back to civilization.
11. You and your stuff are sacrificed to the loathsome ___ Gods in order to gate in d6 ___ Demons that are added to the dungeon.
12. A gorgon or somesuch has petrified you. Escaping characters know what level to search for your statue.
13. Magically transformed or transfixed within the dungeon, your location is known only to the GM.
14. A fate worse than death. Drafted into the ranks of the monsters. Roll d6: 1-2 undead, 3 lycanthrope, 4 charmed, 5 polymorphed, 6 other.
15. Pining for the fjords. If any comrades escape they are able to bring your remains back to civilization, but your stuff is lost.
16. Dead as a doornail. The general location of your body is known to any surviving comrades.
17. Your stuff has become part of a ____‘s hoard and your body part of it’s supper.
18. That is an ex-character. The location of your body is unknown to all.
19. Bought the farm. Your body and possessions irretrievable due to dragon fire, ooze acid, disintegrator beam, etc.
20. No longer on this plane of existence.
http://jrients.blogspot.ie/2008/11/dungeons-dawn-patrol.html
Man, I wish I could save / bookmark posts like this to refer to later
Man, I wish I could save / bookmark posts like this to refer to later
Aaron Griffin you can, sort of. Create a circle with only you in it and call it Bookmark or “To Read” and then reshare posts that you want to read later to that circle. It will appear in you feed but will only be visible to you.
Aaron Griffin you can, sort of. Create a circle with only you in it and call it Bookmark or “To Read” and then reshare posts that you want to read later to that circle. It will appear in you feed but will only be visible to you.
Awesome. It would be nice to have a milder wilderness version for my current WM-style hexcrawl game, where up to now, we teleport back to town at the end of a session.
Awesome. It would be nice to have a milder wilderness version for my current WM-style hexcrawl game, where up to now, we teleport back to town at the end of a session.
Aaron Griffin 100% agree. Best i can do is post into them. But once the thread dies down, it’s just back there in the history. Fortunately (?) Lb+Bs is a relatively small (yet awesome and tight-knit) community, so finding stuff here isn’t so challenging.
And of course, Google wants us to search – it’s what they do.
Aaron Griffin 100% agree. Best i can do is post into them. But once the thread dies down, it’s just back there in the history. Fortunately (?) Lb+Bs is a relatively small (yet awesome and tight-knit) community, so finding stuff here isn’t so challenging.
And of course, Google wants us to search – it’s what they do.
I would skooch the first move’s Escape Consequences roll to 1d8, because 11 and 12 are not as bad as 9 and 10.
I would skooch the first move’s Escape Consequences roll to 1d8, because 11 and 12 are not as bad as 9 and 10.
David Perry yeah, I’m sure it could do with a little refinement, but I do want death to be potentially on the line, even for the first move. It’s also not clear but if you roll a captured result then you can try the 3rd move (escape) if you wish/dare.
David Perry yeah, I’m sure it could do with a little refinement, but I do want death to be potentially on the line, even for the first move. It’s also not clear but if you roll a captured result then you can try the 3rd move (escape) if you wish/dare.
As I continue to chew on these moves, it turns out I’m really interested in the “Alignment change” move. I wonder how that actually would play out on the table. And have players at that point given up their agency to the tables? Maybe, depending on how much the tables have been leveraged to that point…
As I continue to chew on these moves, it turns out I’m really interested in the “Alignment change” move. I wonder how that actually would play out on the table. And have players at that point given up their agency to the tables? Maybe, depending on how much the tables have been leveraged to that point…
Well the alignment change comes directly from Jeff’s original system. I would allow the d6 perma burn damage to be picked multiple times so agency is retained. However part of the point of these moves is that players should perform time management to ensure they never get trapped in the dungeon and if they don’t then this a big stick that they know awaits. Getting trapped below is bad news. This is certainly not suitable for all styles of game.
Well the alignment change comes directly from Jeff’s original system. I would allow the d6 perma burn damage to be picked multiple times so agency is retained. However part of the point of these moves is that players should perform time management to ensure they never get trapped in the dungeon and if they don’t then this a big stick that they know awaits. Getting trapped below is bad news. This is certainly not suitable for all styles of game.