Dungeon Exploration¶
A dungeon is a bounded space containing danger and reward, explored room by room, where distances are measured in feet and time in minutes. Dungeon Exploration moves a party through such a site. The Danger Pool tracks time and random encounters.
Used by: the Basic Game Loop, when the expedition enters a dungeon; DM judgment.
Uses: Dungeon Encounters when exploration results in an encounter.
Goes back to: the Basic Game Loop, or to Wilderness Exploration, when the expedition leaves the dungeon.
Records to update: Activity Log (notable events, time elapsed); character sheets.
Setting up a dungeon expedition¶
Step 1: Members, Roles, and Marching Order¶
Record every member of the expedition: PCs, henchmen, summoned creatures, and the like. Assign two roles: a Mapper, who creates a map as the exploration progresses, and a Caller, who declares the party's actions. Then set the marching order: front, middle, and rear ranks.
Step 2: Light¶
Track every light source the expedition carries. Each die added to the Danger Pool (see below) represents 10 minutes.
| Source | Duration | Bright | Dim |
|---|---|---|---|
| Torch | 1 hour / 6 dice | 20 ft | 20 ft |
| Lantern (per flask of oil) | 1 hour / 6 dice | 30 ft | 30 ft |
| Bullseye lantern | 1 hour / 6 dice | 60-ft cone | 60-ft cone |
| Light spell | 1 hour / 6 dice | 20 ft | 20 ft |
Note: If the expedition has no active light source, it is in darkness. Darkvision treats dim light as bright light and darkness as dim light, and cannot discern color.
Step 3: Provisions¶
Note provisions and other items carried into the dungeon and any effect on encumbrance. Dungeon expeditions use the same provisioning rules as Wilderness Exploration.
Running the Dungeon: the Danger Pool¶
The Danger Pool tracks time and risk while exploring a dungeon. It is a cup or tray that accumulates six-sided dice, which starts empty. Dice are dropped inside as the party acts, waits, and fights (see Adding Dice below). Each die represents 10 minutes of game time.
When the Pool reaches six dice, it spills. Roll the dice in the Pool and count the 1s. If no 1s are rolled, nothing happens. If at least one 1 is rolled, there is an encounter (see Dungeon Encounters). After spilling, the Danger Pool normally starts again at 0. If multiple 1s were rolled when it last spilled, immediately add one die to the new Danger Pool for each 1 beyond the first.
Adding dice¶
| Action | Description | Dice |
|---|---|---|
| Move | Traverse to an adjacent area | +1 |
| Interact | Search, examine, listen, disarm, pick, or otherwise engage the current area | +1 |
| Risk | An action that could draw attention, such as a loud noise or a bright light | +1 |
| Rest | Every 10 minutes spent waiting or resting (including for short and long rests) | +1 |
| Hunker Down | Find a hidden, defensible spot and hold. While hunkered, waiting slows to +1 per hour and other actions add no dice. | +1 |
| Combat* | Each round of combat | +1 |
*The dice represent the disturbance combat causes and the time spent afterward such as binding wounds, recovering gear, etc. When combat ends and there is a pause, the party may take one Interact action immediately without adding a die (to search the fallen, etc.).
Spell durations¶
During combat, spell durations follow the spell description in rounds, minutes, or hours as written. Outside combat, durations elapse as dice are added to the Pool. A 10-minute spell expires after 1 die. A 1-hour spell expires after 6 dice.
Time elapsed¶
Keep a running count of each die added to the Pool. The party's total elapsed time in game is the total number of dice ever added to the Pool, times 10 minutes.
Dangerous Wilderness¶
In especially dangerous outdoor environments, such as haunted forests or swamps, the Danger Pool can be used to track time just as it does in a dungeon. Treat overland movement as a series of Move actions, where six cover one mile of terrain. Other actions add dice to the Pool as normal.