GLOG-inspired Dungeon Exploration
There's something about exploring dungeons I can't get enough of.
Inspiration: GLOG Magic
There is a specific version of GLOG magic that I enjoy, adapted for Cairn. It does something I like:
- You invest a resource
- Resources invested become effectiveness
- Resources have a chance of being saved or lost
- The more resource you spend, the higher the chance of a mishap
I figured the procedure could be applied to the exploration procedure of a dungeon.
Exploring Dungeons GLOG-Magic-Style
The method makes a few assumptions:
- The dungeon is mostly dark
- It is alive and kicking
- It has been prepared in advance
- There is a d6 random encounter table
- The characters must manage resources, especially light and supplies
Here is a sample dungeon room
The Exploration Turn
In each exploration turn, each character has access to one of these basic actions:
- Search, choose one: traps, secrets, treasure
- Scout for encounters
- Barricade a door
- Unlock something
- Consume provisions
- Other reasonable things
Some actions may take longer than a single turn, or shorter, at table discretion.
Each action taken adds 1 Event die to the Event Dice Pool and is successful by default as long as success is possible (you find a trap if there is a trap to be found, etc).
The Event Dice Pool
Once the players have chosen their actions and the dice are pooled together, roll the Event dice and look for doubles, triples, or quadruples.
If there are no multiples, then no Events will happen. Otherwise, add the total results together and check the Event table.
- Friendly npc, lost and in need help
- Things seem suddenly quiet. Skip next event roll.
- Encounter entry 1
- Look! A penny!
- Two random encounters from the encounter table are (2 dice) indifferent, (3 dice) hostile to each other, or (4 dice) teamed up against you.
- Encounter entry 2
- Resource spent (torch out, tool broken, supply spoiled or lost etc)
- Encounter entry 3
- The dungeon stirs! Somewhere a room floods, the ceilig collapses, lava drops in the room, a bridge breaks, etc.
- Damage equipment: a sword breaks, a shield is lost, armour tears etc for a random PC
- An environment Hazard gets everyone
- Encounter entry 4
- One action fails, your choice
- Lore. Learn a piece of history from this place
- Next Event roll (doubles) reduce a die (triples) (quads)
- Encounter entry 5
- A passage closes off indefinitely
- Encounter entry 6
- Two actions fail, your choice
- The dungeon Tyrant meets you briefly...
The Encounter Table
This procedure assumes there is a d6 random encounter table.
The results on the Event table include entries from the Encounter table. Usually higher entries mean a trickier encounter.
Additionally, you can determine the Disposition of the encounter based on the multiples rolled:
- Doubles: Indifferent
- Triples: Cautious
- Quads: Aggressive
End of the Turn
At the end of the exploration turn you reset the dice pool and start over.
Modifiers
- Henchmen: you can ask them to do tasks, each of them adds a die to the pool normally
- Pack animals: add 1 die to the pool by default
- Dice over 5: roll all and keep highest 4
- After a battle: roll the encounter dice immediately with 4 dice
- Making Camp: resolve any events before making camp
- Breaking Camp: roll the dice pool right after breaking camp with 2 dice
Conclusion
So this is an experiment I think is fun adn I need a few extra entries in the Event table, but I am sure you can fill them up with adventure-specific entries.
License and Attribution
This module is published under the Anti-Capitalist Attribution Cooperative License.
You may use the template below for attribution:
[your thing] used/was inspired by [my thing] by Gabriel Caetano Barbosa.
Credits
- Cairn
- GLOG
- Dan Sell's blog
- Melsonia official discord