R e q u i re s t h e u s e o f t h e D u n g e o n s & D r a g o n s ® P l a y e r ' s H a n d b o o k , T h i r d E d i t i o n , p u b l i s h e d b y Wi z a r d s o f t h e C o a s t ®
http://www.theothergamecompany.com
V1.1 Thanks to: Our international group of playtesters, who had to make head and tails of the game all by themselves during pretty much the whole playtesting process, and who had to print out an insane number of pages while doing it. Thanks for your praise and criticism. This game would be very different without you, and your commitment was amazing!
Game Design and Layout: Stefan Pietraszak Additional Game Design: Alexander "Bjoern" Schoenbohm and Rene Ganser Editing: Thorsten de Jong and Anja Vollweiter Artists: Melissa Cox and Sergio Villa Isaza Cover Illustration: Sergio Villa Isaza Playtesters: Sascha Baumanns, Samuel "The Rules Lawyer" Bélanger, Norman Elliot, Gabriel "The Needle" Bouffard, Pierre "Lord Karnak" Bouffard, Michel "Gondolin" Godbout, Yves "Elmondor" Godbout, Etienne Guinois, Olivier "Jax" Jackson, Steffi Jordans, Kerstin Klein, Ralf Mayenberger, Rick "Carnage" McCorley, Philippe "Powerrongeur " Perreault, Seppe Schraenen, Dominik Swinnen, Kevin Vanwinkel and Alain Vanhentenryck.
Table of Content
1. Introduction What you'll need Why d20? The Chapters Expanding the Game Abbreviations & Glossary Dungeon Bash in a Nutshell 2. Player Characters The Adventuring Party Races Classes Average Party Level Character Sheets Player Character Death Animal companions, familiars and mounts Skills Feats Spells 3. The Dungeon The Quests Quest Descriptions Dungeon Generating Dimensions Terrain Placement Exploration Rule of the Last Door 4. The Adventure Average Party Level and Encounter Level Initiative Count Number Turn Sequence Random Encounter Rolls Room Encounters Combat Surprise and Awareness
3 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 6 6 6 7 7 7 8 9 9 9 11 12 12 12 12 13 13 13 13 13 14 14 14
Placement of Opponents Treasure Non-Player Characters Traps Non-Combat Actions Resting The Final Battle Between Adventures The High Costs of Living 5. Advanced Game Advanced Dungeon Generator Room Features Customizing the Dungeon Generator Customizing Encounters Special Quests Side Quests Speeding up the Game High-Level Play The Dungeon Bash Campaign 6. Solo Play Starting Equipment Opponent Behavior Armor Factor Types of Opponents Reaction Flow-Chart The Unknown Opponent 7. High Levels Spells and Abilities Main Quests High Level Quests Advanced Reaction Flow-Charts Creature (Re-) Sizes High Levels without a GM Appendix: NPCs
14 15 15 17 18 18 18 18 19 19 19 19 20 20 21 22 23 23 23 24 24 24 24 24 25 26 28 28 29 29 30 31 31 32
©2005/2006 The Other Game Company and Stefan Pietraszak. All rights reserved unless otherwise noted. Requires the use of the Dungeons & Dragons® Player´s Handbook, Third Edition, published by Wizards of the Coast®. ´D20 System´ and the ´D20 System´ logo are Trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro®, Inc., and are used according to the terms of the D20 System License version 5.0. The Other Game Company, TOGC, the TOGC logo, and Dungeon Bash are trademarks of The Other Game Company. All rights reserved.
Dungeon Bash
Chapter 1: Introduction
Introduction
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his game, Dungeon Bash (DB), is mainly aimed at players. In fact, using all its rules, you won't need a Game Master! That's right: hack'n'slay entertainment, and nobody needs to play the victims. Nonetheless, Game Masters might find this book useful too, if they'd like to randomly generate a dungeon, or if they want to spice up their campaign with some free-floating dungeon crawl. If it's action you crave for, this is the book for you. If, on the other hand, you're deeply into ROLEplaying, then stay away from this book and find yourself a willing and able Game Master. Good luck with this endeavor ;) Most of the player characters (PCs) from DB can be used just as is in your regular roleplaying campaign - at the GM's approval, of course. One of the best ways to use DB in that regard is for kick-starting the campaign (if you want to start at a higher level, and don't just want to say "Ok, you're all 8th level"), or granting characters the means to catch up of the others if they're behind on levels. In addition, Dungeon Bash is great as an introduction to roleplaying, as you've got to deal with most of the rules, but not with the more "esoteric" issues of role-playing. We assume that you know the core d20 rules. This is not a stand-alone game. You have been warned. Now step into the dungeon and proof yourself.
What you´ll need While the use of miniatures or counters is only recommended for the standard D20 role-playing, it's a necessity for DB. Whether you use miniatures or counters is irrelevant, although playing with miniatures (metal or plastic) is just that more fun. Besides these, you will need a way to represent dungeon rooms and corridors. Graph paper is a possibility. Dungeon floors on paper stock would be better. There are even some three-dimensional room pieces by various companies - these we recommend. You can tailor your encounter tables and the system used to generate the dungeon environment to the material at your disposal. Later chapters (Chapter 5, to be precise) will give you the rules on how to do this. There are several pages you'll need to print out. If possible, print out the rulebook as well, but if you can memorize all the rules, you'll be fine without. The other documents will explain what exactly needs to be printed out. Furthermore, you'll need the usual equipment (character sheet, dice, pencil and the like), but I guess you know that already. Small character sheets (both single-page and half-page) are included with this product, but you can also use any other character sheet you like. Make sure to play DB on a large table - the larger, the better. If at any time you run out of space, just map the dungeon you've explored so far and remove any parts you don't need right now - if you later need to back out of the dungeon, you can replace any parts you've removed according to your map.
Why d20? First, it's complex. While DB is, at its heart, a pretty simple game, the d20 system offers plenty of ways to generate and improve your player character, something that's not the case with other games similar to DB. Second, there's a multitude of combat options - flanking and sneak attack, more spells than you could throw a stick at, special attacks like trip and corresponding feats, and so on - so it's more than just hacking the monsters with your sword. Third, balance is the key. Character levels and challenge ratings,
while not perfect, offer the basic means to evaluate the power of an encounter. But note that CRs sometimes are off. Most of the time, a single opponents of CR 5 is easier to defeat than a group of opponents of EL 5. True dragons are more powerful than other creatures of the same CR. But that shouldn't stop us use the d20 rules, right? Because not every challenge should be equally hard - as long as the party has a fair chance to survive, it's fine.
The Chapters At first glance, Dungeon Bash's structure might seem confusing , so let's take a look at the chapters. After this introduction, we'll first deal with the classes, races and party composition in Chapter 2, because the adventurers With Dungeon Bash, you can... play the most important part in DB. Thereafter, we need to - Play the lower levels to start a know why the adventurers "real" roleplaying campaign enter the dungeon, and what - Play in a pub or similar estabthe dungeon looks like - both lishment of which is detailed in - Run an entire "random campaign" Chapter 3. After the stage is - Inspire your next dungeon crawl thus set, we delve into the action in Chapter 4, the core of the DB rules, where you learn how encounters work, how to start and resolve combat, how the PCs can interact with NPCs, and so on. For those so inclined, Chapter 5 explains how to customize your game, and how to make the gameplay more complex. All the rules you need to play are in Chapters 2, 3 and 4 Chapter 5 is entirely optional, so don't bother with it if you don't want to. Speaking of optional, there's Chapter 6 - in this last chapter you'll learn how to run a game of DB without a GM. If you don't plan to ever do that, you could ignore that chapter as well. But frankly, the solo play rules were one of the main concerns in designing this game, and chances are they are one of the reasons that lured you into purchasing DB. Lastly, Chapter 7 will help you run the high levels, as you’ll need additional rules above 8th level.
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Chapter 1: Introduction
Dungeon Bash
Abbreviations & Glossary AF APL
Armor Factor Average Party Level
Used to determine opponent's action in solo play. The difficulty of the dungeon largely depends on this number. Add up all PC levels and divide by the number of party members. It is modified for parties of more or less than four PCs. Behavior Subtype Used to determine an opponents (re-)actions in solo play. Behavior Type Melee, ranged or caster. Used to determine an opponents (re-) actions in solo play, and helps place the opponents on the board in any game variant. DB Dungeon Bash The name of the game. ICN Initiative Count Determines initiative order in non-combat Number situations and provides a means to randomly select player characters if necessary. GM Game Master In DB, that's the person generating the quest(s), dungeon, encounters and treasures. Main Quest The party's reason to venture into the dungeon. NPC Non-Player In DB, this term is used for any encounter that Character doesn't necessarily involve combat. Party The group of PCs as a whole. PC Player Character One of the adventurers that ventures into the dungeon to solve a quest. Random Encounter In essence, a random encounter means a wandering monster shows up. Room Encounter Every room holds some kind of encounter: opponents, traps, or NPCs. Special Quest An alternative main quest acquired with one or more skill checks. Sub-Quest A small quest done in the same dungeon as the main quest. Total Party Kill All of the PCs are dead or unconscious, so no healing can be applied. The party has failed.
Expanding the Game First and foremost, this is your game. Modify it as you like. If you only want to fight different kinds of oozes, that's great (if somewhat strange): design your own encounter tables for that. If you've got an idea for a friendly unicorn NPC: design your own rules, based on one of the NPCs already in the game. And so on. We'd love to hear about any changes and additions you've made to the game. Furthermore, at www.theothergamecompany.com/products/ bash.htm, the Dungeon Bash product page, you'll Rule 0.5 find more DB material: If you dislike any particular rule of more opponents, more Dungeon Bash, substitute it with the original d20 rule if appropriate, or come up with a rule of your own.
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quests and the like. For instance, currently, at the time of writing this, we're designing some low-level goblinoid quests, encounter tables and appropriate opponents and NPCs. Thereafter, we'll do mid-level drows, and plenty more - all in due course. And because these are web-enhancements, they're free. Then, if there's demand, there will be full-fledged expansions for the game. During development, we scrapped many ideas that were either too complicated, or not important enough for the basic game, or which would distract from the main focus of the game (which is, as you might have guesssed, dungeon crawls). City and wilderness adventures, highlevel rules, and an expanded campaign play come to mind, among other things. If you want to see expansions (or suggestions for more web enhancement quest like goblinoids or drow), just send an email to Stefan, the lead designer, at
[email protected]. All expansions, once they're published, can be found on our vendor page at RPGNow.com. Additionally, we're developing a card-based system to generate the dungeon and encounters. The dungeon cards will feature illustrations of the rooms and corridors, so that you instantly know which tiles to use. The encounter cards give all the rules and statistics for the opponents, NPCs and traps. As with our well-known card products (the Complete Spell Cards for example) you'll need to print and cut these cards yourself. This expansion will be a permanent addition to DB for no extra charge.
Dungeon Bash in a nutshell
Choose a character (or make your own). Determine the quest. Roll on the Dungeon Generator (see Chapter 3) once to determine the entrance section of the dungeon. Place the player characters any way you choose on the first board section (the dungeon's entrance). 1. Roll for random encounters, and increase the chance of random encounters (see Chapter 4). If a random encounter does occur, roll on the Random Encounter Table. 2. If in a fight, all characters act in order of initiative. Otherwise, the highest initiative PC goes first (Initiative Count Number 1 - see Chapter 4), then the next highest, and so on. If any characters can see a part of the dungeon that wasn't previously generated, generate that part. If a character opens a door, roll on the Room Encounter Table. Repeat steps 1 and 2 until you've solved the quest and left the dungeon (if appropriate - see Chapter 3 for quest details).
Dungeon Bash
Chapter 2: Player Characters
Player Characters
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his chapter briefly describes how to build characters for DUNGEON BASH games. Although the standard d20 rules for character creation are used, some word of advice is needed for this specific game, as it will be quite different to your usual roleplaying experience. For instance, as the main focus of DB is on combat - this need not be true for your normal roleplaying games - and the action takes place underground, not in a city nor in the wilderness - some characters are more useful than others. You should try to build groups of four characters, because the basic d20 system - and therefore DUNGEON BASH too - was balanced with four characters in mind. Otherwise, the challenges provided by the encounter tables might prove too tough or too easy. You'll find advice on all these questions in this chapter.
The Adventuring Party Ideally, a party consists of four characters: one melee combatant (for instance: a fighter), a character who can find and disable traps (a rogue), an arcane spellcaster (a wizard or sorcerer), and a divine spellcaster (a cleric). You may slightly change the classes in the usual way. For instance, you could substitute the fighter with a barbarian, or the cleric with a druid. See "Classes" below for a more elaborate explanation.
Races Every player race is suitable for DB. Other races like orcs or bugbears may also be suitable. The DMG gives more information on this subject. Our advice is that you start playing at character level 1; therefore it won't be possible to play most non-standard races because of HD and level adjustment. But if you ever need to substitute a character (because of untimely death, for example), such races might be playable. See this chapter under "Player Character Death".
Classes Remember, this game is mainly about combat. Make sure that your character can hold her own in a fight. Furthermore, the game is set in dungeons, caverns and the like, so some skills and abilities will be of little use. That said, future expansions (or your own house rules, for that matter) may change this to some degree, and virtuallly every skill and ability already has SOME use in DB. Conclusion: each party should consist of (exactly) one rogue and a cleric as well as a fighter-type and another spellcaster (another divine or preferably an arcane spellcaster). That would make up a standard party - any changes, and you're on your own. Don't blame us if you don't get very far. Let's take a quick look at the different basic classes: Barbarian: Perfectly suited. Since he's not normally wearing heavy armor, opponents might focus attacks on the barbarian (especially if you're using the rules from CHAPTER 6), and that's a good thing as it keeps the opponents away from the weaker party members.
Bard: Not recommended. Bardic Knowledge will be of little to no use. Although the bard may be a substitute for a rogue, the rogue is better on every account. On the other hand, a bard might have enough roguish skills to substitute for one, and he has some spellcasting abilities, and bardic music is always a boon. Cleric: Perfectly suited. In fact, every party should include a cleric. It's the class with the best healing capability, and clerics can protect themselves pretty well thanks to their proficiency with heavy armor. Druid: Not recommended. Too many of the druid´s skills and abilities deal with wilderness. Without that environMulticlassing ment, the druid is little more than a weaker cleYou can multiclass as usual, but ric. Remember that the keep in mind that while this allows animal companion will for greater flexibility, it also caps most likely not feel at the power level of each class - a home underground. That fighter/wizard will be a better fighsaid, the druid is the ter than a pure wizard, but worse arguably the second-best than a pure fighter, and he can cast healer, and shapeshifting some, but less powerful spells than gives him some melee a pure wizard. capability, so adding a The same is not necessarily druid as second spellcastrue for some prestige classes, so ter (after the cleric) might these may be viable for multiclassstill work. sing. For example, if a prestige Fighter: Perfectly suited. class grants normal spell progressMay well be the archetysion for your wizard or sorcerer, pical dungeon-basher. that prestige class should work out Versatile, tough and fine (especially for sorcerers, capable. because except for spell progressMonk: Possible. Enhanced sion they don't benefit very much speed and mobility from moving up to the next level). might be a reason to take this class, but more often than not a straight fighter is the better basher. Paladin: Suitable, although some abilities are of little use (notably the paladin´s mount, but only to a lesser extent if you're using the 3.5 rules, as they can now be summoned). Ranger: May be used, although many skills on the ranger´s skill list are of little use in a dungeon setting. Still, he might reap some mileage out of survival (see skills, below). The ranger´s
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Chapter 2: Player Characters
Average Party Level The Average Party Level (APL) is used to determine encounter and quest difficulty. Just add up the levels of all player characters, and divide by the number of characters. Then modify the result as follows in case the party has not exactly four members: -2 for three PCs at character levels 7 or more -1 for three PCs at character levels 1-6 +1 for five PCs at character levels 1-6 +2 for five PCs at character levels 7 or more +2 for six PCs at character levels 1-4 +3 for six PCs at character levels 5 or more. Note: If only one character falls into another category (one Maximum character level character of 7th level adventuTheoretically, you could play DB ring with four 6th level characup to level 20 with the same chaters, for example), that categoracters - but that's not recommenry is used to calculate the APL. ded. The standard dungeon enviA few ronment tends to break at midexamples: Four levels, as spells and abilities that characters, all allow for few (if any) movement at level 3, restrictions, coupled with scrying, would have an could enable the party to find the APL of 3. Four quest room in an instant. characters, levels So beware when using PCs 3, 3, 3 and 4, higher than level 8. The basic DB would also have rules will only support gameplay an APL of 3 up to and including that level - for (13/4=3.25, rounlevels above that, you’ll have to ded down). Four use the rules provided in Chapter 7 characters, levels of this book. 3, 3, 4 and 4, If that’s what you want to do: would have an more power to you. In addition to APL of 4 Chapter 7, you’ll also need a good (14/4=3.5, rounsuspension of disbelieve... ded up). Five characters, levels 3, 3,
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4, 4 and 4, would have an APL of 5 (18/5=3.6, rounded up to 4, plus 1). Six characters, levels 6, 6, 6, 7, 7, would have an APL of 8 (32/6=5.33, rounded down to 6, plus 2). All in all, it's best if all characters have the same level, as this not only makes the math very simple (the APL is equal to each character's level), it also allows all characters to shine, and no PC should feel useless (and never, ever play with characters who are more than one level apart.). Also, it must be said that the whole APL/EL-system is fragile, to say the least, so tread with care.
Character Sheets Special single-page and half-page character sheets are included (see the Character Sheet PDF). For your convenience, we've made some archetypical characters - half-orc fighter, dwarf cleric, human sorcerer and halfling rogue - of levels 1, 3, 5 and 10, so you can start playing right away without the need to make your own characters (which, as we all know, might take a while), and you can even start at higher levels if you're so inclined (but take note of the sidebar about maximum character levels). You could of course use your own character sheets if that's more to your liking. But, whatever the sheet you're using, make sure to add the Initiative Count Number (ICN) and the Armor Factor (AF) to the character sheet, if you're using these rules. Chapter 4: The Adventure tells you why you'll need the ICN, and Chapter 6: Solo Play explains the AF and its application.
Player Character Death It could happen, and in fact quite likely it will happen: a player character dies. No doubt about it, adventuring is dangerous, and any dungeon may be the last dungeon your character sees. This is true for every d20 game, but goes double for DB. New characters begin playing at a level equal to the APL, at minimum experience points. At this time you may choose to play a non-standard race with level adjustment.
Illustration: Sergio Villa Isaza
favorite enemy ability should be considered when designing encounter tables (see Chapter 5: Advanced Rules), or else the ranger may prove to be too weak. Rogue: Suitable, and every party should include a rogue to deal with traps, silently scout ahead, and open locked doors and chests (if you use the rules from Chapter 5: Advanced Rules). Sorcerer/Wizard: Perfectly suited. A wizard is better if you select your spells according to the encounter tables. This isn't recommended, but it's perfectly reasonable to change spells once you're having a rest in the dungeon, of course. Psionic characters: It's possible to use psionic characters too, of course, and each class would fill out a certain role. For instance: psions and wilders could be substitutes for casters, psychic warriors and soulknifes for fighter-types. Prestige classes: There are way too many prestige classes to discuss them all. But if you take the above advice to heart, it should be pretty easy to judge if a certain prestige class is worth it. See the sidebar on multiclassing.
Dungeon Bash
Dungeon Bash
Animal companions, familiars and mounts Animal companions: If the animal used as a companion isn't too big - the size of a wolf or smaller - it should be possible to take it with you adventuring. But beware: animal companions are never as tough as the party's fighter, while at the same time they have no ranged attack, so they might well be the first to die. As noted under classes, above, those classes with animal companions aren't the fittest for a game of DB anyway. Familiars: These animals are nearly useless in a fight - and what small benefit they bring is offset by their fragility. That said, they might make good scouts, but again, that's pretty dangerous. Mounts: It would be pretty hard to take your horse or other mount down into the dungeon - the ceiling might be too low, the entrance too steep, and so on. As a general rule, it's just not possible.
Skills No skill is entirely useless in DB, but some skills will give you more mileage per rank, and a few are only used under very specific circumstances. Essential skills for any adventuring party: Disable device, open lock, search. Useful skills for any player character: Heal, listen, knowledge, spot, survival. Beneficial skills during or prior to combat: Balance, bluff, concentration, escape artist, hide, move silently, tumble, use magic device. Don't forget about social skills (diplomacy and intimidation), because sooner or later you will encounter non-hostile NPCs. No single skill is entirely useless, but some skills will only be of help in some quests or sub-quest (see Chapter 4). The following skills have additional rules or uses in DB, and are presented here for your convenience. You can also find these rules in the relevant chapters. Appraise: Used to obtain some special quests (see Chapter 5). Decipher Script: Used to obtain some special quests (see Chapter 5). Diplomacy: If you meet an NPC (either unfriendly, indifferent, or friendly; note: hostile creatures are never considered NPCs in DB), you may try to influence the NPCs attitude with a succcessful diplomacy check using the usual rules: only one try per NPC, and it either takes 10 consecutive full round actions or 1 full round action with a -10 penalty. Depending on the NPC in question, a different attitude has different ramifications - see Chapter 4 for details. Note: while there's a chance in every round that a random encounter occurs, this might not be the case in some rooms containing NPCs, as those room are considered a 'save haven'. Disguise: Used to obtain some special quests (see Chapter 5). Escape Artist: Used to obtain some special quests (see Chapter 5). Forgery: Used to obtain some special quests (see Chapter 5). Gather Information: Prior to an adventure you may try to Gather Information on the dungeon you're about to visit. The DC is 15 plus APL. If you succeed, you've got a pretty good idea of where the Main Quest Room is located - you start the game
Chapter 2: Player Characters
with a +1 bonus on finding the Quest Room. If you beat the DC by 10 or more, you start with a +2 bonus on finding the Quest Room. See Chapter 3 for details. Every PC may use this skill only once prior to the adventure, and only the highest result counts. Hide: See Chapter 4 for the DB rules on surprise. Also used to obtain some special quests (see Chapter 5). Intimidate: Like Diplomacy, Intimidate can also help to influence NPC attitudes. The standard rules apply. See Chapter 4 for details. Knowledge: As usual, you can use knowledge skills to identify a creature's powers and abilities if using the rules from Chapter 6. Arcana (constructs, dragons, magical beasts), Dungeoneering (aberrations, oozes), Local (humanoids), Nature (animals, fey, giants, monstrous humanoids, plants, vermin), Religion (undead), The planes (outsiders, elementals). See Chapter 6 for how this works in games without a GM. All knowledge skills not listed here are only useful to acquire special quests (see Chapter 5). Knowledge (dungeoneering): The synergy bonus for this skill applies to survival rolls made to find and secure resting areas (see Chapter 4). Listen: See Chapter 4 for the DB rules on surprise. Move Silently: See Chapter 4 for the DB rules on surprise. Ride: Most dungeons are too small to take a mount with you, so ride is not very useful under most circumstances. The paladin's mount is an exception, as it can be summoned. Beside that, this skill is used to obtain some special quests (see Chapter 5). Search: In rooms with no other door beside the entrance door, you can search for secret doors. The DC to find a secret door is 20+APL. Additionally, you can search any room without a treasure chest (DC 20). If you succeed, you find APLx1d6 gp. For every 5 points above 20, you find additional APLx1d6 gp. Sleight of Hand: Used to obtain some special Earning money quests (see Chapter 5). Additionally, you may You could use Craft, Perform or try to rob NPCs, as per Profession in the 'downtime' between the standard rules. adventures to earn some money (or Spot: See Chapter 4 for the craft some item for yourself, for that Dungeon Bash rules matter) as usual. For simplicity's on surprise. sake, consider a downtime of 1d6 Survival: A successful roll weeks between each quest. (DC 10+APL) subtracts 1 from the Random Encounter roll when resting. For every 5 points you beat the DC, subtract 1 from the Random Encounter roll. See Chapter 4 for details on resting.
Feats As with skills, most feats are usable, but some will prove better than others. Not so useful feats: any skill-buff feats (unless all the bonus applies to one or more of the essential skills), far shot (as you
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Chapter 2: Player Characters virtually never will need to shoot that far in a dungeon), mounted archery (it's nearly always impossible to take a mount into the dungeon, unless you're a paladin of sufficient level to summon your mount) and other feats for mounted combat (mounted combat, rideby attack, spirited charge, trample). Forbidden feat: Leadership. This feat is optional anyway, and would be too much of a hassle to include. The following new feats will only proof useful when playing Dungeon Bash, and are of no use anywhere else, so stay away from these feats if you're planning to take your character to a standard d20 game in the future.
Expert Watchperson When it's your shift to watch at night, this feat will make it very hard for enemies to surprise you and your party. Benefit: You receive a +5 circumstance bonus on spot and listen checks during your guard shift while the party is resting. Additionally, if you aren't surprised on a random encounter when it's your guard shift, you can immediately wake all other party members.
Light Sleep You are aware of dangers even when sleeping. Benefit: When the party gets ambushed while resting, your character is considered awake no matter whose turn to watch it is. See Chapter 4 for the rules on resting. Note that you still need to be awake on your own shift. Normal: Only the guard on shift while the random encounter occurs is considered awake.
Track You are able to check your environment for tracks, and that helps you to prepare against ambushes. Benefit: As a standard action, you can make a survival check to find clues on any creatures in the vicinity. If you succeed on a DC 25 survival check, you are aware of every creature nearby. Additionally, when resting in the dungeon, you may add +2 to your survival check. Note: This isn't a new Alignment feat, but rather additioMost of the time alignment won't matter nal rules for the existat all. All player characters are free to ing core feat and ranger choose any alignment they want - but the class ability. quests and opponents aren't geared toward evil characters, so stay away from those alignments. Furthermore, purely Spells neutral (in regards to good and evil) parties aren't fun - especially if these alignSome higher-level ments are only chosen because they don't spells could cause suffer from Protection from Good spells problems when using and the like - so as a rule of thumb at least them in a standard dunhalf the party should be of good aligngeon crawl (see sidebar ment. on maximum character Alignment may change only under levels), and some divithe most extreme circumstances (if the nation spells just don't party starts killing NPCs, for instance). make sense when the whole adventure is
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Dungeon Bash randomly generated. The following spells of levels 1 to 5 are forbidden: Augury, Commune, Commune with Nature, Contact Other Plane, Divination, Plane Shift, Scrying. Some other spells may not have any beneficial effect, but they're not forbidden. For following spells of levels 1 to 5 special rules apply in the context of DB: Alarm (Brd 1, Rgr 1, Sor/Wiz 1): The audible alarm is so loud that you need to roll for random encounters after your rest was disturbed (that's not normally the case - see Chapter 4). Still, this spell might be worthwhile as all party members are at least sure to wake up. Arcane Eye (Sor/Wiz 4): You can use the arcane eye for scouting. Treat the eye as a character for that purpose. Since the arcane eye can't open doors, it needs enough space to enter - chances are 50/50 (11-20 on a d20) that the eye can enter and therefore is able to spy out a room. Arcane Lock (Sor/Wiz 2): With this spell, you can secure a room for resting, but keep in mind that it's still possible to break the door. Therefore you'll still need to roll whether the rest is disturbed. If the opponents don't get into your room, they'll wait for you outside, enforced by another random encounter. Blink (Brd 3, Sor/Wiz 3): While blinking, you could step through walls, but only if there's a door in the same wall no more than 10 feet away. If you succeed, you enter the room beyond. If you don't succeed, you always end up where you started. Detect [Alignment] (Clr1): All walls and doors are thick enough to block these spells. Note: these spells are particularly useful when using the solo play rules (see Chapter 6). Detect Magic (Brd 0, Clr 0, Drd 0, Sor/Wiz 0): All walls and doors are thick enough to block this spell. Detect Secret Doors (Brd 1, Knowledge 1, Sor/Wiz 1): Casting this spells grants you a +5 circumstance bonus on search checks to find secret doors (see Chapter 4). Detect Undead (Clr 1, Pal 1, Sor/Wiz 1): All walls and doors are thick enough to block this spell. Dimension Door (Brd 4, Sor/Wiz 4, Travel 4): You may only use this spell to transfer to a part of the dungeon that's already explored, or around not yet explored corners, or behind not yet opened doors. Fire Trap (Drd 2, Sor/Wiz 4): A good way to protect the entrance of the room you're resting in. If your rest is disturbed, that random encounters suffers the full effect of this spell first determine at random which creature opens the door and therefore is the target of this spell's effect. If a rogue is part of the random encounter, she can try to find and disarm the fire trap first. Fly (Sor/Wiz 3, Travel 3): Chapter 5 describes optional rules on how to determine the heights of the rooms and corridors. If you don't use these rules, simply assume that all rooms and corridors have a height of 20 feet - or higher if any encounter tables used for this adventure features creatures larger than this. Glyph of Warding (Clr 3): See notes on the fire trap spell, above. Locate Creature (Brd 4, Sor/Wiz 4): If one of your quests involves finding a particular creature or NPC, you receive a +1 bonus on finding the quest room. You may only cast this spell once per quest. Locate Object (Brd 2, Clr 3, Sor/Wiz 2, Travel 2): If one of your
Dungeon Bash
Chapter 2: Player Characters / Chapter 3: The Dungeon
quests involves finding a particular object, you receive a +1 bonus on finding the quest room. You may only cast this spell once per quest. Passwall (Sor/Wiz 5): You can only create passages close to doors to the room beyond (see notes on the dimensional door spell, above), or between two sections of the dungeon that aren't connected yet (measure the distance using spare corridor sections). Prying Eyes (Sor/Wiz 5): See notes on the arcane eye spell, above. Rope Trick (Sor/Wiz 2): One of the best spells to secure the resting period, as it makes resting 100% save in DB. There's a catch, though: make a single random encounter roll when resting - if a random encounter does occur, a group of opponents has
chosen to set up camp right below the party. These opponents are not aware of the party. Secure Shelter (Brd 4, Sor/Wiz 4): See notes on the alarm and the arcane lock spells, above. Stone Shape (Clr 3, Drd 3, Earth 3, Sor/Wiz 5): You can only form doors if there actually is a room or corridor on the other side (see notes on the blink spell, above). Symbol [any]: See notes on the fire trap spell, above. Teleport (Sor/Wiz 5, Travel 5): This is the quickest way to leave a dungeon, of course. Apart from that, you may only use this spell to transfer to a part of the dungeon that's already explored, or to transfer around not yet explored corners, or behind not yet opened doors.
The Dungeon
W
hile the Game Master is free to design her own dungeons anyway she chooses, this chapter describes the means to randomly generate the dungeon environment. It depends on whether you've got your own dungeon building material (for instance: a battlemap or similar) or if you're are using the dungeon tiles coming with Dungeon Bash. The main rules in this chapter assume that you're using the basic Dungeon Bash floor plans. If not, Chapter 5 gives advice on how to design your own Dungeon Generator based on the material you own, and offers a more complex generator too (named Advanced Dungeon Generator). What you'll need first is the quest for the party. This sets the stage for the adventure, and may influence dungeon generating, as noted under the quest description where appropriate. In this chapter you'll learn two things: first and foremost how to generate the dungeon, and second why the characters venture into the dungeon in the first place. So let's start with the latter.
The Quests The Main Quest is resolved in the "Main Quest Room". See "Dungeon Generating" below for more details. Note: Chapter 5 expands this topic by introducing side-quests and special quest that must be discovered by the PCs first. Roll 1d100 on table 3.1 to determine your Main Quest.
Quest Descriptions Fight the Warlord Description: A new warlord has arisen in a nearby dungeon. The mayor has hired the party to descend into the dungeon and smash the evil warlord. Roll on the Quest Room Encounter Table to find out who the warlord is (he's the most powerful (highest CR) of all creatures in the Quest Room - if two or more creatures have the same highest CR, determine the warlord among these at random). Rules: Use the appropriate encounter tables (either use the standard tables or adjust them to fit the warlord). No need to back out of the dungeon once the warlord has been defeated - the dungeon counts as cleared out. Reward: APL x 500 gp
Capture the Warlord Description: A new warlord has arisen in a nearby dungeon. The mayor has hired the party to descend into the dungeon and capture the evil warlord. Roll on the Quest Room Encounter Table to find out who the warlord is (he's the most powerful (highest CR) of all creatures Table 3.1: Main Quests in the Quest Room - if two d100 Main Quest or more creatures have the same highest CR, determine 01-30 Fight the Warlord the warlord among these at 31-34 Capture the Warlord random). 35-45 Monster Infection Rules: Use the appropriate 46-52 Monster Hunt encounter tables (either use 53-57 Treasure Hunt the standard tables or adjust 58-60 The Wager them to fit the warlord). No 61-64 Rescue Mission need to back out of the dun65-70 Exploration geon once the warlord has 71-76 A Race against Time been defeated - the dungeon 77-80 Seek the Antidote counts as cleared out. The 81-85 Know Your Enemy reward will only be paid if the 86-89 Scattered Symbols warlord survived the encoun90-94 Curse that Item! ter (if he's unconscious but 95-96 Retrieve the Artifact not dead). 97-100 Blow the Dam Reward: APL x 650 gp
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Chapter 3: The Dungeon
Dungeon Bash
Monster Infection
Rescue Mission
Description: A horde of creatures is troubling a town nearby, and the party is hired to clear out their lair. Rules: There's no Quest Room. You've got to fight 10 groups of opponents (use a d10 or d20 to count them). Once all these groups have been beaten, the dungeon is considered cleared and the objective is accomplished. There's no need to back out of the dungeon. Reward: APL x 300 gp
Description: The daughter or son of the local king (roll 1d6: 1-3 princess, 4-6 prince) has been kidnapped and is held for ransom. The party's job, of course, is to rescue the princess or prince. Rules: The princess or prince is a noble (level = APL -3) and avoids fights at all costs: never attacks, always makes a full move away from an enemy if threatened - unless this would draw attacks of opportunity, in which case she or he takes only a 5 ft. step. Only HP (level * 4) and AC (10 + APL) are needed. All creatures in this dungeon try their best to attack the prince or princess, but will only deal nonlethal damage (-4 on attacks), as they're trying to capture her or him back. Reward: APL x 600 gp
Monster Hunt Description: A terrible monster (or group of monsters) is roaming the countryside by night. By day it retreats to its lair, and that's where the party comes in: they venture to the creature's lair by day and kill it. Choose any kind of creature with a CR at least 2 points higher than the APL (exception: with APL 1, the creature's CR should be 2), or roll on the Monster Hunt table. Rules: There are no other creatures except for the monster(s) hunted by the PCs in the quest room. Reward: APL x 500 gp
Treasure Hunt Description: Rumors of a great treasure in a nearby dungeon abound, and the party goes after it. Rules: Once the Quest Room is cleared of all opponents, the PCs can open the four chests in it. Generate four treasures of a level equal to the APL. Reward: No additional reward besides the extra treasure.
The Wager Description: A guy in a tavern is betting that the PCs won't survive a nearby dungeon which he claims is far too tough for them. The PCs can either bet up to APL x 500 gp or decline. If they decline, generate another quest immediately. Rules: This quest uses the same rules as "Monster Infection" (total of 10 encounters, and so on), with the following additions: All opponents in this dungeon are all naturally tough. Increase the natural armor bonus by 1 for each creature. If for any reason the party should back out of the dungeon before they've cleared it, they've lost their wager. Reward: Twice the PCs wager.
Exploration Description: The party is hired to map a cavern. Their job is done once there aren't any unopened doors and unexplored corridors left. Rules: Never place more than 1 door per roll. The "rule of the last door" (see below) doesn't apply, but rather the party has mapped the whole dungeon in that case. There is no Main Quest Room. The party needs to back out once they accomplished their mission. Reward: APL x 400 gp
A Race against Time Description: The party needs to deliver a message to a kingdom on the other side of a mountain range. There is an underground passsage which is the fastest way through the mountains - but it's dangerous. Time is of the essential. Rules: No doors, no rooms, just corridors. No dead ends (if you generate a dead end, substitute it with a section of corridor). A "room encounter" occurs every time you generate 2 or more doors at the same time. The dungeon is at least 14 sections long - once you've generated 14 or more sections, the last section generated is the exit. The party has 40 rounds to reach the other side to fulfil their assignment (use 2d20 to track turns). Reward: APL x 300 gp
Seek the Antidote Description: A town is held hostage by a gang of monsters. The monsters have poisoned the town's water supply, and most people
Monster Hunt APL / d6
1
2
3
4
5
6
1
1 Boar
1 Dire Badger
1 Worg
2 Wolves
2
1 Dire Ape
1 Dire Wolf
1 Monstrous Spider (large) 1 Hell Hound
1 Dire Boar
3
1 Dire Boar
1 Owlbear
1 Otyugh
1 Dire Lion
1 Manticore
4 5
1 Dire Lion 1 Megaraptor
1 Basilisk 1 Wyvern
1 Megaraptor 1 Dire Bear
6 7
1 Bulette 1 Behir
1 Manticore 1 Shambling Mound 1 Chimera 1 Dire Tiger
1 Blue Dragon Wyrmling 1 Red Dragon Wyrmling 2 Dire Wolves 2 Otyughs
1 White Dragon Wyrmling 1 Owlbear
1 Dire Bear 1 Gorgon
1 Behir 1 Bone Devil
1 Wyvern 1 Black Dragon (Juvenile) 1 Tyrannosaurus 1 Vrock
8
1 Bone Devil
1 Vrock
2 Chimeras
2 Dire Tigers
2 Behirs
10
1 Red Dragon (Young) 1 White Dragon (Young Adult) 2 Dire Bears
Dungeon Bash
are already dying. The monsters demand a ransom of 20,000 gp for the antidote, but the villagers could not pay that much, even if they wanted. The PCs are hired to get the antidote - through force! Rules: The toughest (highest CR, determine randomly if tied) opponent in the main quest room has the antidote, and the PCs can take it after they've defeated him. Thereafter, they need to back out of the dungeon. If the PC who holds the antidote should ever be reduced to less than 0 HP and goes down, the nearest (if more than one: the fastest) opponent grabs the antidote and moves back toward the Main Quest Room. By the time the PCs get back to the Main Quest Room there'll be reinforcements waiting for them - roll up a random encounter. Reward: APL x 600 gp
Know Your Enemy Description: A new warlord has arisen in a nearby dungeon, but most likely he's far too powerful for the party to confront him right away. Their mission is not to kill or capture him, but rather to get in, take a look at the warlord, and get the hell out. Rules: Once the party reaches the Main Quest Room, roll on the appropriate quest room encounter tables two levels higher than the APL. Bonus Equipment: Caltrops (3 bags per PC). This might help the party cover their escape. Reward: APL x 600 gp (if they actually manage to beat all opponents in the main quest room, they'll be awarded APL x 1000 gp)
Scattered Symbols Description: The three royal symbols were stolen from the king and queen by a bunch of thieves hiding in a nearby dungeon. The party's mission is to retrieve the symbols. Rules: Every large room is a Quest Room (no need to roll) and holds one symbol. Once they've found and retrieved all three symbols, they need to back out of the dungeon. Quest rooms can have doors (this is an exception to the usual rule). Reward: APL x 700 gp
Curse that Item! Description: One of the PCs (determined randomly) has picked up a cursed item in a previous adventure. After consulting a sage they learn about the only way to remove the item: bringing it to the place where it was created. Roll a d6 to determine the cursed item on the table below. If the PC in question can't use that item (for instance: an arcane spell caster and the Armor of Arrow Attraction) or does not usually use such items (for instance: a fighter and the Bracers of Defenselessness), reroll and determine another PC as the owner of the item. If none of the PCs can use it, reroll the cursed item. If only one PC can use it than he is the owner! 1. Armor of Arrow Attraction (+3 full plate, but -15 AC against ranged attacks) 2. Boots of Dancing (when in or fleeing from melee combat, wearer behaves as if irresistible dance was cast on her) 3. Bracers of Defenselessness (-5 to AC) 4. Ring of Clumsiness (as ring of feather falling, plus: -4 to Dexterity, additional 20% chance of spell failure when casting spells with a somatic component)
Chapter 3: The Dungeon
5. Stone of Weight (haves movement) 6. -2 cursed weapon (PCs favorite melee weapon; use the rules of a -2 cursed sword) Rules: The PCs is stuck with the item until she reaches the Quest Room and all opponents in the room are defeated. Reaching the Quest Room is the only way to get rid of the cursed item, no mattter what the rules of a particular item say. The PC already knows about the curse, and it is already in effect. Reward: The group gets rid of the cursed item. Special: Ignore this quest and roll again on the Main Quest table if this is the party's first adventure.
Retrieve the Artifact Description: A mighty artifact was stolen from a local temple, and the party is hired to retrieve it. Roll a d6 on the table below to determine what artifact was stolen. That artifact is in the possesssion of a warlord (highest CR opponent in the main quest room, determine randomly if tied). 1-2. Book of Infinite Spells 3. Hammer of Thunderbolts 4. Staff of the Magi 5. The Saint's Mace 6. The Shield of the Sun Rules: On their way back out the PCs are free to use the artifact, but once they're out, they're supposed to give it to their employer. They may not deplenish any abilities of the artifact (for example: they may not turn pages of the Book of Infinite Spells, they can therefore only use the first random spell; they may not use any abilities of the Staff of the Magi which use charges; and so on). Reward: APL x 500 gp - this becomes a penalty of APL x 2,000 gp if the party has depleted the artifact in any way.
Blow the Dam Description: The mountain range nearby is infested by legions upon legions of monsters. These creatures are now preparing to invade the country. The only way to get rid of them is to flood the dungeon they live in. The party's job: Bring explosives to the Main Quest Room, set it on fire and get the hell out! That'll cause the lake above to flood the dungeon. Rules: Count the number of sections from the Quest Room to the exit and multiply that number by 4 - that's the time (in turns) before the explosives blow up. If the PCs don't get out in time they're drowned , unless they don't succeed on a Fortitude save: DC = 10 + (2x number of sections left to the exit). A successful swim check reduces the save DC by 1 for every point above 15. Reward: APL x 800 gp
Dungeon Generating Each time one of the PCs moves around a corner to a section of the dungeon not yet explored or opens a door, instantly generate the new terrain on table 3.2: Main Exploration Table. Each time one of the PCs opens a door that hasn't been opened before, roll on table 3.3: Door Opened From Corridor or table 3.4: Door Opened From Room, whatever is appropriate.
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Chapter 3: The Dungeon
Table 3.2: Main Exploration Table d20
Tile
1-3 4-6 7-9 10-11 12
1 Section, Dead End, 1 Door Corner, 1 Door 1 Section, Corner, 1 Door T-Junction, 1 Door 1 Section, Intersection, Dead End, 2 Doors 13 1 Section, Intersection, Corner, 1 Door 14 1 Section, T-Junction, Corner 15 1 Section, T-Junction, 1 Section, Corner, 1 Door 16-17 1 Section, Dead End, 2 Doors 18-19 2 Sections, Dead End, 2 Doors 20 1 Section, T-Junction, 1 Section, Corner, 2 Doors
Dungeon Bash See Chapter 5 for a more detailed and complex method. Main Quest Room: For each Large Room, roll 1d6, and add 2 for each previous large room already explored - with a result of 6 or more it's the quest room. A quest room has no additional doors, unless noted otherwise in the quest's description. Notes: All doors are exits (not counting any doors - usually just one leading to this room).
Dimensions
Tables 3.2, 3.3 and 3.4 tell you what floor tiles to place. If you're not using the basic floor tiles, here's a quick guideline on the size of floor tiles: Small room: 2 to 5 squares wide, 4 to 7 squares long (standard: 4x6). Large room: 4 to 8 squares wide, 6 to 10 squares long (standard: 6x8). Corridor section: 2 to 4 squares wide, 3 to 6 squares long (standard: 2x4). Dead end, t-junction, intersection: as appropriate to the corridor.
Placement of Terrain Place any tiles in such a way that they don't overlap. Should you ever be unable to place a tile, choose a different one that fits (a dead end, for example). Each roll on the exploration tables generates as many tiles as the party can see, so you need to place Table 3.3: Door Opened from them accordingly. For Corridor instance, on a roll of 10 or d20 Tile 11 on the Main Exploration Table, the t-junction must 1-6 Small Room be placed so that there are 7-10 Small Room, 1 Door 11-12 Small Room, 2 Doors two ways, one to the left 13-16 Large Room and one to the right. 17-19 Large Room, 1 Door Corridors: All tiles 20 Large Room, 2 Doors form a straight line. For instance: a result of 14 on the Main Exploration Table Table 3.4: Door Opened from Room means that you place a single section, followed by a td20 Tile junction, followed by a cor1-6 Corridor (roll again on the ner (example: illustration corridor table) 3.1). 7-11 Small Room Rooms: If in any 12-15 Small Room, 1 Door doubt, place the shorter 16-17 Large Room wall towards the entrance 18-20 Large Room, 1 Door door. You should only place the larger wall at the
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entrance door if the room doesn't overlap (example: illustration 3.2). Doors: No more than one door per floor tile, unless the floor tile is a room or if you need to place more doors than you've got floor tiles. In either case, don't place more than one door per wall segment. When starting your adventure, place a single corrridor segment - this is the dungeon entrance. Then, before placing the PCs, roll once on table 3.1 and place the terrain.
Exploration
Illustration 3.1: Placement of corridors
Each time a PC moves around a corner to a section of the dungeon not yet explored, and each time a PC opens a door that has not been opened before, you instantly generate the new terrain. This interrrupts the turn for that PC - she can continue once the terrain was placed. However, encounters still interrupt a PC's action (usually if you open the door to a room). See Chapter 4 for details.
Rule of the Last Door Rule of the Last Door: Once you've opened the last door (with no other doors leading out of that room or corridor) you've found the quest room. No matter what you generated, it's always a large room, and always holds the quest room encounter.
Illustration 3.2: Placement of rooms
Dungeon Bash
Chapter 4: The Adventure
The Adventure
N
ow that you know what quest your characters are trying to accomplish, and how to generate the environment, it's time for some action! As described in Chapter 3, the party of adventurers starts on a single corridor section functioning as entrance to the dungeon, the first tiles should have been generated before the actual adventure commences. Now all the PCs've got to do is make their first steps, and start and finish their adventure. This chapter tells you how.
Average Party Level and Encounter Levels TheAverage Party Level (APL) determines how powerful opponents and traps are, because all encounter levels range from APL-2 to APL+3 (the latter is very rare - the highest encounter level, only possible in the quest room - but still possible). So if, for example, the APL of your party is 3, encounters will range from EL 1 to EL 6. Each APL has its own set of encounter tables. There's a Random Encounter Table for levels 1 to 8, a Room Encounter Table for levels 1 to 8, and a Quest Room Encounter Table for levels 1 to 8 - see the included document named encounter tables. In a single adventure, you'll only need those encounter tables equal to your APL - and all three of them. Chapter 5 gives you the rules on how to design your own encounter tables.
Initiative Count Number An adventuring party in Dungeon Bash ideally consists of exactly four player characters (see Chapter 2). Because characters act in turn, you'll need the Initiative Count Number (ICN) for all turns while not in combat to quicken the game. Here's what you need to do: compare the initiative boni of all party members. Highest bonus gets ICN 1, second highest ICN 2, and so on. In case of a tie, you're free to choose who'll receive the higher ICN, but once you've decied, you'll have to stick to that decision. When not in combat, the player characters always act in order of ICN. ICN 1 goes first, then ICN 2, and so on. Plain and simple. You'll also need the ICN for one other thing: if, for whatever reason, you need to randomly determine which party member is the target of a particular effect, simply roll a d4. Whose ICN comes up on that roll is the target.
Turn Sequence 1. Random Encounter Roll and adjustment of the Random Encounter Number 2. Actions (in order of initiative)
Random Encounter Roll Once you enter the dungeon, you set the Random Encounter Number to its starting position. In phase 1 of every turn, you make a Random Encounter Roll: roll a d20, and if the score is equal to or lower than the Random Encounter Number, a random encounter occurs. In that case, roll once on the appropriate Random Encounter Table (the table of your APL). See the companion document named encounter tables for the standard tables. You don't make a Random Encounter Roll under the following circumstances: a) The party has found the main quest roll. The final battle of the adventure is tough enough, and further encounters would probably end in total party kill. b) Two hostile encounters (either two random encounters at the same time, or one room encounter and one random encounter) are already taking place and not yet resolved. More than two simultaneous hostile encounters also would have a high chance of total party kill. c) An NPC encounter is taking place. These encounters can take a very long time (just making a diplomacy check usually takes 10
rounds), so the chance of random encounters would be very high, and that doesn't make any sense. See Non-Player Characters below for further details. After you've checked whether a random encounter occurs, increase the Random Encounter Number by one, unless the party is interacting with one or more NPCs. Note that the Random Encounter Number is adjusted before and after combat, as indicated on the table. So once combat breaks out, the chance for random encounters is set to a medium level, as the sound of battle might attract more opponents (if the chance of random encounters was previously low), while at the same time it's not very likely that there are more opponents in the immediate vicinity (if the chance of random encounters was previously high). After the combat, the chance for random encounters is pretty low again, as all opponents in the immediate vicinity are already defeated.
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Chapter 4: The Adventure
Room Encounters While random encounters may or may not happen - in corridors or rooms, while in combat or not - one thing is certain: every single room holds some kind of encounter - be it opponents, traps, or NPC, or several of the above. As soon as you've placed the room and after you've checked whether it's a quest room, roll on the Room Encounter Table or on the Quest Room Encounter Table, if it's a quest room. See the included document encounter tables for the standard tables. The Random Encounter Number is modified again if a combat occurs. This modification is the same as after random encounters. See Random Encounter Roll, above.
Combat If, for any reason - be it a room or a random encounter, or an NPC encounter gone wrong - a fight breaks out, the current turn (where the PCs have been acting in order of ICN) immediately ends and initiative is rolled. If A word on items any of the PCs has not yet acted Assume that each creature and in that turn, her action is lost character, PCs and everybody she can't postpone the action, else, has the weapon with the best but she may of course act as attack bonus ready, and if that normal during the fight. weapon is a crossbow, at the Actions are taken by the beginning of the combat it's loacharacters and their opponents ded by default. (if any) in order of initiative. PCs could state otherwise, of Initiative is only rolled again course, but if they don't, the when are new opponents appeabove is assumed. ar on the board where previously there were none. In every other case (for example, if creatures generated by a random encounter enter the fray while the characters are already in combat), all participants are stuck with their initial initiative roll.
Surprise and Awareness Either side, the party or their opponents, might be surprised at the beginning of the combat. This can happen in one of four ways: - The PCs might surprise their opponents when opening a Buff Them Up door into a room. Every PC less than 20 ft. (4 squares) away If spellcasting opponents get the from the door opened must chance, they'll use their spells to make a Move Silently check buff themselves and their allies. opposed by Listen checks by Of course they need to know that the enemies. If the opponents the party is approaching, so theysucceed on this check, they're 'll at least have to be aware of the considered aware of the party PCs. Assume that they had one and aren't surprised. If they turn to cast, plus one turn per 5 don't, then all PCs may act in points that their group's Listen the surprise round. check has beaten the PCs Move - If they're aware of the Silently check. PCs, all opponents who've got
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Dungeon Bash the hide skill listed in their stats block may try to hide themselves (or, more precisely, actually already did so before the PCs opened the door) by making a hide check opposed by the PC's spot checks. There's enough furniture in every room for all creatures to hide behind (but see Chapter 5 for alternative rules). Any creature that wasn't spotted by at least one PC may act in the surprise round. - The PCs might be surprised by random encounters. The opponents make a Move Silently check opposed by the PCs' Listen check. Only those opponents with ranks in the Move Silently skill try to sneak up to the PCs, and only those can get a surprise round that way. If some opponents have ranks in the Move Silently skill, they'll lead ahead and may act in the surprise round, and the other opponents won't enter the board until the surprise round (if any) is over. - If the PCs succeed on their listen check and there's a place to hide (assume that there's room for only one PC to hide behind in an average corridor section, and again: see CHAPTER 5 for alternative rules) they may try to do so by making a Hide check opposed by their opponents Spot check. If successful, these PCs may act in the surprise round. Some opponents have special abilities that offer them a somewhat different approach to surprising the party. For instance, a gargoyle could use it's freeze ability if aware of the party, or a mimic could appear to be an object like a chest. If an opponent has such an ability, and if that opponent is aware of the party, that ability will take effect, and if they succeed, the PCs are surprised.
Placement of Opponents Opponents fall into different behavior categories: melee, ranged and caster. The included document titled opponents lists the type of each creature in their stats blocks. If you want to add different creatures to the list of opponents, see Chapter 5. Note that some creatures have behavior subtypes - these are only used in solo play (see Chapter 6). How to place opponents depends on whether it's a room encounter or a random encounter, and whether the opponents are aware of the party: - If the opponents in a room are aware (no matter if they surprise the party or not): place melee opponents within two squares of the entrance, ranged combatants two or more squares behind them, and casters at the other end of the room (Illustration 4.1).
Illustration 4.1: Prepared opponents in rooms
Dungeon Bash
Chapter 4: The Adventure
Illustration 4.2: Unprepared opponents in rooms
- If the opponents in a room are not aware: divide the opponents by type. Now place one of each category in turn, starting with melee, then ranged, then casters. Place the first miniature in the second row from the entrance, right in the middle of that row. Now place an opponent from the next category in the row behind the first one, and so on. After you've placed an opponent in every row except for the first one, continue in the second row, then the third, and so on (Illustration 4.2). - If you roll a random encounter, the opponents first appear on the board at the furthest visible squares at the closest corner no PC can see around right now, explored or not. Marching order: melee, ranged, spellcaster (Illustration 4.3). - If there's an additional encounter during a combat that has already started or that was interrupted by a previous random encounter and then continued, choose the corner second closest to the PCs from those corners where none of the PCs can look around to place the newly arrived enemies. Of course, you as the GM may set up opponents any way you like, but the above is the standard way in DB. These rules get much more important if you're using the solo play rules (Chapter 6).
Treasure Generating treasure in DB is pretty straightforward: roll once on the treasure table for a level equal to the EL for every successful enemy encounter. These tables tell you whether you need to roll again on other tables (the Mundane Item table, for instance). See the companion document entitled treasure tables. There's one exception: opponents with class levels should already be equipped with the proper items, so the treasure for such encounters consists of all item that these opponents haven't used up or depleted, plus any permanent item that has not been destroyed. In addition to treasure gained from opponents, the party might find treasure chests. There's one treasure chest in every trapped room. Determine the contents of the chest as if rolling treasures for a creature of a CR equal to the trap's CR. Note that the rules for chests change if you're using the Advanced Dungeon Generator (see Chapter 5).
Illustration 4.3: Random encounter
It's important to distribute treasures more or less equally among party members. Keep count of every item's worth, and compensate those PCs who have received less than others with the party's gold treasure at the end of the adventure. Example: in a very short first level adventure, the party has found 1200 gp, a potion of blur (300 gp), a hooded lantern (7 gp), masterwork thieves' tools (100 gp) and a masterwork morningstar (308 gp), for a total treasure of 1,915 gp, or 478.75 gp for each PC. The cleric takes the morningstar and 170 gp, the rogue takes the thieves' tools and 379 gp, the sorcerer takes the potion and 179 gp, and the fighter takes the lantern and 472 gp.
Non-Player Characters In DB, only creatures that aren't initially hostile to the PCs are considered Non-Player Characters (NPCs). When the party enters a room, there's a certain chance that they'll meet NPCs. When they do, the turn-based game immediately stops, and the party as a whole decides how to interact with the NPC(s) - ignore, attack, intimidate or, and that's the most likely and promising tactic, use diplomacy. NPCs always start out as friendly, indifferent or unfriendly, as indicated in the NPC's description. All NPC rules are also included in the opponent document for your convenience. Note: the party never gains experience points for interacting with NPCs, even if they (have to) fight them.
Adventurers Initial attitude: indifferent. The party meets another group of adventurers (human cleric, human fighter, human rogue, human wizard of a level equal to the APL-1 (if less than 1, they're all human warriors 1) who've set up camp here. Depending on the adventurers' attitude, the outcome of this encounter may vary: Hostile: The adventurers attack because they regard the party as a threat. Unfriendly: The adventurers leave the party, but secretly lure some wandering monsters to the party. Increase the Random Encounter Number by 3 units.
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Chapter 4: The Adventure Indifferent: The adventurers give some valuable hints to the party, but demand to be paid (APLx25 gp): Add 1 to all further rolls to find the Main Quest Room. Friendly: The adventurers give some valuable hints to the party, but demand to be paid (APLx5 gp): Add 1 to all further rolls to find the Main Quest Room. Helpful: The adventurers give some valuable hints to the party. Add 1 to all further rolls to find the Main Quest Room. If paid (APLx10 gp), they'll distract the monsters in the area away from the party: Decrease the Random Encounter Number by 3 units.
Eremite Initial attitude: indifferent. An eremite (Human wizard of a level equal to APL+2) has chosen to live in this dungeon. For some unknown reason, the creatures wandering the dungeon don't attack the eremite. He can help the party in various ways, depending on his attitude: Hostile: The eremite attacks. Unfriendly: The eremite points the party to the wrong direction. Subtract 1 from all further rolls to find the Main Quest Room. Indifferent: The eremite will identify one magic item for the party, for a price of 160 gp. Friendly: The eremite will identify one magic item for the party, for a price of 120 gp. Helpful: The eremite will identify one magic item for the party, for a price of 110 gp. Furthermore, he gives some valuable hints to the party: Add 1 to all further rolls to find the Main Quest Room.
Dungeon Bash Ghost Initial attitude: indifferent. In the middle of the room, a ghost (hit dice equal to APL+1) appears out of nowhere. It doesn't seem to notice the party at all, so it's up to the PCs to either leave the ghost or try to interact with it. Attempts to interact with the ghost suffer a -5 penalty on all diplomacy or intimidate checks. Hostile: The ghost haunts the party. They can banish or turn the ghost, or their Random Encounter Number is increased by 2 units and the minimum number is increased by 3 units for as long as the ghost remains with them. It will not leave the PCs until they exit the dungeon. Unfriendly: The ghost haunts the party. They can banish or turn the ghost, or their Random Encounter Number is increased by 2 units and the minimum number is increased by 3 units for as long as the ghost remains with them. It will leave the PCs after two random encounters. Indifferent: The ghost continues to ignore the party. Friendly: The ghost gives the party valuable information. Add 1 to all further rolls to find the Main Quest Room. Helpful: The ghost gives the party valuable information. Add 1 to all further rolls to find the Main Quest Room. Furthermore, the ghost will identify one magic item for free (the ghost actually owned that item when he was still alive).
Injured Adventurer Initial attitude: indifferent. A single adventurer (human rogue of a level equal to APL) has survived this dungeon, but the rest of his party has died. She's not sure if she can trust the PCs, but it's in their best interest that she does - she can provide them with valuable information. The adventurer is at -1 hp, slowly dying. Diplomacy checks to influence the adventurer's attitude receive a +10 circumstance modifier if the party heals the adventurer so that her hit points are positive - if they don't, they can't interact with her. Hostile: The adventurer sends the party away, but later lures the dungeon's inhabitants their way. Increase the Random Encounter Number by 4 units. Unfriendly: The adventurer sends the party away. Indifferent: The adventurer gives some valuable hints to the party, but demands to be paid (APLx25 gp). Add 1 to all further rolls to find the Main Quest Room. Friendly: The adventurer gives some valuable hints to the party, but demands to be paid (APLx5 gp). Add 1 to all further rolls to find the Main Quest Room. Helpful: The adventurer gives some very valuable hints to the party. Add 2 to all further rolls to find the Main Quest Room.
Injured Inhabitant Illustration: Melissa Cox
Initial attitude: unfriendly. A lone goblin (rogue of a level equal to APL-2; if less then one, he's a lv1 warrior) lies in a corner, barely conscious (0 hp). Diplomacy checks to influence the goblin's attitude receive a +5 circumstance modifier if the party uses healing magic on behalf of the goblin. Hostile: The goblin attacks if he's got more than 0 hp. Otherwise he screams for help - a random encounter occurs.
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Dungeon Bash
Chapter 4: The Adventure
Unfriendly: The goblin sends the party away. Indifferent: The goblin gives some valuable hints to the party, if he's first payed (APLx10gp). Add 1 to all further rolls to find the Main Quest Room. Friendly: The goblin gives some valuable hints to the party. Add 1 to all further rolls to find the Main Quest Room. Helpful: The goblin gives some valuable hints to the party. Add 1 to all further rolls to find the Main Quest Room. If paid (APLx10 gp) he'll scout ahead of the party but won't enter any rooms. The next random encounter is prevented by the goblin, as he leads that creature to a different part of the dungeon.
Mercenaries Initial attitude: unfriendly. These two mercenaries (Human Fighters of a level equal to the APL) are exploring the dungeon for their own reasons, but nevertheless, they can be hired by the party . Their price is listed on the table below, and each fighter has to be paid individually. They fight a maximum number of battles for the party, depending on their attitude (Helpful: as often as they are paid. Friendly: 5 times. Indifferent: 3 times. Unfriendly: Once). If they were intimidated, they will always only fight once for the party. APL
Unfriendly
Indifferent
Friendly
Helpful
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
4 gp 2 gp 1 gp 1 gp 8 gp 4 gp 3 gp 2 gp 16 gp 8 gp 7 gp 5 gp 30 gp 15 gp 14 gp 10 gp 60 gp 30 gp 28 gp 20 gp 100 gp 50 gp 47 gp 36 gp 220 gp 110 gp 106 gp 90 gp 400 gp 200 gp 195 gp 160 gp Note that these prices deviate from the prices given in the DMG, because the party hires these mercenaries under very special circumstances.
Prisoner Initial attitude: friendly A human fighter of a level equal to APL -2 (if less than 1, he's a 1st-level warrior, not a fighter) is chained to a wall. If the party successfully frees him from his bounds (see the table below for the DCs), his attitude changes to helpful. This attitude may be further influenced (if intimidated, he provides the benefit listed below, but the prisoner will leave the party afterwards, and they won't be able to collect the reward). APL
Open Lock DC
Break DC
1 20 18 2 20 19 3 20 20 4 22 20 5 22 21 6 22 22 7 25 23 8 25 24 Hostile: The prisoner refuses any help by the party and leaves.
Unfriendly: The prisoner refusSecret Doors es any help by the party and leaves. As a standard action, dead ends Indifferent: The prisoner refusand rooms without any further es any help by the party exits can be searched for secret and leaves. doors. The DC for this search Friendly: Add 1 to all further check is 20 + APL. There can rolls to find the Main never be more than one door per Quest Room. wall section, secret or otherwise. Helpful: Add 1 to all further rolls to find the Main Quest Room. The prisoner is at half his maximum hit points. If the characters successfully guard the prisoner and bring him outside, he'll award them APLx10 gp (if friendly) or APLx50 gp (if helpful).
Traveling Merchant Initial attitude: indifferent. A Human Rogue of a level equal to APL+1, guarded by two Human Fighters of a level equal to APL is dealing with anyone she meets. Prices for wares : 150% (unfriendly), 100% (indifferent), 95% (friendly), 85% (helpful). Diplomacy changes attitude. Intimidate changes attitude for a single item, thereafter the attitude changes to unfriendly. If the merchant turns hostile, she'll attack the party (note that her wares are magically secured - should the merchant die, her wares disappear to an unknown location outside of the dungeon). Generate treasures according to the following table. The merchant has these items on stock (if you're not interested in, for example, mundane items, you can skip those rolls). APL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Mundane
Minor
Medium
6 6 6 5 5 4 3 2
1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3
1 1 2
Traps If a trap is rolled on a Room Encounter Table, the character who opened the door can search for the trap and disable it (if she's able to, of course). If the trap isn't disabled - either because it wasn't found or because the Disable Device check failed - randomly determine which character takes the trap's effect (as always: d4 and ICN). Only characters on the same or an adjacent board section are viable targets. If the trap has an area of effect, that character is at the centre of the area, with the maximum number of other characters affected (Illustration 4.4). Note: For the trap, the party receives experience points as usual, but only if the trap is disarmed successfully.
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Chapter 4: The Adventure Leaving the Dungeon The party can leave the dungeon simply by reaching the exit (the "open end" of the section they started in). They may resume the quest thus abandoned later on, unless the quest description tells otherwise.
Experience Points and Levels It ain't possible to advance more than one level per adventure. If you gain more experience points than necessary to advance a level, you loose those extra experience points. Additionally, it'd be a good idea to half any experience points awards the party receives, so that a PC is less likely to gain a new level after every adventure.
Non-Combat Actions Even when not engaged in combat, PCs still act in a way similar to combat; meaning you can either take a standard action and a move action, or two move actions, or one fullround action. Standard actions: search for secret doors (see Secret Doors, below), use the survival skill to find a suitable resting place (see resting, below). Full-round actions: All standard actions as above, but with a +2 circumstance bonus to the skill check.
Resting
Once in a while you can take a nap, but it's risky. You can only rest in rooms, and only if there are enough trail rations and waterskins for all PCs. One trail ration per PC is used up, and every waterskin can be used four times. If you're resting, roll for random encounters twice. If a random encounter is rolled, randomly determine the guard on whose shift the ambush occurs (as always: d4 and ICN). No random encounter rolls are made while the rest is interrupted. If you dispose of the attackers within 3 rounds, your rest wasn't disrupted significantly (compare it to waking up in the middle of the night, drinking a glass of water and going back to sleep). You complete the rest and gain the usual benefits from it (heal 1 hp per level, regain used spell slots). If you don't defeat your opponents within 3 rounds your rest was disrupted, and you'll need to start all over again. Before resting again (after an undisturbed rest), you must at least examine two additional rooms after your last resting period, or else the rest will have no beneficial effect. Remember that most characters won't sleep in their armor, so if the party is ambushed when resting, most PCs will not be armored (unless the PC has the endurance feat or similar ability, or she doesn't mind starting the next day fatigued).
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Dungeon Bash Illustration 4.4: Traps
PC 1 (the party's rogue) activates the trap, because he wasn't able to disarm it. Only PC 1, 2 and 3 can be potential victims of the trap, because PC 4 is too far away (2 board section from the character that triggered the trap). The d4 roll determined that PC 3 is affected (any roll of 4 would've been rerolled). As the trap covers an area of 10 feet, PC 2 is also affected. There are different means to secure a resting place. See CHAPTER 2 for the effects of certain spells when resting. Furthermore, each character can make a Survival check. A successful roll (DC 10+APL) subtracts 1 from the Random Encounter roll when resting, and for every 5 points extra you can subtract another point. The Random Encounter roll can't be reduced to to less than 1. As an alternative to resting in the dungeon, the party may leave the dungeon and rest in the city. Note that some quests don't allow the party to leave the dungeon without conceiving defeat.
The Final Battle The final battle of the adventure (once the party has found the quest room) is hard enough as it is - don't roll for random encounters once that combat has begun. The quest description tells you what to do after that combat is over.
Between Adventures Shortly after the adventure is over and the party has safely exited the dungeon, they arrive in the nearest city. Here they can look for new adventures (roll on the quest table) and go shopping. Not all items might be on sale, as indicated on the table below. Roll for each item individually, and only once - either it's for sale, or it ain't. If it is for sale and you want to buy the item more than once, you must roll again for every purchase until supplies have run dry.
Illustration: Sergio Villa Isaza
Dungeon Bash
Chapter 4: The Adventure / Chapter 5: Advanced Game
Item
d20
Mundane item Masterwork item Potion or scroll Magic weapon (12,000 gp or less) Magic weapon (12,001 gp or more) Magic armor (8,000 gp or less) Magic armor (8,001 gp or more) Wand or ring Staff or rod Wondrous item
2+ 4+ 3+ 7+ 16+ 6+ 15+ 10+ 17+ 11+
The High Costs of Living Life isn't free, even for adventurers. The costs to sustain themselves per day in the city is 10 gp multiplied by their level. If they can't pay
or don't want to: The lack of suitable rest and the somewhat unclean conditions cause that character to not enter the next dungeon at full health. The damage she takes because of this equals half her hit dice multiplied by half her level, rounded down. For instance, a 3rd level cleric would take 6 ((1/2*8) * (1/2*3)) points of damage prior to the adventure.
Encumbrance If using the DB Treasure Tables (and not the standard ones found in the DMG), don't count the weight of gold coins. Normally, 50 coins weigh 1 pound. As some of the gold coins you find would normally be platinum pieces or other types, or even gems or pieces of art, it wouldn't be fair to assume that all the character's wealth is kept in gold pieces. You still need to track the weight of the characters' equipment though, as usual.
Advanced Game
T
he basic game as layed out in the previous chapters, while in itself complete, can be further enhanced in various ways. This chapter expands the basic rules by adding more options (Side Quests and Special Quests, for instance), expands some game mechanics (the Advanced Dungeon Generator), and gives advice on how to customize your game. All rules in this chapter are optional.
Advanced Dungeon Generator
Room Features
The Basic Dungeon Generator is pretty quick but not very versatile. If you are so inclined, you could use the Advanced Dungeon Generator - game play will be slowed down to some degree as you'll need to place additional objects like torches, pillars, barrels, and so on. Advanced dungeons are generated by rolling one d20 and one d12 simultaneously. The d20 roll determines the room or corridor shape and size as before, and the d12 roll determines room or corrridor features. Corridors may now be broad (standard: 2 squares wide) or narrow (standard: 1 square wide). All corridors are broad, unless noted otherwise. There's a new passageway: the conversion piece. This changes all passageways behind the conversion piece from broad to narrow or vice versa. A new room type (tiny room - 10x10 feet) is possible, and a few rooms now have non-standard shapes. The Advanced Dungeon Generator gives reference numbers for every non-standard room type (example: "Shape (1)") . It's a good idea to write the number of the special shape room on the back of the floor tile for easy reference. See the included Treasure & Dungeon document for the Advanced Dungeon Generator tables, and see the floor tiles document for the non-standard room shapes.
All items with known measurements (for example: pillars, but not torches) can be used to hide behind. Place each item in a manner that makes sense - beds won't stand in the middle of the room, but tables and chairs might, for example. Torches are placed in a way that the illumination provided by them is maximized (where possible, lit areas won't overlap). If only the length is Illumination given (for example: 10 The standard rules assume that each long), the object reaches room is illuminated well enough for from one wall to the other in all characters to act normally. If youa way that this object must 're using the Advanced Dungeon be crossed by the PCs after Generator, you'll have a means to entering the room. determine how many sources of light Candle: Illuminates the there are in a given room - if any. The room (5 ft. shadowy). PCs can carry their own light sources Always stands on a of course, and are indeed encouraged table unless noted to do so. otherwise. If there are Remember that shadowy illumionly prepared creatures nation offers a means to hide. with darkvision in this room, the candles are
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Chapter 5: Advanced Game not lit. If you're not using the rules for illumination, ignore this item. Chasm: If the room has any exits, at least one is on the other side of the room. If the chasm is placed in a corridor, it always cuts through the first section that was just rolled, and all doors are always placed on the other side of the chasm. Some chasms come with bridges (5 ft. wide) or with beams (5 inches wide, balance check DC 15). Some are filled with lava (20d6 points of damage for each round in the lava, plus 10d6 points of damage for 1d3 rounds after leaving the lava-filled chasm). A chasm is either 10 ft. (jump DC 10), 15 ft. (jump DC 15) or 20 ft. (jump DC 20) long, as indicated. It's always 60 ft. deep. Chest: Generate one treasure of the appropriate level (APL). If the chest is locked, the relevant DCs for opening it are given in the table. Contaminated pool: As shallow pool (see below). Additionally, any creature must make a fortitude save (DC 15) each round while in the water. Failure means that the creature has caught the folllowing disease: Incubation 1 day, 1d4 Str and 1d4 Dex damage. Dense Rubble: The ground is covered with debris of all sizes. It costs 2 squares of movement to enter a square with dense rubbble. Dense rubble adds 5 to the DC of Balance and Tumble checks, and it adds 2 to the DC of Move Silently checks. Key: If there are any opponents in this room, one randomly determined opponent carries the key. If there aren't any opponents, the key lies on top of one of the objects, or in a randomly determined corner, if there aren't any objects. The key can be used to open the nearest locked door that the characters failed to open otherwise. Lantern: Illuminates the room (30 ft. bright, 60 ft. shadowy). Always hangs from the ceiling in the exact center of the room, unless noted otherwise. If there are only prepared creatures with darkvision in this room, the lantern isn't lit. If you're not using the rules for illumination, ignore this item. Lava pool: As shallow pool, plus fire damage (2d6 points of damage per round, plus 1d6 points of damage for 1d3 rounds after leaving the lava pool). Light Rubble: Small chunks of debris litter the ground. Light rubbble adds 2 to the DC of Balance and Tumble checks. Magic fountain: drinking from this fountain cures 2d8+2 points of damage. Each magic fountain may only be used four times a day - thereafter, the healing magic is depleted. Secret doors: These must first be found. The DC given is the search skill DC. Every character may only make one check to find the door. Shallow pool: It costs 10 Are you tough enough? ft. (2 squares) of moveDungeon Bash is supposed to be a ment to move 5 ft. (1 tough game and was designed to be square) in a shallow pool. challenging, but not unplayable. If it Shape: This is not an proves to be too tough for your liking, object in and on itself, but just set the APL to one point lower than rather tells you about the it actually is. That way, encounters are non-standard shape of the easier, but so are the rewards (experienroom, as described above. ce points, treasures, and quest rewards). Torches: Illuminate the room (20 ft. bright, 40 ft.
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Dungeon Bash shadowy). Always attached to the wall, unless noted otherwise. If there are only prepared creatures with darkvision in this room, the torches are not lit. If you're not using the rules for illumination, ignore this item. Trash pile: Each trash pile covers one square (5x5). It costs 10 ft. (2 squares) of movement to move 5 ft. (1 square) through a trash pile. Uneven Flagstone: The floor of this room is so uneven that a DC 10 Balance check is required to run or charge across the surface. Failure means the character can't move in this round. Floors as treacherous as this should be the exception, not the rule. Weapon rack: Generate 1d3+2 mundane weapons.
Customize the Dungeon If you're not using the Dungeon Bash floor plans you'll need to adjust the dungeon generator tables. Blank versions are provided in the DoIt-Yourself document. The ratio of rooms and corridors should roughly remain the same; use the standard tables as an example don't deviate from these by more than 10%. Apart from that, you may get as fancy as you want to - very wide corridors, very unusual room shapes, and so on, depending on the terrain you want to use. Besides meddling with the dungeon generator, there are some other possibilities to influence dungeon generation. 1. Pre-Generated: Make all the rolls, including dungeon generating, room encounters and treasures, prior to play. This results in fast game-play and offers a chance to tweak encounters. 2. Generated on the fly: slower game-play, but full of surprise. Can get ugly if the party's out of luck. This is the standard way (and the only way if you're using the solo play rules from Chapter 6). 3. Mix: pre-generate the dungeon, but don't set encounters and treasure yet. This would both be reasonably fast and surprising. It's a matter of personal taste. If you don't mind your game to bog down a little while generating the dungeon, encounters and treasure on the fly, go for this option - it's the default assumption.
Customizing Encounters You can design your own encounter, treasure and room tables, using the blank tables provided in their own document. Use high CR opponents sparingly (if at all) at low levels. For example, while an ogre (CR 3) would theoretically be a challenging encounter for 1st level characters, one hit of an ogre could easily kill off one of the PCs. At higher levels, this shouldn't be of much concern, as a single opponent arguably hasn't got the same staying power as two or more opponets at the same EL, as the PCs can gang up on a single opponent. All in all, the ratio for enemy groups and single opponents should be 50/50. See the DMG on how to translate CRs of more than one opponent into EL. Also, the blank encounter tables offer advice on the EL for each level, and have special notes for the lower levels. Bear in mind that some CRs are slightly off. For instance, dragons are very powerful for their CR. If you're adding opponents with class levels to the tables, assign equipment right away (either randomly generate or buy).
Dungeon Bash
Chapter 5: Advanced Game
Special Quests While side quests (see below) are accomplished during the same missions as the main quest, special quests are alternative main quests. You've got to earn access to these quests first. The basic DC for all skill checks is APL+10. The DC is further modified as noted in the table below. Each character may try to acquire a single special quest between adventures. A failed roll means that the character hasn't found a special quest. After all rolls for special quests are made and the party has rolled once on the standard quest table, the party must choose their quest from the options available. Note that if the "Curse that Item!" quest is rolled, this quest should be taken, or otherwise the PC is stuck with the cursed item. If the party still chooses a different quest, they can always do the "Curse that Item!"-quest later - and suffer from the consequences of the curse in the meantime. Any single special quest may only be undertaken once by the same party. Only "Oh So Many Options" and "We are the Best" may be chosen more than once, as these aren't quests themselves to begin with. Special Quest
Skills (DC mod.)
A Pirate's Treasure Ancient Treasure Be Quick Or Be Dead Bounty Hunt Covert Ops Demon Incursion Infiltration Oh So Many Options Sabotage Save the Woods Unexpected Treasure We are the Best
Intimidate and Sense Motive Decipher Script (+5) Ride (+3) Use Rope (+3) Gather Information (+2) and Move Silently (+2) and Forgery Knowledge (planes) or Knowledge (arcana, +2) Escape Artist (+5) Gather Information or Bardic Knowledge Knowledge (architecture and engineering) Survival (+2) or Knowledge (nature, +2) Appraise and Bluff Bluff (+8)
A Pirate's Treasure: A bloke in a bar introduces himself as an infamous pirate. After you've intimidated him into talking, he tells you about his treasure - hidden in a nearby dungeon - and you're pretty sure that he's telling the truth. The main quest room of that dungeon holds the pirate's treasure; generate four additional treasures at the APL. There's no further reward. Ancient Treasure: On one of your recent adventures you've found a very old book. After you've successfully deciphered most of it's content, you finally learn of a fabled treasure in a nearby dungeon. The main quest room of that dungeon holds that treasure - generate five additional treasures at APL+1. There's no further reward. Be Quick or Be Dead: The heir to the throne has been kidnapped, and your party is hired not only because they're capable of rescuing him or her, but also because of your exceptional riding skills and therefore your ability to solve this quest within two days. This special quest uses the same rules as the Rescue Mission quest. The reward is APLx1,000 gp, but if you rest more than once during this mission, the reward will drop to APLx600 gp.
Bounty Hunt: Hunt down a criminal and bring him back alive. The criminal, hiding in the main quest room, is a human rogue (level=APL), but he's not alone - roll twice on the random encounter table. If the party succesfully captures the criminal and brings him to town, they will be awarded with APLx700 gp. If they kill the rogue, they'll be rewarded only APLx100 gp. Covert Ops: The party needs to infiltrate a stronghold and retrieve crucial documents. The quest room is guarded by a single human fighter (level=APL+3). If a single PC successfully sneaks into the room (two Move Silently checks opposed by the fighters' Listen checks), steals the documents and substitutes them with false ones, the party can leave the Favorite Enemies stronghold. Otherwise, the fighter sounds the Between 5 and 10% (1, or 2 entalarm: roll once on the ries) of the opponents on a quest room encounter Random Encounter Table and 5% table - these creatures (1 entry) on the Room Encounter arrive at the beginning of Table should be favorite enemies the second round of comfor each PCs with this class ability. bat. If the party has to fight the opponents in the quest room, they'll be awarded APLx100 gp. If they successfully substitute the documents, they'll receive APLx1,000gp instead. Demon Incursion: A vile cult of demon worshippers has set up camp in a local dungeon (special rule: all opponents are immune to fear). If the party can beat their opponents in the quest room, they can banish the demonic influence on the cult members, some of which where unwillingly possessed. These members will give the party APLx2d6x100 gp. Infiltration: A local criminal organization is getting too powerful, but nearly everything about this organization is a mystery. The mayor who hires your party wants them to pose Too large to live? as local nobles and get kidnapped by the crimiCreatures larger than huge won't nals. As the PCs awake fit through the 5 ft. wide doors, they find themselves in a even when they squeeze. For that small room, bound and reason, if any opponent on any of without their equipment. the encounter tables used in this They first need to free adventure is huge or gargantuan, themselves (one of the only use doors that are 10 ft. wide characters must succeed (enough room for even a gargantuon an Escape Artist check, an creature to squeeze through). DC 18+APL), and open The ceiling of a dungeon is always the locked door (Open high enough to allow all its inhabLock DC 15+APL, or itants to at least stand up straight. Break DC 15). Their mission: escape from the dungeon. The exit is in one of the corridors (sections only) roll a d6, and add 1 for each previous section; on a result of 8 or more, they've found the exit and escape. They'll receive APLx800gp as a reward; their equipment was safely stored and is returned to them.
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Chapter 5: Advanced Game Oh So Many Options: This isn't a special quest itself, but rather it enables the party to roll two additional times on the stanMain Quest dard quest table and choose Fight the Warlord one of these three main Capture the Warlord Monster Infection quests. Monster Hunt Sabotage: As a known expert on Treasure Hunt architecture, it's your mission The Wager to sneak into a warlord's hideRescue Mission out, find its weak spot, and Exploration blast it to pieces with explosiA Race against Time ves. This special quest is simiSeek the Antidote lar to the Blow the Dam quest, Know Your Enemy but there's no risk of the PCs Scattered Symbols drowning - instead, they need Curse that Item! to escape from the collapsing Retrieve the Artifact dungeon. Count the number Blow the Dam of sections from the Quest Special: A Pirate's Treasure Room to the exit and multiply Special: Ancient Treasure that number by 4 - that's the Special: Be Quick or Be Dead time (in turns) before the Special: Bounty Hunt explosives blow up. If the PCs Special: Covert Ops don't get out in time, they're Special: Demon Incursion crushed by falling debris if Special: Infiltration they don't succeed on a Reflex Special: Sabotage save with a DC of 10 + (2x Special: Save the Woods number of sections left to the Special: Unexpected Treasure exit). Failure means that character suffers 3d6 points of damage. If at least one character isn't buried by this cave-in, that PC can free all buried PCs, and they make it out alive (if they're not crushed right away, that is). If all the PCs are buried, the entire party is dead. If they succeed on their mission, they receive APLx800gp as a reward. Save the Woods: The PC meets a lone druid who asks for help. If the party clears the quest room and uses a special potion given to them by the druid on a well located in the quest room, the druid will award them with APLx300 gp and two additional treasures (roll randomly). Unexpected Treasure: The PC finds a very valuable vase (100 gp) at sale for 1 gp from a petty merchant. The merchant then tells them where he found that item as well as many more of them - but he had to leave the dungeon because he was attacked. If the party ventures into the dungeon they'll find not only opponents but also 1d6xAPL more of these vases in the quest room. We are the Best: This isn't a special quest itself, but rather increases the gp award for another quest (whichever the party actually takes) by APLx100 gp, because the party is known for being the very best for that kind of mission. If the quest hasn't got a monetary reward, "We are the Best" provides no benefit.
Side Quests You'll need to find not one, but two quest rooms. The rules for finding the main quest room don't change. The side-quest room is
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Dungeon Bash
Side Quests 4
5
6
Petty Warlord Petty Warlord Minor Monster Family Heirloom Family Heirloom Free the Prisoner Petty Warlord Petty Warlord Minor Monster Family Heirloom Free the Prisoner Family Heirloom Petty Warlord Minor Monster
Petty Warlord Petty Warlord Petty Warlord Minor Monster Family Heirloom Minor Monster Free the Prisoner Family Heirloom Petty Warlord Petty Warlord Family Heirloom Family Heirloom Petty Warlord Petty Warlord Family Heirloom Minor Monster Minor Monster Free the Merchant Free the Prisoner Rumor of Treasure Rumor of Treasure Minor Monster Minor Monster
Free the Prisoner Free the Prisoner Rumor of Treasure Rumor of Treasure Rumor of Treasure Rumor of Treasure Rescue the Merchant Minor Monster Petty Warlord Rumor of Treasure Free the Prisoner Petty Warlord Rumor of Treasure Free the Prisoner Family Heirloom Rumor of Treasure Petty Warlord Free the Prisoner Free the Merchant Petty Warlord Free the Merchant Rumor of Treasure Rumor of Treasure Minor Monster Rumor of Treasure
always a small room, so you need to roll a d6 for each small room; add 1 for each previous small room - on a result of 6 it's the sidequest room. You don't roll on the Standard Room Encounter Table in the side-quest room, rather use the Quest Room Table. As the side quest is likely not as tough as the main quest, subtract one from the result (minimum 1). As for the main quest room, you don't roll for random encounters while engaging the opponents in the side-quest room. Depending on your main quest, roll a side-quest randomly on the Side Quests table. A roll of 1-3 always indicates that there's no side quest available. Family Heirloom: An heirloom was stolen from a wealthy family. If the party can retrieve it from the side-quest room, the family will award them APLx100 gp. Free the Prisoner: A noble is held for ransom in the side-quest room. Use the rules for the Prisoner NPC, but increase the award the party gets for freeing him to APLx250 gp. The noble will behave like the prince or princess from the "Rescue Mission" quest. Minor Monster: A terrible monster is roaming the countryside by night. By day it retreats to its lair, and that's where the party comes in: they're supposed to venture to the creature's lair by day and kill it. Choose any kind of creature with a CR of at least 2 points more than the APL, or roll on an appropriate quest room encounter table until you generate a single creature. Defeating this creature increases the reward by APLx200 gp.
Dungeon Bash
Petty Warlord: One of the creatures in the side-quest room is the right hand of a local warlord. Defeating him increases the reward by APLx200 gp. Rescue the Merchant: A merchant is held for ransom in the sidequest room. Use the rules for the Prisoner NPC to determine whether the party can free him from his bounds. If successful, he'll sell them any items he has on sale in town (use the rules for the Merchant NPC) at half the indicated price (merchant's attitude: see Prisoner NPC). Rumor of Treasure: The side-quest room holds a warlord's treasury. After beating all opponents, generate three additional treasures.
Speeding up the Game While DB already plays fast, there are different ways of speeding up your game even more. - Experience Points: Don't give out individual experience point awards until after the adventure. Simply note down the CR of every opponent beaten by the party and every trap overcome, and calculate the XPs afterwards. - Group initiative for opponents: All opponents move and act at the same initiative order. If different opponents have different initiative boni, determine their bonus any one of the following ways: 1. Lowest initiative bonus +3 (up to one lower than the greatest bonus in the group). 2. Add and divide. While this is the most accurate, it might take too long. - Static Initiative: Never roll for initiative, simply compare the diffferent boni. - Static Random Encounter Number: instead of adjusting the Random Encounter Number after every turn, simply assume that a random encounter takes place on a roll of 4 or less each time. - Rolling Dice Pools: When rolling to attack, make all attack and damage rolls at the same time, using different colored dice if necessary (if you've got more than one attack, for instance). - Group Skill Checks: Don't make skill checks (Move Silently or Listen for instance) for individual monsters. Rather make one roll for the whole group - either all the creatures make their check or none at all. Use only the best check modifier of all opponents evolved. In such a case, subtract -1 from the skill check roll for every additional creature using that skill, and another -2 for each creature that hasn't got any ranks in that skill. Beware that this might still make it easier for opponents to sneak up onto the party.
High-Level Play The d20 system gets complex pretty pretty soon, and the PCs and their adversaries can do some very amazing things starting at midlevel, which might break the normal dungeon environment. Therefore Dungeon Bash is best suited for levels 1 to 8, as already stated. Chapter 7 has been added to the rules to help. That said, you could play higher levels. First, you'll need to design your own encounter tables (see above) for the levels you need. Then, take a look at all new spells and abilities available to the PCs at these levels: could any of these cause gameplay problems in
Chapter 5: Advanced Game
a dungeon environment? If the More Treasure! answer is yes, ban that spell or ability from your game, or find You can always use the treasure a suitable workaround. tables from the DMG when geneThe treasure tables alrearating treasure. This grants a gready go as high as level 14 - do ter variety, but will take signifiyou need higher levels than cantly longer. this? If yes, design them using the existing table as examples, or simply use the standard treasure tables from the DMG.
The Dungeon Bash Campaign A fun way to enhance a game of DB is to thematically link several quests. The GM comes up with a story - as simple or as complex as she likes - and selects quests that fit. Simple example: The first adventure for our 1st level PCs is a "Rescue Mission". The prince of the local kingdom was kidTougher Dungeons napped and they're hired to free him. After they successIf adventuring seems too easy, just fully rescue him, the king hires keep rolling for random encounthem once again. As there are ters in battles - don't stop after the obviously unknown forces first random encounter was rolled. working against the crown, the party must investigate further "Know Your Enemy". With news on the enemy, the party returns to the king, who now sends them to "Fight the Warlord". The party may deviate from this quests by acquiring special quests. Furthermore, each of these quests could feature a side quest, as detailed above. After they succeeded on all these mission, the mini-campaign is over, and the party could start another campaign, or just takes single missions thereafter. For an even more elaborated way to design a DB campaign, make a flowchart of quests, taking into account the possibility that the party may fail on any given quest. All our (upcoming) web-enhancements will not only feature new quests, opponents and encounter tables, but also one or more flowchart campaign. Visit www.the othergamecompany.com/ projects/bash.htm for details and download. Illustration: Melissa Cox
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Chapter 6: Solo Play
Dungeon Bash
Solo Play
O
ur definition of solo play: a game of DB without a GM. Note that there still need to be four characters, and it doesn't matter (for the rules, at least) whether there are four players, two players with two characters each, or just one who plays all four PCs. Most of the rules for DB will work for both GM-controlled or solo play, so there's no need to change any existing rules. The rules in this chapter clarify the application of rules for solo play where necessary, but the basic game was designed with solo play in mind - everything you learned in the previous chapters still holds true. For instance, opponents are still placed on the board the same way. The few exceptions are noted below, as well as anything else you'll need to know about solo play.
Starting Equipment Life without a GM is very harsh. To stand a chance of survival, a party using the solo play rules receives one potion of cure light wounds for free at first How to determine opponent types level. If you start above character level 1 you don't receive that potion Melee opponents are best at close quar- the treasure you receiters. If in any doubt, it's a melee ve at game start is opponent, as that is the most enough to buy healing straight-forward type. Class exampotions. ples: most fighters, paladins/blackguards, barbarians, some rogues (always with the sneak subtype). If they've got any fancy abilities like Opponent the whirlwind attack feat or the abiliBehavior ty to cast spells, they may be of the special subtype. When playing with a Ranged opponents favor their ranged GM, opponents react in attack. In most cases that's because what the GM believes their ranged attacks are better than to be a sensible manner. their melee attacks. In some rare But how do opponents cases, it's because that opponent is behave and act if there specialized on ranged combat, altis no GM? Ideally, there hough its melee attack(s) aren't too shouldn't be much - if shabby either. Spellcasting abilities any - doubt about an are marginal at best. Class examples: opponent's next action, rangers (many of the melee subtydepending on circumpe), some fighters (again, many of stances. To help with the melee subtype), some rogues this, DB introduces a (always of the sneak subtype, somenew characteristic calltimes of the melee subtype). If theyled Armor Factor. 've got any fancy abilities like the Furthermore, all oppomanyshot feat or the ability to cast nents are assigned to spells, they may be of the special different archetypes subtype. which determine that A caster has weak attacks compared to its opponent's preferred number of hit dice, and the ability to action. cast spells. Examples: clerics (nearly Armor Factor always with the defensive subtype), druids (some with the melee subtyIf in any doubt, oppope), sorcerers/wizards (defensive, nents will attack the offensive or no subtype). character wearing the lightest armor. To help
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you evaluate the amount of armor a PC is wearing - from the opponent's point of view - DB uses the Armor Factor (AF). It's best if you note the AF on your character sheets for ease of reference. See below for how AF affects an opponent's offensive decisions. Calculate AF as follows: No armor (0), light (2), medium (4), heavy (6), buckler (1), small shield (1), large shield (2). Don't count dexterity modifier, rings of protection, bracers of armor or similar items, spell effects or modifiers that grant a bonus to AC, unless it's a clearly visible effect. In that case, add 3 to the AF. Example 1: A fighter (Dex 13) in full plate (AC 8, AF 6) wearing a large shield (AC 2, AF 2) has AC 21 and AF 8. Example 2: A sorcerer (Dex 14) wearing bracers of armor +4 (AC 4, AF 0 (effect not visible)), a ring of protection +2 (AC 2, AF 0 (effect not visible)) and an amulet of natural armor +1 (AC 1, AF 0 (effect not visible)) has AC 19 and AF 0. Example 3: A rogue (Dex 18) wearing a +2 studded leather armor (AC 5, AF 2) and a ring of force shield (AC 2, AF 3 (visible magical effect)) has AC 21 and AF 5.
Types of Opponents As already described in Chapter 4, opponents are categorized as either melee, ranged, or caster. These distinctions are important, as they determine how an opponent will react, as described under Reaction Flow-Chart, below. In addition to these three basic types, some opponents may have been assigned a subtype (don't confuse that with a creature's subtype - in this context it's only used to help determine an opponent's actions and not a game mechanic) that further defines their behavior. A single opponent may fall into more than one subtype, although that's unlikely for the low CRs. The possible subtypes are: Offensive - A caster subtype. This creature is more inclined to use its spell and spell-like abilities in an offensive (damaging, etc.) way. Defensive - A caster subtype. This creature is more inclined to use its spells and spell-like abilities in a defensive (healing, buffing, etc.) way. Melee - A ranged or caster subtype. If such an opponent is attacked in melee, it becomes a melee opponent from then on. Sneak - This opponent will move even when drawing attacks of opportunity to make sneak attacks. Special - This opponent has one or more special attacks which it'll try to use. The names of these special attacks are given in braclets for ease of reference.
Dungeon Bash
Chapter 6: Solo Play
All opponents in the opponents document list their type in the first row of the stat-block.
Reaction Flow-Chart There's a different flowchart for each basic type of opponent, as melee combatants will behave quite differently from spellcasters. When it's an opponent's turn to act, simply consult the relevant flow-chart, starting at the top and work your way down by answering some simple yes/no questions, until you reach an action. Subtypes are important for some options on the flow-chart, and are asked for where appropriate. To understand the flow-charts, some definitions may be in order: In range: Can the intended target be reached (spell or missile range, or basic move distance), and can line of sight be established (if necessary)? In reach: Is there a player character adjacent to the creature or within melee reach?
Mortally wounded: An opponent is mortally wounded if she has only half her starting hit points left, or less. Save move: a move that doesn't draw attacks of opportunity. In addition to the flow-chart, some general advice is necessa-
Notes on feats The following feats need extra rules, or otherwise they'd bog down the flow-charts considerably. Combat expertise: A creature will use this feat to its fullest if it'd fight defensively without it. Manyshot: if attacking the character with the lowest or second-lowest AF, the opponent will use the manyshot feat (and not the rapid shot feat); otherwise she won't. Power attack: if attacking the character with the lowest or second-lowest AF, the opponent will use the power attack feat to its fullest. Otherwise, she won't use the feat at all. Rapid shot: if attacking the character with the lowest or second-lowest AF, the opponent will use the rapid shot feat; otherwise she won't. Spring attack: If possible, a creature with the spring attack feat will move away from the character they attacked if they don't draw attacks of opportunity (which they never do from their target, but possibly from other characters).
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Dungeon Bash
Illustration: Sergio Villa Isaza
Chapter 6: Solo Play
Unintelligent Creatures Some opponents, notably many undead and oozes, don't have an intelligence score. These opponents just hack away at the nearest PC (determine randomly), and keep attacking that character until they kill her, or until they are killled themselves. If that PC moves away from them, they'll choose a different target (as before). All opponents with an intelligence score of less than 4 will act exactly the same as unintelligent creatures.
Critical hits Normally, opponents attack those characters with the lightest armor. That still holds true, but there's one exception: if one of the PCs scores a critical hit, that PC will for the rest of the fight be the preferred target for that opponent (until another PC scores a critical hit on him). Treat successful sneak attacks as critical hits for this regard.
ry: If the number of times per round some opponent's ability can be used is limited, (example: the dodge feat) the opponent will use it against the first PC where he or she can use it, at the first opportunity. If he's got an ability usable for free but for a limited number of times per day , the opponent
will try to (re-) activate that ability as soon as possible (example: a barbarian's rage). If the use of the ability is triggered automatically (the cleave feat, if a PC is dropped, for instance) an opponent will of course use that ability. Melee and ranged opponents favor the character with the lowest AF, while casters prefer characters with the highest AF, unless they have to switch from casting to attacking - in that case, they too prefer characters with the lowest AF. Additionally, a caster's preferred target for a spell that grants a fortitude save won't be a fighter or similar class - in that case, she'll choose the second highest AF instead. A caster will always use the highest spell levels first.
The Unknown Opponent
While you as a player know about the opponent's stats and abilities because they're lying right in front of you, that doesn't mean your character knows too. You've got to make knowledge checks (of the approExamples: Preferred targets priate type, see below) to change your tactic, M1: Melee opponent. PC1: wearing full plate and a shield (AF 8). PC2: wearing a chain and you - as a player - know when to make shirt (AF 2). these checks and when there's no point to them. 1: Pretty straight example. PC1 is unharmed, The most common examples where this is while PC2 is slightly hurt. Because PC2's necessary are damage reduction, resistance and armor is clearly lighter than PC1's, M1 will vulnerabilities. To switch a weapon or use the attack PC2. The grade of wounding is relemost appropriate spell for the occasion you vant only for characters with near-equal need to succeed on the knowledge roll as a free armor. action. 2: PC2 is a 5 foot step away from M1, and, Once you've made an attack which dealt an simply put, as a 5 foot step doesn't involve amount of damage that was reduced or even any danger for M1, he'll make that step to reduced to zero by damage reduction, you're attack PC2. If PC2 would be more than 5 free to try a different weapon or spell - but not feet away and M1 would risk an attack of the best possible; you still need to beat the opportunity from PC1 he wouldn't follow knowledge check DC for that. There's no way up on PC2 - unless he's got the sneak subto switch to a certain weapon or spell to take a type. vulnerability into account, unless the check is successfully made.
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Dungeon Bash
Chapter 6: Solo Play
NPCs and Traps in Solo Play The way NPCs and traps work in DB is already perfectly suited for solo play, so there's no need at all to adjust these rules.
No check is necessary for creatures of a challenge rating two or more points below your character level. Your character is experienced enough to know any strength or weakness of that opponent. The DC for these checks equals 10 + the monster's HD, as usual. Each character may only try once for each type of opponent in any given encounter.
Knowledge skill
Creatures
Arcana Dungeoneering Local Nature
Constructs, dragons, magical beasts Aberrations, oozes Humanoids Animals, fey, giants, monstrous humanoids, plants, vermin NPCs Undead Outsiders, elementals
Nobility and royalty Religion The planes
Opposing Factions Some of the creatures in the dungeon may not get along very well with the other inhabitants. This could be a group of rivals, or unintelligent creatures attacking anything in their sight. That way, there's a chance that a random encounter will be directed not only against the PCs but also against any other encounters. To spice up potential random encounters , consider this optional rule: Mark these random encounters accordingly (an "H" for hostile, for example), but no more than 20% (4 entries), on the random encounter tables. Creatures marked that way will attack every other creature that's not part of its own encounter roll, and chooses its targets by the rules given above. You may only raise encounters of an EL equal to the APL that way. A maximum of six different encounters may be declared hostile.
Morale
Illustration: Melissa Cox
Another optional rule, best suited for solo play, is morale. Assume that opponents are frightened if they are (every single one of the has been) reduced to a quarter or less of their starting hit points. In such circumstances all opponents must succeed on a Will save or otherwise they'll flee. The DC for this Will save is 10, plus the number of opponents already defeated in this fight, minus the number of opponents still conscious. This is another rule that makes live for the PC easier, but keep in mind that all opponents who successfully flee don't leave their treasures behind. Additionally, in DB the characters only receive XP for opponents they've actually beaten. For these reasons, there's no need to adjust encounter difficulties, and if truth be told: a fight where the opponents are forced to check for morale is as good as over anyway.
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Chapter 7: High Levels
Dungeon Bash
High Levels
A
s we've already detailed in the basic rules, playing DB into the high levels is possible, but not without certain difficulties, for three reasons: First, the dungeon environment tends to fall apart the more power the PCs possess. Second, you'll need much more material (encounter tables, opponents, treasure tables) to run adventures from 1st to 20th level than from 1st to 8th. And third, opponents of high CRs likely possess a multitude of abilities that make them harder to run in a quick dungeon bash - let alone a game without a Game Master! Nevertheless, DB includes tables and opponents suitable for all levels from 1 to 20. This chapter was designed to help you with the task of running high-level DB games. This whole chapter is optional - but if you're using it, you should use ALL of it, not just some rules. Note: High levels in DB means levels between 9th and 20th, not epic levels. An epic level party on a normal dungeon romp would be utterly ridiculous. Level 20 is the maximum level for any DB character. Then again, if you absolutely need to have epic level characters, there’s always house rules.
Spells and Abilities Some spells (and spell-like abilities) aren't suitable for a game of DB, as detailed in Chapter 2: Player Characters. In short, this includes all spells that wreak havoc on the dungeon environment, or need a Game Master for interpretation. The list in that chapter only includes spells of up to 5th level, because characters of 8th or lower level (the "standard" maximum for DB characters) can't cast higher level spells - and normally would only be able to cast 4th level spellls; the 5th level spells were added for good measure (and because the level limit is somewhat artificial).
So this spell does WHAT? Some other spells than the ones listed under "Spells and Abilities" might cause issues of a different sort, so here's a small advice - not just for the core spells, but any spells you deem worthy to add. If a spell gives you any unexpected trouble while playing DB, you either got a GM who can interpret the rules in a way they make sense (that's part of being a good GM), or you don't. In the latter case, take a look at the situation at hand: does the spell's effect make sense in the DB context (taking the spells mentioned here and in Chapter 2 as examples)? Doesn't it break the game in any way? And, most important, is it fun? If all the answers are "yes", then you're ready to go. If, on the other hand, you think that this spell would be too good in DB at that level, you've got three options: a) If the spell's a greater boon to the players than it would be in a standard (non-DB) game, assign it a higher spell level. b) Think of an alternative use for the spell (again, taking the spells here and in Chapter 2 as examples). c) Ban the spell. There's a fourth option: visit our message board and ask what others (including the DB designers) think about the spell.
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A note on planar travel: you can't actually reach other planes DB was made with the dungeon environment in mind, not other planes. That said, there may someday be an expansion for DB dealing with planes. Until that day, only use planar travel spells to escape from the dungeon, if at all. The following spells of levels 6 or higher are forbidden: Greater Scrying, Gate. These spells of levels 6 or higher have special rules related to DB: Discern Location (Clr 8, Knowledge 8, Sor/Wiz 8): While it's highly unlikely that you know the main villain or have access to some of her items, you could use this spell in these instances to give you a +2 bonus to find the main quest room if one of these circumstances does apply (for instance, if you're playing a campaign you might've fought the same villain before). If your quest involves an item to be recovered, you can always use this spell. Multiple castings of this spell have no further effect. Earthquake (Clr 8, Destruction 8, Drd 8, Earth 7): Treat the dungeon as a "Cave, Cavern, or Tunnel" environment in regards to this spell. This spell will block the corridor it is used in, so make sure you can still reach the quest room(s) and the dungeon exit. Ethereal Jaunt (Clr 7, Sor/Wiz 7): You may not use this spell to pass through walls, unless there's a room directly behind the wall. Additionally, you can't move through the floor or roof. Etherealness (Clr 9, Sor/Wiz 9): see ethereal jaunt, above. Find the Path (Brd 6, Clr 6, Drd 6, Knowledge 6, Travel 6): This spell can be used to find the main quest room. After casting this spell, add +2 to all rolls to find the main quest room. Note that multiple castings of this spell won't increase the bonus. Furthermore, the caster can bypass any pit traps for as long as the spell's in effect: as long as she's the first character traveling a room or corridor, the party is immune to all kinds of pit traps. Greater Teleport (Sor/Wiz 7, Travel 7): This is the quickest way to leave a dungeon, like teleport. Apart from that, you may only use this spell to transfer to a part of the dungeon that's already explored, or around not yet explored corners, or behind not yet opened doors. Guards and Wards (Sor/Wiz 6). If cast prior to resting, your party is never surprised by an encounter that night. Miracle (Clr 9, Luck 9): You may not spend XP when casting this spell - therefore you're limited to one of the standard effects of this spell. Stone Tell (Drd 6): Using this spell in a dungeon reduces the Random Encounter Number by 1, as the stone tells you of any creatures nearby. Transport via Plant (Drd 6): You may use this spell to escape the dungeon - if you can find a plant: a successful Search Check
Dungeon Bash
Chapter 7: High Levels
(DC = APL+2) is required. You receive a +2 synergy bonus to this check if you've got 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (nature).
Main Quests The following table adds the necessary information to run the standard main quest titled "Monster Hunt" (see Chapter 3) at higher levels. All other main quests use the same rules as before.
Monster Hunt APL / d6
2 Chimeras 2 Bone Devils 3 Vrocks (Demon) Ice Devil (Gelugon) Iron Golem Marut (Inevitable) Nightwalker Marilith (Demon)
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2 Horned Devils (Cornugon) 2 Mariliths (Demon) Balor (Demon) 4 Mariliths (Demon)
18 19 20
High Level Quests
1-2
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Like special quests (see Chapter 5: Advanced Rules), high level quests are alternative main quests, and you need to make a level check to obtain them. Your party must have an APL of 15 or more to start looking for high level quests - if your APL is 18 or more, however, a check is mandatory. To make a level check, roll a d20 and add the APL - if the result is at least equal to the level check DC given in the table below, the party has found access to that particular quest. The party - not individual characters - may try to acquire a single high level quest between adventures. A failed roll means the party hasn't found a high level quest - or rather: no high level quest has found the party. After the rolls for a high level quest, the special quests and the standard main quest have been made, the party must choose their quest from all their available options. Note that if the "Curse that Item!" quest is rolled, this quest should be taken or otherwise the PC is stuck with the cursed item. If the party does choose a different quest regardless, they can always do the "Curse that Item!"-quest later - and suffer the consequences of the curse in the meantime. All high level quests may be taken more than once unless otherwise noted. High Level Quest
To Kill A Dragon Draconic Negotiations Source of Evil Relic Hunter
3-4
5-6
3 Gorgons 2 Vrocks (Demon) 2 Vrocks (Demon) Roper Ice Devil (Gelugon) Glabrezu (Demon) Iron Golem Nalfeshnee (Demon) 2 Glabrezu (Demon) Marut (Inevitable) Nightwalker Horned Devil (Cornugon) 2 Maruts (Inevitable) Marilith (Demon) 2 Horned Devils 2 Nightwalker (Cornugon) 2 Mariliths 3 Horned Devils (Demon) (Cornugon) 3 Mariliths (Demon) Balor (Demon) Pit Fiend (Devil) 4 Mariliths (Demon) 2 Pit Fiend (Devil) 2 Balors (Demon)
Relic Hunter Description: On one of your recent adventures you've found a very old book. After you successfully decipher most of it's content you finally learn of a fabled treasure in a nearby dungeon. The main quest room of that dungeon holds that treasure - it's an artifact! There's no further reward.
Level Check DC
28 30 34 36
Draconic Negotiations
Illustration: Melissa Cox
Description: A dragon in a nearby dungeon is causing trouble. Still, the king thinks that the dragon can be reasoned with - given that the negotiators are powerful enough. Rules: Use the Dragon Table below to find out what kind of dragon the party is up against - but add 1 to the APL for this purpose, as the party's not supposed to fight the dragon, and neither should they. Once the party has reached the quest room, the negotiations may begin. The initial attitude of the dragon is unfriendly, and the party needs to change this attitude into indifferent or better. Should the attitude change to hostile, the dragon attacks. Reward: APLx500 gp if the dragon is indifferent, APLx650 gp if friendly, APLx1,000 gp if helpful.
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Chapter 7: High Levels
Dungeon Bash
Rules: Roll a d6 and consult the table below to find out what artifact the party retrieved after they've cleared the quest room. Note: a single party may only acquire this quest once, but you may decline this quest (and therefore keep looking for more Relic Hunts) if you don't like the randomly chosen artifact. d6
Artifact
1 Book of Infinite Spells 2 Deck of Many Things 3 Hammer of Thunderbolts 4 Philosopher's Stone 5 Talisman of Pure Good* 6 Silver Dragon Orb* * Notes: Talisman of Pure Good - The target always gains a DC 19 Reflex save. Silver Dragon Orb - The party can't be surprised by dragons. All dragons are hostile to the party (no more Draconic Negotiations!).
Source of Evil Description: A breach in the planar fabric has caused a major demonic incursion, and the world's last hope is the party of adventurers. If they can't seal the breach, the whole world will be sucked into
the nether worlds. Time is of the essence, and you'd better hurry. You better don't decline this quest, or else all is lost - your player characters included! Rules: To solve this quest, the party must first find the side quest room, where the eldritch scroll that'll seal the breach is hidden. Once they found the scroll, they need to proceed to the quest room and seal the breach. One spellcasting character needs to spend two rounds sealing the gate without distraction - whenever she is dealt damage she must make a concentration check as if casting a 6th level spell. If that check fails, she must start anew. Special rule: You may not rest more than once, or else the quest is a failure (with the above mentioned consequences). Random encounters occur normally and without limit while in the Main Quest Room for as long as the gate remains opened. This quest always has the same side quest as mentioned above, so you don't get to roll on the side quest table. A single party may only acquire this quest once. Reward: APL x 2 pp, plus one randomly generated major magic item.
To Kill A Dragon Description: A vicious dragon (or a group of dragons) is on the prowl, and the king wants your party to get rid of it once and for all. Use the Dragon Table below to find out what kind of dragon(s) the party is up against. Rules: Only the dragon(s) the PCs are hunting is in the Quest Room. Reward: APLx600 gp (as if the dragon's hoard wasn't enough…)
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Dungeon Bash
Note: Don't forget that dragons are a very tough encounter for their CR. This shouldn't be that much of a problem if you plan accordingly - you know that you'll be fighting a dragon, so put that knowledge to good use.
Chapter 7: High Levels
High Level Side Quests Main Quest
Draconic Negotiations Relic Hunter To Kill A Dragon
Creature (Re-) Sizes Some potential opponents are too large under the standard d20 rules to fit into a DB dungeon. Creatures larger than gargantuan are treated as gargantuan creatures without any changes to their stats. This means that the space a creature occupies in DB is never greater than 20 ft., so they can always squeeze through the standard corridors. If a creature needs to pass a door, assume that the door is as wide as it needs to be, up to 10 feet (so huge and gargantuan creatures need to squeeze through). If you're using the Advanced Dungeon Generator (Chapter 5), some corridors may only be 5 feet wide - no creature larger than large may move through it. If a random encounter indicates a creature of huge or larger size attacking the party, place that creature as close to the party as possible, starting at the dungeon entrance. It won't follow the party, but it'll wait there for them to leave the dungeon - unless it has some kind of movement-related special ability (teleport, for instance). In that case, it'll wait for the party to leave the narrow corridor and attack. If the party retreats through a narrow corridor, creatures larger than large won't follow them for obvious reasons. But the noise it makes howling at the cowardly party instantly draws another random encounter towards the party. APL / d6
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High Levels without a Game Master In Chapter 6: Solo Play you've learned how opponents act if they're not controlled by a GM, and for the first levels that's all you need. But when we're talking high levels, the sheer number of options available to the character's opponents makes the standard Reaction Flow-Charts insufficient. It's okay if a low-level opponent doesn't use one
16 17 18 19 20 21
4
5
6
Minor Monster Minor Monster
Free the Prisoner Family Heirloom Free the Prisoner
Rumor of Treasure Family Heirloom Rumor of Treasure
(minor) special attack or Final Advice special quality of the Read the creature’s special attacks and three at her supposal - a abilities very carefully. While the creahigh-level opponent may ture’s type may tell you which special have dozens, and it'll hurt attack it prefers to use (for instance: a her combat prowess if she dragon’s breath weapon), some of it only uses a quarter of abilities might be active all the time these. (for instance: a nightwalker’s desecraTherefore, more ting aura). detailed flow-charts are needed. Let's call them Advanced Reaction FlowCharts. To understand the flow-charts, some explanations are necessary to define the different circumstances: See Chapter 6 for explanations of "in range", "in reach", "mortally wounded", "preferred targets", and "save move". All other advice still holds true. Note that you could use the Advanced Reaction Flow-Charts at low-levels as well. While this initially might bog down your game somewhat, it'll help you getting used to the charts in no time, and thus speeding up your game at higher levels.
Dragon Table
1-2
3-4
5-6
Mature Adult Green Dragon 2 Mature Adult Blue Dragons Very Old Black Dragon 2 Very Old White Dragons 2 Mature Adult Red Dragons Ancient Green Dragon 4 Very Old Black Dragons
2 Mature Adult Black Dragons Very Old Black Dragon
Very Old White Dragon Mature Adult Red Dragon Very Old Blue Dragon 2 Mature Adult Red Dragons White Dragon Great Wyrm 3 Very Old Blue Dragons 2 Ancient Green Dragons
2 Very Old White Dragons 2 Very Old Black Dragons Ancient Green Dragon White Dragon Great Wyrm 2 White Dragon Great Wyrms
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Appendix: Non-Player Characters
Appendix:
NPCs
Adventurers Initial attitude: indifferent. The party meets another group of adventurers (human cleric, human fighter, human rogue, human wizard of a level equal to the APL-1 (if less than 1, they're all human warriors 1) who've set up camp here. Depending on the adventurers' attitude, the outcome of this encounter may vary: Hostile: The adventurers attack because they regard the party as a threat. Unfriendly: The adventurers leave the party, but secretly lure some wandering monsters to the party. Increase the Random Encounter Number by 3 units. Indifferent: The adventurers give some valuable hints to the party, but demand to be paid (APLx25 gp): Add 1 to all further rolls to find the Main Quest Room. Friendly: The adventurers give some valuable hints to the party, but demand to be paid (APLx5 gp): Add 1 to all further rolls to find the Main Quest Room. Helpful: The adventurers give some valuable hints to the party. Add 1 to all further rolls to find the Main Quest Room. If paid (APLx10 gp), they'll distract the monsters in the area away from the party: Decrease the Random Encounter Number by 3 units.
Eremite Initial attitude: indifferent. An eremite (Human wizard of a level equal to APL+2) has chosen to live in this dungeon. For some unknown reason, the creatures wandering the dungeon don't attack the eremite. He can help the party in various ways, depending on his attitude: Hostile: The eremite attacks. Unfriendly: The eremite points the party to the wrong direction. Subtract 1 from all further rolls to find the Main Quest Room. Indifferent: The eremite will identify one magic item for the party, for a price of 160 gp. Friendly: The eremite will identify one magic item for the party, for a price of 120 gp. Helpful: The eremite will identify one magic item for the party, for a price of 110 gp. Furthermore, he gives some valuable hints to the party: Add 1 to all further rolls to find the Main Quest Room.
Ghost Initial attitude: indifferent. In the middle of the room, a ghost (hit dice equal to APL+1) appears out of nowhere. It doesn't seem to notice the party at all, so it's up to the PCs to either leave the ghost or try to interact with it. Attempts to interact with the ghost suffer a -5 penalty on all diplomacy or intimidate checks. Hostile: The ghost haunts the party. They can banish or turn the ghost, or their Random Encounter Number is increased by 2 units and the minimum number is increased by 3 units for as
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Dungeon Bash long as the ghost remains with them. It will not leave the PCs until they exit the dungeon. Unfriendly: The ghost haunts the party. They can banish or turn the ghost, or their Random Encounter Number is increased by 2 units and the minimum number is increased by 3 units for as long as the ghost remains with them. It will leave the PCs after two random encounters. Indifferent: The ghost continues to ignore the party. Friendly: The ghost gives the party valuable information. Add 1 to all further rolls to find the Main Quest Room. Helpful: The ghost gives the party valuable information. Add 1 to all further rolls to find the Main Quest Room. Furthermore, the ghost will identify one magic item for free (the ghost actually owned that item when he was still alive).
Injured Adventurer Initial attitude: indifferent. A single adventurer (human rogue of a level equal to APL) has survived this dungeon, but the rest of his party has died. She's not sure if she can trust the PCs, but it's in their best interest that she does she can provide them with valuable information. The adventurer is at -1 hp, slowly dying. Diplomacy checks to influence the adventurer's attitude receive a +10 circumstance modifier if the party heals the adventurer so that her hit points are positive - if they don't, they can't interact with her. Hostile: The adventurer sends the party away, but later lures the dungeon's inhabitants their way. Increase the Random Encounter Number by 4 units. Unfriendly: The adventurer sends the party away. Indifferent: The adventurer gives some valuable hints to the party, but demands to be paid (APLx25 gp). Add 1 to all further rolls to find the Main Quest Room. Friendly: The adventurer gives some valuable hints to the party, but demands to be paid (APLx5 gp). Add 1 to all further rolls to find the Main Quest Room. Helpful: The adventurer gives some very valuable hints to the party. Add 2 to all further rolls to find the Main Quest Room.
Injured Inhabitant Initial attitude: unfriendly. A lone goblin (rogue of a level equal to APL-2; if less then one, he's a lv1 warrior) lies in a corner, barely conscious (0 hp). Diplomacy checks to influence the goblin's attitude receive a +5 circumstance modifier if the party uses healing magic on behalf of the goblin. Hostile: The goblin attacks if he's got more than 0 hp. Otherwise he screams for help - a random encounter occurs. Unfriendly: The goblin sends the party away. Indifferent: The goblin gives some valuable hints to the party, if he's first payed (APLx10gp). Add 1 to all further rolls to find the Main Quest Room. Friendly: The goblin gives some valuable hints to the party. Add 1 to all further rolls to find the Main Quest Room. Helpful: The goblin gives some valuable hints to the party. Add 1 to all further rolls to find the Main Quest Room. If paid (APLx10 gp) he'll scout ahead of the party but won't enter any rooms. The next random encounter is prevented by the goblin, as he leads that creature to a different part of the dungeon.
Dungeon Bash
Appendix: Non-Player Characters
Mercenaries Initial attitude: unfriendly. These two mercenaries (Human Fighters of a level equal to the APL) are exploring the dungeon for their own reasons, but nevertheless, they can be hired by the party . Their price is listed on the table below, and each fighter has to be paid individually. They fight a maximum number of battles for the party, depending on their attitude (Helpful: as often as they are paid. Friendly: 5 times. Indifferent: 3 times. Unfriendly: Once). If they were intimidated, they will always only fight once for the party. APL
Unfriendly
Indifferent
Friendly
Helpful
1 4 gp 2 gp 1 gp 1 gp 2 8 gp 4 gp 3 gp 2 gp 3 16 gp 8 gp 7 gp 5 gp 4 30 gp 15 gp 14 gp 10 gp 5 60 gp 30 gp 28 gp 20 gp 6 100 gp 50 gp 47 gp 36 gp 7 220 gp 110 gp 106 gp 90 gp 8 400 gp 200 gp 195 gp 160 gp 9 740 gp 370 gp 360 gp 320 gp 10 150 pp 750 gp 735 gp 690 gp 11 280 pp 140 pp 137 pp 132 pp 12 540 pp 270 pp 264 pp 260 pp 13 1000 pp 500 pp 490 pp 470 pp 14 1920 pp 960 pp 950 pp 920 pp 15 3860 pp 1930 pp 1910 pp 1870 pp 16 7640 pp 3820 pp 3800 pp 3750 pp 17 15300 pp 7650 pp 7620 pp 7500 pp 18 28200 pp 14100 pp 14060 pp 13900 pp 19 53700 pp 26850 pp 26800 pp 26500 pp 20 99900 pp 49950 pp 49850 pp 49100 pp Note that these prices deviate from the prices given in the DMG, because the party hires these mercenaries under very special circumstances.
Initial attitude: friendly A human fighter of a level equal to APL -2 (if less than 1, he's a 1stlevel warrior, not a fighter) is chained to a wall. If the party successsfully frees him from his bounds (see the table below for the DCs), his attitude changes to helpful. This attitude may be further influenced (if intimidated, he provides the benefit listed below, but the prisoner will leave the party afterwards, and they won't be able to colllect the reward).
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Traveling Merchant Initial attitude: indifferent. A Human Rogue of a level equal to APL+1, guarded by two Human Fighters of a level equal to APL is dealing with anyone she meets. Prices for wares : 150% (unfriendly), 100% (indifferent), 95% (friendly), 85% (helpful). Diplomacy changes attitude. Intimidate changes attitude for a single item, thereafter the attitude changes to unfriendly. If the merchant turns hostile, she'll attack the party (note that her wares are magically secured - should the merchant die, her wares disappear to an unknown location outside of the dungeon). Generate treasures according to the following table. The merchant has these items on stock (if you're not interested in, for example, mundane items, you can skip those rolls). APL
Prisoner
APL
10 25 25 11 28 26 12 28 26 13 28 27 14 28 27 15 30 27 16 30 28 17 30 29 18 30 30 19 32 30 20 32 31 Hostile: The prisoner refuses any help by the party and leaves. Unfriendly: The prisoner refuses any help by the party and leaves. Indifferent: The prisoner refuses any help by the party and leaves. Friendly: Add 1 to all further rolls to find the Main Quest Room. Helpful: Add 1 to all further rolls to find the Main Quest Room. The prisoner is at half his maximum hit points. If the characters successfully guard the prisoner and bring him outside, he'll award them APLx10 gp (if friendly) or APLx50 gp (if helpful).
Open Lock DC
Break DC
20 20 20 22 22 22 25 25 25
18 19 20 20 21 22 23 24 24
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Mundane
Minor
Medium
Major
6 6 6 5 5 4 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1
1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1
1 1 1 1 1 2 2 3 3
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Dungeon Bash
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System Reference Document Copyright 2000-2003, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors: Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Rich Baker, Andy Collins, David Noonan, Rich Redman, Bruce R. Cordell, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. Dungeon Bash Copyright 2005-2006, The Other Game Company (TOGC); Author: Stefan Pietraszak.
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