Celebrating 2020 - The Year of Blackmoor - 50th Anniversary of Blackmoor and of Role-Playing!
Today is Part 63 of my series on OD&D, with The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures Vol. 3.
**For those coming in, in the middle of this series I am giving you my take on OD&D during my first exposure starting in Sept of 1975. For this first part it is just the first three books of the original woodgrain box set and prior to obtaining the Greyhawk, Blackmoor and later Supplements.**
Now we will start our look at Underworld Monsters:
Even without surprise all the encounters will tend to be at very close range. I like to run the encounters in as close to real time as possible. By the time the players are in the dungeon they should know that they need to have a plan A, B,C and possibly a plan D. Because once an encounter occurs there is no time to discuss things, everyone need s to know what they are doing, because the monsters are not going to stand around while you discuss things. When I ask, "What do you want to do?" The players need to immediately answer without delay. If they delay, the monsters will get a free move and potentially a free attack.
It is virtually impossible for an adventuring party to surprise monsters, unless there are conditions that make it possible. Things like a high ambient noise level and a bright light source so that an approaching party may not be heard or seen. Things that will interfere with the home field advantage that the monsters get. Otherwise, the nature of things are such that the players will often be surprised and that (potentially) is often an ambush.
Now here is a place that I differ, the assumption is that all non-intelligent monsters will attack. I disagree, many predators will not attack a strong party. They do not have to be sentient for that to happen. On the other hand large herbivores are more likely to attack than predators. Then it follows that, intelligent monsters may not attack either even if they do not judge the party as too strong to attack. It really depends on why the monster is there. It is quite possible that the monster(s) are there for reasons similar to the party. Not all monsters in dungeons are there to keep people out of dungeons. There is also the situation where monsters may seek to lead the party into an ambush where the party can be attacked from many directions.
This is the 10 minute Exploration Turn being indicated here.
If like me your dungeon goes down many levels beyond 13, you will want to revised this table and create many additional Monster Level Tables.
I took all of these tables and expanded them to 20 options and used a d20 roll on each table as it was selected.
As you can see the danger level increases very rapidly. When I expanded these tables I increased the number of intelligent options on these tables.
Do you see the asterisk for Wizards and Evil High Priests? I added that asterisk for other creatures and on all of the tables there are at least two with an asterisk. Asterisk were applied as one, two, three or four asterisks referring to new footnotes, not just the one below.
As I said, I expanded these options so that most intelligent creatures will have lower hit dice NPCs with them.
There are a wide range of options available and if you are like me you also started creating your own monsters and particularly in dungeons there may be one of a kind monsters created and set to its task for a set purpose.
The intelligent monsters should be played as intelligent, crafty and fond of their own lives. If they greatly outnumber the party they may seek to lead the party to a location where their numbers can be used against the party. Perhaps a larger area with several entrances and a number of well placed secret doors from which attacks may be launched. Other times they may be seeking a temporary alliance for help from some other enemy of their own.
Again, I do not have it as a given that monsters will automatically attack. I do not follow the numbers here. If there is a pursuit, the monsters may follow (50% chance) as long as they can clearly here the players.If there is a secret door involved the monsters may be very familiar with the door and so there is a 1 in 3 chance that the monsters will follow or a 1 in 3 chance the monsters will go to meet the players where that passage comes out. Chase scenes are great fun can continue for quite a while unless there is a large different in movement rates. Plus fleeing is noisy and it may attract other denizens of the dungeon.
I reduced this to a 10% chance, I have been surprised many times over the last 64 years and I have yet to drop what I was holding.
The monsters need to be at maximum range initially to even have a chance to light oil, unless the players have been able while fleeing to widen the gap between themselves and the monsters. Edible items I used as per the above Treasure can be quite effective at times.
This takes us back to the beginning of the section, where I do not automatically have them attack. Attack or pursuit can happen with a negative reaction coupled with why the monster is there.
Tomorrow we will move on to an example of a referee running a dungeon expedition.
Also ask yourself this, how many monsters were named in this section that have not been previously mentioned.
Today is Part 63 of my series on OD&D, with The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures Vol. 3.
**For those coming in, in the middle of this series I am giving you my take on OD&D during my first exposure starting in Sept of 1975. For this first part it is just the first three books of the original woodgrain box set and prior to obtaining the Greyhawk, Blackmoor and later Supplements.**
Now we will start our look at Underworld Monsters:
Even without surprise all the encounters will tend to be at very close range. I like to run the encounters in as close to real time as possible. By the time the players are in the dungeon they should know that they need to have a plan A, B,C and possibly a plan D. Because once an encounter occurs there is no time to discuss things, everyone need s to know what they are doing, because the monsters are not going to stand around while you discuss things. When I ask, "What do you want to do?" The players need to immediately answer without delay. If they delay, the monsters will get a free move and potentially a free attack.
It is virtually impossible for an adventuring party to surprise monsters, unless there are conditions that make it possible. Things like a high ambient noise level and a bright light source so that an approaching party may not be heard or seen. Things that will interfere with the home field advantage that the monsters get. Otherwise, the nature of things are such that the players will often be surprised and that (potentially) is often an ambush.
Now here is a place that I differ, the assumption is that all non-intelligent monsters will attack. I disagree, many predators will not attack a strong party. They do not have to be sentient for that to happen. On the other hand large herbivores are more likely to attack than predators. Then it follows that, intelligent monsters may not attack either even if they do not judge the party as too strong to attack. It really depends on why the monster is there. It is quite possible that the monster(s) are there for reasons similar to the party. Not all monsters in dungeons are there to keep people out of dungeons. There is also the situation where monsters may seek to lead the party into an ambush where the party can be attacked from many directions.
This is the 10 minute Exploration Turn being indicated here.
If like me your dungeon goes down many levels beyond 13, you will want to revised this table and create many additional Monster Level Tables.
I took all of these tables and expanded them to 20 options and used a d20 roll on each table as it was selected.
As you can see the danger level increases very rapidly. When I expanded these tables I increased the number of intelligent options on these tables.
Do you see the asterisk for Wizards and Evil High Priests? I added that asterisk for other creatures and on all of the tables there are at least two with an asterisk. Asterisk were applied as one, two, three or four asterisks referring to new footnotes, not just the one below.
As I said, I expanded these options so that most intelligent creatures will have lower hit dice NPCs with them.
The intelligent monsters should be played as intelligent, crafty and fond of their own lives. If they greatly outnumber the party they may seek to lead the party to a location where their numbers can be used against the party. Perhaps a larger area with several entrances and a number of well placed secret doors from which attacks may be launched. Other times they may be seeking a temporary alliance for help from some other enemy of their own.
Again, I do not have it as a given that monsters will automatically attack. I do not follow the numbers here. If there is a pursuit, the monsters may follow (50% chance) as long as they can clearly here the players.If there is a secret door involved the monsters may be very familiar with the door and so there is a 1 in 3 chance that the monsters will follow or a 1 in 3 chance the monsters will go to meet the players where that passage comes out. Chase scenes are great fun can continue for quite a while unless there is a large different in movement rates. Plus fleeing is noisy and it may attract other denizens of the dungeon.
I reduced this to a 10% chance, I have been surprised many times over the last 64 years and I have yet to drop what I was holding.
The monsters need to be at maximum range initially to even have a chance to light oil, unless the players have been able while fleeing to widen the gap between themselves and the monsters. Edible items I used as per the above Treasure can be quite effective at times.
This takes us back to the beginning of the section, where I do not automatically have them attack. Attack or pursuit can happen with a negative reaction coupled with why the monster is there.
Tomorrow we will move on to an example of a referee running a dungeon expedition.
Also ask yourself this, how many monsters were named in this section that have not been previously mentioned.
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