appendix α

This page is a work-in-progress, consisting of additions, alterations, and expansions to the random dungeon tables in Appendix A of the 1st ed. AD&D Dungeon Masters Guide.

At the time of writing, these are being used in my LotFP dungeon crawls, beginning here.

Sorry, there are no hyperlinks within this page as they break every time it's edited. Here's a list of what's included, in order:

-Table V.F.: Chamber or room contents (altered)
-TABLE IX: Time to next expedition (new)
-TABLE X: Why is the new party going into the dungeon? (new)
-Environments
 -Mud/Sludge
 -Puddles
 -Flame
 -Lots of hard cover
 -Slanted floor
 -Balcony
 -Webs
 -Green Slime
 -Pool
 -Fountain
 -Wall of Fire
 -Wall of Ice
 -Wall of Force
 -Wall of Fog
 -Wall of Brambles
 -Choking Dust
 -Gaol

 -Stepped floor
 -Disease

TABLE V. F.: CHAMBER OR ROOM CONTENTS (d20)

Die   Contents
1-4   Empty
5-7   Monster only
8-10  Monster & Treasure*
11-13 Monster & Environment**
14-15 Monster & Treasure* & Environment**
16-17 Environment** only
18    Special, or contains stairway up 1 level (1-5),
      up 2 levels (7-8), down 1 level (9-14), down 2 levels (15-19),
      or down 3 levels — 2 flights of stairs and a slanting passageway (20).
19    Trick/Trap (see TABLE VII.)
20    Treasure (see TABLE V.G.)


* Treasure with a monster is by B/X Treasure Type (LL Hoard Class). Monsters with Nil treasure use TABLE V.G. instead. NB. I reduce the coinage amounts to account for the silver standard of LotFP
** This is that list of 50 things I mentioned above, things that make it harder and/or more intersting to move through the rooms. I should probably make it so more of the empty rooms are environment only, but this is the chart as I have been playing off it for the first batch of delves. I'll post an updated version whenever I start using it. Along with all the environmental rules, at some point.


TABLE IX: Time to next expedition

If an expedition results in the death of all members, or if the survivors of a mission all quit adventuring forever once returning civilisation, roll 1d6 and 1d12 on the following table to determine the length of time that elapses until your new party descends to find certain death fortune & glory.

die elapsed time
1   1d12 days
2   1d12 weeks
3   1d12 months
4   1d12 years
5   1d12 decades
6   1d12 centuries



TABLE X: Why is the new party going into the dungeon?

Roll 1d10. Add +1 to the die roll if the result on Table IX was a 5 or 6 (decades or centuries)

die Result
--- ------
 1  One of the members of the lost expedition is a close friend
    of a PC in the new party, who wishes to rescue them or recover
    their body for burial.*
 2  One of the members of the lost expedition is a relative of a PC
    in the new party, who wishes to rescue them or recover their body
    for burial.*
 3  One of the new PCs got a treasure map off a guy down the pub.
 4  PCs are wandering through the wilderness en route to somewhere
    else and stumble across the dungeon by blind chance.
 5  There are rumours abroad of unholy goings on out by the (wherever
    the dungeon is located), and the PCs have been (1-2 hired,
    3-4 requested, 5-6 Geased), by (1-2 Mayor Withers, 3-4 Goody Turnip,
    5-6 Lord Zalgron) to root out and destroy the Ancient Evil
    therein.
 6  There are rumours abroad of unholy goings on out by the (wherever
    the dungeon is located), and the PCs have decided to look into it
    themselves, for the sake of Goodness, Glory, or Gold (choose as many
    as apply).
 7  The PCs owe (1d6: 1 the Queen, 2 the Thieves' Guild, 3 the Assassins'
    Guild, 4 a wizard, 5 the Wicked Baron, 6 the Church) either 1d6x1000gp
    or three times their net worth, whichever is higher. They suggest you
    look for money to pay them back here...

 8  Your dreams have led you to this spot (1-4 all PCs have had the same
    dream, 5-6 only the party leader has had it)
 9  You have been sent to (1-3 retrieve, 4-6 destroy) a certain item.**
10+ One dark night, whilst a storm rages outside, the PCs (who are
    possibly strangers to one another) are sitting in the local tavern,
    when the door bursts open. A bearded man in a heavy cloak staggers
    into the common room, an arrow protruding from his chest. He collapses,
    and the PCs rush over to him. "An ancient evil," he gasps through
    gritted teeth, "is stirring in the darkness. You must destroy the
    ancient foe, before... before...." With this he has breathed his last
    (despite the fact that the game rules you are using have no mechanism
    whereby he could have survived the hit point loss long enough to wander
    in here and then die, and even though there's like 3 clerics within
    an arm's reach healing spells somehow can't save him). On his body you
    find a map to the dungeon. You know that you must complete the man's
    quest, lest the whole world suffer some grim, unspecified fate.


* Rescue or recovery will depend on the time elapsed. If PC(s) in the first party were rendered unconscious rather than killed (if the rules you are using do not have a mechanism in place for this, assume anyone brought to exactly 0hp counts), an intelligent creature may take them prisoner rather than slaying/devouring them immediately. Assume a base 50% chance, adjusting upwards if the PC in question is worth a sizable ransom (and the creature has a use for the money), downwards if the creature is undead, etc. Captured PCs may be held in either the creature's lair, or any obvious gaol-type rooms already mapped. If no suitable area exists amongst the already-mapped locations, put an X somewhere in a randomly determined blank square, either on the dungeon level where the PC was captured or the one just below it; when the newly mapped areas lead to this square, the prisoner's cell will be found [see Gaol under Environments for details]. If the map seems to pass right by it, it may be an oubliette, accessible only via a trap door in the ceiling or a secret door in a wall. Alternately, PCs captured by evil clerics or demons may be about to be sacrificed; in this case, they will be found by an appropriate altar. If one lunar month has elapsed, there is an 70% chance that the sacrifice has already been performed. This increases to 90% after three months, and 100% after one year.

** The item will be located in a random location either on the lowest level currently mapped or 1-2 levels below it (roll 1d3-1), in a location chosen at random (possibly in a secret room as for rescuing prisoners, in the note above). the PCs have been (1-2 hired, 3-4 requested, 5-6 Geased) by (1d6: 1 the wizard's guild, 2 the king, 3 an alchemist, 4 a high-priestess, 5 a dragon, 6 the council of druids).

Environments


Mud/Sludge
The floor is covered in sludge at least knee-deep, halving all movement rates. Loose treasure and dropped items will require a search roll to find.


Puddles
There are puddles of (probably nasty) water on the floor. Anyone rolling a 1 in combat will slip and fall. Anyone running must save vs. Paralyze at +4 in order to avoid falling.


Flame
Gouts of flame shoot from nozzles in the floor, walls, and ceiling. Moving through the room requires a saving throw vs.Breath Weapon in order to avoid damage. Monsters who are especially vulnerable to flames will not pursue through this room. Others will need a morale check to pursue. Damage varies by Dungeon Level (DL)

DL Damage
-- ------
1  1d6
2  1d8
3  1d10
4  2d6
+1 +1d6



Lots of hard cover
The room is filled with lots of furniture, rubble, columns, etc. that make good cover.


Slanted floor
The floor is slanted, either as a slope or in a bowl shape. Anyone hit in combat must save vs. Paralyze or tumble down to the bottom, losing their next action.


Balcony
A balcony runs along 1-3 sides of the room, with stairs up (50/50 chance of stairs at one or both ends. Stairs are 15% likely to be spiral (but all stairs will be identical). Exits will be on the balcony level if at all possible.


Webs
The room is filled with webs. Roll 1d6:

1-2 As Web spell
3-4 Only effect is to obscure sight; make search rolls to find
    anything, including exits
5-6 Both



Green Slime
Green Slime is more of a hazard than a monster. Roll 1d6 for its location:

1-2 Over the entrance
3-4 Over the exit(s)*
5-6 Over the treasure


* roll 1d2, 1d3, etc.


Pool
This is my reminder to myself that pools should be environmental features so they don't only occur in circular chambers.


Fountain
there will be a table here when I get round to it


Wall of X
as the appropriate spell, but permanent.


Choking Dust
If stirred up by quick movement or combat, all within must save vs. poison or suffer -2 to attack rolls until 1d6 minutes after leaving the area. Check each round until a saving throw is failed; the penalty is non-cumulative. +4 to saves if prepared (cloth over the mouth & nose, holding breath, etc.)


Gaol
This room contains a cell or cells (depending on size) of stout iron bars.
Any monsters present will be guards or gaolers, as appropriate. Only gaolers will posess keys to the cells.
If treasure is indicated, it will actually be the ransom value of the prisoner(s), though 1d4 items of jewellery (if present) may still be worn still. Any in excess of this number will be part of the ransom/reward to be paid.
If the PCs rescue any prisoners (or recover bodies) and bring them safely back to civilisation, they will be rewarded with the ransom listed on the table below (minus any jewellery being worn by the prisoners, of course). Dead prisoners may still be wearing jewellery, of course. Living prisoners will only have been here 1d10 weeks. For dead prisoners, roll (1d4 or 1d6) on Table IX to determine how long they have been dead.
There is a 50% chance of 1d6 living prisoners, and an 80% chance of 1d4 dead prisoners. Roll 1d10 for each:

die type        Ransom
--- ----        ------
1-5 peasant*    10% chance of 1d100gp (alive only)
6-8 merchant    TT (20% chance of payout if dead**)
9   noble       TT (80% chance of payout if dead**)
10  adventurer* 10%/level chance of 1d6x1000gp (alive only)


* Adventurers may offer to join the party if they are given equipment and are still able to fight. Some kinds of peasants (militia, thugs, etc.) may do as well. If you don't have a table of random peasant occupations to hand, assume 1 in 6 are in this category. Adventurers are of the level range commonly encountered on this dungeon level. Peasants are all 0-level normal humans.
** Collecting this ransom is not automatic. It may even be an adventure in itself, but that is outside the scope of this appendix.


Stepped floor
The floor is stepped, resembling either a theatre/amphitheatre or a pyramid, and having a platform at the top/bottom. 50% chance to be inverted. Combattants on the steps may take advantage of bonuses for higher ground.

Disease
Anyone passing through the room must save vs. poison or catch a random disease. Anyone injured in combat in the room saves at -4.

No comments:

Post a Comment