The Gaming Den

Posted: **Fri May 03, 2019 7:47 pm**

In the Best of Dragon vol. I were published Gary Gygax's own tables for generating a dungeon for "solo" play - you are player and gamemaster in one. A couple people expressed an interest so...let's play.

Rules are pretty simple: we will roll up a completely random character using Total Party Kills' generator and then we will generate the dungeon and put them through it. Those who choose to play decide on various actions, the "game" ends when the dungeon is fully mapped out. Mere PC death will not be an end, since we can just roll up another PC.

Current PC: Gorman the Dwarf, 2nd level

Roll of the Dead:
Morgan, 1st-level Fighter, killed by a goblin in Room 2.
Margo the Medium, 1st-level Magic-User, killed by a spiked pit in Room 5.

Code: Select all

Morgan, 1st level Fighter

HP&#58; 4/4   
AC&#58; 8   
XP&#58; 0

Attributes&#58;

  STR&#58; 14 &#40;+1&#41;
  INT&#58; 7 &#40;-1&#41;
  WIS&#58; 10
  DEX&#58; 13 &#40;+1&#41;
  CON&#58; 5 &#40;-2&#41;
  CHA&#58; 13 &#40;+1&#41;

Saves&#58;

  Death Ray or Poison&#58; 12
  Magical Wands&#58; 13
  Paralysis or Turn to Stone&#58; 14
  Dragon Breath&#58;15
  Rods, Staves, or Spells&#58; 16

To Hit Table&#58;

  AC&#58;    9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1  0 
  Roll&#58;   9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18 

Languages&#58; Common, Alignment

Optional Appearance&#58;  Male, Old, Elaborate Attire, Hairy

Equipment&#58;
  
   * Splint Armor
   * Flail
   * Dagger
   * Short bow
   * Quiver of 20 Arrows
   * 6 Torches
   * Backpack
   * Waterskin
   * 1 Week Iron Rations
   * 50' Rope
   * Small Sack
   * 10 gp

Now, following Gygax's method:

The upper level above the dungeon in which your solo adventures are to take place should be completely planned out, and it is a good idea to use the outdoor encounter matrix to see what lives where (a staircase discovered later just might lead right into the midst of whatever it is). The stairway down to the first level of the dungeon should be situation in the approximate middle of the upper ruins (or whatever you have as upper works.)

Rolling on the white box table for "clearing" doesn't give an encounter, so...

You stand in the clearing, far from the nearest town or village, in the midst of an abandoned ruin. You know little of this place, for its origins have long passed from living memory, but such locations are known to attract monsters, and to hold the wealth and magic of ages past. Nary a stone remains standing upon one another, but a central section of masonry floor is still in relatively good repair and free of vegetation, and gaping darkly in the middle of it is a stairway leading down to darkness...

What does Morgan do before he descends?

Posted: **Fri May 03, 2019 8:16 pm**

Eat a full day's worth of those iron rations so he can die on a full stomach.

Posted: **Fri May 03, 2019 11:30 pm**

Sounds good to me. We should definitely save some food, in case we starve or find something we can give/toss food to/at, but chowing down on a day's worth probably isn't a bad idea.

Posted: **Sat May 04, 2019 3:44 am**

Light a torch, don armor, pray to the gods.

Posted: **Sat May 04, 2019 3:51 am**

K wrote:Light a torch, don armor, pray to the gods.

Good idea. Seconding that.

Posted: **Sat May 04, 2019 3:55 am**

Decide that his life is not worth throwing away to hungry monsters and leave, re-connect with the wife and kids, maybe shave a little, and generally enjoy middle-age life before catching syphilis at age 72 and then being run over by a bus at age 97.

Or bow to the will of the majority and enter into that sweet virgin dungeon hole.

Either way we should do so pantless.

Posted: **Sat May 04, 2019 6:58 am**

Vetoing the pantless if I can, those probably give +1 to AC.

Light torch, don armour, pray to Azathoth, enter hole.

Posted: **Sat May 04, 2019 12:03 pm**

Wiping the crumbs of his meal from his shirt, Morgan dons his armor, strikes sparks with his dagger to light his torch, and offers a brief prayer that the daemon sultan at the center of the universe is not watching. With the eyes of no gods upon him, he descends...

Gary wrote wrote: The first level of the dungeon is always begun with a room; that is, the stairway down leads to a room, so you go immediately to TABLE V. and follow the procedure indicated. ALways begin a level in the middle of the sheet of graph paper.

Sunlight from above illuminates the room, though the corners are dark. It is square, 20 feet long by 20 feet wide, and tall enough to stand in comfortably. there are four exits: one on the wall to the right (East), and three set in the wall straight ahead (North). The room is empty. Morgan ponders the situation carefully: which door should he try?

Posted: **Sat May 04, 2019 12:05 pm**

Left is always right. The leftmost door is in the North wall. Take it.

Posted: **Sat May 04, 2019 12:12 pm**

First left in the north wall.

Posted: **Sat May 04, 2019 12:23 pm**

Is there anything written above the doors?
If not: leftmost door

Posted: **Sat May 04, 2019 2:29 pm**

Room 2
The door opens to a larger room - still square, but 40 feet on each side. Holding the flickering torch high, Morgan can see four exits - one on the opposite wall (North), one on the left wall (West), one on the right wall (East), and another door on the same wall (South).

In the middle of the room, however, is a dirty man in unkempt leather armor, with a round wooden shield slung across his back and a sword at his side. He grins menacingly at you, showing rotten, blackened teeth and bloody gums. The man squints against the light of the torch.

"Yer money or yer life!" The bandit demands, drawing his sword and readying his shield.

Posted: **Sat May 04, 2019 2:47 pm**

Hmmm...we are better equipped than he is, and only carrying 10 gp.

I vote for pointing this out and then suggesting we team up to fight richer monsters.

Posted: **Sat May 04, 2019 2:56 pm**

I'd say either attack him with the flail or shoot him with an arrow, prefering the bow
I don't trust him to not backstab us and run back out if we show him a moment of weakness

Posted: **Sat May 04, 2019 3:03 pm**

I think the recruit plan is dumb, but poor Morgan is both dumb and charming, so go for it.

Posted: **Sat May 04, 2019 3:12 pm**

It's dumb but also fun so go with it.

Posted: **Sat May 04, 2019 3:29 pm**

Room 2:

Morgan makes his offer. The bandit hesitates, rotten teeth gnawing at his lip. For the first time you realize there is no source of light in the room...how long has the bandit been there in the dark?

The bandit lets his sword dip, until the point hovers just above the floor.

"Aye...alright. Been a while since I had a partner." He looks around at the doors. "I don't know my way. Which door should we take, d'ye think?"

Posted: **Sat May 04, 2019 3:57 pm**

Further North?

Posted: **Sat May 04, 2019 4:29 pm**

Left is always right. That could be either the west door or the other south door, but whichever is first on the left.

Posted: **Sat May 04, 2019 4:31 pm**

If the other south exit is to the West of our current position, then take it; otherwise go West (which is left).

Posted: **Sat May 04, 2019 5:20 pm**

Room 2:

Morgan nods his head to the door immediately to his left, on the south wall. "Why don't we go try that one? Good as any."

The bandit grunts. "Fine. Ye go first." His face breaks into a black-toothed smile. "Unless ye don't trust me...partner."

_____
Do you trust him? Or are you going to fight it out?

Posted: **Sat May 04, 2019 5:35 pm**

Show trust to earn trust.

Posted: **Sat May 04, 2019 5:44 pm**

Let's look into the room first. He stands at one side of the door, and we at the other

Posted: **Sat May 04, 2019 6:19 pm**

Show trust. If not in our companion than in our splint armour.

Posted: **Sat May 04, 2019 6:35 pm**

Motioning the bandit to stand to the right of the south door, Morgan holds the torch high and opens it...

Room 3

The light illuminates a smaller chamber, 10 feet square, with a single door opposite...but it is not empty. Four creatures squat on the ground, tossing knucklebones. Eight beady eyes turn toward the flickering light of Morgan's torch, revealing heavy sloping brows, pointed ears, dark greenish skin marked with ritual scars, and greasy hair...they stand no taller than beardless youths, but their hands grasp at wicked-looking swords...

"Gobbos!" the bandit gasps.

The Gaming Den

Tomb of Xagyg: Solo Dungeon & Dragons Adventure

Tomb of Xagyg: Solo Dungeon & Dragons Adventure