101 dungeoneering

Dungeons. Dungeons and Dragons. There's a lot more dungeons in D&D than dragons. Technically, any adventuring area or structure is considered a "dungeon" even if it isn't a stonework basement of a castle. So how do you survive a dungeon? Skill, preparation, caution, and a touch of luck.

Dungeons have two major threats: the environment and the things that live in it.

When considering the environment of the dungeon, think about where it comes from. Is it a natural cave system without intelligent addition? A bear's cave isn't likely to hold secret doors or traps. Is it a paranoid wizard's retreat? Someplace he's rigged with traps to protect himself but might not have as many random monsters. Is it a place with creatures that might be convinced not to fight or a place you need to get into without being seen? If you have the ability to prepare yourself for what you may find, you might give yourself an advantage once you're inside. It doesn't do to go into a fire breathing dragon's lair with cold resistance.

While you're inside, be aware that you are the intruder. You are the one who doesn't belong. If you are too loud, They might hear you. If you shine your lights where they don't belong, They might see you. If you linger, They might find you. Be always on your guard.

Marching order- Where you are in a group will determine what you can or cannot see or hear. Only people in the front will be able to spot things in front of you. Only people in the back will be able to hear things behind you. If you're attacked or a trap goes off, it might affect some but not all the people in the group. Be aware of your surroundings and where you place your most vulnerable and most skilled party members.

Traveling through the dungeon- Stealth, Survival, Perception, Investigation, Thieves' Tools, Light.

Stealth allows you to hide or move silently. If you are sneaking or attempting to travel without making too much noise, you roll stealth. Survival allows you to find and follow tracks of monsters with some classes, like the ranger, offering bonuses to tracking like learning the number of creatures or how long ago they passed through.

Perception allows you to spot things that look 'off'. Sometimes it might be movement in a shadow- an ambush, a sparkle of treasure in the corner, a raised flagstone that might be indicative of a trap. Investigation allows you to intentionally search for something- looting a body, looking for a key or a trap's mechanism.

As you travel, it might be smart to have your most eagle-eyed party member in the front to spot these things. They may choose to travel slowly down a suspicious corridor, checking every nook and cranny along the way. Just keep in mind that time does not stand still in a dungeon. Creatures still wander. People grow hungry and tired. The world keeps moving.

Traps- Perception will let you spot a trap. Investigation will let you search for it. Proficiency in thieves tools will allow you to disarm it. Sometimes you won't be able to disarm a thing and will have to just avoid it. Context is everything.

Lighting- some creatures have abilities that allow them to see in the dark. Some of you have darkvision. But if you can't see in the dark, you may need lighting. You can only see black and white in darkness, and only with darkvision. But be aware that other creatures might be able to see light too.

Resting- Speaking of time moving, sometimes you might feel the need to rest. Many of your abilities have a sentence that says "recharges on a short or long rest." At any point if you're not currently doing anything strenuous, you can take an hour and rest. You can eat, recharge your abilities, and heal up a little bit. (See resting for more information.) Just remember that the creatures around you might be wandering around. It would be best to find a nice, secluded, safe area to rest. There is no limit to the number of times you can short rest. A long rest is an 8 hour rest that includes at least 6 hours of sleeping (4 for elves). You can only long rest once per 24 hours. You'll also need to eat and drink at least once a day, so remember your rations and waterskins. If you plan to be traveling for long, you'll need to prepare.

Keep in mind that the DM is there to play the world. They won't always prompt rolls. If you want to be checking for traps, you need to say so. If you want to sneak, you need to say so. Otherwise, you're just walking down the hall like you would at home.