Dungeon Master's Guide

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abandoned campsites, and other finds can add flavor to your world, foreshadow future encounters or events, or provide hooks for further adventures. A wilderness journey might take multiple sessions to play out. That said, if the wilderness journey includes long periods with no encounters, use the travel-montage approach to bridge gaps between encounters. MAPPING A WILDERNESS In contrast to a dungeon, an outdoor setting presents seemingly limitless options. The adventurers can move in any direction over a trackless desert or an open grassland, so how do you as the DM deal with all the possible locations and events that might make up a wilderness campaign? What if you design an encounter in a desert oasis, but the characters miss the oasis because they wander off course? How do you avoid creating a boring play session of uninterrupted slogging across a rocky wasteland? One solution is to think of an outdoor setting in the same way you think about a dungeon. Even the most wide-open terrain presents clear pathways. Roads seldom run straight because they follow the contours of the land, finding the most level or otherwise easiest routes across uneven ground. Valleys and ridges channel travel in certain directions. Mountain ranges present forbidding barriers traversed only by remote passes. Even the most trackless desert reveals favored routes, where explorers and caravan drivers have discovered areas of wind-blasted rock that are easier to traverse than shifting sand. If the party veers off track, you might be able to relocate one or more of your planned encounters elsewhere on the map to ensure that the time spent preparing those encounters doesn't go to waste. Chapter 1 discusses the basics of creating a wilderness map at three different scales to help you design your world and the starting area of your campaign. Especially when you get down to province scale (1 hex= 1 mile), think about paths of travel- roads, passes, ridges and valleys, and so on-that can guide character movement across your map. MOVEMENT ON THE MAP Narrate wilderness travel at a level of detail appropriate to the map you're using. If you're tracking hour-by-hour movement on a province-scale map (1 hex= 1 mile), you can describe each hamlet the adventurers pass. At this scale, you can assume that the characters find a noteworthy location when they enter its hex unl ~ ss the site is specifically hidden. The characters might not walk directly up to the front door of a ruined castle when they enter a hex, but they can find old paths, outlying ruins, and other signs of its presence in the area. If you're tracking a journey of several days on a kingdom-scale map (1 hex= 6 miles), don't bother with details too small to appear on your map. It's enough for the players to know that on the third day of their journey, they cross a river and the land starts rising before them, and that they reach the mountain pass two days later. WILDERNESS FEATURES o wilderness map is complete without a few settlements, strongholds, ruins, and other sites worthy of discovery. A dozen such locations scattered over an area roughly 50 miles across is a good start. Mo STER LAIRS A wilderness area approximately 50 miles across can support roughly a half-dozen monster lairs, but probably no more than one apex predator such as a dragon. If you expect the characters to explore a monster's lair, you'll need to find or create an appropriate map for the lair and stock the lair as you would a dungeon. MONUMENTS In places where civilization rules or once ruled, adventurers might find monuments built to honor great leaders, gods, and cultures. Use the Monuments table for inspiration, or randomly roll to determine what monument the adventurers stumble upon. MONUMENTS d20 l Monument Sealed burial mound or pyramid 2 Plundered burial mound or pyramid 3 Faces carved into a mountainside or cliff 4 Giant statues carved out of a mountainside or cliff S-6 Intact obelisk etched with a warning, historical lore, dedication, or religious iconography 7-8 Ruined or toppled obelisk 9-10 Intact statue of a person or deity 11-13 Ruined or toppled statue of a person or deity 14 Great stone wall, intact, with tower fortifications spaced at one-mile intervals 15 Great stone wall in ruins 16 Great stone arch 17 Fountain 18 Intact circle of standing stones 19 Ruined or toppled circle of standing stones 20 Totem pole RUINS Crumbling towers, ancient temples, and razed cities are perfect sites for adventures. Additionally, noting the existence of an old, crumbling wall that runs alongside a road, a sagging stone windmill on a hilltop, or a jumble of standing stones can add texture to your wilderness. SETTLEMENTS Settlements exist in places where food, water, farmland, and building materials are abundant. A civilized province roughly 50 miles across might have one city, a few rural towns, and a scattering of villages and trading posts. An uncivilized area might have a single trading post that stands at the edge of a wild frontier, but no larger settlements. In addition to settlements, a province might contain ruined villages and towns that are either abandoned or serve as lairs for marauding bandits and monsters. CHAPTER 5 I ADVENTURE ENVIRONMENTS
STRONGHOLDS Strongholds provide the local population with protection in times of trouble. The number of strongholds in an area depends on the dominant society, the population, the strategic importance or vulnerability of the region, and the wealth of the land. WEIRD LOCALES Weird locales make the fantastic and the supernatural an intrinsic part of your wilderness adventures. WEIRD LOCALES d20 Locale 1-2 Dead magic zone (si milar to an anti magic fi eld) 3 Wi ld magic zone (roll on the Wi ld Magic Surge table in the Player's Handbook whenever a spell is cast with in the zone) 4 Boulder carved with talking faces 5 Crystal cave that mystically answers questions 6 Ancient tree containing a trapped spirit 7-8 Battlefield where lingering fog occasionally assumes humanoid forms 9-10 Permanent portal to another plane of existence 11 Wishing we ll 12 Giant crystal shard protruding from the ground 13 Wrecked ship, which might be nowhere near water 14-15 Haunted hill or barrow mound 16 River ferry guided by a skeletal captain 17 Field of petrified soldiers or other creatures 18 Forest of petrified or awakened trees 19 Canyon containing a dragons' graveyard 20 Floating earth mote with a tower on it WILDERNESS SURVIVAL Adventuring in the wilderness presents a host of perils beyond the threats of monstrous predators and avage raiders. WEATHER You can pick weather to fit your campaign or roll on the Weather table to determine the weather for a given day, adjusting for the terrain and season as appropriate. WEATH ER d20 1-14 15-17 18- 20 d20 1-1 2 13-17 18-20 d20 1-12 13-17 18-20 Temperature Normal for the season 1d4 x 10 degrees Fahrenheit colder than normal 1d4 x 10 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than normal Wind None Light Strong Precipitation None Light rain or light snowfall Heavy rai n or heavy sn owfall CHAPTER 5 I ADVENTURE ENVIRONMENTS
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CREDITS D&D Lead Designers: Mike Me
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INTRODUCTION T'S GOOD TO BE THE DUN
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KNow YouR PLAYERS The success of a
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OUR WORLD IS THE SETTING FOR YOUR C
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for example, might also be patron o
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FORCES AND PHILOSOPHIES Not all div
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SETTLEMENTS The places where people
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_ lost settlements are agricultural
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each is ruled by a council of drow
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11ARPER5 ORDER OF THE GAUNTLET EMER
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dedicated to preserving the natural
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CREATING A CAMPAIGN The world you c
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PuTTING EvENTS IN MoTION -------- W
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• Describe or name the creature t
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Who or what is to blame for the los
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times of day. And some holy days ar
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CHARACTER NAMES Part of your campai
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Characters who reach 20th level hav
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DARK FANTASY Vampires brood on the
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HAPTER 2: CREATING A MULTIVERSE lHE
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"PLANAR PORTALS • aistlin's] eyes
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dead god or other chunks of rock dr
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ETHEREAL CURTAINS d8 Plane Color of
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S HADOWFELL • iven stood in the u
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wt of clashing energies and collidi
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PLANE OF FIRE Fire represents vibra
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Page 61 and 62: O PTIONAL RULE: INTENSE YEARNING -e
Page 63 and 64: that figure into the schemes of the
Page 65 and 66: Stygia is also home to its previous
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Page 72 and 73: USEFUL MAPS A good adventure needs
Page 74 and 75: O""i'Mi:.'i\ C.o~"L~ dl2 Goal Seize
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Page 82 and 83: COMBAT ENCOUNTER DIFFICULTY There a
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Page 86 and 87: CHECKING FOR RANDOM ENCOUNTERS You
Page 89 and 90: CHAPTER 4: CREATING NONPLAYER CHARA
Page 91 and 92: BOND In a sentence, summarize the p
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Page 95 and 96: o1 LL AIN 1 S METHODS d20 Methods M
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Page 100 and 101: eholder·s disintegration eye ray h
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Page 106: WILDERNESS Between the dungeons and
Page 111 and 112: THIN leE Thin ice has a weight tole
Page 113 and 114: RANDOM BUILDINGS Pulse-pounding cha
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Page 117 and 118: determining exhaustion. Swimming fo
Page 119 and 120: AIRBORNE AND WATERBORNE VEHICLES Sh
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Page 126 and 127: To keep players from straying, save
Page 128 and 129: MoRE Do-\\~TIME AcTn~TIE Chapter 8,
Page 130 and 131: individuals interested in buying ma
Page 133 and 134: CHAPTER 7: TREASURE DVENTURERS STRI
Page 135 and 136: 250 GP ART OBJECTS dlO Object Gold
Page 137 and 138: TREASURE HOARD: CHALLENGE 0-4 CP SP
Page 139 and 140: i cursed. Most methods of identifyi
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Page 143 and 144: WHAT MINOR PROPERTY DOES IT HAVE? d
Page 145 and 146: MAGIC ITEM TABLE c dlOO Magic Item
Page 147 and 148: MAGIC ITEM TABLE G dlOO Magic Item
Page 149 and 150: MAGIC ITEM TABLE I dlOO 01-05 06-10
Page 151 and 152: APPARATUS OF K W A LISH ANIMATED SH
Page 153 and 154: BAG OF 110LOING dlOO Effect 01 Sd4
Page 155 and 156: The belt of stone giant strength an
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BooTs o• STRIDING AND SPRINGING B
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CLOAK OF THE MANTA RAY C I RCLE T O
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The tower is made of adamantine, an
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CHAPTER 7 I TREASURE
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~t il the start of your next turn,
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DR IFTGLOBE DusT OF DISAPPEARANCE E
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Eves OF THE EAGLE SERPENTINE Owe FI
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FLAME ToNGUE GAUNTLETS OF OGRE PowE
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HAMMER OF THUNDERBOLTS Weapon (maul
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1oLv AvENGER I MMOVABLE Roo 110RN O
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A stone has AC 24, 10 hit points, a
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JAVELIN OF LIGHTNING KEOGHTOM'S OIN
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To create a golem, you must spend t
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NINE LIVES STEALER Weapon (any swor
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P I PES OF liAUNTING PiPES OF THE S
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POTIONS OF HEALING Potion of ... He
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RING OF ANIMAL INFLUENCE FREE ACTIO
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RING OF P ROTECT ION RING OF SPELL
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Rose oF Eves The eyes on the robe c
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slots, up to a maximum of 5th level
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RoPE oF ENTANGLEMENT by the rope ca
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successfully copied. Whether the ch
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equal to 16 x the number of charge
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STAFF OF THE WooDLAND S STAFF OF WI
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TALISMAN OF THE SPHERE TALISMAN OF
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Vecna watches anyone using this tom
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AND OF LIGHTNING BOLTS -land, rare
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dlOO Effect 54-58 You cast darkness
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A LIGN MENT A sentient magic item h
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when it wants to communicate someth
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MAJOR DETRIMENTAL PROPERTIES MINOR
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Blessings of Moradin. If you are a
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psychic damage, and each non-evil c
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SwoRD OF KAs Wondrous item, artifac
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A character should receive only a b
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more·concerned about doing right b
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BooN OF CoMBAT PROWESS When you mis
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Have another player run the missing
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CONTESTS A contest is a kind of abi
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For example, imagine a wizard is ru
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• RESOLUTION AND CONSEQUENCES You
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TRACKING Adventurers sometimes choo
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Also, characters and monsters with
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ogres, each of which has 59 hit poi
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launch a lightning bolt (100-foot l
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OPTIONAL RULE: DIAGONALS The Player
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Characters can create their own com
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SIEGE TOWER Gargantuan object Armor
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and is poisoned for 24 hours. On a
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LONG-TERM MADNESS dlOO Effect (last
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CHAPTER 9: DuNGEON MASTER's WoRKSHO
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Honor measures not only a character
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A character who uses a healing surg
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PLOT POINTS Plot points allow playe
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Initiative Modifiers. Modifiers mig
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Instead of using the effect describ
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adjust the challenge rating uggesre
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STEP 9. DAMAGE VuL "ER..'\BILITIES,
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The Monster Features table list \·
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Name Light Sensitivity Magic Resist
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The NPC Features table summarizes t
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The simpler your approach. the easi
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Age. Aasimar mature at the arne rat
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SPELL POINTS BY LEVEL Class Level S
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DOORS Whenever a table roll indicat
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DUNGEO N: LAIR d20 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8-
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GENERAL DUNGEON CHAMBERS d100 Purpo
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I / d20 2 4-8 9-12 13-14 15 16 17 1
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AIR dlOO 01-60 61-70 71-80 81-83 84
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CONTAINER CONTENTS dlOO Item dlOO I
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Monsters Challenge Rating (XP) Brow
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UNDERDARK MONSTERS UNDERWATER MONST
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Half-ogre Harpy Hippogriff Imp Kuo
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CHALLENGE 11 (7,200 XP) Vampire Mum
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APPENDIX C I MAPS
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APPENDiX C I MAPS
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APPENDIX D: DUNGEON MASTER INSPIRAT
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creating a wi lderness, 14, El emen
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shipwrecks, 118 structure (ad ventu
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