Rooms

Concept: The Room

The room is the atom of a dungeon. It represents a single location with some form of challenge or interesting feature. When we refer to a “Dungeon”, we are talking about a collection of rooms that the Game Master places down in succession.

Hazard

The most common type of room is the hazard, an environmental obstacle of some sort that the players must overcome. Simple examples include rivers that need to be crossed, cliffs that need to be climbed, or traps that need to be navigated. The distinguishing feature of a hazard is that it can’t be solved by reducing an enemy’s hit points.

Threat

In contrast to hazards, threats can be resolved by beating someone (or something) up. A pack of wolves, an ambush of goblins, and an undead necromancer are all threats. However, most threats can also be negotiated through diplomacy, bribery, or trickery should players demonstrate the necessary cunning.

Oddity

These are rooms where nothing is overtly hostile or impeding the players. Instead, some feature of the room allows for optional interaction. A cursed sword stuck in the ground is in oddity, as is a demon trapped in a magic circle. The players can choose to ignore an oddity without issue, or take a risk (usually for the promise of extra treasure).