D&D 5E Does anyone still do mapping?

[Wiseblood]

I wish we did. It just doesn't grab my players attention or imagination. I don't favor the skill challenge idea. Maybe I am misunderstanding.

 

[mrpopstar]

How do my fellow Dungeon Masters measure the passage of time when resolving tasks and tracking movement in dungeon environments if you don't map?

 

[mrpopstar]

"Draw a Map" is an activity a character can certainly do while traveling and exploring. In order to make that a meaningful trade-off against other activities, in addition to providing a reduction in the chance of getting lost in the wilderness, I make source maps of dungeons worth gold. So if the player is willing to risk his or her character being surprised by the odd wandering monster, he or she can make a source map and sell it back in town. I'm also using the rules in Xanathar's for tool and skill use. Someone proficient with cartographer's tools can Draw a Map and perform some other activity at the same time which usually means the character is also Keeping Watch and has a chance to avoid surprise.

I missed the special use description under cartographer's tools that allows proficient characters to multitask while traveling!

Is it just me, or does it seem particularly awkward to manage quill, ink, and parchment (not to mention compass, caliper, and ruler) while at the same time watching for danger?

 

[Shiroiken]

We use Roll20 these days, but prior to that I used to make crude maps as a player. The primary purpose of the maps is to make sure you don't get lost, or to be able to remember where other areas exist for exploration. Most of my maps consist entirely of lines of travel with occasional notes. I'll mark other potential travel directions (such as doors/passageways in a dungeon), so we can go back to them if needed. It doesn't really look like an actual map in the end, but I can read it

 

[Zardnaar]

How do my fellow Dungeon Masters measure the passage of time when resolving tasks and tracking movement in dungeon environments if you don't map?

Basically wing it, its been speed up so much these days even if you kept track of it the time passed is often in minutes or an hour tops instead of 10 minute turns etc. Short rests being an exception.

50 rounds is only 5 minutes. YOu could spend 20 rounds in combat and 30 searching stuff/moving and only 5 minutes would pass in game time.

 

[Eltab]

Based on my experience as a player back in high school (1980s), my AL character - who is competent with Cartographers Tools - makes a map of something important from each module: a castle, a cavern complex, a river. Someday he's going to have an atlas: Places of Adventure !

Oh, you mean drawing maps IRL !?

When I was DM'ing Tiamat, one of my players would draw the next chapter's adventure map between sessions. We covered it with Post-Its, and peeled off the covering from each room / hallway as they moved along. It worked out nicely and helped us keep track of what was where.

 

[mrpopstar]

Basically wing it, its been speed up so much these days even if you kept track of it the time passed is often in minutes or an hour tops instead of 10 minute turns etc. Short rests being an exception.

How do you know when lamps, torches, and candles burn out if you don't track the time spent exploring your carefully crafted dungeons?



That's such an important aspect of the game for me as a storyteller!

 

[Zardnaar]

How do you know when lamps, torches, and candles burn out if you don't track the time spent exploring your carefully crafted dungeons?



That's such an important aspect of the game for me as a storyteller!

Once again they generally last long enough. Can't remember the last time a torch got used its generally a light spell.

 

[mrpopstar]

Once again they generally last long enough. Can't remember the last time a torch got used its generally a light spell.

The duration of light is also 1 hour.

 

[Zardnaar]

The duration of light is also 1 hour.

Yeah that is 600 rounds and its a cantrip.