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Message: <blockquote data-quote="AlViking" data-source="post: 9813419" data-attributes="member: 6906980">As I said on the other thread I don't do dungeon maps (or really dungeons) per se, I use theater of the mind for most exploration.  So if you have those 50 10x10 cells you can give a description of the first few and then it's a question of how much in-world time they spend without wasting real-world time.  Just let them know that if they decide to check every cell it means the clock keeps ticking.I recently did something like that were I had 20 locations the McGuffin could be and had rolled a D20 to see which location was correct.  They told me which location number they were searching every round.  This worked because they were also being attacked by monsters, they could either fight off the monsters or search every round.  The monsters didn't block movement and once they found the McGuffin that part of the fight was over.  Even if you have a detailed map you can still use this technique, let the players know how long it's going to take to search all the cells, ask if they're splitting up to do it more quickly and don't require detailed explanations of what they're doing for every single room.Other than that I try to vary encounter locations.  Sometimes a fight might take place in a corridor, it might be a hall, other times it's a massive cavern or a large open space where the ceiling caved in exposing the sky and there's massive pieces rubble everywhere.  You can set up places where there's hazardous terrain, limited line of sight or relatively weak enemies popping in and out harassing the characters.I tend to avoid the whole lava everywhere for hazardous terrain because it's a bit silly and at this point feels lazy.  On the other hand something like fast running water can be just as dangerous and doesn't have that same "how long can there be flowing lava in one place" issue.  Give them various options to cross the water and if they fall in, they get banged around and moved somewhere they don't want to be before they can get out.  Spells like inner sanctum can shut down teleporting as can simple attrition of spell slots.  The options for getting across should vary, maybe some spots you can leap across others you need to do an acrobatics check for a slippery narrow bridge.  You can do very similar things with crumbling ruins or floors that are unstable and crumbling with age.Very often I think it's a mistake to have dungeons that are immaculate and well repaired.  Ruins that are falling apart where the structure itself is part of the danger - or opportunity - is more interesting.  In the rare cases I do use detailed maps I always try to make them logical.  Exploring a haunted house?  I think about what the old mansion would look like, including where food is prepped and stored, lodging for both the family and servants, "secret" servant passageways because nobody wants to see the help in the grand halls.That's what I can think of off the top of my head.  You can have areas that will take a long time to search, that doesn't mean you need to spend a lot of real-world time doing it.  Vary the terrain, hazards and don't assume the location is well maintained.</blockquote>

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