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NOW LIVE! Into the Woods--new character species, eerie monsters, and haunting villains to populate the woodlands of your D&D games.
Describe for me a 10 X 10 room
- Thread starter diaglo
- Start date
D+1
First Post
The innkeeper opens the door to your room and hands you the key, walking away without a word or a look back. The walls are wood of poorly fitted but sturdy boards. The room is dominated by a cot large enough to fit a fairly sizeable humanoid and has a straw mattress as well as a tattered but clean blanket. A simple chair sits next to a small table, big enough to write at or hold a proper spellbook for reading. A wood candle-holder is affixed to the wall above it. A simple chest is at the foot of the bed that you could bust open with little more than your foot but the lock, when examined, seems adequate to at least keep out casual tresspass. There is a single shutter that closes over the window and iron bars on the outside sufficient to keep out intruders for at least a round, maybe more! Your view of nearby rooftops shows that if you want to get OUT in a hurry you have several escape routes and cover. Welcome to the Red Roc inn.
One with an attack...same format...
In the flicker light of your torches and with the sound of a broken wind chime the skeletons come toward you as you enter the room, you count three but there could be more in the shadows beyond your light. The room's size is going to be a problem, hampering the swing of your battle axe, it is just too close quarters with the rest of the party at your back...
In the flicker light of your torches and with the sound of a broken wind chime the skeletons come toward you as you enter the room, you count three but there could be more in the shadows beyond your light. The room's size is going to be a problem, hampering the swing of your battle axe, it is just too close quarters with the rest of the party at your back...
Tessarael
Adventurer
[Rogue cautiously opens door after searching and finding no traps.]
DM: The door opens with a creak. The air from beyond is musty.
[DM pause for players to walk in, look through on an angle without opening the door further, etc.]
Rogue: What do we see?
Fighter: I enter.
DM: Hang on a sec, looking to Rogue, "You see a small room with rough stone walls. Dust upon the floor ... Sir Lionheart pushes past you, with the door wide open you see a low desk, the air wafts across the shreds of a crumbling parchment on the desk." Back to Fighter, "As you enter, a hooded lamp on the desk springs alight with a blue glow."
Rogue: "Errr, did I see anything in the dust?"
Fighter: "I stride across to the desk and look at the parchment."
DM: To Rogue, "The semicircle of the door swept through the dust ... the footsteps of Sir Lionheart ... hmmm some sort of rectangular patch without much dust ..."
Rogue yells, "Don't ..."
DM: To Fighter, "Anyway, you stride across the floor and look at the ancient parchment. It is in fact a thin book, opened near the middle, Elvish runes upon the pages ..." Do you read Elvish, nope, ok ...]
Rogue: "Hey, something was moved recently."
Fighter: "Oh, it appears so. This book is Elvish."
DM: "A large dusty stone block falls from the ceiling, knocking Sir Lionheart a glancing blow ... Make a Reflex save ..."
Fighter: "Reflex? Bugger. DC 12?"
DM: "No. Take 14 damage as the block bruises you, slamming you back against the desk, you manage to avoid hitting the lamp, but your armored butt lands square on the book." Looks to Rogue ...
Rogue: "Fine. I look up at the hole which the block came through."
DM: "Lilly sees a cubic hole with 2 foot sides through which the stone fell. Make a search check ..."
Rogue: "DC 30."
DM: "Yes, as you look closer you see a couple of runes at the top of the cubic indentation in the ceiling."
Fighter: "Well, I get up and look at the book."
DM: "It's damaged. What do you do with it?"
Fighter: "We'll wait for Erasmus [the Wizard] to take a look. Is there anything else?"
DM: "Ah yes, in the blue light you also see a diamond on the back of the wooden door that you opened."
Fighter: "Anything else?"
DM: "Do you guys search?"
Rogue: "Yes."
DM: "Ok, pretty quickly, you'll find the outline of an opening behind the desk. It's about 3' by 6'. Looks like someone tried to plaster it up and then make it fit in with the rest of the walls - a poor job in your opinion Lilly."
Basically, it really depends on what the characters do. My initial description is always going to be brief, unless I want to have an immediate storyline impact on them (e.g. the magnificent Taj Mahal - that would get detail
. If they start investigating in detail, then I'll start giving them detail - that detail may or may not be important ... and the manner in which they investigate will effect the outcome. e.g. If the Fighter had waited, the Rogue would have noticed the 2'x2' outline without dust as the door was opened wider.
Just my thoughts ...
DM: The door opens with a creak. The air from beyond is musty.
[DM pause for players to walk in, look through on an angle without opening the door further, etc.]
Rogue: What do we see?
Fighter: I enter.
DM: Hang on a sec, looking to Rogue, "You see a small room with rough stone walls. Dust upon the floor ... Sir Lionheart pushes past you, with the door wide open you see a low desk, the air wafts across the shreds of a crumbling parchment on the desk." Back to Fighter, "As you enter, a hooded lamp on the desk springs alight with a blue glow."
Rogue: "Errr, did I see anything in the dust?"
Fighter: "I stride across to the desk and look at the parchment."
DM: To Rogue, "The semicircle of the door swept through the dust ... the footsteps of Sir Lionheart ... hmmm some sort of rectangular patch without much dust ..."
Rogue yells, "Don't ..."
DM: To Fighter, "Anyway, you stride across the floor and look at the ancient parchment. It is in fact a thin book, opened near the middle, Elvish runes upon the pages ..." Do you read Elvish, nope, ok ...]
Rogue: "Hey, something was moved recently."
Fighter: "Oh, it appears so. This book is Elvish."
DM: "A large dusty stone block falls from the ceiling, knocking Sir Lionheart a glancing blow ... Make a Reflex save ..."
Fighter: "Reflex? Bugger. DC 12?"
DM: "No. Take 14 damage as the block bruises you, slamming you back against the desk, you manage to avoid hitting the lamp, but your armored butt lands square on the book." Looks to Rogue ...
Rogue: "Fine. I look up at the hole which the block came through."
DM: "Lilly sees a cubic hole with 2 foot sides through which the stone fell. Make a search check ..."
Rogue: "DC 30."
DM: "Yes, as you look closer you see a couple of runes at the top of the cubic indentation in the ceiling."
Fighter: "Well, I get up and look at the book."
DM: "It's damaged. What do you do with it?"
Fighter: "We'll wait for Erasmus [the Wizard] to take a look. Is there anything else?"
DM: "Ah yes, in the blue light you also see a diamond on the back of the wooden door that you opened."
Fighter: "Anything else?"
DM: "Do you guys search?"
Rogue: "Yes."
DM: "Ok, pretty quickly, you'll find the outline of an opening behind the desk. It's about 3' by 6'. Looks like someone tried to plaster it up and then make it fit in with the rest of the walls - a poor job in your opinion Lilly."
Basically, it really depends on what the characters do. My initial description is always going to be brief, unless I want to have an immediate storyline impact on them (e.g. the magnificent Taj Mahal - that would get detail
. If they start investigating in detail, then I'll start giving them detail - that detail may or may not be important ... and the manner in which they investigate will effect the outcome. e.g. If the Fighter had waited, the Rogue would have noticed the 2'x2' outline without dust as the door was opened wider.Just my thoughts ...
Inside the room you see two tapestries, one on the left wall and one on the right.
The left tapestry shows a treasure room illuminated with torches; there are many open chests of gold.
The right tapestry shows a forest scene and a path leading off into the forest.
After a moment you realise that the tapestries are animated: the torches flicker, and the trees' branches move in a breeze.
What now?
Cheers!
The left tapestry shows a treasure room illuminated with torches; there are many open chests of gold.
The right tapestry shows a forest scene and a path leading off into the forest.
After a moment you realise that the tapestries are animated: the torches flicker, and the trees' branches move in a breeze.
What now?
Cheers!
Kemrain
First Post
"At the foot of the steps is a room made of finely worked stone, roughly ten by ten feet. The room is lit by a strange glow in the air, illumination eminating from the space itsself, more than a single source, and as such there are very few shadows. The air is moist and cool, the 54 degrees of an underground environment. Directly across from the staircase is a large wooden door, reinforced, and set into a stone frame. Directly to the right, acoss the room, is a similar door; both are closed securely. Between both doors, set into the corner of the room is a three foot high stone well, complete with rope and a pail. In the center of the room there is an ornate porcelin bathtub: ball and claw feet, tall sloping sides, and a gracrful curvature to it's construction.
Inside the tub, there is a puddle of.. what could best be described as congealed cream of wheat. It has no discernable odor, and wouldn't be of any other note save for the fact that, it's starting to move."
You've just walked into Lana's bedroom. Lucky for you, humans are "Not-Food."
- Kemrain the Not-Food
Inside the tub, there is a puddle of.. what could best be described as congealed cream of wheat. It has no discernable odor, and wouldn't be of any other note save for the fact that, it's starting to move."
You've just walked into Lana's bedroom. Lucky for you, humans are "Not-Food."
- Kemrain the Not-Food
As the old rusted iron door swings inward into the room, bits of cobweb andf dust float down into the light that the character are using to see. The smell of old leather and fine dust wafts out of the doorway.
Beyond is a room, 3 paces by 3 paces, or so. In the far left corner is a large keg filled with some sort of liquid. Next to this keg, in the left hand wall is another rusted iron door.
<make a spot check, dc not terribly high, but if the characters make one in the 30s...>
As the characters let out the breath they were holding a skeletal hand comes out of the water with a splash, grabbing onto the side of the barrel and lefting a mostly decomposed body out of the liquid.
<those that made the high DC>
Above the door to the left is a small niche. there is a 1' high humanoid there holding on to a red stick with both hands. The stick is pointed at the barrel and the creature is grinning maniacly.
<<Roll initiative>>
Beyond is a room, 3 paces by 3 paces, or so. In the far left corner is a large keg filled with some sort of liquid. Next to this keg, in the left hand wall is another rusted iron door.
<make a spot check, dc not terribly high, but if the characters make one in the 30s...>
As the characters let out the breath they were holding a skeletal hand comes out of the water with a splash, grabbing onto the side of the barrel and lefting a mostly decomposed body out of the liquid.
<those that made the high DC>
Above the door to the left is a small niche. there is a 1' high humanoid there holding on to a red stick with both hands. The stick is pointed at the barrel and the creature is grinning maniacly.
<<Roll initiative>>
Kesh
First Post
You pull the heavy door open to find another small room. There's no light at all in the room, only the flickering of your torch to illuminate it. It appears to be made of the same grey stone as the rest of the building. The air is much more stale in here, however... this room must not have been opened in a very long time. A lingering scent of moisture, mold and decay flow out the opened door into the hall with you.
To the right is a rotting wooden bench, perhaps six feet long and two wide. The tattered remains of a drab brown cloth hang askew from it, almost totally rotted away where it touches the damp stone floor.
The left wall is flush with the door hinge, and bare. In the left corner is what appears to be the remains of a wooden bucket. Very little of the wood is left, just some ragged sticks with some rusted metal rings that have fallen onto the floor.
The far right corner is currently occupied... or used to be. Curled up in a fetal position is the skeletal remains of a humanoid. There's virtually nothing left but bones and just enough tendon to hold the whole thing together. It appears to have been an adult, but it's hard to tell what race or gender the person was now... they appear to have simply curled up in the corner, crossed their arms over their chest and died.
-- Spot (DC 15) or automatic if anyone examines the corpse
A glint of light catches your eye. Something grasped in the corpse's left hand is reflecting the light of your torch.
* You pry open the dead body's fingers, one of which snaps off in the process. The bones are quite brittle and cool to the touch... and there, in the palm of its hand, is a small silver disc the size of a large coin. Covered in grime and nearly black with age, only a small corner that must have been covered by a finger is still somewhat shiny. Upon close examination, you can make out indentations that form symbols of writing around the outer edges... and in the middle is the unmistakable symbol of Pelor.
----- Knowledge (Religon) check (DC 14)
These small discs (called "Luminaries") were often handed out to low-level clergy in the church of Pelor as a reward for their service. Though not a true holy symbol, as clerics use, it was a mark of accomplishment for those who tended the everyday needs of the church to receive this reward. Very rarely did it find its way into the hands of average worshippers or merchants.
----- Appraise (DC 12)
Unfortunately, this particular Luminary is not what it should be. Apparently, the church had either become money-poor or greedy when it was made, as it is really made of copper with a silver coating over top. It's worth little more than two or three copper coins, since it would be difficult to separate the two materials now and sell them.
-- Search (DC 18)
It doesn't take terribly long to examine the room. There's very little else to see, besides the grimy mix of dust and moisture covering everything. Several times, you've had to stop and sneeze because of the musty smell, as well as wipe the slick grime off your fingers. However, one of the bricks in the floor is raised just slightly above the others.
* A little prying with your fingers, and it comes up easily to reveal a tiny hole beneath. Inside the hole are: a small stick of what appears to be charcoal, a tiny leather book, and an impression in the soft ground about the size of a large coin.
* Though the charcoal stick is easily retrieved, the leather book cracks and flakes as you grasp it. Age and moisture have not been kind to this pocket tome... When the cover is pulled open, there's a crackling sound and the first page attempts to stick to it. Once separated, it quickly becomes clear that you won't be able to make much use of this. The text was smeared when the cover was pulled away from the page, and the rest of the paper seems permanantly bound together. As best you can make out, the first page was written in Common, and seems to be a plea for the story of this person to reach their family. However, the name is totally illegible, the same as most of the passage on this page.
-- speak with the dead
This was Samuel Tellen, a minor clergyman in the church of Pelor in [insert city here]. He was sent to deliver a message to a family in the forest outside his city when he was waylaid and taken prisoner. It was never made fully clear, but he believes he was mistaken for a more prominent member of the church, who his abductors intended to ransom back to the church. When his identity was discovered, he was simply locked away in this cell. Fearing for his life and stripped of his belongings, Samuel had no way to escape. However, for reasons his captors did not reveal, he was kept alive and imprisoned. After several weeks, he became acquainted with one of the guards, and managed to convince them to let him have a small book and writing instrument, so that he would at least have something to do. In addition, he was given his Luminary (once it was determined that he could do nothing magical with it, and that it was of little real value). However, not all the guards were as considerate, so he was forced to hide them lest they be taken away again.
About a week before his death, there was a battle. He doesn't know who attacked. Once the fighting was over, no one came for him. No matter how loudly he shouted, no one heard him. He was left to starve, praying for Pelor to save him from his fate, to no avail.
(Any attempt to resurrect Samuel fail. He has found his way to the arms of Pelor, where he is free to spend his afterlife in peace.)
To the right is a rotting wooden bench, perhaps six feet long and two wide. The tattered remains of a drab brown cloth hang askew from it, almost totally rotted away where it touches the damp stone floor.
The left wall is flush with the door hinge, and bare. In the left corner is what appears to be the remains of a wooden bucket. Very little of the wood is left, just some ragged sticks with some rusted metal rings that have fallen onto the floor.
The far right corner is currently occupied... or used to be. Curled up in a fetal position is the skeletal remains of a humanoid. There's virtually nothing left but bones and just enough tendon to hold the whole thing together. It appears to have been an adult, but it's hard to tell what race or gender the person was now... they appear to have simply curled up in the corner, crossed their arms over their chest and died.
-- Spot (DC 15) or automatic if anyone examines the corpse
A glint of light catches your eye. Something grasped in the corpse's left hand is reflecting the light of your torch.
* You pry open the dead body's fingers, one of which snaps off in the process. The bones are quite brittle and cool to the touch... and there, in the palm of its hand, is a small silver disc the size of a large coin. Covered in grime and nearly black with age, only a small corner that must have been covered by a finger is still somewhat shiny. Upon close examination, you can make out indentations that form symbols of writing around the outer edges... and in the middle is the unmistakable symbol of Pelor.
----- Knowledge (Religon) check (DC 14)
These small discs (called "Luminaries") were often handed out to low-level clergy in the church of Pelor as a reward for their service. Though not a true holy symbol, as clerics use, it was a mark of accomplishment for those who tended the everyday needs of the church to receive this reward. Very rarely did it find its way into the hands of average worshippers or merchants.
----- Appraise (DC 12)
Unfortunately, this particular Luminary is not what it should be. Apparently, the church had either become money-poor or greedy when it was made, as it is really made of copper with a silver coating over top. It's worth little more than two or three copper coins, since it would be difficult to separate the two materials now and sell them.
-- Search (DC 18)
It doesn't take terribly long to examine the room. There's very little else to see, besides the grimy mix of dust and moisture covering everything. Several times, you've had to stop and sneeze because of the musty smell, as well as wipe the slick grime off your fingers. However, one of the bricks in the floor is raised just slightly above the others.
* A little prying with your fingers, and it comes up easily to reveal a tiny hole beneath. Inside the hole are: a small stick of what appears to be charcoal, a tiny leather book, and an impression in the soft ground about the size of a large coin.
* Though the charcoal stick is easily retrieved, the leather book cracks and flakes as you grasp it. Age and moisture have not been kind to this pocket tome... When the cover is pulled open, there's a crackling sound and the first page attempts to stick to it. Once separated, it quickly becomes clear that you won't be able to make much use of this. The text was smeared when the cover was pulled away from the page, and the rest of the paper seems permanantly bound together. As best you can make out, the first page was written in Common, and seems to be a plea for the story of this person to reach their family. However, the name is totally illegible, the same as most of the passage on this page.
-- speak with the dead
This was Samuel Tellen, a minor clergyman in the church of Pelor in [insert city here]. He was sent to deliver a message to a family in the forest outside his city when he was waylaid and taken prisoner. It was never made fully clear, but he believes he was mistaken for a more prominent member of the church, who his abductors intended to ransom back to the church. When his identity was discovered, he was simply locked away in this cell. Fearing for his life and stripped of his belongings, Samuel had no way to escape. However, for reasons his captors did not reveal, he was kept alive and imprisoned. After several weeks, he became acquainted with one of the guards, and managed to convince them to let him have a small book and writing instrument, so that he would at least have something to do. In addition, he was given his Luminary (once it was determined that he could do nothing magical with it, and that it was of little real value). However, not all the guards were as considerate, so he was forced to hide them lest they be taken away again.
About a week before his death, there was a battle. He doesn't know who attacked. Once the fighting was over, no one came for him. No matter how loudly he shouted, no one heard him. He was left to starve, praying for Pelor to save him from his fate, to no avail.
(Any attempt to resurrect Samuel fail. He has found his way to the arms of Pelor, where he is free to spend his afterlife in peace.)
Sammael
Adventurer
Translated, it'd sound something like this:
"The door opens with ease, the dwarven craftsmanship apparent even after so many centuries. There are no light sources in the room, but your torches shed enough light for you to make out the two doors on the 10-foot walls opposite your starting location. There is a large solid stone sarcophagus in the room's center. It appears as if this room is frequently visited. Make Spot checks."
After successful Spot checks:
"You can make out some runes carved into the wall opposite the entrance, but you'll have to move closer to read them. The sarcophagus bears no special markings nor symbols that you can see. The two other doors are also stone, with no apparent locks or opening mechanisms. The room is silent."
My players dislike long descriptions, which is fine by me, since I'm not very good at them. I've tried writing the descriptions down before and reading them to the players, but they either get bored or interrupt me with questions before I'm done.
"The door opens with ease, the dwarven craftsmanship apparent even after so many centuries. There are no light sources in the room, but your torches shed enough light for you to make out the two doors on the 10-foot walls opposite your starting location. There is a large solid stone sarcophagus in the room's center. It appears as if this room is frequently visited. Make Spot checks."
After successful Spot checks:
"You can make out some runes carved into the wall opposite the entrance, but you'll have to move closer to read them. The sarcophagus bears no special markings nor symbols that you can see. The two other doors are also stone, with no apparent locks or opening mechanisms. The room is silent."
My players dislike long descriptions, which is fine by me, since I'm not very good at them. I've tried writing the descriptions down before and reading them to the players, but they either get bored or interrupt me with questions before I'm done.
