D&D 5E Does Dungeonhacking work in 5e?

[Shades of Eternity]

Dungeonhack 101 - Part 1 - Useful items

This is stuff I remember from back in usenets. Not sure whom the original writer is, but if you recognize the writing, let me now. :) ...

breadthofpopsanity.blogspot.com

Dungeonhack 101 - Part 2 - some ideas

this post is not mine, but I remember it from the depths of newgroups in the 90's, so posting it here for posterity. Well, since no dungeo...

breadthofpopsanity.blogspot.com

I love the old-school dungeon-hacking strategies.

How well do they work in your favorite version of dnd of choice?

As a bonus, here's how to use a supermarket as a weapon.

Supermarket Munchinkinism

This is a smartering of crazy ideas of making a supermarket into a weapon. ***************************** Well here's a few First the i...

breadthofpopsanity.blogspot.com

 

[Moonmover]

I don't see any particular reason any of these strategies wouldn't work on 5e.

My party has been casting Light on a small rock (affectionately named Rocky), and tossing it him down dark hallways and stairwells to see beyond the range of their torches and darkvision. Rocky is an invaluable part of the team.

 

[Shardstone]

I don't see any particular reason any of these strategies wouldn't work on 5e.

My party has been casting Light on a small rock (affectionately named Rocky), and tossing it him down dark hallways and stairwells to see beyond the range of their torches and darkvision. Rocky is an invaluable part of the team.

Wait but I thought Darkvision made it impossible to use darkness in a game. I've been had!

 

[DrJawaPhD]

I love the old-school dungeon-hacking strategies.

How well do they work in your favorite version of dnd of choice?

These all seem really unnecessary in modern 5e DnD. I mean they work I guess, but there are cantrip spells that cover most of this stuff with no planning or creativity needed. Most games don't focus on the nitty gritty minutiae that these ideas are intended to cover, although some DMs definitely do still run gritty realism campaigns in 5e, so your mileage may vary

 

[Distracted DM]

Wait but I thought Darkvision made it impossible to use darkness in a game. I've been had!

90ft or 120ft darkvision isn't too hard to get (or for fun, 300ft to the entire party at lvl1)- and the furthest you can throw an improvised object is 60ft. Yes it doesn't show color and counts as Dim light, but Darkvision's gonna outrange that light-rock AND it won't give you away

 

[Shadowdweller00]

Wait but I thought Darkvision made it impossible to use darkness in a game. I've been had!

Darkvision still imposes light obscurement in areas of darkness. I can't speak for any other DMs, but I treat this as the periphery of headlight or flashlight beams. That is, it shows silhouettes and gleams from eyes but little other detail. It will show the gross overall contours of walls and floors and maybe, for example, identify the presence of a creature but not the identity of that creature without better or closer examination.

Still plenty of drama and challenge to be woven out of that.

 

[Shardstone]

90ft or 120ft darkvision isn't too hard to get (or for fun, 300ft to the entire party at lvl1)- and the furthest you can throw an improvised object is 60ft. Yes it doesn't show color and counts as Dim light, but Darkvision's gonna outrange that light-rock AND it won't give you away

Are there straight, 90 and 120 foot long corridors in a lot of dungeons and caves?

 

[Distracted DM]

Are there straight, 90 and 120 foot long corridors in a lot of dungeons and caves?

I'm just missing how the light rock is superior in such instances
I'm probably just not... Seeing it

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I’ve known 5e players cast light on a pebble and drop it down a well. But as already mentioned, there is less need for such things in typical 5e.

 

[Shades of Eternity]

Yeah, I was once at a con where they wanted an old-school dungeon hack, and he got it when I went old-school dungeon hack (aka poke everything with a stick, don't attack unless everything was in your favor, and make sure you never fight a monster in their room).

We got attacked by a monster immune to weapons and made when we used ourselves as bait, had it fall into a pit of spikes, and sealed it up by a chest that we sat on. <evil grin>

The GM invited an outside NPC to start a fight after we were so meticulous in not getting into a fight, and the only casualty was the NPC dog <evil grin>.

I don't think we could use it, but pulling out the old tricks now and then is fun.

I often gauge the GM by asking if we can have a 10-foot pole.

Uses for a 10 foot pole.

Just a fun list of uses for any new gamers. a) pushing open doors b) prodding the floor/ground for weak spots, pits etc. c) for levera...

breadthofpopsanity.blogspot.com

If they say hell no, they are probably a killer GM
if they don't get it. They aren't old school, but it will be fun to use.
If they say yes and grin, you know they are old school.