D&D 5E Dungeon Crawl Rules

[Talltomwright]

So I've been coming across a running theme recently, of how 5e lacks a clear procedure for handling a dungeon crawl. See here for example:
While it should only take me 15 minutes to sit down and adapt these rules to 5e a) I'm really lazy b) I love using things other people have actually tested. Are there any simple procedure/rule sets in keeping with 5e that I can use to streamline and standardise my dungeoncrawls?

 

[Rune]

I’m not really sure I see the point in adapting. I’d think the dungeon-crawling procedure in, say, Basic would fit just as well graphed straight on to 5e. It’s not really skill-dependant. But where trap-finding/secret door-finding or establishing surprise is concerned, ability checks could pretty easily be substituted.

 

[Talltomwright]

I’m not really sure I see the point in adapting. I’d think the dungeon-crawling procedure in, say, Basic would fit just as well graphed straight on to 5e. It’s not really skill-dependant. But where trap-finding/secret door-finding or establishing surprise is concerned, ability checks could pretty easily be substituted.

I guess a specific which has always tripped me up is the difference between Perception and Investigation. If feels like both should find a secret door or a trap but Perception should be quick with a high DC and investigation take time with a low DC. I guess I’m looking for things around that.

 

[iserith]

I guess a specific which has always tripped me up is the difference between Perception and Investigation. If feels like both should find a secret door or a trap but Perception should be quick with a high DC and investigation take time with a low DC. I guess I’m looking for things around that.

When there's an uncertain outcome and a meaningful consequence for failure in searching for a secret door, the corresponding ability check is Wisdom (Perception) since this is a hidden object. As per normal, the player must be reasonably specific about where and how the character is searching. This is covered in the PHB rules for hidden objects.

Once the secret door is found, the character now needs to figure out how to open it. When there's an uncertain outcome and a meaningful consequence for failure in figuring out how to open the secret door, the corresponding ability check is Intelligence (Investigation). This is covered in the DMG rules for secret doors.

 

[Rune]

I guess a specific which has always tripped me up is the difference between Perception and Investigation. If feels like both should find a secret door or a trap but Perception should be quick with a high DC and investigation take time with a low DC. I guess I’m looking for things around that.

When I run 5e games that include skills at all, both are necessary for bypassing traps or using sscret doors; wisdom (perception) is the check that notices something is amiss and intelligence (investigation) is the check that determines what it is, how it works, and how it could be disabled.

Investigation used in this way always requires interaction.

 

[iserith]

This is the basic procedure that I use as a guide for players in my D&D 5e games:

Dungeon Exploration
When you decide to stop traveling and explore a given area, the exploration phase begins. An area of 1000 square feet or smaller can be explored in 10 minutes. Use the Exploration Area asset to indicate the area being searched. You stay within this area during the exploration.

Goal & Approach
After the DM describes the environment, you describe what you try to do for the next 10 minutes with reasonably specificity. Common tasks might include, but are not limited to the below. The associated ability score may be commonly relevant to any ability checks made to resolve an outcome for the task (if there is an ability check at all).

• Check for Traps & Hazards (Wis)
  • Figure Out a Trap or Hazard (Int)
    • Disable a Trap (Dex)
• Forage/Loot (Wis)
• Keep Watch (Wis)
• Perform a Ritual
• Pick a Lock (Dex)
• Search for Secret Doors (Wis)
  • Figure Out a Secret Door (Int)

A task that is dependent upon another task being completed cannot usually be completed in the same round of exploration. (These are the indented tasks in the above list.)

Working Together
Instead of performing a task by yourself, you can work together with someone else. By working together, you can grant advantage to the character leading the effort. You can only provide help if the task is one that you could attempt alone and when working together would actually be productive.

Wandering Monsters
At the end of the 10 minutes of exploration, the DM rolls for a wandering monster. The roll is made with advantage if noise was made during the exploration. If a stealthy wandering monster is indicated, any character that was not keeping watch is automatically surprised.

 

[Rune]

Once the secret door is found, the character now needs to figure out how to open it. When there's an uncertain outcome and a meaningful consequence for failure in figuring out how to open the secret door, the corresponding ability check is Intelligence (Investigation). This is covered in the DMG rules for secret doors.

To be fair, every official WotC published adventure I’m aware of fails to point this out to the DM (for secret doors or traps). Even in the introductory adventures that are supposed to teach the game.

It is very easy to conclude that Wisdom (Perception) is the only check that matters when it’s the only one called out and given a DC.

 

[iserith]

To be fair, every official WotC published adventure I’m aware of fails to point this out to the DM (for secret doors or traps). Even in the introductory adventures that are supposed to teach the game.

It is very easy to conclude that Wisdom (Perception) is the only check that matters when it’s the only one called out and given a DC.

Yes, the published adventures are garbage though in my view and shouldn't be used as a guide to anything except in many cases what not to do. They are the equivalent of how a specific DM runs a game which may mean that some rules are not followed.

 

[Umbran]

The other common split I have seen is: if the thing is (nominally) actively using a skill to hide, it is Perception. If it is a static thing with no skill, and a set DC to notice it, you may use Investigation.

 

[Shiroiken]

I use an adaptation of the travel rules. Each exploration turn is 1 minute, with lost rounds considered part of normal miscellaneous activity. When the party runs across something they interact with (either by choice or involuntarily), it begins a new exploration turn. Each player chooses an standard traveling activity, and may choose an alternate activity during interactions. It's important to use some kind of time pressure when doing this, such as a countdown or wandering monsters, as otherwise it's fairly meaningless.

General Activities

• Looking for Threats (creatures, directional) - Passive Perception
• Looking for oddities (traps, secret doors, etc.) - Passive Investigation for Tricks & Traps, Passive Perception for Secret Doors
• Mapping - Int/Cartography
• Tracking - Wis/Survival

Specific Activities

• Listen at Door - Wis/Perception
• Check for Traps on specific item/area - Int/Investigation
  • Disarm Traps as part of same activity - Dex/Thieves Tools or Int/Thieves Tools
• Unlock Door/Item - Dex/Thieves Tools
• Investigate specific item/area - Int/Investigation
• Casually search area - Wis/Perception, requires 1 turn per 500 SF
• Carefully search area - usually no check, requires 1 turn per 50 SF