MortalPlague
Adventurer
I've been asked by a few people to put up some details about this, so here's the thread.
I've put my players in the Underdark for my 4.0 game, and I decided to hex map the Underdark. To mimic the difficulty in navigating the endless maze of caves, fissures, caverns, cracks, and corridors, it requires a dungeoneering check to successfully move to an adjacent hex; failure moves the group in a random direction instead. So far, it's been a rousing success.
To make it so the players aren't making a blind choice, I allow them to "scout the edges" of adjacent hexes. They get some information, like "it opens up into a larger cavern to the south" or "the tunnels to the northwest feel cool and damp". This way they can choose from different options that have more meaning than simply 'left or right'. They can also make dungeoneering checks (or other relevant skill checks) to try and determine what might be in the next hex.
I didn't want to use a day / night cycle for the Underdark, so instead, the PCs can travel between hexes twice per day. They can push for more hexes, but each PC must pass a DC 20 Endurance check or they lose a healing surge. The DC increases by 5 each additional hex traversed, and the healing surges lost doubles each time.
Finally, they can't simply take an extended rest anywhere; they need to find an appropriate location. This also requires a dungeoneering check, though failure results in a random encounter. The Underdark is a hostile place, so by taking away an easy campsite, I'm really hoping to throw the few sanctuaries into a sharp relief.
My characters are 12th level, and we're playing D&D 4th edition. Let me know what you think!
I've put my players in the Underdark for my 4.0 game, and I decided to hex map the Underdark. To mimic the difficulty in navigating the endless maze of caves, fissures, caverns, cracks, and corridors, it requires a dungeoneering check to successfully move to an adjacent hex; failure moves the group in a random direction instead. So far, it's been a rousing success.
To make it so the players aren't making a blind choice, I allow them to "scout the edges" of adjacent hexes. They get some information, like "it opens up into a larger cavern to the south" or "the tunnels to the northwest feel cool and damp". This way they can choose from different options that have more meaning than simply 'left or right'. They can also make dungeoneering checks (or other relevant skill checks) to try and determine what might be in the next hex.
I didn't want to use a day / night cycle for the Underdark, so instead, the PCs can travel between hexes twice per day. They can push for more hexes, but each PC must pass a DC 20 Endurance check or they lose a healing surge. The DC increases by 5 each additional hex traversed, and the healing surges lost doubles each time.
Finally, they can't simply take an extended rest anywhere; they need to find an appropriate location. This also requires a dungeoneering check, though failure results in a random encounter. The Underdark is a hostile place, so by taking away an easy campsite, I'm really hoping to throw the few sanctuaries into a sharp relief.
My characters are 12th level, and we're playing D&D 4th edition. Let me know what you think!
