I just received Dungeon #108 in the mail, which made me realize that this rave I've been meaning to post about #107 is a little overdue. Maybe praise has already been heaped about the "Test of the Smoking Eye" adventure featured therein. If not, it should have been. And if it has, it bears repeating.
This adventure has an outstanding approach to detailing the areas within a dungeon which I have never seen before (and unfortunately, haven't seen since). The description of each room (or "section" or what have you) starts with the following stat block:
Light--Tells the DM how well the area is lit, if at all (a detail DM's often forget to check).
Sound--Allows the DM to know right away what noises PC's might hear coming from the area with a Listen check--if anything--and provides a DC for the quieter noises.
Auras--If a PC tries to detect magic or alignments, this allows the DM to know right off the bat what they're going to pick up. Talk about a time-saver!
Reaction--Mentions any special events that might be triggered by PC actions, such as traps and monsters laying in wait, or the arrival of monsters from adjacent areas drawn by the sounds of battle after a certain number of rounds.
This is a fantastic alternative to a run-of-the-mill dungeon, where each area starts off with some boxed text and then goes straight to providing stat blocks for the creatures within and their tactics and then their treasure. Even having read a module from beginning to end, I often find myself combing a half-page of text just to answer questions about what the players can perceive in one key area, and it can be pretty easy to miss when something is giving off a magical aura or if there is some telltale noise that cautious players should have heard as they approached. Kudos to Paizo and David Noonan for realizing there's a better way to lay things out. I know they peruse this board, and I hope they see this. IMHO, they've come up with a design element that every dungeon should incorporate. Please give us more of this in future issues of Dungeon!
This adventure has an outstanding approach to detailing the areas within a dungeon which I have never seen before (and unfortunately, haven't seen since). The description of each room (or "section" or what have you) starts with the following stat block:
Light--Tells the DM how well the area is lit, if at all (a detail DM's often forget to check).
Sound--Allows the DM to know right away what noises PC's might hear coming from the area with a Listen check--if anything--and provides a DC for the quieter noises.
Auras--If a PC tries to detect magic or alignments, this allows the DM to know right off the bat what they're going to pick up. Talk about a time-saver!
Reaction--Mentions any special events that might be triggered by PC actions, such as traps and monsters laying in wait, or the arrival of monsters from adjacent areas drawn by the sounds of battle after a certain number of rounds.
This is a fantastic alternative to a run-of-the-mill dungeon, where each area starts off with some boxed text and then goes straight to providing stat blocks for the creatures within and their tactics and then their treasure. Even having read a module from beginning to end, I often find myself combing a half-page of text just to answer questions about what the players can perceive in one key area, and it can be pretty easy to miss when something is giving off a magical aura or if there is some telltale noise that cautious players should have heard as they approached. Kudos to Paizo and David Noonan for realizing there's a better way to lay things out. I know they peruse this board, and I hope they see this. IMHO, they've come up with a design element that every dungeon should incorporate. Please give us more of this in future issues of Dungeon!
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