[Slight OT] Who watched History Channel "Secret Passages"?

[Henry]

Last night, I got to see the History Channel's special on "Secret Passages." The most amazing one to me was the Octagon House, in Wisconsin.

P.S. to Eric or Wandering Monster - have either of you ever heard of this place or even traveled there? The idea of a single structure with NINE secret passages boggles my mind!


It got me to thinking about secret doors in the real world vs. what we see in traditional secret passages in D&D. How many of you actually use secret doors and passages in your D&D games?

I find that I almost never do anymore, upon thinking about it. They have too much of a problem in that, while they are quite realistic and the best place to actually HIDE something one wouldn't want to be found, they can cause problems in a game if they are never found - especially if the goal is a time-sensitive one, or if the passage is critical to resolving an adventure.

A villain with his own base would WANT secret passages to best conceal his secrets or provide escape, but is this fair game for players whose PC's are terrible at finding such and would take hours to do so?

 

[Piratecat]

KidCthulhu and I have a secret door in our house. When we were doing the renovations, it seemed like the thing to do!

Anyways, Henry, isn't there a 1st level spell that solves this problem?

 

[Jamdin]

I watched that show & really loved it. I always try to include a secret passage or hidden room in my horror adventures.

 

[AFGNCAAP]

Saw the show in question & loved it. IIRC, didn't it discuss the massive tunnel system below Paris? I just remember seeing the Paris tunnels & getting countless ideas from it.

As for secret passages & doors, I always like using them one way or another---just adds something to the game, IMHO. Same with traps. One of the dungeon rooms that I had the most fun designing was a false treasure room. The owner of the dungeon was a former adventurer, & designed a treasure room filled with cursed items & worthless junk enchanted to look valueable. And, to make it seem important, there were several traps present---poison needle in the door, pit trap behind the door, a pit trap immediately behind the pit trap (to get those who tries to jump to safety), statue guardians, poison gas trap on the main treasure chest, etc. A lot of work & pain for (actually) worthless stuff.

Same thing with secret doors---some are important, some pointless, & some are a trap in their own right.

 

[Someguy]

Well, if the PC's are smart, they will always be looking for secrtet doors, and this is easier for elves and thiewr passive search. BUT< you still run into the problem of them not making the DC.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Saw it last week and it is great. Have you seen the one on mines or underground places, just amazing, lots of ideas from them.

 

[thalmin]

A villain with his own base would WANT secret passages to best conceal his secrets or provide escape, but is this fair game for players whose PC's are terrible at finding such and would take hours to do so?

The trick is to plan for the party to NOT find the secret doors. Have the villians use the doors against the party. "Now where did he go?' "How did they get here?"
Of course, if the party does find a secret door, foiling the plans of the villians (and the DM), so much the better!

 

[Psion]

It got me to thinking about secret doors in the real world vs. what we see in traditional secret passages in D&D. How many of you actually use secret doors and passages in your D&D games?

I find that I almost never do anymore, upon thinking about it. They have too much of a problem in that, while they are quite realistic and the best place to actually HIDE something one wouldn't want to be found, they can cause problems in a game if they are never found

That's merely a matter of "plot management" IMO. If you don't want to make finding the secret door vital, then like any other obstacle you don't want to make vital, make it surmountable or provide alternatives. The secret door may hide something beneficial but not essential, or merely be an alternate path to allow players to bypass more difficult obstacles.

If you do want players to find the secret door/make it essential, then tip your hand to the fact that there IS one so at least they will know to look and/or be persistent.

 

[Rune]

Saw it some time ago. Filed it away in my head. Lots of great ideas in it!

 

[Mark]

Missed the show, so I'll have to catch it the next time around. It does remind of a few things...

While visiting a friend in the MA area, I had the chance to go to the House of Seven Gables. Here's a Tourist Site description...

"One of the most fascinating of Salem's many attractions, one worth making the trip for alone, is the House of Seven Gables, New England's oldest mansion. Built in 1668 for John Turner III, a sea captain, it provides an extraordinary link to Colonial times. After 100 years in the Turner family, it was acquired by the Ingersoll family, relatives of Nathaniel Hawthorne. Walking through its interesting configuration of rooms, up a secret passage to an attic, you can imagine how it inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne, when he would visit his cousin Susan Ingersoll, in the 1800s. Hawthorne, who changed the spelling of his name out of shame for his great grandfather, Jonathan Hathorne, the hanging judge of the Witch Trials, used the house as a link to that time. The guided tour is very engaging, and the mansion is phenomenal. (In October, the book is reenacted and there are candlelight tours.)"

While I was there I walked through the secret passage and tried to sneak a photo, though it didn't turn out.

Another bizarre attraction that is rumored to have "secret passages" in Wisconsin is "The Hose on the Rock" I visited there when I was much younger and was fascinated by this sprawling example of architecture. "Designed and built by Alex Jordan of Madison, WI, the House is an architectural marvel perched on a 60-foot chimney of rock. Begun in the early 1940's, it overlooks the breathtaking panorama of the Wyoming Valley. The 14 - room House, which is sculpted atop Deer Shelter Rock, is the original structure of what is now an extraordinary complex of rooms, streets, buildings and gardens covering over 200 acres. A 375-foot ramp through treetops takes visitors to the entrance of the House where a bell gallery, waterfalls, massive fireplaces and walls of rock can be seen. Furnishings include Oriental art, stained glass lamps, bronze statuary and a three-story bookcase filled with rare books. The 14th room was added in 1985 and proves to be the most spectacular, the INFINITY ROOM. This unique room with walls of glass, projects out 218 feet over the Wyoming Valley. A glass cocktail table provides visitors with a breathtaking view of the forest floor 156 feet below. With 3264 windows there's no doubt about it, there truly is no other room like it in the world!"

There are also a few turn of the century (1901 approx) mansions on Grand Ave in Waukegan, one of which I've been told was owned by Vincient Price's mother and another by Peter Lorre. One of these buldings was purchased, while in rather run down condition, by a friend of mine who renovated the rambling structure. He was taking the huge place and dividing it into about eight, oddly configured and very eclectic apartments. When it was about half-way to where he wished it to finally be, it was also about the time I was looking for my first home away from my family. Several secret nooks, and a full hidden room, were discovered during that reconstruction...and a few new ones were added to the lower part of the mansion where my buddy has maintained his own home. Very fun to see all of that as the old ones were found and the new ones were built.