D&D 5E (2014) What would you put in an "Exploration Manual"?

[mellored]

If such a book existed.

What traps, terrain, and hazards stand out in your mind?

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

I wouldn't want this sort of book to include any particular sorts of traps, terrain, and hazards - It is the treatment of those things which I would rather the book focus on.

Rather than just list the trap, as has been done in the DMG (though with more useful information than prior editions gave traps), I'd like to see the details of the trap given alongside an example to-scale map and images that show the DM what to tell their players that their characters actually see and can interact with that might tip them off to the presence of (and maybe even the function of) the trap without boiling things down to "DC 10 to spot, DC 15 to disable, disadvantage if using a blade instead of thieves' tools, failure triggers trap, [insert damage workings here]" which suggests the resolution is assumed to be done via die rolls even though the lead-up to the examples clearly states otherwise.

Same for terrain and hazards. Rather than focus on just the mechanical bits of them, show examples of how to actually utilize them.

You know, something that actually serves as a how-to for DMs that haven't already figured it out despite the lack, which is still entirely useful to DMs that have already figured it out because it might provoke thoughts not already had.

 

[Zardnaar]

Guidelines on how to design a hex crawl type adventure and outdoors stuff as 5E is fairly rubbish at these adventures due to the healing rate and the 6-8 expected encounters. Things like xp for exploring hexes and variant rules for toning down the healing rate while in extreme conditions (artic, sahara, amazon) would be useful or even variants the fast healing rates only apply in civilization while out exploring you use slower healing rules.

 

[Li Shenron]

What traps, terrain, and hazards stand out in your mind?

All of them!

A good starting point for such book would be to take everything (except the character material) from the 3e environmental series: Sandstorm, Frostburn, Stormwrack, Cityscape...

 

[feartheminotaur]

Why, I'm glad you asked

I'd like to see

- alternate wilderness exploration rules, e.g., hexcrawls.
- expanded rules/ideas for a wider varieties of terrain . The DMG kinda lumps a lot together, but a forest is not a jungle.
- wilderness encounters. Like the one page dungeons or old dragon mags but outdoors, underwater, etc.
- more player options for exploration focused groups
- traps! I'd love to see greater and more detailed variation on types of traps, trap construction, how players should/shouldn't interact with them...

Basically, take the 20 pages of "Adventure Environments" in the DMG and expand it to 200+

 

[iserith]

What [MENTION=6701872]AaronOfBarbaria[/MENTION] said. A compendium of traps, hazards, and hex-maps would be useful, but I'd like to see a lot more instruction to help DMs run engaging exploration challenges.

 

[Zardnaar]

What [MENTION=6701872]AaronOfBarbaria[/MENTION] said. A compendium of traps, hazards, and hex-maps would be useful, but I'd like to see a lot more instruction to help DMs run engaging exploration challenges.

Any advice as I have been impressed with some of your scenarios you put up on the WotC boards. I have run adaptations of 2E The Night Below (part 1 Evils of Haranshire), X1 Isle of Dread and elements from Paizo's Kingmaker in 5E. PCs had fun which is the main thing but it was really easy mode of them.

 

[Sunseeker]

I'd like a lot of maps, with some descriptions on what sort of dangers you'd find in them (trap wise). Forests, deserts, mountains, etc, with a set of DC guidelines along the lines of the "easy, medium, hard, deadly" ratings already in the existing books. I'd like there to be some example traps, but I really don't want a book of nothing but traps, but a book on how to properly use traps and how those traps might be hidden.

 

[iserith]

Any advice as I have been impressed with some of your scenarios you put up on the WotC boards. I have run adaptations of 2E The Night Below (part 1 Evils of Haranshire), X1 Isle of Dread and elements from Paizo's Kingmaker in 5E. PCs had fun which is the main thing but it was really easy mode of them.

Thanks for the kind words. I'm somewhat familiar with Isle of Dread, but not with the others you mention so I can't give any specific advice on those. Exploration challenges can range from abstract overland travel to granular room or even object interaction depending on the level of "zoom." The key thing in my view is the DM needs to be good on description, trade-offs and meaningful decisions need to be present at all levels of zoom, and mechanical process should not get in the way. Traditional hexcrawls tend to fail on all three points in my experience and also suffer from the 15-minute work day or 5-minute work day, whatever we call that now. (The latter is caused by a lack of time pressure.)

I'm currently tinkering with a hexcrawl right now so this stuff is on my mind. If you have some more specific ideas for discussion, it might be good for another thread. This is just my broad strokes advice. I don't want to derail mellored's thread.

 

[Jediking]

I think giving information on the ecology and environmental effects of different hexes/regions can help. Going more in depth of how the 'natural' world works as a default. I think for a hexcrawl/exploration type adventure, the PCs are butting into things (at the start at least) of something that has adapted and grown over time. The MM has good flavour more most monsters and how they act, but going into deeper relationships could give a view of a whole biosphere.

But that would be more for wilderness/unexplored areas, rather than delving ancient lost ruins which might not apply.

Also, I like having Factions. They could be a mundane pack of wolves that prowl a forest, or a sophisticated tribe of Goblins. To me a hexcrawl would have a lot of moving background bits where the PCs have a ripple/butterfly effect, so bigger picture stuff would be nice IMO.