This is a solo playthrough of a well-known (but highly customised) OSR megadungeon using the dB/dX 1.8 ruleset. Please see this post for an explanation of what I'm trying to acheive in so doing.
Prologue
RAP#1 creep down the staircase, endeavouring with limited success to make as little noise as possible. Hajni's chainmail clinks rythmically. Leary hums unthinkingly to himself. Val's lips move as he counts each step of their descent: 120… 130… 140…
The adventurers feel their ears pop, and then stop short as Val's torch suddenly flares bright magenta—just for a moment—then returns to its normal orange colour. They stand still, hearts pounding, trying to discern the cause, waiting for some danger to reveal itself… but nothing further happens.
"What was that?" Yuuki whispers.
"Never mind," Anton growls. "It doesn't matter. Keep going."
Val realises he's lost count.
Presently, flagstones appear in the torchlight. The foetid odours of untold depths rise to meet them as they emerge from a vaulted ceiling into a sizeable foyer [1A01], steadying themselves on the column of dripping stone at the centre of the staircase.
"Wait!" Anton barks, holding up his hand. He looks down, foot poised above the final step. Sheathing his sword, he pulls a small bundle of sticks from the side of his pack and assembles them into a wooden pole ten feet long and two inches thick.
"What's that for?" Hajni wonders aloud.
In reply, Anton probes the final step with the pole, then the first flagstone, then the next, and so on. Cautiously, he advances, tapping each flagstone in turn. Leary grunts approvingly.
"Stay close," Anton says.
Turn 1
The foyer is 8 paces square, with the staircase in the centre. Doors are NE, E, and SW; passages are SE and NW. (RAP#1 don't know which way is N underground, but I'll use cardinal directions for simplicity.) Do they go (1) NE, (2) E, (3) SE, (4) SW, or (5) NW, or do they (6) investigate the foyer further? [1d6=1] They try the NE door; it smells faintly of woodsmoke. [1d6=6] It opens outward with barely a creak.
The room within [1A04] is 6 by 4 paces and was evidently the site of a serious fire some time in the distant past. The walls are covered with soot and the charred remains of wooden furniture lie scattered about. There's another door at the E end of the room. Do they (1) cross the room and go through it, (2) investigate the room itself, (3) try the E door of the foyer, (4) exit the foyer SE (5) try the SW door, or (6) exit the foyer NW? [1d6=4] They let the NE door swing shut and leave through the SE passage.
The passage leads S but branches E after a few paces; it ends a few more paces S with a door on the W. They can clearly see an open pit immediately beyond the E branch. Do they (1-3) investigate the pit or (4-6) try the door? [1d6=5] They try the door. [1d6=4] It makes a horrible noise but opens easily enough.
The room within [1A21] is 6 paces square, with a door to the N (presumably back to the foyer) and a barred passage to the W. Hajni gasps as the torchlight reveals a macabre sight: the skeletal remains of some poor unfortunate of long ago rest here, a sinister reminder of the dangers of this place.
Speaking of which: time for a hazard check. [1d6=2] The stress of the day is taking its toll: a feeling of weariness threatens to overwhelm the party. Do they (1-3) rest here a while, (4) drink some water, (5) eat some rations, or (6) soldier on? [1d6=6] They refuse to pause for even a moment. [Each party member takes 1 hp due to fatigue.]
Turn 2
Do RAP#1 (1-2) enter the room and search it, (3-4) examine the pit, or (5-6) backtrack to the foyer? [1d6=4] They move cautiously to the edge of the pit, which is about 10 ft deep.
Stone flaps either side of the pit are jammed open with iron spikes, to which ropes have been tied. The ropes are in reasonable condition: clear evidence that other adventurers passed this way in the not too distant past. It should be relatively simple to climb down one side and up the other, though it may take some time.
Do they (1-3) traverse the pit or (4-6) backtrack to the foyer? [1d6=1] Taking care not to injure themselves, they clamber down into the pit. The floor is rough and uneven. Do they take a moment to look around before moving on? [1d6=4] Yes, but only a moment. Do they notice anything? Unlikely. [2d6kl1={2,2}=2] No, nothing catches their attention.
The passage on the other side runs N-S, 5 paces each way. Do they go (1-3) N or (4-6) S? [1d6=1] They turn N. The passage dead-ends but there's a door on the right (E). [1d6=2] It's stuck fast. Do they break it down? Unlikely. [2d6kl1={3,3}=3] No, but they'll give it a go if they're back this way later.
Hazard check. [1d6=3] The torch is nearing its end, so Val draws another from his pack and lights it from the old, dropping the spent one on the ground by the door.
Turn 3
RAP#1 head S down the passage, which turns E and ends after 4 paces with an unusual-looking door that has been jammed open somehow. The walls of the room beyond [1A19] are covered with intricate frescoes of sublime workmanship. The passage doubles back at the SW corner of the room.
The strange door moves on runnels and would have been completely invisible from within the room when closed. Sadly, some vandal has driven a spike into the runnel to prevent it from closing, but in so doing has shattered the mosaic on that part of the floor. A priceless architectural wonder has been sullied!
Is anyone in the room? Unlikely. [2d6kl1={3,3}=3] No, but there are signs that someone has been here recently: a few candle stubs are arranged neatly in one corner.
Do they (1-2) search the room, (3-4) follow the passage SW, or (5-6) go back the way they came? [1d6=6] They head back to the stuck door.
Val hands the torch to Lyonors and starts hacking away at the iron-banded timbers with his axe while the others stand guard. Can he do it in a single turn? Val's STR ability score isn't great so it's unlikely. [2d6kl1={3,4}=3] No, but he should be able to break through next turn.
Hazard check. [1d6=1] An encounter. [1d20=13; 1d8=6] Six giant fire beetles! Are they inside the room? It seems likely that it contains some kind of nest but it's also possible that the noise has attracted the creatures from somewhere else. [2d6kh1={5,3}=5] Yes, a faint red glow appears as Val manages to chop away a sizeable chunk of door. Do the party notice in time to react? [1d6=4] Yes, but of course there's no way that the creatures in the room are surprised either. With intruders breaking into their refuge, it's very unlikely they'll be docile. Are they? [3d6kl1={4,1,2}=1] No, and they attack immediately!
That should make things interesting… for the next post.
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