Dungeoneering
Marching order
When exploring a Dungeon, you’ll need to choose a Marching Order. This determines who is walking in front of who when you pass through a door or trigger a trap. Not all traps will trigger on the first person in the marching order, but this position does tend to be the most dangerous. You can change the marching order at any time, but establishing a default to be used in most situations is necessary as there may be situations where who is front matters.
Exploring the Dungeon
Moving carefully through an average sized room and paying attention to its obvious features takes about 10 minutes. You can move through rooms quickly, but you may not see obvious traps, ambushes, or hidden rooms.
You can fully investigate an average sized room in 30 minutes. Fully investigating a room reveals any hidden information, traps, or secret rooms, but not necessarily their mechanisms.
Dungeons in Revolver are about time management and risk vs reward. Think carefully about how you want to spend your time, and where you can afford to spend extra time searching. Clever thinking can often identify secret doors, hidden information, or traps without spending the time for a full investigation.
Light
A single lantern can provide light to all people standing Nearby.
Without light, Adventurers are left navigating by touch and sound. Navigating a room in this way takes twice as long, and it is impossible to notice hidden information, traps, or ambushes.
Attacks made in darkness are not possible unless your target is Close to you. Attacks made in darkness are always Impaired.
Most monsters can see in the dark.
Types of Dungeons
There are three types of Dungeons in Revolver. Minor, Major, and Calamitous Dungeons. They are defined by their size and whether or not they contain a Calamity or random encounters. Smaller Dungeons are safer, but larger Dungeons reward more experience and often guard more exciting loot.
| Dungeon | Size | Features | Exp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minor | <10 Rooms | None | 1 |
| Major | >10 Rooms | Random Encounters | 2 |
| Calamitous | >10 Rooms | Calamity | 5 |
Random Encounters
In Major Dungeons, the GM should roll a d6 to see if a Random Encounter occurs for every 30 minutes the Adventurers spend in a Dungeon. At a Normal Dungeoneering Pace, this means every 3 rooms, or every time the Adventurers take a Siesta. On a 1, a Random Encounter occurs. On a 2, the characters find an omen hinting at a random encounter in a nearby room.
The GM may also roll for a Random Encounter if the Adventurers draw attention to themselves by making loud noises or destroying rooms frequently used by Dungeon occupants.
Calamitous Dungeons
The most dangerous Dungeons in Revolver are Calamitous Dungeons. Calamitous Dungeons are larger in size than typical Dungeons and contain a disastrous effect for parties that spend too long inside them. Calamities replace random encounters in Calamitous Dungeons.
For example...
Calamitous Dungeons. A Dungeon set in an active volcano where the Adventurers want to get in and out before it erupts is a Calamitous Dungeon. A Dungeon involving stopping a ritual or saving hostages before they are killed could also be a Calamitous Dungeon.
The Calamity Timer
When a Dungeon's Calamity is triggered, the GM starts the Calamity Timer. This is a countdown that begins at 20. When the Calamity Timer hits 0, the Calamity occurs, complicating the adventure.
The Calamity Timer should trigger whenever it is logical, depending on the Calamity. An erupting volcano’s Calamity Timer might start as soon as the players enter the Dungeon. A hostage situation’s Calamity Timer might start only once the Dungeon’s occupants have become aware of the Adventurers.
The Calamity Timer ticks down by 1d6 as Adventurers spend more time in the Dungeon or do anything to exacerbate the dangerous situation. The GM should always tick down the Calamity Timer for every 30 minutes the Adventurers spend in a Dungeon. At a Normal Dungeoneering Pace, this means every 3 rooms, or every time the Adventurers take a Siesta.
Depending on the Calamity, the GM may also tick down the Calamity Timer if the Adventurers draw attention to themselves. This could be by making loud noises, destroying rooms frequently used by Dungeon occupants, or by any other means relevant to the specific Dungeon.
Each time the Calamity Timer ticks down, the GM should describe an omen of the coming Calamity. The omens should get gradually more severe as the timer approaches zero.
For Example...
Poison Gas. The denizens of the Dungeon are slowly filling it with toxic gas. The first time the Calamity Timer ticks down, the players hear a hissing sound coming from spigots in the floor. The second time, they see a faint pink gas escaping from the spigots.
When the Calamity Timer hits zero, the Calamity occurs. Try to choose Calamities that add severe complications to a Dungeon instead of Calamities that outright kill the characters. A volcanic eruption spewing magma into rooms and destroying pathways in the Dungeon is more interesting than the eruption killing all characters in the Dungeon.
The Calamity Timer is removed if the source of the Calamity is addressed.
Some Calamities, once triggered, will occur even if the Adventurers retreat from the Dungeon. This may destroy the Dungeon or massively change its layout.