The Forbidden Island loomed before us, and we were left with a sense of awe and dread. What the pirates had hinted at before left a dark sense of foreboding over the tropical branches and white beaches. Why had our employer led us to this place?
A strong hook will make the characters pursue the adventure the GM crafted for them. The strongest motivation that characters will follow is the promise of gold. Hint at a valuable treasure hidden in the troll cave, or a priceless amulet that the evil sorcerer possesses. Trying to make them go to the cave because it’s something for them to do isn’t going to be enough. They need a powerful reason to go there. Sometimes it works to have them go and rescue innocent civilians, or a lost pet, but the characters usually do it more out of a sense of “doing a chore” rather than because they really want to.
The traditional five room dungeon is a great example of a fun adventure. Let’s assume there’s a bit of a journey to get to the troll cave/dungeon. The GM has a chance to throw a random encounter the characters way, to give them a taste of combat before they get into the meat of it. Random encounters never have to be complicated, because they’re inherently short and sweet fights that don’t need complicated stat blocks. Pull out some goblins or maybe a custom stat block of your own.
The first room is the entrance, in which the characters have to find a way to gain access to the dungeon proper. This can be through a puzzle, a riddle, or perhaps even just a clue that an NPC told the characters along the way. The second room is the guardian– the fearsome protector of the dungeon. It’s great to have fun with this one. It doesn’t necessarily have to be combat focused. For example, this guardian could ask the characters a riddle. If you do go the combat route, make the fight engaging. Take advantage of the terrain around the room. Give the characters options instead of straight swords and staffs and spells. The third room is the puzzle room. It’s always better to lean on the easier side than the harder side for puzzles. The last thing you want is your characters stuck on one puzzle for hours. It just makes everyone annoyed and takes the fun out of the game. For the fourth room, the boss room, pull out all the stops for this one! Go crazy on the stat block. This has been what the adventure has been building towards, so anticipations are high. Utilize those engaging environments. Give it cool dialogue. So when you arrive in the fifth room, the treasure room, the characters feel truly rewarded.
If you’re designing a longer campaign, feel free to leave a plot thread in the boss chamber. Have him allude to “the greater threat” or just as the characters finish him off, have the BBEG swoop in to deal the killing blow for being an “unfaithful servant”. It doesn’t have to be complicated. The characters should be left with enough juice to want to keep playing the adventure.
It’s important to remember that the five room dungeon is just a guideline, it’s not a rule. I didn’t invent the idea of the five room dungeon, and rarely do I use a physical dungeon, but I use its concepts all the time. You don’t have to send your players to a dungeon at all. It can be a gnoll encampment. It can be a dark forest. What matters is the process of what they do once they’re inside. A mix up of all those elements leads to a diverse and fun adventure for everyone.
By Inti Navia
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