TEXT:  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Everything a player needs to navigate the SOLITAIRES system, a type of 
  single-player adventure for the world’s greatest roleplaying game 
  
  WRAITH WRIGHT’S 
   
  CREDITS 
  Design and Writing: Randall Right of Wraith Wright Productions 
  Illustration: Cover by Bruno Balixa, chapter heads courtesy of Wizards of the Coast 
  Production and Publication: Randall Right 
  Quality and Development Consultation: Robert Ochs 
  This product is dedicated to Paul Bimler, who introduced some of the first commercially-
  viable single-player adventures to the Dungeon Masters Guild. Paul fosters an online 
  community of fellow enthusiasts, and his products continue to push the envelope, 
  expanding the reach of interactive adventure and showing us what is possible. 
   
   
  On the Cover: Bruno  
  Balixa’s Swamp Area 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, the dragon ampersand, Player’s Handbook, Monster 
  Manual, Dungeon Master’s Guide, D&D Adventurers League, all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective 
  logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. All characters and their distinctive likenesses are 
  property of Wizards of the Coast. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any 
  reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written 
  permission of Wizards of the Coast. ©2016-2017 Wizards of the Coast LLC, PO Box 707, Renton, WA 98057-0707, USA. 
  Manufactured by Hasbro SA, Rue Emile-Boéchat 31, 2800 Delémont, CH. Represented by Hasbro Europe, 4 The Square, Stockley 
  Park, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB11 1ET, UK. 
  The Comprehensive Manual titles, the Solitaire titles, the Wraith Wright anvil, and other related branding are trademarks of 
  Wraith Wright Productions. All other original material in this work is copyright Wraith Wright Productions 2019 and published 
  under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.
   
   
  
  2 | SOLO PLAYERS GUIDEBOOK 
  CONTENTS
  PREPARE TO PLAY 
  Prepare Your Tools ............................... 4 
  Design Your Campaign ......................... 5 
  Make Your Character ........................... 7 
  NAVIGATE ADVENTURES 
  Traversing the Text ............................. 11 
  Measuring Time .................................. 13 
  Tracking Progress ............................... 15 
  Self-Moderating ................................. 16 
  FACE CHALLENGES 
  Social Interactions .............................. 18 
  Combat Writeups ............................... 18 
  Theater of the Mind ........................... 21 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  CHAPTER ZERO 
  “I am, indeed, a king, because I know 
  how to rule myself.” 
  - Pietro Aretino 
  INGLE-PLAYER INTERACTIVE ADVENTURES 
  allow you to play DUNGEONS & DRAGONS 
  by yourself, to experience the fun and 
  excitement of D&D in a convenient way, 
  or at a convenient time or place. When there 
  is no gaming site available, no table to use, no 
  group to gather, or when no one wants to be 
  the Dungeon Master, adventures in this vein 
  let you clear these hurdles and play DUNGEONS 
  & DRAGONS. 
  Unfortunately, the availability of single-
  player interactive adventures is slim, 
  particularly those that use the 5th Edition 
  DUNGEONS & DRAGONS rules. The depth of the 
  single-player adventure experience is very 
  limited at this time; there is little or no 
  continuation for your story. When you play an 
  adventure, you are unlikely to find another 
  adventure to advance that character into. 
  The SOLITAIRES system, comprised of the 
  Solo Player’s Guidebook and the Solo Creator’s 
  Guidebook, seeks to facilitate a broader range 
  of adventure options, helping creators 
  produce compatible adventures and allowing 
  players to string together their own 
  campaigns using adventures crafted by 
  various writers.  
   
   
   
   
  
  3 | SOLO PLAYERS GUIDEBOOK 
   
   
  
  4 | SOLO PLAYERS GUIDEBOOK 
  CHAPTER ONE 
  HIS CHAPTER PREPARES YOU TO PLAY YOUR 
  own SOLITAIRES campaign. It walks 
  you through the preparations and 
  decisions you should make prior to 
  starting your first adventure. These rules can 
  also be useful for planning any type of single-
  player interactive adventure. 
  You will need certain materials before you 
  start a single-player campaign. Be mindful of 
  these supplies before you begin an adventure, 
  lest you need to stop and find them. 
  If you are playing a single-player interactive 
  adventure, you are probably playing it by 
  yourself. Unlike a normal game, you are the 
  only one at the table who can impose and 
  maintain the sense of immersion that 
  Dungeon Masters and fellow players would 
  otherwise reinforce through their 
  roleplaying. To help you maintain an 
  atmosphere conducive to play, we 
  recommend these additional tools. 
  For the best experience, find a comfortable 
  spot to play in. The place should be one 
  where you have easy access to all your 
  materials, and where there are no 
  distractions nearby that might pull you out of 
  the narrative. 
  Low levels of light or even candlelight can 
  be a nice atmospheric touch. Just make sure 
  you have enough light to read by without 
  straining your eyes. 
  Background music can enhance the ambiance 
  while you play. Avoid music that has lyrics or 
  distracting beats, since these can draw away 
  your attention at moments when you would 
  prefer to concentrate on the game. Soft music 
  with medieval-period instruments is ideal. 
  You might also want to consider a separate, 
  faster-paced soundtrack for combat scenes. 
  It wouldn’t be DUNGEONS & DRAGONS without a 
  set of polyhedral dice. All standard die sizes 
  are likely to be called upon during a game. If 
  you lack dice, you can turn to the Internet for 
  dice rolling programs, whether built-in 
  features to websites or downloadable 
  applications you can run on your computer, 
  tablet, or smartphone. 
  SOLITAIRES campaigns use the 5th Edition 
  DUNGEONS & DRAGONS core rules. The Player’s 
  Handbook and Dungeon Master’s Guide 
  include information necessary for creating 
  characters and playing the game. 
  The Monster Manual is usually not needed; 
  most single-player adventures include 
  relevant monster information in their texts. 
  This is because referencing the Monster 
  Manual can give away too much information 
  about the foes you face; when you are both 
  the Dungeon Master and the player, your 
  interaction with the spoilers in that book 
  must be necessarily curtailed in some ways. 
   
   
  
  5 | SOLO PLAYERS GUIDEBOOK 
  If you don’t have these resources, you can 
  instead refer to the free “Basic Rules” from 
  the Wizards of the Coast website: 
   
  o http://media.wizards.com/2018/dnd/
  downloads/DnD_BasicRules_2018.pdf 
   
  Some SOLITAIRES use the Comprehensive 
  Equipment Manual (CEM), a popular book 
  from Wraith Wright Productions. The CEM is 
  a completely-separate product; you do not 
  need it in order to play! 
  If the adventure you are playing uses the 
  CEM, the text will occasionally show new 
  equipment items from that book. These will 
  be followed by an alternate item in [square 
  brackets]. For example, if you are not using 
  the CEM and you find a “maulaxe [battleaxe],” 
  treat the item as a battleaxe. 
  Make sure to have materials on hand to take 
  copious amounts of notes. You can go as basic 
  or as technological as you like, from a pad of 
  paper with plenty of sharp pencils, to 
  electronic documents on your computer. 
  Whatever system you use, your collected 
  notes will be referred to as your “play 
  journal.”
   
  USING A REAL JOURNAL 
  For best results, we recommend that you use a 
  real, physical book for your play journal. You 
  can purchase a suitable journal at any major 
  book store or online market. A nice, leather-
  bound journal with lined pages can enhance 
  your connection to the story and help you 
  keep your notes in one place. 
  If you use something like this, you can 
  reserve some early pages for your most 
  important notes, then fill the remaining pages with chronological note-taking. The first few pages 
  are an ideal space to make a copy of your character sheet, making the journal your only 
  information-tracking workspace. (For additional immersion, you can write your chronological 
  notes from an in-character perspective.) 
  For this purpose, we particularly recommend the game diaries sold by The Rook & the Raven. 
  (We have no affiliation with that company.) The modularity of their products allows you to insert 
  pages for character sheets, notes, and maps, then rearrange them to suit. 
    
   
  In a SOLITAIRES campaign, you select the 
  adventures you play and the order you play 
  them in, within certain guidelines. Although 
  you can use these rules in a one-off fashion, 
  playing a single adventure at a time, they 
  really shine as a tool to facilitate multi-
  adventure experiences. 
  The first step in designing a campaign is to 
  determine which adventures you will use and 
  in what order. To do that, examine the 
  adventures in your library and consider 
  certain parameters. Your campaign can be as 
  long or as short as you want, depending on 
  
  6 | SOLO PLAYERS GUIDEBOOK 
  how many adventures you can string 
  together. 
  The adventures you include in your 
  campaign don’t have to be created with the 
  SOLITAIRES system. You can use “imported” 
  adventures as part of your campaign. 
  Although imported adventures usually 
  require alteration to adapt than to a 
  SOLITAIRES campaign, there are some very 
  good single-player adventures worth 
  considering when designing your campaign. 
  The first restriction to contemplate is an 
  adventure’s prescribed level. This is the most 
  common limiter of how you place an 
  adventure in your campaign. Ideally, you can 
  line up one adventure of each character level. 
  This works because almost all single-player 
  adventures purport to reward another 
  character level at their conclusions. 
  In some cases, you will have multiple 
  adventures of a certain level or have no 
  adventures applicable to some character 
  levels. If you play multiple adventures that 
  call for your character to be of the same level, 
  simply don’t add any character levels until 
  you are ready to advance to a higher-level 
  adventure. If you have a gap in your 
  campaign, such that the next adventure 
  requires your character to be of a higher level 
  than it achieved in the previous adventures, 
  simply increase the character’s level at that 
  point to suit the upcoming adventure. 
  Alternately, you can overcome gaps or 
  instances of doubling-up by converting an 
  adventure’s level requirement to a level band, 
  as described elsewhere in this book. For 
  example, two adventures written for a 3rd 
  level character are unlikely to be 
  overwhelmed if played at 3rd level and 4th 
  level. It is the odd-numbered levels where 
  new character capabilities appear, typically in 
  the form of spells whose functions might not 
  have been anticipated by a creator. Adding 
  one more level to your character (so long as it 
  is an even-numbered level) is probably fine. 
  Most single-player adventures have limited 
  hooks, the story pieces that make your 
  character care about the storyline and 
  motivate its interaction with the events that 
  will take place. If your intended character 
  wouldn’t participate in an adventure’s 
  storyline, perhaps because it is evil and not 
  motivated to help the downtrodden, don’t 
  include that adventure in your campaign. 
  Avoid using imported adventures that end in 
  cliffhangers. These conclude with the 
  character trapped in circumstances that will 
  not allow it to pursue a different adventure 
  from that point. Alternately, they might end 
  without resolution, promising that the next 
  adventure resolves the story the current one 
  introduced. 
  The SOLITAIRES system teaches creators not 
  to force characters directly from one 
  adventure into another, but products written 
  outside the system may have no such qualms. 
  If you import an adventure that ends in a 
  cliffhanger scenario, you will need to either 
  line up the sequel as the next adventure in 
  your campaign or you must come up with 
  your own story changes to facilitate your 
  choice for the next adventure. 
  The SOLITAIRES system uses a construct called 
  “adventure paths.” These are collected 
  episodic adventures that conform to a 
  common storyline. They do not require you to 
  play each adventure, nor to play their 
  associated adventures in a strict sequence. 
  You can create a campaign by using just an 
  adventure path or by stringing multiple 
  adventure paths together. If you are using 
  
  7 | SOLO PLAYERS GUIDEBOOK 
  adventure paths, you can also substitute 
  other SOLITAIRES or imported adventures in 
  your campaign, creating a truly-unique mix. 
  Since you are acting as your own Dungeon 
  Master, you must be the one to determine 
  which variant rules apply to your campaign 
  and to decide if any playtest materials or 
  third-party products will be allowed. 
  The 5th Edition of the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS 
  Roleplaying Game offers a host of optional 
  and variant rules in the Player’s Handbook 
  and the Dungeon Master’s Guide. New players 
  should probably avoid using any optional 
  rules. However, these systems can be 
  instrumental in creating the experience that 
  some players want in their games. For 
  example, a seasoned player may prefer the 
  encumbrance variant and the flanking 
  options, despite these being particularly 
  impactful on characters who adventure alone. 
  Some single-player adventures might try to 
  advise or dictate which optional rules to 
  apply. Carefully consider this information and 
  the reasons behind it before making your 
  decision. Some adventures might be written 
  with those rules in mind (or excluded), so 
  going against such instructions can 
  dramatically change the adventure. 
  Particularly when it comes to character 
  creation, you may wish to use options from 
  playtest materials (Unearthed Arcana) or 
  from third-party products. The Dungeon 
  Master’s Guild is a source rich with additional 
  options for character classes, races, 
  equipment, and other factors. 
  While these can be fun to try out, be aware 
  that single-player adventures can’t 
  reasonably anticipate the new capabilities 
  such options may allow. For example, don’t be 
  disappointed if the adventure doesn’t 
  facilitate your custom race’s ability to tunnel 
  through stone walls. 
  Single-player adventures can be used in ways 
  that defy their definition, by adding another 
  player or a Dungeon Master. These factors 
  will significantly impact the way such 
  adventures play. 
  If you are designing your campaign to be 
  played alongside another player or to be 
  moderated by a real Dungeon Master, you will 
  need to consult those people ahead of time, 
  determining the campaign parameters 
  alongside them or delegating the process to 
  another person altogether. 
  If you wish to include a single-player 
  adventure in your multi-player campaign, and 
  it does not have its own conversion 
  mechanics, you will need to decide those 
  factors ahead of time. 
  Your character is the most important feature 
  of adventures in this genre. There are several 
  factors to consider when making a character 
  for a single-player interactive adventure in 
  general, and for SOLITAIRES in particular. 
  Your character should be suited to play the 
  adventures you have chosen for your 
  campaign, complete with the right alignment, 
  background, and motivations to respond to 
  the hooks those adventures offer. If your 
  character wouldn’t play along, scrap the 
  concept and make up one that would, or 
  change out the adventures in your campaign. 
  Additionally, when designing your 
  character sheet, optimize it for single-player 
  play. This means picking a combination of 
  traits and features that suit a lone adventurer. 
  Prioritize combat survivability since you will 
  
  8 | SOLO PLAYERS GUIDEBOOK 
  have no allies to protect and revive you when 
  paralyzed or after falling to 0 hit points. A 
  high Armor Class, significant hit points, and 
  reliable saving throw modifiers are very 
  important to those who adventure alone. But 
  just as important is a broad range of effective 
  ability scores and skills. Having so-called 
  “dump stats” can be quite perilous when you 
  have no allied adventurers to pick up the 
  slack. Wisdom- and Intelligence-based skills 
  particularly help you spot and parse clues, 
  while Charisma-based skills can get you past 
  a multitude of challenges. 
  Generate ability scores using the point-buy or 
  standard array methods from page 13 of the 
  Player’s Handbook. Do not use the rolling 
  method unless you are prepared to handle 
  the drawbacks that rolling presents in 
  interactive adventures. 
  First, you must understand that SOLITAIRES 
  are created contemplating a certain range of 
  ability scores. This range is often deeply-
  ingrained in the mechanics of the game; 
  higher and lower scores may particularly 
  alter how you interact with ability-based 
  prompts. 
  Second, rolling ability scores is the primary 
  instance when players are likely to “cheat.” 
  Players seem very willing to abandon their 
  first set of ability rolls in favor of rolling 
  again. This lack of commitment to dice results 
  sets a bad precedent. Do yourself the favor of 
  using the point-buy or standard array method 
  instead of tempting yourself into a pattern of 
  die-fudging at the outset. 
  Start your character at 1st level and advance 
  it according to the guidelines of each 
  adventure you play. As you play through the 
  campaign, your character’s level should 
  match the level (or level range) prescribed for 
  each adventure in your campaign, when you 
  begin that adventure. 
  Adventures written in the SOLITAIRES 
  system use level bands (a range of two levels) 
  to determine which characters are suitable. 
  Level bands are charted on the Wealth Rubric 
  table below. 
  Every character gets the starting equipment 
  indicated in the Player’s Handbook. There are 
  two official methods to determine this gear; 
  SOLITAIRES assume you will use the class-and-
  background method rather than rolling on the 
  random wealth table. 
  At first level, you may not sell off any of 
  your starting equipment or buy additional 
  equipment until you are afforded an 
  opportunity to visit a merchant or a market 
  during an adventure. 
  However, you can use the optional Item 
  Swaps variant rule at character creation if 
  your campaign uses the Comprehensive 
  Equipment Manual if you include that 
  resource. In this case, you will need to decide 
  which exotic lists are available in the setting 
  you are playing in, unless already noted in the 
  adventures or adventure paths you are using. 
  This is part of determining which rules you 
  will use, as described in the previous stage. 
  SOLITAIRES use a wealth-managing mechanism 
  called the Wealth Rubric. The rubric imposes 
  a semblance of compatibility upon campaigns 
  that often combine the adventures of 
  different creators. Where one adventure 
  might give thousands of gold pieces and half a 
  dozen major magic items to a character at 1st 
  level, the next adventure in your campaign 
  might simply wilt under the power such 
  excessive wealth provides. The rubric 
  prevents this from happening by limiting 
  
  9 | SOLO PLAYERS GUIDEBOOK 
  characters to something close to what the 
  Dungeon Master’s Guide prescribes. 
  At the start of each adventure in your 
  campaign, you must therefore discard any 
  equipment or magic items that exceed the 
  allowances on the Wealth Rubric table. This 
  excess wealth is donated to temples, spent to 
  pay debts, remitted to distant family 
  members, or otherwise permanently 
  removed from your character sheet. 
  Each column of the Wealth Rubric table is 
  explained below. 
  This column refers to the total value of your 
  mundane gear and treasure, including your 
  starting gear. It also includes the value of 
  minor magic items like potions of healing. 
  Minor magic items are those found on Magic 
  Item Tables A-E. (See chapter 7 of the 
  Dungeon Master’s Guide.) 
  Major magic items are listed on Magic Item 
  Tables F-I. They are not added into your 
  wealth total unless the market values of their 
  mundane forms exceed 50 gp. In such cases, 
  the mundane value of the item is included, 
  but the magic value is not. 
  For example, a suit of magical splint armor 
  counts as a magic item, but its physical form 
  additionally counts against 200 gp of your 
  equipment value restriction because the 
  market value of mundane splint armor (200 
  gp) exceeds the 50 gp threshold. 
  These columns limit the major magic items of 
  listed rarities that you can start an adventure 
  with at associated levels. 
  Maintain a list of all magic items that you 
  have removed from your character sheet 
  using this rule. Perhaps you’ve placed them in 
  a bank or left them with a trusted friend who 
  lives nearby. Between each adventure, you 
  can swap out items in your possession for 
  those held in safekeeping, so long as you 
  enter the next adventure in compliance with 
  the Wealth Rubric. 
  You cannot swap magic items during an 
  adventure, nor does this option apply to any 
  other sort of wealth or treasure.
   
  WEALTH RUBRIC 
  Tiers and Level Bands 
  Equipment 
  Value 
  ——— Magic Items (Minor / Major) ——— 
  Uncommon 
  Rare 
  Very Rare 
  Legendary 
  Tier 1 
   
   
   
   
   
   Band A (levels 1–2) 
  350 gp 
  1 
  0 
  0 
  0 
   Band B (levels 3–4) 
  625 gp 
  1 
  0 
  0 
  0 
  Tier 2 
   
   
   
   
   
   Band C (levels 5–6) 
  2,250 gp 
  2 
  1 
  0 
  0 
   Band D (levels 7–8) 
  5,750 gp 
  2 
  1 
  0 
  0 
   Band E (levels 9–10) 
  10,750 gp 
  3 
  2 
  1 
  0 
  Tier 3 
   
   
   
   
   
   Band F (levels 11–12) 
  23,750 gp 
  3 
  2 
  1 
  0 
   Band G (levels 13–14) 
  40,500 gp 
  4 
  3 
  2 
  1 
   Band H (levels 15–16) 
  63,000 gp 
  4 
  3 
  2 
  1 
  Tier 4 
   
   
   
   
   
   Band I (levels 17–20) 
  263,000 gp 
  5 
  4 
  3 
  2 
   
  
  10 | SOLO PLAYERS GUIDEBOOK 
   
   
   
  
  11 | SOLO PLAYERS GUIDEBOOK 
  CHAPTER TWO 
  HIS CHAPTER APPLIES ONLY TO PRODUCTS 
  built with the SOLITAIRES system, a 
  standardized design that correlates 
  to the rules here. This chapter 
  introduces the tools and rules you will 
  encounter in SOLITAIRES products. 
  SOLITAIRES aren’t read like normal DUNGEONS 
  & DRAGONS adventures, nor are they read like 
  novels. The experience is somewhere in 
  between. 
   
  ANATOMY OF A TEXT PART 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
  » Interval 2 
  Fortunately, the passageway is now 
  relatively clear. Unfortunately, you are 
  sure the noise of falling rubble was heard 
  in other parts of the mine.  
  After the dust settles, you examine the 
  makeshift trap. 
  You may add 1 Interval Point to 
  extricate the rope and take it with you: 
  - Hempen rope, 100-foot (20 lb.) 
   
  The northward passage bends in an arc, 
  eventually pointing southward, back in 
  the direction from which it came. 
  • To leave by the western end of the 
  arced passage, go to Part 020. 
  • To leave by the eastern end of the arced 
  passage, go to Part 301. 
   
  This identifier is a hyphenated number 
  found nowhere elsewhere in the book. 
   
  An interval mark adds time-tracking 
  points and signals that a short rest or 
  other activity is possible at this point. 
   
  Narrative text describes events and 
  features of the scene. 
   
  Instructive text tells you how to apply 
  rules. Bold text reminds you to write in 
  your journal or on your character sheet. 
   
  An item listing signals that an item can 
  be taken. It is bolded (as something you 
  should write down) and predicated by a 
  dash to set it apart from instructive text. 
   
  Options give you two or more choices of 
  how to proceed. Bullet points 
  distinguish them from instructive text. 
   
  Prompts direct you to “go to” new text 
  parts and typically include hyperlinks. 
   
  
  12 | SOLO PLAYERS GUIDEBOOK 
  A text part is a discrete segment of text that 
  you navigate to from other text parts. It has 
  the following components. 
  This is the three-digit number at the top of a 
  text part, like “Part 021.” No two text parts in 
  the same adventure will share an identifying 
  number. 
  Unique identifiers allow you to find a text 
  part by using a document’s “find” function 
  (Control + F in PDF readers). This might 
  become necessary in the case of an appendix 
  page that cannot hyperlink you back to the 
  appropriate text part, or in the unfortunate 
  case of a broken hyperlink. It is particularly 
  useful if you close the document between 
  sessions of play and need to find your place 
  again later. 
  Most of the text in a text part is “narrative.” It 
  appears in a regular font and formatting. 
  Narrative text describes your surroundings 
  and the events taking place. 
  Instructive text is set apart from narrative 
  text by italicization, and is directed at you, the 
  player, rather than describing your 
  character’s environment. Instructive text uses 
  natural language to direct you through 
  certain steps for moderating rules or events. 
  Always resolve instructive text in the order 
  presented, as it is presented. Resolve each 
  segment of instructive text before reading 
  further into the text part. 
  At the end of each text part, you may be given 
  a set of options. Options are formatted with 
  bullet points to indicate that you have a 
  choice of two or more options. 
  Prerequisite Notation. Some prompts have 
  prerequisites for their selection. Prerequisites 
  are presented in {braces} ahead of the option. 
  • {ATTITUDE: FRIENDLY (DRIKTHA)} Ask Driktha 
  to lend you a mail-carrier’s horse for the 
  long trip to Zilspar. 
   
  In this case, if you have cultivated a friendly 
  attitude in the non-player character through 
  prior interactions, you can choose that 
  prompt. Otherwise, you cannot. 
  Ability Checks. Some prompts give ability 
  checks as prerequisites. If you fail to make a 
  prompt’s required ability check (something 
  you can try only once, unless otherwise 
  noted), you cannot select that prompt even if 
  you return to the same text part later. 
  • {CHARISMA (PERSUASION) 15} Convince the 
  guard that your personal safe conduct 
  pass also applies to your companions. 
   
  You can roll for each prerequisite check in a 
  set of prompts before deciding which to 
  choose; rolling one does not commit you to 
  choosing that prompt if you are successful. 
  However, some checks come with costs like 
  the advancement of time during time-
  tracking segments of the adventure. 
  When adding another player or a Dungeon 
  Master, narrative text is read aloud by one 
  player, or the Dungeon Master reads it aloud 
  or paraphrases it. 
  Both players discuss any options that come 
  up before choosing a single one of them. This 
  often requires considerable collaboration and 
  agreement; SOLITAIRES are designed primarily 
  for a single character and most choices and 
  story results don’t have room for multiple 
  characters to make different choices from one 
  another. 
  If a prompt calls for a prerequisite roll of 
  any kind, only one character can roll for that 
  
  13 | SOLO PLAYERS GUIDEBOOK 
  prompt. The players must decide which 
  character attempts each check they 
  encounter and, because of the targeted 
  difficulties of such checks in single-player 
  adventures, the other character cannot assist 
  with the Help action. 
  When it comes to equipment prerequisites, 
  the players will have to carefully decide 
  which path to follow if specific equipment is 
  required for a character choice. For example, 
  in a cold environment, the text provides two 
  forking options; one is for a character who is 
  wearing cold weather clothes and the other 
  for a character who is not. If only one of the 
  characters has cold weather clothes, which 
  option should the players choose? This is 
  where SOLITAIRES require the hardest self-
  moderation. You might have to peak at both 
  sections (something normally forbidden!) and 
  apply the results individually. 
  At various points, you may see text that 
  helps you get through the adventure if you 
  have a second player along. Particularly, 
  combat writeups may list the alternative 
  composition of the enemies if you are 
  including a second player. Where they do not 
  change based on the option of a second 
  character, simply double the number of 
  enemy participants. 
  At certain points in some adventures you may 
  need to track the passage of time. For this 
  purpose, SOLITAIRES use something called the 
  “Interval” mechanic. 
  Interval Points measure tactical time, 
  typically periods of less than one day. Each 
  point accumulated indicates the passage of 
  about 5 minutes. Your tally of Interval Points 
  increases at set locations in the adventure 
  (interval marks), and it can further increase 
  when you make decisions that use extra time. 
  Some portions of an adventure will refer to 
  your tally to determine whether the passage 
  of time has changed the environment you 
  encounter. For example, upon reaching the 
  evil overlord’s inner sanctum, if you took too 
  long to get there, you will have allowed your 
  foe the time to assemble additional defenders. 
  Sometimes an adventure will announce 
  results for accumulated Interval Points ahead 
  of time. These are called thresholds. When 
  you are told of a possible threshold, note it in 
  your play journal so you don’t lose track of its 
  number or effect. 
  Static Thresholds. Most thresholds refer to 
  your total accumulated Interval Points. 
  For example, you are sneaking into a 
  fortress trying to find a kidnapped diplomat. 
  From the outset, you know that the sun will 
  rise after the passage of 36 Interval Points. If 
  you have not found the diplomat by sunrise, 
  she will be evacuated via a secret route and 
  the quest will fail. 
  Relative Thresholds. Other thresholds 
  occur when you accumulate a number of 
  additional Interval Points based on your 
  current tally. These often apply to the 
  duration of spells you cast yourself but could 
  have more-mundane applications. 
  For example, you light a torch while 
  underground. You currently have 11 Interval 
  Points. Since a torch only lasts for one hour 
  
  14 | SOLO PLAYERS GUIDEBOOK 
  (the equivalent of 12 Interval Points), it will 
  go out when your tally reaches 23. Make note 
  of this threshold because you will, upon 
  reaching it, need to light another torch. 
  Lighting the next torch creates another 12-
  point (relative) threshold at which it will 
  expire. 
  In another example, if you allowed a sentry 
  to escape a combat, you may receive a new 
  threshold for a random encounter with the 
  remainder of the guards. This threshold 
  would occur at a number of Interval Points 
  accumulated following the combat; 
  previously-acquired points wouldn’t matter. 
  Interval marks are specially-noted points in 
  the adventure. They appear at the start of 
  certain text parts and look like this: 
  » Interval 0 
  When noted with a number greater than 0, 
  they further indicate that time has passed in 
  the transition between the last text part and 
  the current one. For example, in your last text 
  part, you choose to travel a long and winding 
  path. At the start of the next text part, an 
  interval with a number greater than 0 
  moderates how long the path took to walk. 
  When you encounter an interval mark, take 
  the following actions, in order, before 
  proceeding further into that text part. 
  1. Add Interval Points. Add the mark’s 
  number to your tally of Interval Points, if the 
  number shown is greater than 0. 
  2. Check Thresholds. determine whether 
  you have met thresholds you are currently 
  tracking. If you meet multiple thresholds at 
  the same interval mark, resolve the 
  thresholds in the order that they were given 
  to you. 
  Interval marks are the only times when you 
  check whether you have met thresholds. Even 
  if you accumulate enough points to meet a 
  threshold at other times, ignore the fact until 
  you get to an interval mark. This streamlines 
  the tracking process even though it can 
  sometimes cause you to overshoot the exact 
  threshold number. 
  3. Perform Interval Activities. Interval 
  marks occur when you are not pressed by 
  immediate danger. This means you can 
  perform elective activities at these places, like 
  resting. 
  The most common interval activity is the 
  short rest. Short resting requires you to add 
  12 Interval Points and check for a random 
  encounter (if the area you are in provides a 
  random encounter mechanism). 
  You can also perform other time-using 
  activities not specifically mentioned in these 
  rules, adding 1 Interval Point for every five 
  minutes these activities require. This lets you 
  exercise class features or other effects that 
  require the use of time. 
  Finally, some areas describe unique 
  interval activities. For example, while racing 
  through a forest, you might be allowed to add 
  3 Interval Points at an interval mark to climb 
  to the top of a high tree to get your bearings. 
  The adventure provides that this activity 
  allows you advantage on your next Wisdom 
  (Survival) check for navigation. 
  4. Check Thresholds Again. If you 
  performed any interval activities, check again 
  for thresholds after all the activities conclude. 
  The interval mechanic becomes too 
  cumbersome for time periods longer than a 
  day or two.  Some SOLITAIRES therefore add 
  new, similar mechanics to track time on a 
  larger scale, particularly for overland travel 
  and exploration. These less-common systems 
  will be described in the adventures that make 
  use of them. 
  
  15 | SOLO PLAYERS GUIDEBOOK 
  Keeping track of game events is an important 
  part of playing without a Dungeon Master. 
  You have to use your play journal to take all 
  those notes that are normally written behind 
  the DM’s screen. 
  You will sometimes be required to track 
  important information in your play journal, as 
  directed by the instructive text you read. 
  Examples of mandatory tracking include 
  non-player character attitude ratings, point 
  tallies representing the passage of time, and 
  similar notes. 
  To help you notice when something should 
  be marked in your play journal or should 
  alter your character sheet, SOLITAIRES will 
  signal that by placing that instruction in bold 
  text. 
  Your play journal is also a place where you 
  can keep clues and reminders about your 
  adventure. You don’t need to write these 
  down but noting them can be helpful. 
  When you come to a combat, begin by making 
  a note of it in your play journal. Give it a title. 
  List each combatant in the order of initiative. 
  Use that area as a workspace to track your hit 
  points and the hit points of your enemies. 
  You can get quite in-depth with a combat 
  log if you want, using a new line to write the 
  results of each combat round. The more 
  details you include, the less likely you are to 
  forget your place in the turn or forget to alter 
  hit points totals as you go. 
  If you later forget whether you have used a 
  feature that refreshes only after a rest, and 
  you’ve been making detailed notes, you can 
  easily look back to each combat in your play 
  journal to see what you used. 
  Some SOLITAIRES provide map fragments 
  representing explored areas, leaving it to the 
  player to figure out the position of these 
  fragments relative to one another. The play 
  journal is an excellent place to draw these 
  fragments in a connected form. 
  If you have graph paper, you can copy any 
  graphed map fragments using the grids for 
  scale, then fold and tuck those sheets into the 
  pages of your journal. 
  Sometimes you may find clues that become 
  helpful later on in your adventure. Some clues 
  may appear within illustrations, but most are 
  simply noted in the text of the adventure and 
  could be easy to overlook. Particularly take 
  note of clues that look like they might be 
  components to a puzzle. 
  Additionally, some clues may provide you 
  with “second chance” mechanics. For 
  example, if you fail an initial lore roll of 
  Intelligence (Arcana), a second chance 
  mechanic might let you try again later when 
  you can research the clue in a library. In such 
  cases, you will be directed to note a text part 
  that reveals the clue’s details if you succeed. 
  Don’t lose that that identifying number! It is 
  the only way you will be able to access the 
  information if you succeed later at the second 
  chance mechanic. 
  Just as you would keep track of physical clues 
  that you find during exploration, it can be 
  useful to take note of intrigues. Non-player 
  characters might let slip their feelings about 
  particular things, betray inconsistencies in 
  their stories, or otherwise reveal forgettable 
  information that may prove useful later. 
  Importantly, some non-player characters 
  may give you hints as to how they will react 
  to the options you choose, whether in the 
  current dialog, or later. Taking notes of these 
  
  16 | SOLO PLAYERS GUIDEBOOK 
  opinions and feelings can help you avoid a 
  misstep in the future. 
  Navigating SOLITAIRES sometimes requires 
  you to make decisions as to how to proceed 
  or interact with the rules, decisions normally 
  handled by a Dungeon Master. As both player 
  and DM, you must commit yourself to the 
  work and the discipline required for both 
  roles if you want to fully enjoy single-player 
  interactive adventures. 
  First and foremost, good self-moderation 
  requires you to be honest with yourself and 
  your results. You will often face a situation 
  where you miss a saving throw by one point, 
  or where your character dies and you don’t 
  want to start over with another character. In 
  these moments, your honesty will be tested. 
  It might seem like no big deal to fudge a die 
  result, but once you allow yourself to do that, 
  you won’t be able to stop. It’s a slippery slope; 
  once the dice no longer matter, you cease to 
  experience risk. When the risk goes, so too 
  goes the sense of adventure and reward that 
  are hallmarks of DUNGEONS & DRAGONS. 
  When acting as your own Dungeon Master, it 
  is a good idea to note in your play journal 
  each important ruling you make and the 
  reasons behind it. This can help you be 
  consistent and keep you honest by 
  committing your choices to writing. 
  Along these lines, you should diligently 
  track all your expenditures, from ammunition 
  and rations, to spell slots, to class features 
  that can be used only once between rests. 
  Losing track of these things, forgetting to 
  mark them off, reduces risks and cheapens 
  the rewards of the game. 
  Sometimes your character will have a spell, 
  feat, racial trait, or class feature that can help 
  you overcome a scenario or avoid a fight 
  presented in the adventure. However, not 
  every possibility can be accounted for in the 
  writing process. This is where “self-
  moderation” is most needed. 
  For example, when asked to make a 
  Strength (Athletics) check to swim across a 
  river, but your character has an innate swim 
  speed such that checks are not normally 
  required, simply forego the roll and decide 
  that your character was successful. However, 
  if the water includes rough rapids or other 
  features that you think would require a 
  Strength (Athletics) check, even for a 
  character with a swim speed, go ahead and 
  make the roll. Do not be afraid to exercise this 
  discretion when it is called for. If in doubt, ask 
  yourself what any of your previous Dungeon 
  Masters would have ruled if they were 
  running this game.
  
  17 | SOLO PLAYERS GUIDEBOOK 
   
   
  
  18 | SOLO PLAYERS GUIDEBOOK 
  CHAPTER THREE 
  HIS CHAPTER GIVES NEW RULES FOR SOME 
  of the challenges you will face in the 
  course of play. Most of these rules 
  cover for the fact that there is no 
  Dungeon master to moderate the complex 
  motivations and tactics of the monsters and 
  non-player characters you encounter. 
  Social interactions occur when you talk to 
  non-player characters. These scenes can 
  present their own challenges and rewards. To 
  fairly adjudicate the range of factors that can 
  influence a non-player character’s attitude 
  toward you, SOLITAIRES use an abstract system 
  of points. 
  When you encounter an important non-
  player character, one that you will interact 
  with significantly in the future, that character 
  will list a starting attitude rank and point 
  rating. Here is an example: 
  Driktha: Indifferent (+0) 
   
  In this example, the non-player character 
  you encountered has an indifferent attitude 
  toward you, a reflection of having no 
  numerical modifier, positive or negative. 
  Attitude ranks are “friendly,” “indifferent,” 
  or “hostile,” the same ranks described in the 
  Dungeon Master’s Guide. The point totals are 
  an added mechanism used to keep track of 
  your impact on attitudes throughout the 
  adventure or across multiple adventures. A 
  single act is often insufficient to change an 
  attitude, but an accumulation of them can 
  completely shift an attitude. 
  As you perform actions that adjust point 
  totals, positively or negatively, attitude 
  ratings change when point totals match the 
  ranges shown on this table. 
   
  ATTITUDE RANKS AND POINT RATINGS 
  Rating 
  Point Range 
  Friendly 
  +6 or higher 
  Indifferent 
  +5 to –5 
  Hostile 
  –6 or lower 
   
  If you encounter non-player characters that 
  introduce new attitude ranks and point 
  ratings, and you have already encountered 
  those characters in other adventures, ignore 
  the listing and substitute the previous ranks 
  and ratings you have earned for them. 
  It’s a good idea to keep an entire page of 
  your play journal dedicated to attitude 
  ratings and point tallies for non-player 
  characters. 
  SOLITAIRES each contain an appendix for 
  combat writeups. These are individual 
  descriptions of the combat scenarios you 
  might encounter during the adventure. You 
  will navigate to them through hyperlinks 
  when a combat begins and follow their 
  hyperlinks back into the normal body of text 
  parts after the combat’s conclusion. 
  A combat writeup typically includes the 
  “stat block” for one or more enemies you will 
  face. It will also note the tactical profile of 
  
  19 | SOLO PLAYERS GUIDEBOOK 
  each combatant, plus any special instructions 
  or tactical variations to apply. 
  Each combat writeup includes information 
  about the terrain, the size of the combat area, 
  and other conditions. 
  A combat area limits the maximum 
  distance ratings creatures can achieve, if such 
  limitations exist. A combat area is often 
  abstract, a limitation on the possible distance 
  between combatants rather than the range 
  between physical boundaries. However, some 
  adventures may supply maps to provide 
  precise information about the space. 
  If the terrain has features that can grant 
  cover or impose movement penalties, these 
  will be described here as well. 
  At the beginning of a battle, the combat 
  writeup will indicate each creature’s starting 
  distance from you. (Distance is addressed in 
  the theater of the mind rules, below.) 
  For simplicity, starting distance is often the 
  same for all enemies or for groups of similar 
  enemies. Sometimes starting distances will 
  vary based on whether you or your foes are 
  surprised. 
  Some combats will allow you or your enemies 
  to be surprised. The conditions that 
  determine surprise are described on a case-
  by-case basis in each writeup. 
  Each enemy in a SOLITAIRES combat writeup 
  also lists its initiative result, pre-rolled to 
  save you time. If you want to make your own 
  rolls for enemy initiative results, do so 
  according to the rules in the Player’s 
  Handbook. If you choose this approach, you 
  must use it consistently; decide at the start of 
  the campaign how you will approach pre-
  rolling for antagonists. 
  Monsters tactics are purposefully simple and 
  adhere to a generic set of instructions for 
  combat. It would otherwise be difficult for a 
  single player to play both sides of a tactical 
  situation; neither side can get the upper hand 
  when their actions are directed with full 
  knowledge of what the other side can do and 
  what it intends. 
  This is, by far, the most common tactical 
  profile; the others tend to appear only in very 
  important or complex encounters. From 
  stalwart soldiers to crawling critters, most 
  enemies are very direct with their combat 
  methods. 
  Skirmishers will close to melee range as 
  quickly as possible, if possible, and use their 
  most powerful or effective attacks and 
  actions. Skirmishers will try to surround foes 
  or otherwise move to block an escape. 
  If prevented from closing to melee by 
  terrain, class features, or the like, the creature 
  will resort to ranged attacks and spells. If it 
  has no way to aggress a foe, it will take the 
  Dodge action and try to move out of enemy 
  line of sight, waiting for circumstances to 
  change. 
  Enemies with this profile initially move to a 
  range appropriate for their ranged attacks or 
  spells. On subsequent turns, they will only 
  move if you got closer or farther away. They 
  are always seeking to maintain their ideal 
  ranges. 
  Artillerists will use their most powerful or 
  effective attacks and actions as soon as 
  possible. Limited actions like breath weapons 
  will be used as soon as they refresh. 
  In the case of spells or area-affecting 
  powers, artillerists will not include their allies 
  in harmful area attacks unless otherwise 
  noted in the combat writeup. 
  
  20 | SOLO PLAYERS GUIDEBOOK 
  Enemies with this rare profile have special 
  traits or magic designed to help their allies in 
  battle, bolstering or healing them. When not 
  providing support to its allies, a supporter 
  will behave as a skirmisher or artillerist, 
  whichever is suitable for its capabilities. 
  A defensive supporter that uses spell slots 
  (or similar resources) will reserve its most 
  powerful spell slot for a healing or protection 
  spell, using it when the opportunity arises. 
  Because this can be hard to adjudicate, 
  supporters are likely to have special 
  instructions in the writeup for how they act 
  during a combat. 
  A combat writeup provides options to follow 
  for success and for failure. Where applicable, 
  they might also include options for escape or 
  other unusual events. Unlike other options, 
  these are sometimes not dependent on player 
  choices, or might offer a mix of factual 
  outcomes and player choices. Success or 
  failure is not a player decision, but the option 
  to flee might be. 
  You can follow this option’s prompt when all 
  of your enemies are slain and any instructive 
  text in that combat writeup has been 
  processed. These usually put you back in the 
  story at the point where your battle began, 
  ready to continue the adventure. 
  In the rare circumstance that you and your 
  enemies reach 0 hit points in the same turn 
  (perhaps you cast a fireball spell that hit 
  everyone in the room), treat this as a success 
  if you survive the resulting death saving 
  throws. If this happens while you are tracking 
  time, add 1d4 x 12 Interval Points for the 
  hours it takes to recover to 1 hit point, unless 
  you roll a 20 on a death saving throw or have 
  some other way to recover more quickly. 
  If you are reduced to 0 hit points during a 
  battle, go immediately to the indicated failure 
  prompt. In many cases, the text part will 
  describe your death; the monster devours 
  you, the brigands slit your throat, or you have 
  no chance to stabilize as the farmhouse burns 
  down around you. 
  However, death is not assumed in every 
  failed combat. Sometimes, enemies wish to 
  capture you so will bind your wounds and tie 
  you up. Certain kinds of enemies, like 
  construct guardians, might simply wander 
  away when you are no longer a threat, leaving 
  you to make death saves in the hopes of 
  stabilizing. Whatever the conditions, the 
  failure option will guide you to the steps you 
  need to take next. 
  If a combat writeup gives an option for fleeing 
  combat, you can try to escape by using an 
  action on your turn. 
  When you use an action to escape, each 
  enemy immediately gets to attack you, 
  striking you as you turn your back or firing a 
  ranged attack before you can escape to cover.  
  These attacks happen at the distance 
  ratings that exist when you declare the 
  escape. (See the distance rating rules in the 
  next section.) If you remain above 0 hit points 
  after these attacks are made, follow the 
  escape prompt to the indicated text part. 
  Otherwise, select the failure option. 
  The type of attack each enemy takes 
  depends on what will be most advantageous 
  to it: 
  Opportunity Attack. A creature at 5 feet 
  can attempt a normal opportunity attack. You 
  can avoid or mitigate it with your features 
  that affect opportunity attacks. If a creature 
  does not roll an opportunity attack for any 
  reason, perhaps because you are immune to 
  them, it can instead opt for a ranged attack. 
  
  21 | SOLO PLAYERS GUIDEBOOK 
  Ranged Attack. This is not an opportunity 
  attack and doesn’t use a reaction. The range 
  of the attack must be sufficient for the 
  creature’s current distance rating. A creature 
  that opts for a ranged attack does so at 
  disadvantage if its distance rating is within 5 
  feet. 
  The following rules help you envision the 
  battlefield and calculate location-based 
  combat factors without a Dungeon Master. 
  The only measure of locationality in theater 
  of the mind rules is distance; direction is 
  irrelevant in this abstract environment. Each 
  enemy has its own distance rating in feet, 
  indicating how far it is from you. This number 
  applies when determining attack and spell 
  ranges. 
   
  TECHNIQUE: USING A RULER 
  If you have a physical ruler that measures 
  centimeters, you can place one or more 
  paper clips along it to represent each 
  monster’s distance from you. In highly-
  mobile fights, this can be easier than 
  erasing and re-writing creature distances. 
  When using this method, each 
  centimeter indicates a multiple of 5 feet. 
  Move the clips as distances change. For 
  fights with multiple foes, paper clips in 
  different colors can help you differentiate 
  your enemies from one another. 
    
   
  Because positions are abstract, enemies 
  with equidistant ranges do not actually 
  occupy the same space as each other. They 
  spread out to surround you and avoid 
  harmful area-effecting spells. 
  When a foe approaches you, or when it 
  recedes from you, alter its distance rating 
  accordingly. 
  An enemy’s minimum distance cannot be 
  less than 5 feet, except under special 
  circumstances. Nor can its maximum distance 
  be greater than the largest dimension of the 
  room or space you are in, if such a boundary 
  exists. Check the terrain description of the 
  combat writeup for the size of your combat 
  area. 
  You can use your movement in combat to go 
  toward all the enemies or away from all the 
  enemies. There is no other direction in which 
  to travel. 
  When you move away from the enemies, 
  increase all of their distance ratings by the 
  appropriate amount, to the maximum 
  allowed by the combat space. 
  When you move toward the enemies, 
  decrease all of their distance ratings, to a 
  minimum of 5 feet. Creatures you come 
  within 5 feet of you as you move will maintain 
  a 5-foot distance for the remainder of your 
  movement, surrounding you and scurrying 
  after you as you continue your advance. You 
  cannot bypass them since the direction 
  toward the enemy is always toward all 
  enemies. 
  These rules address uncommon factors 
  related to distance in theater of the mind 
  combat. 
  
  22 | SOLO PLAYERS GUIDEBOOK 
  Enemies with distance ratings of 5 feet at the 
  start of your turn can make opportunity 
  attacks if you move. This is true even if you 
  move toward enemies, not changing the 
  distance ratings of melee-range creatures. 
  You can also take an opportunity attack as 
  normal if a monster moves out of your melee 
  reach. Enemies will not move to provoke 
  opportunity attacks unless directed to do so 
  by the combat writeup. 
  If you have chosen to use the optional 
  flanking rule, creatures in multiples of two 
  get advantage on attacks against you if they 
  are within 5 feet of you, starting with the 
  toughest creatures. The weakest creature is 
  ignored in the case of an odd-numbered 
  group of melee attackers. 
  For example, if three monsters are within 5 
  feet of you, the toughest two benefit from 
  flanking. The third monster does not until a 
  fourth comes within melee range, at which 
  point all four will get flanking benefits. 
  If you cause an enemy to flee for at least one 
  minute (ten rounds), perhaps with the Turn 
  Undead feature or a suggestion spell, that 
  enemy is considered to be defeated and will 
  not return to the fight. If forced fleeing has a 
  duration less than one minute, the foe will 
  return to the fight (regaining its prior 
  distance rating) after a number of rounds 
  equal to double the effect’s duration. 
  If a combat writeup provides treasure from 
  an enemy you forced to flee this way, you do 
  not get that treasure. 
  Flying creatures have a second distance 
  rating called height. This extra rating is 
  relevant only to non-flying creatures and is 
  limited to the height of the room or combat 
  space, if any. A creature can use its movement 
  to alter its height or distance, or it can divide 
  its movement between the two. 
  If you are not flying, a flying creature’s 
  effective distance rating is the greater of its 
  normal distance or its height. 
  If you are flying and your enemies are not, 
  your own height stands in the place of 
  enemies’ shorter distance ratings. Although 
  such enemies can reduce their ground 
  distances to 5 feet, they are not in melee 
  range and cannot make opportunity attacks, 
  as they still separated from you by the range 
  of your flying height. 
  If you and an enemy are both flying, you 
  ignore each other’s heights and refer only to 
  the enemy’s normal distance rating. If you 
  and all enemies have the ability to fly, ignore 
  normal movement and base all distance 
  ratings on flying. 
  An area spell’s coverage is often obvious, 
  particularly for effects that emanate from you 
  in every direction. If every enemy has a 
  distance rating of 5 feet, your thunderclap 
  cantrip will affect all of them. Every creature 
  with a distance rating of 15 feet or less is 
  subject to your spirit guardians spell.  
  Similarly, if the dimensions of the combat 
  area make it obvious that no one could escape 
  your fireball, yourself included, everybody 
  has to roll a saving throw. Use your judgment 
  to self-moderate these obvious scenarios. 
  However, because directionality is abstract 
  in this version of theater of the mind, not all 
  spells will have obvious coverage. If nine 
  enemies are arrayed at the same distance, 
  this does not mean they are all close to one 
  another; these foes might be encircling you, 
  meaning that some are twice as far from each 
  other as they are from you! 
  
  23 | SOLO PLAYERS GUIDEBOOK 
  For non-obvious circumstances, the Dungeon 
  Master’s Guide has a table on page 249 titled 
  Targets in Areas of Effect for use in theater of 
  the mind combat. 
  The table is repeated here. 
   
  TARGETS IN AREAS OF EFFECT 
  Area 
  Base Number of Targets 
  Cone 
  Length ÷ 10 (round up) 
  Cube or square 
  Side ÷ 5 (round up) 
  Cylinder 
  Radius ÷ 5 (round up) 
  Line 
  Length ÷ 30 (round up) 
  Sphere 
  Radius ÷ 5 (round up) 
  When you use the table to determine the 
  number of targets affected, and you do not 
  have enough coverage to include every 
  enemy on the battlefield, you can choose 
  which enemies to affect and which to exclude. 
  Regardless of coverage, you cannot include 
  creatures with distance ratings exceeding the 
  spell’s range. 
  Under these rules, allies are never harmed 
  by your area spells, nor are any creatures not 
  listed in the combat writeup. For example, 
  your wizard familiar or ranger companion is 
  never at risk of being harmed by your area-
  affecting spell. Likewise, non-player 
  characters adventuring with you, or any foes 
  they fight in separate-but-simultaneous 
  conflicts, are not affected. 
  To simulate the benefits of adjusting your 
  position in combat, using one of the following 
  options will allow you to include 1 additional 
  foe in your spell’s area. You can only select 
  one of the following options per area spell 
  you cast. 
  Repositioning. Moving prior to spellcasting 
  allows you to get the best line of sight, place 
  self-emanating areas correctly, and get out of 
  your own dangerous spell areas. This option 
  requires the expenditure of 15 feet of your 
  movement, but it does not change enemy 
  distance ratings. If you are within 5 feet of 
  any enemies when you reposition, you 
  provoke an opportunity attack from each. 
  Danger Close. If the spell does not emanate 
  from you, you can choose to place it such that 
  you are also included in the area affected. 
  (You do not count toward the number of 
  targets affected by the table.) This can be 
  dangerous unless the spell only affects 
  “enemies” or unless you have relevant effects 
  like the Sculpt Spells feature.
   
   
  
  24 | SOLO PLAYERS GUIDEBOOK 
  VENTURE INTO 
  THE UNKNOWN, 
  ALONE 
   
   
  This three-part rulebook helps you explore single-
  player interactive adventures, particularly those 
  written in the SOLITAIRES system. 
   
  Chapter 1 walks you through the process of designing 
  your own campaigns by stringing together various 
  adventures, even combining adventures made by 
  different creators. It also helps you build a character to 
  play through your combined campaigns and set the 
  stage for an enjoyable experience. 
   
  Chapter 2 teaches you the tools specific to SOLITAIRES, 
  including how to navigate the text, track progress, and 
  moderate Dungeon Master decisions. 
   
  Chapter 3 provides further details of managing 
  challenges in the SOLITAIRES system, particularly social 
  interactions and combat. 
   
   
   
   
  For use with the 5th Edition Player’s Handbook ®, 
  Monster Manual ®, and Dungeon Master’s Guide ® 
   
  Best when used with the Comprehensive Equipment 
  Manual and the Comprehensive Wealth Manual, sister 
  products from Wraith Wright Productions 
   
   
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/Wraith Wright/Wraith Wright - Solo Players Guidebook.pdf