TEXT:  
   
   
  Dungeon Delve - Adventures 
  by Jean-Baptiste Breton 
   
  WHAT IS DUNGEON DELVE - ADVENTURES? 
   
  Some time ago, I’ve made a Fate Fractal interpretation of the classic dungeon crawl. Now I want to
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
  go back to adventuring with my significant one. Since we’re going to be playing only us two, I’d like
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  to have a more “board gaming” approach, a reminiscence of the wonderful Hero Quest board
   
    
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  game. It’s intended to be played solo or GM-less, even though it supports a GM if you want. If you
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
    
    
   
    
   
  wonder why this hack resembles a lot a video game named Darkest Dungeon, it’s no accident. This
   
   
   
   
    
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  game is, in my opinion, the perfect take on the dungeon delve concept. I strongly suggest you buy
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
  it if you didn’t already! 
   
  You’ll notice that this hack follows mostly Fate Accelerated ruleset with a few quirks, most notably I
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
    
  much prefer using the skill list of Fate Core instead of approaches. 
   
  For this game, I’m less interested in characters stories and drama than in actual adventuring,
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  fighting monsters, smashing doors, acquiring loot and “leveling up”, although it doesn’t rule it out if
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
    
    
  you’re into such things. Just pick any setting or adventure book you like and “steal” their lore! 
   
  As in my original Dungeon Delve hack, this game also starts with bringing (or drawing) a regional
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
  map with enough adventuring opportunities (caves, dark woods, ancient tombs, ruins, etc). It
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
  should also have one central hub that would work as the party’s base of operations. There, they will
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  be able to plan their next delve, sell their loot and prepare themselves to face the dangers lurking
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  ahead. 
   
  You can use that generator if you want to quickly have a hex-based wilderness map. 
  http://axiscity.hexamon.net/users/isomage/wildgen/ 
   
   
   
   
   
  
  CHARACTER ASPECTS 
   
  Character creation should be fast for that type of game. Fill up the first three aspects and leave the
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  other two aspects empty; you can fill them as stuff comes up in-game. Immortalize memorable
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  in-game moments by making them aspects: ​Goblins slayer or ​No fear of the Undead makes for
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  cool aspects. 
   
  SKILLS 
   
  Dungeon Delve - Adventures uses Fate Core default skill list, minus the Drive skill (you could keep
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  it but it doesn’t have as much of a role, except maybe during the Journey phase). It also adds a
   
    
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
    
  Spellcraft skill which represents the ability to manipulate the powers of magic and the arcane lore. 
   
  However, as in Fate Accelerated, you can use any skill to do any of the four actions. 
   
  Your character starts as a wannabe adventurer. You start with only one skill at Fair (+2) and two at
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Average (+1).  
   
  After successfully completing an adventure, your character will achieve a ​Significant milestone​,
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
  enabling him to improve his skills in a fairly short amount of time. 
   
   
   
   
   
  
  STUNTS & REFRESH 
   
  To keep character creation fast-paced, only write down one Stunt.  
  Set your Refresh to 3. 
   
  STRESS 
   
  To make things more simple (and also more challenging), characters have only 1 stress track to
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
  mitigate both physical and mental damage. Also, Will and Physique skills don’t grant additional
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  stress boxes. All characters have 3 stress boxes (yup, this is exactly as in Fate Accelerated).
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Obviously, same stand for the NPCs. 
   
  GEAR 
   
  Beside normal items (which are implicit to the skill check, like having a crossbow and bolts to make
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
  Shoot attacks), as you venture the deep and old ruins of this world, one day or the other you’ll
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  stumble on a strange and marvelous item. This is where you can go crazy and create really
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  wonderful items like a ​Cloak of Bird Form, ​or X-Ray Lenses​. Just consider those items as normal
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  aspects. It means that those special items don’t need rules on their own. They just allow to do what
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  you’d expect from them. A ​Shield of Buoyancy will do just that, make you float on liquids. No need
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  fancy bonuses or anything. For the sake of treasure distribution, consider that these items are
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  worth an Average (+1) value. 
   
  On the other hand, some items inherently enhance the ability to do something. Superior gear gives
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  you free invocations. Since each adventure is considered a single scene, the free invocations can
   
   
   
   
   
    
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
  only be used once per adventure. However, they refresh at the same time as your Fate Points, at
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  the Feast or Fiasco phase (see below). 
   
  The Adventure difficulty rating determines the total bonus of items found in a treasure. It means
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
    
   
  that if you go on a Fair (+2) difficulty adventure, you could find either two Average (+1) items or one
    
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Fair (+2) item. 
   
  If you want to randomly generate items, you can find a wondrous item table in the Random Tables
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
    
   
   
   
  section. 
   
  As a rule of thumb, each character should reap 1 item per adventure (usually when defeating the
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Boss). However, if the party beats an adventure of higher difficulty, they can earn extra loot. 
   
   
  You could use a random magic item generator like that one to help you create funky
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  random loot:​ ​http://www.seventhsanctum.com/generate.php?Genname=magicitem  
  I personally use Paizo’s items deck series to generate random loot that looks cool and
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  use them as handouts. 
  
  THE PHASES 
   
  As this hack is intended to play a bit like a board game, the gameplay is divided in a series of
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
  phases that represent a single adventure.  
   
  1. Prepare​: This is the part where your adventurers buy or craft needed gear, create potions and
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  prepare spells, buy drinks at the local tavern and search old tomes; anything to get ready for the
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  next adventure. 
   
  Really, what you are trying to do is ​Create an advantage with whatever skill that makes sense. That
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  check is opposed by the adventure’s Lore skill; it reflects how easy it is to find useful infos and
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
  clues that your characters can exploit. This aspect will stick for the whole adventure (or until it
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
  makes no more narrative sense). Each character have only one attempt at creating an advantage.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  If you fail that check, the Adventure gets the free invoke (and could reword the aspect).  
   
  As a special rule, for each item you sell (that has some value, not just a candle or such), you can
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
  add +1 to a Resources check. You can decide to sell an object after seeing the result of your
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  check. 
   
  2. Journey​: That’s where the adventure really begins. The party leaves the comfort of the inn to
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  travel the wilds until they reach the adventure’s destination. Basically, on that phase the adventure
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  attacks all PCs with its Wilderness skill and you’ll need to defend with a relevant skill. You might
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
  defend with Physique as you explain how you are used to harsh conditions, or Stealth as you avoid
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  enemy patrols, or Notice as you scout ahead to find the safest path, etc. 
   
  3. Delve​: This is the bulk of the adventure. In this phase, your party explores the adventure site,
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  fights monsters, outsmarts deadly traps and devious puzzles then finally faces the final boss.  
   
  Each adventure will feature rooms and the corridors that link them. 
  Rooms are randomly filled with one of the following: nothing, a puzzle, some monsters or, if they
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
    
   
  are more lucky, a treasure. There is also a predetermined room that is the lair of the Boss.  
  Corridors are randomly filled with either nothing or a devious trap. 
   
  Each encounter plays like a mini-conflict. See ​The Room System​ section below. 
   
  4. Feast or Fiasco​: If your party beats the adventure, you come back to town hands full of loot and
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  under the clamor of cheering citizens. The town folks throw out a big feast for you and you rejoice
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  in success. Take a ​Significant milestone​. 
   
  If, on the contrary, your characters shamefully ran back home tail between the legs, bruised and
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  ashamed, you can rest and retry the whole adventure or try a new one. Take a ​Minor milestone as
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
    
   
   
   
  you rethink your life. 
   
  
  In both cases, this phase counts has a ​Refresh​. You also remove any ​Stress ​you might have. 
  THE ADVENTURE 
   
  The Adventure is considered a Fate fractal character (Fate’s Bronze Rule). 
   
  The Adventure sheet should be viewable by all players at all times. It’s not a secret or anything. 
  Here’s a template of what it could look like: 
   
  The Adventure ​(Difficulty) 
  Aspects:​ Trouble, Other Aspect 
  Monsters​: Aspect                           Stress: 1 | 2 | 3 
  Puzzle​: Aspect                                Stress: 1 | 2 | 3 
   
  Boss:​ Aspect                                   Stress: 1 | 2 | 3 
  Skills:​ Lore, Wilderness, Monsters, Puzzle, Trap, Boss 
   
  Difficulty: 
  The difficulty of the delve represents the best skill bonus a party should have to venture there and
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  have a proper challenge. For example, a Good (+3) Adventure would require characters with at
    
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  least one Good (+3) skill. If the difficulty is higher, they will have a harder time but greater rewards.
   
   
   
   
    
   
    
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
  Also, the more characters in the party, the harder the adventure they can take on.  
   
  Aspects: 
  The actual name of the Adventure acts has its High Concept. It represents the general layout and
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
  environment where the adventure takes place. Is it a ​Deep cave​, a ​Rat infested sewage​, an ​Old
   
   
   
   
   
   
     
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
  Witch’s Hut in the Woods​ or an ​Ancient Crypt​? 
   
  The Trouble aspect is some kind of flaw of the place or of its inhabitants that could advantage the
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  PCs. It could be ​Kobolds are cowards​, ​Glowing mushrooms show the way​ or ​Helpful spirits​. 
   
  The other aspect is any cool quirk you can think of like ​Magical shadows​, ​Lava pits, Crumbling
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  ruins ​or ​Covered in ice. ​Note that each encounter also has its own aspect; don’t overlap these
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  aspects. 
   
  Skills: 
  All Adventures have the same set of six skills, although, you are free to spread the modifiers as you
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  like to vary the challenges (except for the Boss skill, which is always the best skill). 
  The exact modifier depends on the difficulty of the adventure. Modifiers follow this pattern: 
   
  ●
  Boss skill = Adventure’s difficulty+2 
  ●
  Adventure’s difficulty+1 
  ●
  Adventure’s difficulty 
  ●
  Adventure’s difficulty-1 
  ●
  Adventure’s difficulty-2 
  ●
  Adventure’s difficulty-3 
  
   
   
   
  
  Stress: 
  The whole adventure is considered a single scene. As such, you don’t recover any stress during
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  the delve. You recover all stress at the end of the adventure, during phase ​5. Feast or Fiasco​. 
   
  Fate points: 
  The Adventure starts with 1 Fate Point per character. If there’s no GM to adjudicate when they
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  should be used, follow this simple rule: If any roll done by the Adventure shows four (-) symbols,
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  use a Fate Point to reroll. Also, once the party reaches the Boss encounter, use them to avoid any
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  failed roll or to invoke the Boss’ aspects whenever one can apply, until all Fate Points are depleted. 
   
  The Room System: 
  The adventure usually consist of 5 or more rooms. The word room is widely used here; it doesn’t
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
    
   
  need to be an ​actual ​room. It still works if the adventure takes place in a forest, for example.
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
    
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
  Basically, a room is a point of interest in the adventure.  
   
  When the adventurers reach the adventure site, they always start in The Entryway room. There’s
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  nothing there, it only represents their starting point. From that room branches off corridors that
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  leads to other rooms.  
   
  You don’t actually need a map to visualise the position of each room, it could be done as figurative
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
  or as precise as you need it to be, as long as you grasp that between each room, there’s a corridor
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
  where random encounters can happen. That said, you could sketch out a floor plan of the dungeon.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
  You can find some samples in the Random Tables section below and in the Sample Game. The
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  main difference of using a floor plan is that, depending on the layout, a party could be forced to go
   
   
   
    
   
    
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
  through the same corridor more than once and thus increase the chances to get a random
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  encounter. It makes for less linear gameplay but makes each delve a bit longer to play. 
   
  The easiest way to randomise the content of the rooms is to write down the name of the encounter
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  on pieces of paper (e.g. Empty, Puzzle, Monster, Treasure or Boss) and blindly draw one each
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  time the adventurers steps into a room. Usually, there’s 1 Puzzle, 1 Monster, 1 Treasure and 1
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
    
    
    
   
    
  Boss for each adventure, but you could put more if you’d like a longer delve. Just don’t put more
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Treasure encounter if you didn’t also put at least one more Puzzle and Monster encounter. 
   
  For the corridor encounters, use the Corridor Encounter table in the Random Table section below. 
   
  The objective of the adventure can be predetermined or chosen at random. You can use the
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Objective Random Table (see below). The usual “default” objective is to beat the Boss. As soon as
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  the adventurers have beaten the Boss, they have the option to jump directly to the ​Feast or Fiasco
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  phase. There’s no need to play the way back, unless that’s something you like to do. 
   
   
   
   
  
   
  Each room encounter plays as a ​Conflict ​and acts as a mini-NPC. Players need to explain how
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
  they try to beat the encounter then use a relevant skill to make his check. Keep in mind that each
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  encounter is a Fate Fractal character and thus most of the time the ​Overcome ​action cannot be
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  used against its ​High Concept​. It needs to be ​taken out​ to be considered beaten. 
   
  In their simplest form, the Puzzle, Monster and Boss encounters have the following stats: 
  ●
  1 High Concept Aspect 
  ●
  1 Skill 
  ●
  1 Stress box per PC 
  ●
  Boss encounter also have a mild consequence and 2 extra stress boxes 
   
  To speed up gameplay a bit, treat all checks as passive opposition. The difficulty of the check is
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
  equal to the Skill modifier. Only attacks made by either the Adventure or an encounter are rolled. 
   
  For example, a group is facing a Puzzle encounter where they need to lift a heavy portcullis. One
   
    
    
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
  character decides he wants to find something he could use as a lever. He uses his Investigation
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
  skill to Create an advantage which the encounter passively opposes with its Puzzle skill. Another
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  brawny character wants to pry the grate open by using brute strength. He attacks the Puzzle with
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  his Fight skill. Again, the encounter defends with a passive opposition, using its Puzzle skill. 
  See the Sample Game below for more example on how the game plays. 
   
  For the corridors encounters, it’s a little more straight forward. If you step on a trap, the Adventure
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
    
   
   
    
   
   
   
  makes an attack against all characters using its Trap skill. The nature of the trap will determine with
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  what skill it could be defended. You can use the Trap table in the Random Table section below. 
   
  For example, if the characters activate a crushing wall trap, it could be defended with the Athletics
   
    
   
   
    
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
  skill as the character is trying to dash down the corridor before it squeezes him flat. Another
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
  character could defend with Physique, as he is trying to hold the mechanism down with brute
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  strength, or even with the Burglary skill, describing that his character tries to stuck a dagger in the
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
    
   
  gap at the bottom of the wall to slow it down long enough to safely cross the hallway. 
   
  If the corridor encounter roll generates a Scout result, the players choose one of the following: 
  ●
  Check the content of any room 
  ●
  Skip the next random corridor encounter check; the next corridor is empty 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  If you want to challenge your creativity, you could decide that a character cannot use the same
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
  skill twice to make attacks in an encounter. It will force you into finding clever ways to beat a
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
  
  challenge. 
   
  
  The advanced version of the combat encounters: 
  For the Monsters and Boss encounters, you can play them as normal conflicts. The party will face a
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
  number of nameless NPC equal to the number of PCs and have the following stats: 
  ●
  1 Aspect (the name of the creature acts as its Aspect) 
  ●
  1 other Aspect (optional) 
  ●
  2 Skills equal to The Adventure’s Monsters’ skill 
  ●
  No stress box 
   
  Keep in mind that their sole purpose is to fight the PCs so they don’t really need any Rapport skill
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  or such. Usually, those do the job: Athletics, Fight, Physique, Provoke, Shoot, Spellcraft, Stealth,
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Will. 
  If you want to, you can double the amount of enemies by halving their skill bonus. Or triple them by
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  dividing the bonus by 3. Or… well, you get the point! 
   
  Also consider creating few zones (between 3 and 5 is perfect) if you want to make the conflict more
   
   
   
   
   
    
     
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  dynamic. You can also stick an Aspect to few or each of these zones. The easy way to do this is to
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
  simply use the zone’s name as an aspect like ​Spike-filled pit​, ​Torture chamber​, or ​Narrow bridge​. 
   
  I personally use miniatures and tiles to visualise who is where but it’s nowhere mandatory.  
  Feel free to go as precise or as vague as you need it to be. It’s more of a personal taste, really. 
   
  Monsters 
  Zones:​ Zone 1, Zone 2, Zone 3 
  Skills:​ Skill 1, Skill 2 
   
  Same goes for the Boss encounter, if you’re up for the extra challenge: 
  ●
  1 Aspect (the name of the creature acts as its Aspect) 
  ●
  1 other Aspect (optional) 
  ●
  2 Skills equal to the Adventure’s Boss skill 
  ●
  1 Stunt (optional) 
  ●
  3 Stress boxes 
  ●
  1 Mild Consequence 
   
  Boss 
  Aspect: ​Aspect 
  Zones:​ Zone 1, Zone 2, Zone 3 
  Skills:​ Skill 1, Skill 2 
  Stunt:​ Stunt 
  Stress:​ 1 | 2 | 3 
  
  Consequence: ​Mild (2) __________________________________ 
  RANDOM TABLES 
   
  Part of what makes delves fun is the unexpected. You never quite know what you’ll face. This is
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
  even more true when you play without any GM. If that suits your fancy, below, you’ll find few tables
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  for different game elements: locations, challenges, zones. You’ll be able to roll some dice and
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  generate random elements for your delve. 
   
  1d10 
  Delve location 
   
  1d10 
  Particularity 
  1 
  Cave 
   
  1 
  Lit by torches 
  2 
  Camp 
   
  2 
  Foggy 
  3 
  Castle / Fortress 
   
  3 
  Haunted 
  4 
  Classic dungeon 
   
  4 
  Hot 
  5 
  Prison 
   
  5 
  Icy cold 
  6 
  Ruins 
   
  6 
  Magic imbued 
  7 
  Sewer 
   
  7 
  Overgrown 
  8 
  Temple 
   
  8 
  Rugged 
  9 
  Tomb 
   
  9 
  Submerged 
  10 
  Tower 
   
  10 
  Unstable 
   
   
   
   
  
   
  1d20 
  Puzzle 
   
  1d20 
  Trap 
  1 
  Climb to reach an overhang 
   
  1 
  Chant of madness 
  2 
  Cross a deep chasm/pit 
   
  2 
  Corrosive fog 
  3 
  Cross a rickety bridge 
   
  3 
  Crushing walls 
  4 
  Decipher language/runes 
   
  4 
  Deep pit 
  5 
  Dispel magical barrier 
   
  5 
  Electrified floor 
  6 
  Find a specific book in a library  
  6 
  Falling rocks 
  7 
  Find hidden passage 
   
  7 
  Fireball 
  8 
  Get out of a labyrinth 
   
  8 
  Firewall 
  9 
  Greased staircase 
   
  9 
  Flooding room 
  10 
  Help a wounded NPC 
   
  10 
  Giant rolling boulder 
  11 
  Illusions 
   
  11 
  Hypnotizing mirror 
  12 
  Interrogate a prisoner 
   
  12 
  Millions of biting insects 
  13 
  Lift a heavy barrier 
   
  13 
  Pendulum blades 
  14 
  Make a mixture in laboratory 
   
  14 
  Poison darts 
  15 
  Open a locked door 
   
  15 
  Razor-sharp wires 
  16 
  Pass unnoticed by guards 
   
  16 
  Spike trap 
  17 
  Persuade NPC to help 
   
  17 
  Sticky Web 
  18 
  Solve a riddle 
   
  18 
  Strangling vines 
  19 
  Taken prisoners 
   
  19 
  Strident screech 
  20 
  Win a chess/card/board game 
   
  20 
  Toxic gas 
   
   
   
   
  
   
  1d20 
  Monster 
   
  1d20 
  Boss 
  1 
  Bandit 
   
  1 
  Archbishop 
  2 
  Burrower worm 
   
  2 
  Basilisk / Medusa 
  3 
  Dark elf 
   
  3 
  Beholder 
  4 
  Dire wolf 
   
  4 
  Demon 
  5 
  Ghost / Wraith / Specter 
   
  5 
  Dragon 
  6 
  Giant rat 
   
  6 
  Drider 
  7 
  Giant snake 
   
  7 
  Gelatinous cube 
  8 
  Giant spider 
   
  8 
  Golem 
  9 
  Goatman 
   
  9 
  Griffin 
  10 
  Goblin 
   
  10 
  Hag 
  11 
  Imp 
   
  11 
  Lich 
  12 
  Kobold 
   
  12 
  Mind flayer 
  13 
  Living statue 
   
  13 
  Ogre 
  14 
  Lizardman 
   
  14 
  Tentacle floating brain 
  15 
  Ooze 
   
  15 
  Thief King 
  16 
  Orc 
   
  16 
  Treant 
  17 
  Skeleton 
   
  17 
  Troll 
  18 
  Soldier / Guard 
   
  18 
  Vampire 
  19 
  Wizard / Cultist 
   
  19 
  Warlock / Witch 
  20 
  Zombie 
   
  20 
  Werewolf 
   
   
   
   
   
  Another great way to randomize monsters or boss is only to blindly pick up one of your
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  mini in a box and put it on the table! Just separate minis between normal and boss. 
  
   
  1dF 
  Monster action 
   
  1dF 
  Monster movement 
   
  Attack 
   
   
  Move in the closest PC’s zone. 
   
  Create an advantage 
   
   
  Stand still 
   
  Overcome an aspect 
   
   
  Move away from a PC 
   
   
  4dF 
  Room Purpose 
   
  Treasure room / Armory / Storage 
   
  Workshop / Laboratory / Library 
   
  Living Quarters / Den / Crypt 
   
  Fountain / River / Pond / Empty room 
   
  Empty 
   
  Junction 
   
  Jail / Trash piles / Empty room 
   
  Chapel / Altar / Magic Circle 
   
  Trap! 
   
  If you like more background and ambiance details for each room, you could use a random room 
  description generator like this one:  
  http://www.wizards.com/dnd/drdg/index.htm 
   
   
  
  Floor plan (1d10) 
   
  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
   
  1dF 
  Corridor encounter 
   
  1dF 
  Objective 
   
  Scout 
   
   
  Find the treasure and escape 
   
  Nothing 
   
   
  Defeat the Boss 
   
  Trap 
   
   
  Explore all the rooms 
   
   
   
  1d20 
  Wondrous item aspects 
  1d20 
  Wondrous item aspects 
  1 
  Boots of jumping 
  11 
   
  2 
  Cloak of the chameleon 
  12 
   
  3 
   
  13 
   
  4 
   
  14 
   
  5 
   
  15 
   
  6 
   
  16 
   
  7 
   
  17 
   
  8 
   
  18 
   
  9 
   
  19 
   
  10 
   
  20 
   
   
   
   
  RNG : Objective 
  RNG : Wondrous items aspects 
   
  
   
   
   
  
  SAMPLE GAME 
   
  The following is an example of setting you can use to play the game. You can use it as a tutorial 
  or a starting scenario. It will give you a good example of how the game works. 
   
   
  Unknown copyright. If you know the author of this map, please let me know! 
   
  There are two characters in this game. Bron, which is a brash young rogue, and Lyria, a 
  self-taught sorceress. The players are using the advanced version of the combat encounters. 
   
  The characters start in a small region called The Vale, in the little town of Holmir. It is a remote 
  area and the closest city, Briss, is no less than 5 days travel, when all the conditions are 
  favorable. Fortunately, the community is self sufficient and doesn’t rely on trading at all, which is 
  incidental to the fact that there isn’t any proper roads between Holmir and Briss, only a poorly 
  maintained dirt path that winds through woods and over hills. 
   
  Even though the town is remote, it is relatively peaceful. Even brigands leave it alone; there’s 
  nothing to steal of any value there anyway. There’s sometimes sight of a stray beast but it is 
  usually spooked by yelling at it. Until recently… There’s been a lot more monster sightings than 
  ever before and they seem to venture closer to some of the remote houses at night, making 
  people uneasy.  
   
  This morning, word around town is that old-man Basile got attacked; bitten by a beast that 
  emerged from under the earth and looked like a wolf. People gather at the usual meeting place : 
  the small chapel. Moods vary : from anger to fear, to curiosity and incomprehension. “ We need 
  to do something before it gets worse!” some say. “But where to look? And who can afford the 
  time to do that?”  
  
   
  This is where you step in. You always dreamt of a life of adventures. You’ve yet to prove 
  yourself worthy of more than a peasant’s life to the people of Holmir, this might be your chance. 
  You did a small investigation and tracked the strange creature back to it’s lair, a cavern a few 
  miles north-west of Holmir (#2029 on the map), a place known as The Cave of Endless Echoes. 
   
  From there, you start gathering as much info as you can on the place and prepare your gear 
  before venturing underground. 
   
  Cave of Endless Echoes ​(Average +1) 
  Aspects:​ Convenient layout, All sounds reverberated and amplified 
  Monsters​: Mowlf 
  Puzzle​: Impassable rift                         Stress: 1 | 2 
  Boss:​ Ogre 
  Skills:​ Lore +2, Wilderness -1, Monsters +1, Puzzle -2, Trap +0, Boss +3 
   
  The players start phase 1. Prepare. Bron knows a lot about the people in town and decides he 
  will be asking around about the place. He uses his Contacts skill to create an advantage. He 
  gets a total of Good (+3) on his check, which beats the adventure’s Fair (+2) Lore skill. He 
  creates the aspect ​Watch your step! ​on which he stick a free invocation. Lyria focuses her 
  magical energies to create magical illumination. She uses her Spellcraft skill to create an 
  advantage. Unfortunately, she obtains a Mediocre (+0) on her check and is not willing to spend 
  a Fate Point on that check so she fails. The Adventure receives a free invoke and rewrite the 
  aspect: ​Magical glow shows where I am​. 
   
  On phase ​2 - Journey​ they get attacked by the Adventure’s Wilderness skill. It gets an Average 
  (+1) check. Bron’s player explains how he uses his Stealth skill to avoid being seen and heard. 
  He succeeds with style and creates a Boost ​Surprise!​. 
   
  There’s a huge chasm somewhere deep in the cave. It is very large and seems to drop into an 
  endless pit. 
   
  There’s also a room where thousands of huge bats are sleeping. It’s already hard not to wake 
  them up but add to this that all sounds are echoing in this cave and you face a real nightmare. 
   
  Mowlfs 
  Aspect:​ Shortsighted 
  Zones:​ Alcove dens, Narrow tunnel, Stalactites cave 
  Skills:​ Fight +1, Physique +1 
   
  Molfs are a strange crossbread between a giant mole and a wolf. It has long sharp claws that it 
  
  uses to dig tunnels and has a very territorial behavior. However, it doesn’t have a very good 
  vision. 
   
  Ogre 
  Aspect: ​Disgusting smell 
  Zones:​ Huge cave, Pile of bones and dungs, Dirty pond 
  Skills:​ Fight +3, Physique +3  
  Stress:​ 1 | 2 | 3 
  Consequence: ​Mild (2) __________________________________ 
   
  This ogre has trained a pack of molfs to fetch him some food from Holmir. Time to stop him! 
  Back to town, people are surprised. They didn’t expect you to succeed, even though they rejoice 
  in your victory. You were courageous and are rewarded by fame. But now you crave for more! 
  You tasted adrenalin and you are getting addicted to it. 
   
  It wasn’t 3 days from your first adventure that another opportunity arose. Apparently, the devout 
  pastor of the town’s chapel comes to you, asking for your help. “The chaplain of Briss, the head 
  of my order, has launched a relic campaign. He wants all parish to deliver a holy relic by the end 
  of the year. “We aren’t exactly in the favor of the clergy, you see. They see us as not really pious 
  and if we don’t do something, they’ll send us the Inquisition… and that won’t end very well.”  
   
  He talks to you about a tomb where a holy man has been buried. “But I warn you.” he adds. 
  “Rumors say that his tomb has been desecrated by evil spirits and that the Prince’s soul is 
  trapped ever since.” For all of our sake, you must free his soul and bring back his remains so 
  that we can lay him to rest. Some of his bones will serve as holy relics and will certainly please 
  His Eminence.” His tomb is just east of town (#2230). 
   
  The Desecrated Prince’s Tomb ​(Fair +2) 
  Aspects:​ Full of loot, Vengeful spirits 
  Monsters​: Undead Guards 
  Puzzle​: The Portcullis                            Stress: 1 | 2 
  Trap​: Noxious Fumes                             Stress: 1 | 2 
  Boss:​ The Traitor Prince 
  Skills:​ Lore -1, Wilderness +3, Monsters +2, Puzzle +1, Trap +0, Boss +4 
   
  Undead Guards 
  Zones:​ Staircase, Chapel, Sarcophagus 
  Skills:​ Fight +2, Provoke +2 
  
   
  A journal found in the tomb teaches you that the prince’s praetorian guards were buried alive in 
  the tomb so that the prince will be protected even in afterlife. Seems that they went mad and 
  killed each other. This is probably what attracted the evil spirits that now possess their corpses. 
   
  Albrecht - The Desecrated Prince 
  Aspect: ​Possessed by an evil spirit 
  Zones:​ The Prince’s Tomb (Aspects: Row of Pillars, Large Sarcophagus, Heraldic drapes) 
  Skills:​ Fight +4, Will +4 
  Stress:​ 1 | 2 | 3 
  Consequence: ​Mild (2) __________________________________ 
  Again, against all expectations, you are back victorious! People are starting to treat you like a 
  famous character. They admire you. Kids even start to impersonate you in their games. But as 
  Fate is capricious, this is when some of the kids disappear. 
   
  Last time they were seen, they were playing in the hills north-east of town (#2229). Further 
  investigation reveals that strange footprints lead to the dark thick forest on top of what townsfolk 
  call The Hag’s Butte. Parents beg you to rescue them and bring them back. What kind of 
  heartless hero would you be if you didn’t oblige?  
   
  Confident, you gather your stuff and head over there. It’s only when you reach the forest that 
  your confidence faints quickly as the whole forest is covered in thick spider silk... 
   
  The Witch’s Hut ​(Good +3) 
  Aspects:​ Medicinal Herbs, Webbed Woods 
  Monsters​: Giant Spiders 
  Puzzle​: Survivors in cocoons                         Stress: 1 | 2 
  Trap​: Web Wrapped Hut                                 Stress: 1 | 2 
  Boss:​ Aranea - The Mother of Spiders 
  Skills:​ Lore +0, Wilderness +4, Monsters +3, Puzzle +2, Trap +1, Boss +5 
   
  Giant Spiders 
  Zones:​ Gushing Stream, Old Path, Thick Webbed Forest 
  Skills:​ Fight +3, Athletics +3 
   
  Aranea - The Mother of Spiders 
  
  Aspect: ​Throng of baby spiders 
  Zones:​ Hut’s Interior, Small clearing, Gushing stream, Thick Webbed Forest 
  Skills:​ Fight +5, Shoot +5 
  Stress:​ 1 | 2 | 3 
  Consequence: ​Mild (2) __________________________________ 
   
   
   
   
  
   
  Ruins of the Snake God ​(Great +4) 
  Aspects:​ Suicidal cultists, Uncannily realistic statues 
  Monsters​: Cultists 
  Puzzle​: Hieroglyphs 
  Trap​: Poisonous Darts 
  Boss:​ Aranea - The Mother Spider  
  Skills:​ Lore +2, Wilderness +3, Monsters +4, Puzzle +1, Trap +5, Boss +6 
   
  Cultists​ (2x PCs) 
  Zones:​ Temple Grounds, Pyramid, Doorway, Sacrificial Chamber 
  Skills:​ Fight +2, Athletics +2 
   
  The Basilisk 
  Zones:​ Overgrown Inner Courtyard, Giant Tree-Vines 
  Skills:​ Athletics +6, Notice +6 
  Stunt:​ ​Petrifying gaze​: Can make attacks with Notice. 
  Stress:​ 1 | 2 | 3 
  Consequence: ​Mild (2) __________________________________ 
   
   
   
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeon Delve - Adventures.pdf