Post by ishtar on Mar 4, 2010 17:15:34 GMT -5
This is more of a mechanic for a solo dungeon than a house rule, but I had no clue where to put it. If an admin thinks it should go better somewhere else, please feel free to move it!
I was working on a solo dungeon a few years ago, and about the umpteenth time I typed "Do you want to search this area? If so, go to ..." I realized that the mere presence of such a line signified to the player that something was there. On the other hand, I didn't want to put that line with a link to another paragraph that said "You find nothing. Go back to the paragraph you came from" a bazillion times either. Then I had what I thought was a stroke of minor genius. Perhaps a Search Matrix could do for the searcher what the Magic Matrix did for the Wizard. Since then, I've been fiddling with the concept.
Basically, what I get is a paragraph at the beginning of the adventure advising the player that they can search any room or area they are in at any time, as long as they have resolved any combat with the inhabitants of that space first. They can make a Quick Search or a Detailed Search, or even a Quick Search followed by a Detailed Search if they suspect they missed something. A Quick Search takes 2-3 minutes. A Detailed Search takes at least 10 minutes and requires a check for any Wandering Monsters that might have been attracted by the disturbance. Once the Wandering Monster (if any) is dealt with, the player checks the Search Matrix to see if there is a listing for the paragraph where he is.
If there is no paragraph note, he finds nothing and can continue on with the adventure.
If there is a paragraph note, it will reference another paragraph, and he should go there - it may have a note about a clue to the adventure, a treasure, a trap, a monster encounter, or a secret passageway. Most of these paragraphs will return him to the place where he started (with a treasure, a clue, or possibly some new bruises), but some will send him elsewhere.
If he does not search in a place where there is a trap, continuing on will send him blithely into it. A Quick Search will reveal the presence of the trap, and a Detailed Search will reveal the mechanism of the trap and what it takes to avoid it.
What do you think? Too complex? Should I just write a macro for "If you want to perform a Quick Search of this area, go to ..."?
I was working on a solo dungeon a few years ago, and about the umpteenth time I typed "Do you want to search this area? If so, go to ..." I realized that the mere presence of such a line signified to the player that something was there. On the other hand, I didn't want to put that line with a link to another paragraph that said "You find nothing. Go back to the paragraph you came from" a bazillion times either. Then I had what I thought was a stroke of minor genius. Perhaps a Search Matrix could do for the searcher what the Magic Matrix did for the Wizard. Since then, I've been fiddling with the concept.
Basically, what I get is a paragraph at the beginning of the adventure advising the player that they can search any room or area they are in at any time, as long as they have resolved any combat with the inhabitants of that space first. They can make a Quick Search or a Detailed Search, or even a Quick Search followed by a Detailed Search if they suspect they missed something. A Quick Search takes 2-3 minutes. A Detailed Search takes at least 10 minutes and requires a check for any Wandering Monsters that might have been attracted by the disturbance. Once the Wandering Monster (if any) is dealt with, the player checks the Search Matrix to see if there is a listing for the paragraph where he is.
If there is no paragraph note, he finds nothing and can continue on with the adventure.
If there is a paragraph note, it will reference another paragraph, and he should go there - it may have a note about a clue to the adventure, a treasure, a trap, a monster encounter, or a secret passageway. Most of these paragraphs will return him to the place where he started (with a treasure, a clue, or possibly some new bruises), but some will send him elsewhere.
If he does not search in a place where there is a trap, continuing on will send him blithely into it. A Quick Search will reveal the presence of the trap, and a Detailed Search will reveal the mechanism of the trap and what it takes to avoid it.
What do you think? Too complex? Should I just write a macro for "If you want to perform a Quick Search of this area, go to ..."?