Dungeon Adventures System Neutral Tables

Table Rolls - 5 Room Dungeon, Puzzles and Setbacks

Duncan Thomson

Deeper in is a maze of dangerous tunnels...but Old Snarl can map a safe route for the right price. It take them almost to the villain's lair, where several large ogres guard a bronze gong. An alarm for the villain no doubt

Can they stop the gong sounding to surprise their final foe?

Generated from the Puzzle or Roleplaying Challenge (roll of 9, A creature which can give token required for easy entry further on) and Trick or Setback tables below (roll of 11, There is a warning system here. If it is activated things get harder in the Showdown).

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Room 2 and 3 of the 5-Room Dungeon

Here you continue the journey of the 5-room dungeon after the Entrance table for Room 1.

Rooms 2 of the five room dungeon should have a non-combat, to challenge those who prefer not to be fighting all the time.

If the entrance challenge was a non-combat challenge then Room 2 could be replaced by an Entrance roll or supplemented by something to fight.

Of course, many of the challenges can be solved by hacking...and that's ok.

Room 3 is a Trick or Setback. The pace changes here and there is a twist of some kind.

The table focuses on surprises, things going wrong or using up resources in preparation for Room 4.

5 Room Dungeon tables - entrance | puzzles & setbacks | showdown | revelation or twist

Puzzle or Roleplaying Challenge

1d8+1d12Puzzle or Roleplaying Challenge
2Lighting a particular candle/torch/shrine reveals the way ahead
3A very powerful creature that must be befriended to pass on
4A magical puzzle that must be solved to avoid setting off an alarm
5A ghost who can reveal dungeon secrets if they can set it to rest or agree to
6A guardian creature with a riddle/challenge to solve to pass on
7A dangerous trap that the inhabitants can ignore
8A mass of vermin or pests that retreat from something (open flames, loud singing, etc
9A creature which can give password/token/document/map required for easy entry further on
10An rival or servant of the inhabitants willing to help them for the right price
11A powerful creature it is better to befriend than fight
12An NPC they know but not expected here as a prisoner/hostage/lost
13A temple or shrine here requires prayers/a sacrifice/a donation to pass through
14An NPC they know but not expected here as an informant/ally to inhabitants/betraying PCs
15Allies of the inhabitants who can be talked into ignoring or aiding PCs
16A complex mechanism of moving sections that blocks their path
17A magical puzzle floor (such as a chessboard with special squares)
18Ghosts acting out former lives. If observed secrets revealed about dungeon or inhabitants
19An unhappy but powerful guardian gives hints to another way past it
20A mad NPC is trapped here. If they can cure or help them they provide vital information

Trick or Setback...

1d8+1d12Trick or Setback...
2One of the PCs or an NPC gets separated from the party by a trap or creature
3Roll on table for Room 2: Puzzle/Roleplaying Challenge and combine with 2nd roll from this table
4There is a dangerous trap here. If triggered it also forewarns the Showdown challenge.
5Dangerous debris from a collapse covers a secret way into Room 4
6Hostages or prisoners who are enemies in disguise
7Dangerous debris from a collapse covers a trap
8A dangerous group of inhabitants are here. Possibly forewarned of the PCs if they haven't been careful
9A group of hostile inhabitants with the same weaknesses as the Showdown challenge
10Hostages or prisoners who demand/plead to be taken back immediately (for good reason)
11There is a warning system here. If it is activated things get harder in the Showdown
12They find the way to their main objective but to get through requires something from elsewhere in the dungeon
13An NPC that came with them betrays them in some way
14There is a one-way exit here back to the main entrance (teleporter/chute/fast-flowing river/one-way door)
15The main villain has been found, but it's actually a decoy shapeshifter/twin/simulacrum/illusion
16There is an item that can help in the Showdown but it is broken/cursed or had parts missing
17The inhabitants are playing an unusual and dangerous game
18A famous site has been found, but it's actually a fake or decoy
19New information here points to a greater conflict happening here that this is just a part of
20If the PCs break the door/portal out of here a sphere of solid force entraps them for a while and sounds an alarm

The 5-Room Adventure Generator

These tables are inspired from my 5 Room Adventure generator at EN World. You can find out more on Patreon and find me on Twitter @ChaosGenerators