Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Keys.....


Just wanted to share a little trick that I used in Praise the Fallen to make finding and using keys a little more interesting for both DMs and players.


"A note on Keys.  Anytime the PCs encounter cultists, there is a 2 in 6 chance that one of the cultists has a key.  Anytime the PCs encounter a locked door, there is a 2 in 6 chance that a key that they have found will open that door, so long as that key has not been matched up with another door.  If a key opens a door, then that’s the only door it can open.  If you’re feeling generous, there is a 1 in 6 chance that a key is a Master-Key that opens all locks."                   
-- Praise the Fallen, pg. 2.

The reason I love this is that it adds a little excitement for everyone.  I love not knowing what's going to happen next even though I wrote the damn thing.   Let the players roll to see if a key fits a door/lock, this give them the illusion (at least) of having a little bit of control over the fate of the adventure.  You can always place specific keys in specific places, but throw in a couple using the rules above, it adds a little suspense to the game.

To help individual Keys stand out, roll to see what it's made of.....Roll 1d12

  1.  Iron
  2.  Brass
  3.  Silver*
  4.  Steel
  5.  Bronze
  6.  Gold*
  7.  Bone
  8.  Platinum*
  9.  Copper*
10.  Lead
11.  Tin
12.  Stone

*If the key is made of precious metal, it's safe to assume the key is worth 2d4 coins of that metal.


4 comments:

  1. This is a very good rule. I think I've seen a variant where it automatically fits if the lock has a matching descriptor. So silver key opens silver lock, otherwise it's 2-in-6.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I kind of love the "key hunting" aspect of the Zelda games.

    Once you have the key to a room, you can also lock it behind you, potentially creating a safe region within the dungeon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Though I've never been much of a video-gamer (I think I played Zelda a couple of times) your point's well taken. If you establish keys as a regular or even semi-regular aspect of your games, players will be eager to find them, if only to control a tiny portion of the dungeon. Multiple keys create multiple safe havens, less need to "go back to town."

      Delete

Reading Dracula

I found myself reading Dracula. I don't read novels much anymore -- it takes an act of will -- the book has to be exceptional. Yet, what...