Skip to main content

Checking for Traps and Listening for Noise - A Solo D&D Tutorial

In a group game of D&D characters often want to search for traps or listen for noise. In solo games this is a tricky mechanic, especially if as a Dungeon Master you already have an idea of what lies ahead. This is especially problematic if you’re trying to run through a prepublished adventure module by yourself. I have my own simple way of handling such situations.

Checking for Traps and Listening for Noise - A Solo D&D Tutorial

In my last article I touched on player autonomy and how you can switch your perspective from DM to player to observer depending on the situation. So with your DM hat on you will need to determine whether a character will check for traps where there is a possibility of traps. It’s important to remember that in a group game a player would not always remember to check for traps. We can easily tie the chance of making such a check to the character's level.

To handle this situation I roll a d10. The chance of checking for traps is equal to 1 plus the character's level, plus or minus the character's intelligence bonus. A level one character without an intelligence bonus has a 2 in 10 chance of checking for traps and a level 9 character or above, will always check for traps. For example, Yolanda is a Level 2 Thief, she rolls a d10 and has a 4 in 10 chance of checking for traps (1 + Level + Intelligence Bonus). She needs a 1 to 4 on the d10, but she rolls a 5. Yolanda will not check for traps.

If Yolanda had rolled a 1, 2, 3 or 4, she would check for traps. The normal procedure in the D&D game rules would then be used to determine whether she manages to find traps.

To determine whether a character will listen for noise where there is a possibility of noise, this is much the same as checking for traps: roll a d10. The chance of listening for noise is equal to 1 plus the character's level, plus or minus the character's intelligence bonus. A level one character without an intelligence bonus has a 2 in 10 chance of hearing noise and a level 9 character or above, will always check for noise.

Just some food for thought... Let me know what you think in the comments and be sure to check back for more content. In the meantime:

See you next session...

Support Me with a Donation

If you enjoy my content and find value in it and would like to send a small donation over to show your appreciation and help support this blog so it can continue to grow then please follow the link below to make a donation via PayPal.

https://paypal.me/tomdnd

Labels:

Comments

  1. Ebola Watchdog8 December 2022 at 22:15

    Very solid way to handle one of thr more difficult fudgeables. Thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to Play Dungeons & Dragons Solo - Part 1 - Which Ruleset? A Solo DnD Tutorial

Hello and welcome to this blog. “ How to Play Dungeons & Dragons Solo ” . This blog will explore the concept of playing Dungeons & Dragons solo . This means playing the game completely by yourself with no Dungeon Master. The idea to write this blog naturally developed from a YouTube video series I created back in July 2020, dedicated to the process of how to start and run a Dungeons & Dragons solo campaign . I was increasingly requested to write all the information down to aid my viewers and provide something that brought all the information together in a concise format. How to Play Dungeons & Dragons Solo - Part 1 - Which Ruleset? A Solo DnD Tutorial In this blog I will present the information from the original videos (which I would advise watching in full as a reading accompaniment to obtain the full context) and expand upon it, showing you in further detail how to design and play a solo Dungeons & Dragons campaign by yourself with no involvement from ...
17 comments
Read more

Playing Pre-Published Adventures Solo Part 1 - a Solo D&D Tutorial

I’ve been asked on several occasions how I play pre-published adventures solo. I’m going to explain some of the rules I use here. The key to running pre-published adventures is to master the art of switching perspectives. I covered this in more detail in Tales of Mystara - The Palace of Evendur - Episode 2, and also in a previous article. In summary, sometimes in your solo game you will want to switch from being the player to being the Dungeon Master. This will aid you in the task of running pre-published adventures without ruining the element of surprise. The main goal when doing this, is to try to avoid meta gaming wherever possible. Playing Pre-Published Adventures Solo Part 1 - a Solo D&D Tutorial The Basics A really basic example of avoiding metagaming is deciding which direction the party will take when several options are presented by selecting the direction randomly. A simple roll of a die can be used with each side representing a different cardinal direction. F...
Post a Comment
Read more

How to Play Dungeons & Dragons Solo - Part 3 - Dungeon Generation, a Solo DnD Tutorial

Welcome to my blog, How to Play Dungeons & Dragons Solo , dedicated to playing Dungeons & Dragons solo using Basic D&D rules. This series of blog posts is based on a YouTube video series I started back in July 2020 and is all about working out a way to play solo Dungeons & Dragons games . The aim is to develop a suitable rule system so that a game of D&D can be played without the need for any other players or a Dungeon Master. How to Play Dungeons & Dragons Solo - Part 3 - Dungeon Generation, a Solo DnD Tutorial In the first post I discussed the different iterations of the game, which are available, as well as which one would be the most suitable to use for a solo DnD campaign . I've decided to go with the BECMI Basic D&D rules written by Frank Mentzer and published in 1983. I also briefly talked about the stationary and equipment needed to play. I recommended the use of stationary over digital tools to encourage playing in an old school way, bu...
4 comments
Read more