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Dungeon Delvers

Dungeon Delvers will be a one-page D&D variant.

It's just about that simple.

It has rules for attacks and saves, 4 classes, 3 races, spells, healing, conditions, and monsters. The system uses only a d6. There's even a rock-paper-scissors system for rolling a d6!

The basic system: roll 1d6 each for the 6 classic abilities. Attack rolls succeed on 5-6. Saves try to roll less than or equal to the relevant ability.

Play Sample

<html> Peter: OK, I'm playing Paul the fighter. He takes 4 hits and deals 1 hit per attack.

Gretchen: I'm playing Gurney the rogue. He takes 3 hits, and subtracts 1 from his ability rolls.

Jim: And I'm playing Jessica the wizard. She takes 2 hits, and she's memorized the fire bolt spell.

GM: Great! You were all on a merchant vessel that was hit in a bad storm. You were swept into a bay and foundered near a small lumber village. The village elder, Zana, welcomed you all to spend the night in a storehouse. In the middle of the night, you're awakened by a cry of alarm. Lizardlings!

Peter: I jump up and run outside.

GM: OK, you see people running everywhere. There's a low fire near the center of the village. On its far side, just outside of the woods to the east of the villagers, a couple of lizardlings are lashing out with crude spears at a knot of villagers.

Jim: I follow.

Gretchen: Me, too, but I try to stay out of sight.

GM: OK, Gretchen, make an ability roll using your dexterity. That's a d6 roll, trying to roll equal to or less than your dexterity score.

Gretchen: OK. I have a dexterity of 5, so that shouldn't be a problem. And I roll…a 4!

GM: Good, you stay out of sight.

Gretchen: I'm sneaking around the campfire to flank the lizardlings.

GM: Great! How about the rest of you?

Peter: I draw my sword and run at the lizardlings.

Jim: I want to stay back and see if I can figure out the lizardlings' tactics.

GM: OK, while Peter charges towards the fight, Jim I want you to make an intelligence roll. Again, that's d6, and you want to go no more than your intelligence. Which is…?

Jim: A 4, so that's not so bad. I roll a 2! Whew.

GM: Good. You see one beefier lizardling in the back, gesturing with a fine hatchet. He's ordering around three lizardlings in front of him; they're using crude spears. In fact, by rolling that well, you also notice in the woods two more lizardlings with simple bows.

Jim: I call out to Paul: “There are two in the woods! Watch out for the leader!”

GM: OK, Paul should be arriving next since Gurney's sneaking. Who is Paul attacking?

Peter: Hmmm. I hear Jessica's warning, right?

GM: Definitely. The first three lizardlings are in front of you, with leader behind them, and the archers are even further away.

Peter: Okay, I'll slash at the nearest lizardling, then.

GM: OK, make an attack roll. That's 1d6, trying to roll 5 or 6.

Peter: And…I roll a 5. Sweet!

GM: You swing and cut right through him! He goes down with just that one hit. His companion tries a desperate counter-attack…and rolls a 2, so he misses. The others are still tied up. Gretchen, you've been patient. What do you want to do?

Gretchen: I hear Jessica's warning, too, so I want to jump out of the darkness and attack the leader.

GM: Cool! He's guarding himself from the village, but he's not expecting a side attack. That means you get “advantage,” so you hit if you roll 4, 5, or 6. Make an attack roll!

Gretchen: And I roll a 4!

GM: Good thing you had that advantage! He takes 1 hit, but that won't take him down. Your sword connects with the leader, who snarls and turns at you. His well-worn hatchet gleams in the moonlight. Two arrows fly from the woods……but they miss. Wow, you guys were lucky there.

Jim: My turn again?

GM: Sure!

Jim: I want to cast my fire bolt at the archers.

GM: Great! Make an attack roll.

Jim: Trying to roll 5 or 6 on attacks, right?

GM: Exactly.

Jim: And I roll a 6! A bolt of fire leaps out from my fingers and streaks into the woods. It explodes on one of the lizardlings!

GM: And it squeals and goes down! Now, mind you, you now have a pile of flaming lizardling laying among a bunch of trees.

Jim: …Uh-oh. </html>