The Cube

Introduction: A room with peculiar gravity that allows the PCs to walk on the walls and ceiling… a challenge for groups that don’t mind complicated combats.

Setting/System: Setting is soft sci-fi or fantasy, due to the weird gravity effects. The system probably needs to be one with miniature based combat… it could be run in a more abstract system, but it would lose some of the nuances.

Description: The room is a perfect cube. The floor, walls and ceiling of this cube are made of a strange looking metal; they have four foot high protrusions in certain places, made from a transparent, synthetic material. Most notably, gravity seems to pull downwards through all six faces of the cube, allowing the PCs to stand normally anywhere on the map.

Mechanics: This will take some imagination and spatial awareness on the parts of the players and the GM. The floor plan above shows the “unfolded” cube; the numbers indicate which sides join to which. As the PCs (and their enemies) can walk on any surface, they can step between corresponding sides using normal movement (i.e. a PC can move from the top-most square to the bottom-most square, just by stepping across side 1).
The synthetic protrusions provide cover from ranged attacks made from the same face (and maybe the near side of adjacent faces); however, they provide no cover from ranged attacks made by enemies with sufficient elevation to shoot over the cover. Ranges will require a little bit of guesswork based on geometry, but they are certainly a lot shorter than the map suggests in many cases.
Under normal circumstances, it is impossible to jump from one cube face to the opposite face. However, if a character has extraordinary jumping ability and can clear 20′ height, they can cross the halfway point, gravity will switch and they will land on the other side (taking damage from a 20′ fall).

Encounters: Pure melees will become static and won’t make use of the unique features of the room. Therefore enemies should probably fall into one of the following categories:
1) Ranged enemies who benefit particularly well from using the cover provided.
2) Melee enemies with a jumping ability that allows them to switch sides of the cube easily (maybe as an actual attack from above).
Essentially, you want enemies who have a good reason to keep moving, as this will force the PCs to do the same.

Rats!

Introduction: An encounter intended to ratchet up the tension and deliver an “oh crap” moment at the end. I ran this in a game of Deadlands Reloaded, but I am presenting it as a general concept for use in other games.

Setting/system: This could be adapted to almost any setting, just by changing the specific enemy, though it will probably sit best in a game with some horror elements. System-wise, again it could be adapted to a lot of different systems, but the mechanics would need tweaking depending on the damage system (see below).

Description: These four rooms could be absolutely anything. I ran them as servants’ quarters in a haunted house, but any small set of rooms would work. They should be laid out in such a way that final reveal is in the last room visited – in the layout I’ve presented, if the players head north first, just move the internal door to the east room. Also, there should be some in game reason for them to push through to the final room and not retreat early – most likely, they’re looking for something and need to search every room.

Encounter: As the players enter the first room, they see a couple of small creatures scurrying about (I used rats, but any small creature that is not particularly dangerous on its own would work). As the players progress through the rooms, the creatures appear in larger numbers and become more aggressive. There also appear to be an unlimited number of them; the PCs should be encouraged to keep moving, rather than making a stand. As the players enter the final room, they see a closet door (or setting appropriate portal) bulging and straining. As soon as they get close to it, it bursts open with a flood of creatures – this (combined with the mechanics below) should be an “oh crap” moment for the players. The PCs’ goal may or may not actually be in the closet, but in any case, the mass of enemies should ideally be dealt with through clever thinking, rather than simply fighting it as a normal enemy.

Mechanics: These are the mechanics I homebrewed for this encounter; they are specific to the Savage Worlds system. Further down, I will make some suggestions of how the mechanics might be adapted to other systems.
Each swarm of creatures is represented by a single die – the bigger the die, the larger the swarm. When the swarm attacks a PC, there is no attack roll, it simply does damage by rolling the die (this represents each individual creature having a chance to hit for one damage… the number rolled is the number that hit). The first swarms are only d4 or d6 – in Savage Worlds, this is unlikely to damage the PCs at all (for those unfamiliar with Savage Worlds, damage has to clear a toughness threshold before it has any effect). The swarms progress through the die types as the players progress through the rooms; d8/d10 could potentially hurt the players, d12 is likely to hurt the players, d20 swarms were definitely dangerous. If the players attack a swarm, they do make an attack roll, but don’t bother with damage; melee and ranged attacks reduce the die type of a swarm by one, while area effects reduce the die type by two.
This system worked reasonably well on its own merits, but the primary reason for it was the moment that the closet door burst open, a tidal wave of rats spilled into the room and I chucked a d100 onto the table. Having spent ten minutes engaged with the mechanics above, the simple sight of the d100 was enough to deliver the message “this swarm will kill you”.

Other systems: Adapting this mechanic to other systems is mostly a case of playing around with the dice. For example, in a system with D&D style hit points, you could just use d6s, but increase the number of dice; start with small swarms of 1d6, through medium swarms of 3d6, up to big swarms of 5d6. When the players open the closet, you slap down one of those little box sets of 36d6. In a system with static damage, you could use increasing stacks of poker chips to represent the damage. The goal is to present a very logical progression with a huge jump for the final swarm, so that it is instantly and visually beyond the PCs abilities to fight normally.

Final note: The setup of this encounter means that the final swarm will likely kill a PC if it attacks one of them – it needs to be that deadly to elicit the intended reaction from the players. You may want to consider ahead of time whether that is an acceptable result for your campaign and players. If you want to deliver the scare, but don’t really want any actual deaths, you can always have the d100 swarm spit out a couple of d20 swarms while it organises itself to attack; this will give the players a moment’s breathing room to react or run.

Platforms

Introduction: A single room that could be used for an interesting combat.

Setting/System: I designed this with an old-school D&D dungeon in mind, but it could be adapted to all sorts of settings. It does need to be used in a system that runs combats on a map with miniatures; otherwise it will be tough to track.

Description: The room contains several platforms that move around via rails or magic. The floor is a short drop/a long drop/a pool of acid, as appropriate to the setting and power level of the players.

Mechanics: Each round the platforms switch positions, according to the arrows on the map (to be clear, there are two separate cycles of three platforms). Treat this movement as instantaneous at the start of the round (or give it an initiative roll if initiative is rolled each round); this will work best if each platform is represented by a tile that can simply be picked up and moved, bringing any miniatures with it. The two adjacent platforms in the centre can simply be stepped between; platforms that are not adjacent may be jumped between (the size of the room can be adjusted to make the distances harder or easier to jump, depending on the system and character abilities). Getting knocked off a platform has penalties appropriate to whatever may be beneath them.
[Practical note: If short on table space, the platforms can be bunched closer together and the distance between them simply described to the players. For the most part, PCs are either going to be on the platforms or off them – there is no need to physically represent the full distances between platforms.]

Encounter: A mix of melee and ranged enemies will keep the players on their toes; ranged enemies will prevent ranged PCs from staying entirely out of harm’s way, while melee enemies should either be flyers or good jumpers, to ensure they can engage. I would recommend not having the platforms move at all until the players step onto the first one, so they don’t have time to study the sequence before the first gets started.
One slight variation would be to have a very tough, but immobile enemy on the platform that starts next to the exit door. This will force the players to figure out a way to switch platforms at least once if they want to avoid engaging it in the middle as they cross the room.

Wind Tunnel

Introduction: A final level of protection for a treasury or other target of interest. The PCs start out at a definite disadvantage and will need to work hard to overrun the guards.

Setting/System: This particular set up is probably fantasy or sci-fi, but the mechanics could be adapted for a straight wind tunnel in a modern game. In terms of system, a map and minis are probably necessary, but the mechanics could be made a little more fuzzy for systems that aren’t as rigidly square based as D&D or similar.

[Note: The map is sized for 4^th ed. D&D, where character movement is in the region of 6 squares… clearly this could be resized for other systems easily enough.]

Description: The tunnel walls are smooth and streamlined, whether by design or due to erosion by the wind that is rushing through the tunnel at high speeds. The airflow is pretty constant round the entire donut – this could be magic or simple engineering.

Mechanics: Anyone in the airflow will find themselves blown along if they don’t make an active effort to resist it. At the end of each round all characters are blown a number of squares anticlockwise equal to about two thirds of the normal movement for their race (small races aren’t blown as far, since they present a smaller surface area; monks or characters with increased movement aren’t blown any further than characters of similar size). Characters can choose to reduce this forced movement by subtracting any squares of movement they may have left at the end of their turn. In this fashion, all characters can make slow progress against the wind by moving about a third of their movement and using the remaining squares to resist being blown at the end of the round. Ranged attacks may be affected if appropriate; the ranges are short enough that guns are probably unaffected, but thrown weapons could have their ranges greatly increased or decreased, depending on the direction of the throw.

Encounter: Characters enter at (1) and are trying to reach the door at (2); guards are positioned in the alcoves (3) and don’t step into the airflow until the PCs are close enough to engage. In the first round that any characters enter the tunnel, they do not get the opportunity to resist the wind, as they are not prepared for it. Describe the curvature of the tunnel, but don’t confirm that it is a complete circle until one of the characters actually investigates. Of course, the guards are well aware of the fact and will circle quickly round, rather than struggle against the wind, if they are knocked too far out of position.

 

Ranged combat arena

Introduction: A single largish room designed to challenge a group that is heavy on ranged characters.

Setting/System: Practically, this could exist in most settings, though realistic modern settings would likely have no reason to build it. In terms of system, it will work best with one that has rules for tactical movement, line of sight, etc… If the combat is too abstract, the moving parts of the room will lose their impact.

Description: The area is spartan, probably designed specifically for the purpose of combat as entertainment (non-lethal for the masses or to the death for the big bad’s enemies). High platforms and deep trenches are randomly placed around the arena; the walls of these have sufficient small indentations to be climbable by a skilled character. At three places in the arena are large and obvious buttons.

Mechanics: The coloured areas on the map can change height to become either trenches (10′ deep) or platforms (20′ high) – the two different colours are at opposite heights at any one time. The change is caused by either using one of the buttons around the arena or occasionally at random (perhaps 1 in 6 chance each round) – whenever a button is pressed, the areas toggle; platforms become trenches and trenches become platforms (they change quickly – treat it as near enough instantaneous for practical purposes). The buttons are large, easily pressed and robust; characters should be allowed to press them as a free action, even in the middle of a movement. Characters can also potentially activate the buttons from a distance, depending on their weapon (guns probably wouldn’t work, but a crossbow or a heavy thrown weapon might).

Encounter: The arena works best with two groups of primarily ranged combatants; melees will quickly become static and the platforms/trenches irrelevant. Line of sight should be ruthlessly enforced for characters on the ground, but interpreted generously for those on platforms; this will encourage players to try and constantly take the high ground. The area around each button is deliberately clear of cover; anyone camping by a button can be quickly put down with ranged attacks.

Time traps

Introduction: A small complex, designed to protect something of great value. Intruders who don’t know its secrets will have a hard time getting through it.

Setting/System: This is pretty much pure fantasy, though the mechanical system could be just about anything.

Description: There is nothing visually special about the rooms; they most likely have normal functions (kitchen, library, drawing room). Overall, the place should seem well used by the priests/guards/whoever lives there. The only exception is the room at the back, marked X, which is the shrine/treasure room/other destination of interest.

Mechanics: Each of the rooms shaded in red is a time trap. When both doors to the room are closed, time ceases to flow within the room. A select few individuals have amulets that suppress this effect and allow them to pass through; intruders who know the secret could work in pairs to get through (making sure that the next door is opened before the previous one is closed); anyone else will quickly get trapped before reaching the end.

Encounter: Assuming the characters are not aware of the traps, their initial encounter will probably go something along the lines of… “You sneak into the room, which appears to be some sort of library. However, as you close the door, things get weird. The instant the door closes, it is immediately opened by a priest, who wasn’t following you a second ago. Upon seeing you, he quickly slams the door shut and the door at the far end of the room immediately opens as several guards file into the room. There seems to be daylight coming in from outside the room, which is odd, considering that it’s currently two hours after midnight.”

 

Just keep moving…

Introduction: Possibly a trap room in a dungeon or maybe some sort of arena that the big bad makes his enemies fight in, this room requires the characters to constantly be moving.

Setting/System: Practically, this could exist in near enough any setting; it will probably be most appropriate in fantasy or sci-fi, but could exist in a modern game if someone had a good reason to build it (Bond villain, maybe?). In terms of system, this room is going to work best in a system with square-based tactical combat, opportunity attacks and so on (I had D&D in mind, but similar systems would work fine). It also needs to be a system where characters are hurt by small hits that build up, rather than a few large hits that clear a threshold.

Description: The room is empty of furnishings or anything like that. However, the floor of the room is covered in clearly delineated areas, each marked with one of three different colours. If this is some sort of fight arena, ditch the second corridor and add a viewing gallery.

Mechanics: Each round, a different coloured area is electrified. Anyone standing on those areas at the start of the round or entering the area during the round takes electrical damage (of course, characters can jump or fly over active tiles without taking damage). The amount of damage will depend on the system, but should be small, yet noticeable – a shock or two shouldn’t take down a character, but repeated shocks should add up quickly. The sequence of colours being electrified is cyclic, rather than random; the players may know what it is ahead of time, there may be an indicator on the wall of the next colour in sequence, or the players may just have to figure it out through trial and error.

Encounter: This room really requires melee combatants; if both sides are heavily range-based, they will have no issues moving between areas while shooting at each other. This should play out as a tactical exercise in always staying off the electrified tiles, while trying to avoid opportunity attacks from moving and also manoeuvring enemies onto the tiles… lots of pushes, knocking prone and such like will work well.

Teleporters

Please check out the ReadMe page for general principles…

Introduction: A small series of rooms that will quickly split up a party and provide a short, chaotic combat.

Setting/system: Sci-fi or fantasy, due to the presence of teleporters, but no particular mechanical requirements from the system.

Description: Each room can contain anything you see fit, as appropriate to the location of the rooms. The exits to the room should be noted to the players though; they may either be obvious portals or teleporters, or they could appear as normal doors into another room (though the room viewed through the door should be generic and not one of the actual rooms involved – see mechanics below).

Mechanics: There are no specific mechanics for within the rooms; run combats as normal and add details as required. However, when anything passes through a teleporter, roll randomly to see which room it is transported to (red numbers), then randomly to see which teleporter they arrive through (blue numbers). The only restriction is that it is impossible to teleport straight from room 1 to room 4 or vice versa – characters must pass through one of the other two rooms on the way. An amusing addition would be to also allow teleportation straight back into the current room, just exiting through a different teleporter… I leave that one up to the GM.

Encounter: There are no enemies in room 1, but they are found in rooms 2 and 3 (and possibly 4, depending on the level/abilities of the PCs). Initiative should be rolled pretty much as soon as the first character passes through a teleporter, but if everyone is trooping through in quick succession, then hold off on rolling to see what room they end up in until everyone is through (to preserve the surprise for the players). The occupants of the rooms know how the teleporters work and have no problem retreating through one momentarily to catch their breath (they may even be able to target specific rooms, rather than jump randomly… up to the GM); as a result, this combat should be very mobile with lots of small fast enemies… you don’t want to simply devolve into two separate combats that have no interaction.

Bonus idea for keen GMs: If you have lots of space and some decent sized pieces of card, you could construct a large X-shaped screen and place it along the dotted lines on the map. As each PC is teleported, the player must move around the table to the relevant quarter, so that they are unable to see what is going on in the other rooms. If anyone tries this, I’d love to hear how it works out.

 

Water Room

Please check out the ReadMe page for general principles…

Introduction: This flooded room could be inserted into any adventure as an interesting combat location.

Setting/System: The loose physics of the room, as well as its lack of obvious purpose, suggest this would be best used in a high fantasy or soft sci-fi setting. System-wise, it could be used in any system that has at least a small element of tactical combat.

Description: Each of the four double doors (1) opens about six inches above the water, which covers the entire room. The water is about 2 feet deep and is relatively calm in the alcove with each door, but has a strong current once the characters step out into the main room. The current flows towards a large whirlpool in the centre of the room (2) where the water disappears; it is replenished by 4 waterfalls that fall from the ceiling in each corner of the room (3).

Mechanics: The current is strong and hard to move against; depending on the system, this could mean extra squares of movement required to cross each dotted line or a strength check to cross more than one in a round. Anyone knocked prone is immediately swept 2 squares towards the centre of the room. Anyone who enters the whirlpool in the middle is immediately carried, via plumbing or magic, to a random corner and takes appropriate falling damage.

Encounter: Many different encounters could be run in this room. My own approach would be to have several flying creatures roosting in alcoves near the ceiling. These creatures attack the characters and try to push them towards the centre, so that they can pluck the bodies from the water once everyone is dead. The flying creatures obviously have the advantage of mobility, but they are also fragile and are easily killed if they can be knocked into the water themselves.