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Is there a standard frequency for wandering monster checks in a dungeon?

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Is there a standard frequency for wandering monster checks in a dungeon?


Where can I find miniatures for AD&D monsters?What's a good way to deal with Random Encounters inside Dungeons?What Information Can I Use If I Want To Publish My Own D&D 5e Module?AD&D Treasure GenerationRemembering to add tracks and signs of wandering monstersWere there Martians in Greyhawk?Is Glasstaff and the entire Redbrand Hideout supposed to be this easy?How can a character detect lies?Which aspects of D&D 5e will be affected by incorporating the Savage Worlds “Card Draw Initiative”?What is the standard dungeon scale at the table?






.everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__bot-mid-leaderboard:empty margin-bottom:0;








3












$begingroup$


Is there a standard or default frequency for wandering monster checks in an underground dungeon?



This concerns both dungeons of my own design, and existing modules either by TSR or Judges Guild that do not specify an encounter frequency for the dungeon.










share|improve this question











$endgroup$







  • 4




    $begingroup$
    Yes, I really am playing the ‘77 edition, hence the tag. There are three books in question and if you’ve read them you’d know they’re not known for their stellar organization.
    $endgroup$
    – munk
    8 hours ago











  • $begingroup$
    Having spent the last few hours off and on trying and failing to track this down, I'm pretty eager to see an answer.
    $endgroup$
    – SevenSidedDie
    5 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    @SevenSidedDie I think I've found it (but it relies on OD&D also ...)
    $endgroup$
    – KorvinStarmast
    5 hours ago

















3












$begingroup$


Is there a standard or default frequency for wandering monster checks in an underground dungeon?



This concerns both dungeons of my own design, and existing modules either by TSR or Judges Guild that do not specify an encounter frequency for the dungeon.










share|improve this question











$endgroup$







  • 4




    $begingroup$
    Yes, I really am playing the ‘77 edition, hence the tag. There are three books in question and if you’ve read them you’d know they’re not known for their stellar organization.
    $endgroup$
    – munk
    8 hours ago











  • $begingroup$
    Having spent the last few hours off and on trying and failing to track this down, I'm pretty eager to see an answer.
    $endgroup$
    – SevenSidedDie
    5 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    @SevenSidedDie I think I've found it (but it relies on OD&D also ...)
    $endgroup$
    – KorvinStarmast
    5 hours ago













3












3








3





$begingroup$


Is there a standard or default frequency for wandering monster checks in an underground dungeon?



This concerns both dungeons of my own design, and existing modules either by TSR or Judges Guild that do not specify an encounter frequency for the dungeon.










share|improve this question











$endgroup$




Is there a standard or default frequency for wandering monster checks in an underground dungeon?



This concerns both dungeons of my own design, and existing modules either by TSR or Judges Guild that do not specify an encounter frequency for the dungeon.







adnd encounters






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited 2 hours ago









V2Blast

32.6k5 gold badges117 silver badges202 bronze badges




32.6k5 gold badges117 silver badges202 bronze badges










asked 8 hours ago









munkmunk

4223 silver badges11 bronze badges




4223 silver badges11 bronze badges







  • 4




    $begingroup$
    Yes, I really am playing the ‘77 edition, hence the tag. There are three books in question and if you’ve read them you’d know they’re not known for their stellar organization.
    $endgroup$
    – munk
    8 hours ago











  • $begingroup$
    Having spent the last few hours off and on trying and failing to track this down, I'm pretty eager to see an answer.
    $endgroup$
    – SevenSidedDie
    5 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    @SevenSidedDie I think I've found it (but it relies on OD&D also ...)
    $endgroup$
    – KorvinStarmast
    5 hours ago












  • 4




    $begingroup$
    Yes, I really am playing the ‘77 edition, hence the tag. There are three books in question and if you’ve read them you’d know they’re not known for their stellar organization.
    $endgroup$
    – munk
    8 hours ago











  • $begingroup$
    Having spent the last few hours off and on trying and failing to track this down, I'm pretty eager to see an answer.
    $endgroup$
    – SevenSidedDie
    5 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    @SevenSidedDie I think I've found it (but it relies on OD&D also ...)
    $endgroup$
    – KorvinStarmast
    5 hours ago







4




4




$begingroup$
Yes, I really am playing the ‘77 edition, hence the tag. There are three books in question and if you’ve read them you’d know they’re not known for their stellar organization.
$endgroup$
– munk
8 hours ago





$begingroup$
Yes, I really am playing the ‘77 edition, hence the tag. There are three books in question and if you’ve read them you’d know they’re not known for their stellar organization.
$endgroup$
– munk
8 hours ago













$begingroup$
Having spent the last few hours off and on trying and failing to track this down, I'm pretty eager to see an answer.
$endgroup$
– SevenSidedDie
5 hours ago




$begingroup$
Having spent the last few hours off and on trying and failing to track this down, I'm pretty eager to see an answer.
$endgroup$
– SevenSidedDie
5 hours ago












$begingroup$
@SevenSidedDie I think I've found it (but it relies on OD&D also ...)
$endgroup$
– KorvinStarmast
5 hours ago




$begingroup$
@SevenSidedDie I think I've found it (but it relies on OD&D also ...)
$endgroup$
– KorvinStarmast
5 hours ago










1 Answer
1






active

oldest

votes


















4












$begingroup$

Every three turns, unless the DM decides otherwise



This answer presumes that the only material you are using as a reference are the PHB, MM and DMG.



How did I come up with that answer? (I hear people wonder) The 1e DMG is, as you pointed out in a comment, organized in a counter intuitive fashion.



You'll find on page 190 of the DMG under City encounters the following text.




Check for encounters every three turns as normally, or otherwise as desired.




Where was the 'normally' covered? Nowhere, though "once per turn" was "normally" for the original game (see below). Walking back to 'keeping track of time' on page 38, we find:




It is essential that an accurate time record be kept so that the DM can determine when to check for wandering monsters, and in order to keep a strict check on the duration of some spells ... On occasion a party may wish to hole up for a long period perhaps over night ... this does not exempt them from occasional checks for wandering monsters, though the frequency may be moderated somewhat, depending on conditions ...




Maddeningly, for those looking for a concrete answer, a periodicity was implied on page 174 ...




When a random encounter is indicated by the periodic check ...




But there isn't a hard and fast rule in that section on random monsters, and it refers you to your own table/chart in that passage as well. Which implies that you may be best served by making your own chart and periodicity, but it does not require it.



The 1e AD&D DMG is as usual, not going to give you a hard and fast rule. Don't let that be an obstacle to play. Throughout the 1e AD&D DMG, the author expends a significant amount of text providing the following guidance to the DM that I'll distill into a simple principle: do as you will, you are the DM.



And it works. (Well, it worked for me for some years when I was running and playing in AD&D 1e dungeons).



Alternative Answer: Once per turn, roll a 1d6



A lot of AD&D was written with the core assumptions of playing Original D&D (three little books in a box, 1974) as an embedded assumption. In Volume III, Wilderness and Underworld adventures, on page 10, it says this:




Wandering Monsters: At the end of every turn the referee will roll a six-sided die and see if a wandering monster has been encountered. A roll of 6 indicates a wandering monster has appeared.




Experience



In all honesty, for the first five years that I played D&D and AD&D (1975-1981) that was "normal" in a lot of the dungeon crawls I participated in. The OD&D bled into AD&D almost seamlessly in a lot of cases.



Using wandering monsters as a way to "move things along"



None of the above precludes using a check for random monsters whenever you feel that it is appropriate. With published adventures, some have a guide on random monster checks, and some don't.






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$












  • $begingroup$
    Falling back on OD&D and the classic 1 in 6 per turn is the conclusion I came to as well, with the same reasoning.
    $endgroup$
    – SevenSidedDie
    1 hour ago













Your Answer








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1 Answer
1






active

oldest

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1 Answer
1






active

oldest

votes









active

oldest

votes






active

oldest

votes









4












$begingroup$

Every three turns, unless the DM decides otherwise



This answer presumes that the only material you are using as a reference are the PHB, MM and DMG.



How did I come up with that answer? (I hear people wonder) The 1e DMG is, as you pointed out in a comment, organized in a counter intuitive fashion.



You'll find on page 190 of the DMG under City encounters the following text.




Check for encounters every three turns as normally, or otherwise as desired.




Where was the 'normally' covered? Nowhere, though "once per turn" was "normally" for the original game (see below). Walking back to 'keeping track of time' on page 38, we find:




It is essential that an accurate time record be kept so that the DM can determine when to check for wandering monsters, and in order to keep a strict check on the duration of some spells ... On occasion a party may wish to hole up for a long period perhaps over night ... this does not exempt them from occasional checks for wandering monsters, though the frequency may be moderated somewhat, depending on conditions ...




Maddeningly, for those looking for a concrete answer, a periodicity was implied on page 174 ...




When a random encounter is indicated by the periodic check ...




But there isn't a hard and fast rule in that section on random monsters, and it refers you to your own table/chart in that passage as well. Which implies that you may be best served by making your own chart and periodicity, but it does not require it.



The 1e AD&D DMG is as usual, not going to give you a hard and fast rule. Don't let that be an obstacle to play. Throughout the 1e AD&D DMG, the author expends a significant amount of text providing the following guidance to the DM that I'll distill into a simple principle: do as you will, you are the DM.



And it works. (Well, it worked for me for some years when I was running and playing in AD&D 1e dungeons).



Alternative Answer: Once per turn, roll a 1d6



A lot of AD&D was written with the core assumptions of playing Original D&D (three little books in a box, 1974) as an embedded assumption. In Volume III, Wilderness and Underworld adventures, on page 10, it says this:




Wandering Monsters: At the end of every turn the referee will roll a six-sided die and see if a wandering monster has been encountered. A roll of 6 indicates a wandering monster has appeared.




Experience



In all honesty, for the first five years that I played D&D and AD&D (1975-1981) that was "normal" in a lot of the dungeon crawls I participated in. The OD&D bled into AD&D almost seamlessly in a lot of cases.



Using wandering monsters as a way to "move things along"



None of the above precludes using a check for random monsters whenever you feel that it is appropriate. With published adventures, some have a guide on random monster checks, and some don't.






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$












  • $begingroup$
    Falling back on OD&D and the classic 1 in 6 per turn is the conclusion I came to as well, with the same reasoning.
    $endgroup$
    – SevenSidedDie
    1 hour ago















4












$begingroup$

Every three turns, unless the DM decides otherwise



This answer presumes that the only material you are using as a reference are the PHB, MM and DMG.



How did I come up with that answer? (I hear people wonder) The 1e DMG is, as you pointed out in a comment, organized in a counter intuitive fashion.



You'll find on page 190 of the DMG under City encounters the following text.




Check for encounters every three turns as normally, or otherwise as desired.




Where was the 'normally' covered? Nowhere, though "once per turn" was "normally" for the original game (see below). Walking back to 'keeping track of time' on page 38, we find:




It is essential that an accurate time record be kept so that the DM can determine when to check for wandering monsters, and in order to keep a strict check on the duration of some spells ... On occasion a party may wish to hole up for a long period perhaps over night ... this does not exempt them from occasional checks for wandering monsters, though the frequency may be moderated somewhat, depending on conditions ...




Maddeningly, for those looking for a concrete answer, a periodicity was implied on page 174 ...




When a random encounter is indicated by the periodic check ...




But there isn't a hard and fast rule in that section on random monsters, and it refers you to your own table/chart in that passage as well. Which implies that you may be best served by making your own chart and periodicity, but it does not require it.



The 1e AD&D DMG is as usual, not going to give you a hard and fast rule. Don't let that be an obstacle to play. Throughout the 1e AD&D DMG, the author expends a significant amount of text providing the following guidance to the DM that I'll distill into a simple principle: do as you will, you are the DM.



And it works. (Well, it worked for me for some years when I was running and playing in AD&D 1e dungeons).



Alternative Answer: Once per turn, roll a 1d6



A lot of AD&D was written with the core assumptions of playing Original D&D (three little books in a box, 1974) as an embedded assumption. In Volume III, Wilderness and Underworld adventures, on page 10, it says this:




Wandering Monsters: At the end of every turn the referee will roll a six-sided die and see if a wandering monster has been encountered. A roll of 6 indicates a wandering monster has appeared.




Experience



In all honesty, for the first five years that I played D&D and AD&D (1975-1981) that was "normal" in a lot of the dungeon crawls I participated in. The OD&D bled into AD&D almost seamlessly in a lot of cases.



Using wandering monsters as a way to "move things along"



None of the above precludes using a check for random monsters whenever you feel that it is appropriate. With published adventures, some have a guide on random monster checks, and some don't.






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$












  • $begingroup$
    Falling back on OD&D and the classic 1 in 6 per turn is the conclusion I came to as well, with the same reasoning.
    $endgroup$
    – SevenSidedDie
    1 hour ago













4












4








4





$begingroup$

Every three turns, unless the DM decides otherwise



This answer presumes that the only material you are using as a reference are the PHB, MM and DMG.



How did I come up with that answer? (I hear people wonder) The 1e DMG is, as you pointed out in a comment, organized in a counter intuitive fashion.



You'll find on page 190 of the DMG under City encounters the following text.




Check for encounters every three turns as normally, or otherwise as desired.




Where was the 'normally' covered? Nowhere, though "once per turn" was "normally" for the original game (see below). Walking back to 'keeping track of time' on page 38, we find:




It is essential that an accurate time record be kept so that the DM can determine when to check for wandering monsters, and in order to keep a strict check on the duration of some spells ... On occasion a party may wish to hole up for a long period perhaps over night ... this does not exempt them from occasional checks for wandering monsters, though the frequency may be moderated somewhat, depending on conditions ...




Maddeningly, for those looking for a concrete answer, a periodicity was implied on page 174 ...




When a random encounter is indicated by the periodic check ...




But there isn't a hard and fast rule in that section on random monsters, and it refers you to your own table/chart in that passage as well. Which implies that you may be best served by making your own chart and periodicity, but it does not require it.



The 1e AD&D DMG is as usual, not going to give you a hard and fast rule. Don't let that be an obstacle to play. Throughout the 1e AD&D DMG, the author expends a significant amount of text providing the following guidance to the DM that I'll distill into a simple principle: do as you will, you are the DM.



And it works. (Well, it worked for me for some years when I was running and playing in AD&D 1e dungeons).



Alternative Answer: Once per turn, roll a 1d6



A lot of AD&D was written with the core assumptions of playing Original D&D (three little books in a box, 1974) as an embedded assumption. In Volume III, Wilderness and Underworld adventures, on page 10, it says this:




Wandering Monsters: At the end of every turn the referee will roll a six-sided die and see if a wandering monster has been encountered. A roll of 6 indicates a wandering monster has appeared.




Experience



In all honesty, for the first five years that I played D&D and AD&D (1975-1981) that was "normal" in a lot of the dungeon crawls I participated in. The OD&D bled into AD&D almost seamlessly in a lot of cases.



Using wandering monsters as a way to "move things along"



None of the above precludes using a check for random monsters whenever you feel that it is appropriate. With published adventures, some have a guide on random monster checks, and some don't.






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$



Every three turns, unless the DM decides otherwise



This answer presumes that the only material you are using as a reference are the PHB, MM and DMG.



How did I come up with that answer? (I hear people wonder) The 1e DMG is, as you pointed out in a comment, organized in a counter intuitive fashion.



You'll find on page 190 of the DMG under City encounters the following text.




Check for encounters every three turns as normally, or otherwise as desired.




Where was the 'normally' covered? Nowhere, though "once per turn" was "normally" for the original game (see below). Walking back to 'keeping track of time' on page 38, we find:




It is essential that an accurate time record be kept so that the DM can determine when to check for wandering monsters, and in order to keep a strict check on the duration of some spells ... On occasion a party may wish to hole up for a long period perhaps over night ... this does not exempt them from occasional checks for wandering monsters, though the frequency may be moderated somewhat, depending on conditions ...




Maddeningly, for those looking for a concrete answer, a periodicity was implied on page 174 ...




When a random encounter is indicated by the periodic check ...




But there isn't a hard and fast rule in that section on random monsters, and it refers you to your own table/chart in that passage as well. Which implies that you may be best served by making your own chart and periodicity, but it does not require it.



The 1e AD&D DMG is as usual, not going to give you a hard and fast rule. Don't let that be an obstacle to play. Throughout the 1e AD&D DMG, the author expends a significant amount of text providing the following guidance to the DM that I'll distill into a simple principle: do as you will, you are the DM.



And it works. (Well, it worked for me for some years when I was running and playing in AD&D 1e dungeons).



Alternative Answer: Once per turn, roll a 1d6



A lot of AD&D was written with the core assumptions of playing Original D&D (three little books in a box, 1974) as an embedded assumption. In Volume III, Wilderness and Underworld adventures, on page 10, it says this:




Wandering Monsters: At the end of every turn the referee will roll a six-sided die and see if a wandering monster has been encountered. A roll of 6 indicates a wandering monster has appeared.




Experience



In all honesty, for the first five years that I played D&D and AD&D (1975-1981) that was "normal" in a lot of the dungeon crawls I participated in. The OD&D bled into AD&D almost seamlessly in a lot of cases.



Using wandering monsters as a way to "move things along"



None of the above precludes using a check for random monsters whenever you feel that it is appropriate. With published adventures, some have a guide on random monster checks, and some don't.







share|improve this answer














share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited 4 hours ago

























answered 5 hours ago









KorvinStarmastKorvinStarmast

90.8k22 gold badges300 silver badges487 bronze badges




90.8k22 gold badges300 silver badges487 bronze badges











  • $begingroup$
    Falling back on OD&D and the classic 1 in 6 per turn is the conclusion I came to as well, with the same reasoning.
    $endgroup$
    – SevenSidedDie
    1 hour ago
















  • $begingroup$
    Falling back on OD&D and the classic 1 in 6 per turn is the conclusion I came to as well, with the same reasoning.
    $endgroup$
    – SevenSidedDie
    1 hour ago















$begingroup$
Falling back on OD&D and the classic 1 in 6 per turn is the conclusion I came to as well, with the same reasoning.
$endgroup$
– SevenSidedDie
1 hour ago




$begingroup$
Falling back on OD&D and the classic 1 in 6 per turn is the conclusion I came to as well, with the same reasoning.
$endgroup$
– SevenSidedDie
1 hour ago

















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