TEXT:  
   
  Dungeon Romp 
   
  A tiny fantasy RPG 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  by Travis Parker 
  art by Dawn Donald 
   
  Welcome! 
  Dungeon Romp is a playful medieval fantasy 
  role-playing game, primarily designed for quick 
  single sessions. 
   
  What You Need 
  Friends, paper, pen(cil)s, and at least 3 standard 
  six-sided dice. Imagination helps, too! 
   
  Main Sections 
  Characters 
  p. 2 
  Combat  
  p. 9 
  Magic 
   
  p. 15 
  Equipment 
  p. 21 
  Game Master 
  p. 24 
  Enemy Stats 
  p. 28 
  Adventures 
  p. 34 
   
   
  Dungeon Romp 
  1st Edition, 2nd Printing – June 2013 
  Printed in the United States of America 
   
  Text © 2013 Travis Parker 
  GoldenGriffonGames.com 
  All rights reserved. 
   
  Artwork © 2012-2013 Dawn Donald 
  DragoArt.com (dragoart@yahoo.com) 
  All rights reserved. 
   
   
  How to Play 
   
  Each player takes on the role of an epic 
  adventurer of sword and sorcery, out for glory 
  and treasure! Your hero can be an elf ranger, 
  dwarven thief, ogre barbarian, human wizard, 
  pixie bard...practically anything you want! 
   
  At its heart, this game is about cooperative 
  storytelling. Each player decides what their 
  character does and says (with a few rules and 
  dice rolls to keep things dramatic yet fair). The 
  players’ characters band together to defeat 
  challenges while on grand quests of adventure. 
   
  One player doesn’t have a hero but instead 
  guides the action as the Game Master (GM). 
  The GM sets the stage for the story, describes 
  new areas encountered, plays the role of 
  monsters and non-player characters (NPCs), 
  and acts as referee. The GM either plans the 
  main points of the adventure ahead of time 
  and/or improvises on the fly. Players may 
  negotiate rulings, but the GM’s word is final. 
   
  Special Note: The game is NOT “players vs. 
  the GM.” The GM should create good challenges 
  without being an unfair jerk. Meanwhile, the 
  players ideally strive for glory, riches, and the 
  satisfaction of overcoming obstacles without 
  obsessing about “winning”. 
   
  ~  Characters  ~ 
   
  Your hero is outlined by three ability scores, 
  listed below. Choose one score to have a power 
  of 3 dice (abbreviated 3D), give 2D to another, 
  and the last 1D. Write these down on an index 
  card, scrap of paper, or a copy of the Character 
  Sheet. The higher the power of an ability score, 
  the better your hero is at related tasks. 
   
  o Body – Strength, constitution, stamina, skill 
  with weapons, dexterity and coordination, 
  resistance to poison, etc. 
   
  o Mind – Intelligence, wisdom, senses and 
  perceptiveness, magical aptitude, intuition or 
  insight, problem solving, etc. 
   
  o Skill – Lock picking, hiding and sneaking, 
  back-stabbing, dirty fighting tricks, disabling 
  traps, picking pockets, climbing walls, etc. 
   
  Next, choose two special items for your hero to 
  start with. These can be armor, weapons, or 
  spells. (However, a hero can only be wearing 
  one suit of armor at a time.) Assign a power of 
  2D to one of these items, and a power of 1D to 
  the other. 
   
   
  1 
  2 
  
   
  Starting weapons can be whatever you desire; 
  sword, axe, crossbow, nunchaku, a pair of 
  daggers, etc. The same goes for armor; boiled 
  leather, steel plate, chain-mail, or even a loin 
  cloth if that’s your thing. Magic spells however 
  must be chosen from the options described in 
  the Spells section (beginning on page 15). 
   
  You also begin with 20 gold pieces (gp) to buy 
  additional equipment from the items listed on 
  page 21. You don’t have to spend it all now. 
   
  Every hero has 20 hit 
  points (HP). These are 
  reduced as you take 
  damage, so keep tally. 
  If a hero’s HP falls to 
  zero, he’s dead. Sorry. 
   
  Give 
  your 
  character 
  any details you feel 
  like: name, archetype, 
  race, accent, bias, etc. 
  You’re set to go! 
   
  Example: Joe wants to play a buff human 
  martial artist with some magic ability, so he 
  assigns 3D to Body and 2D to Mind. This leaves 
  1D for Skill. For items, he likes the idea of a 
  magical gi that acts as 2D armor, and finally 
  chooses an Arc Lightening spell for his starting 
  1D power item. 
   
  Dungeon Romp Character Sheet 
   
   
  Name 
    
  Race  
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
  Body 
  D 
  Hit Points 20 
   
   
    
   
   
   
    
   
   
  Mind 
  D 
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
    
   
   
   
  Skills 
  D  
  Armor 
  D  
   
   
    
   
   
  Equipment, Spells, Notes: 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
     Permission granted to photocopy this page for personal use. 
   
  Ability Checks 
   
  When you attempt some difficult or risky 
  actions, the GM may require you roll the dice 
  for one of your character’s abilities and meet or 
  beat a target difficulty number to succeed. This 
  is called an ability check. 
   
  Generally, the target number is 3 for fairly 
  straightforward tasks, 6 for those of average 
  difficulty, or 9 to accomplish a tough feat. 
   
  o 
  Body is for physical actions and challenges 
  to your constitution, such as hitting a foe in 
  combat, breaking down a door, hoisting a 
  friend up over a wall, winning a foot race, 
  or resisting poison or electrocution. 
   
  o 
  Mind is used for intellectual or sensory 
  challenges, like casting a spell, searching 
  for valuables, resisting psychic attack, 
  noticing someone sneaking by, gaining 
  insight to a riddle, attempting to bluff or 
  convince, or remembering a factoid. 
   
  o 
  Skill is mostly for performing rogue-like 
  actions. Moving silently or hiding in the 
  shadows requires a roll of 3 or higher. A 
  6+ will allow you to pick a lock, climb a 
  wall, or pick pocket. Disarming a trap is 
  usually pretty tricky, requiring 9+. 
   
  Contested Checks 
  If another being is resisting your attempted 
  action, then instead of merely rolling a target 
  number you will need to win a high-roll contest 
  to succeed. (Re-roll ties until there is a clear 
  winner.) For example, if you’re trying to sneak 
  up on a guard to knock him out you might roll 
  Skill while the GM rolls the guard’s Mind to see 
  if he notices. An arm wrestling match would be 
  pit Body vs. Body roll, and so on. 
   
  Difficulty Modifiers 
  If a situation is made especially difficult for 
  some reason, the GM may increase the target 
  number needed for success. Perhaps combat is 
  being fought in a dense fog, adding 1 or 2 to 
  the target everyone needs to hit. Or perhaps a 
  wall your character is trying to climb is covered 
  in ice, making it much tougher and requiring a 
  roll of 9 or higher instead of the usual 6. 
   
  Be careful with adjustments! They can easily 
  get out of hand, so only use them when it adds 
  to the story. Also, avoid unnecessary rolling. If 
  a task is very simple or would have little 
  consequence for failure, no roll is necessary. 
   
  The GM Abides 
  All of the above are only guidelines. The GM 
  has final say on what abilities apply a given 
  situation, and the target number to succeed. 
   
  3 
  5 
  6 
  
   
  Example Scenario 
  The party finds a cave and decides to explore. 
   
  GM: “The air is chill and slightly damp as you 
  enter. The cavern is pitch black and silent.” 
   
  Cain: “I light a torch and lead the way.” 
   
  Alean: “No, let me. I’m better at spotting 
  things. GM, I’m going to move slow and keep a 
  close eye out for tripwires or other dangers.” 
   
  Oxx: “I’ll take the back position. We don’t want 
  anything sneaking up on us.” 
   
  GM: “Very well. Alean, roll Mind to check how 
  perceptive you are.” 
   
  Alean: (rolls) “I rolled 8. Anything?” 
   
  GM: “The tunnel is rough stone, mildewed and 
  unremarkable. After just twenty feet you come 
  across a small wood box with a padlock. The 
  tunnel continues beyond. Alean, you haven’t 
  noticed anything worrisome.” (Perhaps there 
  truly isn’t anything…or perhaps the difficulty of 
  spotting it is higher than Alean rolled.) 
   
  Cain: “I’ll try to pick the lock. Keep an eye out, 
  guys.” (rolls Skill) “Dang! I doubt a 4 works.” 
   
  GM: “Your lock pick jams and almost breaks. 
  You didn’t accomplish anything.” 
   
  Oxx: “Out of the way! I’ll smash the box open.” 
  (rolls Body to test his strength) “HA! Fifteen! 
  Take that, puny slats of wood.” 
   
  GM: “The box shatters under your boot…and a 
  thick cloud of black dust gushes out, filling the 
  tunnel. You all begin to gag, and your eyes 
  burn. Everyone make Body rolls!” 
   
  Alean: “Oh no! We forgot to check the box for 
  traps! (rolls) I hope a 5 is enough to save me.” 
   
  (Oxx rolls 9, Cain 7. The GM decides this is an 
  Average difficulty trap, requiring 6+ to resist.) 
   
  GM: “The dust is a poisonous mold! Thankfully 
  Oxx and Cain recover quickly. But the mold 
  catches in Alean’s lungs. She takes 3 points of 
  damage, and will take 3 additional damage 
  every day until she receives magical healing.” 
   
  Alean: “Well then, it’s a good thing I have this 
  healing potion with me!” (she rolls the item’s 
  power die) “I rolled 6, but I was only down 3 
  hit points. That was a bit of a waste. But at 
  least I’m cured of the mold.” 
   
  Cain: “Well, now that that’s settled, what was 
  in the box? I sift through the wreckage.” 
   
  GM: “Apparently, the box was just a trap for 
  the gullible; you don’t find anything of value.” 
   
  ~  Combat  ~ 
   
  Acting Order 
  When a fight breaks out, all players roll Skill 
  and take turns acting from high to low roll 
  (reroll ties). The GM can either roll once for all 
  the enemies to share, or make separate rolls 
  for groups and/or individual foes. Once the last 
  combatant takes their turn the next round 
  begins. Keep the same order; don't reroll. 
   
  Surprise 
  If the GM rules that some fighters were taken 
  by surprise, roll for acting order as usual but for 
  the first round only those not surprised may 
  act. Depending on the circumstances, the GM 
  may allow combatants to attempt Mind 6+ to 
  see if they were perceptive enough to avoid 
  being surprised. If the surprising side was 
  actively trying to sneak up however, it should 
  instead be a contested Mind vs. Skill roll. 
   
  Your Turn in Combat 
  Each character takes one action during their 
  turn. This will usually be to attack, cast a spell, 
  or use an item, but players are encouraged to 
  get creative and describe additional, minor 
  actions to keep things interesting (swing on a 
  chandelier, spit in an enemy's face, yell a 
  challenge, and so on). The GM is encouraged to 
  reward engaging play styles. 
   
  Resolving Attacks 
  To attack, declare your chosen target and roll 
  your character’s Body dice. If your roll meets or 
  beats the target’s Defense score, you hit. In 
  general 
  Weak 
  enemies 
  have 
  Defense 
  3, 
  Average is 6, and Hard foes require 9 or better. 
  (By the way, a player character has Defense 6.) 
   
  If the roll succeeds, you deal damage. Unarmed 
  attacks deal only 1 point. Otherwise, roll the 
  power dice for the weapon you used, and 
  subtract 2 points if it is a ranged weapon. 
   
  If the target is wearing armor they roll the 
  armor’s power dice to see how many points of 
  damage are prevented. Armor reduces any type 
  of damage, even magical. 
   
  Finally, an remaining damage is subtracted 
  from the target’s hit points. If the HP drops to 
  zero or less, the target dies. 
   
  Casting Spells 
  Roll Mind to cast a spell. Declare targets before 
  rolling. You need a 6+ to successfully cast in 
  combat, or just 3+ if not in a dangerous 
  situation. See page 15 for details. 
   
  7 
  9 
  10 
  8 
  
   
  Using Combat Tricks 
  Your action may be used to flank, sneak up on, 
  backstab, trick or otherwise get the upper hand 
  on an opponent. This takes a roll of Skill 6+. 
  Declare your target before you roll, and 
  remember to describe your moves! If the roll is 
  successful, you get +1D to attack that target 
  next turn, and +1D to damage if it hits! If you 
  don’t attack that specific target on the very 
  next turn however, the benefit is lost. 
   
  Engaged 
  In combat, you are "engaged" when you are 
  close enough to the enemies to make or receive 
  hand-to-hand (melee) attacks. When a combat 
  first begins no one is engaged. But once 
  someone announces a melee attack – or is on 
  the receiving end of a melee attack – they 
  become 
  engaged 
  to 
  all 
  others 
  who 
  are 
  engaged. 
   
  Disengage 
  By using an action you may attempt to carefully 
  and safely extract yourself from engagement. 
  Make a Body check; a result of 6+ is 
  successful, and in addition no one can make a 
  melee attack against you until after your next 
  turn has passed. If the roll fails, you remain 
  engaged and your turn ends. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Using Ranged Weapons 
  Bows, crossbows, slings, etc. never run out of 
  basic ammunition. Magical ammunition is of 
  limited quantity however; keep count of them. 
   
  The upside: At the start of each combat round, 
  any combatants that are not engaged may 
  make a free ranged attack, in acting order. 
   
  The downside: Ranged weapons don’t do as 
  much damage as melee, sometimes to the 
  point of basically missing: Subtract 2 from the 
  damage of all ammo-based weapon attacks. 
   
  Small weapons like daggers or hand axes can 
  be thrown, for full damage. However the 
  weapon is lost for the rest of combat unless you 
  use an action and roll Body 6+ to maneuver 
  around the battle and pick up the weapon. 
   
  Six Six Six 
  Note that pretty much every target number to 
  accomplish something in combat is 6 or higher. 
  Even the Defense of an Average enemy is 6! 
   
  Trying to cast a spell in combat? Want to fight 
  dirty? Recover a thrown weapon? Do you want 
  to disengage? Trying to avoid being surprised? 
  The target number to accomplish any of these 
  is six. Easy! 
   
  Example Scenario 
  Deep in the cavern, the heroes are set upon by 
  goblins! Acting order: Alean, Oxx, goblins, Cain. 
   
  Alean: “No one is engaged, so let’s take care 
  of the free ranged attacks. I fire an arrow at 
  the lead goblin.” (rolls Body, gets a 4) 
   
  GM: “Goblins are Weak enemies; their Defense 
  is only 3, so that’s a hit. Roll the bow’s power 
  for damage.” (Alean rolls 5, but subtracts 2 for 
  this ammo-based attack) “It’s not dead yet!” 
   
  Alean: “No problem. No one else is making a 
  free ranged attack?” (Oxx and the goblins don’t 
  have weapons they can use ranged, and Cain 
  doesn’t want to lose his dagger by throwing it) 
   “Okay then, now I’ll make my main attack!” 
  (rolls a 2) “Oh… Well, your turn, Oxx.” 
   
  Oxx: “I charge in and swing at a different 
  goblin.” (rolls Body) “Yeah, I’m pretty sure a 10 
  hits!” (rolls the axe’s power) “And that’s 10 
  points of damage!” 
   
  GM: “You cleave the poor thing in half! Only 
  two goblins remain, and one has an arrow in its 
  chest. That one moves up and swings his sword 
  at Alean. The remaining goblin approaches 
  Cain, weapon in hand.” 
   
  (The goblins make melee attacks. The wounded 
  one misses Alean, but the other hits Cain for 6 
  damage. Every combatant is now engaged.) 
   
  Cain: “Six damage? Good thing I’m wearing 
  leather armor. The power is 1D.” (rolls, gets 2) 
  “So…I only take 4 points damage. It’s my turn 
  now, right? Time for revenge! I’ll try to fake out 
  the goblin to get an edge.” (rolls Skill, gets 7) 
  “Success! That goblin is mine next turn.” 
   
  Alean: “I don’t like this goblin in my face. I’m 
  going to try to disengage.” (rolls Body, gets 5) 
  “Dang, bad luck. Maybe I should have just 
  attacked.” 
   
  (The battle rages on…) 
  13 
  14 
  11 
  12 
  
   
  ~  Magic  ~ 
   
  When using magic, first announce the spell 
  being cast and the target or targets. The caster 
  himself is always a valid target. 
   
  Casting a spell requires your character’s hands 
  be free to gesture, and that he/she can speak. 
  In addition, casting takes great focus. You must 
  roll Mind 6+ in combat, or just 3+ when not in 
  danger. If the roll fails, the spell fizzles. 
   
  If the casting is successful, roll the spell’s 
  power dice (usually 1D or 2D, here generically 
  referred to as “XD”) to determine the effect. 
   
  Many spells allow the target to resist or reduce 
  the effects by making a contested roll against 
  the caster’s XD roll. If the target gets multiple 
  attempts at this, the caster of the spell re-rolls 
  the XD dice every time. 
   
  Spell Descriptions 
   
  Arc Lightning: Deals XD points of electrical 
  damage divided any way you choose among 
  any number of visible targets. The caster takes 
  1 point electric damage for each target. 
   
  Burning Ring of Fire: A spinning ring of 
  flames encircles the caster, causing XD fire 
  damage to any who successfully melee attack 
  the caster. In addition, there is a chance that 
  any nearby combustibles catch aflame (per GM 
  whim). The mage must fully concentrate to 
  maintain the spell, taking no other actions, but 
  may move slowly. 
   
  Cloud of Chaos: Thick purple smoke rapidly 
  fills an area 100 feet in all directions. All non-
  undead creatures present – even the caster and 
  his allies – must check Mind versus the XD roll 
  result or miss their next turn. 
   
  Command: Unless the target enemy wins Mind 
  vs. XD, it comes under the control of the 
  caster’s player. The mage can do nothing but 
  concentrate to maintain the spell, using his turn 
  to instead control the enemy. 
   
  Counterspell: This may be cast at any time, 
  even during another’s turn. When a spell you 
  wish to block is cast – and assuming the Mind 
  check to cast counterspell is successful – the 
  original caster must win a Mind vs. XD roll or 
  else their spell fizzles without effect. 
   
  Divine Authority: If the target fails a Mind vs. 
  XD test, the caster compels the creature to 
  answer one question truthfully, which will be 
  answered either "yes”, “no”, or “I do not 
  know". This spell does not work on animals or 
  the undead, and the caster and target must 
  know the same language or otherwise be able 
  to somehow communicate. 
   
  Entangle: Sticky webbing shoots from the 
  caster’s hands, attempting to entrap one 
  creature. Unless the target wins a Body vs. XD 
  roll, it will miss its next turn. 
   
  Escape: With a flash of light and whiff of 
  smoke, the caster and all allies teleport away. 
  They instantly reappear in a random location of 
  the Game Master’s choosing up to half a mile 
  away. This spell can only be cast once per day. 
   
  Fear: Unless the target makes a Mind vs. XD 
  ability check, they become intensely afraid. 
  They will not attack or use items or effects 
  against the caster for an hour, unless he 
  becomes actively threatening against them. 
  This spell does not work on undead. 
   
  Fireball: Does double the XD roll in fire 
  damage to a single visible target, and the 
  straight roll in damage to everyone else (friend 
  or foe, even the caster) 100 feet in every 
  direction. But if any creature rolls Body 6+, 
  they dive for cover at the last second and take 
  only half damage (round down). 
   
  Firestorm: All creatures within a mile (the 
  caster too) take XD points of fire damage. The 
  caster may choose to roll fewer dice than the 
  spell’s full power. 
   
  Healing: One touched creature heals XD hit 
  points, but not beyond their max HP. Undead 
  are not affected. The caster loses 1 hit point, 
  whether or not the casting is successful. 
   
  Invisibility: The caster vanishes and cannot be 
  directly targeted by attacks or spells. (They are 
  still vulnerable to area effects such as Cloud of 
  Chaos or Fireball.) The spell ends if the caster 
  attacks, casts another spell, or takes damage. 
   
  Luck: The recipient 
  adds a number of 
  dice equal to this 
  spell’s power to their 
  next roll, if made 
  within 5 minutes. 
   
  Might: The recipient 
  adds the power dice 
  of the spell to their 
  next melee attack, 
  and adds the same 
  roll 
  result 
  to 
  the 
  damage if it hits. 
   
   
  15 
  16 
  18 
  17 
  
   
  Petrification: One target creature must roll 
  Body vs. XD twice. If both rolls fail, the target 
  turns to stone and is instantly killed. 
   
  Protection: Acts as single-use armor of power 
  equal to the spell’s power. This magic armor 
  remains active until used, but dissipates right 
  after the next time the wearer is hit. 
   
  Reanimate: 
  One 
  body (less than 10 
  minutes dead) rises 
  as a zombie slave 
  which only obeys 
  the caster, and acts 
  after the caster’s 
  turn. Use the stats 
  for a basic zombie 
  as 
  listed 
  in 
  this 
  book, regardless of 
  the type of creature 
  the target was. This 
  spell can only be 
  used once per day. 
   
  Reflection: 
  The next spell 
  targeting the 
  recipient is reflected back upon its caster. This 
  only works for spells where the recipient is 
  named as a target (not area effects). 
   
   
  Shock: The caster develops an electric charge. 
  The next time the caster is hit by (or hits with) 
  a melee attack, the enemy creature takes 4 
  points of electrical damage and the spell ends. 
   
  Silence: No sound is produced within a 100-
  foot radius for 1 or 2 rounds (depending on 
  whether the spell power is 1D or 2D). Spell 
  casting by anyone becomes impossible. 
   
  Soul Blast: Does XD damage to all undead 
  creatures up to 100 feet in all directions, but 
  causes 3 damage to the caster for each power 
  die rolled. (You may choose to roll fewer dice.) 
   
  Stun: One target misses their next turn unless 
  it wins a Mind vs. XD roll. This spell does not 
  work on undead creatures. 
   
  Sympathetic Decay: The caster sacrifices an 
  item in their possession to destroy a non-magic 
  item made of similar material. For example, 
  sacrifice a dagger to destroy an enemy’s sword. 
   
  Telekinesis: You move by thought any single 
  object weighing no more than XD pounds, for 
  up to a minute. Movement is 5 ft. per second; 
  too slow for collisions to cause damage. 
   
  Wish: Replicates any spell, but causes 5 points 
  of damage to the caster if successfully cast. 
   
  ~  Equipment  ~ 
   
  The below items are just basic ideas! Use your 
  imagination, and if the GM agrees it is allowed. 
   
  1 Gold  
   
  5 Gold 
  Backpack (20 lbs.) 
  Bandage (2 HP)  
  Bedroll  
   
  Flint stone & steel 
  Candle (10’, 3 hrs.) 
  Lamp oil (5 hrs.) 
  Loot sack (50 lbs.)  
  Ten foot pole 
  Rations, 1 week   
  Waxed scroll case 
  Torch (30’, 1 hour) 
  Water skin (2 liters) 
  10 Gold 
   
   
   
  Lantern (30’) 
  20 Gold  
   
  Local map 
  Four-person tent  
  Rope (+1D climb) 
  Pet cat, owl, etc.  
  Hammer and spikes 
  Cloak (+1D hide)  
  Parchment, ink, quill 
  Gloves (+1D climb) 
  Healing potion (1D) 
  Elf boots (+1D quiet) 
   
  Healing potion (2D) 
  50 Gold 
  Musical instrument 
  Riding horse 
  Spell scroll (1D)   
  Spyglass 
   
   
   
  Hand mirror 
  100 Gold 
   
  Lock pick (+1D) 
  Faithfull Wolf Hybrid 
  Spell scroll (2D) 
  (1D Bite, 12 HP) 
  War Stallion (1D Trample, 12 HP) 
   
  Boosters: variable (more useful = more value) 
  These items can be anything imaginable. Each 
  gives +1D in a specific situation. A lock pick 
  gives +1D Skill when opening a lock, for 
  example. Exact effects are up to the GM. 
   
  Animal Companion: 100 gold 
  These little friends can be anything the GM 
  approves. Each character can have only one at 
  a time. Most have Body 1D, Mind 1D-4, Skill 
  2D, and 12 HP, but the GM may adjust this. For 
  example, if the companion can fly then perhaps 
  HP would be reduced as a counterbalance. 
   
  Treasure & Magic Items 
   
  On average, monsters possess wealth equal to 
  their HP times 4. About half of this value is in 
  equipment, the rest in gold. They might not be 
  carrying it all on them, and some creatures own 
  nothing at all. Treasure can also be found in 
  hidden places, as a reward or bounty, etc. 
   
  The below magic items are merely ideas to get 
  your creativity going. If you imagine it, and the 
  GM allows (possibly with adjustments), do it! 
   
  Healing Potion: 10 gold (1D) or 20 gold (2D) 
  Drink as an action to heal XD hit points, up to 
  your max HP. Always works. Instantly effective. 
   
   
  22 
  21 
  20 
  19 
  
   
  Magic Weapon: 100 gp (1D) or 175 gp (2D) 
  +1D Body when attacking. The weapon’s power 
  is not affected. 
   
  Magic Wand: 100 gold 
  +1D Mind when casting spells. The power of 
  the spell is not affected. 
   
  Ring of Elemental Resistance: 50 gold 
  Any type of elemental damage (fire, acid, wind, 
  water, sonic, electric, etc.) dealt to the wearer 
  is divided in half (round down). The wearer 
  cannot cast elemental damage spells. 
   
  Spell Scroll: 20 gold (1D) or 50 gold (2D) 
  Contains a one-time use spell, of the player’s 
  choice if purchased or GM’s choice if found as 
  treasure. Using a scroll requires a Mind roll. 
   
  Hero Advancement 
   
  Wealth in gold translates to a rough measure of 
  your hero’s experience. At any time, a player 
  may spend to obtain the following: 
   
   20 gp  increase max hit points by 1 
   100 gp  increase an ability by 1D (max 3D) 
   100 gp  learn a new 1D spell 
   100 gp  improve a known 1D spell to 2D 
   175 gp  learn a new 2D spell 
   200 gp  improve a known 2D spell to 3D 
   
  ~Game Master~ 
   
  The Game Master’s word is law. You can adjust 
  equipment prices, spell effects, task difficulty, 
  monster HP, etc. Just be consistent. Changing 
  the rules too often frustrates players quickly. 
   
  Keep play casual. Be fair, but avoid letting 
  “rules lawyering” bog things down; make a 
  decision and move on! Don’t worry too much 
  about making everything balanced and perfect, 
  just keep the game moving! 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Traps and Puzzles 
   
  Traps are easy to create and operate. Just 
  present an interesting mechanism and decide a 
  difficulty. The creativity on this is up to you. 
  Here are a few basic ideas: 
   
   
  To find a trap when actively looking for one 
  requires a Mind 6+ roll. Disabling a known trap 
  takes Skill 9+. The majority of traps should be 
  Average difficulty, causing 6 points of damage 
  to 1 or 2 heroes if not adequately dealt with or 
  bypassed. Very deadly traps should allow an 
  ability check to diminish or avoid the effects. 
   
  Puzzles take more thought and pre-planning. 
  Be very careful with puzzles, as it is quite easy 
  to underestimate their difficulty. You don’t want 
  the whole game momentum to suddenly stall as 
  the heroes get stuck on a puzzle. Also, at most 
  there should only be 1 puzzle in a game 
  session. Many games do perfectly fine without 
  any puzzles. 
   
   
  Swing blade 
  Acid gas 
  Shooting spears 
  Suffocation 
  Pit trap 
  Poison needle 
  Explosion 
  Spiked log 
  Tripwire 
  Teleportation 
  Quicksand 
  Ceiling collapse 
  Magic effect 
  Alarm bells 
  Carnivorous bugs 
  Encounter Difficulty 
   
  Most encounters should be of Average difficulty. 
  One (or maybe two) in an adventure can be 
  Weak and/or Hard. Only one encounter should 
  ever be Deadly. 
   
  It is recommended that no more than 1/4 of 
  the encounters be traps or puzzles (unless such 
  a flavor is your goal for the adventure). 
   
  To create an Average combat, just make the 
  total Defense values on each side roughly 
  equal. (Heroes have Defense 6, so multiply by 
  the number of heroes and keep this number 
  handy all game.) A Weak encounter would be 
  only half the total of party Defense, while about 
  1 ½ times makes for a Hard combat. 
   
  For example, four heroes (Defenses 6x4=24) 
  enter a crypt. Sarcophagi are on the floor and 
  bones are piled in corners. Suddenly the 
  corpses rise up and attack! There are 2 
  mummies and 1 skeleton (Defenses 9+9 
  +6=24), making this fight Average difficulty. 
  Adding 2 more skeletons would make it Hard. 
   
  Deadly enemies are different. The usual 
  rule about adding Defense values does not 
  apply. They are so tough, you should only 
  use one Deadly enemy at a time. 
   
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  Enemies 
   
  Some of the monster’s statistics are slightly 
  better or worse than a simple number of dice. 
  For example, “Mind 1D–2” means roll 1D and 
  subtract 2 to obtain the result. Regardless of 
  modifiers, no result can be lower than zero. 
   
  Animals have relatively low intellect. Subtract 
  4 from any Mind rolls they make. In addition, 
  their Skill can only be used for things 
  appropriate to the animal's type – climbing for 
  a spider, flanking tactics for wolves, etc. 
   
  Constructs are not truly alive and lack weak 
  points. Fighting tricks (Skill tests in combat) do 
  not work on them, nor do any Mind effects that 
  don’t work on undead. 
   
  Incorporeal creatures lack physical bodies. 
  Such creatures can be seen, but heard only if 
  they want to be. Non-magical physical attacks 
  that successfully hit the creature’s Defense 
  have a 50% chance (1-3 on 1D) of harmlessly 
  passing through, causing no damage. 
   
  Undead are often soulless servants, with Mind 
  and Skill 0 regardless of what the statistics 
  block says. These puppets do not hesitate, flee 
  or surrender. Spell-casting undead have normal 
  stats as listed, are intelligent and free willed. 
  Weak 
  Body 1D+1 
  Mind 1D 
  Skill 1D 
  Damage 1D 
  Defense 3 
  HP 8 
   
  Bandit: About half of bandits also carry a 
  ranged weapon. 
   
  Bat, Giant: Animal. Can fly. 
   
  Dire Rat: Animal. Often move in packs of 3-5. 
   
  Goblin: Nasty little buggers that favor setting 
  traps and ambushes over direct confrontation. 
  One-fourth also have a ranged weapon. 
   
  Skeleton: Undead. 
   
  Viper, Giant: Animal. If damaged by a giant 
  viper, the victim must roll Body 3+ or takes 2 
  additional points of damage from poison. 
   
  Will O' Wisp: Tiny floating fuzz-ball of pale 
  light. Damage it causes is electrical, but Will o' 
  Wisps avoid fighting and prefer to lure foes 
  into dangerous areas such as bogs/swamps, 
  quicksand, or a predatory beast’s domain. 
   
  Wolf: Animal. Often travels in packs of 3-5. 
   
   
  Swarm 
  Body 1D+1 
  Mind 1D 
  Skill 1D 
  Damage 1 
  Defense 0/3 
  HP 1 
   
  A swarm consists of 4+1D individual creatures, 
  which act in unison as if they were a single 
  weak enemy. By using an action a swarm may 
  separate into several smaller swarms, or 
  several swarms can join to form a larger one. 
   
  An attack by a swarm deals damage equal to 
  the number of creatures in the swarm. Any 
  magic or melee attack against a swarm 
  automatically hits and kills one creature, while 
  ranged attacks must hit Defense 3. 
   
  Ants, Giant: Animal. 
   
  Bats: Animal. Can fly. 
   
  Rats: Animal. 
   
  Snakes: Animal. Any foe damaged by an 
  attack must roll Body 3+ or take 2 additional 
  points of damage from poison. 
   
  Spiders, Giant: Animal. 
   
  Average 
  Body 1D+2 
  Mind 1D 
  Skill 2D 
  Damage 1D+2 
  Defense 6 
  HP 12 
   
  Beetle, Giant: Animal. Thick shell acts as 1D 
  armor. Can fly for one turn per combat. 
   
  Dire Wolf: Animal. Often leads usual wolves. 
   
  Harpy: Can fly. Cowardly beasts, harpies only 
  attack in groups of 3 or more and might flee if 
  their numbers drop below that. 
   
  Ghoul: Undead. Fast and vicious: Body 2D for 
  melee attacks. Solitary. 
   
  Lizard, Giant: Animal. Carnivorous. 20 HP. 
   
  Lizard Man: Barbaric tribesmen who usually 
  hunt in pairs, and eschew ranged weapons. 
   
  Orc: Barely civilized yet intelligent brutes, they 
  often work in teams of 2 or 3. 
   
  Soldier: Uses 1D armor. 
   
  Spider, Gargantuan: Has Skill 3D. 
   
  Wraith: Undead. Incorporeal. 
   
  Zombie: Undead. 
   
  27 
  28 
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  30 
  
   
  Hard 
  Body 2D 
  Mind 2D 
  Skill 2D 
  Damage 
  2D 
  Defense 9 
  HP 17 
   
  Chimera: Huge beast with 3 heads (dragon, 
  lion, goat). Can breathe fire once per combat 
  as a ranged attack targeting all foes at once. 
   
  Giant: One thrown boulder per combat is the 
  only ranged attack giants generally make. 
   
  Golem: Construct. Made of stone: physical 
  attacks only do 1 point of damage per power 
  die. Magic damages them normally. 
   
  Minotaur: Wields a giant axe; never uses 
  ranged weapons. Has a special ram attack: If 
  it hits, victim takes double damage. But if the 
  minotaur misses with a ram it cannot make 
  any attack during its next turn. 
   
  Mummy: Undead. 
   
  Scorpion, Giant: Animal. No more than once 
  every other turn, it can attack with its stinger; 
  damaged foes must roll Body 6+ or take 3 
  additional points of damage from poison. 
   
  Shadow: Undead. Incorporeal. 
   
  Troll: Their thick skin, along with the ability to 
  rapidly regenerate, together effectively acts as 
  1D armor. They fight with claws and clubs. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Werewolf: Anyone damaged by a werewolf 
  must roll Body 6+ or become infected. They 
  will become a werewolf (same stats and all) 
  whenever they are faced with combat unless 
  they make Mind 3+ at the start of each turn. 
  Werewolves cannot use weapons, equipment, 
  or magic. There is no known obvious cure. 
   
  Wyrmling: Thick hide acts as 1D armor. If a 
  wyrmling rolls matching numbers on both 
  Body dice when attacking, it breathes fire. 
  This acts as a 2D Fireball spell. 
   
  Deadly 
  Body 2D+2 
  Mind 2D 
  Skill 2D 
  Damage 
  2D+2 
  Defense 9 
  HP 25 
   
  Death Knight: Undead. 2D armor. 
   
  Dragon: The dragon’s thick hide acts as 2D 
  armor. If a dragon rolls matching numbers on 
  its attack dice, it breathes fire. Treat this as a 
  3D Fireball spell. 
   
  Lich: Intelligent undead. May cast any spell at 
  1D power, or Wish at 2D. May cast Reanimate 
  up to 4 times per day. 
   
  Tentacle Horror: Can attack twice per turn, if 
  it targets two separate combatants. This un-
  natural, bizarre beast is immune to all Mind 
  effects, and all types of fire. 
   
  Ooze: Construct. Non-magical weapons and 
  armor touching or touched by an ooze 
  disintegrate if they cause or receive 5 points 
  of damage or more in a single hit. 
   
  Vampire: Intelligent undead. Can fly. Has Mind 
  3D. Knows Command and Stun, both 3D. 
   
  Wizard: Knows all spells at a power of 2D. 
   
   
  ~ Adventures ~ 
   
  With experience you will feel out your own style 
  and design preferences, but consider this a 
  primer. Most Dungeon Romp games will be little 
  half-hour excursions, although you could easily 
  expand to hours if desired. 
   
  You don’t need to jump immediately to the next 
  plot point once each is completed. Have the 
  players move naturally through the game, 
  giving them freedom to explore and try things 
  out. Often the most fun is had in unplanned 
  ventures! 
   
  o Intro – Establish the scenario. Perhaps the 
  group has found an old ruin rumored to hold 
  magical loot, or they’ve been hired to rescue 
  a loved one from a monster lair. Avoid 
  tedious meetings in taverns and “how did we 
  meet” discussions. Just tell the players what 
  today’s adventure is, and jump right in! 
   
  o Easy Encounter – Have a fairly easy fight, 
  weak trap, mild negotiation or other simple 
  event early on. (If this is most players’ first 
  game, make it a combat.) This helps get 
  everyone familiar with the basic rules and 
  into the mood. 
   
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  34 
  
   
  o Series of Encounters – Depending on how 
  long you want to play, have about 4-6 
  different scenes to explore. These can be 
  distinct areas such as rooms, wilderness 
  locales, caverns, etc., but they don’t have to 
  be. Just have a main focus for each 
  encounter: such as a combat, odd weather, 
  secret passage, magical portal, a trap, a 
  crevice to pass, an altar to an evil god, role-
  played negotiation or interrogation, etc. Most 
  combats should be Average difficulty, but at 
  least one should be Hard. Also, try to have at 
  least one opportunity arise in the latter half 
  of the game for the party to purchase new 
  equipment. 
   
  o Plot Stinger – At some point the plot should 
  shift a bit. A revelation, discovery, or other 
  event should occur which reframes the 
  adventure, or gives a vital bit of info, or 
  otherwise “turns the corner” so to speak in 
  advancing the story. Perhaps the heroes 
  discover the identity of the main adversary 
  but he/she/it escapes, or they find an 
  important bit of information, or perhaps 
  obtain an item that’s part of the quest, etc. 
  Maybe they find themselves teleported out of 
  the dungeon to the center of a jungle, or 
  ambushed and captured, or there’s a major 
  plot twist that turns everything on its head. 
   
   
  This event doesn’t have to be extreme or 
  dramatic however. Just have it change the 
  focus of the story a bit, to reinforce the 
  feeling that progress is being made. 
   
  o The Endgame – The final encounter is 
  eventually reached. Most often, it will be a 
  “boss monster” of Deadly difficulty, or just 
  Hard but with some support creatures. But it 
  doesn’t have to always be a fight; an 
  elaborate puzzle, dramatic court case, or 
  other creative challenge would be equally 
  appropriate. 
   
  Try to keep this encounter going for a bit 
  longer than usual. Have the foe try various 
  tactics, call for help, use surprising new items 
  or abilities, yell insults at the party, etc. 
  Don’t be afraid to rough up the heroes 
  substantially; it will make their victory all the 
  sweeter. But unless they do something 
  outright dumb or have incredibly back luck, 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  time 
  the 
  players 
  should 
  ultimately win the day. 
   
  o Conclusion - Make this relatively quick and 
  straightforward. Describe the end of the final 
  encounter with a tad of drama, then give one 
  or two sentences about how the world has 
  now changed and the heroes' exploits are 
  remembered in songs for years to come, etc. 
   
   
  Sample Quest 
   
  Remember: Don’t just jump from encounter to 
  encounter! Your games will be significantly 
  better if you allow everyone to act and speak 
  in-character, wander and explore a bit, ask 
  questions and try creative things. Keep things 
  moving of course, but don’t shoe-horn the 
  players to “follow the script” if doing so is 
  jarring or uninteresting. If the group gets 
  completely off track, that’s fine! Just so long as 
  you keep it flowing and players get to try out 
  their neat ideas, fun will be had. 
   
  Intro 
  The local barkeep has hired you to wipe out an 
  infestation of giant rats in his basement. Cats 
  haven't worked; the rats are bigger than cats! 
   
  Basement Rats 
  After their eyes adjust to the light, rat swarms 
  attack the party. Subtract 2 from the number of 
  heroes to determine how many rat swarms 
  there are (there will be at least 1 swarm, of 
  course). About halfway through combat or a 
  little more, their mother arrives – a Dire Rat! 
   
  Once the rats are dead the barkeep pays 10 gp 
  to each hero. Impressed with the group, he 
  gives directions to the house of a friend who is 
  looking to hire an armed escort for a 3-day trip. 
   
  Mystic’s House 
  The barkeep’s friend turns out to be a mystic 
  who researches the occult for a living. He 
  informs the group that he has found an artifact 
  after many years of research and searching. He 
  shows the party the item, proudly (GM can 
  describe anything they wish), but refuses to 
  discuss its operation or purpose. 
   
  To work further on unlocking the artifact’s 
  secrets, he needs the assistance of a colleague 
  wizard who lives on the opposite side of the 
  bandit-infested forest. He offers 50 gold pieces 
  to each hero to escort him – half now, half 
  upon safe arrival. 
   
  The Bandit Forest 
  As the group passes through a lightly wooded 
  area, they are promptly ambushed by brigands 
  (Average). At the end of the fight, one of the 
  ambushers escapes off through the woods. 
   
  If the party gives chase, they encounter the 
  bandit camp. They discover a princess is being 
  held captive here, and may fight to free her 
  (Average). If the party doesn’t give chase, they 
  shortly meet the princess anyway as she flees 
  through the woods with her captors in pursuit. 
   
  Sometime while still in the forest, the escorted 
  mystic is killed. He is incapable of fighting, so 
  bump him off however you would like - either 
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  35 
  
   
  during a fight with bandits, or some danger of 
  the forest such as a pit or snake bite. The 
  mystic’s body holds the balance of their pay. 
  The party must decide if they want to take the 
  artifact and complete the delivery themselves. 
   
  Castle Hassle 
  Should she be rescued, the princess clings to a 
  party member and proclaims to have fallen in 
  love with her “champion”. The party may escort 
  the princess to her castle (coincidentally just 
  outside the forest in the direction the group 
  was heading anyway). Further travel through 
  the forest is uneventful. At the castle, drawn 
  swords suddenly surround the heroes. They are 
  mistaken for the kidnappers! Even if the 
  princess is not with the party and they decide 
  to not enter the castle, about a dozen soldiers 
  on horses ride out to apprehend them. 
   
  Despite any protestations and cries from the 
  princess should she be present, the soldiers try 
  to cart the heroes off to the dungeons. If the 
  heroes comply, the king frees them a few hours 
  later with deep apologies and a 50 gp reward 
  for each of them. Otherwise, they can fight for 
  freedom - a Hard encounter, with the soldiers 
  possibly using hounds. 
   
  Regardless of the outcome, the party has a 
  chance to rest and buy equipment (even if they 
  slaughtered the castle guard, they can still 
  patronize the local market, including castle 
  artisans and researchers for magical items). 
   
  Further Travels 
  By now one full day has likely passed, and the 
  party might spend the first night at the castle. 
  The wizard awaiting delivery of the object lives 
  in a tower two days' journey past the castle, 
  over some farmland, hills and grassy plains. 
  This journey is mostly uneventful. However 
  gargantuan spiders (Average) try to sneak up 
  on and eat the party in their sleep between 
  days 2 and 3. If the party did not fight the 
  castle guards, this fight should be made a Hard 
  combat; add some spider swarms if needed. 
   
  The Wizard’s Tower 
  Once they finally reach the tower, an old man 
  answers the door. He is cheerful and very 
  grateful. He dismisses news of the death of his 
  friend as irrelevant as he lustfully examines the 
  object. He welcomes the heroes in and offers 
  them 
  refreshment, 
  then 
  shows 
  them 
  his 
  workshop. It is covered in bizarre sigils and 
  talismans, and he reveals that the item they 
  delivered is the last key to opening an inter-
  dimensional portal to summon a demon he 
  plans to command in order to take over the 
  kingdom! The wizard promises they will be 
  richly rewarded for their assistance in bringing 
  about the new reign of darkness. 
   
  The Endgame 
  If the party decides to stop him he turns violent 
  and maniacal – the final “boss” encounter 
  (Deadly). If the heroes don’t intervene, the 
  wizard performs an appropriately dramatic 
  ceremony, opening the portal. The instant it 
  opens, a Tentacle Horror (Deadly) tries to enter 
  the mortal 
  realm. 
  The wizard is 
  caught 
  unprepared, 
  and 
  realizing 
  his 
  mistake 
  frantically calls for the heroes to beat it back 
  while he works to close the gateway. 
   
  He won’t close the portal in time; the heroes 
  must kill the beast or perish. Once it is 
  destroyed, the portal begins to finally close but 
  something goes wrong. At the last second the 
  wizard is sucked in with a terrible shriek. All is 
  suddenly silent. 
   
  Conclusion 
  The heroes now own a wizard’s tower! There is 
  a kitchen, small dining hall (seats a dozen 
  people), and enough bedrooms for everyone to 
  have their own. There is a magical library and 
  laboratory, which anyone with Mind 3D can use 
  (up to the GM what effect this might have). In 
  addition the tower is full of goodies, some 
  magical: Have each hero choose 200 gold 
  pieces worth of equipment! The adventure is at 
  an end. 
   
   
  RPG Fantasy 
  Cute and Cutthroat 
   
  Sometimes, you don’t have time or energy for 
  thick tomes of verbose rules, endless options 
  and ever more convoluted minutiae 
   
  Sometimes, you just have to jump in and romp! 
   
  Dungeon Romp is a tiny fantasy role-playing 
  game that takes no time at all, and uses 
  standard six-sided dice. Make your character in 
  1 minute! Play an adventure in a half hour! 
   
  2-5 players 
  9+ years 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  MSRP $6.95 
   
  Golden 
  Griffon 
  Games .com 
   
   
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SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Collections/Kid Friendly/Dungeon Romp.pdf