1. Decide actions: The party decides what actions to take (e.g. moving, searching, listening, entering rooms).
2. Wandering monsters: The Referee makes a check for random encounters as applicable.
3. Description: The Referee describes what happens. If monsters are encountered, follow the procedure described in Encounters.
4. End of Turn: The Referee updates time records, with special attention to light sources, spell durations, and the party’s need to rest.

The term dungeon is used to denote any underground, indoor, or enclosed adventuring locale. Crystal caverns, barrow mounds, abandoned mines, ruined castles, enemy fortresses, giant worm tunnels, unhallowed crypts, and haunted manors are all examples of dungeon locales.

Dungeons typically consist of a series of floors or distinct regions known as levels. Adventurers usually begin exploring the first level of a dungeon and may discover entrances to the second, third, and further levels as they explore. Dungeon levels are often connected by stairways, but trap doors, chutes, chasms, pits, and magical portals also sometimes provide means of moving between levels or accessing secret areas.

Dungeon levels further from an entrance (e.g. deeper underground) present greater challenges but also greater rewards. More powerful monsters live in deeper levels and guard more valuable treasure hoards. Generally, a dungeon level presents suitable challenges and rewards for characters of equal Level. For example, the first level of a dungeon is suited to Level 1 characters.

When exploring dungeons, game time is tracked in Turns (around 10 minutes). See Time and Movement.

Characters move at exploration speed: 3 times their Speed in feet each Turn (or up to 10 times their Speed through previously explored, fully mapped areas). See Time and Movement.

To speed up play, the Referee may choose to accelerate travel along safe, previously explored routes through the dungeon, rather than playing out the whole journey on a Turn by Turn basis.

1. Length: Gauge the length of the route.
2. Time: Calculate the number of Turns required to follow the route: divide the route’s length in feet by 10 times the party’s Speed.
3. Resources: Check that the party has sufficient resources (e.g. light sources) to follow the route without incident. If resources expire part way, resume play at the point along the route where this occurs.
4. Wandering monsters: Make wandering monster checks as appropriate for the number of Turns required to follow the route. If a check results in an encounter, resume play at the point along the route where it occurs.
5. Journey: Otherwise, describe the journey briefly without going into detail about each area traversed.

Characters must rest for 1 Turn per hour (i.e. 5 Turns of exploration, 1 Turn of rest) or become exhausted (see Exhaustion).

Dungeons are perilous places not conducive to sleep. When adventurers become fatigued and their resources run low, it is usually best to retreat to the safety of a settlement to rest. However, adventurers may occasionally wish to camp out in a dungeon.

Getting a good night’s rest: The rules for sleeping in the wilds may be used (see Camping), choosing a season appropriate to the dungeon’s conditions. For example, a steamy, moss-carpeted dungeon might be treated as summer, whereas a chilled crypt might be treated as winter.

Campfires: Lighting a campfire for warmth is normally impossible in an enclosed space, due to the smoke.

Wandering monsters: If adventurers set up camp in a hidden or little-frequented corner of a dungeon, the frequency of wandering monster checks may be reduced (per the Referee’s judgement). See Wandering Monsters. For example, camping behind a closed door in an out-of-the-way area may entail a check once every 2 hours, while camping in a secret room unknown to most dungeon denizens may entail only a single check while PCs sleep.

The weird animals, plants, and fungi of the underworld are sometimes edible—if adventurers dare to sample them. Otherwise, it is advisable to bring rations on longer dungeon expeditions (see Adventuring Gear).

Spoilage: Fresh rations spoil and become inedible after 1 day in a dank environment (e.g. a typical dungeon), while preserved rations last for 1 week.

The typical chance of wandering monster encounters is listed below. At the Referee’s discretion, some dungeons may have higher or lower chances of wandering monsters. See Wandering Monsters for more information.

Checks: A check for wandering monsters is rolled once every 2 Turns. The chance of an encounter occurring is 1-in-6.

Creature: The Dolmenwood Campaign Book includes tables to determine the type of creatures encountered.

Distance: Wandering monsters are encountered 2d6 × 10′ away, moving towards the party. If both sides are surprised (see Encounters), this is reduced to 1d4 × 10′.

Characters wishing to leave a dungeon must make their way to a known exit to return to the safety of civilisation. Rather than playing out the whole return journey on a Turn by Turn basis, it is sometimes convenient to use an accelerated procedure for exiting a dungeon. For example, some groups prefer to end each session of play outside of the dungeon, enabling a different group of characters and players to reconvene in the next session. In such situations, one of the following procedures may be used.

If players know of a safe, previously explored route to a dungeon exit, the procedure listed under Movement may be used.

This option strongly encourages players to exit the dungeon at the end of each game session. Characters who do not exit the dungeon in a timely manner risk an uncertain doom determined by random rolls. Each character must Save Versus Doom (with modifiers listed below) to escape unscathed. If the save fails, the player must roll on the Dungeon Doom table to determine their character’s fate.

Dungeon level: –1 Saving Throw penalty for each dungeon level beyond the first. (e.g. –3 penalty when exploring the fourth level.)

Mapped location: +2 Saving Throw bonus if characters have a map indicating their location.

Clear path: +4 Saving Throw bonus if characters know a safe, previously explored route to an exit.

Dungeon size: The Referee may apply a Saving Throw bonus for very small dungeons or a penalty for especially sprawling dungeons.