“The possession of
knowledge does not kill the sense of wonder and mystery.
There is always more
mystery.”
―
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| Sights, Sounds, and Smells |
Did those feats make the adventure come alive? I suppose
it did for some. For others it was the tension, the expectation of what was to
come. I suspect it was a very good DM that raised those expectations,
scattering clues in the PCs path, and setting the mood.
The tunnels were
oppressive in their confinement. Only one might pass the bottleneck at a time.
The tunnel reeked of the swamp above raining down on their heads. Clots of earth
spattered the ground, their shoulders. The timbers supporting that unimaginable
weight creaked, groaned, and threatened to give way to what seemed inevitable:
deluge. They could hear the tittering of kobolds ahead. Behind. Above. They
seemed to be everywhere at once.
It was moments like these that we remember, that raised
our hackles and set our hearts racing, when, in reality, we were lounging on
couches and leaning over coffee tables in a rec room, sipping soda, and inhaling
BBQ chips and Cheetos. We may not remember the actual words that stirred our
imagination, but we remember the feeling they inspired. It’s what kept us
coming back.
Sights, sounds, smells. It is these that set the mood,
and foreshadow what’s to come: impending danger, and maybe even doom.
 |
| What does a dungeon smell like? |
Dragon magazine was there to help. Month after month, its
issues were replete with tips on how to do this or that. Dragon, like Howard
before it, reminded us that seeing something might be scary, but smelling
something, hearing something, and not knowing whence it comes could be even
more unnerving.
From Sights and Sounds
in Dungeons & Dragons, by Robert Dushay & Michael Weisberg, Dragon
magazine #17, 1978
 |
| Thick Cobwebs and Odd Stains |
Every 30 minutes,
there is a 25% chance of hearing a random noise. Such noises will either cease
if investigated, or lead investigators away, possibly to a trap. [Dragon #17 – 15]
Hearing Noise: When a die roll indicates a noise has been heard, tell the player
whose character was listening that he or she heard a clink, footstep, murmuring
voices, slithering, laughter, or whatever is appropriate. (Of course, some of
these noises will be magical, e.g., audible glomer spells, not anything which
will be encountered at all!) Be imprecise and give only vague hints; never say,
"You hear ogres," but "You hear rumbling, voice-like
sounds." Failure to hear any noise can be due to the fact that nothing
which will make noise is beyond the portal, or it might be due to a bad (for
the listener) die roll. [DMG 1e – 60]
What if the die roll indicated that the PC with his ear
to the door heard something? What if a random roll indicated that the party
inching down that dark corridor did? No DM should be left scratching their head
at that exact moment, wondering what it might be. If the DM does not have a
ready answer, the players may ripped out of their immersion.
One should always be prepared. Here are some suggestions.
Die roll Result
- Moans or groans
- Screams or shrieks
- Rattle of armor
- Insane laughter
- Footsteps
- Sounds of battle
- Scratching or scraping
- Mumbling
- Sobbing
- Wind
- Creaking
- Drums
- Whispers in an unknown language
- Muffled explosions
- Thuds
- Roars
- Rumbling
- Slamming doors
- Squelching or other sounds of non-human
passage
- Heavy breathing
These sounds are
also good for “noise rooms”. Note that these noises could be distorted, or
sound more distant due to the acoustical qualities of dungeons. [Dragon #17 – 15]
 |
| Water, raining down.... |
I can’t help thinking that lists like this are a little
too inclusive. Some of these sounds will be applicable to the dungeon of your
creation, while others will certainly be out of place. Firstly, one must ask
whether the dungeon in question is inhabited or not. Has it been sealed for
decades? Centuries? Eons? Those would be very different dungeons, indeed. And
they would have very different encounters and sounds, wouldn’t they?
The most inexplicable random selection to my mind is Muffled explosions. What might be
exploding, and why? Should that be heard, you’d better have the scorch marks of
its ignition somewhere; otherwise, expect a well-deserved WTF moment from your
players. Granted, it could be some sort of glamour, couldn’t it? That said, if
it is a glamour, shouldn’t there be a reason why it occurred? To lure the PCs would be the very best reason, to my devious mind.
The odd thing about this article is that it very specifically says that these noises have no source. Should the PCs race to discover their cause, they will find...nothing.
I cry foul. This may be a reasonable trope in some sort of fun house, but I can't think of a better way to be untrue to your players. It is a good list, however.
I wonder if this 1978 article was a source for what
followed.
Consider what did, in Appendix I Dungeon Dressing, in the
DMG 1e:
Unexplained Sounds
and Weird Noises:
01-05 bang, slam
05 bellow(ing)
07 bong
08 buzzing
09-10 chanting
11 chiming
12 chirping
13 clanking
14 clashing
15 clicking
16 coughing
17-18 creaking
19 drumming
20-23 footsteps (ahead)
24-26 footsteps (approaching)
27-29 footsteps (behind)
30-31 footsteps (receding)
32-33 footsteps (side)
34-35 giggling (faint)
36 gong
37-39 grating
40-41 groaning
42 grunting
43-44 hissing
45 hooting
46 horn/trumpet sounding
47 howling
48 humming
49 jingling
50-53 knocking
54-55 laughter
57-57 moaning
58-60 murmuring
61 music
62 rattling
63 ringing
64 roar(ing)
65-68 rustling
69-72 scratching/scrabbling
73-74 scream(ing)
75-77 scuttling
78 shuffling
79-80 slithering
81 snapping
82 sneezing
83 sobbing
84 splashing
85 splintering
86-87 squeaking
88 squealing
89-90 tapping
91-92 thud
93-94 thumping
95 tinkling
96 twanging
97 whining
98 whispering
99-00 whistling
Select noises as
desired. Locate in 20'-40' areas for detection. Have at least 120' intervals
between each. [DMG 1e – 217]
 |
| ....what is scuffling or shuffling... |
I suggest that no DM leave these to chance. Use the above
list as a guide, applying only those “unexplained” sounds as they fit the
situation at hand. They may be unexplained to the players, but the DM should
have a very clear understanding what’s making them; that will make their job
all the easier. Nearby reptilian encounters will necessitate hissing, and
slithering, while dungeons with temples would certainly have chanting and
gongs. Torture chambers and dungeons, or the presence of prisoners, will echo
with coughs, groans, and a bit of screaming.
Screaming is certainly evocative. Our heroes would be gripping
the pommels of their swords tighter upon hearing that. But if there was a sulphurous
taste to accompany a metallic clang of steel on steel, they might leap at the
possibility of catching their enemies unaware. Their response to a rivulet at
their feet would be very different if the air felt wet, or if they were told
that it smelled like blood. Or they catch a waft of spoor at the entrance to a
cave.
01-03 acrid smell
04-05 chlorine smell
0639 dank, mouldy smell
40-49 earthy smell
50-57 manure smell
58-61 metallic smell
62-65 ozone smell
66-70 putrid smell
71-75 rotting vegetable smell
76-77 salty, wet smell
78-82 smoky smell
83-89 stale, fetid smell
90-95 sulphurous smell
96-00 urine smell
[DMG 1e – 217]
These are all rather evocative, but not all will apply to
every circumstance. They might indicate that a lost adventuring party is
nearing escape, or that they are honing in on the rumoured burned remains of an
evil temple. Smells are unlikely to warn the PCs of impending danger, but they
do help dress the stage.
Regardless what the PCs smell and hear, they will see things. The world is not empty,
and neither should the imaginary landscape be.
 |
| Seeing is Believing |
- Blasted or melted stone
- Cracks
in walls, floor or ceiling
- Moss
- Dark mist
- Light mist
- Thick cobwebs
- Bloodstains or pools
- Damp patches
- Bulging walls
- Luminescent areas
- Shadows that are wrong ([i.e.]: An iron
spike having the shadow of an Ogre)
- Footprints, or a trail
- Pitted or corroded spots
- Trail of blood
- Rusted, useless armor or weapons
- Exceptionally thick dust
- Slime (Not Green Slime!)
- Scorched sections
- Chipped spots
- Corpses shackled to the wall
The
Dungeon masters Guide elaborated on this. Extensively.
General:
01 arrow, broken
02-04 ashes
05-06 bones
07 bottle, broken
08 chain, corroded
09 club, splintered
10-19 cobwebs
20 coin, copper (bent)
21-22 cracks, ceiling
23-24 cracks, floor
25-26 cracks, wall
27 dagger hilt
28-29 dampness, ceiling
30-33 dampness, wall
34-40 dripping
41 dried blood
42-44 dung
45-49 dust
50 flask, cracked
51 food scraps
52 fungi, common
53-55 guano
56 hair/fur bits
57 hammer head, cracked
58 helmet, badly dented
59 iron bar, bent, rusted
60 javelin head, blunt
61 leather boot
62-64 eaves (dry) & twigs
65-68 mold (common)
69 pick handle
70 pole, broken (5 2/3')
71 pottery shards
72-73 rags
74 rope, rotten
75-76 rubble & dirt
77 sack, torn
78 slimy coating, ceiling
79 slimy coating, floor
80 slimy coating, wall
81 spike, rusted
82-83 sticks
84 stones, small
85 straw
86 sword blade, broken
87 teeth/fangs, scattered
88 torch stub
89 wall scratchings
90-91 water, small puddle
92-93 water, small puddle
94-95 water, trickle
96 wax drippings
97 wax blob (candle stub)
98-00 wood pieces, rotting
Distribute these
items randomly by choice or by dice roll, or place them as desired. An interval
of 60' or more between each placement is suggested. [DMG 1e – 217]
 |
| Explictica Defilous |
“The world is full
of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes.”
― The Hound of
the Baskervilles
One must always
give credit where credit is due. This History is made possible primarily by the
Imaginings of Gary Gygax and his Old Guard, Lenard Lakofka among them.
The Art:
All art is wholly owned by the artists.
Sources:
2011A
Dungeon Masters Guide, 1st Ed., 1979
Dragon
Magazine, 17
9063 N1 Against the Cult of the Reptile God, 1982
I really like this one. Great tool :-)
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