Last week we talked about socialization, the first of the three pillars of D&D, and how story concerns should inform the decisions we make as players and DMs. Today, I’d like to address the second pillar: exploration. I think exploration often gets pushed to the wayside by the other pillars. There are many groups that enjoy focusing on combat, and others that love spending time forming relationships with NPCs, but I never really hear about parties that have exploration as the focus of their play. Exploration is usually employed between the socialization in town and the combat far from civilization. For most, exploration is a means to an end.
Those that run classic dungeons crawls probably come closest to an exploration-centric game. The mechanics of exploring a dungeon room by room, and dealing with the various traps and hazards therein, should be similar to how one might run a wider exploration theme. Any level of exploration is heavily dependent on the preparedness of the DM, but focusing on story can help alleviate that pressure while making exploration more engaging for players.
For all its strengths, the 5e system doesn’t have rigorous mechanics for exploration. Nearly all the typical challenges of exploring a wilderness setting are negated by background and class abilities, often without so much as a roll being required. I think those mechanics do a disservice to both players and DMs by removing much of the classic conflict of man vs. nature, but DMs should still allow players to use those abilities so that they feel that their characters shine in an appropriate way. Rangers and druids should be the masters of survival and travel through the wilderness, and I don’t want to take that away from them, but the narrative of exploration requires conflict. I like to generate conflict during wilderness travel by throwing specific problems at characters that they must solve through quick thinking and skill checks. The ranger might be able to lead the party on a safe path through the wilderness, but that does not keep the paladin’s foot from slipping off the mountain path. The druid can conjure goodberries for the party to eat, but she might stumble and send them tumbling into the river. Accidents happen, especially to those characters less suited to wilderness survival, and the experts can’t be everywhere at once.
It’s also essential to make the players feel that their characters are in real danger, perhaps even more so than in combat. The fear that something terrible might befall a beloved character keeps players interested and contributing to the story being collectively told. Players have a tendency to feel overly-confident for two reasons: they have heavy-hitting characters that can protect the party from enemies, and they have healers that can ensure that damage to a character will never last longer than a day. It is an old player’s adage to never split the party; always split the party should be the mantra of the DM planning wilderness exploration. Split apart, the party should automatically feel a sense of dread. Without a healer present, players are more likely to get twisted ankles, broken legs, snakebites, and many other conditions that might hinder their progress. Likewise, the healers might become vulnerable to predators or be unable to clear athletic checks required to climb a cliff or ford a stream. I never want to keep the party separated for too long, it can quickly become a hassle to keep track of separate groups, but a little bit of fear often helps the story along. Adding in inclement weather, strange landscape formations, or a splash of magic can increase the sense that nature is powerful and to be given respect.
Even with the implementation of thoughtful mechanics, exploration can seem pointless without a clear plot pushing it forward. Players don’t just venture into a dangerous wilderness for no reason, they are likely traveling through it in order to reach something on the other side. I like to foreshadow that final objective well before the players come close to it. Back in town, when the players got a quest to retrieve an artifact from an ancient ruin, the dangers ahead of them should be hinted at by the NPCs. When the party is traveling through the wilderness to reach the ruins, perhaps they find satellite structures in the area. The odd crumbling pillar or overgrown farmstead can highlight the desolate place in which the players find themselves and communicate something about the people who used to dwell in the ruins. What would they have written on their gravestones? What ancient inscription is barely legible on the epitaph worn by centuries of blowing sand? Players should get a glimpse of art, religion, and daily life for the civilization that once flourished here. Once within the major ruin structure, the players should have even more opportunities for this different kind of exploration.
Man-made structures of all kinds are great opportunities for history, investigation, and arcana checks, but here DMs must avoid information dumps. A good roll deserves a reward of information, but try to only provide the bare facts and let the players draw their own conclusions. Telling a tale of discovery and dread realization is far more interesting than finding an old scroll that explains the situation perfectly. These tenets work well with urban exploration too or even exploring someone’s room.
Despite the poor treatment that exploration gets in the mechanics of 5e and at most tables, it should never be treated as a means to an end. Exploration is the hard journey, the perfect time to build suspense, foreshadow future events, and make the players feel like they are traveling through an authentic world with very real dangers. A good exploration segment will also make the climactic battle or discovery much more satisfying than a mere travel montage. Exploration is the opportunity for some players to shine, for others to feel vulnerable, and is important to provide balance to a party dynamic. Good exploration tells a story, and will ultimately contribute to the greater story of a quest and the growing story of the party itself.