Deep Dungeon Dive: A Solo RPG Actual Play Session

Hello, fellow Solo RPG enthusiasts. After some reflection, I decided to share a sample from Sathu's Solo Adventures Archives (2023). The adventuring party of three is on a quest which leads them to the dangerous corridors of the Khutar Caverns- a dungeons I generated using Worldgrapher and ended up creating 39 rooms by accident!

In this session, we explore how Sathu the lizard priest (Player Character), along with his allies- Unor the cunning Hobgoblin Thief Adept with an answer to every situation, and Drusk, the mysterious dark elf necromancer- navigate the entrance and exploring the first room they discover.

I used my handwritten notes for combat and to track the passive perception checks, combat dice rolls etc. My goal was and still is to find the right balance between storytelling and the mechanics of gameplay or LitRPG, using the Basic Fantasy RPG System. I hope you find something in this recount that resonates, or inspires.

The Current Party of Three

(Quick View):

1 Sathu the Lizardfolk Priest - Player Character (lvl 8) AC 17 / HP 64/64 / Spells by Level: 3/3/3/2/1

Deity: Khutu - God of Duality, Destiny & Death

Melee Attack Bonus(+10), Damage (1d8)+10, Sense Motive CHA (9 on d20)

Fav Spells: Hold Person , Hold Monster, Silence 15 ft Radius, Cure Serious Wounds (2d6+11)

2 Unor the Hobgoblin Thief - NPC (lvl 10) AC 18, HP 43/43 / +1 All Reactions, Knowledge/Rumors: (7 on d20)

Initiative(+3),(1d4+10 melee),(1d8+12 ranged), Open Locks/Traps/Sneak 71%, Hide 56%, Listen 73%

Deity: Nariko - Goddess of the Astral Plane, Dreams, Creativity, & Arcane Magic

Magic Item: Ring of Invisibility: Cooldown of 10 min after each use

3 Drusk the Dark Elf Necromancer NPC (lvl 10) AC 15 (-2 melee) / HP 45/45 / Spells by Level: 4/4/3/2/2/1

Deity: Imus - God of Darkness, Deception and the Abyss

Summon Spirit: Spectre: AC 17, HD(6d6) HP 20/20 , 1 Touch, Stun 2 Rounds, Fly 100 ft, lvl 6f, M11

Fav Spells: Ectoplasm (80% Invisible), Black Tentacles 200 ft, 10 rounds, Greater Fear, Corpse Feast & Mask of Life

Day 64 of 65, Late Morning

Location: The Entrance of the Khudar Caverns

There was a brief meeting with the three party members where they went over the details of their basic plan A, which was to hike to the cave entrance, explore a bit and then enter, and hopefully by the early afternoon. Sathu the lizard priest reassured the group that they would be discovering the answers to these questions and to remember; we are technically on a job since the Town of Midvale will pay us if or when we return with the valuable information; and maybe we will find some treasure for ourselves. With that, the party approached the entrance and noted that it appeared empty. Unor slipped on his Ring of Invisibility and casually explained that he'll scout ahead and check things out and that he'll be right back. Sathu crouched down into a comfortable position, that is for lizardfolk, while the dark elf leaned against a rock wall, and studied the clouds above.

Unor pauses and listens, thief skill: success 48 on (d100), he's able to hear faint voices. The hobgoblin made his way back and told the other party members the news, while staying invisible.

The trio decided to enter the cave and walked though a 40 foot, dark corridor that lead to a single wooden door which was closed so Unor checked for any traps and found one and was able to successfully disarm it with his thieves skills but this made the hobgoblin thief appear and he would have to wait at least (1 turn) ten minutes before he could activate it again. The group prepared for their entrance and the plan was for Sathu who is wearing full plate mail armor to open the door and charge in, followed by Unor, and then Drusk in the rear. They expected to encounter orcs but had no idea how many and what they would be facing.

Room 1

The party entered the rectangular room which was made from stone with some dirt and dust on the floor. Since all three adventurers have Darkvision (up top 60 feet), they're able to see a small group of orcs who were lying on the floor in make shift beds resting. The orcs appeared angry and annoyed with our appearance. (Monster Reaction). Sathu the lizard priest attempted to talk with the orcs in common tongue (no Charisma Bonus for the Reaction Roll) which only seemed to infuriate them and the orcs angrily reached for their weapons and readied themselves for combat.

Combat

Unor instantly kills the only orc archer as the orc's arrow missed the party. Sathu took out a few orcs but manage to swing too hard and dropped his mace! Drusk sat back and watched and waited for an opportunity which came when he realized he could cast the spell Corpse Servant (lvl 1) on one of the orc's corpses (this will use the corpse to summon an undead minion. During the scuffle, Unor accidentally hits Sathu with an arrow for -12 damage; and the hobgoblin's reaction is a sarcastic "whoops!"

Drusk uses one of the larger orc warrior bodies to summon a corpse servant while Sathu and Unor searched the room and the bodies of the fallen orcs.

Orc AC 14(11), HD 1d6, 1 weapon, Dam 1d8, 30 ft, 2d4, 40', Sv F1, M8, XP 25, Q, R

Experience Points

5 orcs 6/6 (25 XP) (4 melee, 1 range) (25 XP each)

2 orc warriors 9/9 (2 melee) (75 XP each)

(Note: multiplying each monster's XP by 4).

orcs (25x4=100) x5 orcs = 500 XP

orc warriors (75x4=300) x2 orcs = 600 XP

+1,100 XP Total for killing the 7 orcs

Treasure

Q: 90 gp + R: 10 gp = 100 gp

Sathu collects the gold; the party agreed to split loot equally among the three of them when they return to the Town of Midvale.

Room 14

After a short rest (1 Hour) the party found themselves at a crossroads of sorts. There were two doors on the far end of the room. Then with a random roll of the dice, the group decided to take the door ahead and leave the other door (to the right side) for later.

Once again, Unor uses his thieving skills to check for any traps and found none; After the door was unlocked the trio entered and found that it lead to a narrow rectangular room. Unor thinks out loud, "I wonder if this is a storage area?"

Day 64 of 65, Afternoon

End of Session (Game Paused)

SUMMARY

This wraps up our excursion through the corridors of the Khudar Caverns in the Badlands of Uzul. Hopefully you got to see how unpredictability of Solo RPG gameplay can be a challenge and a charm. For example, there was a chance the orcs could have been friendly or even fearful, but the dice roll of fate had them instantly attack. If they did have a dialog; there would have been a chance for a possible side-quest that could have changed the dynamics of the rest of the dungeon.

I hope this peak into actual gameplay inspires you to create a character to set forth on your own adventures. Each session has the potential to take your story in unexpected directions which can lead to dead ends or amazing surprises that you may have never expected!

What are your thoughts on today's gameplay? Do you have any solo RPG strategies or memorable encounters of your own to share?