Getting Into D&D 5e Adventures

The Dwarven Excavation mission consists of multiple hidden passages and rooms.  I decided to make all of these separate from the main battle map so the players wouldn’t realize that there was more to the temple.  I decided to use the thin cardboard from a cereal box as the base to the secret passages and rooms.

I started by using black spray paint on the printed side of the cardboard.  After the paint dried, I grabbed a glue stick for the next step.  I’ve learned that glue sticks are great for this process because other glues will soak in or bubble the paper.   After spreading the glue over a section I applied the paper by laying a corner down and running a finger along the paper in small sections to make sure it adhered smoothly.  I repeated this process until the entire cardboard was covered in the paper.

Next, I began outlining the rooms and passages by following my same process with the larger battle map.  I did double check the sizes before drawing because I knew this section needed to be very accurate so the dungeon passages and rooms would line up.

I used a chalk marker to number the rooms and passages based on the map in the book.  This was so I’d be able to pull out the right piece hidden under the table when the characters discovered them.  I double checked the layout and then i was ready for my project…creating the wilderness encounter.

I needed to find something suitable to use for an Ochre Jelly and statues.  In our area we have a department store called “Ollie’s” and they had a large assortment of D&D boxes and games for extremely low prices (only a few dollars!).  I was lucky enough to grab a D&D Campaign Case with creatures.  In this case are tokens that you can stick vinyl images of monster too.  It happened to have an ochre jelly.  I prepared the large token for the encounters and some small numbered tokens in case the adventurers cut them in half.

I also picked out some old D&D pre-painted minis that I thought would work for statues of dwarves throughout the temple