A table to use if and when your adventurers finally run out of light.

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My current go-to game, Shadowdark, isn’t the first TTRPG to make me ponder about the potential scenario of the PCs running out of their last light source whilst deep in a dungeon. Unlike many of the other flavours of D&D, this feels like a greater possibility to me specifically in Shadowdark given the absence of PCs with any form of darkvision, combined with the potentially rapid expenditure of light sources via real-life timer use, light mishaps, etc. along with the fairly-given advice for the GM to “attack the light”.

I do find it interesting that though this potentiality certainly does exist and has always existed as long as there has been dungeon crawling, it hasn’t been specifically addressed in any game I’ve ever read (the closest being how PCs may panic in the absence of light from The Black Hack), most likely intentionally so as to leave it for the GM to adjudicate it on their own.

Obviously one of the simplest ways is merely fading to black with the crimson letters YOU DIED or the perennial classic It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue. rather than trying to manage the awkward situation of a group of effectively blind adventurers, as it would fit better with the nature of risk and danger of old-school dungeon delving.

That said, I do like the idea that some adventurers, through fate or fortune, may make it back to the surface in more or less one piece, but rather than have their dark and desperate journey become tedious through stifled gameplay, we abstract and simplify that down to a single die roll.

So inspired by The Black Hack, an article from issue #2 of Knock! magazine called ‘Eaten by a Grue’ (written by Josh McCrowell), and All Dead Generations’ blog post: ‘An Introduction to Dungeon Crawling’, I’ve come up with my own – Stranded in the Pitch Black – procedure for if and when the PCs run out light deep in a dungeon and have little hope of procuring any – Simply roll a 1d12 for each PC and consult the table below:

1. ACCURSED – Adventurer becomes a vengeful undead horror, with particular hatred towards any survivors. Either they retain the same stats and talents as their original character, or they become a level-appropriate undead creature (such as a Wight, Wraith, Zombie, etc.)
2. DOOMED – The adventurer does eventually make it back to the surface with none of their gear or treasure intact, and the whole experience left them so traumatized they forever swear off adventuring and become an NPC.
3. PERISHED – Cut down by morlocks, impaled on a spike trap, eaten by a grue, etc. Their body might be recoverable, but likely will have been looted. 1:6 chance of their spirit becomes a Ghost.
4. VANISHED – No trace of the lost adventurer or their equipment will ever be found.
5. CAPTURED – One of the denizens or factions of the darkness has captured the adventurer for: (d4 – 1. Entertainment. 2. Food. 3.  Ransom. 4. Recruitment or Enslavement.) If the captured adventurer is unable to meet the demand or is not rescued within a reasonable amount of time, roll again on this table with a d4 to discover their eventual fate. If being held hostage is not possible, treat this result as TRAPPED.
6. POSSESSED – Something took hold of the adventurer in the pitch black, and they now stalk the passageways with single-minded malignity. It may be possible to return them to their old self via a Restoration spell or other magical means, but first they must be located, captured, and subdued. 
7. STRAYED – The adventurer is currently wandering, lost. The referee adds them to the appropriate Random Encounter Table. If encountered, they will only have half their gear/treasure (GM choice); the remainder was broken or lost. If the lost adventurer is not encountered within a reasonable amount of time, roll again on this table with a d4 to discover their fate. 
8. TRAPPED – The adventurer stumbled into a trap or hazard and is now at the bottom of a pit, caught in a giant web, succumbed to sleeping gas, etc. The referee selects an appropriate location and gives the escapees an inkling where they may be. If the trapped adventurer is not rescued within a reasonable amount of time, roll again on this table with a d4 to discover their eventual fate.
9. AFFLICTED – The escapee barely managed to escape the darkness and nearly died from a grievous wound. They lose 1d4 points from a randomly determined ability score, representing an appropriate trauma: (Strength loss could be a cut/torn muscle, Dexterity/Agility loss missing fingers, Constitution/Toughness loss from sickness or infection, Int/Wis loss from a head injury, Charisma/Presence loss from an unsightly scar, etc). Additionally, all the adventurer’s gear and treasure was lost.
10. BATTERED – The adventurer managed to escape battered and bruised, though in doing so half their gear/treasure they were carrying was damaged/lost (select at random).
11. BEWILDERED – The adventurer has escaped a bit shaken, but relatively unharmed. Unfortunately during their exodus, they lost a random item.
12. UNSCATHED – By chance or by fate, the adventurer escapes the pitch black unscathed.

Optionally, the GM may elect that each above roll must also include the adventurer’s WIS/INT/Presence modifier. Additionally, the GM may impose a negative penalty to each roll for each level below the surface the adventurers’ are at when they ran out of light.

As you may have noticed, I grouped the above results into three general categories, all based upon the simple question: ‘Does the PC escape/survive to adventure again?’ with the answers being YES, NO, and MAYBE. From those, I extrapolated results that added more narrative fodder than a simple binary result, trying to adhere with the ‘play to find out’ mentality. That said, I made most of the results, even the better ones, less than desirable, lest players get the wrong impression that they don’t need to manage or protect their precious light.

Of course if your players are smart and/or experienced, they’ll load up plenty of torches and flasks of lantern oil, and you won’t ever need to use this chart, but like many tables it’s still nice to have around and it was a fun thought experiment for me to develop.

Enjoy! 🙂

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