This entry for Anniversary the 13th is selected from Splinters of the Senses, written by Martin Ralya and published as part of Bits of Darkness: Dungeons II. Martin took the concept of Bits (short descriptions a GM can drop in anywhere) one step even further: these splinters of description are meant to be added to preprinted descriptions in purchased adventures, should those prove to be lacking. For example, say an adventure describes a room this way:
“You enter a twenty by twenty room with a door on the far side. The walls are bare.”
A quick random selection from Splinters of the Senses can liven up this bland space:
“You enter a twenty by twenty room with a door on one side. The walls are bare. The words ‘Turn back’ are painted in Common on the floor in what looks like blood.”
For more information, see the explanation of Bits of Darkness: Dungeons II on our website. Right now you can purchase it at a 25% discount on all our digital sales sites, such as Warehouse 23 (at Steve Jackson Games) or DriveThruRPG.
Here are 13 Splinters from each of three different senses: sight, sounds, and smells.
Sights
1: The flickering torchlight makes long shadows dance across the walls.
2: The floor here is covered in a web of long, thin cracks that run in every direction.
3: Dozens of tiny spiders scatter before you, fleeing into the corners of the room.
4: A rusty shortsword sticks out of one wall, its leather-wrapped hilt covered in mildew.
5: You see a coil of rope by the wall, along with the rusted remains of a grappling hook.
6: A crudely painted red skull backed with crossed swords decorates one wall of this room.
7: A puddle of stagnant water fills one corner, with several large dead beetles floating in it.
8: Dozens of rusty, flattened caltrops are spread out across the floor in this room.
9: On the floor is a circle of candle stubs, each surrounded by a puddle of melted wax.
10: A ruined human-sized statue stands in the corner, cracked and eroded beyond recognition.
11: The floor is covered in shattered potion vials, their contents long since dried up.
12: A dented cauldron full of stagnant water sits by one wall, with two dead rats floating in it.
13: About three feet up the wall, someone has made four bright blue chalk marks, all fresh.
Sounds
1: From a little ways behind you, you hear the soft skittering of tiny claws against the stone.
2: Several flies buzz around you briefly before disappearing deeper into the dungeon.
3: You hear the crunch of tiny bones underfoot as you walk, probably from rats or bats.
4: You hear a low, ominous rumble, as if from an earthquake somewhere in the distance.
5: Abruptly, a pile of dusty bones in one corner settles, sending bones clattering to the floor.
6: A high-pitched animal shriek echoes through the dungeon, and then is cut off abruptly.
7: The ground here is gritty with sand and chips of stone, and crunches underfoot.
8: The flame of your torch gutters and pops, sending out a shower of sparks.
9: A rivulet of water streams down one wall, splashing softly as it hits the floor.
10: A clicking sound – metallic, or perhaps insectile – echoes down the nearest corridor.
11: From elsewhere in the dungeon, you hear the high-pitched, echoing cries of bats.
12: The floor here is slick with mildew, and every footstep makes a soft squelching sound.
13: This area is eerily quiet, and every noise you make seems louder than normal.
Smells
1: You catch a faint whiff of brimstone, acrid and sulphurous.
2: This chamber smells damp, and the air is slightly humid.
3: The air in this area smells slightly sooty, as if there had been a fire here not long ago.
4: A putrid stench wafts up from the floor of this room, a mix of vinegar and decay.
5: This part of the dungeon smells of dried animal dung, dusty and unpleasant.
6: Tiny, dried-up roots stick out of the ceiling, giving this area an earthy smell.
7: This area smells of scorched fur, and you see a pile of burned-up rats in one corner.
8: An empty, lidless stone coffin sits in this room, and a sepulchral stink emanates from it.
9: There are two broken beer barrels here, empty but still smelling faintly of cheap ale.
10: Large patches of fungus send out a rich, loamy smell underlaid with a tinge of decay.
11: The acrid tang of alchemist’s fire hangs in the air in this room.
12: A heavy, cloying scent hangs in the air – the smell of something decaying, sickly-sweet.
13: One of your torches sputters for a moment, filling the air with a cloud of acrid smoke.
