Image © Wizards of the Coast

 

A High-Level Party Explores No Man's Land Along the Front Lines 

 

By Riley Rath 

 

Table of Contents 

Intro 

"Over the Top... Into the Darkness" 

- A Soldier in the Mud 

- A Wall of Wire 

- Pits of Despair 

- Innocent Final Breath 

- Ruins in No Man's Land 

- The Creature 

What Made This Session So Special? 

Conclusion

 

What is exploration in D&D 5e? 

 

How does it work? 

 

What makes it fun? 

 

Why do some players like it... 

 

Some players hate it... 

 

And nearly every table neglect it? 

 

We here at Awesome Dice are spending 2023 diving into the exploration pillar of Dungeons and Dragons fifth edition. 

 

So far we've talked about how exploration fits into our games, how it works alongside the combat and social pillars, and how WOTC, DMs, and players make it hard for exploration to thrive. 

 

But... despite our neglect turning exploration into the "forgotten pillar"... 

 

Something about exploration continues to tug at the human heart. 

 

It is exploration that fuels the most enchanting of gaming experiences, those only D&D and other tabletop role-playing games can offer. 

 

We still have to talk about the specifics... the types of exploration we play in our games... so far we have spoken generally about exploration as a whole. 

 

But there is one thing missing before we do that... 

 

An example! 

 

This post is a story from a real session, one that illustrates everything that makes exploration special. 

 

It took place a few years ago... in one of the first sessions of a "medieval world war" campaign. 

 

The entire exploration was fused with exploration, and demonstrates just how immersive and fun exploration could be... 

 

 

"Over the Top... Into the Darkness" 

 

No Man's Land © Lucien Jonas, 1927

 

Mud on his clothes... mud in his boots... mud in his sheath... mud everywhere... 

 

For weeks, this section of the trench line has been the home of his unit. They, and the hundreds of rats that scurried across the floor boards, were the only living things at the front lines. 

 

Literally... not only had the constant warfare stripped the land of all vegetation and banished any wildlife, but a strange and horrifying new phenomenon had been taking place a month: 

 

• The misty gloom that always pervaded the battlefield somehow felt "deeper" 
• The undead, long buried in the mud and war-torn patch of earth, had begun to rise 
• Monsters from shadowy demi-planes have spontaneously emerged (as if there weren't enough deadly things to worry about) 

 

Daily, they take cover from magical artillery barrages. Twice in the past 24 hours they have repelled an enemy undead attack. Now, the soldier does his best to keep his wound clean with dirty bandages... and maintain his sanity. 

 

But his ears perk up.. he hears his comrades farther down the trench standing up to attention, lifting themselves up from the mud as they greet four strangers... 

 

 

Everything about them screams "elite": their priceless "definitely-not-standard-issue" armor... their magical items and weapons that glow with holy glory... their contraband talismans worn alongside symbols of high rank. 

 

"I mean, we have been campaigning for a couple of years, it's not like this random soldier thinks we're rich d-bags, right?" 

 

"No, no, no, don't worry, they see you as their saving grace. You are literally knights in shining armor here to save the day." 

 

"So no one thinks we are just some nobility that purchased a battlefield commission." 

 

"Correct." 

 

"And if they did... honestly... would they even care?" 

 

"Maybe... if our characters were ordering them to attack and clearly didn't know what they were doing." 

 

"Yeah, but an 8th level fireball covers a looooot of command sins..." 

 

"True, true..." 

 

The party of level 15 adventurers... a light cleric, draconic sorcerer, celestial warlock, and a hunter conclave ranger... reaches a section of the trench and prepares to go over the top. 

 

Their mission: find and retrieve the colonel, whose tank got lost somewhere out there in No Man's Land the previous day. They'll have to sneak their way out into the death trap and explore every inch of it until they find him. Might even get lucky and discover a chest of healing potions left there by a cowardly medic. 

 

Winking at the common soldier in the mud looking up at you with admiration, the heroes each steel themselves, whisper a prayer to their god, take a sharp breath, and silently climb out of the trench... 

 

Into a land of death and decay... 

 

 

"So which World War I battlefield we walking into?" 

 

"I mean, they all suck, right?" 

 

"Totally. 100% suck." 

 

"But are we talking like Nivelle? Or Passchendaele?" 

 

"(Sarcastically) More like 1st battle Ypres." 

 

"I don't know that one." 

 

"There's more to WW1 than the levels in Battlefield 1." 

 

(Flips him the bird) 

 

(Spoiler alert: it was Verdun... which actually was in Battlefield 1... they would later assault a fantasy Fort De Vaux). 

 

"But no, yeah this is more just generic western front horrors." 

 

This beautiful elven countryside has been reduced to a jagged, barren wasteland. Charred, splintered trunks stand where flourishing trees once stood. Across the ground are littered corpses, pieces of armor, various weaponry, all sunken stinking in the mud. 

 

The same soil has been displaced via explosions and charges and retreats over and over and over. And when hit with rain, the loose dirt becomes a think sludge... swallowing men up to their knees in some places. Across this terrain, the heroes crawl, soiling their previously immaculate attire. 

 

They quickly approach their first challenge: 

 

 

"You guys come across a row of barbed wire, 5 feet deep and 9 feet high. It is virtually impossible to get over (without drawing attention) and will deal 2d6 of damage if you come into contact with it." 

 

(Players plan... but then one failed acrobatics check later...) 

 

"You slip and fall headlong into the barbed wire. As the razors lacerate your skin, you feel a yell well up in your stomach. Roll a constitution saving throw." 

 

"...13?" 

 

"Ooo... not enough.... you begin to..." 

 

"Wait! Can I cover his mouth?!" 

 

"Uuuuh, yeah. Go ahead and roll either sleight of hand or a strength check." 

 

"Ooo that's better, 19!" 

 

"As you cry out in pain, the cleric's burly bugbear arms surround you, burying your mouth in his elbow-pit. He presses down hard, nearly suffocating you, but muffles any sound." 

 

With a combination of tools and spells, the heroes bypass this first ring of barbed wire, but before them is the infamous "No Man's Land"... hundreds of yards in front of them and stretching dozens of miles in either direction. This expanse of carnage and combat, now still has it rest from killing in the middle of the night, this is the terrain they must explore... somewhere the colonel is out there. 

 

 

Suddenly, one of the party members (having failed a wisdom saving throw...) feels confident that if they only veer to the left and go a couple hundred yards... they are sure to find the colonel. They don't know why, they don't know for what reason, but they feel certain that is the best place to look. 

 

The rest of the party, unconvinced that the tank continued to drive that far away from it's last sighting, continues forward. They are all faced with another challenge: 

 

 

Giant craters, caused by artillery evocation shells, have filled with stagnant water and poisoned by rotting bodies and all sorts of alchemist chemicals. 

 

"You guys have to wind your way through the series of craters and NOT fall in. However, a lot of the dirt around the craters is loose, making it even easier to fall in. Everyone roll an acrobatics check... anyone fail?" 

 

"... does a 6 fail?" 

 

"Ha... yes... yes, that fails... You all watch as the warlock, who many times over has demonstrated their angelic patron protecting them... be bested by simple unsure footing. With one misplaced step, they tumble down into the water." 

 

"Roll a CON save." 

 

"16." 

 

"Ok, you take 2d8 of poison damage, but you are NOT poisoned." 

 

"Better not be... that would be BS..." 

 

"Suddenly you hear a 'poof' sound from the enemy line, and a streak of white goes into the air." 

 

"Flares! I hide!" 

 

"All of you make a stealth check... or at least hit the ground." 

 

(All pass). 

 

 

The streak of white instantly becomes as bright as the sun, illuminating the whole battlefield. You each hold your breath and lie completely motionless until the flare burns out... returning No Man's Land to darkness. Having spread out and navigated all the pits, the party has now explored a quarter of the map. You can still choose to go North, West, and Northwest. 

 

"Everyone, wisdom saving throw." 

 

Now two of the characters insist that the party moves west, convinced that they colonel, the key person they need to convince in order to begin heir assault on the lich's fortress, must still be there. They swear they can hear a faint clanging of a hammer, the sound of a wounded officer trying to bust open a broken tank door. 

 

The rest of the party remains skeptical. What reason do they have for going that direction? Why can't they hear the same noise? 

 

They begin to fan out, hoping they can cover more ground before an enemy sniper manages to spot them. 

 

Those that failed the wisdom saving throw (cleric, sorcerer) begin drifting farther to the left. 

 

The other two (ranger, warlock) come across a wounded soldier: broken leg, punctured lung... struggling to breathe and slowly dying. 

 

Image does not belong to Awesome Dice

 

"I wish up to him and whisper: 'It's ok, it's ok! We're here to help!" 

 

"The soldier weakly speaks a form of elvish with a strong rural dialect, neither of you can understand what he says." 

 

"I wanna see how he is wounded." 

 

"Yeah, you can see blood in several places, including dried blood around his ears, nose, and mouth... but go ahead and give me a survival check." 

 

"11." 

 

"Yeah, it's hard to tell. Clearly there are some wounds, but you don't know what is going on internally." 

 

"Ok, I cast cure wounds." 

 

The hero's hands glow with magic as you attempt to heal... Seeing the skin begin to close up... but then the magic falters and the injury remains. It becomes clear that the soldier is too far gone... already knocking on death's door... 

 

... 

 

"How's he doing?" 

 

"Insight." 

 

"17." 

 

"He's looking at you wide eyed... trembling. Clearly panicked. Less scared of you two but clearly scared of death... he's clutching your hand pretty hard." 

 

"Ok... uh." 

 

"Shit, this is dark." 

 

"Yep... here's the reason y'alls been trying so hard to end the war." 

 

Image does not belong to Awesome Dice

 

"Ok... I... uh... I get behind him and rest his head in my lap as I hold him tightly... I tell him 'It's ok... you're going to be ok...'" 

 

"Roll persuasion." 

 

"Wait... can I help him on that roll. Like can I smile gently or bandage his wounds or something?" 

 

"Yeah, if you do something to sooth him the persuasion roll will be with advantage." 

 

"I... uh... I sing a Tiefling song... its not in a language he knows, but it, like, has a folk-ish rhythm and is soft and sweet." 

 

"Oh, that will do it.... +1 if you can sing something for the table." 

 

(Sings) 

 

"Alright, advantage and +1 to your roll." 

 

"25." 

 

Holding him gently, and softly singing a hymn, the eyes of the soldier calm and his body relaxes. You can feel his heart rate slowing, but you swear you see a weak smile appear on his face. A few minutes later, his eyes close... heart stops... and he passes away. 

 

 

"I want to search him... not like for gold... just to see if he left anything." 

 

"Investigation." 

 

"18." 

 

"You find a small wallet with ID papers, including a painting of a pretty elven girl and a small elven boy, as well as some handwritten letters in elvish." 

 

"I take them, and vow to get this to his family if I survive." 

 

Meanwhile, now well over a hundred yards away... the other two heroes inch closer to their goal. They still don't know quite what is pulling them, but their excitement grows as they inch closer. What was once a mere suspicion, perhaps an expert adventurer's instinct, has transformed into near certainty. They know deep down that the colonel, the man they've been searching for for many weeks, is finally close at hand. 

 

And I can't wait to reach him. They each pick up the pace, taking risks they would not otherwise have taken even an hour ago. They splash in a puddle... their arcane focus bangs into a discarded helmet... they rise from a crawl and are now crouched walking. 

 

They circle around an area, succeeding and failing perception checks across the battlefield, until finally they zero in on a small house, the only straining structure within a mile radius, that has somehow managed to stand partially upright, though ruined, in the middle of all the onslaughts. 

 

Image does not belong to Awesome Dice

 

And right in front of them... crashed into the house... an enormous mechanized tank. They approach without hesitation... while their other two compatriots continue to explore the battlefield. 

 

"Back to you guys... they have wandered off to the left... where do you guys go?" 

 

"Do we know they are away from us?" 

 

"You do, but you all agreed to go straight, so you assume they went up ahead." 

 

"Ok, we continue to explore up ahead." 

 

"Alright, roll for me a perception check." 

 

"7" ... "16." 

 

"You see a sturdy metal and wood chest sticking out of the mud about 30 feet ahead." 

 

"I carefully open it with my knife." 

 

"It takes some strength, but it opens... but there is nothing inside... completely empty." 

 

"Well, that was dumb." 

 

"Wait, wait, wait... investigation check." 

 

"Haha you don't even need to roll... You stick your hand inside to reveal the illusory bottom and pull out several Potions of Greater Healing." 

 

(Semi-sarcastic, enthusiastic high five) 

 

"But back at the tank..." 

 

The cleric and the sorcerer walk around the house. Nearly everything has been destroyed... it is a small miracle the chimney and few walls are standing. The tank is there, half way into the living room, but you see no evidence of anyone entering or exiting the tank. But it doesn't matter, the cleric and sorcerer are determined to get this colonel, and get out of there. Even if its just a corpse." 

 

However, things quickly become very strange: 

 

- The cleric bumps into the tank and immediately leaves a dent... as though it was made of tin foil. 

 

- The doors to the tank don't really open... as they aren't really doors. 

 

- The sorcerer picks up one of the few books lying on the ground... revealing that the book itself is empty... no writing whatsoever. 

 

Confused, the cleric and sorcerer share notes before making some checks. They discover themselves to be in some sort of elaborate, magical illusion... but too late. 

 

Image © Wizards of the Coast

 

Six tentacles ambush them from the fireplace... zeroing in on the magically infused sorcerer. As soon as it does, the illusory reality drops: there is no tank, no colonel... just this terrifying aberration. 

 

(Roll and set initiative) 

 

"The monster gets a surprise round. It attacks each of you with its tentacles... uuuuuuh 14 on you and 19 on you." 

 

"The 19 hits." 

 

"Ok, you take... 9 points of damage... but are ALSO restrained." 

 

"Coolcoolcoolcoolcool..." 

 

"But now its LAIR gets an action." 

 

"SH*T." 

 

The combat encounter is fierce. The strange Shadowfell monster is not only able to grapple and restrain... and not only can it turn invisible... but it can also teleport across the barren terrain. The goal: a brief... private... magical hero meal. 

 

But the cleric and sorcerer are no drafted privates. Though grappled, the white dragonborn sorcerer uses her Subtle Spell to cast even though they are restrained, turning the whole area into a hail-filled blizzard. The bugbear light cleric is a bit more limited... any fire or light spell would reveal their location... so he settles for smashing with his morningstar. 

 

Hearing the commotion, the warlock and ranger race over to join the fray. The darkness gives everyone without darkvision disadvantage on all percetion checks relying on sight. But a few well placed arrows and Hold Monster are able to turn the tide, but they were too late... 

 

Image does not belong to Awesome Dice

 

They made far too much noise... 

 

Both sides have their artillery set on the house. 

 

Hearing the thundering of the guns, the party races out of the house, diving into the nearest crater. The explosions are deafening, an eruption of earth and fire all around them, threatening to obliterate them at any second. All they can do is press into he ground, make themselves small, and pray they avoid a direct hit... 

 

Image does not belong to Awesome Dice

 

What Made This Session Special? 

 

The party would survive the artillery barrage. They would also venture further into No Man's Land, eventually coming across an enemy trench under siege from undead, who was able to take them to the captured colonel they had been seeking. 

 

But while stories are entertaining, let's get back to the point of this post: how amazing exploration can be. 

 

We posted 3 blog posts explaining everything about exploration in D&D 5e, and this session illustrated so many of those points: 

 

"What Is 5e Exploration and Why It's an Awesome and Essnetial Pillar of D&D." 

 

 

When the session started, I blacked out the vast majority of the map with a fog of war feature. So as they explored, more of the battle map was revealed. The entire session, from beginning to end, they are moving from a state of "unknown" regarding No Man's Land to "knowing" exactly what existed on the battlefield. 

 

The party was indeed moving, but it wasn't overland travel. They were doing the very definition of exploring: "seeking, investigating, wandering... out of a desire to discover something." They had something they wanted to know (the location of the colonel) and they had to explore the front lines to discover that. 

 

Along the way they discovered barbed wire, sinkholes, and soldiers left for dead. Had they gone to other places on the battlefield they would have discovered other things: a poison gas artillery shell, a sound trap, an enemy trench raid party. 

 

Finally, couching the session in exploration still allowed space for the other two pillars to shine. Half the party had a heart-breaking role play with a dying man, while the other half fought for their lives against a Balhannoth. It was a dynamic, balanced D&D 5e session. 

 

"Encounters and Scenes: Why the Exploration Pillar and D&D 5e Don't Get Along." 

 

 

The second post on exploration explained the biggest problem with exploration: it does not lend itself well to scenes. But this session was an excellent example of how you can weave scenic moments into a session that itself feels like one long, complete scene. With no breaks for rest, it was basically one long "No Man's Land" encounter. 

 

As the players overcame gaming challenges, they were also making meaningful choices and engaging in shared storytelling. The DM narrated the battlefield regularly, but players actually experienced the environment rather than just being told about it. The setting was being established simultaneously as the story was being told. 

 

Within the encounter was "stories within a story." A dilemma was presented for the players over a specific amount of time. It was important to the plot, allowing the story to progress to the next encounter/scene. The tension of the scene was able to slowly rise as they realized the danger of the terrain, culminating in a battle with a creature as alien and dangerous as the terrain itself. 

 

"How Curiosity, Discovery, and Wonder Make Exploration Unique in D&D 5e." 

 

 

Finally, the players were motivated by something other than treasure... they were desperate to discover the location of the colonel. The limited size of the battle map communicated that the "treasure" was SOMEWHERE on the map... and that they were so close... all they had to do was search a little bit more. Once they survived No Man's Land, reached the enemy trench, and met the colonel, the discovery itself was a meaningful, emotionally rewarding experience. 

 

Their desire to discover was motivated in part by anxiety. Not knowing what awaited them across No Man's Land filled them with a fear of the unknown they desperately wanted to resolve. As soon as some of them were failing Wisdom saving throws, it was obvious that something else was happening out there on the battlefield, but they had no idea what that thing was. They knew there was something they did NOT know. 

 

Finally, I had a junior officer tell them to be on the lookout for a chest full of healing potions. So alongside their fear of the unknown was a curiosity. They were tempted by the tools and benefits they knew they would need to fight the lich. 

 

Conclusion: What's Next? 

 

© Lief Heanzo for Army of Thieves

 

Awesome Dice isn't done with exploration yet! We have done an overview, but our recent post on designing your own Heists (read it here) was a taste of things to come! 

 

Chases, traps, mysteries... everything that we believe belongs to the exploration pillar will get some attention. 

 

But the next topic we tackle will be the much maligned and stereotypical scapegoat for "bad exploration": overland and long-distance travel! 

 

 

Spoiler alert: 1) it's worth traveling and 2) it CAN be very, very fun! 

 

 

 

 

Riley Rath 

Riley is a freelance copywriter, content writer, and marketer based out of Spokane, WA. He is thankful to have the opportunity to combine his passion for imaginative role-playing to help FLGS, tabletop, board game, and D&D related businesses communicate their distinct value to players everywhere. When not playing or writing about board games or DnD, he is busy hiking, cooking, and gardening... very hobbit-like for a 6'4" dude. 

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