Role-Play Opportunities in a Dungeon Crawl

[Thealtruistorc]

Heya. So in a few months I am going to be DMing a dungeon crawl event at a local convention, but I don't want it to be some boring hack-n-slash adventure where characters don't get to do much more than fight monsters. I want it to be memorable, to give players a chance to really strut their stuff and have a good time.

The dungeon itself is a massive ship (think fantasy aircraft carrier), and the players themselves have a goal of infiltrating the vessel and putting a stop to it before it does some serious damage (or, y'know, taking control of it or something. I'm not picky with what players are going to do). I already have several encounters planned out and a solid idea of how players will progress through it, but I'm interested in trying to involve the non-combat-savvy players as much as possible.

I have plenty of lore for this story and several interesting NPCs aboard the ship, but I really want players to get more out of it than combat. I want them to sort of get wrapped up in the thrill of the adventure and maybe get some creative moments out of the whole escapade.

What would you folks advise for excursions such as this? What sort of things can be done to really spice up a dungeon crawl?

[rockdeworld]

Well, you know, making it only combat doesn't necessarily mean it's not memorable (http://www.thecheesegrinder.com/).

Otherwise there's always "quirky group cabin A, B, C", for example:
-the guys who'll let you pass if you beat them at cards
-the guys who will fetch something you need or do a task if you pay them off
-the captured guys who just want a way off the ship

[marphod]

Plan for and allow for most encounters to be bypassed or overcome by non-combat methods.

Assuming you are building characters, rather than allowing the players to build:

Make sure there are PCs who have (mildly) conflicting secondary goals. (One wants the MacGuffin for themselves, another for their Lord, and a third for their Church).

Make sure character backgrounds include inter-player cues. (How long they've been adventuring together, how they met, personality quirks and irritations. Maybe some are family. etc.)

Give the collection a non-critical weakness that a Well Built Party wouldn't normally have (no one has Appraise; no one has Knowledge (Nobility); no long-range teleport options). Make sure that that comes up somehow (in a non-critical way).

[Geddy2112]

I think you fundamentally misunderstand the power of a dungeon crawl. Some of the best RP moment I have ever seen from a party happened in a dungeon. Because of the dungeon.

Here is a quick list of how to add roleplay to a dungeon.

1. Religion
If you have a cleric/paladin/oracle/religious druid/any other devout party member, you are playing on easy mode. Devout characters ABSOLUTELY LOVE finding images, shrines, symbols, swag, and alters of their deity. They also love finding those things about opposed deities and dealing with them. Say you have cleric who worships deity X, and you find a shrine to deity X. The party can pray, or maybe the cleric wants to protect shrine X, or can gain some insight or power through said shrine. Maybe solving the dungeon crawl is a divine duty. Maybe cleric hates deity Y, but the shrine is to deity Y. On this shrine is a weapon for the party melee dude, or a magical relic for the party arcanist. The party klepto might want both. How the party deals with this is great roleplay.

2. Innocent civilians/prisoners.
What happens when the party finds sentient humanoids in distress? They should be too weak/unable to hurt the party, but the party would have to see to their safety. Maybe there is info about the dungeon to be gained, but they have to be protected? Maybe they are used for sacrifice X, or ritual Y. Maybe they just got stuck. How the party treats random humanoids is a great RP moment, best when the party has all the power to choose their fate.

3. Sentient and intelligent "enemies"
Hordes of well hidden and mindless gelatinous cubes have a place in a dungeon. However, not all enemies are mindless, and some might be above fighting. A particularly polite vampire might settle for a nonlethal amount of blood. Other monsters might insist on tribute, or perhaps help out/further into the dungeon. A group of ogres exploring ran from the X in the next room/rooms and needs help, or maybe the kobolds fear their draconic overlord. Don't make every sentient being a "kill or be killed" encounter. Make potential allies and have multiple outcomes(make sure you stat them for when your party likely tries to kill them) for some of the more intelligent "opponents".

4. Add backstory details Perhaps PC #2 is looking for their sister. Have said sister's name scrabbled on the wall. Other PC is looking for a major challenge-indicate that the dungeon contains an X that is unbeatable. Another character is searching for magical artifacts- put an abnormally magical artifact in an otherwise inconspicuous chest.