Searching a dungeon, safely opening doors and chests, and other tasks are common in a dungeon adventure. They involve time, and the cost of spending time is the risk of Wandering Monsters. Time is measured in 10-minute long TURNS (or Exploration Turns). Wandering Monsters, under normal circumstances, are checked every 2nd turn, with a monster arriving on a 6+ on 1d6. Each character can perform ONE of these tasks during any turn spent searching or dealing with the surroundings. No more than 1 character can perform the same task on the same object at the same time.
| Task | Ability Check to Succeed | Skill Check to Succeed | Notes |
| Open Stuck Door or Chest | d20 STR | Buster | – |
| Pick Lock | d20 DEX with acid | Pick Locks | see Breaking Things |
| Break Door or Chest | d20 STR, multiple attempts | Buster | see Breaking Things; More Frequent WM checks at +2 |
| Check Door/Chest for Traps | d100 INT | Remove Traps | xxx |
| Check 60' hall for pits | d100 WIS | Stonework | xxx |
| Check 20' wall for secret doors | 6 on 1d6 | Secret Door Expert | Elves 5-6 on d6 without trying |
| Perform First Aid | d100 WIS | First Aid | within first hour |
| Remove Trap | xxx | Remove Trap | xxxx |
| Check door or chest for Poison | d100 INT | Detect Poison | xxx |
| Safely Search Dungeon Garbage | xxx | Searcher | without skill, must receive consequence |
| Examine Books for Worms | INT d100 | Bibliophile | Worms in “wormy” books are hard to see, damage is difficult to tell from normal time or water related damage |