If the imaginations of players and DMs are the fuel of the AD&D® game, encounters are the engine that makes it go. Without encounters, nothing happens. Without encounters, player characters can’t slay fearsome trolls, rescue the villagers from a band of orcs, chase down a petty thief, outwit an evil wizard, or humble a mighty tyrant. Encounters make up the plot of the adventure, each in some way furthering the tale or building the background of your campaign world. Without encounters, without the opportunity to meet and deal with others, your campaign world is just going nowhere.
To use encounters, it is important to understand what they are. An encounter is a meeting with an NPC or monster, or an event that might affect the player characters. As DM, you:
- Create in advance the thing, person, event, or monster encountered
- Describe the scene of the encounter to the players
- Role-play the reactions of all creatures involved, except the player characters
- Describe the results of player character actions during the encounter.
These are a big part of the DM’s duties in a role-playing game (in addition to the task of interpreting the rules and handling the mechanics of play).
What is an Encounter?
An encounter is best defined by two broad criteria. If the described event lacks either of these, it isn’t a true encounter. It may be a described scene, an event, or a bit of mundane business, but it is not a role-playing encounter.
First, an encounter must involve a thing, an event, NPCs (characters or monsters), or DM-controlled player character. A meeting of two player characters (handled by the players alone) is not an encounter. It is an action between the players themselves.
Second, an encounter must present the possibility of a meaningful change in a player character’s abilities, possessions, or knowledge, depending upon the player’s decisions. The keys here are meaningful change and player decision. For a character with 500 gp in his pocket, going into a tavern and spending three gp on drinks is not a meaningful change. If the character had to spend the same 500 gp in the same tavern to get information about the Black Tower across the river, the character has experienced a meaningful change – he’s now broke.
If the player doesn’t make a decision, then he’s just coasting along, letting the DM do everything. Going into a tavern and spending three gp on food and drink isn’t much of a decision. Choosing to go bankrupt to learn what may or may not be useful information is fairly significant. The player is going to have to think about the choice. How badly does he want this information? How reliable is this informant? Does he need the money for something else – like new equipment? Can he get a better price?
The presence of an active force and the possibility for change based on player decision are what make a true role-playing encounter. Take, for example, the situations given below. Try to figure out which of the four is a true encounter, as defined above.
1. Rupert and Algorond, a gnome, are exploring a cave. Algorond is in the lead. Without any warning the ceiling directly over him collapses, crushing the little gnome instantly. He is dead, and all Rupert can do is dig out the body.
2. Rupert, a 10th-level fighter, meets three lowly orcs. They charge and, not surprisingly, Rupert slices them to ribbons. He isn’t even harmed. Searching the chamber, he finds a sword +1. Rupert already has a sword +3 and is not particularly interested in this weapon.
3. Rupert reaches into his pocket only to discover that the gem he pried from a heathen idol is gone! Thinking about it, he decides the only person who could have taken it was his fellow party member (and player character) Ragnar the Thief. Unhesitatingly, he whips out his sword and holds it at Ragnar’s throat. Ragnar reaches for his hidden dagger.
4. Rupert and Taras Bloodheart are riding across the plain. Just as they crest a low ridge, they see a cloud of smoke and dust in the distance. They halt and watch for a little while. The dust cloud slowly moves in their direction, while the smoke dwindles. Moving their horses to a hollow, they watch the approach of the mysterious cloud from a thicket.
So, which of these four is a true encounter? Only the last one. The first didn’t involve any player choice. The gnome is crushed, and there wasn’t anything either player character could do about it. Not only is this not an encounter, it isn’t fair. It could have been an encounter (with a trapped ceiling), if there had been signs beforehand (clattering stones, previous deadfalls, groaning stones) and if the gnome had been given the opportunity to act before the rock squashed him. The player choice could have been to heed or ignore the warnings and leap forward, back, or stand confused when the rock fell.
The second had player choice, but it wasn’t particularly meaningful or balanced. The player knew his character could win the combat so his choice to fight was insignificant. He knew the sword was less potent than the one he already had, so his choice not to keep it was, likewise, not a choice at all. The situation could have been an encounter if the orcs had actually been ogres concealed by an illusion or if the sword had special unrevealed powers. Either of these would have made the character’s actions meaningful.
The third situation has all the trappings of an encounter. There is meaningful choice and anything could happen next. However, this is a squabble between player characters, not something the DM has control over. It does not further the plot or develop campaign background. Indeed, such disharmony will only hurt the game in the long run. It could have become an encounter if an invisible NPC thief had done the deed instead of Ragnar. Rupert and Ragnar, eventually realizing the confusion, would have suddenly found themselves united in a new purpose – to find the culprit. Of course, there would also be role-playing opportunity as Rupert tried to make amends while Ragnar remembered the insult!
The fourth example is a true encounter, even though it doesn’t seem like much is happening. The players have made significant decisions, particularly to stay and investigate, and they are faced by an unknown creature. They do not know what they face and they do not know if it will be for good or ill. The dust cloud could be a djinni or a hostile air elemental. It could be a war-band of 100 orcs or giant lizards. The players don’t know but have decided to take the risk of finding out.
In role-playing games, encounters fall into one of two general categories – planned (or placed) encounters and random (or wandering) encounters. Each contributes to the overall excitement and adventure of the game.
Planned Encounters
A planned encounter is one the DM has prepared in advance, one tied to a specific place, event, or condition. These can be divided into keys and triggers.
Keys
The simplest of planned encounters is called a key – a listing of who lives where, what they have, and what they might do if a character enters their room, visits their farm, or explores their cave. This key can also contain colorful details about otherwise boring or empty rooms, creating detail for the player characters to explore. Here’s how a sample key for ogre’s den, a three-chambered cave, might be written.
- Main Chamber: One passage of this chamber leads to the outside, a narrow cleft in the rock hidden behind some bushes. Following this, the passage widens after 10′. The walls are coated with soot and there is a large pit in the center of the floor filled with ashes and charred bits of bone. The ashes are warm and the rocks of the pit are still hot to the touch. The chamber stinks of burned meat and leather. There is a lot of rubbish on the floor but there is nothing of value here. At the far end, the cleft once again narrows to a passage.
- Sleeping Chamber: Here the air is thick with smells of animal sweat and worse. There is a loud rumbling from the far side of the chamber. There, sleeping under a mound of crudely skinned furs, is a large ogre. Next to him is a large wooden club. Hanging from the walls are bits of bright cloth, shiny buckles, and tarnished badges. A few simple torches, now unlit, are wedged in the cracks.
If the characters don’t move slowly in this room, one will kick a metal helmet across the floor, waking the ogre. Groggy for one round, he then attacks the group. Just beyond the nest is another passage. - Treasure Room: The entrance to this chamber is blocked by a large boulder that must be rolled into the room to get it out of the way. Characters must roll a successful bend bar/lift gates check to move it. (Several characters can work together, totaling their chances into a single roll.) Inside the room are the treasures of the ogre. These include 500 gp, 3 gems (worth 10, 500, and 100 gp), a suit of chain mail +1 the beast cannot use, and a mound of horse trappings, bridles, and saddles. Aside from the bats, there are no creatures in the chamber.
When you write a key, describe the way the scene looks as accurately as possible. Also think what sounds the player characters might hear, what they’d smell, what the place feels like, and so on. Writing a good key is like writing a good story. At the very least, include the following information for every location:
- Any monsters or NPCs found there
- What equipment and magical items the monsters will use
- Any other magical items that can be found in the room
- Any treasure (and its location)
- Any other unusual items of interest. This can include colorful details to help you describe the area or clues to warn characters of danger ahead.
The key can also include special conditions that must be met while in the area. In the example above, there were penalties for not being alert and cautious (kicking the helmet) and requirements for Strength (moving the boulder).
However, keys are static – things don’t change that much. No matter whether the characters enter at noon or midnight, the ogre will be sleeping. He won’t be cooking his dinner, out hunting, or picking his teeth with his toes.
For fairly simple scenes this is fine, but the situation gets ridiculous for more complicated situations. Imagine a farm where the farmer was always in the field or a castle where dinner was continually being served!
Static also means that events in one place don’t affect things in another. If the characters heave the boulder out of the way, won’t the noise awaken the ogre? Not according to the description as it is given, although a good DM would certainly consider the possibility. Writing a key that takes all these potential inconsistencies into account isn’t easy. To be complete, you would have to design the key in your head, figuring out all the interconnections, before you wrote anything down.
There are two solutions to this problem: You can try to be complete and thorough, preparing answers for every possible situation, or you can reduce the amount of detail you give about creature behaviors and improvise answers as you play. To describe a farmhouse, you could simply note the occupants (their ages and the like) and the significant possessions at the farm. The activity of the NPCs can be adjusted to the moment – working in fields, sleeping, eating, etc.
Trying to pre-plan for every eventuality is time-consuming – there is a fair amount of planning and writing you must do. Improvising cuts down on preparation, but forces you to work harder during the game. The best solution is to compromise: Carefully detail the most important planned encounters and simply sketch out and improvise the small encounters. This way you are not overwhelmed in preparation or play.
Triggers
Another type of planned encounter is the trigger. It can be used with a key or by itself. A trigger is a simple either/or or if/then type of statement. It is used for more interactive types of encounters, where the action of the event is what is important, such as the kidnapping described below.
The next episode occurs at 1 o’clock in the morning: If any character is still awake, he hears a muffled scream coming from the balcony of the room next door. If the characters investigate, they will discover two hooded men (6th-level thieves) attempting to drag a struggling young woman over the railing. One man has her firmly gripped from behind, his hand clamped over her mouth. The other is hoisting her legs over the side. A confederate waits with the horses on the ground below. If the characters do nothing, there will be a crash as she kicks over a flower urn, followed by a muttered curse and then the galloping of horses.
If the characters are noticed, the unburdened man wheels to face them, drawing two swords, one in each hand. The woman attempts to break free, only to be struck unconscious by the other man. The man on the ground quietly cocks a crossbow and aims it at the party, keeping an eye out for spellcasters.
Here everything is dependent upon previous and current choices of action. Is a character awake? Will the characters investigate? How will they react to the kidnappers? Each decision molds subsequent events. The characters might leap to the young woman’s rescue or they might rouse themselves only in time to see the kidnappers gallop off with her tied to the saddle. Their actions could alter planned events. Coming to her aid, the characters rescue the lady. As DM you must be ready to tell her story. Why was she attacked? Who were they? Are there any clues the characters can find?
To write this type of encounter, first outline the basic sequence of events that would happen if the characters did not interfere. Next, think like a player and try to anticipate what the characters might do. Would they aid the lady? If so, you will need combat information – how the attackers will fight and what weapons and tactics they will use. What happens if the characters try to sound the alarm or talk to the kidnappers? What will the lady say if rescued? At least a brief note should be made to account for the probable reactions of the player characters.
As complete as you make them, triggers are not without their weaknesses. While very good at describing a scene, a trigger does not provide much background information. In the event above, there is no description of the room, the attackers, the lady’s history, etc. There could be, but including it would be extra work, and description would also get in the way of the action.
A less critical problem is that DMs can’t anticipate every action of the player characters. No matter how carefully a trigger is constructed, there is always something the characters can do to upset the situation. In the example above, what if the characters panic and a mage launches a fireball at the attackers? In a flash of flame, they and their victim are killed and the building is on fire. Prescient is the DM who can anticipate this event!
There is no simple solution for unpredictable players (nor would you want one!). As a DM you are never going to be able to predict every player decision. Experience, both as a player and a DM, teaches you what the most likely actions are. Beyond these you must improvise, relying on your skill as a DM.
Combining Keys and Triggers
Many DMs make use of a dual arrangement for preparing encounters. First they prepare a key, describing the appearance of the encounter locations, items in them, and other things that are relatively non-changing. Then they write triggers focusing on the characters and the actions.
When they need to describe a room, they rely on the key, while the trigger describes the plot of the adventure. Although this requires a little more set-up, this allows different events to happen in the same place or area, giving a feeling of continuity to the adventure and campaign.
Random Encounters
In addition to planned encounters, the DM also runs random encounters. These aren’t tied to a specific place or event. They are based on chance.
During the course of an adventure, the DM makes encounter checks, rolling a die to determine if a random encounter occurs. If one does, the DM chooses or randomly rolls for an encounter using a random encounter table he has prepared or one provided with a published adventure. Complete random encounter tables are provided in the Monstrous Compendium. These can be updated and replaced as new creatures are added to the 2nd Edition AD&D game.
When a check indicates an encounter is imminent, a creature or NPC determined by the encounter tables will arrive in the area in the next few minutes to investigate. Many encounters end in combat, but this isn’t necessary – it is possible to talk to intelligent creatures, whether in the dungeon, out in the wilderness, or on the streets of a town or city.
Should You Use Random Encounters?
Some argue that random encounters are foolish and should not be used. These people maintain that everything should be under the control of the DM, that there should be no surprises for him while playing the game.
Certainly, random encounters can be abused through overuse, and they can create illogical encounters. (The word foolish would certainly apply to the DM who allowed the characters to be attacked by an orc war-band in the middle of a peaceful human city!) However, when used judiciously, random encounters add to everyone’s fun in a couple of ways.
Variety: Random encounters introduce variety the player characters didn’t expect. The characters, exploring a dungeon, become overconfident if they only encounter monsters in chambers and rooms. Random encounters remind them that any second could be dangerous, no matter where they are.
DM Challenge: Random encounters make the game more exciting for the DM. The game has to be fun and challenging for him as well as the players. Part of the challenge for the DM is to improvise an encounter on the spot. The DM gets involved and excited, improving the play of the game.
To use a random encounter, the DM doesn’t just open his rulebook and blindly pick a monster (although there is nothing that says he can’t do this). Instead, he uses or creates specific tables that are tailored to the needs of the adventure and adventuring area, by including only those monsters or NPCs that are appropriate to the setting.
Characteristics of Random Encounter Tables
All encounter tables share certain concepts. Before you begin creating your own tables, some understanding of these basics is necessary.
Uniqueness: Although one could create a single encounter table and use it for every situation, this is a grievous limitation on the wealth and detail possible in a campaign world. Encounter tables add distinction and differentiation to areas. Encounter tables can reflect conditions as basic as terrain or as complicated as entire social structures.
This in mind, the DM should decide where in the campaign world each encounter table applies. A single table could be made for all deserts; a separate table could be made for the Desert of Shaar, which is noted for its fabulous beasts; a further table could be made for the ten-mile area around the Palace of Yasath in the Desert of Shaar, where the Emir of Yasath maintains patrols to keep the beasts at bay. Within the palace an entirely different encounter table would be needed, since the patrols don’t tramp through the hallways and harems.
Each table says something about the conditions in a particular area – the level of civilization, the degree of danger, even the magical weirdness of the area. Although the players never see the entire table, such tables help the DM define for himself the nature of his campaign world.
Frequency: All monsters have a frequency of appearance, whether given in the monster’s description or assumed by the DM. Orcs are more common than minotaurs, which are seen more often than dragons, which, in turn, are seen more often than Tiamat, Evil Queen of the Dragons. Frequency of appearance is normally listed as common, uncommon, rare, very rare, and unique.
Common creatures normally account for 70% of the local population. They may be more prolific or just more outgoing, more likely to show themselves to strangers.
Uncommon monsters fill the next 20%. They are fewer in number and tend to be more wary of outsiders.
Rare creatures account for another 7%. Such creatures are normally solitary, exceptionally powerful, or very retiring.
Very rare creatures constitute only 3% of the population. They are truly exotic and almost always extremely powerful. They may be creatures who have wandered far from their normal range or whose magical nature is such that not many can possibly exist at any one time in any one place.
Unique monsters are just that. They are individuals, specific and named. Such creatures should never be used on random encounter tables. They are reserved for planned encounters.
The chance of encounter is not determined solely by the frequency listing, however. The DM should also take into account a location’s terrain or deadliness. A polar bear can be considered unique only in the tropics and is very rare at best even in the northernmost reaches of temperate lands. An orc living in the deadliest area of an ancient ruin, an area populated by a dragon, mind flayers, and medusae, would be very rare indeed (and very lucky to be alive). Frequency must be modified to suit conditions.
Frequency must also be subservient to the conditions the DM desires to create. If the DM wants a valley filled with magical creatures of incredible deadliness, then rare and very rare creatures are going to be more frequent. A lost valley filled with dinosaurs defies the normal chances of encountering such beasts. Indeed, they could only be considered unique elsewhere.
Furthermore, frequency does not mean characters will encounter a creature 70% or 20% of the time, only that it falls into a group that composes that percentage of the population. The percentages and ratings given are not demographic data; they are only guidelines.
Several common creatures will compose the bulk of the population, so that the chance of meeting any particular type is less than 70%. The same is true for all the other categories. In the end, the chance of meeting a particular type of common creature is still greater than that of meeting an uncommon or very rare creature.
Logic: The other significant factor restricting encounter tables is rationality. Everything on the encounter table should be justifiable for one reason or another. By requiring justification, the DM can quickly narrow his range of creature choices down to a reasonable number, in essence winnowing the chaff from the wheat.
The first and easiest criteria are terrain and temperature. Camels aren’t found in jungles; kraken don’t crawl across deserts. Glaring contradictions of logic must be justified. Produce a woodland dryad in the middle of a barren waste and the players are going to demand some explanation. Worse yet, they may assume the encounter is significant
to the adventure because it is so illogical, which may in turn throw your entire adventure off track.
Even if the creature fits a given terrain, it may not be appropriate to the setting. Just because an orc can appear on the plains doesn’t mean it should, not if those plains are at the heart of a fiercely guarded human empire. Out on the fringes where raiding bands could slip across the border would be a far more appropriate place.
As important as terrain and temperature in assessing the logic of a random encounter is the character of the society the table is supposed to reflect. Balance what the players expect to meet with what would make a good adventure. At the heart of an empire, the characters would expect to find farmers, merchants, nobles. priests, and the like. The task for the DM is to find ways to make these seemingly ordinary encounters interesting.
In wilderness areas and abandoned ruins, there may not be a particular culture to consider. However, there is a society of sorts or, more accurately, an ecosystem. This is often overlooked in dungeon settings. Just which creatures feed on which? What relationships exist that allow all manner of diverse creatures to live in the same place without annihilating each other? Does a creature’s random appearance make sense with what the characters know about the place? Medusae make poor wandering monsters, since logic says there should be statues of their victims in areas where they live. To round a corner and run into a medusa who just happens to be strolling the caverns grates against logic.
Effect: Finally, as DM, consider the role of the random encounter. Such an encounter is not a part of the adventure being told; it hasn’t been worked into the plot and doesn’t advance the conflicts. A random encounter should not be the most exciting event of an adventure. You don’t want the players remembering only the random encounter and forgetting the story you worked to create!
Random encounters provide breaks in the action and can build or release tension. The characters are galloping after the desperately fleeing kidnappers. Suddenly a flight of griffins, attracted by the clamor of the chase, swoop down, aiming to make a meal of the player characters’ horses. The kidnappers may escape unless the characters can extricate themselves from the attack in mere moments! The tension level goes up.
Random encounters can also wear the player characters down in preparation for a larger, planned encounter. The uncertainty of the encounters adds an element of risk for the players. Will the characters be strong enough? A random encounter should rarely cripple a party (unless they are in a sorry state to begin with), but each one should weaken them a little.
It doesn’t matter if the player characters win every random encounter, especially not if they are down a few more hit points, spells, and magical items after each. Just knowing they are not at peak form and that they have expended their abilities on wandering monsters makes the players nervous.
For these reasons, you don’t want to use the most powerful and significant creatures when creating random encounter tables. You certainly don’t want to use creatures that are more powerful than those in the rest of your adventure! Random monsters should be less significant than those you have planned.
Creating Encounter Tables
There are a multitude of ways a DM can create encounter tables (as many ways as there are different ranges of die rolls). The choices range from very simple (roll 1d6 for one of six possible choices) to very complicated (roll percentile dice, modify for time of day and weather and cross-index the result with the terrain). With this, and the common characteristics described above in mind, you can create random encounter tables for virtually any situation.
As already noted, an encounter table can be constructed around virtually any type of die or dice roll. Two of the best, however are the 2-20 table and the percentile table. Both provide a wide enough range of results to account for the varying frequency of appearance of the monsters the DM wants to use.
The 2-20 Table
This table has nineteen openings (although, by doubling up on some entries, more or less than nineteen different encounters can appear on the table). The 2-20 number is generated by adding the roll of 1d8 to that of 1d12. Thus, 2s and 20s are very rare, while there is an equal chance for results from 9 through 13. Monsters are assigned specific positions on the table according to their frequency, as shown on Table 54.
*Or choice of two very rare creatures, 50% chance of each
**Or choice of two rare creatures, 50% chance of each
To fill the table, the DM first selects those monsters he wishes to use on the table and counts how many of each type he has. If he has fewer of a given type than the chart provides for, he can repeat entries. If he has more, he either drops some creatures or doubles up some entries.
For example, say the DM is creating an encounter chart for the Desert of Shaar. First he chooses his possible encounters:
Common
Camel
Giant centipede
Herd animal
Ogre
Ore
Huge spider
Uncommon
Basilisk
Brass dragon
Caravan
Hobgoblin
Nomads
Giant scorpion
Rare
Chimera
Pilgrims
Harpy
Dervishes
Salamander
Very rare
Djinni
E&eeti
Lamia
The table has six common entries, six uncommon entries, five rare, and three very rare entries. There are also two spots that could be rare or very rare. The DM chooses to arrange his encounters as shown:
| Dice Roll 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 |
Frequency Lamia Djinni Harpy Pilgrims Dervishes Basilisk Caravan/Hobgoblins Huge spider Ogre Camel/Herd animal Giant centipede Orc Nomads Giant scorpion Dervishes Chimera Salamander Lamia Djinni |
The DM chose not to use the brass dragon or the efreeti, saving these powerful creatures for a special, planned encounter in his adventure. He justifies the presence of the djinni on the table by deciding that it will be helpful to the party, giving them a useful clue about the adventure (unless, of course, they foolishly attack it). To fill the spots of the creatures he set aside, the DM repeated a few entries, meaning they may show up slightly more frequently than might be expected.
The Percentile Table
This is another simple form of encounter table. Here, the creature frequency percentages can be used directly. To create a percentile table, the DM repeats the steps given above for selecting and grouping his encounters, again opting not to use the efreeti or the brass dragon. Then the number of creatures at each frequency is divided into the percentage for that frequency (70%, 20%, 7%, and 3%, respectively, for common, uncommon, rare, and very rare). In the earlier example, the list includes six common monsters (70%), resulting in an 11% spread per monster (66% total). This is repeated for the monsters in each category. The resulting number is the dice range for each creature. Using these values as a guide, he arranges the creatures into a table.
| D100 Roll | Creature | |
| Common | ||
| 01-11 12-22 23-33 34-44 45-55 56-66 |
Camel Giant centipede Herd animal Ogre Orc Huge spider |
|
| Uncommon | ||
| 67-70 71-74 75-78 79-82 83-86 |
Basilisk Caravan Hobgoblins Nomads Giant scorpion |
|
| Rare | ||
| 87-88 89-90 91-92 93-95 96-97 |
Chimera Pilgrims Harpy Dervishes Salamander |
|
| Very Rare | ||
| 98-99 00 |
Lamia Djinni |
|
Using this method the DM was able to remain reasonably faithful to the frequency percentages for different creatures: 66% as opposed to 70% for common; 20% exactly for uncommon; 11% as opposed to 7% for rare; and 3% for very rare. In creating this table, the DM had to make adjustments here and there to account for all percentage numbers, but doing so allowed him to increase the emphasis on certain monsters.
Dungeon Encounter Tables
Dungeon encounter tables are normally set up according to levels – 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. Each level is a relative measure of the power of those creatures on it. In general, the level of the table corresponds to character level, although characters may also encounter and defeat (or be challenged by) creatures from higher or lower level tables. Generally, when adventuring in a dungeon, characters should meet random encounters that are equal to or no more than two levels higher or lower than their own.
Sometimes dungeons themselves are arranged in levels (although this is by no means required). In this case, the dungeon level and the encounter table correspond. Characters on the 1st-level of the dungeon would encounter creatures from the first level encounter table. This not only keeps the power of the monsters in line with the strength of a typical party, it also maintains the logical structure of the dungeon level. It doesn’t make much sense for extremely powerful monsters to mingle freely (and without consequence) among the weaker creatures that inhabit the level.
Determining dungeon level: Figuring the appropriate level for a particular creature is simple. Look up or calculate the experience points of the creature and check this number on Table 55, below. This will tell you where to place the creature.
| Table 55: DUNGEON LEVEL | |
| XP | Creature Level |
| 1-20 | 1 |
| 21-50 | 2 |
| 51-150 | 3 |
| 151-250 | 4 |
| 251-500 | 5 |
| 501-1,000 | 6 |
| 1,001-3,000 | 7 |
| 3,001-5,500 | 8 |
| 5,501-10,000 | 9 |
| 10,000+ | 10 |
When constructing the encounter table, creatures with a greater or lesser power than the table being designed can be used. However, each level of difference between creature and table decreases the frequency of appearance by one (a common creature becomes uncommon, a rare creature would be very rare, and so on). Creatures less powerful than the given level seldom venture into such dangerous territocy. Creatures more powerful are seldom met to ensure the player characters have a decent chance of survival. After adjustment, these creatures can be added to the table.
In addition, there is a chance that an encountered creature will be more powerful than expected: When designing a 2-20 table, the 20 result could be “Use next highest table”; if a percentile table is used, 98-100 could bump the DM to the next table. Thus, players would never be assured of safety or good odds.
Wilderness Encounter Tables
Unlike the dungeon tables, those used for the wilderness are not so neatly organized according to deadliness or power. One principle of wilderness adventuring (which makes it more dangerous for low-level characters) is that virtually any creature can be met – and often in sizeable numbers. This is a risk the players should be aware of before they take their characters out into the untracked forest.
This does not mean that wilderness adventuring should be impossible for low-level characters. It shouldn’t be so deadly that they can’t walk three steps before a flight of red dragons appears and turns them to ash with one fiery breath! That’s just bad refereeing. Low-level characters should have the opportunity to go on wilderness adventures that they can survive.
Perhaps an area of the nearby forest is regularly patrolled by the King’s Wardens who drive off the greater threats to the safety of the population. Lone monsters often escape their notice and sometimes raid the outlying farms. Special enconnter tables can be created to reflect the lower levels of monsters that do manage to lurk in these woods, providing low-level characters with a decent but not overpowering challenge.
The greatest consideration in creating wilderness encounter tables is to have a separate table for each type of terrain. These need not be created all at once, although tables must exist for the terrain-types the characters have to enter during the course of an adventur.e. Different terrain types that can be used include the following:
Aerial
Arctic
Bush
Coastal
Desert, hot or cold
Farmland
Glacier
Grasslands
Jungle, sub-tropical
Jungle, tropical
Lake
Mountains, high
Mountains, low
Ocean, deep
Ocean, shallows
Parkland
Plains
Prehistoric
Rain forest
Salt marsh
Steppe
Swamp, tropical
Swamp, temperate
Temperate forest
Tundra
Wilderness encounter tables can reflect more than just terrain. There are differences between the jungles of Africa and those of Asia or South America. Different areas of jungle (or plains or whatever) can have different properties in a fantasy world, too.
Furthermore, an area’s level of civilization should be taken into account. There might be tables for settled farmlands, border areas, and barely explored plains. All cover the same type of terrain, but there are vast differences in the types of encounters.
Special Encounter Tables
In addition to tables for dungeons and wilderness areas, the DM can create others for any type of special situation he creates. The most common of these are encounter tables for towns and cities. These are not properly wildernesses and certainly aren’t dungeons. The players shouldn’t expect to meet bands of ravening beasts intent on death and destruction (unless it’s a very peculiar city!).
Town and city encounters will be with people, mostly player character races, of different social classes and occupations. Guardsmen, merchants, beggars, urchins, teamsters, and craftsmen plying their trade are all likely encounters for a city.
A single encounter table will do for most small villages and towns. Such places have a great deal in common, although the DM can certainly create distinctions between villages on the coast and those well inland.
Cities, however, tend to have unique characters. Just as Los Angeles is different from New York or Paris from Marseilles, different cities in a fantasy world should feel different to the characters. Each major city should have a unique encounter table to reflect these differences.
Indeed, even within a city there may be different encounter tables to reflect the character of the city’s districts. The villas on the hillside are no less dangerous than the waterfront, but these dangers take more subtle and insidious forms.
In the end, there is no limit to the degree of subdivision that can be applied to encounter tables. Cities, individual districts, specific complexes within those districts, and buildings within those complexes could all have separate encounter tables. However, they do not need to. The DM should only concern himself with those areas he knows or thinks the players are going to frequent! There is no reason to do pointless work – the DM has enough responsibility already.
For example, suppose the DM decides to create tables for the Empire of Orrim. Orrim stretches from the Harr Mountains to the Sea of Faldor. North of it lies the Forest of Bane, a place noted for its evil denizens. Most of the empire is agricultural, but the mountain district is heavily devoted to mining. Several large, underground complexes have been built:
There are two major cities – Sulidam, the capital, located on the coast, and Coralport, a pirate stronghold on an island offshore. To limit his work, the DM decides to start the characters in a small village of the mining district, close to an abandoned mine (his dungeon).
First, the DM creates the following tables:
- Dungeon levels 1-4 (for the abandoned mine)
- Village encounters
- Black Opal Inn (the residence of the player characters)
After a while, the characters want to go exploring. Now the DM adds some new encounter tables to his collection. These include:
- Settled mountains (for low-level wilderness)
- High mountains (for more dangerous adventures)
- Settled plains (for when the characters travel to the capital)
Working in this manner, the DM gradually creates a complete set of encounter tables. When he is finished, his collection might look like this, in addition to those already mentioned.
Farmland
Forest of Bane
Forest borderlands
Mountain borderlands
Settled seacoast
Shallow ocean
Waterfront distict, Sulidam
Nobles’ district, Sulidam
Artisans’ district, Sulidam
Slums, Sulidam
Temple of Martens (a powerful cult of Sulidam)
Sewers of Sulidam
Emperor’s Palace
City of Crypts (a cemetery outside Sulidam)
Dungeon of Theos (under an evil wizard’s villa in Sulidam)
Coralport
Coralport jungles
The Harpooned Whale, an inn of Coralport
Hargast Mine (an opening to the Underdark)
By creating the tables gradually, the campaign world slowly begins to define itself and take shape before players’ eyes.
Spicing Up Encounter Tables
There are several things that can be done to make encounter tables both easier and more exciting to use. Some of these are strictly for the convenience of the DM, making the job of running the game easier. Others are different ways to pose exciting challenges for players, keeping everyone from being bored.
The first trick is to include basic monster statistics along with each entry on an encounter table. While this means taking a little longer to set up an encounter table, it also means the DM doesn’t have to stop and look up information as often in the middle of the game. A shorthand notation similar to the one given below can be used.
Creature – APP #, AT # , THAC0 #, D #, AC #, HD #, MV #, special notes on attacks and defenses
APP lists the number of creatures likely to appear. This is given as a die range.
AT is the number of attacks the creature can make.
THAC0 is the combat value of the creature (see Chapter 9: Combat).
D is the damage caused by a successful hit; more than one entry may be needed here.
AC is the creature’s Armor Class.
HD tells how many Hit Dice the creature has; hit points aren’t given since this should vary from encounter to encounter.
MV is the creature’s movement rate.
Special notes should remind the DM of any special abilities, magical items, or defenses the creature might possess.
For DMs willing to devote more time to advance preparation, another good trick is to slowly build a collection of file cards describing special encounters. Each card could have a more detailed description of a person, creature, group, or thing on it.
Once the DM has this collection, “Special Encounter” entries can be added to random encounter tables. When a special encounter occurs, the DM chooses a card from his collection and uses the detailed information there to role-play the encounter. Some possible special encounters include:
The den or lair of a creature, complete with a small map, short key, tactics, and special treasure. (For example, “The nest of a female wyvern and her brood located in an aerie on the side of cliff. Woven into the nest are two suits of chain mail +1”)
A detailed description of an NPC, including weapons, magical items, spells (if any), goods, physical appearance, attitudes, companions, and perhaps even a mission or story. (For example, “The friar seeking companionship along a lonely trail who is really a bandit leading the party into a trap.”)
A cunning trap describing detailed workings and effects. (For example, “A kobold deadfall meant to gather fresh meat rigged in an old mine corridor.”)
A vignette complete with characters, actions, and motives. (For example, “A near riot breaks out on a city street after a band of Voorish outlanders, squabbling with a merchant, overturn his melon cart.”)
The great advantage of these special encounters is that there is no requirement to use them at any given time. The DM can prepare such cards in his spare time and produce them whenever he needs them. Players will become convinced that the DM is a genius, and his game will never be dull.
Random encounters need not be limited to NPCs and monsters. All manner of things can be included, dangerous or just mysterious. Other possibilities for encounter tables include:
Shrieks in the distance
Traps
Changes in the weather
Rustling of nearby bushes
Lights in the distance
Celestial wonders
Sudden gusts of wind
The clatter of a rock falling from the ceiling
All of these help build atmosphere. Furthermore, if these are cleverly mixed with real encounters that begin in similar ways, players become attentive and involved. Exploring a dark, dank cave where hideous beasts may live, with only a guttering torch, should be a nervous and scary event. Adding “fake” random encounters will give players some idea of the uncertainty their characters experience. If nothing else, this kind of encounter will give players some respect for the risks their imaginary characters are taking!
DMing Encounters
Encounter tables are created before play begins. During a game session, the DM has to take the information he has put into the encounter tables and bring it to life.
To use an encounter table and run an encounter, the DM needs to know several things: How often should he check for encounters? What is encountered? How many creatures are there? How far away are they? Did they surprise, or were they surprised by, the characters? What will the encountered group do? The rules below tell you how to answer these questions.
Encounter Checks
The DM knows when a planned encounter is to occur, based on the conditions or location he has prepared. The same is not true of random encounters. For these, the DM must make encounter checks.
Frequency of Encounter Checks: How often the DM makes encounter checks depends on the situation. Different types of terrain (or dungeons) may make checks more or less frequent. Furthermore, the type of terrain and population density will affect the chance the characters have a meaningful encounter. Table 56 lists both the frequency of checks and the chance that an encounter will occur for the most common wilderness situations. If characters are adventuring in other types of terrain, the DM can use a comparable entry from the table or can determine frequency and chance of encounter himself.
Encounter Chance: This lists the number or less that must be rolled on 1d10 for an encounter to occur.
Time of Day: If an x appears under a specific time of day, an encounter check should be made. This does not ensure an encounter, it only requires the check for one.
The chance of having an encounter can be modified by several factors. Foremost of these is population density. The chances of an encounter listed on Table 56 assume an unpopulated wilderness area.
Wilderness Checks: If the region is patrolled or sparsely settled, the chance of an encounter increases by one. In heavily populated areas, the chance of an encounter increases by two. These modifiers should not be used unless the DM has specially prepared encounter tables to reflect the differences between settled lands and wilderness, however.
The DM can also choose to modify the chance of an encounter for any other reason he feels is justified. If the characters have been making excessive noise or if the village alarm has been sounded, the DM can increase the chance of an encounter. The DM can even decide arbitrarily that an encounter will occur, although it can hardly be considered random anymore.
Dungeon Checks: Encounter checks in the dungeon are not affected by terrain (since there isn’t really any terrain to consider). Normally, one encounter check is made every hour, with an encounter occurring on a roll of 1 on 1d10.
If the DM deems considers part of a dungeon particularly dangerous, the number of checks can be increased to once per turn (10 minutes of game time). The DM can also increase the chance of an encounter occurring. If the characters engage in an activity that makes excessive noise (hammering spikes or taking part in a loud battle), an encounter check should be made immediately.
Is This Encounter Necessary?
Any time the DM feels his adventure is dragging along or that characters are getting over-confident, he can declare a random encounter. Likewise if he feels that a random encounter would hurt the adventure, he can ignore one that’s called for. Good judgment and story considerations are more important than slavish devotion to procedure.
Encounter Size
If the DM decides that, yes, this encounter should happen, he determines how many creatures or NPCs appear. There is no quick and easy formula for this. Experience is the best guide. The Monstrous Compendium lists a typical encounter size for each monster. Use this as a guideline, especially when you’re first starting out as a DM, but don’t follow this inflexibly.
When uncertain, use a small encounter. It is far better for a random encounter to be easily defeated by the player characters than it is for the monster to overwhelm them. An easy PC victory gives the DM information and experience (so he’ll know to increase the difficulty of the next encounter) without harming the player characters and his campaign. A crushing PC defeat is almost impossible to correct without obvious manipulation once the encounter has begun.
As always, use common sense when determining how big an encounter is. Nature provides some guidelines. Bear these in mind when figuring encounter size.
Many predators, especially those that hunt by night, are solitary creatures. A nocturnal fantasy creature might show up alone, as well.
Of the predators that hunt by daylight, some work alone while others cooperate in groups of two or three. One or two will attack the prey from one direction while the others wait for it to be flushed towards them. Such hunters are usually stronger and faster than their prey. Again, fantasy creatures can follow this pattern.
Smaller predators sometimes hunt in packs of 5 to 12, attempting to surround and harry a chosen victim. Herbivorous animals tend to favor herds and the company of others. Omnivores live in smaller groups and often have older members that act as guards. All of these factors can play a part in the size of a given encounter.
Surprise
Before an encounter begins, a check for surprise may be necessary. Given the right conditions, it is possible for either side in an encounter to surprise the other. In essence, the encounter is just as random for the monsters as it is for the player characters.
As noted in the Player’s Handbook, surprise is not always assured nor is the check always necessary. Light, excessive noise, and other types of prior warning can cancel the need for the check. Surprise isn’t usually possible when no form of concealment is possible (as in the case of two ships at sea), though darkness, storms, fog, and the like do act as concealment.
In some cases, one side may be able to surprise the other without the other group having the same opportunity. This is particularly true when the player characters are using lanterns or torches and the monsters are not. Seeing the light, the monsters can try to sneak closer and get the jump on the player characters.
When making a surprise roll, there are many factors that can increase or decrease the chance of surprise. Some of these are very exotic or very particular to a situation, but others can be anticipated. The more common modifiers are listed on Table 57. By comparing other situations to these modifiers, the DM has a guideline for making appropriate adjustments.
*A party anticipates attack when they have good cause to suspect immediate danger and know the likely general direction of an attack. A suspicious party is one that has grounds to believe another group might try to make a hostile move against them.
Encounter Distance
Once an encounter occurs, it is necessary to know the range at which the creatures might first be noticed. This distance is dependent first on whether or not either group is surprised or, if no surprise occurs, on the type of terrain the encounter occurs in. Encounter distances for different conditions and terrains are listed on Table 58.
In situations where no cover is possible, encounters will occur at the limit of vision unless special circumstances dictate otherwise.
While it is possible to spot another group at quite a distance, the characters or creatures may not be able to identify them immediately. The observation ranges given in the Player’s Handbook may require creatures to close in order to make a positive identification.
Encounter Reactions
Once the encounter is set and the DM is ready to role-play the situation, he needs to know how the NPCs or monsters will react. The creatures should react in the manner the DM thinks is most appropriate to the situation.
If the player characters charge a band of randomly encountered orcs with weapons drawn, the DM can easily say, “They snarl and leap to the defense!” Selection of the reaction based on the situation ensures rational behavior and avoids the illogical results that random die rolls can often give.
However, there are times when the DM doesn’t have a clue about what the monsters will do. This is not a disaster – it’s not even all that unusual. When this happens, the DM can randomly determine an encounter reaction by rolling for a result on Table 59. To use the table, roll 2d10 and add the numbers on the two dice. Increase or decrease this number by any modifiers in the creature description or the morale modifiers (see Table 50 in Chapter 9: Combat).
Using the column that most closely matches the behavior of the player characters, find the entry listed for modified die roll. The result is a general indication of how the creatures will react. This reaction must be interpreted by the DM to fit the situation.
Within these broad guidelines, a large number of specific reactions are possible.
Flight: Avoidance, panic, terror, or surrender.
Friendly: Kind, helpful, conciliatory, or simply non-aggressive.
Indifferent: Neutral, bored, businesslike, unconcerned, unimpressed, or simply oblivious.
Cautious: Suspicious, wary, dubious, paranoid, guarded, untrusting, or mildly conciliatory.
Threatening: Boastful, bravado, blustering, intimidating, short-tempered, or bluffing.
Hostile: Irritable, hot-tempered, aggressive, or violent.
Of course, a DM should never use a reaction he can’t justify. If the DM can’t see any reason for an evil efreeti to surrender to the charging player characters, it shouldn’t. The table is meant to be an aid to the DM, not an absolute decision-maker.
Fixing Things In Play
Sometimes, for all the good intentions of the DM, encounters don’t work out right. Correcting problems in play can be difficult, but there are times when it’s unavoidable. Here are some tricks you can use.
The Encounter is Too Difficult
The DM has accidentally pitted his player characters against a group of creatures too powerful for them, so much so that the player characters are doomed. To fix things, the DM can have the monsters flee in inexplicable panic; secretly lower their hit points; allow the player characters to hit or inflict more damage than they really should; have the monsters miss on attacks when they actually hit; have the creatures make grevious mistakes in strategy (like ignoring the thief moving in to strike from behind).
The Encounter Gave Away Too Much Treasure
Sometimes the DM discovers his random encounters gave away too much treasure. In this case, he can have more monsters of the same or more powerful type appear on the scene. (The first group stole the treasure and these fellows want it back; or the first was carrying the tribe’s treasury to safe-keeping; or the new group has been trailing the first to rob them, and now takes a very dim view of the characters getting all the loot.) In many ways this is like those westerns where everyone winds up fighting over the gold. In this case, the monsters don’t want to annihilate the player characters so much as get the loot and run.
The Encounter Was Too Easy
As long as the treasure the characters earned was not excessive, this is not a problem. The DM can always make things tougher for them in the next encounter.