#encounter tables

[rthwrms]

practicing my encounter tables for solo dnd cause its a delicate balance of future prep and leaving room for in-the-moment worldbuilding

[tenleaguesbeneath]

Write Encounters in Networks

A quick method for creating encounter tables that form a coherent ecosystem.

A couple systems to use when developing encounter tables, one for the structure of the table itself (based on a clever idea paperspencils had), and one for structuring the creatures on it and what their relationships are to each other, so that the encounter table reflects an ecology.

I think I like paperspencils' original structure, where half of the encounter table is "universal", threats that could show up almost anywhere, and the other half is just a few entries that reflect the place, tho having a "reroll on an adjacent region's table" entry is also a good idea, as is the ecological structuring of the random encounter types

[takato1993]

Fire and Ice Encounter Table

alright maybe if I try this digitally I can edit it and balance it better

encounter table for country of Eiswildnes

( my inspirations for this country are Fullmetal Alchemist, Smallfoot, Icewind Dale, and Fire and Ice 1983)

rules-balance between icy encounters, fiery encounters, combos of both, non combat encounters, and weather events

1) ice mephit 1d10

2) fire mephits 1d10 + pool of lava

3) combo

4) gentle snowfall

5) lost child

6) reindeer 3d10

1) snow golems 1d8

2) Hellhounds 1d6

3) combo

4) blizzard

5) merchant with dog sled

6) hellhound rescue dog squad

1) yetis riding mammoths 1d10

2) fire elementals 1d4

3) combo 

4) sunny day

5) local wizards

6) crag cat

1) remorhaz

2) young remorhaz 1d4

3) combo

4) extreme cold

5) hot spring!!

6) polar bear 1d4

1) ice giants 1d8 

2) fire giants 1d4

3) frost giant everlasting one + frost trolls OR fire giant dreadnaught + azers

4) hail

5)  crisscrossing wall of ice and wall of stone spells left behind from battles

6) mammoth

you know what doing it this way actually did help me out a lot anyway just enough left over for one more d6 table 

1) adult white dragon

2) snowy owlbear

3) magmin 1d8 + lava pool

4) yeti tyke 

5) chwinga

6) random snowmen

[juddgeeksout]

Encounter Tables

Excited to see that the blog that wrote a bit about encounter tables that really changed the way I use them has updated its thoughts and techniques. I’ll be digesting that for a bit. For some reason I switched it around and had 12 as the dragon and 2 as the wizard but the numbers work out the same. Here are a few of the 2d6 tables I’ve made…

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[the-goblin-dm]

A lot of encounter tables that are basically lists of sidequest hooks seem really good because they make you think "ooh what I wonder what happens next."

They read very differently when you're the one who is supposed to figure that out, and the table gives you questions instead of answers.

I'm especially disappointed when this happens with travel tables. Like, presumably the party is already on a quest, which is why they are traveling. Throwing a different quest hook at them on their way there seems like it would confuse play at best, and cause party division at worst.

[takato1993]

taking a break probably for the night but I do have a few more countries to make encounter tables for

Tierras Maldita- my players are in the southern part of this country right now but what they don’t know is that this one get real messed up once you start heading further north. I am talking pools of acid, sandbox trees, quicksand, and cursed forests

Illustria- this place is admittedly just a love letter to Toussaint from the Blood and Wine dlc for Witcher 3. brave knights, foolish acts of bravery, wine, food, art, quests, jousting, trouble with nobles, etc.

Birdwood- originally a small city in Illustria but in another Blood and Wine reference it has been turned into sort of a fairy tale kingdom but with a twist in that I am going very loose on the definition of fairy tales- lots of references to childhood favorites including pbs shows.

The Solar coast- amost every country listed so far technically has coasts but this one is almost all coasts, peninsulas, and small island chains. the islands will have various towns for tortles, tritons, and merfolk. inland there will  be hidden monster towns one will be just goblins and kobolds that are tired of being used as minions and another where everyone wears masks and cloaks and hidden within is basically the troll market from Hellboy

The Golden Gulf- this country ranges from coasts to some small jungles to an enormous desert. still working on this one but right now it has a magic school in a giant yellow/gold crystal that also doubles as a lighthouse  AND on the opposite end of the desert there is a casino secretly run by an ancient blue dragon.

[takato1993]

struggling with encounter table they are honestly a lot of balancing

- I need to balance between combat and non combat encounters

- balance between random encounters happening or not happening

- now there are lists for what kinds of environments most creatures come from but i  also have ideas for where i want them to live in my world and divide them by countries as well.

- i think I have come up with one shortcut for making encounters with several very different monsters  by simply allowing it to be possible to roll an option on the table where the players reroll twice and then combine the 2 rolls into one encounter. but even with that experimental idea I still want more natural combinations of creatures that are fun and whacky and sometimes have synergy, there has to be a way to figure this out easier.

[carthagian-chronicle]

GM'ery: Encounter table troubles pt. 7

Working on my tables and have managed to break it down into Wildlife, Humanoid, Unnatural, and Unique tables receptively. I'm almost done with all the shit from GMG and couldn't be happier and I'm so ready to move onto wildlife and Unnatural. Currently watching the old peter jackson King Kong movie since it's awesome and helps stick with the theme of awesome and terrifying monster encounters. That being said this movie does some awful things with nature reality for the sake of narrative (T-Rex captures and begins eating giant lizard for sustenance, drops half of it to chase human that's at best 1/4th it's size and weight, I'm looking at you) but the creature designs are just so awesome and the skull island stuff plays so well I'm willing to forgive it.