Random Encounters?

[Explodingcube]

Hey everyone, I'm kinda new as a poster, but I've been reading a few posts every now and again. I'm not exactly a new DM as I've DM'd once before, but I have a question regarding encounters. You see, my players are in a homebrew setting I made, and they're trying to find some ruins in the desert. I know how they get there, but what about random encounters? I have made a few ideas of random things that could happen, but is there a better way to go about it? Do I only use things of a certain CR(which would be about 6ish now),or can I use any level and let them run away?Monsters: Blue Dragon Wyrmling(surprise then retreat if wounds are deep),Dust Digger(lies is wait under a space), Gnolls(thirsty for water), Giant Scorpions distracted by carrion)
Events: Janni appears to offer water at a price (Favor used at a later date), Discover ruins that lead to hidden temple(Ruins half filled with sand and bones) Approached by a band of slavers( leading slaves in wagons, cries of pain heard from miles) Find Oasis(Contains fruit and water)

[fryplink]

I, as a DM have never done a truly random encounter. I've done unrelated encounters that were unplanned, but I almost never leave it up to dice. Maybe there are bandits, goblins, or something else, either plot related or plot unrelated. The point is, in this situation I invoke the paranoia clause, only I use it for something other than screwing over the party. The random encounters in my world are usually because there hasn't been combat for a while, and there is none on the horizon (and the party is a hybrid fighting/roleplaying group). I just find leaving it to the dice is ungainly at best and detrimental at worse.

[hex0]

i goufhht a giant praying manyris while the other pcs were busy and bogot xp
. :smallsmile::smallyuk:

[GoodbyeSoberDay]

Eh, when most people think of "random encounter" they think "unrelated encounter." Whether it's planned or rolled only matters as to the players' beliefs in the likelihood of having a TPK-level threat randomly show up.

I think random (or "unrelated") encounters can be somewhat boring and have little tension in a travel setting. To make up for this, I would suggest not just planning a monster for them to face, but one or more of the following:

(1) A way to avoid the encounter, or avoid the need for a fight.
(2) Have the environment be important (rope bridge, grappling plants, snipers atop cliff ledges), but have a way for the group to either obviate it or use it to their advantage with some lateral thinking.
(3) Speaking of which, in general allow ways to make the fight easier if the players use their heads. If they know the psychology of ogres, then maybe the tank can challenge the head ogre to a one-on-one duel, or at least goad him off the mage.
(4) Potentially have it connect to the story a good ways down the line, after they forgot about it. That'll teach 'em not to take random encounters seriously in the future.

[fryplink]

Eh, when most people think of "random encounter" they think "unrelated encounter." Whether it's planned or rolled only matters as to the players' beliefs in the likelihood of having a TPK-level threat randomly show up.

I think random (or "unrelated") encounters can be somewhat boring and have little tension in a travel setting. To make up for this, I would suggest not just planning a monster for them to face, but one or more of the following:

(1) A way to avoid the encounter, or avoid the need for a fight.
(2) Have the environment be important (rope bridge, grappling plants, snipers atop cliff ledges), but have a way for the group to either obviate it or use it to their advantage with some lateral thinking.
(3) Speaking of which, in general allow ways to make the fight easier if the players use their heads. If they know the psychology of ogres, then maybe the tank can challenge the head ogre to a one-on-one duel, or at least goad him off the mage.
(4) Potentially have it connect to the story a good ways down the line, after they forgot about it. That'll teach 'em not to take random encounters seriously in the future.

Which is why the encounter was planned, I suppose I was a bit vague. I guess what I'm saying is, that I have a bank of pre-made encounters, and I either pick, have pre-ordained or otherwise end up with one of them. They are almost never "the orcs are on the left, the party on the right, slaughter them all" type encounters. Usually, they are ambushes, "toll" bridges, or what would be a one sided encounter one way or the other but somehow perverted into a reasonably escapable situation

For example, one of my random encounters was a bridge with a troll under it. A wooden bridge. The party at this point was a lil weak (but not curbstomped) but a fair fight with a troll, but for that tar-treated bridge, which, was going to obviously catch fire (because the party set it on fire) and then crossed (huh, maybe that wasn't the best idea) somehow.

I then, held this encounter until the party was of appropriate level and in a situation that made sense and also having lacked a similar combat within the last few encounters. It had a partner, which, I could have put in instead involving stampede of cattle about to be driven into a river, and another involving the aforementioned orcs, being killed mercilessly by a bunch of farmers

[Ozreth]

Do I only use things of a certain CR(which would be about 6ish now),or can I use any level and let them run away?

Rule 1: OF COURSE you can. That's just about the only thing that makes tabletop RPG's more appealing than other games, anything can and should happen.

If you aren't dropping monsters around your world that are too tough for the characters I'd venture to say you're doing it wrong : p

They need to feel like they have to run sometimes. If they walk around assured that every monster they see is totally even or weaker than them where is the fear? Why even continue?

Just make sure it all makes sense : )

[Andorax]

Going to join the chorus of "it's only random to the players, not the DM" here. If you have time to prepare them, always have a bank of level and enviornment-appropriate encounters that aren't plot-relevant, just what "happens to be at this spot on the map".

Sure, you can look up the organization entry for Hobgoblins and cobble something together, but it'll never be as polished and interesting as a hand-made encounter.

Case in point: a "random" encounter with two ogres, an ogre barbarian, and (rolls...a bag of holding as treasure). With some time and thought, turned out like this:

Rocks come crashing down on either side of the narrow ravine. From around the corner, a massive ogre steps into the path, holding a 7' long blade in one hand and a small sack in the other. "THIS IS GORATH'S PLACE...YOU MUST PAY GORATH OR HE SMASH YOUR HEAD IN."

The 'clever' Ogre had come up with the idea of making passers fill up his loot sack with treasure as a toll...and since his loot sack seemed to hold an awful lot of loot, it seemed like a VERY good scheme indeed.

Of course, how it played out was even better.

Other PCs hide, send party's mage forward. Party's mage says "ok, we'll pay." Takes sack. Steps back. Casts invisibility. Runs.

"WHERE GORATH'S PAY? YOU GIVE GORATH HIS PAY, NOW! HELLO? TINY PEOPLE? OK...NO GIVE GORATH PAY, JUST GIVE BAG BACK. GIVE BAG BACK? BAAAAAAAAAAAG!"

To this day, I can make my gaming group break out in laughter by saying "Give bag back?" All because I took the time to plan an encounter beyond rolling the monster and treasure randomly.