Question: Encounter charts

[Desteplo]

What do your encounter charts look like.
-a random table from 1-100?
-do you have major details for each entry
-do you go with the flow with small details like "theft" and "art" and make an existent from that
-where to start?

[Xetheral]

What do your encounter charts look like.
-a random table from 1-100?
-do you have major details for each entry
-do you go with the flow with small details like "theft" and "art" and make an existent from that
-where to start?

The design of encounter charts is entirely dependant on your reasons for wanting them in first place. Do you want to include such charts to discourage risk-averse PCs from going to the locations or taking the actions that trigger rolling on the charts? If so, make them highly random, with a decent chance of rolling up something awful. If instead you want to use the charts to encourage conflict-seeking PCs from going to the locatioslns or taking the actions that trigger rolling on the charts, then make them smaller, with more predictably-surmountable challenges. If the goal is to permit "impartial" campaign design where the direction of the story depends more on the dice and the actions of the PCs than the decisions of the DM, then you primarily need to think about what encounters would logically be present in the game world at given location or time.

The level of detail you include depends on the intended audience. If you're writing the charts as a tool for yourself, it depends how comfortable you are with improvisation--be as detailed or sketchy as you find useful. If you're writing a module for others, then it depends how structured you want the module to be... more included detail makes the module easier for newer DMs, but decrease replayability and some more-improvisationally-inclined DMs may find it stifling.

So, to get started, what purpose are you trying to accomplish with your charts?

[TrinculoLives]

I haven't really used encounter charts; I just have things happen when I wish for them to happen. I don't need replayability for my homebrew campaigns after all, and it always seems like a lot more work to create a list of 10 encounters to roll from when I can just create 1 and run that one.

[mephnick]

Generally made up into zone levels (this forest is cr 4-7ish) with weighted 2d6 charts with the most common monsters in the area in the 6-8 range.

[Desteplo]

The design of encounter charts is entirely dependant on your reasons for wanting them in first place. Do you want to include such charts to discourage risk-averse PCs from going to the locations or taking the actions that trigger rolling on the charts? If so, make them highly random, with a decent chance of rolling up something awful. If instead you want to use the charts to encourage conflict-seeking PCs from going to the locatioslns or taking the actions that trigger rolling on the charts, then make them smaller, with more predictably-surmountable challenges. If the goal is to permit "impartial" campaign design where the direction of the story depends more on the dice and the actions of the PCs than the decisions of the DM, then you primarily need to think about what encounters would logically be present in the game world at given location or time.

The level of detail you include depends on the intended audience. If you're writing the charts as a tool for yourself, it depends how comfortable you are with improvisation--be as detailed or sketchy as you find useful. If you're writing a module for others, then it depends how structured you want the module to be... more included detail makes the module easier for newer DMs, but decrease replayability and some more-improvisationally-inclined DMs may find it stifling.

So, to get started, what purpose are you trying to accomplish with your charts?


I have a world idea that I've been working on. I want to prevent myself from holding their hands but want to keep the world as a working system; keeping everything in a theme.
They have a main quest they were chosen for but they can decide to disregard that and just play. Although everything they do I still want to be worth doing.
One player commented "I want more random encounters" another wanted "more social encounters"
At the moment they're in a city After following a road from the starting location. I want to open up the world to them so they aren't just following another road.

[Desteplo]

Generally made up into zone levels (this forest is cr 4-7ish) with weighted 2d6 charts with the most common monsters in the area in the 6-8 range.

I just didn't want to restrict them from doing anything. I was thinking having big wandering monsters but usually set the encounters where they want to go. So if they were going to the forest I'd set it to random encounters in that area for their levels. With a 00 chance of finding the tail end of a wyrm, suddenly they're in a stealth encounter when all they were going to the forest for was to find a house made of candy.

[Tanarii]

Generally made up into zone levels (this forest is cr 4-7ish) with weighted 2d6 charts with the most common monsters in the area in the 6-8 range.
I prefer d4 + d8, which flattens the middle 5 numbers to all have an equal chance, as opposed to a significant bell curve. And gives those numbers about 2x the likelihood of the 3,11 value, or 4x the 2,12 values. As opposed to about 3x and 6x when comparing them to a 7 on 2d12 2d6.

However, that usually feels about the right number of variations for a smallish area where the party might encounter 2-3 different random encounters if they dally a long time.

OP: I don't put too much detail in. I generally set them to be only a single type of creature, appropriate to the (typically smallish) are the table covers. And typically significantly easy encounters than the fixed encounters. Mine are wandering monsters in the area tables, not random encounters. The purpose is to bring some life to the area with stuff moving around, as well as encourage players not to take too long and move along, and put some thought into when and where to take a Short Rest.

If that's not your purpose, you wouldn't want to do it that way. For example if it's to randomize primary encounters in a large area, you'd want more complex encounters with more power. If it's to bring life to a city, you'll want lots of random talky-time scenery-type encounters. If it's to give a spooky vibe to a place, you'd want more 'random weird phenomena' entries.

[Xetheral]

I have a world idea that I've been working on. I want to prevent myself from holding their hands but want to keep the world as a working system; keeping everything in a theme.
They have a main quest they were chosen for but they can decide to disregard that and just play. Although everything they do I still want to be worth doing.
One player commented "I want more random encounters" another wanted "more social encounters"
At the moment they're in a city After following a road from the starting location. I want to open up the world to them so they aren't just following another road.

It sounds like you want the charts to provide a sandbox-style element to your game. If it were me, I wouldn't rely entirely on random encounters for that--it will make your world seem very random. Instead, I'd mix a combination of random encounter charts and deliberate world design.

I'd recommend planning one non-quest encounter per location the PCs can reach, and give it a fairly broad (but not certain) trigger. Additionally, design a small encounter chart, with maybe a dozen possible encounters. If the PCs trigger your preplanned encounter then use it (if acceptable at your table you may want to pretend to roll on the chart anyway). It not, roll on the chart to see what they get. Be sure to cross off used encounters and replace them with new ones. If the PCs *try* to avoid all encounters, let then. Also, cycle unused encounters off the list when the PCs move far enough that the unused encounter wouldn't make sense in the new area.

The level of detail for both the preplanned location-based encounters and the random encounters is up to you, and what you find most helpful.