Non Combat Encounters

[Inscrutable]

Hello. Quick intro, this is my first post on this forum after thoroughly enjoying OOTS. Been playing D&D 5e for about three years, most of that as a DM, alas. I employ very much a story-driven campaign and my six players are, to be honest, quite bad at combat and don't enjoy it much.

My question to you is: how do you craft interesting, challenging, non-combat encounters?

I have a plethora of developed NPCs, so dialog and narrative isn't hard to come by, but I don't like just standing around talking. I've done a few puzzles, which have been well received, but not every bad guy lends itself to "beating people with puzzles" mentality. Just like to mine for some ideas from this creative pit.

[nickl_2000]

I think of the keys here is to give the players choice. Don't make the players roll initiative as soon as they enter the room, give them a chance to handle it differently.

-A heist mission is perfect for this. Getting an item could be killing everyone in there, or sneaking around avoid and using charms.
-There are a bunch of traps between the BBEG and the PCs and the PCs need to get to something.
-Give the PCs the ability to talk sway the underlings to their side and gain valuable information and scouting to get to the objective.
-Allow the PCs time to prepare pre-fight so they can set up traps and do other things to the baddies. The threat of combat here will get the PCs thinking of ways to get out of it. You don't necessarily need to give them a way out of it directly as much as give them a chance to stay out of it.


Just a few ideas. I'm sure others will have much better ideas on specifics

[Man_Over_Game]

I borrow something from 4E that it uses that works out rather well:

Have a clearly defined goal for the team that is solved after a particular "score". Each skill or action they use can contribute to the score, but any skills or actions the same person attempts to use are halved in their value. NPCs can also contribute.

For example:

Goal: Convince the Emissary to stop the war. Point requirement: 100

Bard uses Persuasion. Adds in the fact that the party's country saved a caravan of refugees from the Emissary's country, and is aiding them despite the war. Bard rolls Charisma (Persuasion), and the information provides Advantage. Bard rolls 22.

Party total: 22.


Bard also indicates the fact that much of the country is consisted of giant, hulking monsters, like the Barbarian in the party. Bard rolls Charisma (Intimidate). He rolled a 15, but his roll is halved to 7.

Party total: 29.

Barbarian flexes, and casually crushes his glass by momentarily Raging and making an "unarmed strike" upon the mug. He's successful, makes a Strength (Intimidate) check with Advantage. Rolls 19, adds that to the total.

Party total: 48.

The party convinces several of the Emissary's servants, through quests and favors, to further convince the Emissary to pledge to his king to end the war. Each of these NPCs contribute 15 points. After 3-4 minor missions, the Emissary is convinced, and leaves to plead his case and hopefully end the war effort.


You can always choose to keep the value hidden, as long as you can think of a way to make sure that player's know that their efforts are working towards a goal, and they know what's working and what isn't. I penalize a single player using multiple skills, so that players can diversify their actions and so that even the Fighter may have something to provide to an RP event.
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A similar thing can be done when the end goal isn't known. This is good for puzzles. In this case, have multiple obvious, minor goals that provide minor points to the objective (which you keep hidden), and the new goals that are unlocked for the challenge have higher risks, requirements, and value, so that players have multiple avenues to accomplish a goal.


For example, players are stuck in a room with a locked door. A player proficient in Athletics, or having a passive Investigation of 15 will recognize that the bars sticking out of the wall seem suspiciously for climbing.
Looking above the climbing wall shows a dark nook that's hard to see, 20 Perception or Investigation check to see, advantage if they managed to spot the climbing wall.
Inside of the nook are some mechanisms. An Intelligence Check, using either Thieves' Tools or Investigation (or both for advantage) will reveal information about the mechanism. With a 10, you know that it deals with the door, with a 15, you know the rough area of the machine that controls the lock, and with a 20 you recognize the extra mechanisms are probably trapped.

And that's just with the nook in the room. Additionally, there are markings on the wall that seem to be coded, which can provide hints as to how to properly open the door using several language and intelligence checks.
Darkvision or ample light, combined with a Perception check spots that there are hinged doors on the top of the room. Investigation afterwards shows that these doors are controlled mechanically, and are very strong, implying that something with great weight falls from these. Claw marks around the trapdoor implies that it's something alive.

Reward players for each event that has to do with the door's mechanism by tracking their progress. Either by understanding enough of the context, the mechanisms, or through brute strength, at 100 points, they unlock the door. You can simply say "After piecing together all of the information from the mural, the writing, and the gears you found in the hidden compartment, you recognize that the door opens by manually turning the specific gear clockwise". Or, if it's less brain and more brawn, imply that the thing they punched or destroyed seems weak, and you wonder if there's a weak point in the door they can abuse.

The goal isn't necessarily to open the door, it's to progress further. The point system is mostly there for your own sanity, so that you can quantify their progress, their efforts, (and honestly, their frustration), so you know roughly how much work they need to do to complete their goal, or whether you need to throw in a punishment that also fulfills their goal

An example of one such punishment: "After spending so long tampering with things, metal scorpios fall from the ceiling. One of their tails is fashioned like a key".

[Ninja_Prawn]

Don't know if this is an option for you, but how about a whole campaign where the objective isn't to defeat evil? Like a Scott Pilgrim-style battle of the bands (http://mfov.magehandpress.com/2017/08/musical-adventuring.html), or a campaign where the PCs are players on a sports team (http://mfov.magehandpress.com/2018/08/siegeball-sourcebook-free.html)? You could even do a game where the PCs own and run an item shop (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recettear:_An_Item_Shop%27s_Tale)...

[Inscrutable]

I borrow something from 4E that it uses that works out rather well:

Have a clearly defined goal for the team that is solved after a particular "score". Each skill or action they use can contribute to the score, but any skills or actions the same person attempts to use are halved in their value. NPCs can also contribute.

Thank you, MOG, that was more verbosity than I expected! I do like the point system as a way to show my players they are making progress. My players miss so much treasure because they tend to rush through encounters. That might slow them down a bit.



Don't know if this is an option for you, but how about a whole campaign where the objective isn't to defeat evil? Like a Scott Pilgrim-style battle of the bands, or a campaign where the PCs are players on a sports team? You could even do a game where the PCs own and run an item shop...


That sounds interesting for a one day adventure, Ninja! But my players are in the middle of an epic, world spanning campaign. I have incorporated things like a poetry competition, a tournament, and a riddle-off already, though. Looking for more things like that which would fit into fantasy.

[Trustypeaches]

Angry DM actually has an article I find tolerable on this subject. https://theangrygm.com/how-to-build-awesome-encounters/

[Laserlight]

Step one is to look at your players' skill choices, as that tells you what skills they want to be using.

And remind them that you don't have to use the default stat+skill. When my character is dancing on the bar, she's not using DEX+Dance (to impress other dancers with her technical skill), she's using CHA+Dance (to attract attention and get drinks and other offers).

Use those two together to inspire you. The barbarian who has STR and Animal Handling? Maybe he needs to ride the bucking bronco to impress the tribesmen. The cleric who has Flute and WIS? Maybe she needs to play the exact sequence of three tones to open a door.

[Inscrutable]

Step one is to look at your players' skill choices, as that tells you what skills they want to be using.

And remind them that you don't have to use the default stat+skill. When my character is dancing on the bar, she's not using DEX+Dance (to impress other dancers with her technical skill), she's using CHA+Dance (to attract attention and get drinks and other offers).

Use those two together to inspire you. The barbarian who has STR and Animal Handling? Maybe he needs to ride the bucking bronco to impress the tribesmen. The cleric who has Flute and WIS? Maybe she needs to play the exact sequence of three tones to open a door.

Heh, half my players don't even remember their skills. But I have never heard of using a different base stat for skill checks... Is that something I overlooked in the PHB for 5e?

[Ninja_Prawn]

Heh, half my players don't even remember their skills. But I have never heard of using a different base stat for skill checks... Is that something I overlooked in the PHB for 5e?

The PHB mentions it only in the context of Strength (Intimidation), which is the most obvious situation where you'd swap the stats. But if you think hard enough, almost any combination of ability (skill) can make sense.

[Inscrutable]

Angry DM actually has an article I find tolerable on this subject.

Thanks, Peaches, that was wordy, but helpful. Basically he makes encounters into mini-games. That is a lot of work, but I like the concept of "decision-points". Helps to visualize how players can feel they have choices.