Random Encounter Brainstorming: 2d4 Woodcutters

[TheCleverGuy]

Working on prepping for some random encounters by rolling on the Tables in Xanathar's Guide. One of the results I got was 2d4 woodcutters (commoners). Well, I rolled 2d4 and came up with 7. But where do I go from there? What should this group of woodcutters do to interact with the party?

First thing I thought of was that these would be Dwarf woodcutters, and each one would have a different defining personality trait (grumpy, sleepy, etc). But I'm still not sure what they'll do or say if my players cross their path. Looking for ideas or inspiration-- do they ask the party for help, offer items to trade, or just warn of dangers ahead?

[ForeverFlame]

Working on prepping for some random encounters by rolling on the Tables in Xanathar's Guide. One of the results I got was 2d4 woodcutters (commoners). Well, I rolled 2d4 and came up with 7. But where do I go from there? What should this group of woodcutters do to interact with the party?

First thing I thought of was that these would be Dwarf woodcutters, and each one would have a different defining personality trait (grumpy, sleepy, etc). But I'm still not sure what they'll do or say if my players cross their path. Looking for ideas or inspiration-- do they ask the party for help, offer items to trade, or just warn of dangers ahead?

7 Dwarves from Snow White

[xanxosttheslaad]

The dwarves could ask the party for help clearing a log jam (they’ve set some explosives, but they’d rather have the party light them, with magic or ranged or thrown weapons lit on fire, since they left the fuses at home. Alternatively, the river underneath is home to a giant crocodile or snakes or something, and they’d prefer to risk the lives of strangers than their own), retrieving their brother who was taken by a giant ape or evil frog people, stopping a forest fire or fire elemental, or holding off some tree-hugging race while they fell a gargantuan tree (the party could act on either side of this conflict, if you happen to have a druid or similar in your party).

[Lvl 2 Expert]

7 Dwarves from Snow White

They're on their way to a burial, with a glass coffin.

They get REALLY mad when the PC's open said coffin and start messing around with the corpse of their dear departed friend.

[iTreeby]

They're on their way to a burial, with a glass coffin.

They get REALLY mad when the PC's open said coffin and start messing around with the corpse of their dear departed friend.

Reminds me of a Niel Gaimon short story where snow white is a vampire...



Could save the wood cutters from a dryad or vice versa.

[Amnestic]

I don't know if the encounter was in the original adventure path but the CRPG Kingmaker had a woodcutter encounter where they wanted to fell an ancient tree because of supposed treasure beneath it. If memory serves, there wasn't any. If you're looking to stretch out your 'exploration' phase then having them waste an afternoon chopping down a tree for no reason could do it.

I think there was another woodcutter encounter where they'd chopped down a dryad's (or another fey's?) trees and she had two of them charmed and was threatening to kill them, you could mediate the situation either by siding with one or the other (which ended in bloodshed) or by promising to regrow the trees with some diplomacy checks which.

I'd probably lean on the "damage to nature" angle in some way and its repercussions - maybe they've caused an animal migration which threatens the town, maybe the fey or druids/rangers are getting up in their business, maybe they've chopped down a tree that was secretly imprisoning an ancient eldritch spirit and now they're cursed to bring it blood sacrifices lest they become the sacrifice.

[TheCleverGuy]

Hey thanks, these are all great ideas. I ended up running it as a social encounter. The grumpy dwarf was sort of rude to the party, looking down on adventurers. Almost started a fight with the party Cleric, but cooler heads prevailed.

Maybe they'll meet the same group again and I can use some of these ideas.

[daremetoidareyo]

Sorry im late to the party. Having the encounter be aural at first: you hear, "clear!" Yelled super loud. Then the deep crack and rumble and the wsssssssshhhhhhh of the tree falling with a big thud.

Then having clearly defined the woodcutters by what they are observed doing, the interaction becomes about the response of the woodcutters experiencing the onterruption of the pcs arrival.