RANDOM ENCOUNTER TABLES AS ADVENTURE RAM: Adding “Memory” To Encounter Checks

artist: Stefan Poag

What if we design the random encounter table to function as computer RAM- to store short-term information/change without having to dig into the module or track on another sheet? This is a space for innovation given that the random encounter table is one of the three most DM-referenced tables in an adventure outside of the dungeon map and the room keys. 

Now let me back up a minute to explain how this arose. A dungeon I am working is a wizard’s home in a barrow that was subjected to a magical explosion. Some areas of the dungeon are cracked and falling, especially the entrance, which is cracked, slumped and in danger of collapse. Traditional ways of handling this might be:

1. The entrance is a trap. Rocks fall, hireling (or PC) dies- too cheap, too sudden

2. The entrance can collapse right when PCs enter the first room of the dungeon- eh, too haunted house

3. The entrance collapses after the first exit from the dungeon- too delayed requires remembering

Then I thought, “What if the entrance collapse is an event on the random encounter table?” That seems to have potential because it permanently changes the dungeon, but I don’t know it will occur. But this could also still invoke #2. Okay, so let’s put a countdown clock on the random encounter table. I can just check off circles until the entrance collapses until then its a free breather for the PCs. Again, the dungeon changes which is interesting, but I’m not having to track it or review it in the next session prep outside of what I’m already looking at at during play. Here’s a basic example:

BASIC (RAM)DOM ENCOUNTER TABLE: Crypt of the Orc Hole Level 1

1. 1d6+2 Skeleton Orcs

2. 1d6 Zombie Grave Makers

3. 1d6 Hobgoblin Desecrators

4. 2d8 Stirge Throat Lovers

5. 2d4 Robber Fly Defilers

6. Unstable Entrance in Rm #1 (_)(_)(collapse!)

But then I started to wonder if there was a place for factional activity, patrols, and/or other permanent states that operate in a local area (the dungeon). Or permanent events that impact during the shorter time frame the dungeon is played that are natural extensions of play and player choice? 

Let me explore this idea first before considering this “RAM” idea in light of the overloaded encounter die (i.e. “dungeon weather”) and faction turns which are two other popular ways of tracking change for dungeon campaigns. I will revamp the table above by adding another change in the dungeon (black) and adding a factional event in two places (gold):

EXPERT (RAM)DOM ENCOUNTER TABLE: Crypt of the Orc Hole Level 1

1. 1d6+2 Skeleton Orcs

2. 1d6 Zombie Grave Makers

3. 4 Hobgoblin Desecrators continue to loot crypts, increase #, & gain treasure:
   (_)+1, +150gp (_)+2, +300gp (_) +3, +600gp (_) leave Crypt

4. 2d8 Stirge Throat Lovers

5. 2d4 Robber Fly Defilers

6. Unstable Entrance in Rm #1 (_)(_)(collapse!)

7. Leaning Statue of Ishtar Rm #15 (_)(_)(falls! Bridge to Room #23)

8. 2d4 Kobold Sappers, mercenaries (_)(_)(_) creates additional hallways trap

Alright, so we have a more dynamic encounter table, but entries are a little ambiguous. Is the intent that a check-mark occurs AND an encounter in the case of factions (#3 & #8)? And does nothing happen on a roll of a dungeon event (#6 & #7)? Let’s move these events into the “Random Encounter Check” procedure in lieu of the precise “Random Encounter Table”. I don’t think you are really creating any more work for yourself and it is simple enough to have a column or sheet listing both. Rarely are random encounter tables so extensive they might preclude a modified check procedure. Here is our example reformatted a third time:

COMPANION (RAM)DOM ENCOUNTER TABLE: Crypt of the Orc Hole Level 1

Encounter Check

1. Encounter!

2. Spoor…

3. Hobgoblin Desecrators loot crypts: (_)+1, +150gp (_)+2, +300gp (_) +3, +600gp (_) leave Crypt

4. Kobold Sappers place additional hallway trap: (_)(_)(_)(_)Eat 3rd Breakfast in Room #7

5. Unstable Entrance in Rm #1 (_)(_)(collapse!)

6. Leaning Statue of Ishtar Rm #15 (_)(_)(falls! Bridge to Room #23)

Random Encounter Table

1. 1d6+2 Skeleton Orcs

2. 1d6 Zombie Grave Makers

3. 1d6 Hobgoblin Desecrators

4. 2d8 Stirge Throat Lovers

5. 2d4 Robber Fly Defilers

6. 1d6 Kobold Sappers

So how does this fit in the scene alongside of the overloaded encounter die, underclock, and overclock? In terms of the overloaded encounter die, the “COMPANION” table above quite similar, but the entries are endowed with “memory”. For instance, I could easily put “weather” events in there too: “SLIME BLOOMS: Green slime appears in the hallway outside the current room (_)(_)(_)”. For the overclock, there is a 6 x 6 grid that James uses to denote when a random encounter occurs, so one could easily place a mark for each faction or event in unused squares. Finally, in terms of the underclock, a “3” in this method causes a spoor or clue, similarly another number could be keyed to events so that when rolled or passed, a check is made on some event and the underclock ticks down.

What if I’m already using faction turns? Isn’t this the same thing? Faction turns are mostly an in-between session activity that is used to track campaign factions' operations on a world level. I view the mechanism here as more “faction actions”. Its a way to have different factions, here I mean relative to the dungeon and irrespective of the world, do things as the players are moving about. Returning to the central premise, it requires a memory of what the players are doing to employ effectively or generate real-time feed back. A more explicit example that could be added to the “COMPANION” table above could be: “* Special: Replace +2 with +4 to Skeleton Orcs if PC break 3 crypts open (_)(_)(_)”

In summary, I am not advocating here that designing the encounter tables with memory is superior to other methods of encounter table design, but more as an interesting alternative strategy. By endowing a table with memory I believe it can help increase the dynamism in a dungeon as well as provide feedback to players resulting from their actions inside the dungeon. This inturn helps create opportunity for more meaningful choices- the fuel for old-school play. As a reviewer pointed out, the method here provides an opportunity for story while other methods focus more on the “right now, in front of you”.

"KITCHEN SINK" RANDOM TABLES: Provide everything but context & description

Last time I wrote about the overloaded encounter die (OED) and "dungeon weather". Another reason I like the OED is that once a DM completely fleshes it out, you have a pretty good description of your adventure. Of course one of the biggest parts of the OED is the "Encounter!" result on a 1.

But as Delta points out in his very excellent post, the "random" in random encounter should mean "procedurally generated" and not "whatever". Delta outlines the mistake Gygax made in expanding the random encounter table from a terse 8-10 entries based on what you'd find in Greyhawk Castle in OD&D to every monster in the book in AD&D.

This is a problem because as Delta puts it:

The fundamental problem here is that the random monster tables have become disconnected from any specific adventuring environment, such as Castle Greyhawk. Rather, the tables' primary function has become an encyclopedic index to list every monster in the game (and also indicate their power level). Encountering a particular monster from these tables likely tells you nothing about the ecosystem around you; there's no reason to think an associated lair exists, and chances are basically negligible that you'll ever meet the same type a second time (so no preparation or strategic response will help you). If you were adventuring with these tables in use for wandering monsters, actually, yeah -- there would seem to be no rhyme nor reason to what was happening. 

I think understated by Delta is that: players no longer can use the knowledge gained from random encounters to learn about the environment, meditate risk, and plan optimal future incursions. It's just all risk- boring, potentially punishing, and unfun.

Let's make a random encounter table. Are 6-10 entries too small? I think no. Because once you throw in encounter reaction checks, morale rolls, and objectives other than kill everything, then you have a lot of variety. Let try an example:

I want to create a random encounter table for the bailey of The Black Keep. So levels 1-2. In my head, I picture it in a "vanilla" D&D setting as a gathering place for evil forces of Chaos. But let us see if we can keep it human-centric and limit it to 8"monsters" as per the original OD&D tables. Eight also lets us roll a 1d8 or 2d4 (but 7 entries).

Here is what the BX encounter table gets us:

So... yes to 1-3, but 4-8 I will remove because they are fairly standard. Keep 9, 11, & 16. Stirge is good but used a lot. Finally 20... naw, let's substitute with 13 because giant shrews are weird (and actually have a lot of cool abilities). So that gives us a total of 7- great 2d4 it is.

2 |  Acolyte           Lead by a cleric of higher level

3 | Bandit              Trickery

4 | Fire beetle        Underground, bite 2d4

5 | Killer bee         Poison, fly

6 | Giant Gecko    Cling

7 | Crab Spider      Poison, cling

8 | Giant Shrew    A bunch of things

The table needs to be re-ordered, but two groups brought together in The Black Keep bailey. One is insect cultists (Acolyte, beetle, bee, spider) and the other group is sorta bandit sappers who use giant shrews like war dogs? Maybe the gecko is odd man out or could be ridden by the leader of the bandits. With a little re-skinning, the shrews could become something else: "dwarven wolves".

But the point is now the encounters of the Keep have more focus because of this distillation.

DUNGEON WEATHER: For your overloaded encounter die

DiTerlizzi 

 

I really love the "overloaded encounter die" mechanic described by Necropraxis. 

When the party moves into a new area or spends time on an exploration activity, roll the encounter die and interpret the results as follows.

1. Encounter
2. Percept (clue, spoor)
3. Locality (context-dependent timer)
4. Exhaustion (rest or take penalties)
5. Lantern
6. Torch

In particular, I think the entry for "Locality" (if used in the outdoors "weather") is a great way to further add personality to a dungeon. But what would typical "vanilla D&D dungeon weather" be?

I say "vanilla" because I guess it helps me think about what are the typical environmental changes I would want in a dungeon and what are typical dungeon PC actions complicated by this change (or helping; after all some days are sunny). It also reinforces the idea of the mythic underworld; the dungeon as a being unto itself. Here is my list:

DUNGEON WEATHER (d10)

1 | SLAM! All doors slam shut; 3-in-6 if staked; all doors now a flat 1-in-6 to open
2 | FOG: A gray fog rises from the floor, ankle to knee height, obscuring the ground; -1 to detect traps
3 | SLIME BLOOMS: Green slime oozes from the ceiling on all hallways leading from the current room
4 | DUNGEON RIME: Armor ages unnaturally; -1 AC to non-magical armor & shields
5 | DARKNESS EXPANDS: All light operates at 1/2 strength
6 | SHADOW of DEATH: -1 to all Save rolls
7 | SPONTANEOUS GENERATION: Each PC roll d10; 5+ rations are spoiled by maggots
8 | ALTERED PERCEPTION: Secret doors +1 to locate
9 | EUPHORIC SPOOR RELEASE: +1 to all rxn encounter checks; divination/illusion spells enhanced
0 | TOO STILL: Dungeon weather effect ends

Of course, if your dungeon has a strong theme, I think it better to tailor the above list to fit the aesthetics.