Wednesday, September 3, 2014

[Hoard of the Dragon Queen] Village Encounters Remixed


HAIL TIAMAT

When you roll a random encounter (ON WHICH MORE LATER, there's a whole new procedure to go along with this, but I'm trickle-trickling that content out), roll all the dice.

Just grab em.

And let em fall.

Click image for random encounter generated courtesy of Logan Knight.


WARNING: if thou art sensitive to the reading of the kinds of things that happen in war, read thou no further. It's a bit darker than the module.


Procedure:

  1. roll all the dice
  2. consult the d8 to determine what kind of encounter
  3. these tables are overloaded (on which perhaps more later); so be sure to read the right part of the entry.
    1. Pay attention to the slash-divisions.
    2. For instance, if the d8 indicates people only, then only look at the stuff after the slash on the d6 table
    3. For exact monster/people numbers encountered, you can roll separately or just give a general idea and make things specific later. Honestly, saying "a handful" is fine and dare I say more immersive until they get close. 
  4. The features d10 table tells you what kind of tactical features you should tell the players about. 
    1. go prone in depressions for cover
    2. same for crests, but they also provide more cover when the enemy approaches
  5. On the horrible what the monsters are doing portion of the d12 table, they're always doing it to people unless the entry explicitly says no villagers are present
  6. If monsters are doing things to people, the d20 table tells you about the victims
  7. If only people are encountered, the d20 table tells you who they are
  8. Whenever you roll an encounter, check for encounters again. If it comes up a success (1/6), then generate an additional encounter. Hard choices now, huh? 

THE DICE


d4: Where the monsters are doing it or where villagers are hiding:
  1. in the open
  2. against terrain (wall, tree, rock)
  3. behind or below or on top of terrain (ceiling, rock, rubble)
  4. inside structure
d6: what monsters / people are carrying:
  1. grisly trophies / dead child
  2. food and clanking dinnerware and pottery (1gp total) / few loaves of bread and cups
  3. Jewels and coin (1gp per monster) / pet 
  4. art and/or holy objects (bulky, 10gp total) / injured person gagged to muffle screams
  5. casks of beer (rolling), amphorae of wine (carrying carefully) [very bulky, 10gp] / infants 
  6. captives ~= # of monsters in encountered group / booze 
d8: encounter type
  1. Monsters, very few, one type
  2. Monsters, few, two types
  3. Monsters
  4. Monsters
  5. Monsters, many
  6. Monsters, very many, with leader
  7. People only, few
  8. People only
d10: features
  1. depression
  2. crest
  3. hedge or shrubbery
  4. trees
  5. walls / fences
  6. household junk piled up
  7. cart piled with goods
  8. pile of corpses (people, monsters, and/or livestock)
  9. tall grass / crops, crates, or outcropping
  10. statue, gazebo, or rubble
d10: opportunities / dangers
  1. all distracted / monsters nearby
  2. alert guard / lone monster approaching unaware
  3. cover nearby, can flank
  4. exposed
  5. elevated place available
  6. sentry or scout in elevated place
  7. monsters or people packed densely
  8. monsters or people sparsely distributed
  9. winged kobold scout in air (hide immediately, or 50/50 chance of being spotted)
  10. unattended prisoners

d12: what the monsters are doing / villager reaction:
  1. drowning or burning / flee from you, screaming
  2. loading goods into cart (no villagers) / flee from you
  3. executing / too scared to move
  4. binding / too scared to move
  5. carrying off / too scared to move
  6. the worst thing you can imagine / follows orders, take no initiative
  7. torturing / follows orders, take no initiative
  8. sorting through goods (no villagers) / follows orders, take no initiative
  9. cooking and eating / hardened and brave for now
  10. surrounding and breaking in / hardened and brave for now
  11. pursuing / hardened and brave for now
  12. seeking / will join fight: AC 11; 5hp; +3 d6+1; S+1 D+1 C+1; simple weapons; light armor
d20: villagers encountered
  1. elderly with children, Clint Eastwood-like 
  2. elderly, movement impossible or very slow due to health or injury 50/50 will accept death / terrified of it 
  3. family, frantically searching for missing member
  4. children, saw parents eaten
  5. parent and children, parent soon to die 
  6. militia, 50/50 fleeing / planning assault
  7. children with pets, one child without
  8. couple engaged to be married, one covered in blood and torn, will survive if treated
  9. children and adolescents 
  10. unrelated adults and children
  11. related adults
  12. husband and wife 
  13. pregnant woman alone, great with child, what destiny for the child if born this night?
  14. women, friends
  15. men, friends
  16. boys, friends
  17. girls, friends
  18. family, trying to persuade father not to go back to rescue daughter
  19. parents and children, child gravely injured but may survive with care
  20. adults who hate each other

TWENTY SAMPLE ENCOUNTERS

WHERE ENCOUNTERED in the open

MONSTERS / PEOPLE CARRYING grisly trophies / dead child

ENCOUNTER TYPE People only, few

FEATURES hedge or shrubbery

OPPORTUNITIES / DANGERS exposed

MONSTER ACTION / PEOPLE REACTION  torturing / follows orders, take no initiative

PEOPLE elderly, movement impossible or very slow due to health or injury 50/50 will accept death / terrified of it 
----
WHERE ENCOUNTERED in the open

MONSTERS / PEOPLE CARRYING grisly trophies / dead child

ENCOUNTER TYPE Monsters, very few, one type

FEATURES trees

OPPORTUNITIES / DANGERS sentry or scout in elevated place

MONSTER ACTION / PEOPLE REACTION  executing / too scared to move

PEOPLE children with pets, one child without
----
WHERE ENCOUNTERED against terrain (wall, tree, rock)

MONSTERS / PEOPLE CARRYING Jewels and coin (1gp per monster) / pet 

ENCOUNTER TYPE Monsters

FEATURES tall grass / crops, crates, or outcropping

OPPORTUNITIES / DANGERS monsters or people sparsely distributed

MONSTER ACTION / PEOPLE REACTION  executing / too scared to move

PEOPLE elderly with children, Clint Eastwood-like 
----
WHERE ENCOUNTERED in the open

MONSTERS / PEOPLE CARRYING food and clanking dinnerware and pottery (1gp total) / few loaves of bread and cups

ENCOUNTER TYPE Monsters

FEATURES household junk piled up

OPPORTUNITIES / DANGERS winged kobold scout in air (hide immediately, or 50/50 chance of being spotted)

MONSTER ACTION / PEOPLE REACTION  drowning or burning / flee from you, screaming

PEOPLE husband and wife 
----
WHERE ENCOUNTERED against terrain (wall, tree, rock)

MONSTERS / PEOPLE CARRYING Jewels and coin (1gp per monster) / pet 

ENCOUNTER TYPE Monsters, very few, one type

FEATURES tall grass / crops, crates, or outcropping

OPPORTUNITIES / DANGERS alert guard / lone monster approaching unaware

MONSTER ACTION / PEOPLE REACTION  sorting through goods (no villagers) / follows orders, take no initiative

PEOPLE adults who hate each other
----
WHERE ENCOUNTERED inside structure

MONSTERS / PEOPLE CARRYING Jewels and coin (1gp per monster) / pet 

ENCOUNTER TYPE Monsters, few, two types

FEATURES crest

OPPORTUNITIES / DANGERS sentry or scout in elevated place

MONSTER ACTION / PEOPLE REACTION  executing / too scared to move

PEOPLE children and adolescents 
----
WHERE ENCOUNTERED inside structure

MONSTERS / PEOPLE CARRYING food and clanking dinnerware and pottery (1gp total) / few loaves of bread and cups

ENCOUNTER TYPE People only

FEATURES tall grass / crops, crates, or outcropping

OPPORTUNITIES / DANGERS alert guard / lone monster approaching unaware

MONSTER ACTION / PEOPLE REACTION  torturing / follows orders, take no initiative

PEOPLE militia, 50/50 fleeing / planning assault
----
WHERE ENCOUNTERED in the open

MONSTERS / PEOPLE CARRYING captives ~= # of monsters in encountered group / booze 

ENCOUNTER TYPE Monsters

FEATURES household junk piled up

OPPORTUNITIES / DANGERS exposed

MONSTER ACTION / PEOPLE REACTION  carrying off / too scared to move

PEOPLE boys, friends
----
WHERE ENCOUNTERED behind or below or on top of terrain (ceiling, rock, rubble)

MONSTERS / PEOPLE CARRYING art and/or holy objects (bulky, 10gp total) / injured person gagged to muffle screams

ENCOUNTER TYPE Monsters, very few, one type

FEATURES hedge or shrubbery

OPPORTUNITIES / DANGERS cover nearby, can flank

MONSTER ACTION / PEOPLE REACTION  the worst thing you can imagine / follows orders, take no initiative

PEOPLE parent and children, parent soon to die 
----
WHERE ENCOUNTERED inside structure

MONSTERS / PEOPLE CARRYING Jewels and coin (1gp per monster) / pet 

ENCOUNTER TYPE People only

FEATURES depression

OPPORTUNITIES / DANGERS unattended prisoners

MONSTER ACTION / PEOPLE REACTION  torturing / follows orders, take no initiative

PEOPLE couple engaged to be married, one covered in blood and torn, will survive if treated
----
WHERE ENCOUNTERED behind or below or on top of terrain (ceiling, rock, rubble)

MONSTERS / PEOPLE CARRYING Jewels and coin (1gp per monster) / pet 

ENCOUNTER TYPE Monsters, very few, one type

FEATURES household junk piled up

OPPORTUNITIES / DANGERS monsters or people sparsely distributed

MONSTER ACTION / PEOPLE REACTION  drowning or burning / flee from you, screaming

PEOPLE men, friends
----
WHERE ENCOUNTERED behind or below or on top of terrain (ceiling, rock, rubble)

MONSTERS / PEOPLE CARRYING casks of beer (rolling), amphorae of wine (carrying carefully) [very bulky, 10gp] / infants 

ENCOUNTER TYPE Monsters

FEATURES hedge or shrubbery

OPPORTUNITIES / DANGERS sentry or scout in elevated place

MONSTER ACTION / PEOPLE REACTION  cooking and eating / hardened and brave for now

PEOPLE parent and children, parent soon to die 
----
WHERE ENCOUNTERED against terrain (wall, tree, rock)

MONSTERS / PEOPLE CARRYING grisly trophies / dead child

ENCOUNTER TYPE Monsters, many

FEATURES walls / fences

OPPORTUNITIES / DANGERS monsters or people packed densely

MONSTER ACTION / PEOPLE REACTION  surrounding and breaking in / hardened and brave for now

PEOPLE related adults
----
WHERE ENCOUNTERED inside structure

MONSTERS / PEOPLE CARRYING captives ~= # of monsters in encountered group / booze 

ENCOUNTER TYPE Monsters

FEATURES pile of corpses (people, monsters, and/or livestock)

OPPORTUNITIES / DANGERS monsters or people packed densely

MONSTER ACTION / PEOPLE REACTION  torturing / follows orders, take no initiative

PEOPLE family, trying to persuade father not to go back to rescue daughter
----
WHERE ENCOUNTERED inside structure

MONSTERS / PEOPLE CARRYING Jewels and coin (1gp per monster) / pet 

ENCOUNTER TYPE Monsters

FEATURES tall grass / crops, crates, or outcropping

OPPORTUNITIES / DANGERS exposed

MONSTER ACTION / PEOPLE REACTION  cooking and eating / hardened and brave for now

PEOPLE children and adolescents 
----
WHERE ENCOUNTERED behind or below or on top of terrain (ceiling, rock, rubble)

MONSTERS / PEOPLE CARRYING casks of beer (rolling), amphorae of wine (carrying carefully) [very bulky, 10gp] / infants 

ENCOUNTER TYPE People only, few

FEATURES walls / fences

OPPORTUNITIES / DANGERS monsters or people sparsely distributed

MONSTER ACTION / PEOPLE REACTION  cooking and eating / hardened and brave for now

PEOPLE boys, friends
----
WHERE ENCOUNTERED against terrain (wall, tree, rock)

MONSTERS / PEOPLE CARRYING casks of beer (rolling), amphorae of wine (carrying carefully) [very bulky, 10gp] / infants 

ENCOUNTER TYPE Monsters

FEATURES hedge or shrubbery

OPPORTUNITIES / DANGERS alert guard / lone monster approaching unaware

MONSTER ACTION / PEOPLE REACTION  binding / too scared to move

PEOPLE children with pets, one child without
----
WHERE ENCOUNTERED in the open

MONSTERS / PEOPLE CARRYING grisly trophies / dead child

ENCOUNTER TYPE Monsters, few, two types

FEATURES pile of corpses (people, monsters, and/or livestock)

OPPORTUNITIES / DANGERS monsters or people sparsely distributed

MONSTER ACTION / PEOPLE REACTION  executing / too scared to move

PEOPLE couple engaged to be married, one covered in blood and torn, will survive if treated
----
WHERE ENCOUNTERED behind or below or on top of terrain (ceiling, rock, rubble)

MONSTERS / PEOPLE CARRYING captives ~= # of monsters in encountered group / booze 

ENCOUNTER TYPE People only, few

FEATURES tall grass / crops, crates, or outcropping

OPPORTUNITIES / DANGERS monsters or people sparsely distributed

MONSTER ACTION / PEOPLE REACTION  drowning or burning / flee from you, screaming

PEOPLE family, frantically searching for missing member
----
WHERE ENCOUNTERED in the open

MONSTERS / PEOPLE CARRYING food and clanking dinnerware and pottery (1gp total) / few loaves of bread and cups

ENCOUNTER TYPE Monsters, few, two types

FEATURES hedge or shrubbery

OPPORTUNITIES / DANGERS alert guard / lone monster approaching unaware

MONSTER ACTION / PEOPLE REACTION  pursuing / hardened and brave for now

PEOPLE unrelated adults and children
----

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