Wandering Monsters - yea or nay?
The Shaman
First Post
Part of "D&D Adventures" specifically? No idea - is that a product of some kind?
Part of roleplaying games generally? Hell yeah.
Part of roleplaying games generally? Hell yeah.
Tonguez
A suffusion of yellow
I'm all for placing creatures and 'themed events' in a setting that are not related (directly) to the core adventure which might be triggered when the PCs enter a set grib or over time. These help to create a sense of life in the setting
not so much roll random mopnster to suddenly appear around the corner...
not so much roll random mopnster to suddenly appear around the corner...
Dice4Hire
First Post
I like wandering monsters, even if, on occasion, they are annoying to play out, especially if it is a simple fight. But I think they need to be there, and it is a good place to put the characters up against level inappropriate things, so they can either run like rabbits, or feel like gods.
I like to believe that monsters aren't simply wandering, but have their own reasons for walking about. For example, the salamander I ran into last week was actually sent out by his wife to pick up some flame retardant toilet paper (they can't just use leaves like the rest of us, y'know). And the last medusa I saw was only out because she was trying to work off some holiday weight by jogging. I suppose I was as helpful as I could have been under the circumstances; losing 15 pounds of head weight let her meet her New Years resolution without dieting.
The Shaman
First Post
Then hell yeah.
Traditionally random encounters are used to keep the adventurers, and by extension the game, moving along and to present a tactical and resource management challenge; while they play that role in the games I run as well, I use random encounters more specifically as in media res moments to make a location, or the game-world generally, feel like it exists independently of the adventurers.
Frex, say the adventurers are visiting a chateau; a random encounter could be guards patrolling the halls, a rake sneaking into or out of his mistress' chamber, the steward angrily discussing bills with the head cook, and so on.
In our Flashing Blades game, the adventurers spotted a couple, poorly disguised as merchants, in a seedy gambling hell. They also noted that a group of cutthroats apparently saw through the disguises as well. Anticipating an attempt to waylay the couple, the adventurers followed the disguised pair into the night and broke up the bravos' ambush. One of the pair was wounded, and the other, claiming to be a duchess, demanded that the adventurers help sneak the couple into the Louvre. Disguises were readied, guards bluffed - barely - and the couple was smuggled into the palace. Meanwhile one captured bravo managed to escape, and another was murdered by the adventurers, his throat cut and his body slipped into the cold dark waters of the Seine.
The next night found the adventurers trying to find the leader of the gang, first tracking down his girlfriend, a cheap prostitute, and attempting to intimidate her into giving up his whereabouts. When that failed, they followed her into a Carmelite abbey, but decided to leave when confronted by the abbot - the abbot was also a random encounter, by the way.
As written in my notes, the random encounter was, "The duchesse de Chevreuse and Lord Holland, disguised as merchants, go slumming in a seedy tavern. Cutthroats led by Guilbert Le Pendu see through their disguises and plan to ambush the couple when they leave." Everything that followed was simply a reaction to what the adventurers chose to do.
Lanefan
Victoria Rules
Voted 'yes', but that doesn't mean 'yes, all the time'.
Note that for the following I define "wandering monsters" as potential opponents that don't normally live or lair within the dungeon or adventure scene where the party is operating.
The presence or absence - and frequency - of wandering monsters completely depends on the particular adventure.
Some dungeons in the middle of wilderness e.g. Bone Hill can have monsters of all kinds wandering in and out and around at any time, and taking them out doesn't change the root population of the dungeon in any way. Other adventures are by necessity limited to what's already there e.g. an adventure in a demi-plane or in a highly-controlled complex; and while monsters can still appear to wander into the party (and to begin with the players and characters probably won't know the difference) they are far more likely to be patrolling guards or residents going about their business, and killing them now means you've reduced the opposition by that amount.
But if you mean "do I check to see if anything disturbs the party or if something randomly happens to be where they're going", then hell yeah.
Lan-"those monsters aren't wandering, they're striding purposefully"-efan
Note that for the following I define "wandering monsters" as potential opponents that don't normally live or lair within the dungeon or adventure scene where the party is operating.
The presence or absence - and frequency - of wandering monsters completely depends on the particular adventure.
Some dungeons in the middle of wilderness e.g. Bone Hill can have monsters of all kinds wandering in and out and around at any time, and taking them out doesn't change the root population of the dungeon in any way. Other adventures are by necessity limited to what's already there e.g. an adventure in a demi-plane or in a highly-controlled complex; and while monsters can still appear to wander into the party (and to begin with the players and characters probably won't know the difference) they are far more likely to be patrolling guards or residents going about their business, and killing them now means you've reduced the opposition by that amount.
But if you mean "do I check to see if anything disturbs the party or if something randomly happens to be where they're going", then hell yeah.
Lan-"those monsters aren't wandering, they're striding purposefully"-efan
I've used wandering monsters, and to a larger extent, wandering NPCs to great effect in my campaign.
Wandering NPCs usually turn into some good RPing, while wandering monsters just on a battle grid don't seem to be as fun as NPCs. Generally, the players either a) try and avoid them, or b) decide they want what the monster drops, whether it be a poison sac, a magical fang, or even the leather to build a better set of armor, and want to kill it.
I find that if you do throw wandering monsters into a D&D session, you shouldn't just throw it on a battle grid, but try to throw terrain, cliffs, or even wandering NPCs in imminent danger nearby. I find this creates thinking outside the box and problem solving, as well as allowing the players to cooperate and discuss how best to approach the solution. With a flat surface, there is little in the way of options, i.e. fighters running in, rogues and wizards/sorcerers staying back. With terrain, the players will find a way to use it to their advantage.
Wandering NPCs usually turn into some good RPing, while wandering monsters just on a battle grid don't seem to be as fun as NPCs. Generally, the players either a) try and avoid them, or b) decide they want what the monster drops, whether it be a poison sac, a magical fang, or even the leather to build a better set of armor, and want to kill it.
I find that if you do throw wandering monsters into a D&D session, you shouldn't just throw it on a battle grid, but try to throw terrain, cliffs, or even wandering NPCs in imminent danger nearby. I find this creates thinking outside the box and problem solving, as well as allowing the players to cooperate and discuss how best to approach the solution. With a flat surface, there is little in the way of options, i.e. fighters running in, rogues and wizards/sorcerers staying back. With terrain, the players will find a way to use it to their advantage.
