D&D 5E How to Think About 6-8 Encounters Per Day

[AaronOfBarbaria]

My PCs just go nova and nuke the poor NPCs. It seems like such a waste of time that I am planning to handwave them now.

Players go nova when they think they are going to be able to get their resources back before they need them again.

All it takes to stop that behavior is to make it so that they wind up in a situation that is an extreme pain for them because they don't have those resources which they didn't really need to spend so frivolously earlier. So if you want to keep outdoor encounters rather than just handwave them away, set something up so that the party ends up having to deal with more than they expected before being able to rest - for example, start the day traveling with a bandit encounter (not too serious of a threat, but something they would normally go nova on). If the party tries to rest immediately after, send more bandits their way, or if they travel on a bit have them encounter some other traveler (an RP encounter, no combat needed), and when they stop for a short break (like lunch) later have some wandering angry beast come along and try to have them for its meal. Then when they try to take a long rest, reveal that they are unintentionally too close to some ancient battlefield by surrounding them with undead (enough to appear like a serious threat in their post-nova state).

If you keep up on occasionally having really rough travel days, rather than the predictable "we almost never run into anything while traveling, and when we do it is only 1 encounter that day", your players will lay of the nova tactic.

 

[S'mon]

If you keep up on occasionally having really rough travel days, rather than the predictable "we almost never run into anything while traveling, and when we do it is only 1 encounter that day", your players will lay of the nova tactic.

A good way to do this is to *always* roll another 1 in 6 encounter check after every encounter. That way they can never be sure there won't be another encounter after this one...

Stop rolling only once you don't get a '6'.

 

[Woas]

I ask this in all honesty because I have been struggling with this topic lately:

How do you justify the different levels of the adventuring day from a verisimilitude point of view? What do you tell your players when they say "well, yesterday a short rest was five minutes, today it's one hour?".

I am currently running my group through Demon Queen's Enclave, and I had a 4-5 day journey through the Underdark before they even got to Phaervorul. I deemed a Long Rest was not merely a night's eight hour sleep because of the hostile environment, but the players balked at that.

To me, the scene in Lord of the Rings movie when the group was in Moria (in the room with the well that Pippin knocks the armor into), behind that closed door, is a perfect example of a short rest. However, my players seem to think that if they close a door, and spike it shut, they should be able to sleep for eight hours and get a Long Rest...

Well by and large, the idle or standard 'resting' times are the standard 1 hour short - 8 hour long. This is the base line that players can always assume and plan for. I make sure the player's know and understand, even if it required a little Out of Game game-theory discussion of Adventuring Day and assumptions that topic speaks on. Really the only time the resting periods change is if there are relatively obvious changes of pace that the players will be equally aware of. For example it is usually pretty apparent when an overland journey is underway. The shorter rest periods can be a little less obvious... the players (and characters) rarely know they are getting involved in a rapid fire series of encounters. But again it just takes a some explanation to the players that based on the current fiction and set up of those particular encounters taking a 1 hour short rest would look silly, as the whole string of encounters may only take an hour. Or perhaps the characters are involved in multiple Adventuring Days in a single In Game day. If a Short-Adventure is 6 to 8 encounters in the course of 1 or 2 hours In Game, why couldn't the characters end up having multiple Short-Adventures in a single 24 hour In Game period. In these cases again as DM I make sure to explain this to the players if needed. But usually it becomes apparent after the frequency of the first few encounters so there is a little bit of both explanation and realization.

If the players were to question the different rest lengths like you mention, two things. First, it would be an indication I as the DM did not explain this variable rest period setup satisfactorily to the players. Second, I'd explain that yes, based on the story the character's ended up having an Adventuring Day worth of encounters that required them to recuperate, bind their wounds, make their prayers quick within five minutes to shortly rest and continue. The character's still slept at night and had appropriate meals during the day and generally went about their day like normal after that Adventuring Day. In reality it was their character's Game-Mechanic resource recovery times that altered.

I hope that helps!

 

[I'm A Banana]

I have been struggling with this as an inexperienced DM. I think I need to work on making my dungeons more dynamic - sleeping foes get attacked. I have not seen much of a solution for outdoor random encounters. My PCs just go nova and nuke the poor NPCs. It seems like such a waste of time that I am planning to handwave them now.

I think you should instead consider what you're using these random encounters for.

If they're meant to be a real challenge of the PC's abilities, consider using short side-quests instead. A Deadly encounter might be able to threaten some PC's, but nova-ing will neutralize even a Deadly encounter pretty nicely, if done intelligently. If it's instead a "one-day-dungeon," that nova will have costs down the line. Instead of meeting a group of goblins, the PC's notice the signs of a nearby goblin lair. Instead of meeting a wandering group of trolls, the PC's hear about a tribe of trolls that has moved in. Etc.

If they're not meant to be a real challenge of the PC's abilities, then nuking the NPC's is OK. The PC's show off how powerful they are and you show them that Here Be Monsters and it's pretty much doing what you want, even if it doesn't risk a character death. In that case, you might want to consider putting a wide variety of things on your random encounter tables - things beyond the CR the party can face, encounters with non-hostile NPC's like dwarves and elves and pilgrims and merchants, and even "events" instead of creatures (one result on the table is a thunderstorm; another is a strange new start seen in the sky at night, etc.). These can all telegraph what your wilderness region is like, but it adds variety to the random encounters - some are hosed, some are the PC's running away / stealthing, some are just curiosities, some might be opportunities for roleplaying, etc.

If what you want is for the journey itself to be dangerous - to have the party risk death by travelling outside of town - the easiest thing to do is probably this quick house rule: you can only gain the benefits of a long rest in a civilized area. Fighters need their festhalls. Mages need their libraries. Clerics need their temples. Even druids might need specific sacred groves. Maybe rangers don't need to be in a civilized area, but they can't help anyone else take a long rest.

That'll make the party's journey VERY fraught!

Either don't worry about challenging the party, challenge them with multiple encounters, or adopt a rule to make the trek itself a challenge. Handwaving travel is OK, too, but you can lose a lot of atmosphere when everywhere is "fast travel."

 

[Kusodareka]

Wow, thank you all for the great suggestions!

 

[Quickleaf]

[MENTION=2067]I'm A Banana[/MENTION]
When I think of well-done "random encounters" (whether homebrew or published), I think of tables that incorporate all three of what you're talking about...and more. Each individual entry may lean toward one more than the other, but generally I expect a random encounter table to mix it up.

The three functions of random encounters you called out are:

1. Show what lives there / provide evocative flavor to a journey
2. Provide a significant challenge / monster lair / side quest
3. Impose resource attrition on the party

Those are all great and have a place and time when they make sense to use.

I'd also expand your list to include:

• Change the stakes/parameters of a main quest
• Provide an opportunity to gain a resource / ally / advantage
• Create an opportunity for learning about the world

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Here are some examples from an adventure I'm writing, where there's a 2d10 encounter table for the Haunted Lands, a stretch of ghostly desert occupied by ruins and bandits...

Show what lives there / provide evocative flavor to a journey

1d4 aggressive giant scorpions (CR 3), with signs of having venom extracted from their stingers by a poisoner at one time.

This one also provokes a question: Who has been harvesting giant scorpion venom? When they track down an assassin using giant scorpion venom they'll know where he harvests his poison from, making a potential connection they might be able to exploit to their advantage.

Provide a significant challenge / monster lair / side quest

A vast stretch of quicksand fills a ravine (see the DMG pg. 110). Either a purple worm (CR 15) or an adult vishap lurks in the sands nearby waiting to strike those falling prey to the quicksand. During any fighting against the creature, some of the sands may collapse into one of the various ruins or tombs of the Haunted Lands (see the "Ruins" section in this chapter).

This one is a deadly challenge, though it might be made more surmountable by information/resources the PCs gain during the main story to help deter purple worms/vishaps. Additionally, it provides a chance to introduce a new area to explore.

Impose resource attrition on the party

2d4 giant hyenas (CR 1) or 2d4 debbi harass the characters’ campsite, attempting to scatter mounts, steal food, and ruin supplies. If they are caught and given to clan al-Dabae al’Aswad, the gnolls will look favorably on the PCs. Alternately, hyenas might be tracked back to the gnolls at night.

This one is straight up attacking their resources, but it also provides an opportunity for a turnaround for players who are paying attention to the adventure's story.

Change the stakes/parameters of a main quest

Majnun is a janni* (CR 4) who was exiled from his kind for attempting to poison Amir Heidar Qan and stealing the Amir’s prized treasure. While it’s true Majnun stole the treasure which he indeed carries on his person, he was framed for the failed assassination attempt. He travels the Haunted Lands disguised as a mystic astride a giant white camel, helping out those lost in the desert and offering cryptic guidance. If Majnun is turned over to the Jann of the Haunted Lands in the Great Anvil, the jann will generously reward those who captured the exile.

This one can change how the PCs go about pursuing a part of the main quest — finding Amir Heidar Qan — depending on whether or not they believe/trust Majnun.

Provide an opportunity to gain a resource / ally / advantage

2d6 gnolls (CR 1/2) led by a gnoll pack lord (CR 2), riding an equal number of giant hyenas (CR 1), and accompanied by twice their number in trained hyenas (CR 0). They belong to the clan al-Dabae al’Aswad (Gnolls of the Black Hyena), which long ago tempered the rage afflicting gnoll-kind by adopting the Enlightened Faith of Zakhara. Most of the gnolls are thus chaotic neutral instead of chaotic evil. However, the icon of their faith - a spear said to have broken against the Loregiver’s side - was stolen by a thief in Konigheim and unless it’s found the gnolls risk descending into savagery.

This one provides an opportunity to ally with the gnolls, but also foreshadows consequences if the PCs don't undertake the side quest to restore the sacred broken spear to them.

Create an opportunity for learning about the world

A cave with a trickle of fresh water that echoes with disembodied voices whispering in forgotten tongues. A character meditating for an hour in the cave makes a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw. On a success they gain Inspiration and remove a level of exhaustion. On a failure they suffer long-term madness (see DMG pg. 280). Additionally, a cleric or paladin may expend a use of Channel Divinity while meditating to understand a bit of what the restless spirits are whispering, learning a clue (see pg. ##) about the BBEG.

This one I had to be a bit vague on because I'm writing something I intend to publish, but this one presents a question that the players can answer during their adventures: Why are there whispering restless spirits in the cave? Also, it provides an opportunity to gain a bit of lore that may help them down the road.