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[SPOILERS] Enhancing Tomb of Annihilation
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<blockquote data-quote="Quickleaf" data-source="post: 7494709" data-attributes="member: 20323"><p>Here’s the random encounter procedure I’ve come up with for Tomb of Annihilation to make exploration more interesting, meaningful, and wonder-filled. It came about as we finished a session early and I decided to let the players do the encounter rolls for the next 10 days of river travel. They enjoyed it! Hopefully others will find this useful...</p><p></p><p>[SBLOCK=Theorycraft]There is a blog called <a href="http://udan-adan.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-functions-of-distance-some.html?m=1" target="_blank">The Wicked City</a> which has a great description of what’s problematic with ToA’s random encounter hexcrawl:</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>My approach here is the latter answer: making the random encounter generation more robust.[/SBLOCK]</p><p></p><p><strong>Step I:</strong> Determine daily weather with <a href="http://bear-digital.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/The-Many-Faces-of-Chult-v1.2.pdf" target="_blank">The Random Faces of Chult</a> (Bear Digital) (d100)</p><p></p><p><strong>Step II:</strong> Check for encounters (d20):</p><p></p><p>1. Sanctuary! A sanctuary is a mystical safe place where there are no encounters while sleeping, humanoids sleep safe from night hag haunting, and after a long rest PCs regain *all* Hit Dice (not half) and remove all exhaustion. The DM can choose, or roll d20 on <a href="http://slyflourish.com/lost_monuments_of_chult.html" target="_blank">Lost Monuments of Chult</a> (Sly Flourish) or d12 on <a href="https://www.dmsguild.com/m/product/224362" target="_blank">Jungle Goodies</a> (DMs Guild: Loot the Room).</p><p></p><p>2-14. No encounter.</p><p></p><p>15. Special. Either roll a d100 on <a href="https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.reddit.com/r/d100/comments/759iyr/d100_jungle_encounters/" target="_blank">Reddit Jungle Encounters</a> or 3d6 on master encounter table in <a href="https://www.dmsguild.com/m/product/218630" target="_blank">Jungles of Chult Factbook</a> (DMs Guild). Lots of interesting scenery and non-combat stuff.</p><p></p><p>16-19. Encounter. Roll d100 on ToA tables as normal.</p><p></p><p>20. Big Encounter! Roll a d20 again:</p><p>1-4. A “boss”, possibly a rival or villainous NPC, a dangerous jungle predator, or a malevolent spirit. </p><p>5-19. Roll for two encounters.</p><p>20. Either roll for three encounters, or a Boss with one encounter roll.</p><p></p><p><strong>Step III:</strong> Determine terrain/structures with <a href="https://noblecrumpet-dorkvision.tumblr.com/post/173937841579/jungle-environment-generator" target="_blank">Jungle Environment Generator</a> (Noblecrumpet Dorkvision). </p><p></p><p>Roll a d6 for terrain features: 1-4 one, 5-6 two. Roll a d100 for each feature.</p><p></p><p>Roll a d6 for structures: 1-5 none, 6 structure (and roll d6 again to determine type of structure: 1-5 minor, 6 major). Roll a d100 for each minor structure and each major structure.</p><p></p><p><strong>Step IV:</strong> Treasure. There is a 50% chance of treasure when finding a Sanctuary, and there is always treasure when encountering a “boss”/double/triple encounter, or exploring a structure. Major structures are kinda 3-to-5 room structures and probably merit two or three rolls. d20:</p><p>1-5 Individual treasure (DMG, d100)</p><p>6-9 Trinket (“Jungle Trinkets” on DMs Guild or another on <a href="https://reddicediaries.com/dd-5e/jungle-trinkets-for-dd-5e/" target="_blank">Red Dice Diaries</a>, d100)</p><p>10-11 Clue/Story Item/Key</p><p>12-14 Art Object (DM’s choice or d12 <a href="https://www.dmsguild.com/m/product/224362" target="_blank">Jungle Goodies</a> from DMs Guild: Loot the Room)</p><p>15-16 Common Magic Item (chosen by DM from PHB/XGtE/homebrew)</p><p>17-18 Magic Item from <a href="https://www.dmsguild.com/m/product/222869" target="_blank">Karniv’s Treasures of Chult</a> (DMs Guild)</p><p>19 Magic Item from DMG (d20: 1-5 Table A, 6-9, B, 10-12 C, 13-14 D, 15 E, 16-17 F, 18 G, 19 H, 20 I; then roll d100).</p><p>20 Treasure Hoard (DMG d100)</p><p></p><p><strong>Step V:</strong> Alternate routes & finishing touches. I take all that, combining stuff in 3-to-5 days so that I am not making it a slog. I look at what’s happened before, what’s yet to come, what’s nearby on the map, and how all of it might relate to the PCs’ goals and backstories. When possible, I roll for an alternate encounter/terrain to give the players a navigation choice, and then look for ways to make that choice meaningful with descriptions that foreshadow & differing types of challenges/encounters. I do all that with an eye toward hooking in PC motives & backgrounds.</p><p></p><p>So that’s my process that has emerged so far! I think it works best to include the players in some of it...The kind of thing I’d have them roll for at the end of a session when they set a travel objective. That way I’d have the opportunity to massage it into something more engaging during my prep for next session.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Quickleaf, post: 7494709, member: 20323"] Here’s the random encounter procedure I’ve come up with for Tomb of Annihilation to make exploration more interesting, meaningful, and wonder-filled. It came about as we finished a session early and I decided to let the players do the encounter rolls for the next 10 days of river travel. They enjoyed it! Hopefully others will find this useful... [SBLOCK=Theorycraft]There is a blog called [url=http://udan-adan.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-functions-of-distance-some.html?m=1]The Wicked City[/url] which has a great description of what’s problematic with ToA’s random encounter hexcrawl: My approach here is the latter answer: making the random encounter generation more robust.[/SBLOCK] [b]Step I:[/b] Determine daily weather with [url=http://bear-digital.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/The-Many-Faces-of-Chult-v1.2.pdf]The Random Faces of Chult[/url] (Bear Digital) (d100) [b]Step II:[/b] Check for encounters (d20): 1. Sanctuary! A sanctuary is a mystical safe place where there are no encounters while sleeping, humanoids sleep safe from night hag haunting, and after a long rest PCs regain *all* Hit Dice (not half) and remove all exhaustion. The DM can choose, or roll d20 on [url=http://slyflourish.com/lost_monuments_of_chult.html]Lost Monuments of Chult[/url] (Sly Flourish) or d12 on [url=https://www.dmsguild.com/m/product/224362]Jungle Goodies[/url] (DMs Guild: Loot the Room). 2-14. No encounter. 15. Special. Either roll a d100 on [url=https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.reddit.com/r/d100/comments/759iyr/d100_jungle_encounters/]Reddit Jungle Encounters[/url] or 3d6 on master encounter table in [url=https://www.dmsguild.com/m/product/218630]Jungles of Chult Factbook[/url] (DMs Guild). Lots of interesting scenery and non-combat stuff. 16-19. Encounter. Roll d100 on ToA tables as normal. 20. Big Encounter! Roll a d20 again: 1-4. A “boss”, possibly a rival or villainous NPC, a dangerous jungle predator, or a malevolent spirit. 5-19. Roll for two encounters. 20. Either roll for three encounters, or a Boss with one encounter roll. [b]Step III:[/b] Determine terrain/structures with [url=https://noblecrumpet-dorkvision.tumblr.com/post/173937841579/jungle-environment-generator]Jungle Environment Generator[/url] (Noblecrumpet Dorkvision). Roll a d6 for terrain features: 1-4 one, 5-6 two. Roll a d100 for each feature. Roll a d6 for structures: 1-5 none, 6 structure (and roll d6 again to determine type of structure: 1-5 minor, 6 major). Roll a d100 for each minor structure and each major structure. [b]Step IV:[/b] Treasure. There is a 50% chance of treasure when finding a Sanctuary, and there is always treasure when encountering a “boss”/double/triple encounter, or exploring a structure. Major structures are kinda 3-to-5 room structures and probably merit two or three rolls. d20: 1-5 Individual treasure (DMG, d100) 6-9 Trinket (“Jungle Trinkets” on DMs Guild or another on [url=https://reddicediaries.com/dd-5e/jungle-trinkets-for-dd-5e/]Red Dice Diaries[/url], d100) 10-11 Clue/Story Item/Key 12-14 Art Object (DM’s choice or d12 [url=https://www.dmsguild.com/m/product/224362]Jungle Goodies[/url] from DMs Guild: Loot the Room) 15-16 Common Magic Item (chosen by DM from PHB/XGtE/homebrew) 17-18 Magic Item from [url=https://www.dmsguild.com/m/product/222869]Karniv’s Treasures of Chult[/url] (DMs Guild) 19 Magic Item from DMG (d20: 1-5 Table A, 6-9, B, 10-12 C, 13-14 D, 15 E, 16-17 F, 18 G, 19 H, 20 I; then roll d100). 20 Treasure Hoard (DMG d100) [b]Step V:[/b] Alternate routes & finishing touches. I take all that, combining stuff in 3-to-5 days so that I am not making it a slog. I look at what’s happened before, what’s yet to come, what’s nearby on the map, and how all of it might relate to the PCs’ goals and backstories. When possible, I roll for an alternate encounter/terrain to give the players a navigation choice, and then look for ways to make that choice meaningful with descriptions that foreshadow & differing types of challenges/encounters. I do all that with an eye toward hooking in PC motives & backgrounds. So that’s my process that has emerged so far! I think it works best to include the players in some of it...The kind of thing I’d have them roll for at the end of a session when they set a travel objective. That way I’d have the opportunity to massage it into something more engaging during my prep for next session. [/QUOTE]
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