Remathilis
Legend
Forked from: On the Value of Uncertainty
This has made me wonder...
Would it be possible to make a "random" world, or play D&D solely on the random table-generators?
To elaborate: The main rule would be; "whatever the DM can determine by random-roll, must be". It falls to the DM to interpret the roll and have it make narrative sense, but not to "tell a story" or even provide a larger narrative. Just keep the action moving. Instead, the PCs (and how they react to the otherwise "random" roll) would be the main narrative thrust.
No overaching metaplots, no demon invasion, no uber-NPCs. Just what the dice say.
For example, the PCs decide to ride out to the next town, which the DM rolls is two days away. They go to the local shop (which might be named via generator) and talk with the shop keeper. Since the shop keeper is impressed by their diplomacy check (moving his initial attitude from indifferent to friendly), he tells the PCs a rumor off the random-rumor chart. Seems its rumored their is an old mine not two days travel from here, and strange sounds come from it at night (true). The PCs decide to investigate. After two days of traveling in rain (randomly generated weather) and meeting and defeating some local bandits (random encounter) they make it to the old mine. Inside, they face some randomly determined foes from a chart of appropriate CR foes (carefully watching for nonsensical results, re-rolling or having no encounter as appropriate) they reach the end and find a powerful foe (randomly determined?) guarding a magical sword (+4, which is powerful but the dice were favorable). However, along the way the dwarf died in combat (critical hit) and now the group go back to town to see if there is a high-enough level cleric in town (random town population) to cast raise dead, perhaps trading that +4 sword for the favor...
At any of those rolls, things could have been different. Perhaps the rumor is false and the PCs go on a wild goose chase. Perhaps they botch the diplomacy check and he doesn't say anything at all (or worse, lies and leads them to a worse fate). Perhaps instead of a +4 sword, its a scroll of fireball. Perhaps instead of bandits they defeat, its hill giants! Etc...
Could D&D on the dice like this work? Has anyone tried it? Would it lead to more headaches (nonsensical monster encounters, overpowered treasure) or less (freedom from PCs trampling or otherwise screwing up plots and such?)
discuss.
Irda Ranger said:
This has made me wonder...
Would it be possible to make a "random" world, or play D&D solely on the random table-generators?
To elaborate: The main rule would be; "whatever the DM can determine by random-roll, must be". It falls to the DM to interpret the roll and have it make narrative sense, but not to "tell a story" or even provide a larger narrative. Just keep the action moving. Instead, the PCs (and how they react to the otherwise "random" roll) would be the main narrative thrust.
No overaching metaplots, no demon invasion, no uber-NPCs. Just what the dice say.
For example, the PCs decide to ride out to the next town, which the DM rolls is two days away. They go to the local shop (which might be named via generator) and talk with the shop keeper. Since the shop keeper is impressed by their diplomacy check (moving his initial attitude from indifferent to friendly), he tells the PCs a rumor off the random-rumor chart. Seems its rumored their is an old mine not two days travel from here, and strange sounds come from it at night (true). The PCs decide to investigate. After two days of traveling in rain (randomly generated weather) and meeting and defeating some local bandits (random encounter) they make it to the old mine. Inside, they face some randomly determined foes from a chart of appropriate CR foes (carefully watching for nonsensical results, re-rolling or having no encounter as appropriate) they reach the end and find a powerful foe (randomly determined?) guarding a magical sword (+4, which is powerful but the dice were favorable). However, along the way the dwarf died in combat (critical hit) and now the group go back to town to see if there is a high-enough level cleric in town (random town population) to cast raise dead, perhaps trading that +4 sword for the favor...
At any of those rolls, things could have been different. Perhaps the rumor is false and the PCs go on a wild goose chase. Perhaps they botch the diplomacy check and he doesn't say anything at all (or worse, lies and leads them to a worse fate). Perhaps instead of a +4 sword, its a scroll of fireball. Perhaps instead of bandits they defeat, its hill giants! Etc...
Could D&D on the dice like this work? Has anyone tried it? Would it lead to more headaches (nonsensical monster encounters, overpowered treasure) or less (freedom from PCs trampling or otherwise screwing up plots and such?)
discuss.
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