Encounter ideas?

[Zelda Themelin]

Hi, haven’t ever asked these things before, but I wanted to test if I can find help here.

I am starting a new campaign in new world, with new characters, and I can’t decide what their first combat encounters should be like.

Party is formed of characters between 5-6th level. There is going to be a fighter-wizard, a cleric, a fighter and a ranger.

World is based on Twin Crowns world, province of Estrados, near wilderness of coastal city.
I doubt many are familiar with that one, so let’s say it’s your average fantasy world, with exception that everyone has five lives (called gifts), and when they are done, it’s time for late goodbyes.
Returning to life is not free (loss of level, or con for first levels, as usual) and might not always succeed for sometimes spirits get lost. Well, that’s about flavor.

I’d want have couple of challenging encounters, that are also interesting, maybe very basic creatures, but with interesting ways, or something new. No human-bandits, I use humans as enemies too much already.

I have many monsters book available, for example all WotC, all S&S, all green ronin stuff, and rokugan, which aren’t getting as much use as they should.

As dm, I am good with stats, but bad thinking interesting combat situations. Yes, I can make them tactically challenging, but I am bored with my own ideas, they are starting to become self-repeating.

I would need four to five encounters.

Anyone here with creative mind willing to share ideas?

My deadline is within 24 hours.

 

[Piratecat]

Okay, let's plan encounters around some sort of theme monster. I'll start to think. What kind of an area land-wise and temperature-wise do they start out in?

Out of curiosity - why start new characters at 5-6th level?

 

[Ferox4]

I think we need some more info:

Where are the PCs starting out?
Where are they going? Why?
How are they going?
Do you want some encounters in the city/town (assuming that's where they are beginning)?
Are you planning for random encounters?
What time of year is it?
You get the idea.

get that out to us and watch the ideas roll in.........

 

[Zelda Themelin]

Its plains and forests mostly, which characters are passing through. Weather is pretty much like in mid-Europe (Spain etc.) Geography is about my worst subject in school and I am no good at explaining these things in English, so hope you got it.

I am having kind of writer's block about theme of encounters. I make pretty lively role-play situations and IMO boring combats until I get it over with.


What comes to party level, they actually start at 4th, but there is going to be another city-adventure adventure before this trip. It's going to include duels, games and fun. Solving how to undo misfired love-spell, and unexpected fight with crow-demon. Which was incidentally sent to find and kill and bind spirit of one character (it's been searching for 22 years). So they are probably gonna gain level or two.

I am going to have the Scourge (similar to Horror-invasion in Earth-Dawn game, which I own, but never played). Then there is evil tyrant who very much wants to have one character dead. Mainly because he made this deal certain with demon lord, got power, but was also cheated. And through some events, this character has that something he wants back. Well, but he has yet to find this character has it.

Level start, well, I've played and run many D&D games, so we typically start them from between 1-6th level, depending on how we feel. this is going to be fast-moving game, unlike my "eternity-projects" as I call them. And we prefer mid-to-high level games.

 

[LazerPointer]

You don't want to use human enemies, but what about other races? I could think of some pretty devious things a well-stocked clan of evil gnomes could do, and you have the entertainment advantage of describing all the zany gnomish contraptions and tactics.

 

[Zelda Themelin]

I think we need some more info:

Where are the PCs starting out?
Where are they going? Why?
How are they going?
Do you want some encounters in the city/town (assuming that's where they are beginning)?
Are you planning for random encounters?
What time of year is it?
You get the idea.

get that out to us and watch the ideas roll in.........

They are starting at coastal city of Estancia, it's capital of Estrados. Summertime. Days are warm, and sometimes rainy.
Characters are minor nobility there.

They start trip for fun, profit and to become the best. People of land are very fond of compiting with others, and to pursue personal honor, romance and desire to become one of the best, be it art or warrior-or other skills.

More specific reason reason is, that they probably want to find someone, who has moved to about middle of certain forest. Lady has become druidess in her later years and secluded herself to meditatation and worship of the Wylds (local druid thing).

They are going to travel with horses, but they are likely to leave them behind and travel by foot, before entering more forested area.

They might also be travelling to hill-areas (or how it's spelled), if they learn of certain village's recent problem.
Another side-trek: There is old pathway with creepy stairway leading to abandoned temple. Some villagers have been recently been drawn to walk those stairs and they haven't returned, and others are starting to feel the same pull. Haunting howl, that sound almost like alien music can be heard from temple. This has been going on for week now. Linked to coming Scourge incident.

Random encounters, yes, I need them, and I suck coming up with good ones. (I always use the same monsters).

 

[Zelda Themelin]

There aren't gnomes. This is not orc-land either.
Other humanoids, like small groups of gnolls, ogres, goblinoids etc. are possibility, as is lizard-like folk.

If you have ideas for gnome tactics, I could use them for similar race.

I don't want to use player-character races, because, well, they aren't quite the same, and I use them a lot.

Oh, and there is gunpowder invitations, like pistols, nothing fancy, though.

 

[Jolly Giant]

Go with the unexpected! Hit them with a vampire, and make sure they know it's a vampire long befoer the actual fighting starts. Play him disgustingly selfconfident, make it clear that there is no doubt what so ever that he can take out the entire party with his hands tied on his back. Have him brag about his immense powers; let him say stuff like "Seems I have you outnumbered... one to four!" or "I'll probably just kill one of you tonight. The rest of you I'll save for snacking on some other night..."

Most likely, they'll be very reluctant to get into a direct confrontation, fearing the vampire will be way too tough for them. Have the sucker corner them somehow. Have him trick them into a dungeon or similar; someplace small with only one exit. That exit is of course guarded by the vampire. Maybe he'll be cool enough to let them decide which of them he'll kill first?

Of course, the vampire isn't as invincible as he claims to be. Remember, he doesn't really have to be anything more frightening then a level four commoner who just happened to be bitten one night! Shouldn't be to hard for a level 5-6 party...

 

[Piratecat]

Okay, mid-levels are a very flexible place; you can use mid-lvl monsters, low-lvl monsters that are tougher than normal, and powerful monsters that are weakened somehow.

So, let's set up a plot. Say: there is an ancient circular ruin in a farmer's field, long ignored. It is sacred to Mog the Beetle God, and there is a stone beneath that can grant power to one who believes.

A halfling rogue found proof of this months ago, found the stone, and was transformed into half-halfling/half-giant cockroach. He now has vermin-related druidic powers and has instinctively summoned giant beetles to do his bidding. He has begun destroying the surrounding farms in order to ensure himself privacy, and with the help of his sorcerer (enchanter) cousin has started the process of converting other people by force.

Sound like a decent start?

You could stage encounters:

1. fight bizarre insects

2. deal with charming halfling in town trying to subvert and control mayor

3. Check on dead farm; fight monsters

4. Head for temple. Fight half-roach and his minions.

5. Decide what to do with stone; small beetles keep following the owner.

 

[Jolly Giant]

The perfect wilderness "random" encounter? An ankheg of course! They could come charging unexpectedly up out of the ground anywhere anytime. All the motivation they need is hunger and their tremorsense let them know exactly where everyone is walking.