D&D 5E How do you think Wandering Monsters fit into modern 5E styles?

[Matthew Perkins]

Hi!

I made a video a few weeks ago exploring how I felt about random encounters and how they reminded me of old Sega Genesis RPGs. My general take was that I think there's usually better uses of the table's time, but some people made some pretty good points, so I'm planning to try AD&D for the first time sometime this year, just to experience random tables as they were meant to be.

Here's the video, which I'd love your opinion on:

If you like this video — even if you disagree — I'd appreciate your support. I'll have another video coming out in a few days too!

One of my favourite points was made by YouTuber Ben from Questing Beast. Here's what he said:

Cool video! Interestingly, random encounters (or "wandering monsters" as they used to be called) existed to make players manage their time. Every 20 minutes or so of in-game time in a dungeon called for a wandering monster check, so players were incentivized to move strategically and decisively while exploring for loot (the main source of XP).

Random encounters also exist to make the environment feel like a living place, where things could happen that the DM didn't plan for. It adds verisimilitude and helps keep the players believing that the game world has internally consistent rules that they can plan for (the Goblin Guards, for example). It's part of a particular tradition of play where the story is something that emerges organically from how the players react to a living world, rather than something planned out in advance. This is especially the case when the DM is using old-school reaction tables, so the things you encounter aren't necessarily hostile. Negotiation, deceptions, and alliances end up being quite common.

 

[abirdcall]

Random encounters also help to shape a game that is a collaborative storytelling experience rather than a story being told by someone (the DM).

If encounters are random then the story cannot already be written. Designing an adventure to account for random encounters also encourages design which will allow for player decisions to have an impact on the story.

I think random encounters are vital to the game. One of the first things I look at it a published adventure is how good their encounters tables are. I'm wary of any adventure which doesn't include them.

 

[DND_Reborn]

I've had entire session's adventures spring up from a random encounter and/or wandering monsters. You just never know where things will lead...

 

[Don Durito]

I’m not sure what modern 5e style is.

I think 5e combat is still slow enough that one has to go light on wandering monsters.

But wandering monsters and random encounters are not the same thing.

 

[pogre]

I know not many folks stick to the 6-8 encounter recommendation from the rules, but I do like using wandering monsters charts to add some risk to going nova in an early encounter with resources and then immediately resting. I also agree with @ad_hoc that it can lead the game into fun and unforeseen directions.

Boring Campaign Story Follows:
======================
A few weeks ago my PCs had just fought a tremendous battle with a raiding band of gnolls. Just as the battle ends I roll an encounter for a wandering monster and it turns out to be a troll. The PCs begin negotiating with the troll, which I decided had been watching the battle. They made a deal with the troll "Har-Har" to allow him to eat all of the gnolls and giant hyenas they just killed. They also worked out a deal where Har-Har could follow them in the wilderness and eat other monsters the PCs slayed. The troll promised not to attack the PCs' village and livestock. Har-Har sightings have come intermittently after this and the PCs are quite fond of him these days.

All thanks to a wandering monster chart

 

[robus]

I’ve been bad at handling wandering monsters because, despite the adventure suggesting every hour spent in the location, the rules give no system of tracking time in the game world making the checks arbitrary to me (and the players). I’m looking forward to using the AngryGMs time pool approach the next time my players are spending time in a dangerous location. Simply put searching a room takes 10 minutes, each 10 minutes add a d6 to the pool (if they make a lot of noise also add a d6 or roll the current pool) when there a 6d6 roll them and if any show a 1 a wandering monster shows up.

The beauty of this, in my opinion, is the time passing is clearly visible to the players. They can see the pool growing and know that their luck may run out soon.

 

[Zardnaar]

I tested the desert ones in Xanathars. Complete joke 1d4 wights or something level 11+.

PCs made shirt work of them. Level 7.

 

[pogre]

PCs made shirt work of them. Level 7.

I know it was a simple typo, but I just had visions of a bunch of "Buffalo Bill" type PCs knocking the the wights down and making them rub lotion on their backs.

I'm an idiot.

 

[The Green Hermit]

Random encounters also help to shape a game that is a collaborative storytelling experience rather than a story being told by someone (the DM).

If encounters are random then the story cannot already be written. Designing an adventure to account for random encounters also encourages design which will allow for player decisions to have an impact on the story.

I think random encounters are vital to the game. One of the first things I look at it a published adventure is how good their encounters tables are. I'm wary of any adventure which doesn't include them.

This is one of the things I look for inspiration on the most. If I don't feel like there are enough random encounters available, I go searching for some. I'm good at coming up with monsters, but need help on the non-combat encounters to even things out.

I’ve been bad at handling wandering monsters because, despite the adventure suggesting every hour spent in the location, the rules give no system of tracking time in the game world making the checks arbitrary to me (and the players). I’m looking forward to using the AngryGMs time pool approach the next time my players are spending time in a dangerous location. Simply put searching a room takes 10 minutes, each 10 minutes add a d6 to the pool (if they make a lot of noise also add a d6 or roll the current pool) when there a 6d6 roll them and if any show a 1 a wandering monster shows up.

The beauty of this, in my opinion, is the time passing is clearly visible to the players. They can see the pool growing and know that their luck may run out soon.

I usually roll once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and once during a long-rest.

 

[Don Durito]

One of my favourite way to handle random encounters with monsters is to have escalating threats.

So you roll an encounter with 1d4 goblins. They're not idiots, they're not going to attack heavily armed pcs. They'll just shadow them for a time seeing if they get into trouble. If more goblins are rolled then the number following the PCs will grow. If their numbers get large enough to feel confident then they'll attack the pcs.

Or if it's some kind of predator it may follow for a while, if one of the PCs splits from the party to do something, then they'll attack them. Or they'll wait for the party to enter combat for another reason and then pick on the PC at the edge.