D&D General How to Make Travel Meaningful and Interesting

[CreamCloud0]

I agree with you. For Clint, they are a separate. But my question is: Would he still consider it just as random if his random encounter was determined by skill challenges, as opposed to the GM rolling on a random table? One allows the player's skill and PC's skills to determine the encounter, the other leaves it up to random GM/player rolls.

ah, i see what you're saying, having been in a thread discussing a similar topic before i at least would have to say no, because skill challenges are influenced by the character's skill, there's no reason the ranger with the high survival should find randomly find temples, shrines or travelling merchants more frequently than anyone else, basing 'random encounters' off of skill checks removes the impartiality.

 

[SkidAce]

For me the concern is on two axis; their actions and the worlds action (random or determined)

Yes, if they are travelling and miss the safe spot, then they get caught in the storm. The storm can either be a random event or planned, either way, they get wet because they missed shelter, but THEIR skill did not create the storm.

My favorite example of what I dont like, and address when coaching DMs.

Player rolls perception for keeping watch. They roll poorly. DM creates encounter. NO NO NO.

DM rolled for random encounters. Gets a result for keeping watch. Creates encounter. Player roll perception for keeping watch. They roll poorly. They dont detect encounter until it starts. YES.

How well you keep watch doesnt create an encounter.

Now, there are skills where a poor roll could call for a random check; such as sneaking past an enemy camp.

 

[Scott Christian]

For me the concern is on two axis; their actions and the worlds action (random or determined)

Yes, if they are travelling and miss the safe spot, then they get caught in the storm. The storm can either be a random event or planned, either way, they get wet because they missed shelter, but THEIR skill did not create the storm.

My favorite example of what I dont like, and address when coaching DMs.

Player rolls perception for keeping watch. They roll poorly. DM creates encounter. NO NO NO.

DM rolled for random encounters. Gets a result for keeping watch. Creates encounter. Player roll perception for keeping watch. They roll poorly. They dont detect encounter until it starts. YES.

How well you keep watch doesnt create an encounter.

Now, there are skills where a poor roll could call for a random check; such as sneaking past an enemy camp.

I get differentiating between the two. But my question is a bit more meta. Does a player rolling a skill challenge constitute a random encounter?

For example, a player decides that during downtime, their PC is going to read the book, "Sailors, Superstitions, and Sinister Secrets." In that book, the DM determined that one of the superstitions was a "knot warning," a knot tied to a coconut tree that stated harpies were in the area. The group is setting sail to several small islands in an archipelago to find the ruins of a shored ship. They point to one of the islands on the map they want to explore. They arrive at the beach and the PC who read the book sees the knot. The DM asks for an easy history check to see if he remembers what the knot means. The player rolls and succeeds. The DM allows them to circumvent the island's harpies, maybe by sailing directly back out towards deep water. Now, if the player would have failed the roll, the harpies would have spotted their ship and attacked, perhaps because they stayed closer to shore while going around the island.

So is that still a random encounter?

 

[SkidAce]

I get differentiating between the two. But my question is a bit more meta. Does a player rolling a skill challenge constitute a random encounter?

For example, a player decides that during downtime, their PC is going to read the book, "Sailors, Superstitions, and Sinister Secrets." In that book, the DM determined that one of the superstitions was a "knot warning," a knot tied to a coconut tree that stated harpies were in the area. The group is setting sail to several small islands in an archipelago to find the ruins of a shored ship. They point to one of the islands on the map they want to explore. They arrive at the beach and the PC who read the book sees the knot. The DM asks for an easy history check to see if he remembers what the knot means. The player rolls and succeeds. The DM allows them to circumvent the island's harpies, maybe by sailing directly back out towards deep water. Now, if the player would have failed the roll, the harpies would have spotted their ship and attacked, perhaps because they stayed closer to shore while going around the island.

So is that still a random encounter?

IMO, no.

But I understand your point. A dice roll functionally determined whether the encounter was...well...encoutered.

Consider sneaking past a guard...you fail, you fight. You succeed you sneak by. Shall we then call the guard a random encounter? Not if the scenario was built and had guards here there and etc.

I feel the term more closely applies to what you randomly encounter by chance or ill luck.

There's wolves in the forest, 20% chance to encounter per day, when, where? Who knows.
There's a sea voyage, 10% chance of storms per day, this time of year, when, where? Who knows.

Guards at the gate, and main avenues of approach? Gonna have to sneak. Fail/Succeed? Planned encounter.

All my view point of course, like I said I see your point, but thats too high up in philosophy for me.

 

[Clint_L]

Okay, I follow. So, it depends on the nature of the encounter. Let's say it's a travelling carnival, or maybe a maurauding giant. The only skill check I am likely to make is perception, to see how far in advance it is spotted, allowing the party to decide earlier how to react.

In the harpy scenario posited, that seems like something the party member would be doing specifically in anticipation of entering a known "harpy zone." In which case, in addition to having a potential harpy encounter or two pre-prepared, I would adjust the random encounter table accordingly, and then take skill checks and advantage/disadvantage into account after I roll a relevant encounter.

When I roll a random encounter, the players always have the option of figuring out how to react, so it's best to think of these as potential encounters. Really, I should rename them "potential plot complications," as the word "encounter" is misleading.

Here's an example of one from a recent session: a rogue/warlock PC decided to stay out for awhile and explore after the rest of the party had turned in for the evening. They rolled an encounter that was simply coming across a discarded newspaper story about oddities at a mysterious local tower. This led to them deciding to investigate said tower, which eventually led to an encounter with a reclusive archmage, and a potential future story hook. Nothing much happened in terms of the main plot (yet), but it was a shot, fun, entirely improvised piece of adventure and roleplay. And now there's another piece in play for the story.

Another random encounter literally was harpies, who stole a keg of very valuable liquor from the deck of a ship the party was traveling on, leading the captain to order them to retrieve it. The harpies themselves were not much of a challenge for a level 5 party (at the time), but getting to their nest made for a short but memorable adventure.

For me, the whole point of random encounters is to let the players really drive the plot by leaving the encounter open enough so that the players usually have many options.

 

[Laurefindel]

How do you handle travel in your game?

I find that a day-by-day description of what the characters encounter, live, and endure - even if it doesn't involve fights, skill checks, or leads to another subplot/sidequest - goes a long way into conjuring substance for travel without dragging on forever. Kind of a montage scene in a movie.

I like to keep it very informal and improv-ed, or very crunchy à la The One Ring and A5E, but dislike the in-betweens.