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Message: <blockquote data-quote="I'm A Banana" data-source="post: 6842826" data-attributes="member: 2067">I think you should instead consider what you're using these random encounters for.If they're meant to be a real challenge of the PC's abilities, consider using short side-quests instead. A Deadly encounter might be able to threaten some PC's, but nova-ing will neutralize even a Deadly encounter pretty nicely, if done intelligently. If it's instead a "one-day-dungeon," that nova will have costs down the line. Instead of meeting a group of goblins, the PC's notice the signs of a nearby goblin lair. Instead of meeting a wandering group of trolls, the PC's hear about a tribe of trolls that has moved in. Etc.If they're not meant to be a real challenge of the PC's abilities, then nuking the NPC's is OK. The PC's show off how powerful they are and you show them that Here Be Monsters and it's pretty much doing what you want, even if it doesn't risk a character death. In that case, you might want to consider putting a wide variety of things on your random encounter tables - things beyond the CR the party can face, encounters with non-hostile NPC's like dwarves and elves and pilgrims and merchants, and even "events" instead of creatures (one result on the table is a thunderstorm; another is a strange new start seen in the sky at night, etc.). These can all telegraph what your wilderness region is like, but it adds variety to the random encounters - some are hosed, some are the PC's running away / stealthing, some are just curiosities, some might be opportunities for roleplaying, etc. If what you want is for the journey itself to be dangerous - to have the party risk death by travelling outside of town - the easiest thing to do is probably this quick house rule: you can only gain the benefits of a long rest in a civilized area. Fighters need their festhalls. Mages need their libraries. Clerics need their temples. Even druids might need specific sacred groves. Maybe rangers don't need to be in a civilized area, but they can't help anyone else take a long rest. That'll make the party's journey VERY fraught! Either don't worry about challenging the party, challenge them with multiple encounters, or adopt a rule to make the trek itself a challenge. Handwaving travel is OK, too, but you can lose a lot of atmosphere when everywhere is "fast travel."</blockquote>

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