Random Encounter Events/Scripting

[LostSoul]

I was reading this post over on story-games and I thought, "That's cool."

The basic idea is that you have a bunch of things that happen over the encounter. You can also have a "script" for the NPCs to follow - "If Bloodied, retreat to the ledge", for example - but I'm not as fond of that. I do like the idea that, on round 2, more guards come, or the terrain shifts, or some kind of random effect happens.

Has anyone out there used something like this, in D&D or another game? If so, I'd like to hear about it, how you used it, and how it went.

 

[justanobody]

All the time.

But I have been messing with a little bit of computer programs, so programming NPCs just feels natural. Also helps when I don't want to make a decision, or like when old morale checks came into play.

Not something you do for everything like

Attacked with sword from left: Dodge right and run to nearest enemy for sneak attack.

But the little things that add flavor to the events that take place.

Cower when flashy magic happens. Useful to show a type of monster subjegated through the use of magic, and their fear of it.

Odd things like that as well as running away after a certain place.

I like to add things that make the game and its inhabitants seem more alive.

One time there was a dungeon style adventure in the...sewers effectively, of the city.

While everyone was fighting an earthquake was scheduled for a specific time of day if the PCs were underground.

Tormoil insued, and the event was caused by a raiding party attacking the town and blowing up the tower they were directly under. So while they evaded that fight and won it because the baddies were crushed under rubble, they had to find their way out through the damagged areas and then figure out what happened above ground, only to get into a bigger fight.

They had the choice to stay in town that day, or leave town for a little mission.

Had they left town, the same things would have happened, but they would have returned to find out later with little knowledge of the full events except for stories from survivors of the raid.

That the kind of thing you mean?

 

[LostSoul]

Yeah, that's cool. I could see notes like "This hobgoblin fears fire; if a fire attack is used, he is Weakened (save ends)." If you remember it, cool, if not, no biggie.

I also like stuff like this:
Earthquakes plague the city. Each round, roll 1d6. On a 1, there's an aftershock centred on the 'X'.
Aftershock
Burst 3; +6 vs. Fort, 1d6+3 damage, Push 3 and fall Prone, and damage structures (see Cave-In). The 'X' moves 4 squares.
Cave-In
Any structures in the Aftershock are damaged; a future aftershock or attack will collapse walls, creating rubble and attacking any character (Close Blast 1; +6 vs. Ref, 2d6+3 damage).