Random Encounter Tables in 4th

[Alaxk Knight of Galt]

I'm just looking for opinions and examples of Random Encounter Tables people have used in 4th Edition. I've got ideas on them, but nothing kick starts the old brain like fresh ideas. Some questions:

Do you use random encounters / random encounter tables?
Do you write up an entire encounter (location, all monsters, etc) for the random encounter or do you just wing it?
Do you adjust monster levels to PC levels?
As a GM / Player, did you enjoy random encounters?
What pitfalls did you encounter with running them?
Give me some examples of your random encounter tables!

Thanks

 

[MrMyth]

I've used them in some scenarios, but not quite in the classic fashion. I've typically tied them into an extended exploration skill challenge.

For example: The PCs have discovered that a cult of Yuan-ti are tied to an epic plague sweeping the world. They have discovered the Yuan-ti temple in which a ritual causing this is being performed, and they know they can't find all the snakefolk at once.

So they begin a skill challenge, interspersed by encounters. Essentially, each time they try to move between one location in the temple and another, they need a certain number of successes or they run in trouble (either stumble into enemies, or guards track them down, etc) - at which point they roll on the random encounter table.

This ended up being more entertaining than actually challenging, since they were usually successful at sneaking around. They also had to do so after each combat to find a safe place to rest (rather than hang out in the high priest's room healing up, only for a patrol to wander in and find them covered in their leader's blood). The one time they botched the roll - right after one of the really big fights, with half the party still in single digit hp and hurting...

...they rolled the easiest possible result on the random encounter table, leading to some minions carting around gold statues just wandering into their midst and being butchered.

I used a similar system in one or two other scenarios - I don't think I would use it as a general rule, just because there isn't always time for lots of random fights, and having them happen in the middle of nowhere doesn't serve much purpose. But this felt like a good way to work them into the overall challenge of exploring the temple, and in this case, provided an amusing anecdote from the campaign.

 

[OnlineDM]

I don't use random encounters in 4th Edition. Combat takes quite a while in general, and I want that time to be spent doing stuff that feels like it meaningfully contributes to the story.

That said, I've thrown together minor encounters on occasion when the PCs' actions called for it. For instance, the party recently decided to go into a swamp to hunt some trolls that had been menacing some refugees, which I hadn't planned on, so I improvised a fight with the trolls. But I wouldn't call that random, and I didn't roll on a table.

 

[Alaxk Knight of Galt]

The one time they botched the roll - right after one of the really big fights, with half the party still in single digit hp and hurting...

...they rolled the easiest possible result on the random encounter table, leading to some minions carting around gold statues just wandering into their midst and being butchered.

This is interesting. Like [MENTION=90804]OnlineDM[/MENTION], I was worried about Random Encounters taking up too much time if they resulted in a combat. However, it's possible that minion only random encounters might be the solution to this problem. Adjusting my thinking cap further...

[Edit - More Thoughts]
Thinking further, minions seem ideal for most random encounters. You can put down a bunch, the PCs get a flavor for what's in the area (both monsters and terrain), you don't have to worry too much about a level appropriate encounter (they are, after all, just minions), you could easily put some non-minions in the group to up the difficulty if desired, and if the party is killed by a minion only random encounter, you've got a story to tell for the next decade.

Wonder if a minion only random encounter should count towards a milestone...

 

[OnlineDM]

Sure, I think a minion-only random encounter will probably have the flavor of older-edition random encounters if that's what you're looking for. A quick fight, maybe the PCs take some damage, but they're never really threatened. Then they move on.

I've never felt like using these in my game, and your question about whether they should count toward a milestone is a good one, but the idea has potential for DMs who want that kind of encounter in their games.

 

[Vicar In A Tutu]

Random encounters is a complete no-go in 4E as far as I'm concerned. Combat is so time consuming that I can't get players to dedicate 1-2 hours to a combat that has nothing to do with advancing the story.

 

[MrMyth]

This is interesting. Like @OnlineDM , I was worried about Random Encounters taking up too much time if they resulted in a combat. However, it's possible that minion only random encounters might be the solution to this problem. Adjusting my thinking cap further...

[Edit - More Thoughts]
Thinking further, minions seem ideal for most random encounters. You can put down a bunch, the PCs get a flavor for what's in the area (both monsters and terrain), you don't have to worry too much about a level appropriate encounter (they are, after all, just minions), you could easily put some non-minions in the group to up the difficulty if desired, and if the party is killed by a minion only random encounter, you've got a story to tell for the next decade.

Wonder if a minion only random encounter should count towards a milestone...

The approach I used with my random encounter table was to have a very broad range of encounters... let me see if I can track down my notes...

The encounters ranged from trivial to significant - and even the more dangerous ones, I tried to focus on simpler and easier fights, no more than 3 enemies at any given time.

So the less dangerous results largely consisted of minions, or even just lingering effects or RP scenes. At the mid-levels, the PCs might run into several enemies... or the top results might involve several elite foes or a solo enemy.

I should mention that, in addition to this, many of the set encounters in the Temple were vast, sprawling multi-room affairs. So that helped convey the idea of a more robust complex overall.

By that point, I was already weighing Milestones more by plot accomplishments than by a simple '1 per 2 fight' basis, so it wasn't really a question that came up.

For my next game, I will probably make a bit more use of more tangible random encounters, but mainly because I also plan to have two forms of combat: Skirmishes (which won't require a battlemap, and will be short and bloody affairs designed for speed) and proper battles (which will be standard 4E combat).

So that would provide another easy way, for me, to introduce encounters that won't take up too much time, and give the more old-school feel of danger lurking around every corner.

 

[Stoat]

My current campaign is a kitbashed version of the Isle of Dread. There's a fair amount of hexcrawling, and random encounters are part of the game. I use a nested set of encounter charts. This is (more or less) the first one:

There is 2 in 6 chance of an encounter for every Hex the PC's thoroughly explor and a 1 in 6 chance of an encounter for every Hex they simply pass through.

If an encounter occurs roll percentile dice:

1-30 % Combat encounter

31-60 % Everyone loses a Healing Surge

61-80 % Chance that everyone takes a -2 penalty to a Defense until the next extended rest.

81-100 % Something creepy happens that has no in-game effect.

If the result is "combat encounter" I roll on a separate chart depending on where the PC's are (different terrain=different chart). The encounter does not have to lead to combat, but it probably will.

For the results "Everyone loses a Healing surge or Chance that everyone takes a -2 penalty to a Defense" I improvise something that would lead to that result depending on the circumstances. "Oh no! You walked into a nest of biting insects and lose a healing surge." "Oh no! The miasmal vapors of the swamp weaken those of you who fail an Endurance check!"

The idea is to have random encounters that are flavorful and give a sense that the environment is dangerous without having a ton of long combats in the game.

 

[Arlough]

It's still in early beta, but here is a system that I have come up with to replace random encounters.

Some of the verbage is silly, but the mechanics should work just fine. I wrote it up really late at night over the course of two nights, and acronyms were really funny to me a the time because of a discussion I had just had regarding U.S.A.P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act (yes, the whole damn thing is an acronym, and no, USA does not stand for the United States of America) and I haven't had time to go back over it and make it all serious yet.

The whole point of the system to abstract out encounters that don't mean anything to the story, so they don't waste valuable game time.
In general, I agree with OnlineDM and Vicar In A Tutu. Any combat takes up enough time and effort (on the DM's part) that they should all be relating to the story.

But, if you do want random encounters, The Angry DM has come up with a great system, called the Slaughterhouse System, for quickly generating random encounters in any given area. I don't agree with all (some, many) of the Angry DM's ideas, but he has hit on something here.

 

[Alaxk Knight of Galt]

But, if you do want random encounters, The Angry DM has come up with a great system, called the Slaughterhouse System, for quickly generating random encounters in any given area. I don't agree with all (some, many) of the Angry DM's ideas, but he has hit on something here.

This is some excellent stuff.