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Message: <blockquote data-quote="howandwhy99" data-source="post: 5840182" data-attributes="member: 3192">There's really no wrong answer here. I have a few different ways I like to use Wandering Monsters (typically considered random encounters in later works), but there are a few commonalities between them. Here's one way:<ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">In a territory a creature (usually) has a lair. A dot in a circle basically.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">It may share that lair with other creatures, even of different types, but the total number shares the lair & the territory.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">When in the lair, they are in the lair - a dungeon encounter keyed by time as well.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">When they out and about doing their thing in the world they are wandering their territory (this can even include expanding it). </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Many, many creatures, lifeforms, non-life, etc. share a territories in overlapping ways. As a DM I pragmatically break these down into coherent levels and assess everything inside.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Each territory is like a big stack of pancakes then. A wandering encounter table includes all the creatures that wander that territory.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Each creature has an odds of being encountered based upon their number (population density), size, speed, etc.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Each table can also account for life cycle times, normally diurnal and nocturnal (day and night encounters).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">The entire total of creatures per table is determined and the probability of encounter for that region is what determines when and how often checks are made.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">For simplicity sake, checks are made prior to play when generating the next scenario. So, Territory/Region A has a timeline of random encounters that will happen so long as characters are within that territory. (i.e. Day 7 hours wolf pack, evening 3 hours giant snake, etc.)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">All of this ignores activities that can attract (or repel) creatures, like combat (or stench, fire, etc.).</li> </ol>This way I can prep encounters for creatures which have already been embedded in the world and roll up details for the more or less likely encounters.</blockquote>

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