Random (nonfighting) Encounter

[Horrendos]

Hiho,

i would like to know if u use any Random Encounter in your Campaigns.

I dont mean any Monsterencounter. I like to play my new campaign with much more details and wanna try to not end any second encounter in a fight with any monsters.

If u use them maybe u can show me some Examples of it? Or better u have any link to a source?

thx
Horrendos

 

[Nightfall]

Party finds a cavaran of people killed by monsters or bandits. Take your pick. They find two survivors, two children, presumably brother and sister. What does the party do? (Note if they try to find any traces of the attackers, they covered their tracks EXTREMELY well.)

 

[rkanodia]

On my random encounter table is Malkagar, a tiefling merchant who travels from place to place selling obscure items (often whatever was in the latest Dragon or splatbook, not a terrible way to introduce them) out of his covered wagon. Why does he bump into the party so often? No one knows.. yet.

 

[Nightfall]

Then there's my favorite, Pyrus the pyromanic red dragon. He never MEANS to set fires, just happen. He's also afraid of fire.

 

[Silveras]

Random Encounter tables are alsoa good place to put some Hazards.

Forest Terrain: Forest Fires (not likely if it has been raining, though)
Roads: Washed out, Flooded
Hills/Mountains: Bridge collapsed, Rockfall/Mudslide
Snowy: Avalanche

 

[Darklone]

Look for DMs Haven... Dawn and Jeff Ibachs page. They have some nice random encounter tables IIRC, peaceful and flavorful stuff (crunchy halflings) as well.

 

[Hypersmurf]

This isn't really a Rules thread, so we'll take a little ride over to General.

-Hyp.
(Moderator)

 

[med stud]

Party finds a cavaran of people killed by monsters or bandits. Take your pick. They find two survivors, two children, presumably brother and sister. What does the party do? (Note if they try to find any traces of the attackers, they covered their tracks EXTREMELY well.)

Heh, I once (without planning it) started a campaign using the attacked caravan with survivors

...now that's actually on topic as it is one of the reasons why I use random encounters. Often a random encounter can spark my imagination so much I can wing an adventure out of it.

For example, once I rolled on an encounter table and got "elves". I thought that the elves must have some reason to be out there, so I thought that they would be merchants. The PCs bought some magic stuff from the elves and started talking to them. One of the elves explained why they were there and why there were so many of them; they had been driven out of their territory by an a force of blood elves (a Drakar och Demoner version of the obligatory evil elves). The PCs promised to look into it, and of they went.
All this from a random roll that said "elves". Sometimes I think that random process can create more inspiration than hours of deliberate thinking.

Other examples include the wounded stranger (does the PCs take time to help him? Or do they whack him and rob him?), the mystical building in the wilderness, the magic fountain, etc.

(sorry for bringing in my campaign in this, but I actually think it contributed to the thread )

 

[Nightfall]

Med,

Yeah well it's a common non-action/fighting encounter. Much like rescuing a maiden from a bad marriage by bullying the ogre (I mean a figurative ogre not a literal D&D one.), into letting her family get out of debt.

 

[Horrendos]

thx guys