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Message: <blockquote data-quote="HeavenShallBurn" data-source="post: 4040085" data-attributes="member: 39593"><p>For all that they're not in favor by many consider random monster encounters.  Lot of people on these boards will deride them because they're not pertinent to plot, or take away time better spent on the main thrust of the adventure, or are just troublesome.  But they are vital to maintaining the impression of the players the the wilderness is actually dangerous.  If the PCs can move through the wilderness without frequently running into monsters the players will even if they try to ignore it be aware that the environment isn't really so dangerous as it should.  And that will affect play, how much depends on the group as always.  But for me at least whether DMing or playing I've always thought random encounters were important to maintaining the impression of the world as a very dangerous place.  You may have to alter the implied ecology, adding in a higher frequency of monsters and unusual critters of varying power levels.  And when you do random encounters they need to be truly random, don't pick out the difficulty of the encounter beforehand, roll for it and let it fly.  Some may be walk-overs and other unsurvivable TPK beasts that they need to sneak around and avoid.  It will only add to the sense of the wilderness as a dangerous place.  Just remember not to throw them directly into combat like a Final Fantasy game cutting from the world to the fight map.  Unless you specifically intend an ambush give them enough to formulate a valid response.  When the 2nd level party rolls an ancient dragon don't just have the thing fall from the sky and kill them all.  Let them hear it scratching its back against a redwood or spot it stalking through the trees with a prey animal in its jaws so they have the opportunity to avoid if they want.</p></blockquote><p></p>

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