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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Hriston" data-source="post: 9773311" data-attributes="member: 6787503">I try to do what I would call a minimal amount of prep. In my current D&D 5.0E game, I generate pretty much all DM-introduced content randomly using the tables and directions in the 1E DMG and MM. When prepping for the next session, I generate some potential encounters and the local terrain and locations. For example, at the end of our last session, the party exited their first-level dungeon in which they had spent a full 8-hour adventuring day using up close to their entire daily XP budget. I had already determined the surrounding hex is a scrub woodland, and we discussed that it would make sense if the hex contained an "inhabitation", following suggestions in early D&D books to have a settlement in close proximity to the dungeon. So, between sessions, I rolled on an inhabitation table which resulted in an abandoned medium-sized walled castle with a small keep and with a family of wild boars to be encountered therein. I also rolled on the random encounters table for inhabited scrub woodlands which resulted in some ogres which I'll use if an encounter is indicated while the party is in the current hex or any adjoining hex that's inhabited and shares the same terrain type. I expect the party to attempt a long rest when we resume playing since they've been traveling through the dungeon for eight hours and probably won't want to try a forced march to get anyplace safer, but if they encounter either of the above monsters before completing a long rest, particularly the wild boars, which they will if they try to take refuge in the abandoned castle, I'll reduce the number encountered to one to keep it under or as close as possible to their daily budget. I try to tie the content I introduce into what's previously been established, so the ogre, if encountered, will be the same one they encountered in the dungeon for whom I've randomly  generated a suitable name which some orcs they encountered had mentioned to foreshadow the presence of this ogre. I haven't done it yet, but I should probably also generate the terrain of the surrounding six hexes, whether any inhabitation exists there, and what monsters might be encountered if different from what I already have prepped. The rest will be handled in play with monsters acting according to a simple checklist of factors including the presence or absence of surprise, the monster's intelligence, relative strength, and possibly a reaction roll. Monster's actions are in relation to the goals of the party or individual PCs which, in this case, is to acquire treasure / get the treasure they acquired in the dungeon to somewhere safe but could also extend to PC ideals, bonds, flaws, character class, or alignment.Eta: tldr, I prep minimally but wouldn't call what I do ad-libbing which I'm not very good at. I would characterize it more as NPC management according to procedures and principles I've set up for myself.</blockquote>

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