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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Yora" data-source="post: 8815913" data-attributes="member: 6670763">It's not just the wilderness encounter sizes and wilderness lair numbers, but another critical component is the reaction roll (speaking about B/X).The creatures that are being rolled are not hostile by default.The rules printed in B/X are a bit spotty and sometimes leave things unsaid (and of course, OD&D much more so). The table for reaction rolls could have been more clear had a bit more explanation. But as I read it, it works as follows.<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">2: Creatures attack immediately.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">3-5: Creatures are hostile and attempt to chase off the party if possible.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">6-8: Creatures are uncertain and wait to see what the party does next. (Possibly followed by another reaction roll.)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">9-11: Creatures don't want trouble and will let the party pass or get out of its way or are open to make a deal.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">12: Creatures are friendly and offer their knowledge or assistance.</li> </ul>Everything within reason of course. The reaction roll is mostly for inspiration so the GM does not have to come up with an arbitrary reaction that either lets the players off easy when they are in a tight spot or kick the while they are down. Friendly wolves might at most come close to look if someone gives them food and maybe hang around until the next encounter, while a lone goblin won't charge half a dozen armored men with a knife.Friendly monsters can be quite interesting. Orcs with friendly reaction could still be evil raiders, but assume a party of PCs approaching their camp are bandits looking to join the orc chief's next major raid on a larger town. Or an ogre who is fed up with nearby goblins and could use the party's help to chase them from the ruin.What i think is really needed and not mentioned in the rules is some kind of procedure to track other creatures. After a hostile wilderness encounter that didn't produce any cooperative prisoners, players should have a chance to find out where the creatures they just fought have run to or where coming from. That's an excelent way to connect a wandering encounter group to a wilderness lair. Though of course, it's also possible that the party spots the lair or camp directly. I believe AD&D had a line in the monster stats to indicate if an encountered group was of the wandering type or a lair.</blockquote>

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