Encounter activity

There are a lot of tables describing the activity of a random encounter out there, some of them really good, but I went ahead and put one of my own together anyway.

Source: Paladin-Ciel @ dweciantart

I like to have a balance between a reasonable number of different results, some room for me to improvise around the results and also a curve that averages towards more “reasonable” results. A bit boring, but I like how it creates a believable dungeon and it also means the players’ can intuit something about the dungeon and make smart choices based on this.

This one is also weighted to provide a separate result for mindless undead, which is really handy when running the Barrowmaze.

Roll	Encounter activity
2	Running from other creature Roll for hunter, on higher Lvl chart if necessary
3	Returning to lair after fight Random number of creatures @ D8x10% HP.
4	Just passing by Less inclined to fight, on different errand.
5	Setting up camp or lair Noisy, most likely guards posted
7	Fighting another creature Roll on same table. Noisy, easily detected.
8	Defending territory Looking for invaders, hostile or -4 Reaction
9-11	Hunting or exploring Wary. Party might be dinner and/or marks.
12	Chasing other creature Roll for prey, or use Giant Vermin (D6)
Roll 2D6, OR D6+6 for mindless Undead UNDEAD: Also roll D30 on “What’s up with these Undead?”

A fashion statement

My players are still plunging into the depths of the Barrowmaze, and as is typical for that dungeon they keep running into a LOT of undead. My “What’s up with these Undead” table does provide flavor now and then, but I use a D30 on it to avoid making the encounters too strange. Also, one of my players has the habit of asking what the creatures look like or are wearing, since they met a group of them in priestly robes who all had valuable holy symbols…

Sure, I could think on my feet as I have so far, but why not a table instead. Nothing too meaty, just something to give me a starting point. Find a suitable row on this – there should be one, most of the special undead types will slot nicely into one of these. Column seven feels like it might be “one use”, at least for some of these entries, but I’ll see when I get to use it in play.

Sorry for making this an image, but the tables formatting in WordPress is just too much of a hassle. I’ve provided a PDF for better usability and printing, if anyone should want it.