10 DM Mistakes to AVOID with Random Encounters

[@edroux]

"All my players do is attack stuff." I have kind of the opposite problem. My players try to reason with absolutely everything before swinging at it. I'm happy to make allowances for creativity if they explain it well enough, but they legit tried to intimidate a swarm of flying books once.

[@ledgendweaver]

oh Lordy lord

[@darthveritos7323]

Coach idk if you know but, the dungeon dudes actually have a system for when a random encounter is triggered. They have a video that explains their method and I actually adopted their method and found it works really well. May be something you might want to talk to them about for a variant encounter system. I could be wrong you may already have something, but I felt maybe you might like what they or do something similar.

[@TheDungeonCoach]

I have definitely seen their video on this and there are a few things I like and a few things I didnt, but was definitely a source of inspiration

[@darthveritos7323]

@@TheDungeonCoach no problem, I was only trying to help. I should have figured you'd be up to date on other KZbinrs doing similar subjects. Love your stuff coach!!! ❤

[@KnicKnac]

I was about to suggest the same Dudes. I dig thier idea especially within the Drakkenheim campaign.

[@antieverything1]

When it comes to tables, the most important thing to keep in mind is that if something doesn't inspire you then you should roll again...and if all else fails just treat it like a menu and pick what feels appropriate off the list. When running Tomb o' Annihilation I realized that the encounters were just a diversion...they weren't difficult enough to really challenge the party and were really only serving to slow everything down. What I realized, however, is that I could roll the entire day's encounters and instead of distributing them throughout the day (alright, guys, are you ready for your regularly scheduled Lunchtime Encounter?) I could combine the results with an appropriate location and use those as inspiration for a more fleshed out mini-adventure that would be worth their time. My favorite example was when I rolled 1) 2 flail snails 2) 5 giant bees 3) the body of a wizard and I interpreted that as the trails of the snails leading them to a cave infested by giant bees where inside they would find the corpse of a member of a rival group they had encountered the session prior. They ended up taking the spellbook and retreating but marked the cave on their map so they could come back and fully explore it and acquire the valuable flail snail shells at a later date! Who knows...when they return, perhaps that cave will have even more to discover!

[@kbeazy_3050]

Here is my method. Based on location difficulty and likeliness. Roll a d4, d6, d8, d10, or d12 1. Nothing 2. Nothing 3. Nothing 4. Medium Encounter 5. Nothing 6. Hard Encounter 7. Nothing 8. Medium Encounter 9. Nothing 10. Hard Encounter 11. Hard Encounter 12. Deadly Encounter D4, 1/4, 25% D6 1/3 33% D8 3/8 37% D10 2/5 40% D12 1/2 50%

[@DungeonMasterpiece]

Knowing what a random encounter is doing is far and away the most clutch advice here. So much easier to improv.

[@TheDungeonCoach]

100% agree THAT is the most clunky part when I was first DMing... ok soooooo what are these things doing?? lol

[@codymiller7100]

that being said, sometimes the random encounter happens.....(the wolves in the desert) it gives you as the DM a chance to make it work. what great beast drove the wolves so far from the forest? perhaps a druid has fallen over the next dune and his animal companions are guarding him. etc. not every time, but it can inject story elements to help breath life into the world.

[@Indomakio]

After using different Random Tables, I've come with the conclusion that I really don't like its intent. I don't want to prepare for the main points of the Adventure AND a bunch of encounters that may not happen. I use a d12 Table of Context, which are just words that help spark my imagination in the moment: 1-Reward (a treasure, a boon, retrieving something lost) 2-Surprise (an ambush, an explosion, catching a thief or an assassin in the act) 3-Environment (a storm, an overgrwon area, quicksand) 4-Secret (discover something from a NPC or from a PC's past, a secret room) 5-Magic (some effect or spell in an area or person, an enchanted/cursed object) 6-Trap (a dangerous area, the hunting territory of a predator, a mechanical engine) 7-Omen (a vision, a dream, a fortune teller) 8-Hostility (the party is attacked, acused of a crime, enter sacred land) 9-Merchant (a person who sells or trades specific things, someone looking for something special, an enchanter, a devil looking for a contract) 10-Help (someone in danger, appearing in a warzone, a wounded animal) 11-Death (a corpse, a crime to investigate, zombies in a town, ghosts) 12- Mentor (a figure to teach something about lore, magic, new abilities, strategy) It's been great so far and I'm always tweaking things, but what I found the best of this approach is that the same roll in the die doesn't have to mean the same encounter twice.

[@dam-a-dab5922]

Me thinking about random encounters for my session today. Dungeon Coach putting out video for random encounters today. He is a wizard

[@TheDungeonCoach]

DIVINATION BABY!!!

[@O4C209]

Desert Wolves sounds cool.

[@Magnus2dead]

For social encounter ideas i like to put characters that I want to be reoccurring, like my single wandering magic vendor, other groups of adventurers (whether or not they are good doesn't matter much), or encounters that show the consequences of their last actions. An example for the last one an examples was orcs that were traveling to trade furs and meats from their hunts after the players helped them to stop their raiding, the orcs were not fighting anymore because of their decisions and they got to see that result. They told me they liked it because usually you don't get that type of reward from an adventure.

[@mackenheimer]

Great advice! Best bit, was to mention that not all random encounters should be combat encounters. A ruined portal with ancient writing to decipher, can be just as engaging and time consuming as a fight against Orc bandits.

[@JessicaJones-ko9zo]

Thanks for this video. I was so confused when it came to random encounters. I was like what’s the point if like you said “wolves show up in the desert” can’t wait to hear more about how your way of doing things.

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Thats next week!! Hahah but there are SO many ways to do it! Glad this cleared up some confusion!

[@gamelofdemenor8228]

This got me thinking about a small table, tailored to the players, basically roll a d6 (assuming you have 5 players), 1-5 is each an encounter related to that player (a monster they have a grudge for, an npc from their backstory, etc), and a 6 is related to the current villain. Once you use 1, make a new one for that player or villain. Of course, this changes when pcs die or when major villains are defeated. Haven't tested this yet but it seems fun

[@jop9270]

Great video, thanks! I am definitely gonna try and be more lenient with social solutions to my encounters.

[@patricks2645]

My party is stranded in a magic forest right now, with the goal of reaching the magic tree in the center. Its about a week of travel so I have an 8x4 random table made up right now: Morning encounters, afternoon encounters, evening encounters, and "Ruins and relics" encounters. so every day they're going to roll 3d8 for each time of day and I'm picking the ruins and relics to fit in with each day's encounters. It should be the next 3 or 4 sessions just ready to go once I finish the table. A lot of up font prep but as a DM in college, I'm so excited to not have to prep for a month or two

[@dragonking184]

So for travel sequences, I set up the possible encounter for each day during session prep. Then during the session at the start of each day/trek I have my players roll a d10, and based on the net result I describe the overall events that happened. If they end up with an encounter I simply just take whichever encounter i had preplanned for that day and roll with it. Also, if during travel I know that a certain encounter is going to be possible, I don't have the players roll I just have the encounter happen. The D10 roll 1: adds a day to the journey 2 - 4: negative encounter (typically combat but could also be a resource drain) 5 - 6: nothing particular happens 7 - 9: positive encounter (loot, ally, mini-quest with reward) 10: removes a day from the journey

[@Johnny0Masters]

On adapting to the location, even the Wolves could make sense. 5 Wolves rolled on a desert might be 5 Wolf bones from another time, or they might be DESEEEERT woolves, and here we ask the players how the desert Wolves look like and How they differ from other Wolves. I used to dislike random encounters (and some reasons are still valid) but random can take you out of the comfort zone and add a lot of flavor. Anyway great vídeo keep up! Cheers

[@LordOz3]

I make a set of 2d10 encounter charts, with the most 'interesting' encounters at the extremes. High numbers are positive, low numbers are hostile, and the mid-range are neutral depending on the parties actions. I mix in weather effects and travel conditions, and some of the creature encounters have plot hooks for new adventures or crumbs for current adventures. When a unique encounter is rolled, I replace it. While the party is travelling, I generally make three checks a day - one for the first half of the day's journey, one for the second half, and a third for night (which might be changed or negated in they are staying in civilized accommodations as opposed to camping).

[@NobodyDungeons]

So, what I do typically is have a large backlog of encounters then throw a fitting one at the party as a random encounter. Considering I can pop out an encounter is roughly 10 to 20 minutes I have over 200 encounters backlogged for essentially any situation.

[@CooperAATE]

Oh boy, it's Sunday again!

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Its that time of the week!!!

[@CooperAATE]

@@TheDungeonCoach loved the video! For combat encounters, I make 4 challenge levels: easy, medium, hard, and OH NO. It starts at medium. I have the players roll a d6: each 1 raises the difficulty, each 6 lowers it. If they roll enough 6s, there's no encounter!

[@lesserkey]

Just found your channel. Im a new DM.. this was helpful for sure. Just subbed and liked. Thanks!

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Thanks for that! I got lots of stuff for new DMs!

[@BurningM]

Coach, thank you so much for your videos they always help my mind get going! Since the previous bbeg fight where my players saved an entire region I've been floundering on how to proceed in general. There haven't been a ton of sessions since then but every single one of your videos always help my mind just burst with ideas. This video has been no exception. I've been floundering so bad and this has honestly been exactly what I've needed. Like the lycanthropy one helped me make the werewolves fucking awesome and I decided that the curse was somewhat sentient so any player who got the curse would transform into the were beast that suits them most (they were fighting wererats and if they became wererats that would be so fucking tragic lol). That way the player could also have some input. And if they really don't want the curse then it's easy to remove before the first transformation simply needing a remove curse at 3rd level, but after the first transformation it's far far more difficult.

[@mattalford3862]

Really great advice, as always!

[@leviangel97]

This isn't about this exact video, but your... persistent homebrewing of 5e is intriguing: my gut reaction to a heavily home brewed system is to suggest finding a more suited system, but you mix and match your rules so much that it may take a couple systems learned by you and players. - I've been randomly watching through your back log Regardless, it seems you're enjoying yourself, so have at it! (Though I'd be curious to see you make a system from the ground up)

[@TheDungeonCoach]

I like you friend! LOVE this comment for real lol AND I am planning on doing just that (when Ihave the time and I can manage the content I want to get out for 5e first. AND I only use a handful of homebrews in my own games, but im ready on the fly when needed. Thanks for being a part of this community!

[@leviangel97]

@@TheDungeonCoach I ironically play 5e very rarely, but I enjoy rules discussions / think homebrew systems in d20 systems can reasonably be applied to other systems. Good luck!

[@fguocokgyloeu4817]

I'm not a big fan of random encounters generally. It makes the world seem so absurdly dangerous that no mainstream fantasy world reflects the hostility of the world.

[@Elkay_J]

Random exploration encounters are so underrated. I think about open world games where you can always get sidetracked seeing something cool on the horizon. Even if they dont matter in the grand scheme, it's just fun to actually explore.

[@druid_zephyrus]

Some ideas I had for the rest of you to add to your tables. While I was sin the shower listening to this: A changeling with multiple personalities, ala "Split", where only 2 know of the others' existence and one knows a secret relevant to the party that the other knowing personality must not find out. A small youngling (child/humanoid) surrounded by deceased of their kind; kneeling before an adult female that looks strikingly like the youngling. The scent of death wafts in the air, but with the proper investigation/arcana/nature checks the child is revealed to be an illusion. A small locked box on the roadway in front of a small divit that appears to have been the impact point of the box before it bounced forwards after falling from a significant height (or a trail as if it has significant horizontal momentum). Inside; past the arcane lock, is an appropriate amount of gold and gems and in the false bottom is a letter to addressed to a town/city in approximately 90° from their current destination but speaks of further payments and bega to keep [first name of a party member's family] safe. They can or cannot actually be that family member. Hallucinatory Terrain of a detour sign and road closure to lead them into a trap, or of a bridge being out. The leading party member is hit in the fave with a letter that is singed and stained with blood. It says, "[another party members name], we have been seeking you for sometime. It seems the plan has failed and we are enacting protocol 3 as you are the last member alive except myself. Everytime a new member reads the letter the name of the party member and the protocol number changes. It is an Illusiory Script. There is a teen humanoid sorcerer hiding in foliage, dune, river, etc. ahead who like to play pranks on adventuring parties to watch them fight each other. Two overturned carts where a single draft beast has died due to the accident and the two patrons are fighting. Do with this what you will. A secret language (druidic, thieves Cant, etc.) Is spotted by the party member with the highest passive perception warning any who go forth of a great beast which stalks the darkness beyond and off this path. Bonus if there is significant trail marks but not enough space for wagon, ship, beasts of burden, however they ride, it leads to a swamp either magically present or not (depending on setting) with two mutated alligators. Upon entering the area the party get icy feelings down their spines right before the first attacks from beneath the murk. When the first is dispatched a two times larger mutated alligator eats the second in a single bite. After the giant splash the party merely see the eyes blinking at them from the surface of the murk...and they hear a tick tick ticking sound like a clock. Then in all of their minds they hear the words in their mother tongue, "Now, I know your faces. And time is almost up." Tick tick tick of an alarm clock. Upon fleeing the party finds a purple Sea Capt hat with a ruined and mucky feather. And a single +1 dagger. If they don't flee, big beastie. No matter what happens. Occasionally add, "the party hears a tick tick ticking like a clock" to your random encounter table.

[@Sparda11222]

Let me tell you a story about random encounters. We roll for them when traveling half a day, every short rest and every long rest. Already sounds soooooo fun. We (level 8 party of 5 and a plot armor npc) are resting in a Tiny Hut. This was just after we barely survived (somehow) a Purple Worm random encounter. We get another random fucking encounter: 2 Wraiths 2 banshees and 4 specters pop out from the ground (impossible in a Tiny Hut but who the fuck cares at this point..). We have a warforged and an elf. They don't sleep, but we still get surprised (all of us). First banshee wails, 2 characters go unconscious. Second banshee wails, another character falls (we were really "lucky" with those con saves). All the enemies go crazy scratchy on our fallen. One of us gets saved by the plot armor npc (I'll let you figure out who did it save) and two of us are dead (3 failed death saves from specter crits against unconscious). The wraiths raise the dead as specters, as a last insult, then the combat actually/finally starts. This is why random encounters suck, especially when executed poorly and then the DM blames the rolls and ends with "hey The Underdark is dangerous" (even after throwing a Deadly level encounter at lvl 8 sleeping chars, with all their resources drained to the last) I only need someone to tell me that was fair, so I can be happy again :)) Love your homebrews and ideas. Keep it up 👍

[@Falruk]

Make encounter tables for settlements! As they walk along, notable NPCs, kids from the local orphanage, local acolytes trying to convert townsfolk on a podium, wild man rambling about seemingly nonsense that's actually a quest the players can follow up on.. Settlements are ripe for random encounters!

[@mookiewilson4166]

Over the last 35 years of gaming, I have come to the conclusion that these are the two things a DM should do with regard to random encounters; 1. Don’t ever have a random encounter. Whatever you think is the perfect encounter to occur next is the best choice. Why would you ever want to have a less desirable choice to occur? 2. Don’t tell your players that nothing in your game is random. It needlessly breaks tension and the illusion that a great deal of the game is in the hands of chance and the DM isn’t entirely responsible. Players will feel far less safe if they believe that the DM isn’t hand-picking the entire adventure for them.

[@damianspence]

As a DM, I struggle with the game-ified nature of random encounters.. I don't know how to reframe them as something better than some random stuff that breaks the illusion of the world.

[@KnicKnac]

We all know the best random encounter is six moose of the sea. Beware the dread moose pirates. lol Jokes aside I like the idea of using a d6 for figuring out a random encounters either good bad or neutral.

[@tubebobwil]

Love your channel and all of your enthusiasm and effort. If I may, could I ask if you research the potential problematic nature of the word "gypsy" ... True some Roma people don't mind it, but many do. 'Wanderer" may be a better way to describe a character who wanders, a nomad among towns and villages. Hopefully there aren't too many neck beards reading these comments who are going to go after my comment for forcing wokeness on 'their" game.

[@tomwoolsey1089]

Ay coach, just a heads up, the word "gypsy' is actually a slur. I don't think it's common knowledge yet, and I'm not like a cultural expert on the Romani people or anything, but yeah

[@fal_pal_]

It's becoming more common knowledge, but yeah it's for sure an exonym. "Roma" or "Romani" are the proper terms.

[@draggo69]

Nice!

[@TV-qm8ob]

Hi

[@sarabjorkgren6915]

💜💜💜

[@NoNamesLeft0102]

Find wolves in the middle of the desert. Who said that they were wolves? Could be something described as wolves. A tribe or band of people.

[@FrostSpike]

Giant sand-dwelling cockroaches that tag team their targets after bursting up from the ground.

[@Kylarfi]

I do not use random encounters. Personally I really don't like them. My combats always have story purpose to them and random just isn't my thing.

[@underthependulum3484]

First mistake: Running random encounters

[@linus4d1]

So.... Random Encounters shouldn't be random? Then why have random encounters? I'm not sure I see the logic here.

[@FloridaManVal]

Roll a d12 for random encounter a strange man carrying a bloody bag rushes up to you. "Hold this" he groans between exhausted breaths. The fate of the world depends on it" As he rushes off, you inspect the bloodied bag. Roll a d12 to see what's inside. The bag is full of severed female gnome toes. Gottem. Now my group pays attention to my random encounters.

[@vincejester7558]

Random encounters are also meaningless in a system where 6 hours of sleep gives total heal and complete reload of all spells, abilities and powers, and action points, and all. No matter what you face, it is never anything more than an inconvenience. You just wanna get to the next social event. Most 5e players are riding dragons or magic carpets. So theyet to skip most game play opportunities. Most have multiple bags of holding so they never run out of food, water, light sources, potions of super-duper heroism. Most have secret dimension port shadow teleport so travel is instant. Travel in 5e is pointless. Its just an irritant between shopping sprees and audiences with royalty who shower the players with boons and treasure.

[@andelknijft7030]

You can certainly make travel fun. If you don’t want people to have magic items and dragons then don’t give those to your players

[@vincejester7558]

@@andelknijft7030 5e players would revolt. If WotC would make it more clear that not every rule works in every campaign, and support the DM better, it would be one thing. but. as they make their money by bringing out new gamebreaker rules, and charging twice to use them, They just keep cramming every new mechanic and gimmick onto the DM to deal with.

[@FrostSpike]

@@vincejester7558 PHB pg. 6 para 3, "Ultimately, the Dungeon Master is the authority on the campaign and its setting, even if the setting is a published world." Seems crystal clear to me.

[@vincejester7558]

@@FrostSpike Nice boilerplate disclaimer. And every head shop in the country tells you bongs are for tobacco products only.

[@Aerostarm]

Couldn't have said it better myself

[@vincejester7558]

You are writing for people who never played anything but 5e, aren't you.

[@TheDungeonCoach]

Ummm, 1 of my players has been around for a WHILE but the others are only 5e peeps :)

[@vincejester7558]

@@TheDungeonCoach Cuz this stuff seems like it was pretty obvious everywhere but 5e. Yer stuff is good, but I feel like you are basically just patching the 5e system. The work you put in would be REALLY exciting in a brand new system, or over in OSR. In 5e, it kinda feels like babysitting. I encourage you to shake free of the WotC base and give us yer own fully integrated game. It would be very good, I am certain.

[@draggo69]