tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post3220866218667688443..comments2023-10-14T03:58:59.333-06:00Comments on The Tao of D&D: The Great Odds Stacked Against EncountersAlexis Smolenskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-79880157250916409992013-06-25T22:35:34.857-06:002013-06-25T22:35:34.857-06:00IF someone would be using a complex computer model...IF someone would be using a complex computer model, I think an exponential distribution would make sense. Each possible encounter would have a probability of occuring, which would be modified by any occuring encounter. This way, multiple type of encounters could occur at the same time (or preferably, with a slight delay).<br /><br />for exemple, an encounter with a solitary predator would scare off most animals, but attract scavengers.<br /><br />or if the party stumble upon an orcish army, the odds for different type of orcish "leaders" would drastically go upMichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02363668416664911106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-44184185473058983672013-06-10T07:54:25.633-06:002013-06-10T07:54:25.633-06:00A quick solution might be to rate your monsters as...A quick solution might be to rate your monsters as "Aggressive", "Neutral" or "Timid," then use 2d6 to determine if the beast is encountered, as follows:<br />Agressive, 5+<br />Neutral, 7+<br />Timid 11+<br /><br />Add 1 for each hour spent in the hex after the first one.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10231423670489116607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-35235145403323630142013-06-07T10:53:20.180-06:002013-06-07T10:53:20.180-06:00In fact Homer, what you describe is precisely what...In fact Homer, what you describe is precisely what I have been working on.<br /><br />Of course, it does require establishing that data base ... that is, making up a determination for all those things you describe for every monster.<br /><br />Takes time.Alexis Smolenskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-45544308039370262002013-06-07T10:42:46.525-06:002013-06-07T10:42:46.525-06:00One possibility for determining what the party enc...One possibility for determining what the party encounters may be to use a dynamic table, rather than a static table. That's probably impossible to do using pen and paper, without making a book's worth of tables, but this is 2013 and we have things like Excel now. <br /><br />If the party gets a random encounter, the DM would follow the usual decision tree of looking at the region, the climate, and the terrain type. That narrows down the possible menu of things to encounter fairly easily.<br /><br />Once the DM picks a table, he could input the climate and terrain, the development index, the time of day, the weather, and the season, among other things. The table would then scale the encounter probabilities accordingly. For example, the probability of encountering a brown bear in winter should be near 0%, because brown bears hibernate. <br /><br />Maybe the various things the party might encounter, like monsters, could have stats like weather and season sensitivity stored in a table or database. The encounter generator could pull those values based on DM input and produce a table on the fly.<br /><br />That doesn't determine whether the party potentially encounters something in the first place, unfortunately. For that, a dynamic 'encounter index' to roll against might work. Maybe something long the following lines:<br /><br />For every four miles the party travels, the DM rolls a d100 against the local encounter index. Rolling below the index nets the party a potential encounter. Say the index baseline is (for the sake of argument) 50, modified by the hex's type, development index, the weather, the type of road (if any), and what have you. Travelling across a well-developed hex would substantially reduce the encounter index; travelling across a wild hex might increase it, although realistically the odds of encountering anything substantial in a non-magical wilderness are usually not going to be very high anyway.Homer2101https://www.blogger.com/profile/02241354859306924485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-84557333953173022552013-06-06T12:40:58.161-06:002013-06-06T12:40:58.161-06:00Great post. I was considering the same thing recen...Great post. I was considering the same thing recently. I may give it more thought later. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18446054795830136733noreply@blogger.com