D&D 5E Game Mechanics/Side Bars You're Introduced to Make Scenarios More Fun

[DMCF]

A) I was running a pre-gen for the adventurer's league and several players joined my party late. They obviously out-classed the adventure because I had more than 6 players and some were max level for the adventure. There was a fight in a swamp with three giant toads. The players were in a boat and I sensed they outclassed this fight as well. I introduced a mechanic that every time a frog jumped on or off the boat, those still on had to make a dex save to stay standing. One person rolled a 1 a few rounds in and promptly knocked his character into the water to the delight of everyone.

B)In PoA my group had a random encounter with a wight. One of the warlock's eldritch blasts fizzled and set a bush on fire. No one, not even the druid bothered to put it out. While i was erasing the map I noticed this. I finished erasing the map and drew a squirrel. Then I sat down and proceeded to tell them the story about Chitters, a young male squirrel stockpiling resources and looking for a mate to start a family.

I worked up this history to the fight and then described the frightening sounds of metal clanging and a monster dying. As the fight drew to a close the squirrel began to smell smoke. At this point the paladin realized what was going on and exclaimed to the whole group. Unfortunately since it took a while for the tree to catch fire they were miles away. Alas, poor Chitters was no more.

 

[Trickster Spirit]

A) I was running a pre-gen for the adventurer's league and several players joined my party late. They obviously out-classed the adventure because I had more than 6 players and some were max level for the adventure. There was a fight in a swamp with three giant toads. The players were in a boat and I sensed they outclassed this fight as well. I introduced a mechanic that every time a frog jumped on or off the boat, those still on had to make a dex save to stay standing. One person rolled a 1 a few rounds in and promptly knocked his character into the water to the delight of everyone.

B)In PoA my group had a random encounter with a wight. One of the warlock's eldritch blasts fizzled and set a bush on fire. No one, not even the druid bothered to put it out. While i was erasing the map I noticed this. I finished erasing the map and drew a squirrel. Then I sat down and proceeded to tell them the story about Chitters, a young male squirrel stockpiling resources and looking for a mate to start a family.

I worked up this history to the fight and then described the frightening sounds of metal clanging and a monster dying. As the fight drew to a close the squirrel began to smell smoke. At this point the paladin realized what was going on and exclaimed to the whole group. Unfortunately since it took a while for the tree to catch fire they were miles away. Alas, poor Chitters was no more.

That's just diabolical.

Totally stealing it!

 

[iserith]

In a redesign I did of Cragmaw Hideout (LMoP), I introduced a couple of mechanics dealing with routes and pace through the hideout and a threat meter that would lead to escalation. When it maxed out, the Cragmaw would all meet up outside the lair and set a fire to smoke the interlopers out.

In Four-And-Twenty Black Things Baked in a Pie, I had it where anytime the orc chef (yes, chef, not chief!) was missed with an attack, his insults would draw in another orc from an adjoining room to join the fight. This led the PCs to burn Inspiration and use Help actions to ensure they didn't miss and make the encounter harder.

In Quiet Please, the adventurers are seeking a tome in a burning library haunted by poltergeists and a ghostly librarian. If they make too much noise, the librarian - a reskinned banshee - turns up and kills the party. The mechanic was that if an instance of noise happened, e.g. a poltergeist attack or collapsing shelves, it accrue a point. After a set number of points, bad times.

 

[DMCF]

Wow those are awesome! I really like the layout of Cragmaw and cant wait to use it again. My dragonlance group never played LMoP so it will definatley make a comeback. To bad they are still in Palanthas. The threat meter is super cool. Did you male it visual so they got more and more stealthy or was it a hidden mechanic? Could be fun both ways. The chef made me think of Steven Segal and since I use pop culture references and boats it IS ON! The banshee is downright sinister and I can see that too!

 

[iserith]

Wow those are awesome! I really like the layout of Cragmaw and cant wait to use it again. My dragonlance group never played LMoP so it will definatley make a comeback. To bad they are still in Palanthas. The threat meter is super cool. Did you male it visual so they got more and more stealthy or was it a hidden mechanic? Could be fun both ways. The chef made me think of Steven Segal and since I use pop culture references and boats it IS ON! The banshee is downright sinister and I can see that too!

Thanks! I made the threat meter visual so the players could be aware of the tension even if their characters weren't. This drove their decision-making - the group took particular routes at particular paces and did what amounted to a smash-and-grab to get Sildar and get out. I awarded them XP as if they killed everyone in the hideout.