D&D 5E Automatic random encounters

[ymd.fallen]

Has anyone ever tried to have some kind of automatically resolved random encounters?

Some background info:
I'm currently running a table of Princes of the Apocalypse. I changed the setting a little bit after liberating the haunted keeps: at some point the cults hit back and occupied most of the Dessarin Valley. Amphail has fallen and Waterdeep is erecting an army for an attack. At the same time Lord Neverember is sending an army to Yartar for defending it. Long story short: travelling in the Dessarin Valley became waaaay more dangerous.

I want to let the players feel this, but I do not want to have 5 random encounters on each travel between sites. So I was thinking about randomly resolving them, i.e. something like this:
- once per day/night roll die and see, whether there is an encounter: I want it to be difficult, so maybe use a d4 and let there be an encounter at a 4 (25% chance)
- roll d4 for difficulty of encounter and let all players roll damage (1: d4, 2: d6, 3: d8, 4: d10). remember: they can be multiple encounters during a single travel, so I don't want a d20 or so for damage...
- what I don't know is, how to handle magic and stuff like that: players will likely use some spell slors or Ki points or whatever. Any idea how to deal with that? May roll d4 and let them use up so many slots? But what level?

What do you think of this? I find it to be a nice way to letting the players feel that travelling is dangerous without spending too much time on it.

 

[Nagol]

You say roll once per day/night and then you say there can be multiple encounters during a single travel. Don't the PCs heal every long rest so the maximum damage is 2d10?

Do you think minor damage and mild resource use will affect the players in any way other than getting one final long rest once at their destination?

Can a bad (worst set of rolls possible) kill a PC? Will you let it?

I think it subverts player tactics and strategy completely. If PC A has twice the AC as the next character, he still takes the same damage. If the group consistently protects PC B, it doesn't matter, he takes the same damage. PCs try to be sneaky? Doesn't matter. PCs avoid large masses of people and stay away from roads/towns? Doesn't matter. In other words, I think you went a bit too abstract.

A better approach would be to construct a skill challenge or similar system where you abstract the encounters somewhat but allow PC action to mitigate or negate the effects and expending resources (hp, spells, abilities, equipment) is helpful in achieving success.

 

[ymd.fallen]

It's a harsh winter, so I don't let them heal after long rests when staying outside. And on a normal journey they usualy don't find any shelter.
But yeah, you got a good point, this method will kill low-AC/HP characters first without any chance of reaction. So maybe I throw a hit die once and check it against the AC of all player characters?
About sneaky tactics and avoiding settlements/roads: maybe vary the chance of an encounter together with the speed? I.e. half the speed gives you 1/4 the chance of an encounter (half won't work, then the number of total encounters will be roughly the same).
I guess I have to think this though a little better... Thanks for your comment.

 

[Tony Vargas]

I want to let the players feel this, but I do not want to have 5 random encounters on each travel between sites.

5e has bent over backwards to give us fast combats, so why not just play through a few more random encounters to give the impression that a region has become more dangerous?

 

[ymd.fallen]

If there's one thing the players at my table absolutely cannot do, it's playing fast... ;-)
For example there is one fighter with an axe in each hand. Together with a bonus action for an extra attack he usually rolls about a dozen dice on each of his turns. But maybe that's worth a try. I could let them pre-roll initiative for the whole session and let them make their attack rolls all at the same time (and resolving them in order of initiative). Maybe that works...

 

[Azurewraith]

If there's one thing the players at my table absolutely cannot do, it's playing fast... ;-)
For example there is one fighter with an axe in each hand. Together with a bonus action for an extra attack he usually rolls about a dozen dice on each of his turns. But maybe that's worth a try. I could let them pre-roll initiative for the whole session and let them make their attack rolls all at the same time (and resolving them in order of initiative). Maybe that works...

Could always get him to roll all his dice at once but then rolling the dice doesn't take long in itself as for auto resolving i cant say i would be happy playing that way the only thing i could suggest would be make a single attack roll against all pcs then roll a dmg dice and apply it to everyone that got hit, then allow for them to expanded a resource to negate that hit?

 

[Reynard]

I like the idea of abstracting dangerous travel. Maybe you can use a sort of skill challenge, where success determines how much "damage" the PCs take on their way to the place where the actual adventuring is going to happen, but the players themselves determine what they have lost.

For example, let's say you decide that the base difficulty of travel from A to B is 2 (meaning that the PCs wil all take 2 levels of travel damage upon arrival). Travel itself involves a skill challenge where each player must contribute and overcome a DC 15 obstacle that serves to abstract patrols, traps nd wild animal attacks. Players are free to use any skill they can reasonably convince you would be beneficial, everything from Stealth or Survival to a Strength save. (The point is to engage them, not punish them for not having the right proficiency). Every failure adds to the travel damage and every success subtracts from it. So if no one fails and at least 2 succeed, travel damage is mitigated. Otherwise, upon arrival everyone has to suffer travel damage. Again, it is up to the players but travel damage can be a level of exhaustion, half their hit dice spent, a number of spell level slots equal to the average party level, use of an ability that refreshes on a long rest, etc... Note that they cannot engage in a long rest when they arrive - resting was considered part of the dangerous travel and they are stuck with what they've got until a real in play opportunity to rest occurs.

 

[wedgeski]

Resource attrition is a nice idea, as long as your players buy into it. Skill challenges seem tailor-made for it.

My advice on random encounters is not to make them so random and meaningless as to be mere time-sinks. I actually like rolling on random encounter tables, but I prefer them to be non-combat, or at least to have a clear chance of avoiding combat (stealth, negotiation, etc.). For me random encounters should be there to reinforce the flavour of the setting, and highlight the themes of the adventure. This would also solve your player-with-bucket-of-dice problem.

 

[ymd.fallen]

I like the idea of abstracting dangerous travel. Maybe you can use a sort of skill challenge, where success determines how much "damage" the PCs take on their way to the place where the actual adventuring is going to happen, but the players themselves determine what they have lost.

For example, let's say you decide that the base difficulty of travel from A to B is 2 (meaning that the PCs wil all take 2 levels of travel damage upon arrival). Travel itself involves a skill challenge where each player must contribute and overcome a DC 15 obstacle that serves to abstract patrols, traps nd wild animal attacks. Players are free to use any skill they can reasonably convince you would be beneficial, everything from Stealth or Survival to a Strength save. (The point is to engage them, not punish them for not having the right proficiency). Every failure adds to the travel damage and every success subtracts from it. So if no one fails and at least 2 succeed, travel damage is mitigated. Otherwise, upon arrival everyone has to suffer travel damage. Again, it is up to the players but travel damage can be a level of exhaustion, half their hit dice spent, a number of spell level slots equal to the average party level, use of an ability that refreshes on a long rest, etc... Note that they cannot engage in a long rest when they arrive - resting was considered part of the dangerous travel and they are stuck with what they've got until a real in play opportunity to rest occurs.

Hmm, sounds interesting. I haven't thought of hit dice or exhaustion (I'll have to look that up in the DMG again). And I really like the idea of "travel damage". We're meeting for D&D tonight, so I think that I'll just try to compile a list of possible damage effects and try it at the table.

 

[ymd.fallen]

My advice on random encounters is not to make them so random and meaningless as to be mere time-sinks. I actually like rolling on random encounter tables, but I prefer them to be non-combat, or at least to have a clear chance of avoiding combat (stealth, negotiation, etc.). For me random encounters should be there to reinforce the flavour of the setting, and highlight the themes of the adventure. This would also solve your player-with-bucket-of-dice problem.

Yes, you're right, but I don't see a problem combining both approaches, do you? So using Reynard's travel damage and have some extra encounters that can (should) be solved non-combat. That way I have both: automatically resolved combat encounters and a few additional story- or theme-driven encounters.
Again, I'll try something like that tonight and report here tomorrow.