Non-combat encounter ideas

[The DM]

At the moment my party is at a good level... for the next half dozen sessions. They went through some encounter heavy adventures on their way through a campaign I built, and they got lucky a few times. Anyways, the point is that their level is far too high for this point in the game.

Now, I have a few ways I could deal with this, but I want to try giving them non-combat encounters (for the most part) untill they get further through the campaign. However in doing this, I also want to give them fresh ideas and encounters they've never seen before, because no matter how hard I try my encounters eventually start to feel repetitive.

So, I'm looking for good, non-combat encounters (or just ideas, I can tailor and fill them in). Nothing too fancy though, for the next while my party will be heading through generic hostile territory (They need to get through the Ogre lands of Blothe on their way to a forest... it's a long story.).

 

[Borthos]

The best thing I could think of is the '3 Monkeys Trap.' Basically, you enter a room with the three monkey statues, you know, "See no, hear no, speak no evil?" Well each player mimics one of the statues and enters the next room. In the next room, the statue they mimicked is the sense they keep. If the mimicked statues was "See no evil" they kept their eyes, but lost the abilities to see or hear. and the same for the rest of them. the next room can be anything, its up to you. The room we went into had a bunch of large stompy crushy things in it above a bridge over lava. we had to communicate and find a way through.

I also heard of this used where the next room was full of sphinxes and they each gave a riddle, only repeated once.

 

[The DM]

Wow, I remember hearing of that but never used it, that is a very cool idea. The first two rooms set up a great encounter in the third room. Perhaps I could make the third room into an infinite corridor, branching off into... anyways, thanks a lot. I have some great ideas to use that.

 

[Empirate]

How about just some good old level-draining Undead? Too heavy-handed?

Anyway, you can just give your PCs a few less challenging battles. It can really feel good once in a while to totally dominate an encounter. It also gives them a sense of what they have achieved, how far they've come. Especially if the encounter is monsters they met before, and that really scared them back then ("Wow, look how easy we carved those up this time! Not so tough now, eh, Trollsy?").
That way, you can throw in some combat now and then, but the XP dividend will be really low at their level. The PCs will then notice that a more important bit of the campaign is ahead when the speed is picking up again. But for now, just chill a little.

 

[Axel]

Some ideas that are off the top of my head, so may not be applicable to your party or campaign.

1. A locked door with an unpickable lock. Next to the door are three (or more) objects (or you could have the PCs try to retrieve them from elsewhere). Make them interesting objects, like precious or semi-precious gems. The "lock" consists of three slots, into which the objects will fit. Must place the objects in the correct order to pass. Failure equates to objects returning after the party deals with something bad (random summoned annoying monster, magical trap etc). Allow visual clues for the observant (don't roll Spot checks, sneak them into the description).

2. Natural disaster. Since the party is in a forest, an uncontrollable forest fire is a good encounter. The choice to stop and help creatures/people that are in danger (or not) allows for role-playing tension. Also serves to herd them in the right direction. Avalanches can work in the right terrain (though are not as long lasting), as could a tornado, flood or the like. The DMG has some guidance on these sorts of encounters.

3. Rescue the damsel. The party find a "damsel in distress" who is drowning/stuck in quicksand/trapped in a burning building/whatever. Must devise a means to rescue the inoccent. To retrieve them from quicksand, perhaps have the dwarf (or barbarian, or anyone with an axe) roll 3 consecutive DC15 strength checks to cut down a tree. Then more checks to bring it out safely. Balance checks to run along the log - failure means another person to rescue. Time the number of actions and dithering/talking at the start. Take too long and the damsel dies.

4. A hedge maze. Party finds a strange maze with something apparently desirable at the end of it. Don't draw the map for the PCs...have them do it on verbal discription only (and use more angles than 90 degrees). You can do anything with a maze...

5. A game of skill (or chance?) against pixies or elves or somesuch. Think the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland playing croquet - failure (success is letting the Queen of the faeries win?) leads to an "Off with her head!" scene.

 

[Submission]

Tomb of Horrors

i hate that adventure so much literally nothing but booby traps next to no combat (we manged to make it through with 2 rounds of combat quite)

I dont know all the details but its out on the net im sure you can find it but its
basically indina jones watch what you touch.

i.e little combat and quite challenging and at times frustrating.

but umm becareful of total party wipes here alot of the traps have no save
with epic level curses.

So if you want to make them sweat for a bit toss em in there.

 

[kitcik]

Non-combat?

Some ideas that are off the top of my head, so may not be applicable to your party or campaign.

1. A locked door with an unpickable lock. Next to the door are three (or more) objects (or you could have the PCs try to retrieve them from elsewhere). Make them interesting objects, like precious or semi-precious gems. The "lock" consists of three slots, into which the objects will fit. Must place the objects in the correct order to pass. Failure equates to objects returning after the party deals with something bad (random summoned annoying monster, magical trap etc). Allow visual clues for the observant (don't roll Spot checks, sneak them into the description).

2. Natural disaster. Since the party is in a forest, an uncontrollable forest fire is a good encounter. The choice to stop and help creatures/people that are in danger (or not) allows for role-playing tension. Also serves to herd them in the right direction. Avalanches can work in the right terrain (though are not as long lasting), as could a tornado, flood or the like. The DMG has some guidance on these sorts of encounters.

3. Rescue the damsel. The party find a "damsel in distress" who is drowning/stuck in quicksand/trapped in a burning building/whatever. Must devise a means to rescue the inoccent. To retrieve them from quicksand, perhaps have the dwarf (or barbarian, or anyone with an axe) roll 3 consecutive DC15 strength checks to cut down a tree. Then more checks to bring it out safely. Balance checks to run along the log - failure means another person to rescue. Time the number of actions and dithering/talking at the start. Take too long and the damsel dies.

4. A hedge maze. Party finds a strange maze with something apparently desirable at the end of it. Don't draw the map for the PCs...have them do it on verbal discription only (and use more angles than 90 degrees). You can do anything with a maze...

5. A game of skill (or chance?) against pixies or elves or somesuch. Think the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland playing croquet - failure (success is letting the Queen of the faeries win?) leads to an "Off with her head!" scene.

#'s 2, 3 & 5 are not necessarily non-combat - it depends on the party. In #2, you could set up a killing gauntlet along the most plausible escape route - maybe a creekbed - and gain XP as everything comes running into it. In #3, two words - ranged weapons. Nuff said. In #5, pixies were made for pixie-puddin-pops.

 

[Axel]

Well, on that note you can make any encounter a combat encounter, as a DM or a player. For example

Player: I'm want to get a suit of full-plate now we're in a town.
DM: Ok, you walk into the armourer's shop. The sound of hammers ring loudly, with a sweaty masculine smell hanging in the air. The air is hot and humid. Pieces of armour and shields of many sizes hang on the walls and are spread on tables. A grey-bearded Dwarf with huge biceps, and wearing a leather apron notices you enter. He looks up at you and grunts "What do you want?"
Player: I draw my sword and attack the Dwarf.
DM: ......

My ideas were only ideas. Anyone who reads them is free to use them as they see fit. Certainly they can be adapted to be combat-encounters, like most ideas.

 

[anest1s]

They should still get exp for non combat ancounters and traps, which means that the best solution is actually what Empirate said...

 

[The DM]

They should still get exp for non combat ancounters and traps, which means that the best solution is actually what Empirate said...

I could do that, but my players are actually very good at knowing when not to start a fight, partially because I put them through way to many role playing adventures. So, I want to play off of that.

It's also always a real downer when you lose a level, just feels like crud.

Now, I often do award experience for non-combat encounters, so I'll have to find a way to award little to no experience without getting on my players nerves. Perhaps, rather than going through non-combat encounters in the traditional sense, I could put them through emotional or psychological encounters that make them think, or develop their characters personalities.

Anyways, thanks for the ideas!