I just got finished making my first ever random table(super feeling of accomplishment) and made one of the options as follows:
"A band of orcs runs towards the party. They look over their shoulders as if being pursued, and attempt to run through and past the adventurers. Something dreadful has spooked them enough to outright flee."
What could be a good creature that would be in pursuit?
My inclination would be to vary this depending on the party - whatever you pick needs to be scary enough to make orcs flee but also not so bad as to kill the party!
I haven't got the monster manual to hand so can't give exact answers, but perhaps something mischievous and invisible, which managed to convince the orcs that there was a g-g-g-ghost? Perhaps something which can cast illusion to make themselves seem less threatening - you find an orc camp, which they have just fled, with a meek travelling trader in a curiously arcane cage - but it's actually a monster casting illusion. Perhaps the party will forget that the orcs fled and save him without thinking- perhaps the merchant might shout for them to help "before it comes back", making them think that there is a monster somewhere nearby. If they let it out, it might be a one-off fight, or it might be more of a foreshadow for future encounters.
Well the players are level 6(3 of them)and a group of up to 8 orcs are fleeing. So something they most definitely would want to avoid getting into conbat with if they were smart. Unless they could convince the orcs to assist.
Admittedly im still new to making encounters and am unsure how to do it in a balanced way or by difficulty.
I always try to plan for the worst case scenario (usually being that they decide to fight, with no allies) and try to make that survivable. Or, I would try to make it severely obvious that they should be running - have more orcs running behind the first lot, and have them all killed by whatever you have chasing them. Or, have a stampede of animals, or a landslide, or something else which suggests that running could be the best course of action!
The thing to consider with an Encounter is what the party wants to achieve, and what your monster wants to do. Is the monster hungry? is it trying to kill the orcs for revenge? is it defending its nest? I try not to make "combat encounters" because it forces the players hand. If they see a herd of beasts charging toward them, they might try to climb a tree to let them pass underneath, or try to make a path through the animals, or just try to kill them all. If they are confronted by a beast and the beast wants to fight, it makes for a basic encounter.
Perhaps they will arrive at the camp of the orcs (just ahead) to find a giant (or similar) rooting around in the camp looking for something. Perhaps they see it pick up something valuable or cool (maybe a big chest overflowing with cool weapons) and carry it off, giving the players the option to follow it and attempt to steal it.
Has anyone introduced you to Kobold Fight Club yet? It's a software tool that helps you build encounters using CR, party size, party level, and monster details to balance encounters.
Be careful though, it can balance encounters on the easy side due to CR being structured around the 6-8 encounter adventuring day, so don't be afraid to routinely build encounters in the hard/deadly range.
That is a lot of useful suggestions thank you! I agree, i dont want it to necessarily be a fight for the sake of a fight. I like the idea that a potentially deadly encounter could end up just being a roleplaying opportunity, or a chance at a cinematic of sorts that they just bear witness to if they correctly judge they should keep their distance.
Granny Orc is totally tick off that one of them used her fabric scissors to cut paper. Mommy Orc is trying to get them to go down for a nap. Uncle orc wants them to play pull my finger.
An ogre is mad because they will not join up with his band of bandits.
Orcs aren't typically that smart so I would lean towards something big and dangerous that kills orcs with a single swing or is otherwise somehow deadly.
Some suggestions-
- Basilisks - if they don't know to avert their eyes they can be petrified and each attack can do 2d6+3 + 2d6 poison which on average will be more than enough to kill an orc which typically has 15 hit points. They are only CR3 though so you would need a few to be a threat to a level 6 party - especially one that has darkness or fog cloud available to shut down the petrifying gaze.
- Giants - orcs would probably run from hostile giants
- Bulette - orcs would have trouble hitting it - it burrows and jumps 30' doing more than enough damage to kill an orc every round.
I really like this one! Might be worth having a second chart to roll up ideas, cause at level 10, things the party can handle easily, could readily terrify an entire band of orcs based on the standard MM entry.
In the words of npc Gregg, "Hello adventurers!"
I just got finished making my first ever random table(super feeling of accomplishment) and made one of the options as follows:
"A band of orcs runs towards the party. They look over their shoulders as if being pursued, and attempt to run through and past the adventurers. Something dreadful has spooked them enough to outright flee."
What could be a good creature that would be in pursuit?
Thanks!
What level/difficulty are you looking for?
My inclination would be to vary this depending on the party - whatever you pick needs to be scary enough to make orcs flee but also not so bad as to kill the party!
I haven't got the monster manual to hand so can't give exact answers, but perhaps something mischievous and invisible, which managed to convince the orcs that there was a g-g-g-ghost? Perhaps something which can cast illusion to make themselves seem less threatening - you find an orc camp, which they have just fled, with a meek travelling trader in a curiously arcane cage - but it's actually a monster casting illusion. Perhaps the party will forget that the orcs fled and save him without thinking- perhaps the merchant might shout for them to help "before it comes back", making them think that there is a monster somewhere nearby. If they let it out, it might be a one-off fight, or it might be more of a foreshadow for future encounters.
Make your Artificer work with any other class with 174 Multiclassing Feats for your Artificer Multiclass Character!
DM's Guild Releases on This Thread Or check them all out on DMs Guild!
DrivethruRPG Releases on This Thread - latest release: My Character is a Werewolf: balanced rules for Lycanthropy!
I have started discussing/reviewing 3rd party D&D content on Substack - stay tuned for semi-regular posts!
Well the players are level 6(3 of them)and a group of up to 8 orcs are fleeing. So something they most definitely would want to avoid getting into conbat with if they were smart. Unless they could convince the orcs to assist.
Admittedly im still new to making encounters and am unsure how to do it in a balanced way or by difficulty.
I always try to plan for the worst case scenario (usually being that they decide to fight, with no allies) and try to make that survivable. Or, I would try to make it severely obvious that they should be running - have more orcs running behind the first lot, and have them all killed by whatever you have chasing them. Or, have a stampede of animals, or a landslide, or something else which suggests that running could be the best course of action!
The thing to consider with an Encounter is what the party wants to achieve, and what your monster wants to do. Is the monster hungry? is it trying to kill the orcs for revenge? is it defending its nest? I try not to make "combat encounters" because it forces the players hand. If they see a herd of beasts charging toward them, they might try to climb a tree to let them pass underneath, or try to make a path through the animals, or just try to kill them all. If they are confronted by a beast and the beast wants to fight, it makes for a basic encounter.
Perhaps they will arrive at the camp of the orcs (just ahead) to find a giant (or similar) rooting around in the camp looking for something. Perhaps they see it pick up something valuable or cool (maybe a big chest overflowing with cool weapons) and carry it off, giving the players the option to follow it and attempt to steal it.
Make your Artificer work with any other class with 174 Multiclassing Feats for your Artificer Multiclass Character!
DM's Guild Releases on This Thread Or check them all out on DMs Guild!
DrivethruRPG Releases on This Thread - latest release: My Character is a Werewolf: balanced rules for Lycanthropy!
I have started discussing/reviewing 3rd party D&D content on Substack - stay tuned for semi-regular posts!
Has anyone introduced you to Kobold Fight Club yet? It's a software tool that helps you build encounters using CR, party size, party level, and monster details to balance encounters.
https://kobold.club/fight/#/encounter-builder
Be careful though, it can balance encounters on the easy side due to CR being structured around the 6-8 encounter adventuring day, so don't be afraid to routinely build encounters in the hard/deadly range.
I like this idea! Had started to mull over something similar but this is more tasty.
No they haven't! I will look into this thank you!
That is a lot of useful suggestions thank you! I agree, i dont want it to necessarily be a fight for the sake of a fight. I like the idea that a potentially deadly encounter could end up just being a roleplaying opportunity, or a chance at a cinematic of sorts that they just bear witness to if they correctly judge they should keep their distance.
Thabks so much for the input!
Granny Orc is totally tick off that one of them used her fabric scissors to cut paper. Mommy Orc is trying to get them to go down for a nap. Uncle orc wants them to play pull my finger.
An ogre is mad because they will not join up with his band of bandits.
Another pc party is coming the other way.
Flash flood depending on the location.
No Gaming is Better than Bad Gaming.
Orcs aren't typically that smart so I would lean towards something big and dangerous that kills orcs with a single swing or is otherwise somehow deadly.
Some suggestions-
- Basilisks - if they don't know to avert their eyes they can be petrified and each attack can do 2d6+3 + 2d6 poison which on average will be more than enough to kill an orc which typically has 15 hit points. They are only CR3 though so you would need a few to be a threat to a level 6 party - especially one that has darkness or fog cloud available to shut down the petrifying gaze.
- Giants - orcs would probably run from hostile giants
- Bulette - orcs would have trouble hitting it - it burrows and jumps 30' doing more than enough damage to kill an orc every round.
Lots and lots of other choices out there :)
Ooh nice ideas! Giants would fit right in as im running SKT, and bullettes is a nive touch as well. Thanks!
Nice suggestions. Thanks!
I really like this one! Might be worth having a second chart to roll up ideas, cause at level 10, things the party can handle easily, could readily terrify an entire band of orcs based on the standard MM entry.
good idea!