So with my normal game I have a rule where if a 19-20 is rolled on a random encounter table then it triggers a sort of "Wild Wastelands" type thing from Fallout NV, essentially the encounter that they roll is a reference to something media related. I've had a few ideas for a non-combat encounter but I can't think of anything for a combat encounter, anyone have any funny or interesting ideas?
Make a entity like ghost of lerroy jenkins but using the orc or bard stat block and is an orc, this entity appears to charge to the players only to sell them items like a wandering merchant, talking in a hillybilly texan accent, if the players insult his intelligence say that he has graduated masters in the famous academy of strix haven and prop out glasses and is infact a bard. Then after shopping is done, have him all the suddenly summon up a sand storm that reveals a hidden contingency of dakka shooting wielding wild orcs with guns, riding out in motor bikes and trucks, having a long lasting impression as they leave mad max style.
How direct do you want the references to feel? Doctor Who has a good amount of 'weird' villains that could fit as an odd one- time encounter. Cyber men style warforged, some kind of Dalek automaton, even a weird social/ combat encounter with a group of Silence would be pretty cool. And then of course there's weeping angels.... hold on, and gonna go write an encounter for my game real quick!
On a real note, depending on how obvious you want the references to be, your options are limitless. Between all the fights and encounters in video games, movies, shows, books, there are a ton! To name a few that would be cool:
Jurrassic Park, Stranger Things, Game of Thrones, Kingkiller Chronicles, LoTR (a roving party of rangers seeking ANYTHING to save their city?), literally take any anime with a fight scene and add that. Reflavor monsters from Gears of War, Mass Effect, The Witcher, PoE (could be path of exile or pillars of eternity), the list goes on
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I know what you're thinking: "In that flurry of blows, did he use all his ki points, or save one?" Well, are ya feeling lucky, punk?
This depends on what you intend to achieve by it. Do you want all the players to get it, or just some? Personally I enjoy making the references cryptic and hard to get - sometimes they pass by without the players realising they are references!
The black Knight from Monty Python. They are stoon on a bridge over an otherwise impassable chasm. "None shall pass!". Play out the whole scene if you like, with the green knight being bested!
Tim the Enchanter, also from Monty Python. Casting magic everywhere, knows exactly what their quest is, and will point them in the right direction, in an over the top manner.
The killer rabbit from Monty Python. Just give it the stats of something more dangerous, and fitting to their level.
7 dwarves and a human boy hauling a bag of loot (Time Bandits). They disappear into a black doorway which opens behind them . They might have a quest to help them with a heist, if you plan it out!
An artificer and his bemused assistant, in incredibly old-fashioned clothes, trying to get their strange wagon to go fast enough to go home (back to the future).
a castle in which silly french men taunt the party (Monty Python, Again...)
The temple from the first indiana jones movie, in exact detail, with the idol at the end, with the traps, boulder-run, spikes, pit, and so on, all true to the movie.
Some kids playing jumanji - random jungle monster encounters popping up, party has no idea why. This will follow them for a random number of game turns per day, until they find the players and help them or the players happen to finish the game themselves. Don't let the party be the main story here - it's just randomly happening to them until it suddenly stops! Don't try the time travel bit though, that just makes things difficult!
someone called Phoggius Figg attempting to cross the known world in a balloon in under 80 days, for a bet.
A hired hitman who's been paid to kill them. He happens to be a ginger Tabaxi, who wears leather boots and a cape, ad speaks with a spanish accent.
A spaniard swordsman who has chased the party to get revenge for his father, who they killed before (pick any victim from the past). He introduces himself; "Hello. My name is Minigo Ontoyo. You kill my father. Prepare to Die." (The Princess Bride)
Four tortle monks who need help defeating a death knight called the Shredder (TMNT!)
a huge man with a massive beard and thick moleskin coat (Ogre stats, but with a level in Wizard) needs help getting his latest pet monster back in it's cage (Hagrid, from Harry Potter).
So I haven't used this one yet but I was thinking that at a random time while in a forest my players will hear something banging on drums and then they hear some goblins yelling "RELEASE THE WAR DUCKS" and then the fight a whole bunch of super strong ducks in military uniforms.
Fallout: A Post-Nuclear Roleplaying Game had some quirky encounters from finding an 'unusual call box' to a giant UFO. In this instance the party might come across a Tiny Hut filled with strange otherwordly gadgets, to a crashed spelljammer ship (engraved upon it The Flying D- the rest is unintelligible). Fallout 2 has references to Monty Python, LOTR, and even allows you to travel back in time in order to trigger the events of the first game (destroying the water chip).
Some ideas:
The party goes to an inn where they see characters not unlike themselves being 'rolled up': rolling dice, nodding at the results, collecting their equipment and then exiting. Upon leaving the tavern they're never seen again.
The party encounters characters from a previous campaign, engaging in a battle of equal (or lower) difficulty to that of the party. Whether the party intervenes or not, the characters will leave before they can be interacted with further.
The party comes across a weapon from the previous campaign's BBEG's past. If they choose to take the weapon, they get visions of a world changed as if the previous adventurers were unsuccessful in defeating the villain of before. If they leave it, they feel unease at their pit of their stomachs, but upon resting feel relieved as if the earth beneath their feet thanks them for something unclear.
I borrow this from Meta_Gamer12's suggestion and this particular comic: two gangs are fighting for their emblems. The Order of the Duck and the Rabbit Order are in endless conflict, neither force giving ground. They will, very easily, submit to the idea the conflict is stupid and accept that their two gods are different sides of the same coin. As such, they will give the party each a coin: one which has the head of a duck, and another the side of a rabbit. It's hard to tell which is which. The coin is valued at one gold piece.
The party comes across a tree which has multiple heads which look like dragons. If they cast Speak with Plants or try to speak with it in Draconic, Druidic or Primordial, they will learn it is named 'Treeamat', and can tirelessly provide lore on the subject of dragons and trees.
The party comes across a box. Upon pressing a button at the box, a quasit appears from a lid in the top, surveys the area and draws it before printing out a picture of whatever is facing the crystal lens.
The party comes across a hastily abandoned camp with what appear to be owlbear and humanoid tracks running away. However, the soup pot remains untouched. It looks clear save for a stone in the bottom of the still boiling liquid. They can swear they can taste it, the chicken and tomatoes, and the noodles and the marrow bone. But it really isn't nothing but some water and potatoes, and the wonderful, wonderful soup stone.
Zero is the most important number in D&D: Session Zero sets the boundaries and the tone; Rule Zero dictates the Dungeon Master (DM) is the final arbiter; and Zero D&D is better than Bad D&D.
"Let us speak plainly now, and in earnest, for words mean little without the weight of conviction."
Small goblin tribe performing rituals that sees the players and think one is their god/goddess. Roll to determine which player. The goblins, because they're stupid because they're goblins, think that the other players have kidnapped their god/goddess and attempt to save the god/goddess by killing the other players. If the player mistaken for their god/goddess makes the goblins realize that they aren't a god/goddess, the goblins are mad at the player for tricking them and try to kill ALL the players.
They encounter an awkward changeling thats really bad at trying to do the whole changeling premise of taking different identities, there essentially like that one DM we have all had eventually where they dont even try to voice act and dont really have social skills, but they were enforced into this role because society.
Have them encounter two halflings, one carrying the other, up a steep crag. They're carrying a cursed ring of invisibility.
Two constructs are crossing a vast desert. The tall golden one speaks all languages, at great length, and the squat one holds a sunblade in its chassis.
Two Fey chefs are having a bake-off and recruit the players with bribes. They then try to sabotage their opponent by having them attack their opponent or use skill checks to disrupt their cake. The Fey chefs summon odd things from the Feywild. As a reward they get magic cakes that are 50% chance to heal them and 50% chance to cause short term madness or poisoned effect
So with my normal game I have a rule where if a 19-20 is rolled on a random encounter table then it triggers a sort of "Wild Wastelands" type thing from Fallout NV, essentially the encounter that they roll is a reference to something media related. I've had a few ideas for a non-combat encounter but I can't think of anything for a combat encounter, anyone have any funny or interesting ideas?
Gremblin man
Make a entity like ghost of lerroy jenkins but using the orc or bard stat block and is an orc, this entity appears to charge to the players only to sell them items like a wandering merchant, talking in a hillybilly texan accent, if the players insult his intelligence say that he has graduated masters in the famous academy of strix haven and prop out glasses and is infact a bard. Then after shopping is done, have him all the suddenly summon up a sand storm that reveals a hidden contingency of dakka shooting wielding wild orcs with guns, riding out in motor bikes and trucks, having a long lasting impression as they leave mad max style.
You can also turn this to Ork Mad Max battle if you want.
The PCs can encounter a dual or rumble between two factions and decide if they want to take a side. See Hamilton or West Side Story.
How direct do you want the references to feel? Doctor Who has a good amount of 'weird' villains that could fit as an odd one- time encounter. Cyber men style warforged, some kind of Dalek automaton, even a weird social/ combat encounter with a group of Silence would be pretty cool. And then of course there's weeping angels.... hold on, and gonna go write an encounter for my game real quick!
On a real note, depending on how obvious you want the references to be, your options are limitless. Between all the fights and encounters in video games, movies, shows, books, there are a ton! To name a few that would be cool:
Jurrassic Park, Stranger Things, Game of Thrones, Kingkiller Chronicles, LoTR (a roving party of rangers seeking ANYTHING to save their city?), literally take any anime with a fight scene and add that. Reflavor monsters from Gears of War, Mass Effect, The Witcher, PoE (could be path of exile or pillars of eternity), the list goes on
I know what you're thinking: "In that flurry of blows, did he use all his ki points, or save one?" Well, are ya feeling lucky, punk?
This depends on what you intend to achieve by it. Do you want all the players to get it, or just some? Personally I enjoy making the references cryptic and hard to get - sometimes they pass by without the players realising they are references!
Take your pick!
Make your Artificer work with any other class with 174 Multiclassing Feats for your Artificer Multiclass Character!
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So I haven't used this one yet but I was thinking that at a random time while in a forest my players will hear something banging on drums and then they hear some goblins yelling "RELEASE THE WAR DUCKS" and then the fight a whole bunch of super strong ducks in military uniforms.
Fallout: A Post-Nuclear Roleplaying Game had some quirky encounters from finding an 'unusual call box' to a giant UFO. In this instance the party might come across a Tiny Hut filled with strange otherwordly gadgets, to a crashed spelljammer ship (engraved upon it The Flying D- the rest is unintelligible). Fallout 2 has references to Monty Python, LOTR, and even allows you to travel back in time in order to trigger the events of the first game (destroying the water chip).
Some ideas:
Zero is the most important number in D&D: Session Zero sets the boundaries and the tone; Rule Zero dictates the Dungeon Master (DM) is the final arbiter; and Zero D&D is better than Bad D&D.
"Let us speak plainly now, and in earnest, for words mean little without the weight of conviction."
- The Assemblage of Houses, World of Warcraft
Small goblin tribe performing rituals that sees the players and think one is their god/goddess. Roll to determine which player. The goblins, because they're stupid because they're goblins, think that the other players have kidnapped their god/goddess and attempt to save the god/goddess by killing the other players. If the player mistaken for their god/goddess makes the goblins realize that they aren't a god/goddess, the goblins are mad at the player for tricking them and try to kill ALL the players.
For characters with firearms: It's hiiiigh noon!
The rest of the party: good sir it is SIX O-CLOCK
I do campaigns the are beginner friendly! If you are interested, contact me at: drploppleiv@gmail.com
They encounter an awkward changeling thats really bad at trying to do the whole changeling premise of taking different identities, there essentially like that one DM we have all had eventually where they dont even try to voice act and dont really have social skills, but they were enforced into this role because society.
Have them encounter two halflings, one carrying the other, up a steep crag. They're carrying a cursed ring of invisibility.
Two constructs are crossing a vast desert. The tall golden one speaks all languages, at great length, and the squat one holds a sunblade in its chassis.
Giant worms.
Two Fey chefs are having a bake-off and recruit the players with bribes. They then try to sabotage their opponent by having them attack their opponent or use skill checks to disrupt their cake. The Fey chefs summon odd things from the Feywild. As a reward they get magic cakes that are 50% chance to heal them and 50% chance to cause short term madness or poisoned effect
you spelled orc wrong