Hey! Baby DM here. There’s tons of great advice and points in this section, and I love that. I have a question. How do you run non-combat encounters in a way that’s fun for your players? My Jumping Jellyfish players seem to enjoy a bit of role-playing and social encounters, but kid of fizzle out after one or two goes of it each. What have you done before that I could add-in to make non-combat encounters more enjoyable for my players?
The Wicked Witch of the East, Bro Baby DM, Copy Editor, Writer, Web & Graphic Designer
Campaigns: The Jumping Jellyfish: Scouring the Sea of Fallen Stars— 5 players, 2 very new, 2 getting back in the groove, 1 fellow DM Chaos in the Cosmos: The Hunt for Shadowfell— 5 players, 4 very new, 1 fellow DM
Practice, practice, practice. To prepare for social interactions, create some NPCs and have them have a conversation with each other in your spare time. Remember that your players are not my players so what works for me to keep them entertained may not work for you.
I roll up random NPCs with random names, looks and personality quirks or secrets. There's plenty of NPC generators online. As well as just random tables, and they don't have to be limited to RPGs. You might want to pull from Whose Line Is It Anyways? party quirks list, for example. Find one or a few of these generators/tables that you like and use them. If you want to do voices, note on their card what you want them to sound like. When your players are looking for some social interaction, pull one of these prepared NPCs out and now you've got a basis beyond just pulling him/her out of your hat. And be sure to jot down what these NPCs are doing in your world, as in are they an innkeeper, street vendor, town guard, any quests they give or are a part of, etc..
If your players find an NPC they like, they'll search for them the next time they're in town. And you probably will not remember them. But your players will remember. They are going to know where (s)he was and if you're doing voices they're going to remember what (s)he sounded like.
Your imagination is your limitation. If a player wants to use Speak With Animals, I will have them roll an Animal Handling check. A 20 is going to be a very helpful animal. A 1 might be a squirrel who tries to mug them for some nuts. Speak With Plants, roll a Charisma Check. 17 is a tree that some passing merchants rested under and it overheard their conversation which might prove helpful. 5 is a tree who is tired of all these druids constantly asking it for directions. "I'm a tree. I can't move. I'm here all day. Every day. I've never seen this thing you call a 'town' and never will. I don't know how to get there."
Practice is absolutely fair. I have a whole slew of NPCs at the ready for the town they kicked off from. I hadn’t considered looking for a generator, though and spent a ton of time prepping NPCs they’d only see for one session before leaving again for quite some time.
This is such a well thought-out response— thank you so much!! I hadn’t considered how much a tree off a well-traveled road could have to tell them. They’re about to go into a Druid’s haven, so this will come in VERY handy!
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Thank you,
The Wicked Witch of the East, Bro Baby DM, Copy Editor, Writer, Web & Graphic Designer
Campaigns: The Jumping Jellyfish: Scouring the Sea of Fallen Stars— 5 players, 2 very new, 2 getting back in the groove, 1 fellow DM Chaos in the Cosmos: The Hunt for Shadowfell— 5 players, 4 very new, 1 fellow DM
I think of social encounters as similar to a scene in a play. I also follow a loose format to help me stay focused in the moment as the DM. What does it look like? Here's an example:
The Merchant's Orb
Setting: The bustling marketplace of the town of Eldoria.
Encounter Objective: To obtain a rare item crucial to their quest. The item, a small, glowing orb, is said to reveal hidden truths. In the last session, the characters learned that something like it was seen in the market of Eldoria.
Start: The party arrives at Eldoria's marketplace in the early afternoon. The air is filled with the sounds of merchants hawking their wares and the smells of street food. (Passive Perception: 10) As they weave through the crowd, a peculiar merchant, draped in colorful robes and surrounded by an array of odd items, catches their attention.
Key Characters: - Barel, a mysterious merchant: A charismatic, slightly eccentric trader who speaks in riddles and is known for his collection of rare artifacts and baubles. - Kep, the Thieving Urchin: A swift, sneaky child who has been eyeing the party since their arrival.
Scene Progression: Initial Interaction: Barel invites the party to browse his collection. He speaks cryptically and seems to know more than he lets on. Skill Challenges: Insight DC 12 checks to gauge his sincerity, or Perception DC 12 spots any hidden details among his wares.
Negotiation: Barel asks for 3,000 gp for the orb if a player shares how important it is to them. Skill Challenge: Persuasion check to reduce cost by 100 x the result. i.e. A roll of 8 will lower the price by 800 gp. Intimidation could also work, but a roll under 5 results in Barel ending the interaction entirely. Alternate: If the party isn't interested in paying, they can trade items of similar value. Barel will give 60% of their listed value if the conversation has been positive. If he's been intimidated, he'll only offer 30% of the value of the item(s)
Complications: As negotiations heat up, Kep the urchin dashes through the crowd, snatching the orb from the Barel's table. Skill Challenge: Dexterity checks (DC 15) to catch the urchin or quick thinking to track or corner them immediately. Else initiate a chase scene.
Resolution: If Kep is stopped, Barel will negotiate a slightly better price. If the players run off with Kep and/or the gem Barel will file a complaint against them and all public merchants will shun people matching their description. If the characters do nothing to stop Kep, they'll need to make contact with the thieves guild and underground markets to find out where he's fenced it.
Finish: The encounter concludes with the party either successfully obtaining the orb, failing to secure it, and possibly facing a bad reputation based on their decisions. Barel, pleased or displeased, hints at future adventures as a path he can help with.
Aftermath: The outcome of this encounter should lead to a potential new ally in the Barel, a potential young retainer in the Kep, and advancement in the Orb Quest.
This is kinda what I do for anything planned and of note. It let's me think about non-combat rolls that engage players and serves as a guide for the story beats in my NPC roleplay.
Agile DM lays out a very complete idea for a non combat interaction. I ab-lib quite a bit more than this and may have only a few lines written down about a key merchant. With my group, you may have all sorts of preparation but they are going to take it in an unplanned direction so you need to be ready to audible. All that prep would be wasted when they: steal the item, kill the merchant, or decide to do something that I did not expect at all (which is every session!) That may be a question of your players' style and your personal preference. I also don't role for minor things, like finding an interesting merchant. If the roll fails, and this was a key part of the plot, what are you going to do then??? My wife never misses a goodie at a store and given my players' lust for magic items and interesting tidbit, I doubt they would either!
The other thing I would add is to tailor the types of encounters to your players. You say your groups RP encounters fizzle out after doing one or two; perhaps that is the limit of your players? One of my players hates puzzles and RP. So if he is at the table, I eliminate puzzles (as much as possible) and limit RP. If I made a puzzle heavy dungeon, he would be bored out of his mind.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Velstitzen
I am a 40 something year old physician who DMs for a group of 40 something year old doctors. We play a hybrid game, mostly based on 2nd edition rules with some homebrew and 5E components.
3 Common mistakes in NPC interaction: (To answer very briefly)
1) Make sure that it is relevant to your players and/or your campaign. Many times, the NPC will have an item, quest, or information that is important, and he'll also be supplied with a backstory, character flaws, phobias, and I don't know what else that has nothing to do with the campaign. The DM assumes that it will be part of the dialouge. The players will always aim for the most direct way to achieve their goal. Summary, anything not relevant to the players might as well not exist.
2) Don't give the NPC a motivation that is directly opposed to what the players want. So many times, the NPC doesn't want to do something, and the DM expects the players to pursude him. You can't do that realistically in a D&D game, as you don't have the tools that you would use in real life. Also, most probably the players aren't salesmen, and even if they were most probably the DM isn't (and doesn't know how to make an argument tick.) The argument degenerates into a type of "Are too", "Am not". Solution: Make sure that the NPC's objection is something that the players can overcome, and have at least one plan for how they can do it, preferably several.
For example: The NPC is scared to sell/give an item, the players can tell it because the NPC keeps glancing around, askes them to lower their voices, and makes religious signs (like crossing themself.) (Multiple clues. Very important.) Possible solutions are A) taking care of the threat. B) Stealing it. Possibly with the NPC's permission. This way, the NPC won't be held responsible. 3) Creating a forgery, so that the NPC can pretend to still have it. Be prepared to have something happen if you see the players getting stuck, and be prepared to have a solution if the players are still stuck in the long term. Maybe the threat shows up so the PCs can kill it, maybe the NPC is murdered and now they have to track the item down.
3) Providing only one choice. If a boy is stealing from the shopkeeper, and the only right thing to do is to stop the thief, there isn't much choice. If the merchant is shown to be greedy and cruel, and the boy needs the money too badly, there still is only one choice, it's just the other way. We could make the merchant be nasty, and have the thief be an adult, with a scene where he was mistreated, or where he's agitating against corruption, to make the choice harder. (He still shouldn't be starving, or we're back to square one.) The merchant could have multiple orbs, and he's already promised one of them to someone else, so the players have to choose which one to take. Stopping the thief might break the orb, and now the merchant insists they either pay for it, or he'll sell the thief into slavery to recoup his loss. Whichever way, choose your poison.
Ps. I also agree with velstizen. Not every group of players likes NPC interaction. Know your players.
DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
Time sensitive encounters in a dungeon can enhance play.
Very high level example: PC's trigger a trap where they are now in a room with rising water, and if they don't successfully execute some kind of skill challenge, they will drown in X turns.
Think about brining in some npc’s that players can feel something about. In one campaign I had a “slave” creature in a dungeon that had one completely menial task but was “cute” the players did not want to leave this npc in the dungeon to carry on their task indefinitely.
because of this, when they were faced with having to leave, they refused to do it without taking the “slave” with them. It got them in to all sorts of trouble but they would not leave him. Now he lives in a town the party regularly got to and every time they are there, they like to go check on him.
now he makes them gifts when they return from an adventure.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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Hey! Baby DM here. There’s tons of great advice and points in this section, and I love that. I have a question. How do you run non-combat encounters in a way that’s fun for your players? My Jumping Jellyfish players seem to enjoy a bit of role-playing and social encounters, but kid of fizzle out after one or two goes of it each. What have you done before that I could add-in to make non-combat encounters more enjoyable for my players?
Thank you,
The Wicked Witch of the East, Bro
Baby DM, Copy Editor, Writer, Web & Graphic Designer
Campaigns:
The Jumping Jellyfish: Scouring the Sea of Fallen Stars— 5 players, 2 very new, 2 getting back in the groove, 1 fellow DM
Chaos in the Cosmos: The Hunt for Shadowfell— 5 players, 4 very new, 1 fellow DM
Practice, practice, practice. To prepare for social interactions, create some NPCs and have them have a conversation with each other in your spare time. Remember that your players are not my players so what works for me to keep them entertained may not work for you.
I roll up random NPCs with random names, looks and personality quirks or secrets. There's plenty of NPC generators online. As well as just random tables, and they don't have to be limited to RPGs. You might want to pull from Whose Line Is It Anyways? party quirks list, for example. Find one or a few of these generators/tables that you like and use them. If you want to do voices, note on their card what you want them to sound like. When your players are looking for some social interaction, pull one of these prepared NPCs out and now you've got a basis beyond just pulling him/her out of your hat. And be sure to jot down what these NPCs are doing in your world, as in are they an innkeeper, street vendor, town guard, any quests they give or are a part of, etc..
If your players find an NPC they like, they'll search for them the next time they're in town. And you probably will not remember them. But your players will remember. They are going to know where (s)he was and if you're doing voices they're going to remember what (s)he sounded like.
Your imagination is your limitation. If a player wants to use Speak With Animals, I will have them roll an Animal Handling check. A 20 is going to be a very helpful animal. A 1 might be a squirrel who tries to mug them for some nuts. Speak With Plants, roll a Charisma Check. 17 is a tree that some passing merchants rested under and it overheard their conversation which might prove helpful. 5 is a tree who is tired of all these druids constantly asking it for directions. "I'm a tree. I can't move. I'm here all day. Every day. I've never seen this thing you call a 'town' and never will. I don't know how to get there."
Practice is absolutely fair. I have a whole slew of NPCs at the ready for the town they kicked off from. I hadn’t considered looking for a generator, though and spent a ton of time prepping NPCs they’d only see for one session before leaving again for quite some time.
This is such a well thought-out response— thank you so much!! I hadn’t considered how much a tree off a well-traveled road could have to tell them. They’re about to go into a Druid’s haven, so this will come in VERY handy!
Thank you,
The Wicked Witch of the East, Bro
Baby DM, Copy Editor, Writer, Web & Graphic Designer
Campaigns:
The Jumping Jellyfish: Scouring the Sea of Fallen Stars— 5 players, 2 very new, 2 getting back in the groove, 1 fellow DM
Chaos in the Cosmos: The Hunt for Shadowfell— 5 players, 4 very new, 1 fellow DM
I think of social encounters as similar to a scene in a play. I also follow a loose format to help me stay focused in the moment as the DM. What does it look like? Here's an example:
The Merchant's Orb
Setting: The bustling marketplace of the town of Eldoria.
Encounter Objective: To obtain a rare item crucial to their quest. The item, a small, glowing orb, is said to reveal hidden truths. In the last session, the characters learned that something like it was seen in the market of Eldoria.
Start:
The party arrives at Eldoria's marketplace in the early afternoon. The air is filled with the sounds of merchants hawking their wares and the smells of street food. (Passive Perception: 10) As they weave through the crowd, a peculiar merchant, draped in colorful robes and surrounded by an array of odd items, catches their attention.
Key Characters:
- Barel, a mysterious merchant: A charismatic, slightly eccentric trader who speaks in riddles and is known for his collection of rare artifacts and baubles.
- Kep, the Thieving Urchin: A swift, sneaky child who has been eyeing the party since their arrival.
Scene Progression:
Initial Interaction:
Barel invites the party to browse his collection. He speaks cryptically and seems to know more than he lets on.
Skill Challenges: Insight DC 12 checks to gauge his sincerity, or Perception DC 12 spots any hidden details among his wares.
Negotiation:
Barel asks for 3,000 gp for the orb if a player shares how important it is to them.
Skill Challenge: Persuasion check to reduce cost by 100 x the result. i.e. A roll of 8 will lower the price by 800 gp. Intimidation could also work, but a roll under 5 results in Barel ending the interaction entirely.
Alternate: If the party isn't interested in paying, they can trade items of similar value. Barel will give 60% of their listed value if the conversation has been positive. If he's been intimidated, he'll only offer 30% of the value of the item(s)
Complications:
As negotiations heat up, Kep the urchin dashes through the crowd, snatching the orb from the Barel's table.
Skill Challenge: Dexterity checks (DC 15) to catch the urchin or quick thinking to track or corner them immediately. Else initiate a chase scene.
Resolution:
If Kep is stopped, Barel will negotiate a slightly better price. If the players run off with Kep and/or the gem Barel will file a complaint against them and all public merchants will shun people matching their description. If the characters do nothing to stop Kep, they'll need to make contact with the thieves guild and underground markets to find out where he's fenced it.
Finish:
The encounter concludes with the party either successfully obtaining the orb, failing to secure it, and possibly facing a bad reputation based on their decisions. Barel, pleased or displeased, hints at future adventures as a path he can help with.
Aftermath:
The outcome of this encounter should lead to a potential new ally in the Barel, a potential young retainer in the Kep, and advancement in the Orb Quest.
This is kinda what I do for anything planned and of note. It let's me think about non-combat rolls that engage players and serves as a guide for the story beats in my NPC roleplay.
Agile DM lays out a very complete idea for a non combat interaction. I ab-lib quite a bit more than this and may have only a few lines written down about a key merchant. With my group, you may have all sorts of preparation but they are going to take it in an unplanned direction so you need to be ready to audible. All that prep would be wasted when they: steal the item, kill the merchant, or decide to do something that I did not expect at all (which is every session!) That may be a question of your players' style and your personal preference. I also don't role for minor things, like finding an interesting merchant. If the roll fails, and this was a key part of the plot, what are you going to do then??? My wife never misses a goodie at a store and given my players' lust for magic items and interesting tidbit, I doubt they would either!
The other thing I would add is to tailor the types of encounters to your players. You say your groups RP encounters fizzle out after doing one or two; perhaps that is the limit of your players? One of my players hates puzzles and RP. So if he is at the table, I eliminate puzzles (as much as possible) and limit RP. If I made a puzzle heavy dungeon, he would be bored out of his mind.
Velstitzen
I am a 40 something year old physician who DMs for a group of 40 something year old doctors. We play a hybrid game, mostly based on 2nd edition rules with some homebrew and 5E components.
3 Common mistakes in NPC interaction: (To answer very briefly)
1) Make sure that it is relevant to your players and/or your campaign. Many times, the NPC will have an item, quest, or information that is important, and he'll also be supplied with a backstory, character flaws, phobias, and I don't know what else that has nothing to do with the campaign. The DM assumes that it will be part of the dialouge. The players will always aim for the most direct way to achieve their goal. Summary, anything not relevant to the players might as well not exist.
2) Don't give the NPC a motivation that is directly opposed to what the players want. So many times, the NPC doesn't want to do something, and the DM expects the players to pursude him. You can't do that realistically in a D&D game, as you don't have the tools that you would use in real life. Also, most probably the players aren't salesmen, and even if they were most probably the DM isn't (and doesn't know how to make an argument tick.) The argument degenerates into a type of "Are too", "Am not". Solution: Make sure that the NPC's objection is something that the players can overcome, and have at least one plan for how they can do it, preferably several.
For example: The NPC is scared to sell/give an item, the players can tell it because the NPC keeps glancing around, askes them to lower their voices, and makes religious signs (like crossing themself.) (Multiple clues. Very important.) Possible solutions are A) taking care of the threat. B) Stealing it. Possibly with the NPC's permission. This way, the NPC won't be held responsible. 3) Creating a forgery, so that the NPC can pretend to still have it. Be prepared to have something happen if you see the players getting stuck, and be prepared to have a solution if the players are still stuck in the long term. Maybe the threat shows up so the PCs can kill it, maybe the NPC is murdered and now they have to track the item down.
3) Providing only one choice. If a boy is stealing from the shopkeeper, and the only right thing to do is to stop the thief, there isn't much choice. If the merchant is shown to be greedy and cruel, and the boy needs the money too badly, there still is only one choice, it's just the other way. We could make the merchant be nasty, and have the thief be an adult, with a scene where he was mistreated, or where he's agitating against corruption, to make the choice harder. (He still shouldn't be starving, or we're back to square one.) The merchant could have multiple orbs, and he's already promised one of them to someone else, so the players have to choose which one to take. Stopping the thief might break the orb, and now the merchant insists they either pay for it, or he'll sell the thief into slavery to recoup his loss. Whichever way, choose your poison.
Ps. I also agree with velstizen. Not every group of players likes NPC interaction. Know your players.
DM, writer, and blog master of https://dragonencounters.com/ a blog dedicated to providing unusual, worthwhile encounters for each monster, making each one unique.
Also, suggestions for which monsters might be found together (for people tired of dungeons full of one humanoid race, and perhaps a few beasts and undead.)
Time sensitive encounters in a dungeon can enhance play.
Very high level example: PC's trigger a trap where they are now in a room with rising water, and if they don't successfully execute some kind of skill challenge, they will drown in X turns.
Think about brining in some npc’s that players can feel something about. In one campaign I had a “slave” creature in a dungeon that had one completely menial task but was “cute” the players did not want to leave this npc in the dungeon to carry on their task indefinitely.
because of this, when they were faced with having to leave, they refused to do it without taking the “slave” with them. It got them in to all sorts of trouble but they would not leave him. Now he lives in a town the party regularly got to and every time they are there, they like to go check on him.
now he makes them gifts when they return from an adventure.