Currently running Out of the Abyss and I'm trying to create my own custom Random Encounter tables for the first time. I would like to have 2 very hard/deadly encounters on this table - 1 they can probably win if they use all their resources and one they are definitely outclassed by - in this case a Behir. So how have you communicated risk to your players if they start coming across something they really shouldn't fight yet? What worked or didn't work?
For context I'm running for 5 level 5 PCs (Hexblade, Battlemaster, Arcane Trickster, War Wizard, Lore Bard) and they love killing monsters and collecting trophies. I want to create the mood that they're in an unfamiliar location with potentially deadly threats but I also don't want a random encounter to lead to a TPK either. Currently building d8 tables but may switch to a d12.
Straight up warn them by letting the PC with the highest passive Perception score have an intuitive feeling of how bad this encounter could be (not for every encounter, just the ones that might kill them).
Few options on that, really, especially given the makeup of the party. First, you could have the Battlemaster get a STRONG feeling that THIS is not a fight the team is likely to win. His previous experiences, coupled with stories he's heard during training and so forth, that this foe is much more deadly than anything they've faced and his knowledge of the group is telling him they should seek an escape. Lore Bard might recognize this monster from stories/tales he's collected and tell the group he thinks discretion is the better part of Valor here.
One tool I heard of that I liked (and may use) the foe took a single attack on the Fighter and almost dropped him. That pointed rather plainly at the understanding that this WOULD be a wipe if they tried to stand up to it. It then roared and postured for a moment, giving the party time to decide it was time to be somewhere else.....NOW.
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Talk to your Players.Talk to your DM. If more people used this advice, there would be 24.74% fewer threads on Tactics, Rules and DM discussions.
Getting a group to actually commit to Running is the hard part. I struggle with this in foreshadowing when they should run and when they should fight to protect others or whatever. This is compounded by our group playing with another DM that believes that the dice rule all. So, we've had several times where everyone was running to get out... and he dropped the person last on the initiative order... doing a roar or a posture or something is helpful to allow them to flee when they realize it. But because of that, our group typically takes a grim outlook on dangerous encounters.
In general, I try to make random encounters just that... not something that is going to kill them... but something that could scare them or teach them tactics. When they are facing intended monsters that are the Big Bad? I'm less inclined to pull punches or give them leniency. Those are the moments that character deaths are meaningful and fit in with the story and the consequences and weight of the encounter. I just have a hard time feeling that random encounters have the same weight... which probably means I need to run a lot more random encounters instead of preplanning most of them. By the same token, I like for a lot of the rolls they have to check for things during travel be "Random Opportunities"... odd things they might notice that gives them a piece of history in the world or strange sightings of unusual creatures, with the occasional attack in the night to keep them on their toes or to prevent them taking long rests quite so easily all the time.
One trick I've used is to have a group of well-armed and armored NPCs run from the encounter before the party comes across it. Seeing trained warriors running away from something should make them think twice.
Since my group has never backed out of a fight (party of 4 at lvl 4 tried to fight a young green dragon head on), their warnings usually come from the first attack that lands in the battle.
If a PC hits..."You deal 26 points of slashing damage but the monster seems to barely notice it, merely turning its head to look at you and grin with its jagged blood stained teeth"
If the scary monster hits..."You take 37 points of necrotic damage an-" entire party starts screaming in shock and fear
Let players know OOC beforehand that some encounters are going to be lethal.
It would seem like metagaming, but honestly we all play the game with a little metagaming in mind already - the assumption that the encounters are meant to be beatable by PCs. If we didn't have the assumption in the first place, the PCs are going to turn around and run away in every encounter, and that is no fun. Communication with players out-of-character is very important, or else the players may assume the encounters are challenging, but not necessarily lethal.
Currently running Out of the Abyss and I'm trying to create my own custom Random Encounter tables for the first time. I would like to have 2 very hard/deadly encounters on this table - 1 they can probably win if they use all their resources and one they are definitely outclassed by - in this case a Behir. So how have you communicated risk to your players if they start coming across something they really shouldn't fight yet? What worked or didn't work?
For context I'm running for 5 level 5 PCs (Hexblade, Battlemaster, Arcane Trickster, War Wizard, Lore Bard) and they love killing monsters and collecting trophies. I want to create the mood that they're in an unfamiliar location with potentially deadly threats but I also don't want a random encounter to lead to a TPK either. Currently building d8 tables but may switch to a d12.
Straight up warn them by letting the PC with the highest passive Perception score have an intuitive feeling of how bad this encounter could be (not for every encounter, just the ones that might kill them).
Few options on that, really, especially given the makeup of the party. First, you could have the Battlemaster get a STRONG feeling that THIS is not a fight the team is likely to win. His previous experiences, coupled with stories he's heard during training and so forth, that this foe is much more deadly than anything they've faced and his knowledge of the group is telling him they should seek an escape. Lore Bard might recognize this monster from stories/tales he's collected and tell the group he thinks discretion is the better part of Valor here.
One tool I heard of that I liked (and may use) the foe took a single attack on the Fighter and almost dropped him. That pointed rather plainly at the understanding that this WOULD be a wipe if they tried to stand up to it. It then roared and postured for a moment, giving the party time to decide it was time to be somewhere else.....NOW.
Talk to your Players. Talk to your DM. If more people used this advice, there would be 24.74% fewer threads on Tactics, Rules and DM discussions.
Getting a group to actually commit to Running is the hard part. I struggle with this in foreshadowing when they should run and when they should fight to protect others or whatever. This is compounded by our group playing with another DM that believes that the dice rule all. So, we've had several times where everyone was running to get out... and he dropped the person last on the initiative order... doing a roar or a posture or something is helpful to allow them to flee when they realize it. But because of that, our group typically takes a grim outlook on dangerous encounters.
In general, I try to make random encounters just that... not something that is going to kill them... but something that could scare them or teach them tactics. When they are facing intended monsters that are the Big Bad? I'm less inclined to pull punches or give them leniency. Those are the moments that character deaths are meaningful and fit in with the story and the consequences and weight of the encounter. I just have a hard time feeling that random encounters have the same weight... which probably means I need to run a lot more random encounters instead of preplanning most of them. By the same token, I like for a lot of the rolls they have to check for things during travel be "Random Opportunities"... odd things they might notice that gives them a piece of history in the world or strange sightings of unusual creatures, with the occasional attack in the night to keep them on their toes or to prevent them taking long rests quite so easily all the time.
One trick I've used is to have a group of well-armed and armored NPCs run from the encounter before the party comes across it. Seeing trained warriors running away from something should make them think twice.
DM:
Reign of Winter I Curse of the Crimson Throne
Hell's Vengeance | Giantslayer
Varisian Hexalogy: Rise of the Runelords
Player:
Lucille Underfoot, lv. 1 Halfling Storm Sorcerer | Janna Farooq, lv. 1 Human Celestial Warlock
I strive to post at least once per day on all my PbPs. I ask my players to do the same.
More active on weekdays than weekends.
Assume all of my characters are gay.
Since my group has never backed out of a fight (party of 4 at lvl 4 tried to fight a young green dragon head on), their warnings usually come from the first attack that lands in the battle.
If a PC hits..."You deal 26 points of slashing damage but the monster seems to barely notice it, merely turning its head to look at you and grin with its jagged blood stained teeth"
If the scary monster hits..."You take 37 points of necrotic damage an-" entire party starts screaming in shock and fear
Usually does the trick.
Let players know OOC beforehand that some encounters are going to be lethal.
It would seem like metagaming, but honestly we all play the game with a little metagaming in mind already - the assumption that the encounters are meant to be beatable by PCs. If we didn't have the assumption in the first place, the PCs are going to turn around and run away in every encounter, and that is no fun. Communication with players out-of-character is very important, or else the players may assume the encounters are challenging, but not necessarily lethal.