[DF] Show Us Your Random Encounter Tables
 

See thread title.

No context needed.

Re: [DF] Show Us Your Random Encounter Tables
 

Unfortunately, I don't have any to show you (BTW, you're the same Ajardoor from the RPG.net forums right? I'm the same Kuroshima from there, playing in one of your games). I think that DFM is still too new, and too short, for decent random encounter tables. I would love for a set of tables that game you random encounters as a function of terrain and some other variables, and it would fit perfectly into the old school vive of DF. Now, I feel that we need a couple more DFM books before that's possible.

Re: [DF] Show Us Your Random Encounter Tables
 

I tend to use the Reaction Table for a lot of things like this. I got the general idea from GURPS Goblins. I'll throw one together right now, but it is just something off the top of my head.

Roll 3 dice and apply any modifiers.

0 or less: Disastrous. Dragons. Plural. Angry ones.

1 to 3: Very Bad. Hostile elements who are all fired up to take the party down.

4 to 6: Bad. Hostile elements who are looking for a scrap, but aren't dead set on one.

7 to 9: Poor. Hostile elements who may not want to fight the PCs, but will take no crap from them if they get uppity.

10 to 12: Neutral. Natural animals, standard caravans and the like. Harmless color with a possible opportunity for aid for standard cost/risk.

13 to 15: Good. Peaceful encounters with helpful elements. Probable aid with decent cost/risk.

16 to 18: Very Good. Peaceful encounters with benevolent elements. Probable aid with little or nothing to risk.

19 or better: Excellent. Unguarded treasure or stumbling on Gandalf in a generous mood.

Re: [DF] Show Us Your Random Encounter Tables
 

I like this suggestion. You could even apply "Reaction Modifiers" to it. For example, if the party is moving carefully and covering it's trail they get a bonus, or if they're stomping around arguing loudly they have a penalty. This also lets you reuse the same chart for regions with different risk levels. You can build one "swamp terrain" encounter chart, and throw on a Negative "Reaction" mod while traveling through the Grim-Dark Bog of Sudden Dismemberment.

Re: [DF] Show Us Your Random Encounter Tables
 

I dunno: I think this is a manifestation of the evergreen GURPS Has No Monsters meme. By my count, the listings in the DF series in the back pages of Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 1 run to about 120 critters, and the subsequent release of DF14: Psi, brought that up by almost ten more. Add in the Animals in the relevant chapter of the basic set -- surely your wandering adventurers must fight wolves now and again --and we must be closing in on 150. I suspect a fair number of DF players have access to Fantasy and Banestorm as well, and these must swell the total to, what, 175 or thereabouts?

My recollection of the old school gaming that DF is supposed to evoke was light on monster stats as well. My 1970s Basic D&D set listed maybe a third that number, and it certainly had random encounter tables. The 1st Edition AD&D Monster Manual claims "Over 350 Monsters" on the back cover blurb but I count just barely over 200 headwords. Admittedly, the richer headwords get any number of subheadings (demons, devils, dinosaurs, and dragons stretch out the D section to 20 pages), but to count the three variants of Boar -- 'Wild Boar,' 'Giant Boar,' and 'Warthog' -- as three distinct monsters takes some fine slicing. In any event, the DMG provided twenty pages of encounter tables.

For that matter, the original Little Black Books of Traveller had encounter tables without monsters: a table or two that would generate if the encounter was an herbivore, omnivore, etc, then a series of subsequent tables to generate their size, natural attacks, armour, reactions, speed, etc.

Re: [DF] Show Us Your Random Encounter Tables
 

Yeah, hello there.

Re: [DF] Show Us Your Random Encounter Tables
 

Allow me to point you to http://www.claydowling.com/articles/...monsters-gurps

Re: [DF] Show Us Your Random Encounter Tables
 

I generally won't put "mundane" animals under about 500 lbs on a random encounter table as an actual combat encounter. Wolves are just not dangerous to a group of four to six armed and violent people with metal armor on most or all of their bits. Even the upgraded wolves in DF5:Allies.

A small group of wild hogs might go on the list, simply because hogs can get big, will pick fights, and WILL fight to the death (unlike most animals).

However, I would put Berserker Fire Wolves or Chaos Electricity Wolves or Ravenous Undead Wolves on a list :) They may not be really tough, but they're a lot more interesting :)

Re: [DF] Show Us Your Random Encounter Tables
 

Which leads me to the thought that I need a random-prefix table.

I'm going to go change over the laundry, but after that I'll see if I can cook one up for y'all.

EDIT: Roll 1d6 twice to generate a random prefix :)

Roll 1 --- Roll 2 --- Prefix
1-2 --- 1 --- Berserker
1-2 --- 2 --- Chaos
1-2 --- 3 --- Determined
1-2 --- 4 --- Distorted
1-2 --- 5 --- Juggernaut
1-2 --- 6 --- Ravenous
3-4 --- 1 --- Elemental: Acid
3-4 --- 2 --- Elemental: Cold
3-4 --- 3 --- Elemental: Electricity
3-4 --- 4 --- Elemental: Energy Drain
3-4 --- 5 --- Elemental: Fire
3-4 --- 6 --- Elemental: Poison
5 --- 1-2 --- Ghostly
5 --- 3 --- Posessed
5 --- 4 --- Psycho Killer
5 --- 5-6 --- Undead
6 --- any --- Roll twice for two prefixes. If you roll this result again, roll for THREE prefixes, and so forth.

You could also turn 6: two prefixes into "6 --- 1-5 --- No prefixes at all" and "6 --- 6 --- two prefixes" but I think that's boring myself :)

Re: [DF] Show Us Your Random Encounter Tables
 

DIY? With a little work you could use this

Re: [DF] Show Us Your Random Encounter Tables
 

I know about your blog. I still think that right now you really can't do proper encounter tables for DF. Then again, you could if you started making your bog standard humanoid bandits/raiders/whatever.

Re: [DF] Show Us Your Random Encounter Tables
 

I always thought humanoids were an integral part of random encounter tables myself. They cause the most trouble usually :)

Re: [DF] Show Us Your Random Encounter Tables
 

I made it myself, originally posted here http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=80508

Re: [DF] Show Us Your Random Encounter Tables
 

The listing of monsters in DF Monsters 1 has to be one of the most useful additions to the DF line.

GURPS has monsters, but they are scattered.

Listings by type and terrain would also be useful.

I would like to see a random-encounter system with dials on it, one that can be customized and can easily have new monsters added to it.

As long as we aren't looking for a final product that requires no GM input, such a random-encounter system should not be too hard to put together (I say, without having tried to do it).

Tables that give you types of monsters and then appropriate sub-tables of that type could be very useful.

I love Treasure Tables, but a greater use of sub-tables would make it easier to customize.

Re: [DF] Show Us Your Random Encounter Tables
 

It helps no one right now, but Mirror of the Fire Demon will have a wandering monster table. It's keyed to the context of the adventure, though, so I'm not sure how generally useful it will be.

Re: [DF] Show Us Your Random Encounter Tables
 

It's tailored to a distinct environment, but it's one of the classical adventuring environments, so it makes a good example and general purpose thingy for that terrain type. The additional... political complication dovetails fairly nicely with Standard Fantasyland RPG tropes IMO. :)

Are the tables still split up like they were in the first revision, or have they been merged? If they're still split up, then GMs can just toss the third "political" table or not (according to tastes and specifics of their game setting) and play around with the other two. Or create a new "uber table" - "roll 3d6, on a 3-10 roll on table 1, on an 11-15, roll on table 2, on a 16+, roll on table 3" sort of thing, adjusting weights to taste.

She says, attempting to avoid using any specific references while discussing the concept in public.

Re: [DF] Show Us Your Random Encounter Tables
 

Still separate tables. However, the process of selecting encounters has been significantly streamlined. Rather than "roll for this, roll for that, then roll for the other," it's "roll on the table which will give you some combination of this, that, and/or the other."

Re: [DF] Show Us Your Random Encounter Tables
 

Not only that.
Creatures from different books follow markedly different approaches.
Remember that the stat-block format that is currently in use was introduced with DF2: Banestorm monsters lack Damage, attack skill level, DR and all those neat little things!
Moreover, a starting DF knight could easily thrash the Chimera (which is considered to be the unique, almost invincible mythical god-spawn) from gurps Fantasy (yes, I DO have a grudge with that book).

Re: [DF] Show Us Your Random Encounter Tables
 

I'm not sure what's stopping you. You have monsters. You have lined notebook paper/text editor. You pick out appropriate enemies for the terrain, and put them on the list.

What is currently missing that is preventing you from creating encounter tables? There is no shortage of monsters, and I am not aware of a shortage of text editors. Possibly vi has been embargoed where you live?

Re: [DF] Show Us Your Random Encounter Tables
 

My outside random encounter thingy is at http://www.seikkailu.cerea2.com/encount.html

Cannot paste the actual tables as they are 50k+ characters, but you can see them in there.

Re: [DF] Show Us Your Random Encounter Tables
 

Well, thing is, I usually just build the encounters the players are going to face. This is because creating 15 different encounters, and only using 3 does not appeal to me.

Re: [DF] Show Us Your Random Encounter Tables
 

So your complaint about not being able to build encounter tables is irrelevant? Not sure why you're making it them.

Re: [DF] Show Us Your Random Encounter Tables
 

If I were going to write out a system for general use, I would:

Classify creatures by Terrain (forest, underground, etc) and Type (dire animal, undead, etc)

For each Terrain, list creatures by Type. This is the master list for the GM to draw on when they feel like choosing instead of rolling the dice.

I would then provide a table for each Terrain in which 3d6 is rolled to determine what Type of creature (appropriate to that Terrain) appears.

By basing these tables on Types, it is easy to modify them to reflect the relative rarity of Types in a specific gameworld or continent. Are Undead common or rare? The table is easy to modify to suit yourself.

Then I would provide a list of creatures of that Type (that fit in that Terrain) for the GM to choose from if they didn't feel like rolling.

Only at that point would I introduce tables that named specific creatures.

I wouldn't give specific number ranges, since only the GM knows what's appropriate for the PCs.

Re: [DF] Show Us Your Random Encounter Tables
 

I want someone to make them for me, and and I'm willing to pay for them if they come professionally edited and laid out. Simple as that

Re: [DF] Show Us Your Random Encounter Tables
 

1 Cthullu
2 Butterfly
3 Elder Demon
4 Kitten
5 Rocks Fall, everyone DIES!!!
6 You win!

Re: [DF] Show Us Your Random Encounter Tables
 

Um, how random do my encounter tables need to be?

2: Hellhounds
3: Monstrous spiders
4: Zombie orcs
5: Zombie humans
6: Marauding orcs
7: Evil cleric with orc bodyguards
8: Evil cleric with zombie bodyguards
9: Zombie dire wolves
10: Goblin mercenaries
11: Ogres
12: Giants

I don't tend to use random encounter tables. The above is based on what encounters I've actually used in my (now on hiatus) GURPS Midnight game.

Re: [DF] Show Us Your Random Encounter Tables
 

A 3d6 based encounter table based on real world creatures for standard GURPS terrains (There are only like 5 as I recall) and a standardized area would be excellent. That way they can be easily modified for use in other genres.

For example, knowing that Deer show up in the forest (say arbitrarily) on an 8 means there would be a about a 10% chance. That way I have either the option of saying Orc are as common as deer here and can plug that in, or I can say I want about a 10% chance of an orc encounter and Ill know where to plug that in as well just by substituting the word Orc for deer.

The problem of course is the encounter part of the random encounter table. How many Deer or Polar bear should show up is very party dependent.

Nymdok

Re: [DF] Show Us Your Random Encounter Tables
 

Bruno has a great point.

You do not have to use 3d6 for encounters. Not in the adding way that GURPS skills function on. By taking each dice as a single, independent group of 6 elements, you can create a matrix as large as you want.

Using just 3d6, using either different colors for each grouping or rolling them one at a time, you can get 6*6*6 results. Alternately, you can use a combination of additive d6 and independent d6. Roll one red d6 and 2d6 white and you get 6 independent 2d6 bell curves. Using the same encounter on more than once in the conglomerate, you can have practically any chance for any encounter you wish, and figure out what that encounter is very quickly.

RED_____WHITE_____ODDS_____%CHANCE

1________2________(1/36)/6____0.4630
1________3________(2/36)/6____0.9259
1________4________(3/36)/6____1.389
1________5________(4/36)/6____1.852
1________6________(5/36)/6____2.315
1________7________(6/36)/6____2.778
1________8________(5/36)/6____2.315
1________9________(4/36)/6____1.852
1_______10________(3/36)/6____1.389
1_______11________(2/36)/6____0.9259
1_______12________(1/36)/6____0.4630

... and that pattern repeats for a 2 on the RED dice, and so on.

If you place "orcs" or whatever at RED (1) WHITE (7) and at RED (2) WHITE (6) you get a 5.093% chance of meeting orcs. And you get 66 slots for encounters. That is a reasonable number. Using repeats as shown with the "orcs" you can knock that down to whatever you like.

Re: [DF] Show Us Your Random Encounter Tables
 

I blush! I didn't come up with the convention - that's from Dungeon Fantasy 8: Treasure Tables. You're absolutely right that it's a very useful convention - I think there's a table in there that goes up to 4 dice.

It's a way to use multiple D6s to generate a linear distribution or a flatter bellcurve, and it gives a much wider variety of options as well.