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| m8adam |
 Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2011 11:10 am Post subject: |
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So, here's a new question: when planning or writing an adventure, how much diversity in combat encounters do you usually go for, and how do you create reasons for them to happen?
I'm working on a little detective story for my players right now, and realized that almost all of the combat is with hired thugs. It seems to me like a rather unengaging adventure without some interesting combat encounters, or at least potentially hazardous NPC's (i.e.- lord of the heap).
I've been trying to come up with some 'side-trek' information gathering portions for this adventure, to diversify the landscape and creatures encountered, but are there some other good standbys for inserting exciting combat? My other idea is basically giving the thugs some sort of pets. |
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| jreyst |
| Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2011 11:48 am Post subject: |
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Location: Royal Oak, MI USA
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| You can spruce up the existing encounters by having one or more of the thugs notably different than the rest. One favors fighting with a crowbar and he is significantly stronger than the others. One prefers throwing knives or something. Also, mix up the encounter scenes. One encounter have on the docks, and falling in the water is a risk, one encounter have in a warehouse with thugs up above on crates, and the pc's have to figure out how to deal with the different levels. Even boring encounters can be made more interesting by including the environment as an important part of the scene. Provide props for the pc's to interact with such as dangling ropes in one fight, or precarious stacks of boxes that get pushed over from round to round etc. |
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| m8adam |
| Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2011 12:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Awesome suggestions! I think I'll still be doing the side-trek bit, but as the players are pretty experienced, some interesting and dynamic combat terrain will definitely be a plus. Thanks. |
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| fictionalbeing |
| Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2011 5:27 pm Post subject: |
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First, I'm in!
Second, (on bullet points) I'd just "discovered" Charles' website a few months ago - hadn't seen this article till today though.
I'd have to say I, for the most part, agree with him. In all my years of playing RPGs I've always avoided reading those blocks to the players - feeling they were "too canned" - and preferred not having them read to me as a player. Don't get me wrong, I like flavorful text and don't mind fiction in an adventure/supplement to help establish setting - I just have a dislike of the "read to players" text boxes.
Strangely, I'm on the flip side from Wolfgang. I don't mind (a few) bullet points to sum everything up for me. Just don't give me a page of it! 
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-S2
Running: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 3: The Enemy Within v2
Playing: In a 3.5 campaign.
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| m8adam |
| Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2011 11:30 pm Post subject: |
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Well, I ran the first half of my first real homebrew adventure this evening and it went relatively well, except for the portions where the players had to dialogue with NPC's. I think the issue may have been that I generally let the players determine when they want to make a skill check and what skill to use for it, and as such, they were roleplaying pretty well, but I waffled a bit because they weren't rolling dice. I also didn't put as much planning into the discussion encounters as the investigative or combat ones.
So, my question for the forum, how do you design and prepare for an encounter based around diplomacy or intimidation? One where the characters have to convince an NPC to give them information or reveal a secret.
Is the issue here my DM'ing style, and I should just roll diplomacy checks for them when I think their roleplaying efforts are sufficient? Or is there some sort of "dialogue tree" method for developing different outcomes to these sorts of encounters?
I just felt like I was railroading the players by eventually giving the info they were looking for, regardless of whether they were really hitting the diplomacy points I thought the NPC would be interested in. |
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| owlander |
| Posted: Tue May 10, 2011 11:22 am Post subject: |
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Designing roleplaying encounters is a really fun part of GMing. This is the way I go about it, but I know there are many different methods.
4e developed the skill challenge mechanic for this type of encounter, somewhat based on the variant Complex Skill Checks options in Arcana Unearthed.
The "Ruling Skill Challenges" articles on D&D Insider have interesting comments and advice for non-combat encounters in 4e, which can also apply to different game systems.
Along similar lines, Pathfinder has the Chase rules.
For major NPCs I use a system based off of Mike Mearls's Stat Blocks for Roleplaying DDI article (DDI subscription required). I like to outline their character traits to create a framework to work in. Then I write down a couple of their goals for a direction - whether they're pushing back at the PCs, pulling them along, diverting them, or whatever. I try to rank these in importance if possible. Then I use their traits, skills, a few weaknesses, and the environment to create DC targets for the PCs to hit.
Here's an example:
Mayor Deffenwheller
Traits: Long-winded (avoid uncomfortable subjects through boredom), pompous (talk down to non-nobles), craven (surrenders or flees to avoid threats)
Goals: 1) Avoid Harm: please the Whispering Wind, provide regular sacrifices, convince the PCs to move on (Bluff);
2) Stay in Power: please the Whispering Wind;
3)Send the PCs into trollmarch territory (Bluff)
Weaknesses: susceptible to bullying/intimidate, sweats profusely when nervous
For a roleplaying encounter, I try to think of a few possible outcomes, and what skills the NPCs and PCs are likely to use, and jot down the DCs for those. I then try to think up a couple complications if the PCs fail or succeed on their rolls - the mayor gets suspicious, the mayor calls the guard, the PCs figure out the mayor is hiding something, the PCs are aware the mayor is sending them into a troll ambush, the Whispering Wind are informed of the PC's intentions, etc.
It's really important to have branching outcomes depending on their success, failure, and choices. Try not to make an encounter an all-or-nothing affair. If the PCs fail to see the mayor is tricking them, then they will walk into the troll ambush, but if they do see he is tricking them, they could intimidate him, and he can call the guard. They could then convince the captain of the guard (who is already suspicious) to arrest the mayor, or they could fail, and have to fight the guards, flee, or surrender. If they're arrested, they can be aided by a rogue guardsman whose son went missing a week ago, like other children who have been vanishing. . . etc.
Ideally I like to have some of this done ahead of time, but often I end up making a lot of it up on the fly. If I can at least put together some of the goals for the main NPCs in a location, and have an idea what the PCs want to accomplish, I can put together the encounter and come up with DCs and outcomes on the fly.
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