Greywulf's Lair

Nicholas Cloister dropped a line asking if I’d mind giving his blog a shout-out to give it a little more exposure on the intertubes. Nowadays I’m usually too much of a curmudgeonly old fart to do such things, but when the blog in question is THIS DAMNED GOOD how could I possibly say no?

Seriously. He’s this good.

His RPG Creatures are imaginative, evocative and his artwork is nothing less than stunning. There’s something about them which reminds me of the classic Skyrealms of Jorune (from me, that’s high praise indeed) and the stats are human-readable system neutral so they should be easy enough to drop into your game engine of choice. The Ra’Khuni is already a favourite of mine – I plan to stat him in 4e for a future desert-themed adventure I’ve got planned. If you have any comments or suggestions I’m sure Nicholas would be happy to hear from you.

File this guy under “one to watch”. He’s got one heck of a future ahead of him.

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You know what’s missing from Fourth Edition D&D? A really good blow-by-blow combat example. Let’s fix that, shall we?

First, let’s meet the team. Here’s four fresh 1st level adventurers, all generated as per the PHB – no Background options, and only PHB Feats and Powers (I think). Click their names to download their sheets so you can follow along at home boys ‘n’ girls.

• Kerbek, Dwarf Fighter clad in Scale Armour with a Heavy Shield and Warhammer
• Theren, Half-Elf Ranger wielding a Longbow (a Shortsword by his side), wearing Hide Armour
• Usher, Human Rogue clad in black Leather, a hand crossbow in one hand and a Shortsword in the other
• Elysian, Halfling Wizard, a wand-wielding pyromaniac clad in red robes

This particular party is light on healing (the Cleric was at home with a cold), but strong on ranged attacks. Should be fun.

The setup is as per page 212 of the DMG. Our lowly band of ‘venturers have entered the dungeon below the ruins of Kobold Hall with the intention of returning the stolen green dragon hide, and possibly mop up a fair few Kobolds into the bargain.

To help you follow along I’ve used Gametable to recreate the map, and I’m paraphrasing from a session a few months ago (from notes), so any errors are bound to be mine. Here’s the setup before combat commences. For the short playtest session itself I didn’t place the monsters until at least one of the heroes could see them. To keep things flowing smoothly we roll attack and damage at the same time. The clatter of all those dice makes a great sound, and it’s always good when a high-damage result comes up alongside a low roll on the d20. A near miss indeed!

DM: (Reading from the DMG) Dominating the room ahead is a long trench filled with a glowing green substance. Beyond the trench, a small, reptilian humanoid stands in a shadowy chamber, gaping at you. It carries a sling, and quickly reaches into a pouch at its belt for a stone. It hisses and shouts, “Intrudersss! Intrudersss!”

Initiative is rolled with group initiative rolled for the Slingers and Skirmishers. The order is Usher, Skirmishers (unseen by the PCs so far), Theren, Elysian, the Slingers then Kerbek.

ROUND ONE

Usher: Uho. We’d better shut that Kobold up before he brings the whole clan down on us. I’ll move forward quickyly, heft my crossbow with a Sly Flourish and aim for his guts. I’ve got Combat Advantage as he hasn’t acted in combat yet. That’s (rolls dice) 19 to hit, for 18 damage.

DM: Ouch. He’s got a bolt sticking from his stomach and doesn’t look long for this world, already. Usher, from where you’re standing you can see a rusted portcullis. Behind it is another Kobold, maybe more. This one gives a snarling bark and thrusts it’s spear through the portcullis – a warning not to get closer. From behind the wounded Kobold comes two others, both wielding barbed spears (moves figures).

Theren: Better finish off the wounded Kobold before those spear chuckers get near. I line up my bow for a Careful Attack, straight between the eyes! A 16, for 8 damage.

DM: That’s good enough. He’s dead. Way to go, guys! (The Kobold is at -2hp. Unluckiest Kobold ever.)

Theren: Now I’ll move up next to Usher. Second line defense!

DM: Cool. Elysian? The Kobolds are closing in.

Elysian: Pyro Halfling to the rescue! I’ll move behind Usher. Him and Theren are big, so that gives me +2 AC due to Lost in the Crowd. Heh. I’ll use Scorching Burst on those two Kobolds just to let them know who’s boss. 13 and 14 vs. Reflex, 8 damage.

DM: One dodges out the way but the other isn’t so quick. There’s a faint smell of burning lizard in the air, but he’s still standing. From behind the portcullis appears another Kobold with a sling. He moves in front of the spear wielder, and lobs a gluepot through the bars. Theren, 11 vs. Reflexes. If it hits, you’re Immobilized.

Theren: It missed but I’m covered in glue now. Thanks!

Kerbek: My turn? Finally! Why’d we dwarves always have to wait for you impetuous races? Grumble, grumble. I’ll move then charge the nearest Kobold, yelling a Challenge as I go. No Kobold will survive this day! Critical 20! 15 damage. That’s gotta hurt.

DM: Oh, it does. Blood seeps through his tattered armour, but he’s still standing.

ROUND TWO

Usher: That pool looks suspicious. I’ll move and Trick Strike the Kobold on the opposite side with my Crossbow. A bounced bolt off the wall might push him into it. 18 to hit, 19 damage.

DM: Good thinking. Your bolt ricochets off the wall and hits him square on the side of the head. He’s knocked into the pool where the sludge quickly sucks him under. He’s gone. (Translation: Trick Strike slid him into the pool where he took 9 more damage from the sucking sludge. Unpleasant way to go.)

DM: The spear thrower behind the portcullis slips through the bars then moves behind Kerbek. You’re flanked.

Kerbek: I get an opportunity attack as he comes close. Ah, it’s an 8. I miss. Crap. I’m in trouble.

DM: Oh yes. Flanking plus Mob Attack gives him +3 to hit. That’s +9 in total – hits with 24. d8 + d6 damage – take 10 hits.

Kerbek: Grumble grumble. I’m being beaten up by Kobolds. No fair!

DM: It’s the other Kobold spear-wielder next. Same chance to hit, gets just 11. A miss! He then jumps back on his little Kobold springy legs, away from your Warhammer.

Kerbek: Not so quick. I’ve got my Challenge on you, and that’s just made for smackin’ Kobolds. A hit on 18, 8 damage. (Combat Challenge gives a free basic attack as an immediate interrupt against a Challenged foe who shifts or attacks someone else. Nice, eh?)

DM: He’s dead. Poor guy didn’t even make it to the next square. Two Kobolds left, and they’re looking nervous. The Slinger looks set to make a break for it down the corridor.

Theren: He’ll alert the rest of them! I move then let two arrows at him. Two Fanged Strike, 14 and 17 to hit, 13 and 8 damage if they hit. He’s the one that threw the glue pot at me. I want my revenge.

DM: He’s got cover from the other Kobold in the way so only the second shaft hits. It doesn’t look like it’s going to slow him down. (Translation: A 14 would normally hit, but -2 for cover means it’s a miss. He’s down to 16hp. On his turn he’s going to double-move outta there!)

Elysian: Not if I drop a Flaming Sphere behind him. Bwahahahaha! 16 vs. Reflex, 11 damage if it hits. Total overkill. I love it.

DM: That’s evil. Ok, you’ve blocked his escape route with your use of a Daily Spell. Fear is in his eyes as he turns and drops his sling. In broken Common he says “Surr-end-ah?”

Result: Three Kobolds defeated, one still fighting and one surrendered (he’s the clever one). The heroes have used two Daily abilities (Trick Strike and Flaming Sphere) which is a lot for a first encounter, but they were both pretty creative uses so I’ll toss ‘em a few XP in return. Kerbek has lost a third of his Hit Points (down to 20, from 30) but after a short rest and a Healing Surge he’ll be (almost) as good as new. After all, that’s what Fighters are for.

Any questions?

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There’s a word for people who don’t like wandering monsters. They’re called “players”. GMs (those I’ve talked to, anyhow) love ‘em as it adds just a little randomness into what is otherwise a preset chain of encounters. The last sessions of the Endday Campaign I experimented with adding Wandering Encounters to the mix, with pretty good results. Here’s how.

But first, a short history lesson. Once upon a time, Wandering Monsters were an important part of D&D. In a dungeon setting, these were the guys who were going from point A to point B and generally living out their monstery lives until they happened to cross the path of a bunch of adventurers. The GM rolled to see if a random encounter took place (in Moldvay D&D, a roll of 1 on 1d6, check every 2 turns), set the encounter distance (2d6×10 feet away) then rolled against a table to see what the monster the hapless party would face. Each dungeon level has its own table, and many a GM would spend happy hours creating and customizing Wandering Monster Tables that here appropriate for their dungeon and gameworld. I know I did.

When it comes to Fourth Edition, it’s better to think in terms of Wandering Encounters rather than mere monsters. Instead of the party stumbling upon 4d4 Kobolds, they could instead meet up with a preset Kobold encounter with a variety of monsters and roles in the mix. This is more in keeping with the 4e philosophy of “think of the whole encounter, not the individual monster”.

Encounters in 4e are normally made up of three things: Monsters, Terrain and Traps/Hazards. When if comes to Wandering Encounters though, it’s best to think purely of the monsters first, and consider the terrain only when you bring them into play. Save the traps for the preset Encounters – a Wandering Encounter should provide action, but not slow the game down while the heroes try to disable or escape a difficult trap.

Encounter Frequency
Which die you roll to check for encounter frequency will dictate how often they occur. For the Endday sessions I rolled d6 each time the heroes took a Short Rest, and modified it by +1 for each Short Rest taken since the last Wandering Encounter. On a result of 6 or above, a random encounter takes place. If you want to reduce the chance of Wandering Encounters, use a d10 or d12 instead.

Have the encounter take place anytime appropriate. Hit them while they’re still resting if you want, or save it until they are travelling. This is a great way to use otherwise “dead zones” in a dungeon map – an Encounter in a narrow corridor is a very different beast to one in a large room.

Encounter Distance
Roll 2d20 for the number of squares between the party and the closest Wandering Monster. This sets the encounter distance between 10′ and 200′ away. Don’t forget to take into account visiblity (a torch-bearing Human can only see a distance of 5 squares, PHB262), and check for surprise. I used the PC’s Passive Perception versus the monster’s Passive Stealth to keep the dice rolls to a minimum.

The Wandering Encounter Table
I created a small table with just d6 encounters for the Endday sessions – two Easy, two Normal and two Hard. For full dungeon crawl level I suggest creating a full d20 table with 6 Easy, 10 Normal and 4 Hard Encounters. Use monsters appropriate to the style of the setting, though don’t be afraid of including elements that seem out of place – they could be teasers of what to expect in the future, or red herrings.

Keeping with the “Demonic Cold” theme, my encounter table looked like this:

1. 2 Chillborn Zombies, 6 Zombie Rotters, 728XP
2. 5 Dretch, 2 Zombies, 1 Chillborn Zombie, 875XP
3. 1 Ice Troll, 3 Gnaw Demons, 1000XP
4. 4 Rotwing Zombies, 1 Ice Troll, 1200XP
5. 3 Harpies, 2 Spined Devils, 1250P
6. 2 Neldrazu, 2 Chillborn Zombies, 4 Zombie Rotters, 1652XP

Final thoughts
Wandering Encounters are a great way to disuade players from taking Short Rests too frequently, and helps to reinforce the impression that they are the ones in enemy territory. Staying in the same place too long only attracts danger! They are also a way to encourage the players to press on – don’t forget that they gain an Action Point for every two encounters between Extended Rests, so it might be worth setting them a random encounter so they have Action Points to spare for the set-piece battles.

Till next time!

EDIT: I forgot to mention – Asmor’s 4e Random Encounter Generator is a great tool if you want to create a Wandering Encounter Table! There. I done said it now.

EDIT 2: There’s the free Monster Manual Encounter pdf I put together too. Ok. I’ll shut up now.

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