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8 months ago ::
Sep 27, 2012 - 11:08AM
#1
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Date Joined:
Dec 10, 2011
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I'm currently designing a list of random encounters for my players to have when their traveling. When I say random encounters, I don't mean necessarily combat encounters. This encounters list includes everything from bandits attacking, to an abandoned caravan, to a random wizard staring at them from the distance before dissappearing, and much more.
But some of the wild animals in the world (it is Dark Sun) are much stronger than the party right now, but I want there to be a chance for them to encounter them. Of course, I could have them encounter them, but if the PC's didn't run away they would die. How do I design encounters, or just do something as a DM to let the party know they should run away without telling them outright "IF YOU STAY AND FIGHT YOU WILL DIE."?
I will be posting this list of random encounters in the Dark Sun subforum here once I'm finished, in case there are people interested in it.
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8 months ago ::
Sep 27, 2012 - 11:13AM
#2
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There's no consistent way to put a monster in front of the PCs and make them run away. At best you can hope, and if there is a perception of unfairness, you're going to get pushback.
You really need the players to buy-in to the scenario if running away from the monster is the point of the scene. Perhaps there is another objective to attain while avoiding the worst of what the monster can dish out and then a hasty skill-based escape. Point is, bring your players in on the setup portion of the encounter, hash out the goals and stakes, and then play to see what happens.
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8 months ago ::
Sep 27, 2012 - 11:14AM
#3
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Date Joined:
Sep 17, 2012
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I'm currently designing a dungeon encounter where I want the player to flee to the exit of the dungeon, so I'm also interested in any techniques that DMs may use to "convince" players to turn tail without explicitly telling them to. With players that are more experienced, I've found they are usually able to identify the baddies they cannot defeat (mostly because they are more familiar with the monster manual stats), but in my case I have a new player, unfamiliar with RPGs in anything but theory, and so far he has been pretty willing to bite off more than he can chew when given the chance.
So far, I intend to use a group of NPCs that have been travelling with the character, as monster fodder. I'm going to switfly destroy a bulk of the party and hope that one or two of the remaining NPCs shouting at the PC to "run, for your sake, RUN NOW!" will be adequate.
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8 months ago ::
Sep 27, 2012 - 11:28AM
#4
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Date Joined:
Jul 21, 2004
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I'm going to catch it for this but: you can't.
They might run away, but they might not. You have to be ready for them not. If you're not ready for them to die, then either don't use that encounter, or use it in a way that doesn't have their deaths as the only possible outcome.
[N]o difference is less easily overcome than the difference of opinion about semi-abstract questions. - L. Tolstoy
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8 months ago ::
Sep 27, 2012 - 11:33AM
#5
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I agree with Centauri.
Most players hate running away. You usually cannot get them to do it organically.
Sometimes you can convince the players out-of-character that it would be fun to play out a "running away" scenario. But in my experience running away is a lot less fun for the players than the DM thinks it will be.
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8 months ago ::
Sep 27, 2012 - 11:45AM
#6
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Date Joined:
Jul 21, 2004
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They say there's no zealot like the newly converted, and I'm pretty newly converted to full-on collaborative setting creation. Not the whole world, necessarily, but whatever the PCs are going to be encountering next. So, what if you asked your players what are the sorts of things that their characters would run from, or at least try to avoid? Then do that, but in packs. They still might not run away, because they don't think you want to kill them, and they want to see what you'll do if they take away the plausible ways for you to pull your punches. Or because they're being contrary. Whatever. Don't rely on them to run away, but if you still want to, creating the scenario with them has a better chance of that.
[N]o difference is less easily overcome than the difference of opinion about semi-abstract questions. - L. Tolstoy
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8 months ago ::
Sep 27, 2012 - 11:45AM
#7
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Date Joined:
Jun 25, 2009
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I'm currently designing a dungeon encounter where I want the player to flee to the exit of the dungeon, so I'm also interested in any techniques that DMs may use to "convince" players to turn tail without explicitly telling them to. With players that are more experienced, I've found they are usually able to identify the baddies they cannot defeat (mostly because they are more familiar with the monster manual stats), but in my case I have a new player, unfamiliar with RPGs in anything but theory, and so far he has been pretty willing to bite off more than he can chew when given the chance.
So far, I intend to use a group of NPCs that have been travelling with the character, as monster fodder. I'm going to switfly destroy a bulk of the party and hope that one or two of the remaining NPCs shouting at the PC to "run, for your sake, RUN NOW!" will be adequate.
Give them a hint, clue, or other in-game/story device that hints at the monster's destruction if they flee the area.
Like the Golem only comes to life while living things are inside the confines of the dungeon and is otherwise indestructible (or perhaps temporarily destroyed but reforms). Thus, getting out of the dungeon alive becomes more important than killing it outright.
I would recommend a journal on a dead body somewhere that chronicles an expedition team's accidental discovery of the golems. Have whoever is writing speculate that the power source is not here in the dungeon but somewhere else far away. Also make mention of his best guards being slaughtered by the golem.
That said, that's a brief overview of an adventure plot off the top of my head. Hopefully it helps give you some ideas.
My username should actually read: Lunar Savage (damn you WotC!)
*Tips top hat, adjusts monocle, and walks away with cane* and yes, that IS Mr. Peanut laying unconscious on the curb.
http://asylumjournals.tumblr.com/
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8 months ago ::
Sep 27, 2012 - 12:34PM
#8
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Date Joined:
Mar 28, 2010
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one word for you:
STAMPEDE
Dark Sun is a wild and untamed land, which means there's probably various kinds of creatures that would travel in herds. Predators would attack them by making the herd run and trying to split up the weak or young from the main herd. This is a standard practice for predators like lions in the wild.
So basically think of the set up from Jurassic Park 3. The ground starts shaking, the people are at first confused and don't know what's happening then they start seeing large creatures (in this case dinosaurs) running. there was also a scene like that in Jurassic Park 2 but that herd was being hunted by the human hunters. I believe in 3 it was provoked by Raptors. Anyway that could be an interesting situation to have occur to the party as a random occurence. These kinds of chases can last for many many miles too so it's not like it wouldn't make sense for it to suddenly get to where the party is. Or you could have the party come upon the herd and then while they are around it have the predators suddenly attack the herd causing it to run their direction.
If the party stays to fight the predators or the fleeing creatures it probably means a bad time considering the amount of creatures running past them, stomping and / or trampling them so they have to run with the herd or find a place safe enough to avoid getting trampled. Or heck they can stay their ground, the herd would split around them but then the predators might think that the standing party is food and go from there.
"Non nobis Domine Sed nomini tuo da gloriam" "I wish for death not because I want to die, but because I seek the war eternal"
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8 months ago ::
Sep 27, 2012 - 4:27PM
#9
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Date Joined:
Aug 10, 2011
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I brought in a powerful NPC, whose sole purpose was to get completely creamed by said monster as soon as they engaged it. This scared them enough that they did indeed run away. It only worked, however, because the monster was much MUCH more powerful than them.
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8 months ago ::
Sep 27, 2012 - 5:15PM
#10
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Date Joined:
Sep 17, 2012
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I brought in a powerful NPC, whose sole purpose was to get completely creamed by said monster as soon as they engaged it. This scared them enough that they did indeed run away. It only worked, however, because the monster was much MUCH more powerful than them.
What kind of monster?
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