The encounter table upgrade
A recipe for better d6 encounter tables
This article contains affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you make purchases using these links, at no cost to you.I love d6 encounter tables. They make me focus on my strongest ideas, but provide enough variety that I don’t run out of encounters too quickly.
My d6 encounter tables were a bit choppy - some fine, some excellent - but to be consistent, I needed a template. I’ve made a list of the 6 kinds of entries a d6 encounter table should have… ~in my humble opinion~
The recipe
Your d6 encounter table should have…
A peril. Something really scary. A horrific monster, a powerful NPC who has demands, a social situation that could become a faction conflict, a lethal poisonous mist.
A threat. Something quite scary. A monster, NPCs looking to kidnap for ransom, a wind that extinguishes torches.
A discovery. Something to learn. An NPC with knowledge to share, an environmental detail that conveys opportunities of the location, an omen of a threat.
A mystery. Something to uncover. An NPC who isn’t who they seem to be, an environmental event that hints at a secret, a monster that is more than it appears.
An opening. Something to gain. An NPC who offers help, an environmental event that provides a benefit, a monster that wants to make a mutually useful deal with you.
A vibe. Something atmospheric. A fog creeping along the floor, shrieks heard in the distance, a beckoning orange light appears,.
I haven’t specified whether these should be NPCs, monsters, or environmental events. That’s because all of those can fill these gaps, choose what you prefer.
Encounters that grow
Using this template carries you much further than an encounter table of entries like “1d6 goblins” and “2d10 orcs“.
Example of an opening: Two wraiths are seeking access to their old crypt. It has been taken over by a group of clerics whom they cannot overcome alone. They promise a relic from their crypt to each person who aids them in their return.
This is a good encounter because it’s connected to a location, and so encourages exploration, and it also inspires faction intrigue. Are the wraiths insistent on being aided? Do they threaten violence if the party don’t comply? Or are they desperate and begin to beg?
This opening can grow into other encounter types. It can become a discovery (the wraiths can tell the PCs about the clerics), or it can become a threat if the PCs handle things badly.
This template is going to help you make situations that unfold easily. There will be less scrambling to generate content.
Inspiration for complex encounters
: A petty cleric clutching a floating log shouts ‘all is lost’. Selminimum Tem is the only survivor of his village. He has the key to the church. He will drown soon.
A discovery if he is saved and can relay information. An opening if his key is acquired.
A Pound of Flesh, lead writer
:O2 Beggar: Cardboard sign of a clock showing how many hours the beggar has left to live. PCs who don’t donate O2 must make a Sanity Save or gain 1 Stress.
A discovery, if the players have yet to grasp the problem with O2 supply. A threat to their minds, if they don’t donate O2. Maybe even an opening, if the beggar is indebted to the players after donating O2.
to be fair, this table on its own, combined with a spark table could lead to some great things - even 1D6 goblins that are “perilous” or a “vibe” will lead to vastly different interpretations on the fly - eg, are they really well armed? are they breaking for camp and not violent? invites adventure in its own right 💯
Love it. I'm thinking I'd like to "nest" these with other table I have e.g., peril tables, factions, etc.