Post by kalbaern on Sept 11, 2019 14:06:05 GMT -5
Here on "The Savage Frontier and Surrounds" we use two different spawning methods to produce our encounters.
1) In some areas, mainly dungeons and "themed" wilderness areas (EX: The areas near a cave full of goblins likely has mostly if not all goblin encounters) we use the Bioware Encounter Triggers. Because we have palettes full of "scaled" creatures these work fairly well. They also tend to be on average a little easier to take on as this system uses an average of your party's CR to determine what it creates. "Switches" for the Min/Max number of creatures and a general difficulty are set to reflect what and how many creatures are spawned by your PC(s). These type of encounters also take into consideration any familiars, companions, summons and any henchman based creatures (including animals under a druid or rangers control using animal empathy) that are in your party. This means that casters with extra help will face slightly higher numbers of foes or slightly more difficult ones. In some recent tests, I took a 3rd Level Druid out soloing and a specific spawn would create a CR1 and a CR2 Goblin. Later, the same spawn yielded four CR1 Goblins when he had his Grizzly Bear Companion with him. So, I got slightly easier foes individually, though the encounter was a little harder due to the number spawned. Generally, having "help" does not make the encounters over powered with this system.
2) Our most common encounters, especially as you travel further out from our starting town are scripted ones. Scripted encounters are always based on the highest level character in your group. So if your 5th level Dwarven Fighter travels with someone's 10th Level Human Monk, you'll likely note that the generally difficulty has risen well above what your Dwarf would normally face. Still, if folks are within ten levels of each other, this seldom creates undue hardships. We recommend folks not have a level gap from the highest to lowest level PC in excess of ten levels, but that's simply to ensure the lower levels can still actually contribute to fighting. If the level gap is higher, then it's the responsibility of the higher level PC(s) to not drag the lower level PC(s) someplace well beyond their ability to survive.
Scripted encounters are often mingled with the Bioware Triggers to achieve different results in areas. EX: Outside of Orlbar (our starting town) you may notice that the town's graveyard has skeletons if it's night time, yet is empty by day. We do this using a scripted encounter that checks the in game clock and only creates the skeletons if it is night time. So, if the extra skeletons are too much, you can often flee back to town and try something else until the sunrises ... or like many do, you purposely go when dark for that extra XP.
As you explore further from town, you might note that there are often more goblins prowling at night than during the day. This again checks the time in game and sometimes drops extra roaming goblins after dark. The extra night time encounters (aside from the skeletons or other undead in graveyards elsewhere) are also random. You do not ALWAYS get more goblins after dark. There is just a chance you might. We do this to keep areas in flux. Making players observe and be a little more cautious as encounters become harder to memorize.
Elsewhere throughout the module, many of the scripted encounters are random based on the theme fitting "where" you are exploring. Exploring the "Graywilds" or the "Southwoods" will often result in general animals, abandoned back packs or chests as well as goblins, bugbears and other things looking to eat you or add your ears to their trophy necklace. While you might encounter undead, especially after dark in wooded areas, the chances are very slim. You'll predominately encounter "things" suited to living in the woods instead. Not everything spawned here is a threat either. Deer, rabbits, squirrels and other game animals will attempt to flee if someone other than a druid or ranger gets too close to them. Other creatures will have a "bubble" and if you keep your distance, they are content to let you be. This lets players better RP their characters as they see fit. If you Elf doesn't "hunt" needlessly, then you can usually avoid wolves and boars and other things. If your Barbarian relishes collecting skins/hides or preparing meals with "meats" they gather, then go for it and kill what you want.
Because our encounters reflect several unique regions, you'll begin to note that certain things are rare or absent some places and in abundance in others. A good example is gnolls. Gnolls are often encountered in "The High Forest" and less often out on the "Highmoors" while being all but non existent in the "Graywilds" or "Southwoods". There's a good reason. Either there was too much competition for them to find a niche or they were long ago eradicated from some regions. "What lives where" here is based mostly on D&D old campaign sources. The 3.5 edition of the FRCS (Forgotten Realms Campaign Source) is our main inspiration, but when it lacks details we also refer to older 2E or even AD&D resources along with many an old article from Dragon Magazine or White Dwarf. In short, think of our random regional encounters as if your were playing D&D as it's original pen and paper incarnation as as you explore the "DM" is rolling his dice to see what if anything you encounter.
Random Encounter Details:
Using the random encounters found in some Crypts and then The High Forest as an examples, I'll explain further how encounters are determined.
Crypt Encounters: Generally these add to a crypt to vary the encounters therein at times. Few crypts are completely "random" here.
First a d4 is rolled to see if an encounter is actually spawned. On a "2", nothing happens. If the result is 1, 3 or 4 a d100 for the encounter is then rolled with the results given below.
1-10 - Messages. These are "flavor text" messages to add a little ambiance to the game. EX: "Something groans in the distance" or "Claws scraping over stone can be heard nearby".
The remaining results are what most PCs above certain levels would get. IE, if you are only 3rd level and the result is "37" for a mummy, you will most likely instead spawn a skeleton of zombie. The intent isn't to outright kill low level players, but instead to add diversity and increase challenges as you gain levels. PCs exploring the Orlbar Crypt might note that from 4th level and up, what "pops" out of a tomb begins to vary more.
11 - Scarab Beetle
12 - Animated Armor
13 - Zombie Horde
14-16 - Rats
17 - Flying Snakes
18 - Flesh Golem
19 - Chest/Mimic
20-22 - Living Armor
23 - Redback Spider
24 - Wraith Spider
25-26 - Will-O-Wisp
27 - Blackblood Spider
28-30 Gargoyle
31 - Ochre Jellies
32-33 - Ghast
34-36 - Ghoul
37 - Mummy
38 - Bonebat
39 - Wight
40-42 - Skeletal Rat
43-50 - Skeletons
51 - Stirges
52 - Brown Pudding
53 - Black Pudding
54 - Gelatinous Cube
55 - Carrion Crawler
56 - Air Mephit
57 - Dust Mephit
58 - Fire Mephit
59-62 - Zombies
63-65 - Skeletons
66 - Quth Maren
67 - Shadow
68 - Spectre
69 - Greater Wraith
70 - Wraith
71 - Allip
72 - Tyrantfog Zombie
73 - Evil Adventurers
74 - Chest/Loot
75 - Pack//Loot
76 - Tome/Animated Book
77 - Skeleton Horde
78 - Bats
79 - Eyeballs
80 - Centipede
81 - Animated Weapons
82 - Invisible Stalker
83 - Rot Grubs
84 - Dire Maggot
85 - Gray Ooze
86 - Dark Mantle
87 - Green Slime
88 - Bodak
89 - Doom Knight
90 - Mohrg
91 - Revenant
92 - Dead Adventurer
93 - Bloodmote
94 - Bleakborn
95 - Bone Golem
96 - Dread
97 - Bloody Bones
98 - Rainment
99 - Shadow Mastiff
100 - Heucuva
With the d4 roll to see if there is even and encounter, there is always a 25% chance nothing occurs. Then, 10% of the time it'll just be a "message" for scenery. This means that there is actually only a 67-1/2% chance of anything you can "see or touch" spawning for each of these scripted encounters when the d100 result is between 11 and 100.
*Our encounter scripts are constantly being tweaked for variety and balance as well as fitting each to it's theme, so the above is subject to change without notice and merely an example.
Now I'll show the current results for encounters in The High Forest (our most diverse list, currently).
High Forest Encounters: Roll a d4. If "3", nothing happens. If the result is 1, 2 or 4 a d100 for the encounter is then rolled with the results given below.
1-10 - Message: All of our "random" encounters have some type of "flavor" message or emote as their first ten results.
11 - Grey Render
12 - roll d2 as well - (1)Will-O-Wisps (2)Displacer Beasts
13 - roll d2 as well - (1)Athacks (2)Manticores
14 - roll d2 as well - (1)Dire Bear (2)Red Fox
15 - Black Bear
16 - Brown Bear
17 - Black Bird(day) / Horned Owl(night)
18 - Mockingbird(day) / Whitetail Buck(night)
19 - Bison Herd
20 - roll d2 as well - (1)Ettin (2)Grey Fox
21-22 - Ogres
23 - Bugbear Horde
24 - Worgs
25 - Wolf Pack
26 - Eagle / Bats
27 - Dire Wolves
28 - Moose
29 - Elk
30 - roll d3 as well - (1)Ettin/Goblin (2)Ettin/Bugbear (3)Ettin/Xvart
31 - roll d3 as well - (1)Cougar (2)Panther (3)Bobcat
32 - Badgers
33 - Skunks
34 - Forest Viper
35 - Boars
36 - roll d2 as well - (1)Green Drake (2)Demon Drake
37 - Elven Patrol
38 - Goblin Horde
39 - Hill Giant
40 - Forest Ogres
41 - Forest Trolls
42 - roll d3 as well - (1)Raccooon (2)Grig (3)Dire Raccoon
43 - roll d3 as well - (1)Cooshee (2)Pixie (3)Satyr
44 - roll d3 as well - (1)Wild Dogs (2)Chimera (3)Squirrels
45 - Deer
46 - roll d3 as well - (1)Porcupine (2)Hydra (3)Rabbits
47-49 - Goblins
50 - Hobgoblin Horde
51-52 - Hobgoblins
53-54 - Bugbears
55 - roll d3 as well - (1)Behir (2)Fire Hornets (3)Herbs
56 - Wood Xvarts
57 - roll d3 as well - (1)Mink (2)Fisher (3)Treant
58-59 - Orc Horde
60-64 - Orcs
65 - Ogrillons
66 - roll d3 as well - (1)Alaghi (2)Giant Wolf Spider (3)Weasel
67 - Gnoll Horde
68-71 - Gnolls
72 - roll d3 as well - (1-2)Giant Ants (3)Army Ants
73 - Mongrelmen
74 - roll d3 as well - (1)Bombardier Beetle (2)Stag Beetles (3)Stink Beetles
75 - roll d3 as well - (1)Centipedes (2)Yellow Jackets/Mosquito
76 - roll d2 as well - (1)Sword Spiders (2)Monstrous Spiders
77 - roll d2 as well - (1)Phase Spiders (2)Dire Spiders
78 - roll d2 as well - (1)Blink Dog (2)Owlbear
79 - roll d2 as well - (1)Krenshar (2)Harpy
80 - Twigblights
81 - roll d2 as well - (1)Wolverine (2)Cyclops
82 - roll d3 as well - (1-2)Ettercaps (3)Ettercaps/Dire Spiders
83 - roll d2 as well - (1)Grass Lizard (2)Dire Weasel
84 - roll d2 as well - (1)Flying Snake (2)Giant Toad
85 - roll d2 as well - (1)Giant Tick (2)Gnats
86 - roll d3 as well - (1)Minotaur (2)Cockatrice (3)Statue
87 - roll d3 as well - (1)Carcass Eater (2)Girallon (3)Ochre Jelly
88 - roll d3 as well - (1)Aranea (2)Werewolf (3)Blue Bears
89 - Random Group
90 - Loot (Chest)
91 - Loot (Pack)
92 - Herbs
93 - Herbs
94 - roll d3 as well - (1)Dragon Cultist (2)Dark Treant (3)Zhentarim (day)/Drow(night)
95 - roll d2 as well - (1)Forest Bandits (2)Eldreth Veluuthra (Further checks to a PC's race and class affect whether the Eldreth Veluuthra appear)
96 - roll d3 as well - (1)Red Wolf (2)Ghuuna (3)Flinds
97 - roll d3 as well - (1)Forest Shambler (2)Red Tiger (3)Tendriculos
98 - roll d3 as well - (1)Mongrelman Horde (2-3)Spider Cocoon
99 - Wood Xvarts
100 triggers a second d100 roll for our "Epic Encounter System"tm. These results represent even wider diversity and/or challenges beyond the normal results above. While the following results do scale, their base creatures might be way too overpowered for lower level adventurers to defeat. In some cases, dragons as an example, you may not get the chosen result because you are too low of a level to survive it. Most dragons from our epic system actually only spawn if you are 12th level or higher. Each result varies as to the minimum level required to get them with the majority spawning something if you are 3rd level or higher already.
100/1-4 - Bugbear Warband
100/5-8 - Goblin Warband
100/9-16 - Orc Warband
100/17-20 - Gnoll Warband
100/21-22 - Hobgoblin Warband
100/23-24 - Black Dragon
100/25-26 - Green Dragon
100/27-30 - Red Dragon
100/31 - Blue Dragon
100/32 - White Dragon
100/33-34 - Athack (group)
100/35-37 - Razor Boar
100/38 - Basilisk
100/39 - Medusa
100/40 - Rust Monster
100/41 - Scorpian
100/42 - Beholder/Gauth
100/43 - Bugbear Army
100/44 - Goblin Army
100/45-46 - Statue
100/47-49 - Orc Army
100/50 - Gnoll Army
100/51 - Hobgoblin Army w/ Goblin fodder
100/52-100 message "You feel lucky today" (also when below the minimum level for a result).
Anyhow, when you combine our trigger and scripted encounters and add to that the additional diversity when humanoids and others spawn in with random appearances, names, weapons and often a combination of them all, our encounters constantly breath new life and bring more challenges to most areas you explore resulting in vastly improved "replayability" when compared to other PWs.
If you ever think an encounter breaks a "theme" or is too difficult, let us know so it can be looked into. If you think one is too easy, it was likely meant to be that way. We don't scale our goblins up to be a challenge for folk past their mid 20s after all.
- kalbaern -
1) In some areas, mainly dungeons and "themed" wilderness areas (EX: The areas near a cave full of goblins likely has mostly if not all goblin encounters) we use the Bioware Encounter Triggers. Because we have palettes full of "scaled" creatures these work fairly well. They also tend to be on average a little easier to take on as this system uses an average of your party's CR to determine what it creates. "Switches" for the Min/Max number of creatures and a general difficulty are set to reflect what and how many creatures are spawned by your PC(s). These type of encounters also take into consideration any familiars, companions, summons and any henchman based creatures (including animals under a druid or rangers control using animal empathy) that are in your party. This means that casters with extra help will face slightly higher numbers of foes or slightly more difficult ones. In some recent tests, I took a 3rd Level Druid out soloing and a specific spawn would create a CR1 and a CR2 Goblin. Later, the same spawn yielded four CR1 Goblins when he had his Grizzly Bear Companion with him. So, I got slightly easier foes individually, though the encounter was a little harder due to the number spawned. Generally, having "help" does not make the encounters over powered with this system.
2) Our most common encounters, especially as you travel further out from our starting town are scripted ones. Scripted encounters are always based on the highest level character in your group. So if your 5th level Dwarven Fighter travels with someone's 10th Level Human Monk, you'll likely note that the generally difficulty has risen well above what your Dwarf would normally face. Still, if folks are within ten levels of each other, this seldom creates undue hardships. We recommend folks not have a level gap from the highest to lowest level PC in excess of ten levels, but that's simply to ensure the lower levels can still actually contribute to fighting. If the level gap is higher, then it's the responsibility of the higher level PC(s) to not drag the lower level PC(s) someplace well beyond their ability to survive.
Scripted encounters are often mingled with the Bioware Triggers to achieve different results in areas. EX: Outside of Orlbar (our starting town) you may notice that the town's graveyard has skeletons if it's night time, yet is empty by day. We do this using a scripted encounter that checks the in game clock and only creates the skeletons if it is night time. So, if the extra skeletons are too much, you can often flee back to town and try something else until the sunrises ... or like many do, you purposely go when dark for that extra XP.
As you explore further from town, you might note that there are often more goblins prowling at night than during the day. This again checks the time in game and sometimes drops extra roaming goblins after dark. The extra night time encounters (aside from the skeletons or other undead in graveyards elsewhere) are also random. You do not ALWAYS get more goblins after dark. There is just a chance you might. We do this to keep areas in flux. Making players observe and be a little more cautious as encounters become harder to memorize.
Elsewhere throughout the module, many of the scripted encounters are random based on the theme fitting "where" you are exploring. Exploring the "Graywilds" or the "Southwoods" will often result in general animals, abandoned back packs or chests as well as goblins, bugbears and other things looking to eat you or add your ears to their trophy necklace. While you might encounter undead, especially after dark in wooded areas, the chances are very slim. You'll predominately encounter "things" suited to living in the woods instead. Not everything spawned here is a threat either. Deer, rabbits, squirrels and other game animals will attempt to flee if someone other than a druid or ranger gets too close to them. Other creatures will have a "bubble" and if you keep your distance, they are content to let you be. This lets players better RP their characters as they see fit. If you Elf doesn't "hunt" needlessly, then you can usually avoid wolves and boars and other things. If your Barbarian relishes collecting skins/hides or preparing meals with "meats" they gather, then go for it and kill what you want.
Because our encounters reflect several unique regions, you'll begin to note that certain things are rare or absent some places and in abundance in others. A good example is gnolls. Gnolls are often encountered in "The High Forest" and less often out on the "Highmoors" while being all but non existent in the "Graywilds" or "Southwoods". There's a good reason. Either there was too much competition for them to find a niche or they were long ago eradicated from some regions. "What lives where" here is based mostly on D&D old campaign sources. The 3.5 edition of the FRCS (Forgotten Realms Campaign Source) is our main inspiration, but when it lacks details we also refer to older 2E or even AD&D resources along with many an old article from Dragon Magazine or White Dwarf. In short, think of our random regional encounters as if your were playing D&D as it's original pen and paper incarnation as as you explore the "DM" is rolling his dice to see what if anything you encounter.
Random Encounter Details:
Using the random encounters found in some Crypts and then The High Forest as an examples, I'll explain further how encounters are determined.
Crypt Encounters: Generally these add to a crypt to vary the encounters therein at times. Few crypts are completely "random" here.
First a d4 is rolled to see if an encounter is actually spawned. On a "2", nothing happens. If the result is 1, 3 or 4 a d100 for the encounter is then rolled with the results given below.
1-10 - Messages. These are "flavor text" messages to add a little ambiance to the game. EX: "Something groans in the distance" or "Claws scraping over stone can be heard nearby".
The remaining results are what most PCs above certain levels would get. IE, if you are only 3rd level and the result is "37" for a mummy, you will most likely instead spawn a skeleton of zombie. The intent isn't to outright kill low level players, but instead to add diversity and increase challenges as you gain levels. PCs exploring the Orlbar Crypt might note that from 4th level and up, what "pops" out of a tomb begins to vary more.
11 - Scarab Beetle
12 - Animated Armor
13 - Zombie Horde
14-16 - Rats
17 - Flying Snakes
18 - Flesh Golem
19 - Chest/Mimic
20-22 - Living Armor
23 - Redback Spider
24 - Wraith Spider
25-26 - Will-O-Wisp
27 - Blackblood Spider
28-30 Gargoyle
31 - Ochre Jellies
32-33 - Ghast
34-36 - Ghoul
37 - Mummy
38 - Bonebat
39 - Wight
40-42 - Skeletal Rat
43-50 - Skeletons
51 - Stirges
52 - Brown Pudding
53 - Black Pudding
54 - Gelatinous Cube
55 - Carrion Crawler
56 - Air Mephit
57 - Dust Mephit
58 - Fire Mephit
59-62 - Zombies
63-65 - Skeletons
66 - Quth Maren
67 - Shadow
68 - Spectre
69 - Greater Wraith
70 - Wraith
71 - Allip
72 - Tyrantfog Zombie
73 - Evil Adventurers
74 - Chest/Loot
75 - Pack//Loot
76 - Tome/Animated Book
77 - Skeleton Horde
78 - Bats
79 - Eyeballs
80 - Centipede
81 - Animated Weapons
82 - Invisible Stalker
83 - Rot Grubs
84 - Dire Maggot
85 - Gray Ooze
86 - Dark Mantle
87 - Green Slime
88 - Bodak
89 - Doom Knight
90 - Mohrg
91 - Revenant
92 - Dead Adventurer
93 - Bloodmote
94 - Bleakborn
95 - Bone Golem
96 - Dread
97 - Bloody Bones
98 - Rainment
99 - Shadow Mastiff
100 - Heucuva
With the d4 roll to see if there is even and encounter, there is always a 25% chance nothing occurs. Then, 10% of the time it'll just be a "message" for scenery. This means that there is actually only a 67-1/2% chance of anything you can "see or touch" spawning for each of these scripted encounters when the d100 result is between 11 and 100.
*Our encounter scripts are constantly being tweaked for variety and balance as well as fitting each to it's theme, so the above is subject to change without notice and merely an example.
Now I'll show the current results for encounters in The High Forest (our most diverse list, currently).
High Forest Encounters: Roll a d4. If "3", nothing happens. If the result is 1, 2 or 4 a d100 for the encounter is then rolled with the results given below.
1-10 - Message: All of our "random" encounters have some type of "flavor" message or emote as their first ten results.
11 - Grey Render
12 - roll d2 as well - (1)Will-O-Wisps (2)Displacer Beasts
13 - roll d2 as well - (1)Athacks (2)Manticores
14 - roll d2 as well - (1)Dire Bear (2)Red Fox
15 - Black Bear
16 - Brown Bear
17 - Black Bird(day) / Horned Owl(night)
18 - Mockingbird(day) / Whitetail Buck(night)
19 - Bison Herd
20 - roll d2 as well - (1)Ettin (2)Grey Fox
21-22 - Ogres
23 - Bugbear Horde
24 - Worgs
25 - Wolf Pack
26 - Eagle / Bats
27 - Dire Wolves
28 - Moose
29 - Elk
30 - roll d3 as well - (1)Ettin/Goblin (2)Ettin/Bugbear (3)Ettin/Xvart
31 - roll d3 as well - (1)Cougar (2)Panther (3)Bobcat
32 - Badgers
33 - Skunks
34 - Forest Viper
35 - Boars
36 - roll d2 as well - (1)Green Drake (2)Demon Drake
37 - Elven Patrol
38 - Goblin Horde
39 - Hill Giant
40 - Forest Ogres
41 - Forest Trolls
42 - roll d3 as well - (1)Raccooon (2)Grig (3)Dire Raccoon
43 - roll d3 as well - (1)Cooshee (2)Pixie (3)Satyr
44 - roll d3 as well - (1)Wild Dogs (2)Chimera (3)Squirrels
45 - Deer
46 - roll d3 as well - (1)Porcupine (2)Hydra (3)Rabbits
47-49 - Goblins
50 - Hobgoblin Horde
51-52 - Hobgoblins
53-54 - Bugbears
55 - roll d3 as well - (1)Behir (2)Fire Hornets (3)Herbs
56 - Wood Xvarts
57 - roll d3 as well - (1)Mink (2)Fisher (3)Treant
58-59 - Orc Horde
60-64 - Orcs
65 - Ogrillons
66 - roll d3 as well - (1)Alaghi (2)Giant Wolf Spider (3)Weasel
67 - Gnoll Horde
68-71 - Gnolls
72 - roll d3 as well - (1-2)Giant Ants (3)Army Ants
73 - Mongrelmen
74 - roll d3 as well - (1)Bombardier Beetle (2)Stag Beetles (3)Stink Beetles
75 - roll d3 as well - (1)Centipedes (2)Yellow Jackets/Mosquito
76 - roll d2 as well - (1)Sword Spiders (2)Monstrous Spiders
77 - roll d2 as well - (1)Phase Spiders (2)Dire Spiders
78 - roll d2 as well - (1)Blink Dog (2)Owlbear
79 - roll d2 as well - (1)Krenshar (2)Harpy
80 - Twigblights
81 - roll d2 as well - (1)Wolverine (2)Cyclops
82 - roll d3 as well - (1-2)Ettercaps (3)Ettercaps/Dire Spiders
83 - roll d2 as well - (1)Grass Lizard (2)Dire Weasel
84 - roll d2 as well - (1)Flying Snake (2)Giant Toad
85 - roll d2 as well - (1)Giant Tick (2)Gnats
86 - roll d3 as well - (1)Minotaur (2)Cockatrice (3)Statue
87 - roll d3 as well - (1)Carcass Eater (2)Girallon (3)Ochre Jelly
88 - roll d3 as well - (1)Aranea (2)Werewolf (3)Blue Bears
89 - Random Group
90 - Loot (Chest)
91 - Loot (Pack)
92 - Herbs
93 - Herbs
94 - roll d3 as well - (1)Dragon Cultist (2)Dark Treant (3)Zhentarim (day)/Drow(night)
95 - roll d2 as well - (1)Forest Bandits (2)Eldreth Veluuthra (Further checks to a PC's race and class affect whether the Eldreth Veluuthra appear)
96 - roll d3 as well - (1)Red Wolf (2)Ghuuna (3)Flinds
97 - roll d3 as well - (1)Forest Shambler (2)Red Tiger (3)Tendriculos
98 - roll d3 as well - (1)Mongrelman Horde (2-3)Spider Cocoon
99 - Wood Xvarts
100 triggers a second d100 roll for our "Epic Encounter System"tm. These results represent even wider diversity and/or challenges beyond the normal results above. While the following results do scale, their base creatures might be way too overpowered for lower level adventurers to defeat. In some cases, dragons as an example, you may not get the chosen result because you are too low of a level to survive it. Most dragons from our epic system actually only spawn if you are 12th level or higher. Each result varies as to the minimum level required to get them with the majority spawning something if you are 3rd level or higher already.
100/1-4 - Bugbear Warband
100/5-8 - Goblin Warband
100/9-16 - Orc Warband
100/17-20 - Gnoll Warband
100/21-22 - Hobgoblin Warband
100/23-24 - Black Dragon
100/25-26 - Green Dragon
100/27-30 - Red Dragon
100/31 - Blue Dragon
100/32 - White Dragon
100/33-34 - Athack (group)
100/35-37 - Razor Boar
100/38 - Basilisk
100/39 - Medusa
100/40 - Rust Monster
100/41 - Scorpian
100/42 - Beholder/Gauth
100/43 - Bugbear Army
100/44 - Goblin Army
100/45-46 - Statue
100/47-49 - Orc Army
100/50 - Gnoll Army
100/51 - Hobgoblin Army w/ Goblin fodder
100/52-100 message "You feel lucky today" (also when below the minimum level for a result).
Anyhow, when you combine our trigger and scripted encounters and add to that the additional diversity when humanoids and others spawn in with random appearances, names, weapons and often a combination of them all, our encounters constantly breath new life and bring more challenges to most areas you explore resulting in vastly improved "replayability" when compared to other PWs.
If you ever think an encounter breaks a "theme" or is too difficult, let us know so it can be looked into. If you think one is too easy, it was likely meant to be that way. We don't scale our goblins up to be a challenge for folk past their mid 20s after all.
- kalbaern -