Mournland Encounter Tables [Archive] - Wizards Community

Mournland Encounter Tables [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
davethebrave371
07-20-06, 07:04 PM You know what'd be nice? Encounter tables for some of the more dangerous areas, similar to the one written up in Dungeon #122 by Hellcow. Demon Wastes, Q'Barran jungles, the wilder of the Lhaazar isles/mainland areas, Lhaazar seas, Droaam, Darguun, parts of the Shadow Marches and Eldeen Reaches, and, of course, the Mournland.

I'm about to (this very weekend) run a Mournland-centric session, and I've got great ideas for encounters not related to combat, but I want them to fight some stuff, and I want even me to be surprised by what it is. Grab an encounter table and run with it. What kinds of stuff do you think would be most common, aside from living spells and carcass crabs?
Korhal_IV
07-20-06, 07:14 PM I'm pulling everything creepy and gory looking out of the Monster Manuals, Fiend Folio, and Abyssal Codex that I can. Check out the Necrosis Carnex; I forget where it's from but the illustration is truly disturbing. You can find the galleries online.
davethebrave371
07-20-06, 07:17 PM I'm pulling everything creepy and gory looking out of the Monster Manuals, Fiend Folio, and Abyssal Codex that I can. Check out the Necrosis Carnex; I forget where it's from but the illustration is truly disturbing. You can find the galleries online.

Going with art, I like that. Form over function. Good idea!
davethebrave371
07-20-06, 07:49 PM FF: Phiuhl, Skybleeder, Darkweaver, Spectral Lurker
Libris Mortis: Practically everything.
Lords of Madness: Practically everything here too, but I'd restrict some of it to below-ground activities. Maybe have some patrols of dolghasts and those MM III aberrations designed to kill undead up on the surface. Just some daelkyr plots movin' and shakin' to take the above ground Mournland (what a place for madness!), but there's too many undead around.
HoH: Your options are limited if you don't want to use the taint special rules, but those with no connections to the taint and corruption rules are very usable.

That's what I've got so far. I'm going to go over the MMs in a bit.
DoveArrow
07-21-06, 07:33 PM You heathens! Don't you know that there are no random encounters in Eberron? A pox on your houses for even suggesting it, and a pox on Keith's house for publishing random encounters! Bah, I say! I say bah! :P
davethebrave371
07-21-06, 07:36 PM You heathens! Don't you know that there are no random encounters in Eberron? A pox on your houses for even suggesting it, and a pox on Keith's house for publishing random encounters! Bah, I say! I say bah! :P

Why don't you like random encounters? What's "not Eberron" about 'em? Especially in the Mournland, I'd say "random" encounters fit quite nicely, same with Khyber and the Demon Wastes, and Xen'drik too. Again, I say, what don't you like about them?
DoveArrow
07-21-06, 07:43 PM I'm being more facetious than serious (hence the smiley with his tongue sticking out). I honestly don't care if you create random encounter tables for the Mournlands. In fact, I think they'd be a great idea. However, I think that the ECS says that random encounters detract from the pulp action feel of Eberron and so therefore shouldn't be used. I figured you guys were in on the joke, so I didn't bother explaining it any further than that. In any case, if there's any place in Eberron that needs a random encounter table, it's definitely the Mournlands.
davethebrave371
07-22-06, 11:58 AM Ah, well, of course. I knew that. :embarrass

I guess, as a DM, there are just some times where the pulpy feel is secondary to the needs of my players, and one player in particular is a combat-heavy combaty combat machine. With combat.

Combat.

Anyway, yeah, since it's just the one (and since he enjoys the heavy RP anyway) it's a rare session where I try and arrange a fight. Fights happen, of course, during the course of the game anyway, and sometimes they get themselves in over their heads, etc, etc. But sometimes, I like to drop a little gift his way, and plop in some combat. Just some random combat. A big one, a challenging one, a little one, an easy one, whatever. And that's where the tables come in.
larry_the_titan
07-26-06, 03:29 AM So you are looking for a random encounter for the Mournland. How about rolling for a random spell for making living spell. I suggest that you roll for a random scroll for the spell to base the living spell off of. You may get a high level spell or even a spell that can do them no harm. Just remember that if they dont care about an approaching ooze that may get them in a load of trouble. Also remember that spells like reduce person, permancy and/or teleport might screw with players more then Fireball and cone of cold.
Sereno
07-26-06, 10:34 AM However, I think that the ECS says that random encounters detract from the pulp action feel of Eberron and so therefore shouldn't be used.

It does :) :
Search Slow, Fight Fast

An Eberron adventure typically involves slow periods of investigation and exposition broken up by intervals of furious action. Whenever action occurs, it should be intense and dramatic. The typical adventure sacrifices “wandering monster” encounters in favor of fewer, more challenging battles. This is especially true of urban adventures.

In any case, if there's any place in Eberron that needs a random encounter table, it's definitely the Mournlands.

Check out these: 1001 Mournland Horrors (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=407341). Creepy!!!
JayDubya
07-26-06, 10:57 AM I guess, as a DM, there are just some times where the pulpy feel is secondary to the needs of my players, and one player in particular is a combat-heavy combaty combat machine. With combat.

Combat.

But sometimes, I like to drop a little gift his way, and plop in some combat. Just some random combat. A big one, a challenging one, a little one, an easy one, whatever. And that's where the tables come in.

And we combat junkies salute you for throwing a bone to our comrade! :bow:

My two favorite words in playing D&D: "Roll initiative." :fight!:

* * *

See the danger in not using traditional random encounters or things like them is that you have to have superhard combats that last forever as an alternative, lest you have say, that Kalashtar Psion or that Wizard or Cleric or what have you barely using 20-30% of their spell slots / power points / what have you in a given day allowing them to "go nova" every fight. You should still aim to have the standard four fights without rest model even if it interspersed with the more periodic fights, because otherwise there truly is no point in not being a caster since you never ever run out of juice.

Too much resting between fights kills any challenge those fights might have had... and the most disappointing thing for the player of a "combat-heavy combaty combat machine with combat" is fighting in a combat that is over too soon / has no challenge / is just blown through with a single spell or power and is bypassed. :weep: Now my combat machine has high mental stats and I like to roleplay with him quite a bit, but he doesn't have Melee Weapon Mastery for showing off in front of nobles. ;)

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
davethebrave371 07-20-06, 07:04 PM	You know what'd be nice? Encounter tables for some of the more dangerous areas, similar to the one written up in Dungeon #122 by Hellcow. Demon Wastes, Q'Barran jungles, the wilder of the Lhaazar isles/mainland areas, Lhaazar seas, Droaam, Darguun, parts of the Shadow Marches and Eldeen Reaches, and, of course, the Mournland. I'm about to (this very weekend) run a Mournland-centric session, and I've got great ideas for encounters not related to combat, but I want them to fight some stuff, and I want even me to be surprised by what it is. Grab an encounter table and run with it. What kinds of stuff do you think would be most common, aside from living spells and carcass crabs?
Korhal_IV 07-20-06, 07:14 PM	I'm pulling everything creepy and gory looking out of the Monster Manuals, Fiend Folio, and Abyssal Codex that I can. Check out the Necrosis Carnex; I forget where it's from but the illustration is truly disturbing. You can find the galleries online.
davethebrave371 07-20-06, 07:17 PM	I'm pulling everything creepy and gory looking out of the Monster Manuals, Fiend Folio, and Abyssal Codex that I can. Check out the Necrosis Carnex; I forget where it's from but the illustration is truly disturbing. You can find the galleries online. Going with art, I like that. Form over function. Good idea!
davethebrave371 07-20-06, 07:49 PM	FF: Phiuhl, Skybleeder, Darkweaver, Spectral Lurker Libris Mortis: Practically everything. Lords of Madness: Practically everything here too, but I'd restrict some of it to below-ground activities. Maybe have some patrols of dolghasts and those MM III aberrations designed to kill undead up on the surface. Just some daelkyr plots movin' and shakin' to take the above ground Mournland (what a place for madness!), but there's too many undead around. HoH: Your options are limited if you don't want to use the taint special rules, but those with no connections to the taint and corruption rules are very usable. That's what I've got so far. I'm going to go over the MMs in a bit.
DoveArrow 07-21-06, 07:33 PM	You heathens! Don't you know that there are no random encounters in Eberron? A pox on your houses for even suggesting it, and a pox on Keith's house for publishing random encounters! Bah, I say! I say bah! :P
davethebrave371 07-21-06, 07:36 PM	You heathens! Don't you know that there are no random encounters in Eberron? A pox on your houses for even suggesting it, and a pox on Keith's house for publishing random encounters! Bah, I say! I say bah! :P Why don't you like random encounters? What's "not Eberron" about 'em? Especially in the Mournland, I'd say "random" encounters fit quite nicely, same with Khyber and the Demon Wastes, and Xen'drik too. Again, I say, what don't you like about them?
DoveArrow 07-21-06, 07:43 PM	I'm being more facetious than serious (hence the smiley with his tongue sticking out). I honestly don't care if you create random encounter tables for the Mournlands. In fact, I think they'd be a great idea. However, I think that the ECS says that random encounters detract from the pulp action feel of Eberron and so therefore shouldn't be used. I figured you guys were in on the joke, so I didn't bother explaining it any further than that. In any case, if there's any place in Eberron that needs a random encounter table, it's definitely the Mournlands.
davethebrave371 07-22-06, 11:58 AM	Ah, well, of course. I knew that. :embarrass I guess, as a DM, there are just some times where the pulpy feel is secondary to the needs of my players, and one player in particular is a combat-heavy combaty combat machine. With combat. Combat. Anyway, yeah, since it's just the one (and since he enjoys the heavy RP anyway) it's a rare session where I try and arrange a fight. Fights happen, of course, during the course of the game anyway, and sometimes they get themselves in over their heads, etc, etc. But sometimes, I like to drop a little gift his way, and plop in some combat. Just some random combat. A big one, a challenging one, a little one, an easy one, whatever. And that's where the tables come in.
larry_the_titan 07-26-06, 03:29 AM	So you are looking for a random encounter for the Mournland. How about rolling for a random spell for making living spell. I suggest that you roll for a random scroll for the spell to base the living spell off of. You may get a high level spell or even a spell that can do them no harm. Just remember that if they dont care about an approaching ooze that may get them in a load of trouble. Also remember that spells like reduce person, permancy and/or teleport might screw with players more then Fireball and cone of cold.
Sereno 07-26-06, 10:34 AM	However, I think that the ECS says that random encounters detract from the pulp action feel of Eberron and so therefore shouldn't be used. It does :) : Search Slow, Fight Fast An Eberron adventure typically involves slow periods of investigation and exposition broken up by intervals of furious action. Whenever action occurs, it should be intense and dramatic. The typical adventure sacrifices “wandering monster” encounters in favor of fewer, more challenging battles. This is especially true of urban adventures. In any case, if there's any place in Eberron that needs a random encounter table, it's definitely the Mournlands. Check out these: 1001 Mournland Horrors (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=407341). Creepy!!!
JayDubya 07-26-06, 10:57 AM	I guess, as a DM, there are just some times where the pulpy feel is secondary to the needs of my players, and one player in particular is a combat-heavy combaty combat machine. With combat. Combat. But sometimes, I like to drop a little gift his way, and plop in some combat. Just some random combat. A big one, a challenging one, a little one, an easy one, whatever. And that's where the tables come in. And we combat junkies salute you for throwing a bone to our comrade! :bow: My two favorite words in playing D&D: "Roll initiative." :fight!: * * * See the danger in not using traditional random encounters or things like them is that you have to have superhard combats that last forever as an alternative, lest you have say, that Kalashtar Psion or that Wizard or Cleric or what have you barely using 20-30% of their spell slots / power points / what have you in a given day allowing them to "go nova" every fight. You should still aim to have the standard four fights without rest model even if it interspersed with the more periodic fights, because otherwise there truly is no point in not being a caster since you never ever run out of juice. Too much resting between fights kills any challenge those fights might have had... and the most disappointing thing for the player of a "combat-heavy combaty combat machine with combat" is fighting in a combat that is over too soon / has no challenge / is just blown through with a single spell or power and is bypassed. :weep: Now my combat machine has high mental stats and I like to roleplay with him quite a bit, but he doesn't have Melee Weapon Mastery for showing off in front of nobles. ;)