I really enjoyed my first adventure DMing my friends’ roleplaying game. We just finished the module I planned out, and I’m now percolating ideas for the next adventure. My favorite thing is designing the random encounters.
Random encounters are small events that may or may not occur while the players are completing the bigger story. The real adventure might be about tracking the evil hunter who lives in a distant woods, but while the players track the hunter, I, as the DM, will roll a die every once and a while to determine some random encounters. Like the grizzly bear who also happens to hunt [you] in the woods. Or perhaps something more innocuous, like a mysterious, cold wind blowing out your campfire one night.
Anyway, I thought it’d be fun to make up a few random encounters for the real world. Be your own DM. Mileage may vary.
- Litter Bug: A DC 10 Perception check reveals several small pieces of trash on the sidewalk. If a character attempts to gather the litter and throw it away, make another DC 12 Perception check to notice a copy of today’s newspaper free for the taking within the nearest trash receptacle.
- Playtime: You happen to glance down a road you’ve never traveled before and spot a playground. This is a super nice playground. Like, nice enough you’re surprised you never noticed it. Huh.
- Jukebox: A nearby tavern has its door open. As you pass by, the jukebox mysteriously plays your favorite song. If a character chooses to enter the tavern, they must battle the manipulative Ex-Lover Who Just Got a Job as a Bartender. (See Monster Manual p.682)
- Hipster Evasion: A hipster-class human (Str: +0, Dex: +1, Con -1, Int +0, Wis -2, Cha +5) sits at a bus stop practicing his speech on why a Libertarian will win the 2016 US presidential election. Pass a DC 18 Stealth check to avoid the hipster. Otherwise, take 4 points of non-lethal damage.
Alex Gustafson 