Out of the Box D&D Encounters, Series 2, #24 – “Perchance to Dream”
Out of the Box introduction
When creating encounters or trying to place the same, the concept of the location can become the choke point of the issue. Sometimes it’s not about where something happens, but when. Special (or even mundane) moments in time can be made truly special by inserting unexpected circumstances or interactions.
November 24, 2017
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Out of the Box D&D Encounters, Series 2, #23, “The Librarian”
Out of the Box introduction
A classic monster from D&D has always been the beholder. However, when one says that word, it tends to conjure images of the largest and worst version of the species. To be fair, there are a lot of different versions of this species, each with their own specialty. They range in power and size from the tiny gazer to the undead eye tyrant, with a few variants to fill the gaps in between.
Out of the Box D&D Encounters, Series 2, #22 – “A Cry for Help”
Out of the Box introduction
The ever-present truth of player character groups is that they should be working together to achieve an end. Cooperation to overcome the odds is a core tenant. Working together and developing a synergy or symbiotic relationship means characters who might not necessarily overcome a challenge or monster on their own are more likely because their abilities overlap well.
Monsters should be no different. Nerdarchy has raised the concept of Monster BFFs before, but there are variations that can overlap to devastating consequences. I have raised this subject before in Series 1 (A Friend in Need), but it bears revisiting to show there is more than one way to skin a cat. (With appropriate apologies to all cats reading this). The concept of the mimic and oytugh working together was certainly dangerous, but had an air of absurdity and hilarity that made Dungeon Masters always chuckle a little when they read it.
Out of the Box D&D Encounters, Series 2, #21 – “The Solution”
Out of the Box Introduction
A common plot device in movies from the ’50s-’70s was the “switcheroo”. In essence, modern-era suspense loved to lead the audience/reader into one set of expectations only to twist them at the last minute. The hero did not always win.
Things have changed since that time. We have come to assume the good guys win. The problem is the assumption of victory, and the culture of entitlement it spawns. Heroes of any kind should never assume victory nor fulfillment. They should strive for it. They should earn it. They should also realize mistakes or poor judgment can affect things along the way, and those errors could reasonably lead to the downfall of the heroes in question. Mythology allowed for this. Modern stories do not.
Kobold Press Prepared 2 Adventure Collection: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Prepared 2 is the latest in the series of one-shot adventure products for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons published by Kobold Press. This product was released as an aid to Game Masters who might be caught short when players take a campaign in an unexpected direction. I’m sure we can agree that such an event is common. Therefore, such a resource would or should be invaluable. To fully ascertain whether or not Prepared 2 fills the bill, it’s important to look at it from several angles.
Out of the Box D&D Encounters, Series 2, #20 – “Spear of the Gods”
Out of the Box Introduction
Adding depth, mystery, or lore to a setting can only help it. Searching through dusty tomes and scrolls isn’t the way many adventurers prefer to do so, though. A Dungeon Master can add this depth through the right encounter, especially if the image is striking.
Give the players pause, and you’ll motivate the player characters. Most have a natural curiosity that will propel that learning forward. Better still, they won’t know they’re learning a history lesson, because it will be in the form of an adventure and exploration.
Out of the Box D&D Encounters, Series 2, #19 – “Genie in a…”
Out of the Box introduction
Reinterpretation means more than a simple reskin. By reimagining classic tropes, stories, faerie tales, movies and the like, Dungeon Masters have an endless supply of inspirations for encounters and adventures.
One old trope rarely used anymore is literally the “genie in the bottle” routine.
But, let’s be honest, there is more than just one way to reimagine the old cliche to make it fresh.
Out of the Box D&D Encounters, Series 2, #18 – “Pull!”
Out of the Box introduction
A pair of hill giants can make a very bad day for a village in a D&D game. [Art by Wayne Reynolds]
I was inspired by an older broadcast by the truly talented AJ Picket on his channel “The Mighty Gluestick”. In a video wherein he described “what would happen if a giant hit a player character with a tree”, he said that they would, to paraphrase, “go flying”.
So, that inspired me to think one thing. What would happen if a giant, say a hill giant (to get the ball rolling), flung a player character into the air?
Well, that inspired research. Considering that improvised weapons (page 147-148 Player’s Handbook) references ‘a dead goblin’ as a viable possibility, then it’s on the playing field that a body could be used as a weapon.
Out of the Box, D&D Encounters, Series 2, #17 – “The Ante”
Introduction to the Out of the Box Encounter: [caption id="attachment_24661" align="alignright" width="355"] DMG5e Feywild Cladio Pozas pg 50 CC SA 3.0[/caption] The series of articles have touched on the Feywild before, but it was more from the point of view of chasing or following denizens there. In...
Out of the Box D&D Encounters, Series 2, #16 – “Stomp”
Out of the Box Introduction
There are two approaches to scaling encounters for players when using lower CR monsters. The first is to just add more of the same. The second is to change how they are used, or use them in a way in which they act in concert with another monster type or mechanic.As you might guess, I am more of a fan of the latter over the former. Changing perspectives or tactics is what “Out of the Box” is all about. Furthermore, I like to draw upon other games or activities as inspirations at times.
The game I would like to call upon this time is one that was a tactical tabletop game that I used to play that involved, well, let’s say giant battle robots with pilots inside. There are a few out there. Pick your favourite as a reference and we’ll call it fair. The game in question isn’t as important as the visual.
Furthermore, the visual from inside this construct isn’t as important as the visual from those facing these constructs.
Out of the Box D&D Encounters, Series 2, #15 – “The Lucky Catch”
Out of the Box Introduction
One of the greatest inspirations any Dungeon Master can have is actually pretty obvious: Other DMs. Seeing how others create and design encounters can colour how we do things, sometimes for years to follow. I’ve had two great DMs in my own past with radically different styles who both create brilliant worlds to both imagine and play in, as well as create investment in their players.
Their styles, though different, achieve this by inspiring the players with their challenges and their point of view. Celebrity DMs like Matt Mercer, Chris Perkins and Matt Colville are also different, and all are brilliant in their own way…but I’d like to include one more in that list. Jerry Holkins. Jerry is more familiar to most as “Omin Dran” in Chris Perkins’ Acquisitions Incorporated campaign. Jerry is also a brilliant DM in his own right and has such a unique point of view as to make him my inspiration for this article. [EDITOR’S NOTE: Jerry Holkins can be seen weekly as the DM for Acquisitions Incorporated: The C Team.]
Out of The Box D&D Encounters, Series 2, #14 – “Frog Princess”
Out of the Box introduction
If you run out of ideas to challenge your players, there’s always Tiamat from the Rise of Tiamat adventure.
If I hear any refrain commonly online and with other Dungeon Masters, it’s “but my players are X level. How do I challenge them?”
Truth be told, challenging players of any level isn’t hard. It only requires you address the players behind the characters and not the sheets those players use as references. Setting up the encounter ahead of time properly will really set up any encounter correctly. The setting may add to any deception or misdirection as needed.
Some DMs forget their player characters may be optimized for certain aspects, considering others to be either unimportant or “unfair.” I’ve seen tables where the Old School brigade of D&D players tank their Charisma scores for physical or spellcasting characteristics (unless they need them to do so). I’ve seen others completely take the minimum on Strength or Intelligence scores, and argue they lack any importance to the game outside of specific circumstances.
Out of the Box D&D Encounters, Series 2, #13 – “Here, Kitty Kitty”
Out of the Box introduction
Classic image of a displacer beast from the 1st edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual. [Art by David A. Trampier]
Some old school D&D dungeons would present moments where goblin or orc young would be encountered, giving the PCs a moral dilemma. This same opportunity exists for an entire range of monsters and beasts, be they bears, owlbears, werebears, or giant zombie were-dino-bears (any use of that last entry is entirely upon the Dungeon Master. I’m not to blame).
Many (if not all or some) types of monsters are almost exclusively seen in their adult form, and are androgynous sacks of hit points with a certain number of attacks. This is especially true if the exact nature of these creatures is not fully known. Whereas it is true creatures like demons or devils are not “born” per se, this truth is not upheld for other monsters from other non-prime material plane locales. This is a lost opportunity.
Out of the Box D&D Encounters, Series 2, #12 – “The Walls Have…arms?”
Introduction
I recently viewed a collaboration between Matt Colville and Satine Pheonix. During that, Matt brought up an evocative image of a monster’s hand coming through to grab an unwitting player character.
That image stuck and is the inspiration for the following “Out of the Box.” It brings in some familiar and some new elements.
For instance, the concept of doors as traps isn’t new, nor is the concept of a living trap like a mimic. Those have been used already within the confines of this venue. However, by using a little trickery, we can take this concept in a new direction.
We’ll use two things to achieve this: bugbears and illusions. Why Bugbears? Not because they’re one of Matt’s favourite monsters, despite the irony. Nope.
We’re selecting bugbears because they have two aspects that fit the tone and function of this encounter.
Out of the Box D&D Encounters, Series 2, #11 – “Building Bridges”
[caption id="attachment_22980" align="aligncenter" width="640"] This D&D party looks like they could use a team-building retreat. Say no more! This Out of the Box encounter is better than a trust fall for the party.[/caption] Introduction Have you ever needed an icebreaker encounter for either a new group, or...
