I have discussed random encounter tables for D&D before on this blog, and they are an integral part of my solo roleplaying kit.
Something I have been doing on a recent Dungeons & Dragons solo campaign is creating the random encounter table on the fly, as I explore and meet new monsters.
And by ‘monsters’ I mean any living (or undead) being I meet in the dungeon, friend or foe.
Creating the Random Encounter Table
For this to work, I generally keep the table itself fairly simple: a straight D6 table works well for this.
At the start of the campaign I create an empty table with the numbers but no encounters.
Table: Blank Random Encounter Table
| D6 | Encounter |
| 1 | |
| 2 | |
| 3 | |
| 4 | |
| 5 | |
| 6 |
Then, as I explore the dungeon, and roll randomly on whichever encounter tables I have available (see how I solo roleplay Dungeons & Dragons for more on how I generate my dungeons), I see if they are worth adding to the random encounter table.
This will depend on the monster rolled. If its a humanoid, like a goblin or orc, then they will probably be found in other places in the dungeon, so they go on.
If it’s a more unique monster (Trapper), or something that cannot move very far (Green Slime), then I usually don’t add it.
Example
For example, say I am exploring an old dwarven silver mine and come across some dwarven skeletons in one chamber – they could be wandering the rest of the dungeon as well. So, they go on to the random encounter table.
The table would now look like this:
Table: Random Encounter Table
| D6 | Encounter |
| 1 | Dwarven Skeletons |
| 2 | |
| 3 | |
| 4 | |
| 5 | |
| 6 |
As I explore the dungeon further, other monster types will appear.
I may come across a Carrion Crawler, and if undefeated (yes, running away is an option), it could be crawling its way around the dungeon. It gets added to the table.
Table: Random Encounter Table
| D6 | Encounter |
| 1 | Dwarven Skeletons |
| 2 | Carrion Crawler |
| 3 | |
| 4 | |
| 5 | |
| 6 |
And so on, until the table is full.
Not Always Monsters
Feel free to add non-monster encounters to your table as well. Maybe echoes of sounds (moaning, scrabbing, scurrying), or just an old torn backpack.
A completed table may look something like this:
Table: Random Encounter Table
| D6 | Encounter |
| 1 | Dwarven Skeletons |
| 2 | Carrion Crawler |
| 3 | Echoing sounds (roll listen at doors or hear noise to tell its general direction) |
| 4 | Past Adventuring Gear (1 in 6 chance of being of some value) |
| 5 | Hobgoblins |
| 6 | Necromancer |
Expanding the Table
You can expand the table if you are in a particularly large dungeon, although I usually do one of these for each level.
You can adjust the number of slots from six to eight, and roll a D8. Or even larger, if your dungeon is big enough.
Also, feel free to create more complex tables. Issue 27 of d12 Monthly has a few ways to do this and is dedicated to random encounters.
You could also add in Numbers Appearing, and Treasure, if you wanted to.
Other Uses
Dungeons are not the only place you could use this build-as-you-go table design. You could use this for wilderness travel and exploration as well.
When using it for wilderness settings, I would recommend having a separate table for different areas within the wilderness.
For example, you could have one for the local woods, another for a deep forest, one for the trade roads, and another for the plains surrounding the settlement.
Another use for this is city-based adventures.
You could easily create random encounter tables on the fly for different districts of your city or town. Or, just have one for each of the various smaller settlements (hamlets and villages) that you visit.
These settlement tables would be less about monsters and more about NPCs, events, and the like, with the occasional monster.
Over to You
Do you find this useful? Is this something you see yourself using? Let me know in the comments below.
While You’re Here…
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