Wandering Monsters

Recent forum conversations have led me to commit some thought to the concept of wandering monsters. I like the idea for a number of reasons; reducing prep time, adding a certain degree of verisimilitude, and stretching the players' tactical skills. Not the least of these is the availability of an 'impersonal' challenge for the players, which is the undercurrent to the above reasons.

Setting up a number of wandering monster charts front-loads prep time. It may take some effort to get the various climate or terrain based charts together, or to tweak the ones provided in the back of the DMG. However, once that is done, there are virtually unlimited possibilities. If the players are equipped for tackling the orc and goblin infested subterranean inventory storage facility, and happen upon the three trolls with an ogre mage leader, you can bet there will be some scrambling to meet the challenge. No matter how well executed, a planned encounter will never have the level of spontaneity provided by wandering monsters; nor will the planned encounter emulate a living world that exists outside of the characters as well as the wandering monster.

Wandering monster is a bit of a misnomer, anyway. It is even more useful to consider them wandering encounter charts instead. A set of animal tracks, bellowing in the night, a rusty dagger stuck in a door, a shiny gold piece from an ancient empire; these are all things that will get the players thinking and planning, and don't even require statblocks for combat. One or two entries on the normal table for 'specials', and in no time, you will have the players jumping at shadows, and tracking down every 'clue' you send their way.

This is especially useful for sandbox games. You can spend your time detailing some ruins and the surrounding countryside and villages, trusting that the players will eventually spend too much time in the wilderness and get hit with a wandering encounter. Their actions will practically write the scenarios for you! It does require a bit of flexibility, however, as the throwaway NPC you didn't give a second thought about suddenly becomes the primary villain the players are chasing. Especially after they discover some 'clues' placed by the wandering encounter tables, and like any group of conspiracy theorists, they will connect the dots in surprising ways.

Guidelines have been presented, of course, to use semi-planned or triggered encounters in place of wandering monsters. Those are fine, but they do take a bit away. One thing the mind is not terribly good at is generating randomness. Semi-planned encounters, at some point, will become somewhat predictable as the encounter is at their level, then below, then above, all in an effort to balance things out. Wandering encounters make no pretence of balance; it might be a pack of goblins, it might be a red dragon polymorphed into a goblin, it might be finely crafted stick with Nystul's Magic Aura.

It's the unpredictability that makes the challenge enjoyable, for both the players and the referee. Removing that aspect tends to filter down to the rest of the game, making each encounter a challenge to be managed, throwing ever higher bonuses at the problem without having to consider other responses. Uncertainty lies at the heart of role-playing games, and they are much more enjoyable because of it.

Small Magics

Several months ago, James Maliszewski noted a brilliant idea in his LiveJournal to emulate the inherent magical nature of Magic Users.

Here is the list of minor magical effects he listed:

• Charm Person: While memorized, the caster gains a +1 bonus all Charisma-based effects, such as morale, loyalty, and reaction.
  
• Hold Portal: While memorized, the caster gains the ability to close or shut any open door, window, or other aperture within 10 feet by thought alone.
  
• Magic Missile: While memorized, the caster treats any weapon he wields as having a +1 bonus for the purpose of overcoming the special defenses of certain creatures. This bonus increases by +1 for every five levels of the caster. The bonus does not apply to attack or damage rolls made with the weapon the caster wields; it applies only to overcoming special defenses.
  
• Shield: While memorized, non-damaging falling objects and effects (pebbles, leaves, rainfall, etc.) are repelled from the caster's body.
  
• Sleep: While memorized, the caster is immune to non-magical fatigue and similar effects. In addition, he requires only four hours rest to regain his full complement of spells until he casts this spell, after which he must "pay back" four hours at his next rest period (meaning it takes him 12 hours of rest instead of 8 to regain his spells).
  

None of these minor magical effects stack. You can't memorize sleep twice and be able to re-memorize spells without any rest, for example.

Using spell slots for minor boosts like this is a great idea. It not only gives Magic Users a bit more versatility, it discourages the 'single use magic item' attitude. None of these are over-powered in the least, and the effect for Shield is only cosmetic anyway. These are perfect for adding a bit of flair to arcane characters.

KenHR has started a thread on the Citadel of Chaos forums of a similar nature, except with magic items instead.

These two ideas mesh very well for a low level or low magic campaign, and are easy enough to create and implement that they can be discarded in the natural progression of levels. Of course, effects for higher level spells are possible, as well as Mr Maliszewski's own suggestion that the effects themselves gain power as the character levels. Taking his example, the Magic User could get a +1 for each Magic Missile they can discharge, or a flat +1 per four levels regardless. Perhaps having fireball memorized allows the caster to ignite flammable items by touch or remotely, possibly up to melting certain metals based on the caster's level. Perhaps a half strength heat metal, which at higher levels would be an appropriate effect.

Here are a few more to ponder, from low to mid-level spells. Of course, these effects are only when the spell is memorized, but not yet cast:

Magic User:

1st level

• Identify: The Magic-User has an uncanny knack for appraisal. The cost of mundane items will be known to within 5%-10% of the actual value. A sword or a horse, for example. Larger constructed items like siege engines or buildings can also be assessed, but each part will be appraised separately, and a running total must be kept.
  
• Light: The Magic-User's eyes will glow with a pale light only visible at close distances in dark conditions. To a distance of two feet, the caster is able to see as normal daylight; hence studying spellbooks at night or reading runes carved in a dark cave are no difficulty. Further than two feet, normal darkness conditions apply.
  

2nd Level

• Invisibility: The caster will only be seen when looking directly at them, as they cast no shadow, nor does any reflective surface show their image.
  
• Locate Object: The Magic-User carrying this spell will never lose track of any personal items within 30'. They will always know precisely in which drawer they left their keys, and always recall that tome buried at the bottom of a pile of junk. A Wand of Fire left in the tavern across town won't be known until they are within 30' of the device, but if it is upstairs under the bed, they can walk directly to it.
  

3rd Level

• Fireball: The caster is able to heat items by touching them with their hand. The heat produced is enough to eventually boil water after three rounds, but won't generally cause damage to creatures. The heat produced can be intense enough to light kindling or a pipe from the fingertip, or steady enough to heat a pot of stew.
  
• Gust of Wind: Due to the breeze that constantly swirls around the caster, normal flying insects are unable to come within one foot of the Magic-User. Summoned, crawling, or giant insects are unaffected.
  

4th Level

• Plant Growth: Mundane plants within 30' (generally a household) of the wizard will grow normally despite lack of sun or water. Normal trimming will still be necessary for certain plants. Therefore, herbs can be kept in their pots hidden away under a table and still grow normally. If the Magic-User leaves the area, the plants will wilt and die at a normal rate as well.
  

5th Level

• Cone of Cold: Any non-magical, non-living object within 20' of the wizard can be brought to freezing temperatures in just a few seconds. A volume of liquid no more than five gallons, or about 400 coins in weight can be frozen in this manner.
  

Next up: Why do Magic-Users have all the fun? Clerics, Druids and Illusionists have their turn.

These ideas will definitely make it into Alternate Character Sets.

Behaviours

There appears to have been some major changes to the good old alignment system, which appears to have at least quieted down arguments about how to interpret it. Much like some other changes, however, it seems less than well-reasoned.

Naturally, some of the confusion deals with strict interpretations of Law and Chaos. Mostly, those are thought of as law-abiding and anarchistic. While that is a broad interpretation, I think it falls well short of the panoply of nuance available. Additionally, with a modern view of 'good' and 'evil', it can seem contradictory at times. How can one be Lawful, as in law-abiding, and Evil, as in spurning societal norms, at the same time? In the same way, how can one be Good (promoting the common weal) and Chaotic (disruptive of laws)? How can one be Neutral in regards to either?

This is where a more flexible interpretation is helpful. We can start with Law being dedication to the group over the individual. In that case, someone who is aligned with Law would be someone who strives to maintain a community or party, sometimes at the expense of an individual, or smaller group. As long as that group has a voice in the process, they are part of the collective whole, and the whole is stronger for it. Chaos, then, is the exaltation of the individual more than the group. The focus of someone aligned with Chaos would hold the belief that the smaller group or individual should be allowed to decide for themselves what is appropriate, without interference from the larger group. Each voice has its own quality, regardless of the notions of the group, and this adds to the richness of the tapestry of life.

Alternately, Law can be seen as 'organization' or 'hierarchy'. Each has their place in the great machinery, and society works because everyone has their job to perform. Structure informs everyone's day, task, family, or any other aspect of their lives, which keeps society running smoothly. Chaos would be more akin to the disorganized mess of individual effort, leading to unbounded creativity, each reaping the benefits of one another's unrestricted expression.

It's not all wine and roses, of course. In the first example, excessive adherence to the principles of the whole over the smaller group can easily lead to oppression, cold indifference, or even antipathy for the smaller group. Generally, the smaller group would eventually be exiled; either by the leaders or themselves. In extreme cases, the smaller group may be eliminated by the larger, as their refusal to adhere to the mores of the group are considered a disease that threatens the whole. Conversely, too much focus on the smaller groups leads to a mass of bickering factions, each of which struggling for power while people are starving in the streets.

In all these cases, there are beneficial and harmful aspects to a particular ethos. Those are where the morality of 'good' and 'evil' influence the expression of an ethos. Of course, the ethos can also influence the expression of the morality, wherein the good Ranger tends to help out a few people at a time, as they don't seem able to gather enough forces to themselves to ride against the evil necromancer directly. Or, the evil inquisitor brings every legal nuance to bear against the hapless political opponent accused of heresy.

Alignment is a very useful tool in fleshing out a character, and providing a background for their motivations. It can, and has, been subverted into a mechanic to lash PCs, to be sure. It certainly isn't the necessary outcome, however. A bit of flexibility, and alignment can set the stage for epic quests and everyday behaviours alike, without forcing unnatural responses from the players.