Dungeons and Dragons help needed.

[Ranorak]

I first posted this in the Off-topic forum, but I think it might have been out of place there, cause it was pushed to the 4th page in no time

So, I ask the same thing here.

I've been starting to play DnD 4.0 with a friend of mine.
We're both pretty much beginners with DnD, and seeing how 4.0 was considered noob-friendly, we went for it.

Now, seeing as I own the books, and have a slightly better imagination then my friend, I took the role of DM. As well as a fighter with a low int score to help him in combat.

It's all going good, and we're having loads of fun, but I was wondering a few things about monster encounters.
1) when do monsters "notice" PC? To formulate my question better, do they have a aggro range? What is the threshold that switches from passive to aggressive monsters?

2)How do I make monsters less static. I.e. those kobolds are guarding that chest, but what else can they do?

3)Do you have any tips on fun encounters, or general good ideas to make the dungeons feel more real, instead of a collection of rooms who might have a few static monsters waiting.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Aeshi]

I'm not really a D&D person but I'm pretty sure 1 depends on the critter in question and whether they've noticed (made a Spot/Listen check)

 

[blood77]

Ok for the most part you, being the DM, control all the NPCs. So if you want monsters to move around for patrols or sneak up on players you can do that.

By the way, did you get the DM's Guide? http://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Dungeon-Masters-Guide/dp/0786948809 Because a lot of this gets cleared up by that.

 

[Ranorak]

After reading the DM masters Guide again, I think I got a fairly good idea how monsters should react.

Thanks for reminding me Blood77

 

[Oinodaemon]

1. Treat the monsters like you ARE the monsters. If you were that kobold, could you see PC #1 ?
2.Monsters need to eat, sleep, and go to the bathroom, too, dont they?
3. MAKE YOUR OWN DUNGEONS!! cant stress that enough. If you need any quest ideas or tips or whatever, add me to your friends and i'll help you out (i've been DM'ing nigh on 8 years now, and theres no shame in getting inspiration from outside sources)

 

[Kwaren]

I cant help you with 4.0 cause I don't play it. Now If it was 3.5 I might be able to.

 

[Alpha Centauri]

1) All creatures have a sight range it can be found or made up, some creatures like Kolbolts can see in the dark, if the players are being quite then they have to roll a move silently check, while the Kolbolts have to roll a listen check.

2) Give them a personality, have one be increadbly stupid, and the other avrage intellagnce, or make the pace around voiceing their displeasure about having to gaurd the stupid cheast.

3) Make the dungeon have a meaning, make it like the lost tomb of some old lord of the land, make the players wonder about its all about, a few books or tapastries can easily livien things up. As well give the creatures a reason to be their, don't just be they are because I said so, ask yourself these questions. Why are they there? What are they doing? Why should the players care?

Hope this helps, I've been DMing for 3 1/2 years now.

 

[Oinodaemon]

another thing, try to get a hold of an old AD&D DM's guide,theyre much better than 4.0

 

[Alpha Centauri]

another thing, try to get a hold of an old AD&D DM's guide,theyre much better than 4.0

That is for sure!

 

[dragontiers]

I haven't played 4.0, but your questions seem pretty generic to D&D, so I'll attempt to help.

1)Treat the NPC monsters the same way you would treat your character. Find out if they have line of sight, make spot/listen checks, and (especially if they are guarding an area) assume they have a decent chance of noticing something out of place (like the sound of a fighter in plate mail clanking down a hallway that's usually quiet, doors opened that they left closed, things missing or broken, etc.) and putting out an alarm. Above all, don't be afraid to make the monsters pro-active.

2)Think of the kobolds' motivations. Why are they guarding the chest? What would YOU be doing if you were stuck guarding a chest? Is there a watch cycle, with changing of the guard, or are they stuck there all the time? Try to think of them as living creatures with their own concerns and desires. Also, don't be afraid to take a close look at the monsters' stats and use some of the more unusual abilities they may have. Just because a creature is hostile, doesn't mean it is just going to attack with it's weapon. It might flee when hurt, cast spell/use potions to buff/heal itself, or even try to sneak attack and ambush party members. Get creative.

3)Always try and think of why the monster is there. Treat it like you would a character you are playing. Give things personalities, ambitions, reactions, and most of all, make them use strategies. That lone kobold patrolling a hallway probably won't just stand and fight when it encounters the party. More likely, it will run two doors down and get help from the orcs in room 3B. Try and make everything make sense from the monsters point of view. This really helps things come alive, and not just seem like a list of scripted encounters for the players to push through.

Good luck with your session!

 

[Mr. In-between]

OP: Puzzles and traps are your best friend when designing a dungeon. Keep in mind, that when I say "Puzzles and traps" that I am not talking about a stupid fetch-quest or "hurr durr, you shtepped on the tile of dharknessh, sho now you take 2d4 damage". A trap can be something so simple as a powerful magnetic force which slows movement of heavily armored characters or an anti-magic damper over a certain area. A good puzzle could be a door that transports the party out of the dungeon into an unknown location (this opens up room to take the story in a new direction).

I've never played 4.0 because the time that I was really big into D&D was around the tail-end of 2.0 and a good portion of 3.0 (despite thinking that Hasbro's buyout of WoTC ruined M:tG and D&D). All I do know about 4.0 is that from what I've seen, they are basicallytrying to make D&D into table top WoW, which is the anti-thesis of everything that D&D was supposed to be.

If you can find a 2.0 player's handbook, I would suggest getting that and finding a way to incorporate some of the more diverse magic into your game. Having damn near every spell be offensive or healing makes being a magic user incredibly boring.


Also, take a look into psionics. They add an incredible amount of diversity to a game.

 

[WitherVoice]

The art of DMing DnD is only limited by your imagination and cruelty.

A few thoughts: basically, the kobolds that are guarding the chest are likely on home turf. They know the terrain, every nook and cranny. If it's the woods, a whole BUNCH of them are probably waiting in a tree to fill the PCs with arrows/darts. Kobolds are notorious for their traps; odds are good that as you're walking through the underbrush, suddenly the characters will find themselves in front of a pile of rolling logs rapidly incoming, with their escape from said path (for extra cruelty) containing a spiked pit trap where the spikes are smeared with plant venom or dung (neither too deadly on the short term, but unpleasant and debilitating).

Another thought: it's likely that they have patrols out, and those patrols are not unlikely to spot the PCs before they get to that chest. Which means that as they're planning their assault on the guards, they likely have twice as many kobolds behind them, biding their time. Oh, and the magical treasure from the chest? It should not be in the chest, it should be in the hands of the chieftain or their tribe's strongest warrior.

Basically, if there's treasure, and the monsters are there, they've likely repelled others who wanted the treasure and/or the lair; likely they've killed adventurers who had the treasure to begin with. A fun thing to do is include relatively freshly killed or wounded people already in the traps; that said, kobolds EAT dead adventurers; they are small and humans are big, why waste all that meat?

A low-level campaign against kobolds, if played right, can be an absolute horror story that could well leave the low-level PCs scarred for life, and make them (even when they have advanced and become great heroes) flinch and look nervously over their backs if ever they see evidence of kobold activity.

So I implore you, don't short-change the poor kobolds by leaving them spread around in easily-pulled twos and threes. These are not cannon fodder... well, not ONLY cannon fodder... they are nasty, devious, cruel and vicious little bastards who want to puncture you with hundreds of little wounds, lick the blood from their blades, then cook you and eat you... while your friends watch and wait their turn, preferably.

 

[Halceon]

1) when do monsters "notice" PC? To formulate my question better, do they have a aggro range? What is the threshold that switches from passive to aggressive monsters?

Don't ever think of your monsters in computer game terms. They notice people when it's reasonable to notice them. It's your decision as a gamemaster, wehter they are aggressive or not, sleepy or not, half blind or eagle-eyed.

2)How do I make monsters less static. I.e. those kobolds are guarding that chest, but what else can they do?

Even guards aren't static, they'll be patrolling or passing the time in some way. If they are just hangin out in the dungeon, expect them to be eating, sleeping, performing their rituals, sparring, grooming and whatever else somebody does in their free time.

3)Do you have any tips on fun encounters, or general good ideas to make the dungeons feel more real, instead of a collection of rooms who might have a few static monsters waiting.

Plan your dungeons with a purpose. Nobody goes "Hey, you know? I think i'll build an array of rooms here in this mountainside." It might be a prison, a crypt, a military outpost, a sprawling underground fortress or whatever else you might imagine. A good shortcut to maps is the Dwarf Fortress map archive (provided you know how to read them), you'll have extensive dungeons that are actually built with utility in mind.

 

[ManBarrel]

I've never played 4e at length, but hopefully some of these things might help.

Monsters should notice PCs based on A-what they are doing, B-Environment, and C-What the PCs have been doing previously. Example, if a group of kobolds have been told by their chief to explore the crypt and guard any treasure they find, they will be alert and waiting in defensive positions (noticing the PCs at the sound of footsteps/the slightest sign of them). They will probably also hide behind things that are already in the crypt (statues, coffins, ect), and may hide more effectively if they hear the PCs coming (or the pitched battle in the room next to them.

Monsters can be less static when they roam the corridors talking to each other about x or y. It is important (as people have stated) that they be put in an environment that makes sense for the monster in question i.e. - don't put an underground race in an air-castle. Also stated earlier - what is their purpose there: exploration, home, conquest?

For fun encounters, consider the environment and what that can bring to the table. Traps in the heat of battle can really tip the scales one way or the other (things like pit traps), but others (poison darts) can just nudge the sword-happy PCs into more caution while going through the dungeon. Also- if while going through the crypt, things in the environment start to affect them. If on the cursed alter to a forgotten Demon god, when the first drop of blood is split on it, it begins to ascend/descend/catch fire/give evil creatures bonuses or some other thing OTHER than the enemies for the PCs to worry about, that is what brings an environment alive


hope this helps

 

[HellsingerAngel]

From a veteran to a beginner, here are my thoughts:

1) Whatever seems realistic. If it's a large, flat plain, you could probably see for a good distance. If it's a dense jungle or foggy, you may only see them when they're five feet in front of you. Also, you should always look at two things to determine what would be feasible for this creature: vision modifiers (low-light, dark, tremorsense, etc etc) and their Perception score. As the DMG states, unless someone is actively looking for people (like a sentry guard dedicated to watching to horizon) characters and NPCs should always be considered taking 10 on any Perception checks needed to be made. So if a passive 15 Perception check (Taking 10 + 5 ranks) is enough to see the PCs marching onward across the grassy field, then they see them. Simple as that.

2) What are the monster's motivations? Is there a reason the kobolds are guarding the treasure? How dedicated to that end are they? What's the group composition of the guards? The neat thing about 4.0 comapred to pervious versions is that most battle really feel like Party vs. Party encounters. Monsters now have roles in an encounter and specialize in what they do best (lurker, soldier, controller, etc etc, kind of like a group of PCs do with their class slection (defender, striker, leader and controller). To that end, the dynamics of a group of kobolds could be as varied as a few grunts grizzled on the front lines, a priest to lead them spiritually, a captain of the guard to lead them tactically, a mage that revels in dark magics and is misunderstood by his companions and a tracker/guide who's spent years tunnel running the depths of dwarven caverns as a sabateur.

You also need to consider how they're guarding the treasure. Do they have traps set-up (sneaky kobolds!) to eliminate their size difference? How are they taking guard shifts? Does the tracker/guide kobold run scouting routes outside their base of operations? Have they set-up early warning systems so they can be prepared for an attack when it comes? These are things to consider when not only fleshing out the intrigue of the story but the encounter itself. A small group of kobolds might be a larger threat if they have a bunch of traps built to assist them, bumping up the effective CR of the fight!

3) Think of this as a storybook or a movie, rather than a game. Once you realise you aren't limited to just kicking down doors, the possibilities are endless! I would also encourage using skill check encounters to mix things up a little. Maybe the PCs cause an avalanche and they need to start making some endurence checks to run away from it. Give bonuses for creativity. The Wizard has flight so he just flies away, but can only choose one other PC to save, the Fighter has Athletics so he maybe gets either a small bonus to his endurance checks OR can make a reduced DC athletics check to succeed instead of an endurence check, but only the one time! (athletics is too varied and distanced from long distance running to truly help more than just a little bit). Penny Arcade did some cool things with a free-fall combat encounter of a 3D grid or an MMO style cavern city where PCs had to go out and collect 15 spider legs or some such silliness. If you're ona budget and can't afford unique things like minitures and terrain, sometimes having varied locations that you can imagine are fun. Ever consider going to the Feywild? Prismatically coloured trees that hum in harmony to the wind striking them, animals with fur that wisps about even if there's no wind at the time, three suns that are coloured red, blue and yellow cycle in the sky; really, your options are only limited to your own imagination!

Overall, it sounds like you guys are having fun, and if it's just the two of you, maybe taking suggests on what your other players wants to do is a good idea. If he says he wants to see something out of a horror film, give him a crypt haunted by wights, phantoms and aliens from an extradimenional plane. If he wants to explore a jungle, go to a towering ruin made of solid gold with treasure beyond your wildest imaginations if you can survive the traps ahead. Maybe he wants to go fight a war and become a veteran. Just give him a small scale war to the west where civil unrest has brought upon some freedom fighters to rise up against a tyranical government, however, the head of state is now changing and one of the candidates is truly a compassionate person towards the plight of the people, even if the rebels don't believe him! Again, it's your imagination, run with it and fun will follow =)

 

[Ranorak]

Thank you all for the useful tips.

While I'm sadly finding out that the friend I was playing with, is more of a Rollplayer, then a roleplayer. I did manage to strike a different friend's curiosity. I'm starting to love this freedom more and more, and I think I could really enjoy this game a lot.

Keep up the good advice, I'm always eager to learn more.

 

[Sangtrain]

is more of a Rollplayer, then a roleplayer.

This right here is one of the biggest killjoys when playing D&D it's even worse when your DM is more concerned with the "Rollplay" puts down your wants to actually RP characters and be able to interact.


and then shortly after talk about how D&D is soooooo much better than WoW(Which it is.) but basically turn D&D INTO pen and paper WoW.

 

[Plurralbles]

Move back to 3.5.

Mostly, just the GM decides everything you asked. mroe fun? Joke around. Dont' be too serious and it'll all end up awesome.

 

[armaina]

1) when do monsters "notice" PC? To formulate my question better, do they have a aggro range? What is the threshold that switches from passive to aggressive monsters?

There is no 'aggro range' for monsters in D&D. Basically, you need to plan out where monsters are and consider what they would or would not hear. Plus there are things like slient/hide checks for players. Most of it is just using well, 'common sense' in the realm of what a character is doing and what could be noticed.

2)How do I make monsters less static. I.e. those kobolds are guarding that chest, but what else can they do?

Make characters, not monsters. When using a species find out a little about their cultural aspects, how they live, what they like.

3)Do you have any tips on fun encounters, or general good ideas to make the dungeons feel more real, instead of a collection of rooms who might have a few static monsters waiting.

Well making there being a real reason to actually go through that dungeon, a purpose for it. It's better if it's something more than get X item for X person. Maybe you can attach a lore to it, maybe taking X item made things worse. Maybe some unimportant item that was looted off a monster ended up being more important than originally thought, or maybe it causes some sort of curse. You need to think of stories as a whole, not just the dungeon itself. Also, you can do siege runs on castles, searching haunted woods or swamps for some mage, tracking down gangs of thieves while getting bitten at by the wildlife. Maybe it could be an in-town search to look for the right guy you need for information or maybe a mob boss of sorts. Also, remember that RP is just as important as Combat.

What you have to remember is that, as a DM, you must be a story teller. You must create a world and creatures in that world. You need to create details and some minute things, you need to be able to know what would happen if the party takes a completely different turn from what you were attempting to lead them to, because it will happen. Being a DM, a good DM, can be a complicated and time consuming thing. You will need to do a lot of writing, and even a lot of researching. Remember that even though the Monster Manual has stats on the monsters you encounter you could still pull inspiration from other codex or worlds to shape other creature's mindsets and cultures. If you want you can even take your own spin on it.

Have fun with it, the possibilities really are endless.