For a while during a couple of campaigns I ran last year, I’d decided to stop putting monsters in rooms. Instead, each room was randomly generated based on a small d6 table.

This was an insane idea, and while I probably wouldn’t use it so ubiquitously now, it did have its merits, primarily in the way it helped introduce looming threats.

Random Encounters and Wandering Monsters

The idea behind the d6 encounter table is to fully randomize what types of threats – or boons – player characters will face any time they open a door, turn a corner, or simply wait around. The tables I used in my games looked something like this:

1: A major threat draws nearer…
2: Standard threat plus ROLL AGAIN
3: Standard threat
4: Standard threat OR nothing
5: Nothing. All is quiet.
6: Some boon (treasure, resources, information, an ally, etc.)

These results were sometimes tied to other tables. For instance, for each area, I’d have a short list (1d6) of potential treasures or useful items player characters might find in any given room in a dungeon (in addition to whatever other items I might have placed there intentionally).

Standard threats were usually whatever kinds of monsters would inhabit that area. For instance, 3 and 4 might result in the party finding 2d6 troglodytes in a room. I’d sometimes have two different standard threats, which could be different monsters, but you could totally throw other hazards in there, like traps, falling debris, etc. They could also be the same monster too, potentially in varying numbers.

Then there was the fun part: rolling a 1.

A Threat Draws Nearer…

Rolling a 1 on this table counts down a timer (usually a count of 3) linked to a wandering monster. Each time you roll a 1, you count the timer down and give your players some cool signal that something particularly dangerous is in the area. A distant roar, loud footsteps, a cold sense of dread (in my games, places with powerful undead always feel cold), and stuff like that will help ramp up the tension as player characters get closer and closer to meeting this threat.

Once that timer gets down to 0, the monster appears. If there are other encounters planned (or rolled) for that area, it could get hectic pretty quickly, which is nearly always a good time.

It also implies that this monster is actively hunting them, or at the very least is active in the area. It’s not a static monster waiting for the player characters to show up – your players could encounter it anywhere at any time.

This monster should be a significant threat. It doesn’t have to TPK the party, but it should be enough to push your players to think on their feet when it finally arrives. Otherwise, all that dread you’re building up won’t really amount to much.

Limitations and Notes

This method for generating encounters can be fun, but it’s definitely possible to over-apply it. I find it’s best combined with hand-placed encounters and treasures so the dungeon doesn’t feel samey as your players trudge through it. It can also lead to scenarios where players find nothing in most rooms in a dungeon.

I literally had a party roll nearly consistent 5’s as they explored a dungeon. They didn’t have a major fight until they were on their way out. It can happen.

The wandering monster may also end up not being used. Remember that it’s a 1-in-6 chance that you’ll even get to count down the timer, so if you want your wandering monster to show up, you’ll want to plan on about 18 different instances where someone rolls the encounter die. Great for larger dungeons or wider areas, but it might be a bit unwieldy for smaller excursions. In those cases, you might consider reducing the timer. You might even have the thing appear the first time a 1 is rolled, though that does mean you’ll miss out on the suspense of this method.

Try It Out!

The d6 dungeon encounter table is a fairly simple method to introduce some fun randomness and mounting dread to your games. If you try it out or have other ideas to add, let me know!

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