RPG Encounter Builder

Choose a pattern:

Seed / Core Idea:

What's the central concept? (Monster, location, narrative idea)

Dramatic Question:

What are the players trying to accomplish and why should they care?

Hooks / Calls to Action:

How is the dramatic question presented? Aim for multiple hooks appealing to different motivations (Good, Neutral, Evil, Personal). Note any urgency.

Encounter Type:

This is a scene presenting a conflict or tense sequence needing resolution, not just combat.

Primary Source of Conflict:

Identify the main opposing force or challenge.

Why it Opposes PCs:

Explain the direct reason for opposition.

NPC/Creature/Faction Motivations & Goals:

Plan this from the beginning. It enables non-violent solutions and influences reactions. How do their actions and presence reinforce the encounter's atmosphere and the location's story?

Meaningful Decision Points:

Brainstorm how players resolve conflicts or which conflicts they address. Avoid single obvious paths.

Multiple Ways to Achieve Victory:

Move beyond simple survival or enemy defeat. A lack of decision points makes an encounter boring.

Player Objectives:

Define objectives beyond just defeating the opposition. This makes encounters less of an "HP race".

Opposition Objectives:

What are the goals of the opposing forces?

Consequences:

Player choices should have impact. Consider a spectrum of outcomes based on player success, partial success, failure, or specific choices made during the encounter.

Environment Description:

Detail the visual, auditory, and other sensory aspects of the location.

Atmosphere / Mood:

Describe the sensory details and overall feeling you want to evoke for this encounter.

Interactive Environmental Elements:

Identify elements that create tactical opportunities and make the scene "toyetic". Consider how these elements reflect the history, creators, or current inhabitants of this location and their goals. How do they reinforce the atmosphere?

Desired Emotional Intensity / Pacing Goal:

How does this encounter fit into the larger adventure's pacing?

End Conditions:

Helps maintain a brisk pace and prevent the encounter from overstaying its welcome. Support non-obvious outcomes.

Links to Campaign Notes:

Conceptually, this could link to other documents or notes within a larger GM toolkit.

Part of a Larger, Moving Situation:

Place the encounter within the broader campaign context.

Potential "Left Hooks" / Plot Points:

What unexpected developments could arise?

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