Encounter Example

The encounter is the building blocks of your campaign. Each encounter should have an image to represent the encounter, an overview of what might happen in the encounter. Details of the encounter, map(s), NPCs/Foes/Assets and DM notes that describe the possible outcomes. For each encounter I try and prepare for the following outcome possibilities.

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There are 5 potential actions, that the GM needs to be prepared for, that the players may take for each encounter. This is what I try and answer in the DM notes section.

1. Parley, the characters try to talk their way out.

2. Combat, they fight.

3. Trick, they try to sneak past the scenario.

4. Discover, they take the time to figure out information to get by.

5. Avoid, they skip the scenario all together.

Campaign Overview and Generating Images

The overview is just that. An overview of what the encounter is about. I will often use the AI assistant to write for me a nice overview and description of what it is about. From there I flesh out the details and add in the additional items to make the encounter playable.

I make sure to include descriptions that the GM can read for the players and highlights of who is involved within the encounter. I put the details in the DM notes.

TIP: When making a new encounter I will often ask the AI to generate for me a nice written description of the encounter. This is what I then save into the overview. From that description I have the platform generate for me a nice image of the encounter. Once I am happy with the image I then flesh out the overview section of the encounter in greater detail. The main reason is not to confuse the AI with content that it should not consider when making an image.

DM Notes

The DM notes is where I reveal the details of the encounter and help prepare the GM for the 5 possible outcomes.

1. Parley, the characters try to talk their way out.

2. Combat, they fight.

3. Trick, they try to sneak past the scenario.

4. Discover, they take the time to figure out information to get by.

5. Avoid, they skip the scenario all together.

This is also where I like to try and answer the questions of how this encounter helps to either, move the story forward and/or add tension to the story. I also know GMs who like to throw random encounters into their campaign that have nothing to do with the story, but the purpose of those encounters is to make the world feel alive.

I also have map descriptions, room descriptions and details about the encounter for the GM.

Encounter Maps

This is where you can include one or more maps for the encounter. Below I provided a map that gives an overview of the small town and each of the encounter locations. I also included a map of the inside of the building if applicable.

The Encounter Difficulty Planner

Built into each encounter is the ability to calculate the difficulty of that encounter. The system will take the PCs level and compare it against the foes experience and number of foes to provide a potential outcome. This will allow you to ramp up or down the encounter.

To do this I add in the foes first. Any foe that has been set with a CR rating will have an xp value. Next I add in the PCs that will participate in the encounter. If the PCs have a level set they will get a xp threshold. The combination of these two sets of numbers will provide a general encounter difficulty rating from easy to deadly.

Items

Building out different items is what can really set you game apart. I will take the time and use AI to generate menus, books, scrolls, artwork, and/or special items that I can story tell around. When you combine a really cool item, with a PCs background, an interesting plot twist, or introduce a new piece of information through a book or scroll, it really helps bring the encounter alive.

In the below example I created a menu and a map that is hanging on the wall in a tavern.

Encounter AI Generator

The encounter AI generator is a new GM tool that will read from you campaign and module overview. The more information you have in each module overview the better outcomes you will get from the AI.

The generator first asks you if this encounter is related to a module.

It then gives you two options to direct the AI. You can either pick a topic or two or you can write a short description of the type of encounter you are looking for. The AI will generate for you one option. From their you can either regenerate another option or create the encounter.

When you choose to create the encounter, the system will generate for you images and a foe for your encounter. From here you can save the encounter into your campaign or you can delete and start over.

Once I have this encounter saved, I will us the AI assistant to have conversations with the content about how I can improve the encounter. I may build out more foes, assets, or fold in a twist into this encounter. Since the AI is trained on my campaign it provides back to me valuable information.

My two favorite buttons are the read encounter and encounter overview button. Read encounter, does just that, it reads the encounter and is prepared to have a conversation with you about your encounter. Encounter Overview, writes a summary for both the GM and the players.

My favorite questions to ask the AI assistant about my encounter.

Give me 3 ideas on how I can better tie this encounter to my campaign.
Tell me how I may tie this encounter back to one of my players. (I may feed the AI more information about my player)
Critic my encounter, tell me what I can improve to make this a more impactful encounter.
Give me 3 ideas of interesting Foes or NPCs that I could introduce in this encounter, tell me why they would be there and make sure they are relevant to the campaign.