Taking 20 Podcast - Ep 80 - Non-Combat Encounters

Episode Date: July 4, 2021

Combat encounters are easy.  Stab, slash, or shoot the other team until they aren't trying to kill you.  Non-combat encounters can be just as challenging and fun, though.  In this episode Jeremy talks about types of this important tool in your arsenal and how to challenge PCs with them.

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for tuning in to episode 80 of the Taking 20 podcast. This week, all about non-combat and social encounters. This week's sponsor is the Novellum Bookstore. Come see our section on how to seduce book lovers called Metaphor Play. We have a website, by the way, www.taking20podcast.com. Feel free to come by, leave some feedback on some episodes. I'd love to hear from you. Also, if you're interested in supporting the podcast, we have a ko-fi slash taking20podcast. Come on by if you'd like to support the podcast and feel free to leave a small donation. I'd

greatly appreciate it. It all goes to the running of this podcast. I've played a ton of different game systems, from D&D Redbox all the way through Pathfinder 2E, and there's one consistent thing I've discovered in nearly every gaming table of every game edition going on 40 years now. The vast majority of problems are solved with combat. now. The vast majority of problems are solved with combat. D&D, Pathfinder, Starfinder, Traveler, they all tend to resolve encounters by shooting things until they stop moving. Do you know how to use that thing? Yes. Point the end goes into the other man. There are exceptions. Game systems like Mouse Guard, Paranoia, Fiasco, and Delta Green diminish the combat aspects of role-playing games

and focus more on solving problems by other means. I think these other systems can teach we D&D and Pathfinder GMs about the importance of non-combat encounters. But I'm going to give you the same preface I have before. If your group loves combat encounters more than non-combat, then by all means keep giving them lots and lots of combat encounters. Hell, the way D&D and similar systems are designed, combat will always take center stage. Combat encounters are easy and clear-cut. We're the good guys, you're the bad guys, you want to kill us, so we're going to try to kill you right back. Simple, clean, and easy. But let's talk about non-combat encounters, because I think we should all know how to include them in our games, even if they aren't as simple, clean, and easy. But let's talk about non-combat encounters, because I think we should all know how to include them in our games, even if they aren't as simple, clean, and easy.

What the heck are non-combat encounters? Well, this is going to sound like a stupid definition, but they're any event or encounter that can't be solved by stabbing something until it has zero hit points. They require role-playing, skill checks, interrogation of NPCs, or other skills on that sheet besides attack and damage. What kinds of non-combat encounters are there? They come in a number of flavors, and I want to list my nine types of non-combat encounters. 1. Social Encounters PCs have to use influence, diplomacy, intimidation, bluff, flirt, or other skills that change another person's reaction to you or make an impression on them. These are

situations where your charisma-based characters can really shine, like sorcerers, paladins, and bards. They come in a ton of different flavors, but some examples would be a negotiation with someone, or a gala or party. I love running PCs through high society parties so much. All the members of the party have to display poise, grace, charm, and navigate the dangerous double-speaking waters of society. Gives your characters with strong social skills their chance to shine. But don't forget your more martially focused characters, and don't let them completely fade into the background. The barbarian is trying to hide behind the large house plant in the corner, feeling like a turd in a punch bowl,

when he's approached by Lady Snobbery of I'm Better Than You Lane. Ooh, I haven't seen you in town before. You're not with these pathetic elf servants, are you? I think one of them stole a bracelet from me during the celebration last year. What do you think of elves, my good man? Your players around your table slowly turn to the barbarian player, absolutely terrified of what he will say in reply. Krog, I need a diplomacy check, please. A die tumbles to the table and everyone holds their breath. Krog no like knife-ear thieves.

They make room stink. Oh, so true, my dear. You are simply delightful and a breath of fresh air compared to this usual rabble. You really should come to my daughter's cotillion next weekend and meet her. She loves the strong elf-hating type. And just like that, Krog's player now has to be racist against elves to maintain his cover. Meanwhile, the elf bard overhears the conversation and is planning on shitting in Krog's pillow tonight. Galas and parties are fun, but social encounters could also be haggling with a shopkeeper,

trying to get information of the local shoeshine girl, trying to talk their way out of failures or bad rolls. Like the party stealth mission goes completely tango umbrella, sorry, goes south, goes wrong, screws the pooch, crashes and burns, goes up in smoke, gives up the ghost. Otherwise, it fails and they try to convince the guards they're treating the building for ants or something. I need to leave this topic here in order to cover the other non-combat encounters, but social encounters where characters built for NPC interactions can really shine should be a part of your campaign, even if only occasionally. Think about modern society. We're not allowed to solve every problem with a gun in the U.S. no matter where we live. Most interactions with people don't involve weaponry or threats. So give a few of those interactions to your party and see how they like them. If they're keen, sprinkle in a few every now and then. But let's leave people behind to move on to environmental encounters, where nature itself seems to be against the PCs

due to a sudden change in circumstances. A blizzard or storm rolls in and the PCs must use skill checks to find an appropriate place to wait out the storm. That place can lead to more adventures. A cave that turns out to be occupied. A mysterious hut that happened to be within walking distance occupied two brothers and a sister with a total of five teeth among them. A landslide, an avalanche, or a flash flood. PCs have to make checks to get out of the path of the natural disaster. One of my DMs during a one-shot had us fight at the base of a snowy mountain. When our bard used his beloved soundbirth spell, it triggered an avalanche. We made checks to see if we could avoid it, but my character, who was in heavy armor and ran very slowly, couldn't make

it and got buried. The DM turned it into skill checks to locate me before I suffocated. I made some intelligence checks to try to help the rest of the party find me. Like, I carved out a little pocket to breathe, I spit some saliva and watched what direction it fell. And whatever direction it fell, I stuck my sword the other way so that they could see I was sticking my sword up. They eventually rescued me, and I proceeded to hug the bard and tell her if she uses soundburst on a mountain again, I'm throwing her off of it. The Taking20 podcast.

Come for the advice and infantile jokes. Stay for tips on how to survive an avalanche. Sinkhole or quicksand. You have to think quickly or get crushed or drowned. A washed-out bridge up ahead. The fallen tree in the road, which is a common ambush technique. If your party is anything like mine, they will be absolutely convinced they're about to get jumped by ogres, troglodytes, or trolls when there's a tree across a path. Earthquake,

forest fire, lightning storm. Throw any one of these at the players and see how they think on their feet. Let them use their skills to try to survive whatever environmental encounter that you get. Now, it doesn't have to be a sudden onset. It also could be an extended encounter with the environment. An oppressively hot environment that saps the strength of the PCs. Bitter cold that does damage to them the longer they're exposed. The vacuum of space or underwater. You know, I think I probably need to do a whole episode on underwater combat and underwater adventures, so stay tuned for that. The terrain itself can also be an encounter. Harsh areas for exploration due to insects, foliage, razor-sharp rocks that can cut spacesuits, anything that can cause a danger to the PCs. Take, for example, the Curse of Strahd.

The land is Strahd and worked for Strahd. The fog, the fauna, the flora, all of it exists at the pleasure of Strahd and works to his advantage. Rivers, thick brambles, cliffs, fog, deep canyons can all be challenges caused by the environment that the PCs have to negotiate. Since my wife and I both have allergies, as we regularly say, nature sucks and it's trying to kill us, so let's move on to skill challenges. A skill challenge is a game mechanic used when PCs are attempting something more complicated than a single check can adjudicate. Skill challenges require multiple steps and can have multiple contributors to its success or failure. As a term, skill challenge was born in D&D 4th edition, but it's existed as a concept ever since RPGs have existed. You have to succeed at something a certain number of times before you fail a different number of times.

Chasing someone through a city, fortifying a defensible position, persuading a noble of something, tracking down a criminal, escaping from jail, influencing the outcome of a battle. a criminal, escaping from jail, influencing the outcome of a battle. Running a skill challenge is simple, and the DM keeps track of the number of successes and failures that the party has. The DM sets the difficulty class, or DC, or at least an estimate of it based on the game system. For example, in 5th edition, easy is DC 10, moderate is 15, hard is 20, and so forth. The DM determines the number of successes and failures for the skill challenge of certain skills that could be used. I want to do a whole episode on skill challenges because I love them, so much more is coming on these handy tools in the coming weeks. The fourth type of

non-combat encounter I want to talk about are exploration opportunities. 5e defines exploration succinctly. It includes both the adventurer's movement through the world and their interactions with objects and situations that require their attention. Exploration is the give and take of the players describing what they want their characters to do and the dungeon master just telling the players what happens as a result. It could be an environmental encounter like scaling a cliff, negotiating badlands, or finding food. Exploration non-combat encounters could also be noticing creatures before they're encountered to give the players options. Avoid the fight, ambush the creatures, or charge headlong.

Finding environmental dangers like myconid breeding grounds or owlbear nests. Searching an area, whether that's a cave, a ruin, or entire wilderness hex to discover what's there. These activities use various skill checks that could lead to other social or combat encounters. Fifth type of non-combat encounter I want to talk about are creature encounters that don't require combat. Yes, this is a subset of social encounters above, but they usually don't happen in cities. Discussions, negotiations, and calming hostile creatures. The example I'll use is negotiating safe passage through land owned by the kobold clan, the clan of the burning hand. The clan of the burning hand

has become a recurring villain in my regular DMs campaign, and this clan has lasted for nearly 15 years now and through about four different campaigns, all because of my character and my hubris. I was playing a rogue shadow dancer and our party was traveling over land, but one cave pass was blocked by a crudely built wall manned by a few kobolds. They demanded a tribute to allow us to pass. My 10 intelligence rogue said, they're kobolds, let's just kill them and move on. Without waiting for a reply, he bamfed, sorry, shadow teleported behind the wall and got lit up. These weren't kobolds. They all had class levels and good equipment. They promptly beat my rogue within an inch of his life.

He shadow teleported back to the party and the entire table just roared with laughter. We were sixth level at the time and I got taught one hell of a lesson. Remind yourself that overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer. And as an aside, if you haven't played Darkest Dungeon, which is where that quote is from, and like roguelike turn-based combat where you periodically get your sack kicked in, I highly recommend it. It's like an abusive relationship. I just keep coming back to it. Also, I want that announcer's voice. But because of the clan of the Burning Hand encounter, the sheer number of kobolds in my DM's world who are members of this clan is staggering.

We've encountered them on three continents now. Another type of non-combat encounter, you could be resolving conflicts, like a war between two towns or two sets of creatures, helping to resolve misunderstandings. The sixth type of non-combat encounter I want to mention are mysteries. The lost wallet on the side of the road. I can hear the paladin now. We must find this Joseph Fanningbottom and bring him his wallet back. Oh lord, here we go.

They could also find clues to a side quest or an adventure. They find a note written from Shalara to Jandar, seeking his help and professing her love. But when the party finds Jandar, he tells them that Shalara disappeared from town two years ago, and this is dated yesterday. These mysteries can drop breadcrumbs that can lead to a mystery you've built or always wanted to run. Be obvious, by the way. As obvious as you're thinking you need to be, be more obvious than that. No, no, more obvious than that, because PCs tend to miss even obvious clues. Oh shit, I'm like 13 minutes in, so I need to hit

the gas pedal. Seventh type of non-combat encounter would be haunts. All credit to Pathfinder for this idea. Haunts are areas of evil that arise from sources of suffering. They're detailed in the book Occult Adventures if you want to read more detail. Undead are drawn to them so you can sprinkle some combat in as well. Its effects have a trigger and they're a great opportunity to drop some haunted house-like encounters into your campaign. I love horror adventures so I love haunts. They have effects that can vary from hit point damage to ability score damage to negative spell effects or maybe even curses if

they're really, really strong. There may be ways to delay the effects of a haunt, disable it for a time, or perhaps get rid of it entirely using skills, spells, sanctification, hallowing the area, and so forth. So read up about haunts. They're a fantastic non-combat encounter. Eighth type would be competitions. Fairs, celebrations, any other thing that would have a competition for a prize. Axe throwing, archery, pie eating contests, drinking contests, etc. Hell, it could be thumb wrestling, beer pong, scavenger hunts, or swimming and running races. There's a book PDF I bought a long time ago, and it's probably on RPG Now, called Tournaments, Fairs, and Taverns. It contains a number of

non-combat encounters, from jousting to conjuration combat. It's for Pathfinder 1e, but it's easy to convert to 5e or Pathfinder 2e. I highly recommend it because it's got some great ideas that will spark your imagination. But it could be this competition is an escalating series of skill checks or attack rolls to win the competition. Results are compared to either the other competitors in case of races and head-to-head competitions like arm wrestling, or a success DC set by the DM in the case of drinking games, eating contests, and so forth, until a winner or winners are named. You can even do a full set of Olympic games that way. A game session inside a tavern set of Olympic games that way.

A game session inside a tavern full of drinking games, the knife game where you splay your hand out on a table and stab a dagger between your fingers as quickly as you can, dice games, card games, etc. make for a fun gaming session that can break the tension of a long campaign. Since I mentioned the knife game, this is for your characters to do, not your players. This is not the time to try to get your players to start stabbing between their own fingers. Characters can do it. Don't make your players do it. Ninth type I want to mention is opportunities to help NPCs. This last category is for any of a broad set of situations where an NPC needs the PC's help, but it's not combat related.

Examples include helping out an NPC with a task. One of our squires, for example, had a date at one gaming session, and our party took it upon themselves to help him get ready and make the best first impression. One player who was playing the biggest, baddest barbarian worked hard to get a good deal on a nice carriage for the date. The cleric did his hair, the bard was giving him jokes. Honest to goodness, when I saw how invested they were in this young man's date, I scrapped my plans for the evening from behind the DM screen and we roleplayed the shit out of it. Two of the party members disguised themselves so they could be at the restaurant and watch how the date went. One other bribed the maitre d' before the squire and his date arrived to make

sure they got a romantic secluded table. They cranked roleplay up to 11 and it was completely unexpected. It was so satisfied that they'd asked the squire how it was going every time they returned home and could talk to the squire again. So of course, guess who the big bad kidnaps? The squire's date. And the squire left to rescue her. The party had to chase up to the squire and convince him that they could help, keep him alive while they rescued his love,

and in one of my favorite roleplay movements of all time, when they infiltrated the keep and found where the prisoners were kept, they let the squire burst through the door to be the big damn hero while they slunk off to clear an exit path for the happy couple. Hell yes, they gained the level on the spot that night. Another example where they may have to help NPCs would be a wagon stuck on the side of the road, helping a merchant or family get on their way, helping an old dwarf cross the hover bike lane,

and so forth. Be creative when you think about these non-combat situations because the NPC could be an animal. A horse is pregnant, starting to give birth, but there are complications. A dog with a collar keeps approaching the PCs from the forest and then turning to run away, but obviously wants the PCs to follow. There are thousands of potential non-combat encounters out there and a ton of random generators that can help you with ideas. But what makes for a good non-combat encounter? Well, there are four basic things I want to mention. One, regardless of the kind of non-combat encounter, goals should be clear. Goals of combat are clear. Kill the bad guys.

Stop the bad guys from killing you. Similarly, non-combat encounters should have clear goals. Stop the bad guy from destroying the dam. Catch the thief. Determine which will is a forgery. Return all the sheep to the pen. Repair the catapult in time to use it against the attacking goblin horde.

If your non-combat encounter involves NPCs, these NPCs need to be well-defined. Have a list of NPCs with names, descriptions, goals, and motivations. If you can do different voices, great, even if the voices sound stupid. If you can't do different voices, just make sure the PCs know who's speaking. Important NPCs should be described. The Empress they're trying to convince to help them. The bandit holding the Squire's love hostage. Just make sure the PCs know who they're interacting with.

Third tip for a good non-combat encounter. Whatever the non-combat encounter is, try to pique the PC's curiosity. Give the PCs a reason to take the bait that has the hook in it. A reward for winning the competition. A mystery to be solved. A purpose to participate in the non-combat situation. If nothing else, appeal to the PC's sense of duty and honor. If they don't have that and they're just a bunch of bastards, appeal to their greed.

Find some way to get the PCs to engage with this non-combat situation. Fourth tip for a good non-combat encounter, encourage and reward role-playing by the players. Good role-play decisions should be rewarded with whatever your game system allows. Advantage on die rolls, hero points, bottle caps, pieces of eight, experience points. Non-combat encounters provide a great break from the combat-heavy role-playing adventurers and can sprinkle in variety to your game sessions. They give your characters that are better built for social encounters and skill checks than combat an opportunity to step up to the spotlight and showcase their abilities. So add some non-combat encounters to your next game session. You and your players may just have fun doing it. non-combat encounters to your next game session. You and your players may just have fun doing it.

Please like, subscribe, rate, and share this podcast if you like it. If you're watching on YouTube, hit that little notification bell and you'll find out exactly when I release new videos. Tune in next week when I'll talk about lycanthropy and other curses. This week's sponsor, by the way, was the Novellum Bookstore. Come see our selection on Black Holes. They will really suck you in. This has been Taking 20, Episode 80, Non-Combat and Social Encounters. My name is Jeremy Shelley, and I hope that your next game is your best game.