Creating an Encounter
Table of contents
Now that you have your monsters, you need to put them in front of the Heroes in an encounter. But there’s more to an encounter than simply putting a bunch of baddies in a big, empty room.
How Many Foes?
The first thing to consider is how many foes you should have in the encounter. As a general rule, a fight that has an equal number of Heroes to Normal foes will be a decent challenge, lasting the Heroes about 3 rounds of combat.
However, not all foes are equal! There’s a big difference between fighting five puny Bokoblin, and fighting five hulking Talus.
| Monster Type | # Heroes Equal To |
|---|---|
| Normal | 1 Hero |
| Swarm | 8 HP per Hero |
| Heavy | 1.5 Heroes |
| Miniboss | 2 Heroes |
| Boss | 4 Heroes |
A Boss, for instance, is the equal of a full group of 4 Heroes. These fierce foes are a deadly challenge all on their own!
A Miniboss is the equal of two Heroes; as such, it’s common to find Minibosses paired together, with a small retinue of Normal foes or a Swarm, or in a room full of traps.
A Heavy monster is equal to about one and a half Heroes. They’ll often be paired with a crew of Normal foes.
A Swarm is typically a fair match for a Hero per every 8 Hit Points it has. Thus, a Swarm of Keese with 16 Hit Points is a fair fight for a pair of Heroes.
What Rank are the Foes?
It’s a little harder to decide what Rank your foes should be – after all, Heroes don’t have a Rank to base your decision off of!
Instead, you should consider the Heroes’ equipment. If your Heroes are packing all Rank 2 weapons and armor, then they are probably up to the task of fighting a full complement of Rank 2 foes.
Don’t be afraid to vary this, especially when Heroes are comfortable with foes and equipment of a particular Rank… but you may want to do this slowly. One or two Rank 3 enemies, with some Rank 2 backup, will challenge Heroes in Rank 2 gear – and give them a start on getting Rank 3 items. No need to jump to a full group of Rank 3 foes right out; that could be a very difficult fight.
In general, a single Normal foe of Rank (N) is equal to about 2 Normal foes of Rank (N-1), in terms of difficulty.
What Roles do the Foes Have?
A battle against five of the same Monster is much less challenging, interesting, and fun, than a fight against a varied set of foes.
We recommend an encounter (that isn’t just a single Boss monster) have at least two different Monster Roles represented. Having different Roles ensures that the foes the Heroes fight aren’t all just clones of the same guy, and gives them something to chew on while they plan their tactics!
A Rallier might help keep a Warrior healthy during a fight, or assist a Hunter in side-stepping the Heroes; Protectors help keep Blasters safe, or keep Heroes from escaping the grasp of a Swarm of lesser foes.
Exactly how the Roles help one another varies from one Monster to the next, but that interplay gives Heroes an interesting dynamic to suffer from, observe, and then interrupt to their own advantage.
What Terrain is the Fight In?
Even once you have your baddies lined up and ready to fight, there’s still an important thing to consider: the terrain! Things that block line of sight, slow combatants down, or force them to consider the terrain in their strategies, all serve to make the fight more challenging and dynamic.
Be sure to consider how the Heroes and the foes might interact with the terrain. Can they set it on fire? Push it around? Activate it with a switch? Climb it, break through it, dig under it, fly over it, swim through it? Terrain that’s interactive is more interesting than obstacles that simply sit there, after all.
In general, neither the Heroes nor their foes should be right up against a map’s edge, unless one side is backed up against a literal wall. It’s important to give both sides room to maneuver, in whatever direction they choose, at the fight’s outset. Also, keep in mind that bigger foes require more open space to maneuver in!
Why Do the Foes Want to Fight?
It’s easy to say “the bad guys want to fight the Heroes because they’re bad guys.” However, this robs you of an opportunity to tell a story with the encounter, or to inspire you with new tricks and tidbits to make the fight more interesting.
For instance, if bandits are defending their territory from invading Heroes, they might be ensconced in defensive positions on the high ground, or have placed traps in strategic locations. If ravenous monsters are attacking the Heroes in the hopes of a filling meal, they may try to flank them to prevent their escape, or intimidate them by howling.
In both cases, you tell a story about the Heroes’ enemies, without them standing up and giving a speech about their motivations.
What’s the Twist?
Finally, consider what, if anything, you may want to do to give the encounter its own unique spin. Twists help keep encounters from feeling ‘same-y’ – two fights against similar foes can feel very different, if their twists help separate them.
One common way to do this in Reclaim the Wild is to give the foes equipment that differs from their typical listed loadout – whether it’s better or worse for them.
A brigand with a Fairy Dagger might have something interesting to say about how he got it, while a Darknut wearing tattered scraps of cloth instead of their typical heavy plate armor might belie a past they would prefer be forgotten.
Another way to do this is to have something happen during or after the fight begins. For instance, if the ceiling cave begins to collapse, or lava begins to rise, that livens the fight up and keeps Heroes on their toes.
Finally, the twist might come at the end of the fight. Perhaps the foes were an illusion, or were keeping some larger foe in check.
Not every fight needs a twist! In fact, if every fight has a twist, then nothing will be surprising anymore. Use them sparingly, and they’ll keep their power to perk up a Hero’s ears – and send chills through their heart.