Spawn Groups: Environments Available

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Riotnrrd
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Spawn Groups: Environments Available

Post by Riotnrrd »

I'd like to make available to builders my spawning system, a simple way for builders to add variable, climate-appropriate spawns for their climate areas

I created a system of scripts and waypoints that works with the ALFA spawn system to create variable encounters for various terrain types.

Available areas currently include:
Temperate Clear areas (Encounter Level 1-5)
Temperate Hills areas (Encounter Level 2-9)
Dungeon (Encounter Level 1-3)

The basic premise is, a builder can drop a waypoint in an area according to it's terrain type, and there is a customizable chance of a random spawn occurring there that favors that particular terrain type.

Each individual spawn instance is either a variable group, like 1d4+2 goblins and a 2nd level goblin fighter, or a single creature, like an ogre. The creatures called are culled from ALFA Base Resources creatures and modified as necessary.

The Temperate Clear spawns have been in beta test on Moonshaes for a few weeks and by most accounts are functioning well. I am completing testing of Temperate Hills areas for more challenging environments, and a low level Dungeon encounter spawn for PC groups of levels 1-3.


If any DMs are interested in freshening up stale areas of their modules, its a simple matter to import the waypoints, scripts, and creatures, then drop the waypoints in your areas and try it out.

Example:
A DM drops 2 temperate clear waypoints in a particular area. By default each spawn point is active 50% of the time, and rerolls every 3 real life hours. If someone kills a spawn, it may randomly recur after an hour or two of real life time.

Statistically, one of those spawns are going to be active when a PC enters the area. You can increase or decrease each individual chance, for example to make each waypoint have a 75% chance to spawn, thus increasing the frequency of appearance.

A PC then enters the area, and if it's active, the waypoint calls a script for the Temperate Clear encounter table, which either calls other groups like goblin gangs, or single creatures like a gnoll.

I've included the environment tables for your inspection below. If you'd like to give it a try let me know!
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Riotnrrd
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Re: Spawn Groups: Environments Available

Post by Riotnrrd »

TEMPERATE CLEAR: EL 1-5
Day:
10% Neutral Animals
10% Militia
10% Patrol
9% Bandits
4% Dire Rats 1d4
4% Gargoyle 1
5% Gnolls
5% Kobolds 1d6+3
10% Neutral NPCs 1d3+2
11% Merchants
4% Leopard 1d2
4% Werewolf 1
9% Wolf 1d4
5% Boar 1d2

Night:
7% Neutral Animals
5% Militia
5% Patrol
6% Bandits
2% Baneguard 1
4% Dire Rat 1d4
2% Dread Warrior 1
2% Gargoyle 1
4% Ghast 1
2% Ghoul 1d3+1
2% Gnolls
5% Goblin Patrol
2% Hell Hound 1
5% Kobold Gang: 1d6+3 kobolds
8% Neutral NPC Adventurers 1d3+2
5% Ogre 1d2
9% Orc 1d3+1
4% Skeleton (Medium) 1d6
2% Leopard 1d2
2% Vampire Spawn 1d2
5% Werewolf 1
2% Wight 1d2
4% Wolf 1d4
2% Worg 1d2
4% Zombie, medium 1d4+1

Groups:
Animals: 25% Horses 1d3+1, 25% Badger 1d3+2, 25% Eagle 1d3, 25% Rabbits 1d3+1
Militia: 1d4+4 1st level warriors
Patrol: 1d3+1 1st level fighters + 1d2 2nd level leaders (ranger, cleric, fighter, etc)
Bandits: 1d3+1 1st level warriors
Gnolls: 1d2 gnolls
Goblin Patrol: 1d6+3 goblins, 1 2nd level goblin fighter
Merchants: 2d4 1st level commoners, 2d4 1st level warriors, 1d2 2nd level leaders (ranger, cleric, fighter, etc)
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Riotnrrd
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Re: Spawn Groups: Environments Available

Post by Riotnrrd »

TEMPERATE HILLS EL 2-9
Day:
6% Adventurers
8% Basilisk
6% Black Bears 1d2
8% Dire Badger
10% Ettins 1d2
6% Gargoyles 1d2
6% Goblin Patrol: 1d6 + 3 goblins plus a 2nd level fighter
10% Halfling Scouts: 1d4+4 halfling warriors plus 1d3+1 dogs plus a 5th level fighter
2% Hellhounds 1d2
4% Hobgoblin Gang: 1d6+2
6% Ogres 1d2
6% Orc Gang d3+1
4% Werewolves 1d2
14% Wolf Pack 1d10+6
4% Wyvern

Night:
2% Black Bears
2% Dire Badger
4% Dread Warrior Company: 2d6
6% Ettins 1d2
4% Gargoyles 1d2
4% Ghast Gang 1d3 + 1
2% Ghast Pack: 1d6+6 ghouls plus 1d3 + 1 ghasts
4% Ghoul Pack: 1d6 + 6
5% Goblin Patrol
5% Goblin Raiders: d3+2 goblins and a 2nd level fighter, all mounted on worgs
4% Hellhounds 1d2
6% Hobgoblin Gang 1d6+2
6% Ogres 1d2
5% Orc Gang 1d3+1
5% Orc Patrol: d4+4 orcs plus d2 2nd level barbarians plus a 4th level fighter
4% Shadow Gang: 1d4 + 1
4% Vampire Spawn Pack: 1d4 + 1
6% Werewolves: 1d2
4% Wight Gang: 1d3 + 2
10% Wolf Pack 1d10 + 6
4% Wraiths 1d2
4% Wyvern
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Riotnrrd
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Re: Spawn Groups: Environments Available

Post by Riotnrrd »

DUNGEON EL 1-3
dire rat pack: d6 + 2 dire rats
fire beetle cluster: d4 + 1 fire beetles
spider colony small: d4+1 monstrous spiders, small
dwarf team: d3 + 1 dwarven warriors
elf squad: d3 + 1 elven warriors
goblin gang: d6 + 3 goblins
kobold gang: d6 + 3 kobolds
skeletons: 1d6
zombies: 1d4 + 1
hobgoblin gang: d6 + 3 hobgoblins
lizardfolk gang: 1d3 + 1
orc gang: 1d4 + 1
baneguard: 1
ghoul gang: 1d3 + 1
shadow: 1
gnolls: 1d2
spider: large monstrous 1
troglodyte: 1
quaggoth: 1
tyrantfog zombie 1
gel cube 1
imps 1d2
bombardier beetles 1d2
Dorn
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Re: Spawn Groups: Environments Available

Post by Dorn »

This is great! I'll def be using for worldmap encounters.

Are the ECs easily scaleable?

Are the encounters easily changeable? (eg can i add a travelling illmaterian priest, or Elk uthgardt barbarians that roam around longsaddle for the spawn poitns near there, or paladins of chauntea for the The Long Road)

I need to do some fun ones up for forests as well.....dark druids, meanpxies, werebats etc:)
playing Nathaniel Ward - Paladin of the Morninglord and devout of Torm (cookie cutter and proud of it)
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Riotnrrd
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Re: Spawn Groups: Environments Available

Post by Riotnrrd »

Sorry, don't know what you mean by ECs?

Generally climates are somewhat deterministic. There are nastier creatures in the high mountains and swamps than there are in clear or plains areas, so the average challenge will be higher in swamps or high mountains. I've intentionally started with the lesser challenging areas so people can try them out.

The Encounter Level is generally determined by the group. So for instance you might have an orc gang (1d3+1 orcs, average 3, EL 2) or an orc patrol (1d6+6 orcs, a couple of barbs and a fighter), depending on what you want to appear there. You just drop the waypoint or call the groups within the scripts. You can easily create new scripts by duplicating the ones included and changing the resrefs that are called.

You can arbitrarily assign names on spawn within the scripts. You can customize for your server (like 'patrol', or 'militia' groups) for local flavor. In the case of the Moonshaes, the militia and patrols are customized to 'Cantrev Patrol' or 'Cantrev Militia'. Merchants and Adventurers are similarly named from random NPCs, you could make pilgrims or slavers or whatever else.

You can mix groups. So say you had an area where you wanted a lot of ogres to appear. You could create a custom script that calls 1d2 ogres 50% of the time, and regular climate spawns the rest of the time. So you still get a lot of ogres, but just not all the time.

You can also use the individual waypoints. So if for instance you had a cave that was controlled by orcs, you could just drop a 'Orc Patrol' waypoint at 100% in front of it, or if you had a cave of undead you could drop individual groups of creatures at whatever probability you wanted, and it would roll for new groups each time for variability.

I've got a few other groups defined but not yet created, including forest, jungle, and Dungeon EL 4-6
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