47
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How to make a device to randomly choose one of three possibilities, with caveat that sometimes one of them is not available?
In general, a deck of cards is useful to select a choice from a menu that excludes prior choices.
In this particular case, choose three playing cards to represent the monster's possible actions. On ...
- 4,667
45
votes
How to make a device to randomly choose one of three possibilities, with caveat that sometimes one of them is not available?
Use a d6 with a reference table
In the following table, the main entry is the attack assuming the monster is free to choose from among all its attacks. The parenthetical entry is the attack used only ...
- 58.2k
26
votes
Accepted
How do I use the Random Height and Weight table in the Player's Handbook to determine a creature's weight?
The table is poorly formatted, below is how to use it
The following is listed before the table:
If you want to, you can roll randomly for your character's height and weight using the Random Height ...
- 76.8k
21
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How to make a device to randomly choose one of three possibilities, with caveat that sometimes one of them is not available?
This looks like a job for a Rondel. Put the three attacks in consecutive sectors of a circle, and after the initial d3, put a marker (a coin, a d6, whatever) on the previously used move.
When choosing ...
- 311
17
votes
Accepted
Are all the combinations of items in Dungeon Wordle possible?
Not all combinations are possible using the given word list
A simple proof that not all combinations are possible arises from the length of the word list. There are 17,576 possible combinations of ...
- 66.5k
13
votes
How do you handle random encounters if the GM isn't supposed to roll dice?
What you're describing is what I'd call, in traditional D&D, a random reaction roll, not a random encounter — so I'll address reactions and how to decide them in Dungeon World.
The GM rules are ...
- 244k
12
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Are all the combinations of items in Dungeon Wordle possible?
No
Doing a brute force approach of separating the letters and sorting them in a spreadsheet, and then looking through the sort, I've determined that sadly, there can be no Xeric items of anything, nor ...
- 12.2k
11
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How can I generate multi-story random dungeons without having to do the entire random gen process by hand?
I'm unsure if this answers your question; as I'm not sure if you want the enemies, descriptions, and all that to be generated as well. Assuming not, I have a non-generated solution that may work..
...
- 1,601
11
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Accepted
How do you handle random encounters if the GM isn't supposed to roll dice?
Well, I hope they're not going into a genuinely random building. Just barging into somebody's house isn't likely to get much in the way of a friendly reaction, but if the PCs say "oh, I want to ...
- 42.2k
10
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For the Conjure Animals spells, are the summoned fey spirits 'smart' enough to take a form that fits the summoning locale?
This is a matter of DM technique and the flow of play
Currently I'm running Conjure Animals fairly restrictively.
That's a DM choice, and you don't have to tie your own hands. But I don't think ...
- 144k
10
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How to make a device to randomly choose one of three possibilities, with caveat that sometimes one of them is not available?
Using a Standard d6 and Coin
A quick-and-dirty way to approach this is to use a bog-standard d6 to determine the first attack, any ol' fair coin to determine each subsequent attack, and a grid of ...
- 1,015
9
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How can I get an AnyDice conditional to convert a sequence to a boolean?
You're slightly wrong about what's wrong
But it's slightly Anydice's fault. It doesn't have good debugging tools. The specific issue Anydice has here is that you're trying to compare a die to a value. ...
- 48.9k
8
votes
Accepted
How do I generate spell component gems within the 5e Dungeon Master Guide rules as written?
The 5000 gp diamond is the only diamond on any of the DMG treasure tables.
As you have observed, the only diamond on the Gemstones tables in the DMG is the diamond appearing on the 5000 gp Gemstones ...
- 154k
7
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How to make a device to randomly choose one of three possibilities, with caveat that sometimes one of them is not available?
You could make (lego, 3d print etc) a D6 and two hemispheres that can attach to any face.
Now when you need to restrict an attack, you can attach the two hemispheres to the 2 sides corresponding to ...
- 190
7
votes
Accepted
What are the effects of using this stat generation method?
The Knave rolling system will give substantially higher modifers than is normal for starting characters in D&D 5e.
The modifiers using the Knave rolls range from +1 to +6, while starting D&D ...
- 8,421
6
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What's the closest I can get to simulating critical hits with a dice pool, without relying on the total sum?
If you want a fun way to do it and you're in person, you could have someone call a pair of the dice which have to add up to exactly 8 (e.g. 1+7, 2+6... 7+1) which is 4.86% according to anydice (though ...
- 1,931
6
votes
Accepted
How can I get an AnyDice conditional to convert a sequence to a boolean?
As a minor addendum to Someone_Evil's answer, their program will run a lot faster if you replace the line:
output [explode 2d12 on 12 target {7, 4}]
with:
...
- 24.8k
4
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How to make a device to randomly choose one of three possibilities, with caveat that sometimes one of them is not available?
Use cards instead
All you need is three cards, one for each attack. Each round you pick one card to determine what happens. All you need to do to take out the tail attack is put that card aside until ...
- 4,844
4
votes
How do you handle random encounters if the GM isn't supposed to roll dice?
The urge to roll dice when no roll is called for is a common one. It is one I feel at least once in every game I GM. Not having a move triggered gives a ton of freedom to the GM, which can be kind ...
- 4,287
3
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How to make a device to randomly choose one of three possibilities, with caveat that sometimes one of them is not available?
Use a coin.
Beyond the first roll, you're just rolling a d2 and picking one of the options that weren't used before.
If you can 3D print, make a coin with one side "1", and the other side &...
- 16.3k
2
votes
In Classic Traveller, how to handle overflows on the tables?
In general, the only sensible option is to stop at the last row of the table.
In the particular case of companion sizes, you could "wrap around" the table, such that a 13 result was read ...
- 1,808
2
votes
How do I use the Random Height and Weight table in the Player's Handbook to determine a creature's weight?
The paragraph after the table in the PHB details the proper way to calculate weight.
This is well explained in Medix2's answer, but is a case outside of the PHB where the calculation is written ...
- 5,665
2
votes
How can I generate multi-story random dungeons without having to do the entire random gen process by hand?
Dungeonmorphs
Tools like this are designed expressly for this use case.
Sets like this one are meant to just "deal" a dungeon onto your table. I have seen cards and dice like this in ...
- 33.4k
2
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What's the closest I can get to simulating critical hits with a dice pool, without relying on the total sum?
You could count up a number of successes
You can set a success cutoff number for each pool size, count all rolls equal or higher than that cutoff as successes and demand a given number or more of ...
- 135k
2
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How to make a device to randomly choose one of three possibilities, with caveat that sometimes one of them is not available?
Very similar to Kirt's excellent answer, but simpler:
Use a d6, no extra anything
Roll 1:
You've got 3 options, whatever they are, alphabetize them.
Bite, Claw, Tail
Roll a d6:
1,2 = Bite 3,4 = Claw 5,...
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1
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How to make a device to randomly choose one of three possibilities, with caveat that sometimes one of them is not available?
A little bit of a frame challenge - make the first attack randomly bite/claws by coin flip on the assumption it starts facing the target (or tails by narrative if its target approaches from behind). ...
- 517
1
vote
Accepted
How do you reward treasure for an encounter using the Magic Item Compendium's list?
The Magic Item Compendium on Appendix 2: Random Treasure makes no mention of Encounter Level and, instead, has the DM determine treasure for each creature present during an encounter individually. On ...
- 193k
1
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Which 3rd party D&D nested random encounter resource includes combat/social/treasure/mystery encounters for each type of environment?
Other than the master table, this sounds like Chapter 2 of Xanathar's Guide to Everything. Here's the encounter I think you're referencing from Arctic Encounters (Levels 17-20):
d100
Encounter
21-25
...
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1
vote
Accepted
Is there a condensed treasure generation table?
Rolemaster Companion 3 (ICE 1700) page 36 Has what you want I believe.
A single table classified by level of the monster defeated.
The table has rows for bp, sp, gp, pp and mp, gems and jewels, ...
- 31.5k
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