Random Encounter Table System

[FirebrickRed]

Summary

YAML-driven random encounter tables for wilderness travel, dungeon exploration, and other scenarios. DM rolls dice, system spawns appropriate encounters with entities, messages, and effects.

Phase: 4 - DM Tools
Systems: Encounter System, Entity System, DM Tools

Prerequisites

• Unified Entity System Foundation #72 - Unified Entity System Foundation
• Entity Spawning Commands (DM-Only) #73 - Entity Spawning Commands
• Entity Group Management System #79 - Group Management (optional, for entity groups)

Goals

• /dmencounter roll <table> <result> - Execute table entry
• /dmencounter list - Show available tables
• YAML encounter table format (d20, d100, custom dice)
• Entity spawning with count variance (1d4+1)
• Formation positioning (nearby, surround, line)
• Message broadcasts and effects
• Tab completion for table IDs

YAML Format

# DMContent/Encounters/wilderness_night.yml
id: wilderness_night
name: "Wilderness Night Watch"
dice_type: d20

encounters:
  1-5:
    description: "Uneventful night"
    spawn: []
    
  6-10:
    description: "Distant howling"
    effects:
      - type: message
        text: "You hear wolves howling..."
    
  11-15:
    description: "Wolf pack attack"
    spawn:
      - id: wolf
        count: "1d4+1"
        location: nearby
        formation: scattered
    effects:
      - type: message
        text: "Hungry wolves emerge!"
        
  19-20:
    description: "Owlbear!"
    spawn:
      - id: owlbear
        count: 1
        location: nearby

Commands

# List available tables
/dmencounter list
> wilderness_night (d20)
> dungeon_exploration (d100)
> urban_encounters (d20)

# Roll on table
Player: "I rolled a 14 for watch"
DM: /dmencounter roll wilderness_night 14
> Using: Wilderness Night Watch
> Result (11-15): Wolf pack attack
> [System spawns 3 wolves nearby]
> Broadcast: "Hungry wolves emerge from the darkness!"

Features

• Dice types: d20, d100, d6, d12, custom ranges
• Count variance: Use dice notation (1d4+1, 2d6, etc.)
• Formations: nearby, surround, line, scattered, custom
• Effects: Messages, sounds, combat start
• Tab completion: /dmencounter roll <TAB> shows all table IDs

Location

DMContent/
└── Encounters/
    ├── wilderness_night.yml
    ├── dungeon_dangers.yml
    ├── urban_day.yml
    └── custom/
        └── my_campaign.yml

Next Steps

After completing this issue, tackle:

• Pre-Planned Combat Scenario System #81: Pre-Planned Scenarios (more complex than tables)
• Encounter Table Documentation & Examples #86: Encounter Documentation (detailed examples)
• Biome-Aware Encounter Table Auto-Selection #88: Biome-Aware Encounter Tables (auto-selection)

Related Issues

• Unified Entity System Foundation #72 - Unified Entity System Foundation (prerequisite)
• Entity Spawning Commands (DM-Only) #73 - Entity Spawning Commands
• Entity Group Management System #79 - Group Management (spawn entity groups)
• Pre-Planned Combat Scenario System #81 - Pre-Planned Scenarios
• Encounter Table Documentation & Examples #86 - Encounter Documentation
• Biome-Aware Encounter Table Auto-Selection #88 - Biome-Aware Encounters