River Crossing Encounter Map

“We made through the forrest with great haste, our pursuers close on our heels. Soon we became aware, there was a raging river ahead of us. I could see the fear in my friend’s faces: Would we drown or be slain? But then we saw a glimmer of hope: The most rickety brigde imaginable leading across the foaming chaos below. But would it hold?”

My group heads into the wilderness soon and I try to come up with interesting ideas to challenge and entertain them. One thought was putting a raging river in their way. Whilst building the map the old-suspension-bridge-barely-holding-on-trope crossed my mind and here we are.

Your heroes simply might have to deal with the problems posed by the bridge itself. You can increase the danger of course by having them attacked simultanously though. On the other hand this might also be an opportunity for your heroes to leave pursuers behind or staging an ambush of their own making.

Before you use the map, you should carefully consider what happens to heroes (or NPC allies) falling into the river. Just having them die is boring. A nailbiting rescue or a party suddenly separated in the wilderness might result in a more satisfying game. Maybe an important item falls into the water and needs to be retrieved.

On the side of consequences consider besides the loss of hp:

• the loss, destruction or damage to equipment
• illness (pneumonia from the cold water)
• being lost after being separated from the group
• the chance of running into dangerous encounters down the river
• losing time if the group is in a hurry

If you happen to use this map, please comment below. I am curious to learn, what you came up with.