Source: *Broadsheet - The City Beneath*, by Mystic Arts *Wasting time in a dungeon is a dangerous game.* One of the main reasons to track time in a dungeon is to create a system for having the party randomly encounter Wandering Monsters. ## Scales of Challenge You can adjust the scale and scope of wandering monsters by playing with three dials. They are: **Encounter Frequency.** You adjust how often you roll to check for random encounters. **Encounter Likelihood.** You adjust which results on that die roll start a random encounter. **Encounter Difficulty.** You adjust how tough an individual encounter can be. ### Encounter Frequency You can decide how frequently to roll for wandering monsters by picking one of the following intervals. **Constant.** Roll a d6 at the end of every Stretch spent exploring the dungeon. **Medium.** Roll a d6 at the end of every third Stretch spent exploring the dungeon. **Hourly.** Roll a d6 at the end of every sixth Stretch spent exploring the dungeon. ### Encounter Likelihood When you've decided how often to roll, it's time to decide how likely an encounter is to occur when rolling for it. Consult the following when you roll for an encounter at the end of a stretch. **Unlikely.** On a 6, the GM rolls on the Wandering Monster table. **Possible.** On a roll of a 5 or a 6, the GM rolls on the Random Encounter Table. **Inevitable.** On a roll of a 4, 5, or 6, the GM rolls on the Random Encounter Table. ### Encounter Difficulty Finally, determine how difficult you'd like wandering monsters to be. This is most often done while designing the wandering monster table, but don't hesitate to calibrate it as you go. **Trivial.** The encounter is likely only going to drain one or two players' resources. **Challenging.** Characters will have to spend resources to avoid suffering casualties in this fight. **Deadly.** Wandering monsters are tough enough to possibly kill a player character or two. >[!tip] Default Settings >For the best beginner experience running in this system, chose the middle option in each section of the Scales of Challenge section. Roll a random encounter every three stretches with a one-third chance of a moderate difficulty encounter. Experiment with other options in later dungeons. >[!todo] RESTING IN THE DUNGEON >Using Stretches, players may be tempted to rest in the dungeon. Be sure to keep rolling for wandering monsters while they rest! ## Unconventional Uses When used creatively, Stretches can be an excellent way to track time in adventures that may not be classic dungeon crawls. ### A Ticking Clock Adventures with a ticking clock can utilize stretches to eschew wandering monsters and instead have a list of events that happens at select stretches in the adventure structure. ### Haunted House Adventures set inside a haunted house could use stretches to roll for paranormal activities that may or may not lead to random encounters.