'Reasons for reactions' to improve random encounters

You don't want to fall into the trap of your encounters, especially random encounters, being reducible to is-it-combat-or-do-we-ignore-it.

Plenty has already been written about giving encounters extra contextual details (where are they, what are they doing, what are they hiding, etc). But it's also important to give the non-player characters (the appearance of) agency by using varied reactions.

So how do they feel about you?

🟩🟩✅ Good: The rules randomly modify how nice or nasty encountered creatures are. Most games do this.

🟩✅✅ Great: The rules specify a creature's or group's default reaction (friendly, suspicious, wary, indifferent, curious, issues challenges, hostile, fearful, neutral...), and modify this with a dice roll.

✅✅✅ Superb: The rules list plausible reasons for encountered creatures deviating from the default reaction (in case the GM struggles to tie it all together).

This last part is a very useful tool but also seems fairly rare. So, roll or pick something appropriate:

1d10 possible reasons the encounter is unusually friendly:

1. unusual individual/leader
2. need a favour
3. recently sated
4. intimidated and trying not to show it
   
5. hiding a secret
   
6. smell food on the party
7. recent festival, harvest, windfall, or celebration
   
8. hoping to steal / other deceit
9. feeling secure after recent victory
   
10. party is a reminder of old friend(s)
    

1d10 possible reasons the encounter is unusually hostile:

1. on high alert after recent attack
   
2. mistaken identity
3. resource-starved and desperate
4. rabid or maddened
5. hiding a secret
6. already in bad mood
   
7. subject to tyrannical orders
8. party inadvertently breaking taboo/custom
   
9. fear of reprisals from a greater threat
10. bandits, soldiers, hated nemeses sighted in area
    

"The minotaur is trying not to disturb a spider's web by moving, and settles for glaring at you balefully."

Signal the reasons as clearly as you can to the players, of course. It's infamously difficult to get motivations and secrets across at the table. Your encounters will have more verisimilitude, be more engaging, and be easier to improvise.