Making Refocus sessions more interesting

[Ravingdork]

It's relatively common knowledge now that having the time in between encounters to Treat Wounds, Refocus, and perform other 10 minute activities is a given. Not always, but usually.

What are some ways players and GMs can make such in-between scenes a little more interesting?

I'll start with a little anecdote: My players recently raided a facility filled with mischievous fey that had warped the minds of the non-fey patrons within. Immediately prior to the raid itself, they endured a bloody skirmish outside on the facility grounds. After the skirmish they opted to sit on the front steps and bandage their wounds and catch their breath.

As they did so, the doors opened up and one of the facility patrons stepped out for a smoke. The patron saw the monstrous bodies strewn about the grounds and the bloodied adventurers tending to their injuries. The bloodied adventurers tending to their injuries saw that the stunned patron could see the monstrous bodies strewn about the grounds and the bloodied adventurers tending to their injuries.

For a tense moment, nobody moved.

Then the patron, figuring that the monsters were dead and that the PCs would have already attacked him if they meant to do him harm, simply sat down on the steps next to one of the PCs, lit up his smoke, offered one to his step buddy, and asked "Rough night?"

That little detail changed the entire dynamic of the scene and ended up being more memorable and meaningful than some of that night's encounters themselves.

[steelhead]

That’s a great idea. One thing I have emphasized since day one of my AP campaign (ok maybe day two or three), is that entering _encounter_ mode doesn’t necessarily mean there is going to be a fight. If I say, ‘we’re entering encounter mode. Roll initiative,’ now the group knows time is of the essence, they can’t have long conversations, and diffusing the situation is going to take a little more creativity and quick thinking.

That being said, I really like how you turned this into an exploration activity with the actions of the NPC!

[Raze Le'Roof]

I've started playing with AngryGM's tension pool and really like it - https://theangrygm.com/definitive-tension-pool/

It fits well with both PF2e and the 10-minute exploration turns and adds a bit of cost-benefit analysis to the rote "Refocus, Treat Wounds" rotation that parties can get into.

When a Complication is rolled, you can also incorporate it into the actions PCs are doing during their Refocus, such as making a wound particularly deep and increasing the Treat Wounds DC, or having some sort of Profane field that prevents the Cleric's deity from answering them to give a Focus point back.

[Ed Reppert]

Tension pool linkified.

Having read the article, I really like it. I'm gonna adopt it. :-)