The basic components of a region ensure that enough "interesting elements" are on offer to provide game-play for all player types and all character classes. We gain both meaningful interaction and realize the inherent benefits of variety in gaming.
Note, these tables are high level abstractions intended to produce a "template" for a region or dungeon. Concrete detail is left to the reader, who might use their own sub-tables or rely entirely on free association.
Region Components
- 3d6 areas
- 1 interactable per area (sub-table)
- 1 creature per area (sub-table)
- 1 secret per area (sub-table)
- 1 unexpected social (sub-table)
- 3 locked doors
- 3 stuck doors
- 3 transformations (1/3rd bad) (sub-table)
- 3 overly hard foes
- 1 magic sword (generated)
- 1 iconic weapon (sub-table)
- 1 iconic armor (sub-table)
- 1 talisman (sub-table)
- 1 random magic item (sub-table)
- 1d3 potion caches of 1d3 potions each (sub-table)
- 1d3 scroll caches of 1d3 scrolls each (generated)
- 1 errand
- 1 natural animal(s) (sub-table)
- 1 plants
- 1 fresh corpse
- 1 vignette
- 1d6 random encounters
- 1d3 complications
- 1d3+2 rumors
Understanding Regions
Regions need a premise, see the table. Given a premise we can think about the areas a region contains. Regions may be in different hexes, or might represent floors in a dungeon, and so on. Note, regions might be chained together ad infinitum and seeded with links & info pertaining to other regions.
Region Premise (d20)
- Mythic Dungeon (megadungeon, dungeon elemental, generated)
- Secret Lair (thieves hideout, underground base, basement)
- Active Fortification (castle, military base, fortified cave)
- Ghost Town (abandoned, monstrous fauna, secrets)
- Underground Lair (caves, tunnels, connections, factions, mythic foe)
- Sunken Keep (ruined fort, collapsed, landslides, water)
- Underground City (tunnels, traps, old and new)
- Prison Complex (abandoned, dungeons, monsters)
- Haunted House (old castle, tower, manor house)
- Arcane Laboratory (magic, monsters, weird)
- Temple of Evil (priests, chapel, hidden lair)
- Deserted Island (isolated, ancient, miscellany, locals)
- Underwater Kingdom
- Vivacious Underworld (flora, monsters, dwarves)
- Wilderness Traversal (escort, manhunt, rescue, escape)
- City Investigation
- Diehard Journey (train, airship, boat)
- Wizard Gauntlet (tests, training, contrived)
- Dreamscape (unnatural, illogical, strange)
- Otherworldly Plane
Region Maps
Maps are useful but not always necessary, and work better for some kind of regions. Consider a quick sketch ahead of time, or find a map online to serve as a blueprint. You might wait until finished to draw a map, or not draw one at all. You should fully understand the physical space as a real place, such that you could draw a gridded map if needed.
Areas (3d6)
Decide on a name for the region and its general contents. Think in terms of the individual areas within a region. You might have some areas in mind ahead of time or rely entirely on the tables here. An area might be groups of rooms, a whole tower, an outdoor ruin, a bridge, a cellar; or it might just be a singular proper dungeon room. There should be a total of 3d6 areas, rerolling only if the concept is truly unworkable.
Generic Area Shape (d20)
- Block (square, circle, triangle, etc.)
- Long (rectangle, pill-shaped, etc.)
- Vast (sprawling, wide, horizons)
- Outline (open, ruins, exposed)
- Narrow (path, tunnel, hallway)
- Jagged (alcoves, niches, crags)
- Crowded (pillars, junk, supports)
- Complex (cluttered, built-up, tunnels, fractal)
- Sunken (pit, well, hollow, crater)
- Elevated (balcony, platform, rise)
- Tiered (colosseum, gallery)
- Vertical (tower, nest, cliffs, shaft)
- Non-euclidean (escher, loops, distortion, size change)
- Bisected (glass, bars, crevice, underwater tunnel)
- Subdivided (squares, cells, rooms)
- ??
Environmental Damage (d20)
- collapse (crumbling, fallen wall, uprooted trees)
- sinking (depressions, sinkhole, pit, tunnel)
- falling (cave-in, barren trees, fallen stones)
- faults (broken flagstones, churned earth, crevices, fissures)
- inflow (garbage, nest, landslide)
- violence (dents, scars, gouges, perforation)
- death (victims, gnawed remains, poisoned)
- fire (ashes, charring, smoke)
- freeze (cracks, hardening, shifting foundations)
- moisture (wet, soggy, puddles, mud)
- storms (displacement, debris, widespread damage)
- decay (broken, dust, liquification)
- invasion (weeds, mushrooms, roots)
- magic (melting, boring, exotic materials, trans)
- ghosts (cold, stacked objects, sealed areas)
- time (melded objects, out of place, missing, spherical absences)
- otherworldly (
Interactions (all areas)
Used as often as the writer desires, typically in every Area.
Generic Interaction (d20)
- light
- water
- athletics
- climbing
- decipher magic
- disarm trap
- find secrets
- force doors
- listening
- lockpicking
- sleight of hand
- stealth
- wilderness
- language
- liturgical
Creatures (as desired)
Because areas do not necessarily represent individual rooms, creatures might be included in every single area, but the writer should select a density appropriate for the region. Some areas might have pre-defined inhabitants due to the premise of the region. Otherwise, randomized creature types can ensure a variety of possible opponents.
Opponent Types (d20)
- Fodder (rodents, kobolds,
- Basic (goblin, orc, lizardman, ogre, troll, giants)
- Demihuman (elf, dwarf, hobgoblin, giants)
- Hearty (animals, dinosaurs,
- Armored (statue, hero, displacer beast)
- Immune (gargoyle, werewolf, golem)
- Mobile (blink dog, imps, phase spider, demon)
- Flying (strige, harpy, manticore, air element)
- Stalker (pixie, sylph, stalker, the hidden)
- Poison (centipede, spider, wyvern) [Save vs. death on hit]
- Blast (hellhound, ) [Save vs. damage]
- Breath (frost wolf, gorgon, dragon) [Save vs. area damage]
- Surprise (green slime, gray ooze, mimic, lurker above)
- Gaze (basilisk, medusa,
- Presence (ghost, banshee, )
- Undead (skeleton, zombie, ghoul, wight, mummy)
- Magic (wizard, death knight,
- Psionic (int devourer,
- Humans (classed, mercenaries)
- Mythic (hydra, beholder,
Social Encounters (3 total)
We add 3 unexpected social encounters in addition to any standard, expected opportunities for socializing such as with humans, intelligent foes, and so on.
Unexpected Social (d20)
- Fresh Corpse
- Adventurer
- Human (out of place, explorer,
- Demihuman (wanderer,
- Stuck/Cursed Human (monster, incapacitated,
- Talking Animal
- Talking Plant
- Talking Object (book, door, anything)
- Writing
- Recording (programmed illusion, casette, magic mouth)
- Communicator (radio, spell,
- Projector (partial teleporter,
- Fairy
- Intelligent Monster
- Magic Item
- Mystery Voice (psionics, unexplained,
- Ghost
- Daemon
- Planar Inquiry
- Bejan Lord (altar, object, intervention)
Secrets (as desired)
Used as often as the writer desires, typically anywhere from 50% to 100% of all areas have secrets.
- False Pretenses (fake bookshelf, wardrobe door, sliding mirror, fireplace)
- Hidden Mechanism (sconce level, book pulley, concealed button, spinning statue)
- Outlined (wet, clean, discolored, grown over)
- Dead-end (alcove, hallway,
- Below (rug, trapdoor, floor tiles, buried, under sand, heavy object)
- Above (high ceiling, on top tower, tree tops)
- Tunnel (in a burrow, well, hole, etc.)
- Interior Space (hidden room, unused space, unnecessary walls)
- Concealed (under water, behind garbage, painted over, stucco)
- Inside Object (paint can, barrel, false bottom, pipe, ball, pillow, pockets)
- Reachable (inside pipe, vent, burrow, niche, under heavy object)
- Passable (curtains, plants, waterfall)
- Riddle (lol)
- Enpersoned (knowledge)
- Swallowed (inside creature)
- Symmetry (lit torches,
- Password (vault lock, gatekeeper, magic)
- Illusion (false wall, false window)
- Magic Required (grace, oxygenation, flight, random)
Locked and Stuck (3 of each)
Keep in mind that 1 Area does not equate to 1 Room. Locks or blockage can close off singular rooms, but also chests, cabinets, vaults, and so on.
Transformations (3 total)
Permanent alterations to the character sheet. Roll a d6 for each, making the transformation very bad on a 1, bad on a 2, or very good on a 6. Bad transfomations might have drawbacks, be unwanted, or be a curse.
Generic Transformations
- Alignment
- Hit Points or Hit Dice
- Saves
- Armor Class
- Aging
- Damage (melee, missile, or all at 3-2-1 d6 odds)
- To-Hit (melee, missile, or all at 3-2-1 d6 odds)
- Spellcasting
- Vision (x-rays, infravision, darkvision, truesight, etc.)
- Languages (equal odds written or spoken)
- Adventuring Skills
- Reactions
- Sex
- Species
- Behavior
- Phobia
- Encumbrance
- Location
- Physical (roll for body part)
- Special Powers
Hard Foes (3 total)
Some foes should be beyond, perhaps far beyond, the abilities of any characters first entering the region. These could block off portions of the region, or they might be sleeping or guarding treasure, or they might double as social encounters. Difficulty might be 1d6 levels beyond the current area.
Treasures
Swords are generated in the standard fashion. Iconic weapons, armor, talismans, and random magic items are generated on their own tables. Scrolls can be generated randomly. Potions have their own sub-table.
Magic Armor
- robes or mageplate
- leather or mithral
- chain or dragonscale
- plate or adamantine
- ring or cloak
- exotic, reroll
Potions
Table TBD.
Generic Errands (d20)
Errands are a special type of treasure that encourages the use of Henchmen for non-adventuring purposes.
- Major Sale (high value item must be solid in a Metropolis)
- Hermits
- Treasure Map (non-adventure)
- Rare Ingredient
- Training (languages, knowledge, class-levels)
- Diplomacy
- Exotic Purchase (foreign lands)
- Recruiting
Animals, Plants, Corpses (at least 1 of each)
Included to give a chance for "speaking" spells to be employed.
Natural Animals in Dungeons (d6*d6)
- Moisture: frogs, lizard, salamander, snails, turtle, mushrooms
- Burrows: armadillo, groundhog, rabbit, shrew, weasel, worms
- Infest: beetles, centipedes, crickets, flies, mosquito, moths
- Scavenge: ants, mice, fox, racoon, owl, rats
- Fuckers: coyote, hedgehogs, possum, scorpion, skunk, snake
- Nesting: bats, crow, hornets, sparrow, spiders, turkey
Vignette (at least 1)
Vignettes are interesting, funny, or amusing anecdotes transformed into a moment in the game for players to observe or perhaps interact with. This could be a cozy slice of life moment such as fishermen smoking marijuana at the end of the day, a bizarre absurdity pulled from real life such as a pig on trial, or simply an interesting fact about life shared through the medium of the game such as a chicken living for 18 months without a head.
Random Encounters
Wandering monsters and random events add variety and the unexpected. Wilderness encounters especially add variety and extra difficulty when returning to town. Regions are typically at least 1 day or more away from civilization. Either calculate distance with a hex map or roll 1d6 for the number of days required to reach a region.
Regions should have 1d6 encounters at least. These might just be monsters. Remember to roll for reaction checks for these random encounters when playing.
Random Encounters Template
1 Friendly encounter 2 Weak monster 3 Middling monster 4 Middling monster 5 Tough monster 6 Impossible monster or roll on a special encounters sub-table
Complications (1d3+1)
When creating adventures, potentially consisting of multiple regions, we rely on random encounters for dynamism. Additionally, adventures may have external forces that enter the environment in a completely unpredictable way.
Complications might be foreshadowed or introduced with a ticking clock. Any given adventure may define as many complications as desired, but typically from 2 to 4 are sufficient.
Generic Complications (d20)
- All Inhabitants Depart
- Betrayal (two-faced, shapeshifter)
- Rival Adventuring Party
- Political Change
- Needed Elsewhere
- Patrons Arrive
- Secret Mastermind Revealed
- Neutral Third Party
- Forces of Good (heroes, authorities)
- Monster Incursion (raiders, invaders)
- Major Villain (named figure, archvillain)
- Unearthly Predator
- Cancer
- Unlikely Allies
- Otherworldly Offer
- Divine Attention
- Apocalypse
- Environmental Change (plague, natural disaster, planeshift)
- Moving the Goalposts
- Dramatic Scope Shift
Rumors (1d3+2)
Rumors are typically at the campaign level, but could be generated for individual areas within a region. Good rumors are never trivial or worthless. Consider adding 1d3+2 rumors, costing perhaps 10gg each. Each rumor contains 1 to 3 types of information, and each piece of information has a quality.
Information Types
- Locations
- Treasure
- Persons alive or dead
- Monster warning or strategy
- Vendors or worthwhile tools
- Oddities or secrets
Information Quality
While rumors are never worthless, they could be misleading or wrong provided the information leads to adventuring that might not happen otherwise.
- Misleading
- Clue
- Vague
- General
- Detailed
- Exclusive
A 13 roll on a d20 is pretty grim.
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