You Come Upon a Lone Farmstead in the Woods

Greetings sleepwalkers! Welcome to this week's blog, a forest farmstead encounter generator! This fun set of tables will help you create a lone farmstead in the woods, replete with fields, farmers, and fun findings to challenge and intrigue your players! This blog article would make a great companion to the D66 table of woodland encounters from June. If you're looking for other interesting tables check out last week's D66 table of religious taboos, or try another location generator, like the wizard's tower generator.

*Medieval plowing with oxen (from a 14th century manuscript)

You Come Upon a Lone Farmstead in the Woods:

A Forest Encounter Generator

Dark and misty woodlands filled with gargantuan primeval trees, briar-choked deer paths meandering underneath the thick canopies of ancient timbers, the waiting silence at the forest’s heart - woodland journeys are replete with the grandeur and oddments of the forest, and it is not just the realm of animals, tree spirits, and elementals. Many peoples live in the forest, be it elf, man, or savage orc. Such folk rarely congregate together in large groups though, as farmable land within forests remains relatively scarce. Thus, a chance encounter with a lone farm deep in the woods is a more likely occurrence than coming upon a large farming community.

Below you will find a series of tables that you can use to create an interesting encounter location populated with all manner of inhabitants, monsters, and a host of other weird and wonderful things. Use the tables to flesh out the lone farm’s layout, its current inhabitants, and what interesting twist might be lurking just behind the PCs first impressions.

 

The Fields

A lone forest farmstead usually occupies a clearing cut into the forest when the farm was first built. Depending on the success of the farmer and their family, they may have an extensive system of fields, orchards, apiaries, barns, and other outbuildings. Use the table below to determine what the fields around the farmstead look like. Take note of any features that PCs or monsters may use to gain a tactical advantage in combat, such as stone field walls, trees, buildings, etc.

D10	The Fields Around The Farmstead
1	A small stone wall surrounds an acre of field and creates a barrier between the farm and the forest proper. Half the field is sown with wheat and the other half has been set aside for garden vegetables. Two scarecrows made of rusted plate mail, straw, wood, and cloth are propped up in the wheat field.
2	Two separate fields, each marked by waist-high stone walls, are occupied by over one and a half acres of wheat and corn. A small granary on stilts, roughly 10 feet in diameter with a 15-foot-tall conical top, has been built near the farmhouse. A small covered well has also been dug near the farmhouse door. Chickens and ducks can be seen ambling through the rows hunting for bugs.
3	Over five acres of apple trees surround this farmhouse. A wooden palisade as tall as a man has been built surround the entire orchard. A tall thin building with a peaked roof used to store apples has been constructed halfway between the palisade and the farmhouse. A small barn is also visible on the property, and an ancient stone well can be seen here too.
4	A knee-high wall of fieldstones surrounds a quarter-acre of farmland and six beehives on wooden platforms sit within. Two additional fields, two acres apiece, occupy the other side of the clearing. Each field is separated by fieldstone walls. One field lies fallow and the other is packed with the twisting vines of gourd plants. A barn the size of the entire farmhouse and a small pig pen with a few happy sows snorting away are the only other visible buildings.
5	A system of five-foot-deep ditches separates these four acres of orchard, wheat fields, and beehives from each other. Two small barns, one made of stone and the other of weathered old wood can be seen on the other side of the farmhouse. A large covered well and two large stone benches are arrayed outside the farmhouse’s front door. A lone donkey drinks from a stone watering trough to the side of the stone barn.
6	Six acres of grazing fields occupy the clearing, with wooden fences surrounding the whole area and dividing the interior into three separate sections. Sheep occupy two of the three fields, and two large slate-roofed barns and a small well with stone-cut animal troughs are the only other constructions here besides the farmhouse.
7	Two little fields, no more than a half-acre apiece, occupy the area in front of the farmstead. Short fieldstone walls surround them. One field has been planted with corn, the other cabbages. A back field over 2 acres large lies behind the farmhouse and contains a myriad of garden vegetables including green beans, peas, carrots, and turnips. There is a small barn and stable fenced in behind the farmhouse.
8	The entirety of this four acre farm has been given over to apiaries and wildflowers. Bees buzz throughout the clearing and the smell of honey wafts on the air. A long one-story barn runs behind the farmstead, and a small covered well sits next to it. On the outskirts of the clearing a massive, weathered stone head the size of a small wagon rests on its side, overgrown with moss.
9	The fields that surround this farmstead are roughly eight acres in size, and most of that has been planted with grapes attached to wooden arbors. The area nearest to the farm has a small wooden fence surrounding it and a host of garden vegetables growing inside. A small well and a two-story barn and stable can be found behind the farmhouse.
10	Three large fields, each roughly two acres in size, occupy this clearing. A series of dilapidated wooden fences surround the fields, and in many places they have completely fallen away. The fields themselves lie fallow and overgrown. A stone barn with a collapsed roof is the only other building besides the farmstead here.

 

*"Anderwood Corner", Picture was drawn by Walter Crane and engraved by W. J. Linton, probably in 1862.

The Farmstead

The centerpiece of any farm is its farmhouse. Many a small dirt-floored hovel has, with dutiful work and prosperous luck, been transformed over the years into a multistory stone villa fit for a dynasty. Whether a doughty adventuring party comes upon a one-room shack or a three-story mansion can inform all sorts of assumptions that a crafty referee can use to bring adventure into their campaigns. Use the table below to generate a farmhouse to put at the center of your fields.

D10	What Kind Of Farmhouse Is It?
1	A small one-story wooden farmhouse, roughly 10’ by 15’ with a fireplace of river stones and a single shuttered window. The outside walls and roof are covered in cedarwood bark.
2	A three-room one-story wooden farmhouse approximately 15’ wide by 25’ long with a roof of green glazed tiles. The roof overhangs the front of the house by seven feet and is supported by four wooden columns carved to look like snakes are coiling around them.
3	A simple turf house dug into the earth, approximately 15’ by 15’ with a roof of green sod. Large river stones have been placed on the edge of the roof where it meets the ground. The door is painted a golden orange color.
4	A robust two-story wooden farmhouse with a wrap-around porch. The building is 50’ wide by 55’ long. The columns that support the second story balcony above the porch are smoothly carved and painted with bright patterns of flowers and grasses, while the rest of the house is painted a brownish red. The roof is shingled in green-gray slates.
5	A modest log cabin with a small second story, roughly 20’ wide by 35’ wide with a thatched roof. A large brick chimney makes up an entire wall of the house.
6	A three-story wooden tower stands about 15’ by 15’ wide and 50’ tall with a peaked roof of red glazed  tiles. A small stove pipe is visible on the eastern side of the building. The sturdy wooden door to the farm tower is banded in iron and has been painted with the face of a medusa glaring back at would-be visitors on it.
7	A sunken farmhouse fashioned out of an ancient rock-cut tomb. The stone it is cut from is approximately 50’ feet in diameter, but the farmhouse itself is comprised of only three rooms. The stones around the doorway are carved in a weathered and unreadable script.
8	A modest one-floor farmhouse made of mortared fieldstones is approximately 15’ wide by 20’ long with a thatched roof and a number of glazed windows. An elaborately styled chimney on the western side of the house is tiled with a mosaic that depicts rose, ivy, and hawthorn branches winding their way up it.
9	A sprawling single-story sandstone farmhouse, roughly 55’ wide by 65’ long with a central courtyard and pillared arcades. The roof is made of glazed red tiles. To either side of the green painted door are two weathered marble statues of lamia standing at attention.
10	An impressive two-story chateau of mortared sandstone and granite roughly 30’ wide by 50’ long with dark gray slate roof shingles. The roof overhangs a second floor balcony, and both are supported by two massive granite pillars carved with elaborate fluting and pediments. There are many windows around the mansion, all of them glazed.

 

Does the Farmhouse Have any Secrets?

Use this handy table below to determine if there are any secrets about the farmhouse that a PC’s search of the interior may uncover.

2D6	Are There Any Secrets In The Farmhouse?
2	Stuffed in a green glazed jar next to the bed is a battered copper ring (ring of protection +1)
3-5	An excellent bottle of wine (20 gp) has been concealed inside a lidded cook pot.
6-8	No, this is just a simple farmstead. What you see is what you get.
9-11	A small horde of coins (3D10 gp) has been hidden in a small hole dug under the bed.
12	The ancient, gnarled walking stick set next to the door is actually an enchanted club that deals an extra +2 damage to Constructs and Undead.

 

Who Dwells Here?

Folk inhabit forests for countless reasons. Whether to flee oppression, avoid suspicion, find solitude, or to be closer to their gods, they seek the seclusion of the trees. Use the table below to generate your farm’s inhabitants. Some may seem like perfectly typical forest dwellers, and others might seem like odd inclusions in this setting. Use your imagination to help fill in the gaps and explain what circumstances may have brought them here.

D12	Farm Inhabitants
1	A modest family of humans including a grandmother, her daughter and daughter’s husband, their teenage daughter and adult son, the son’s wife, and their infant son. The grandmother, her daughter, and granddaughter all have heterochromatic eyes, one green and the other reddish-brown
2	Two young elf couples live here and work the farm together. They sometimes employ a few halfling field hands.
3	An elderly human couple live here after their children all left. They do have an even-tempered guard dog named Pooch.
4	A small collection (2d6+3) of dwarves live together in this farmhouse. They are all from the same clan and are distantly related to each other. It is impossible to tell the men from the women here.
5	A collection of two extended halfling families (2d6+2) occupy the farm and can often be heard singing to each other at night. A great gray wolfhound named Gary guards both families from danger.
6	A small clutch (3d4) of lizardfolk have their farm here. They wear leather pants and carry wicker backpacks around the farm. The matriarch of the lizardfolk has piercing golden eyes.
7	An odd collection of humans, goblins, halflings, and bugbears work the farmstead. They are all children of the same virtuous adoptive mother who raised them here in the woods.
8	A small family consisting of a mother, father, young daughter, infant son, and the father’s three brothers who help out as farm hands live here. The father has a bad limp and keeps to himself mostly.
9	A family of gnomish cottagers occupy this farm. The house is filled with two sets of grandparents, a mother and father and three young gnomish children, and a young boy and his two older sisters. The grandparents brew mead flavored with herbs gathered from the forest.
10	An ancient and weathered old woman and her mute teenage servant are the farm’s only inhabitants. The servant’s face has a pleading, guilty quality to it.
11	A simple family of orcs can be found here. A mother, father, and their eight nearly grown children farm the land. The mother is jovial and inclined to sing.
12	A human man and his orcish mate dwell in the farmhouse with three human servants. The couple eloped and left their families to be together - the human from his minor noble house, and the orc from their warrior tribe.

 

*"The Heronry at Vinney Ridge", Picture was drawn by Walter Crane and engraved by W. J. Linton, probably in 1862.

What Does it Seem Like is Going on Here?

Though many dwell under the forest’s loamy canopy, not all are as they appear to be at first notice. Still, your player’s first impressions are often what entices them into adventure. Through the forest undergrowth, what appears to be happening and what actually is happening are sometimes two different things. Use the table to generate a first impression of what is happening at the farm clearing. This will give you an idea of what is unfolding when the encounter itself starts and is just a jumping-off point for further interaction.

2d6	What Is Going On?
2	The fields and farm buildings are under attack! A small (2d4) band of [1. Orcs 2. Gnolls 3. Bugbears 4. Mudmen] are viciously trying to batter down the door to the farmhouse. The vile monsters are ransacking the farm fields as the farmhouse is being attacked.
3	Half the farm’s able-bodied inhabitants are working the fields, and the others are guarding the perimeter with wooden spears and rusted helmets. This farm’s inhabitants are cautious of raids from monsters and the like. They are devout, however, and are greatly swayed by the presence of lawful priests, clerics, and paladins.
4	Some of the farm dwellers are standing near a half collapsed wall, arguing about the best way to rebuild it. They seem nervous but are still quite friendly and will invite players to join them for their evening meal. The inhabitants speak only in whispers, but they won’t say why.
5	A few gathered farm folks stand near a freshly dug grave in prayer. They are bruised looking and weary. They have just buried a beloved family member. They won’t say how they got their injuries or how the deceased person died. They can be enticed to talk and/or trade but insist on doing everything on a table that they’ll bring out from inside the farmhouse.
6-8	A typical day on the farm. All able hands are at work sowing, reaping, tending, and mending what needs to be. Work songs and the occasional laugh perfume the air. The inhabitants of this farm are friendly if cautious and will offer what meager shelter and food they have for the evening. These folk are helpful and goodhearted, although not the most learned.
9	Two of the farm’s residents are chasing a small herd of deer out of the fields with brooms while they yell and holler. The farmers are happy to talk and trade with the player’s characters, although they do ask for help with the local deer population in return for any trades.
10	The fields are pockmarked with small burnt craters and the roof of the farmhouse has been caved in. Though there is a good deal of blood in the house, there are no bodies to be found at first glance.
11	Tension lies like a wet cloth across the clearing. There are signs of fieldwork being done, but no one is visible in the fields. The farmhouse windows and doors are shut tight and the inhabitants seem cautious and guarded. They will threaten violence if pressed, though this is but a scared bluff. In truth they are fearful of outsiders and will take some persuading if they are to be of  assistance.
12	A dead farmer lays facedown in their field. A smoldering pile of rubble is strewn next to them on the ground. The farmhouse door lies ominously open and smoke is beginning to trickle out of it.

 

What is Actually Going on Here?

Things in the deep woods are not always what they seem. What adventurers first assume to be going on when they come upon a lone farmhouse can sometimes be much more sinister than what appears at first glance. Use the below table to figure out if there is something more going on than meets the eye, and what that is.

1d12	What Is Truly Going On?
1-6	Everything is as it seems here. There is no twist, just humble folk who may need a hand.
7	The some of the farm’s inhabitants are secretly doppelgangers who have taken the identities of some of the farm’s true residents. At least one may try to accompany the PCs after they leave in hopes of taking over one of their lives.
8	The farm’s inhabitance are actually murderers who killed the true owners and have taken over. They will try to drug PCs who accept their hospitality so that they can sacrifice them to their dark gods.
9	The farm’s inhabitance are part of a secret cult to an altruistic god of Law. They will repay any kindness offered to them by way of their god’s blessing.
10	One of the farm’s inhabitants is a Hag in disguise. She has ensorcelled the others who live there and uses the farm as her secret base of operations.
11	The farm’s true inhabitants (roll again on the Farm Inhabitants table) have been away from home. In their absence, the current residents came to squat there and take the farmer’s food. The original inhabitants will return sometime during the PC’s encounter though.
12	The farm’s inhabitants are actually escaped fugitives lying low here in the forest until the heat dies down. They may be known to the PCs if they are infamous enough (2-in-6 chance).