Sargasso Sea Encounter Generator:

 Salutations seasick sailors of the salt-rimed sargasso! This week brings the smell of rotting seaweed on the air and a pervasive sense of overwhelming weirdness. That's right, this week I bring to you the Sargasso Sea Encounter Generator! A fun set of tables for generating weird seaborne encounters echoing with the flavor of the Bermuda Triangle! A perfect addition to any sea traveling campaign of marine fun! If you like this article, check out last week's Snowbound Encounter Location Generator, and if that's not to your liking, maybe D66 Graveyard Encounters are more up your alley! 

Sargasso Sea Encounter Generator:

Sargasso is a type of floating seaweed that grows primarily in the Caribbean Sea and the mid-Atlantic. This free floating, fast growing sea plant can generate huge colonies upon the open ocean, floating in thick clumps that can grow to be miles wide. This presents a genuine hazard to boats travelling through it. The propensity for sargasso to clog rudders and foul ship keels is a proposed cause of the Bermuda Triangle’s supposed ship-sinking powers. Suffice it to say that even in the real world, getting your boat caught in the stinky green seaweed is a real danger. For this reason, sargasso shows up in RPGs in more than a few oceanic hex crawls. It lends itself to fanciful tales of marooned sailors and mysterious encounters. Below you will find a series of tables you can use to generate interesting sargasso related encounters for your players to explore, if they dare.

*Woodcut of an early German ship, ca.1530. Author Unknown

What Did You Spot In The Crow’s Nest?

There is much to discover in the floating clumps of sargasso, and it is a vigilant eye that can mean the difference between opportunity and calamity in the stinking mess of the sargasso. The table below will be the base location of your encounter. The sargasso makes it almost impossible for large vessels with rudders to pass through the middle of the thicker clumps. Lifeboats, ca

D20	What did you spot?
1	The broken hulls of a handful of lifeboats lashed together into a makeshift raft.
2	The burned lower half of a merchant schooner.
3	An ancient longboat with colorful shields hanging off of either side.
4	The wooden carriage of a hot air balloon that has crashed into a single-masted pinnace, its deflated balloon tangled in the rigging.
5	A giant, miserable, barnacle-encrusted turtle the size of a small island.
6	A collection of barrels, shipping crates, and half rotten rope that have become tangled together.
7	A war galley in perfect condition.
8	A three-masted merchant vessel with its masts smashed and tangled together.
9	Four lifeboats all lashed together in a row.
10	A verdant island of pumice stone-covered trees that floats freely in the water.
11	A sea mount that juts almost a hundred feet out of the water.
12	A floating rusted metal machine the size of a wagon that was built in the shape of a crab. The thing has become entangled in rope and seaweed.
13	A giant stinking whale carcass that has been lashed to barrels to keep it afloat.
14	Three large, cupped ceramic leaves with their stems all tied together.
15	Three makeshift rafts constructed of driftwood and rotten ropes.
16	The hulls of two galleons that have been lashed side-by-side together. Their decks house multiple small huts.
17	A small rocky outcropping about 20 feet in diameter that sits only five feet above the waterline.
18	A single-masted riverboat that has been stripped of all visible rope, canvas, barrels, and all other portable items
19	A floating leaf the size of a large sailing ship with mast-tall fungal protrusions that look sort of like sails.
20	A battered, rudderless troop transport vessel ringed in barnacles.

noes, and other small, rowed rudderless craft can sail through the thick clumps of sargasso that ring the locations below without getting stuck in it, but their speeds will be reduced by half.

 

What May Dwell Here?

Though the sea is often devoid of intelligent creatures, the trapped inhabitants of the sargasso can be plentiful. Those who are able to survive here are ruthless and canny, only a pitiful few surviving for long on altruism and goodwill. Though many would kill for a chance to leave, those that have made rulers of themselves here are often loath to aid any who offer freedom to their servants. To determine whether a location is inhabited and by what, roll a D6 and consult the Inhabitants table. If a location comes up devoid of sentient life, use the What Dwells Here? table. If there are intelligent creatures here, roll on the Who Dwells Here? table.

D6	Inhabitants
1	There is nothing living here.
2-4	Someone lives here. Check the Who Dwells Here? table.
5-6	Something lives here. Check the What Dwells Here? table.

D12	Who Dwells Here?
1	A ragged band (2d4+1) of suntanned humans and demi-humans who are slavishly devoted to Nar’kalu, the shark god of fate. They believe they were chosen by Nar’kalu and that by eating infidels they can gain his favor and be transformed into immortal sharks.
2	A zealous band (1d20) of soldiers from a war that ended over two decades ago. They are driven to survive and finish their mission, no matter what.
3	An old mage and his three assistants who are in search of a lost magical item that is supposed to be located on a lost vessel in the sargasso. He is willing to compensate a party that helps him with an Ebony Fly Figurine of Wonderous Power. He is quite crazy though, and his assistants are all mute.
4	A cult of shipwrecked humans (2d10+1) who have come under the power of a sea demon who encourages them to mutilate themselves so they appear more fishlike. They like to hide in the water if they spot approaching vessels and ambush curious parties.
5	A group (3d6+1) of halflings with verdigris-encrusted bronze scale mail and swords. They speak an archaic form of Common. They are part of an ancient band of mythic warriors that are spoken of in legend. It was said that they disappeared over 2,000 years ago en route to conquer a sorcerer-king.
6	A friendly crew (2d10+5) of stranded merchants and sailors. They have been stuck in the sargasso for over six months and many are injured. The captain and other officers have died, though no one will say how.
7	Three animated wooden statues in the shape of sailors. They ran away from their wizard master many years ago and have been stranded here for almost as long. They know many bawdy songs and limericks. When they are all within 10 feet of each other, they can cast a single random arcane spell a day.
8	Six elves each suspended in a translucent crystal the color of the setting sun. They are the victims of a divine curse that trapped them here millennia ago. They are only free from their crystal prisons at night when they continue their search for a long-lost leyline whose discovery they believe will break their curse.
9	A humble band (2d6+1) of monks who live in the sargasso to be closer to their sea god. These monks have extensive knowledge of the sargasso and the creatures that dwell there. The monks are being harassed by evil spirits sent to disrupt their spiritual studies.
10	A crew (2d10+1) of beady-eyed, sunken-cheeked cannibals. These desperate souls have been driven to cannibalism in the seaweed choked hellhole of the sargasso. Though once driven by desperate hunger, they have now become addicted to the taste of the flesh of sentients. This craving is what drives them now.
11	A group of children (3d6+2) between six and twelve who are all that remain of a marooned ship. The children are half feral and all speak a language that they invented. Some wish to leave and to see their families again, but others know no other life and see no reason to leave this home.
12	A small crew (2d8) of sailors dressed in archaic clothing who appear to phase in and out of existence every few seconds. The crew speak in an odd and old-timey manner, and many don’t recognize the name of modern nations. The crew can’t stop themselves from phasing and need help.

 

*Shipwreck of the Batavia, Plate 3, from original woodcut print, F. Pelsaert, F., & Vliet, J. (1647)

D12	What Dwells Here?
1	A ragged parliament of harpies (2d4) who flew too far out to sea and now are stuck in the sargasso. They seek a way to return to their nests, and for powerful magic users to make their betrothed.
2	A horde of zombie sailors (2d10) who were cursed by an angry sea hag. The sailors hunger now for living flesh, their human souls long since destroyed by the curse. The mindless horde seems to be attracted to magic and will attack magic users first if given a chance.
3	An infestation of giant crabs (2d8) who have made the location their home. The shells of the crabs have been infused with the latent magic in the area. As a result, the crabs are now immune to mundane weapons and can only be harmed by magic.
4	A colony of intelligent giant octopuses (2d6+1) inhabit the location. They are natives to the sargasso and are building a democratic republic based on universal octopus rights. The octopuses are very interested in philosophy, religion, and the nature of the universe, as well as those who can tell them more about these topics.
5	An angry band of sahuagin (3d6) dwells here. The half-rotten body parts of their enemies that are scattered about are kept as trophies. The sahuagin are on a holy quest for a sacred relic of their evil gods they believe is being held on one of the sargasso’s many floating wrecks.
6	The flickering ghosts of three sailors inhabit this place. The story of their stranding and their inevitable turning on each other plays out in repetition beginning every four hours. It seems that they were childhood friends who eventually killed and ate each other until the thinnest of the sailors killed himself in shame.
7	Fifteen mold-encrusted skeletons going about their duties as though they were all living sailors. The moldy skeletons speak an oddly accented form of Common. They claim to be sailors from a small city state who got snared by the sargasso on their way to sell iron ingots. They refuse to acknowledge that they are skeletons and talk as though they are all still living men.
8	A small collection (1d4+1) of shiny, colored spheres that float in the air. The spheres talk in sweet lilting voices as they discuss matters of art and music. These beings are called Xe’Blatt. They are extradimensional creatures who are visiting this universe on a day trip.
9	The location is ringed by great white sharks (1d8) and giant eels (3d4) who will attempt to overturn any boat that comes near them in order to eat those unlucky enough to fall out.
10	A sea hag and her aquatic elf servants (1d6) live here. The hag is a dangerous and unpredictable character. If PCs are polite to her, she may choose to aid them, but not necessarily in the way the want her to. If PCs are rude, the hag and her servants will try to capture the PCs and use them in their magical experiments.
11	A small family of merrow calls this their home. The aquatic ogres have an elven woman chained up that they keep as bait to entice others to come to her aid so that they may capture and eat them. The poor woman is traumatized and refuses to talk. The merrows love the flesh of humans more than any other meat and will target humans if a fight breaks out.
12	This is the abode of a sea hydra. The foul beast will wait for curious parties to draw close before it tries to capsize their boat and eat them! If PCs survive, they find a clutch of three sea hydra eggs hidden in the location.

Odd Phenomena

The sea-sized floating masses of sargasso are home to more than just stranded sailors and hungry sharks. Within the confines of the ocean of seaweed, many odd phenomena have been observed. The scholars of many worlds in the multiverse have suggested that the sargasso is sensitive to the latent geomantic energy that flows through the earth. These same scholars posit that the sargasso only grows in areas of the ocean where powerful leylines converge, and that these nexus points can be home to many fantastical magical phenomena. Use the table below to populate your encounter location with strange magical energies and weird occurrences.

D20	Odd Phenomena
1	At night, odd masses of glowing colored balls can be observed floating out of the ocean and dancing around each other for upwards of an hour before rising into the sky, never to come back down.
2	All metal in the location gives off a static charge. Although the shock is painful, it is completely harmless.
3	Characters exploring the location are constantly in a state of déjà vu.
4	The sea here glows a soft greenish light at night.
5	The sound of a bird familiar to a PC can be heard periodically over the wind as though it was close by.
6	The nights around here are half as long as normal, and the days are twice as long.
7	The sea within 100 yards of the location are rimed with frost and cold.
8	PCs keep losing time. They can’t remember what they were just doing or had just done, though no more than half an hour is forgotten at any one time. Everyone is losing different amounts at different times.
9	Random small trade goods (ribbon, cutlery, balls of wax or twine, etc.) periodically rain down from the clouds.
10	The sounds of a crowd applauding a performance waft upon the wind.
11	A cloud of infinitesimally small spiders floating on the breeze starts to rain down on the location. They are harmless but abundant and will cover every surface with webbing after about an hour.
12	Time is dilated at the location. Every hour spent there equals three hours to those in other places.
13	A small river boat of some kind falls from the sky near the location, breaking apart when it hits the water. There didn’t seem to be anyone aboard, thankfully.
14	When PCs are apart from each other at this location they keep hearing their compatriots calling their names.
15	Anyone who dreams at this location dreams of a vast chamber with a glowing heart beating florescent purple blood onto the floor.
16	After PCs leave this location, they will find any ferrous metals they have on their person have become highly magnetized.
17	When dawn comes at this location, two suns on opposite ends of the sky actually rise. They continue across they sky from opposite directions until they fall behind the horizon opposite from where they began.
18	All sounds here are muted and those who wish to converse must shout to be heard.
19	Any arcane spells cast here have a 2-in-6 chance of failing. If a spell does fail, the caster can be seen lurching out of existence for a brief second.
20	Any spell cast here is cast at its full effect. (Maximum targets, damage, duration, etc.)

*Woodcut of early German ships, ca.1530. Author Unknown

Special Treasure

The wrecks of the sargasso tend to collect odd and curious items. Some power within the massive patches of seaweed seems to hold onto valuable and magical items. Many antique oddities can be scavenged from the sun-warped hulls of floating wreckage that dot the seascape. The table below has interesting treasures to reward savvy players with on your next sea voyage through the sargasso.

D12	Unique Treasure
1	A two-handed sword forged of exceptional quality steel. The sword’s quillions are shaped like swan wings and two thumb-sized sky-blue sapphires are embedded on each side of the blade where it meets the silver hilt. Another sky-blue sapphire, this one the size of a chicken’s egg, is fixed to the pommel. (The sword never needs sharpening.)
2	Three large folios containing the lost opera of the legendary composer Suangalli.
3	A large jewel-encrusted golden astrolabe, fixed with dozens of tiny garnets, pearls, and onyxes.
4	A resplendent floor-length iridescent pink cloak made of hummingbird skins. This is the fabled cloak of Emperor Pallak Kul, the Feathered Serpent Rider. (The wearer gains a +2 bonus to all Charisma -based die rolls.)
5	A large metal shield in the shape of an oak leaf. The shield bears a green field with a charge of a black bear, rampant. This is the heraldry of the legendary hero Bjorn Bearrider. (The shield allows the bearer to cast Animal Friendship once a day against bears.)
6	A full set of enameled playing cards. This appears to be a custom set, as the nobles on the face cards are of the four major houses of the largest known kingdom. The case is made of lacquered wood with small emeralds embedded on its top.
7	A six-foot-long spear, the shaft made of polished ironwood. The spear’s head is over a foot long, made of bronze, and molded into a diamond-shaped spike. Bronze bands studded with emeralds and topazes bend around the shaft from its head.
8	A large silver bullseye lantern crafted to look like the head of a medusa. The lever for the shutter opens and closes her mouth and eyes.
9	The masterwork nyckelharpa of the famous bard Klaus Bluecloak, made of magically treated ebony and rosewood with enchanted silver strings. The case is made of oak and covered in shark’s skin with handles wound with silver wire. (This never needs tuning.)
10	A holy icon made of gold depicts the labors of Saint Tuffnel whose prayers held back a demon army. The icon is about two feet long and eight inches wide and encrusted with pearls and onyxes.
11	A set of fans made out of panels of mother of pearl and intricately carved with scenes of children frolicking with animals.
12	A false hand and forearm made of gold with garnets inlayed in floral patterns. The detail of the hand is exquisite, with each vein and artery displayed in perfect detail. The hand bears six fingers instead of the usual five.

Snowbound Hex Generator

 With summer here in the northern hemisphere in full swing, I'm pining for the frosty winter months that lie on the other end of the calendar. To alleviate my winter blues I've made for you a fun set of tables you can use to create interesting wintertime exploration encounters in the desolate snow! Frosty danger and chilling intrigue await! If you find what you see interesting, check out another one of my hex encounter generators, or take a look at last weeks D66 encounter table!  

The Snowbound Encounter Generator

*Public Domain via rawpixel.com

The frozen extremes of the far north can provide a daunting challenge to explorers and travelers alike. It is because of the inherent dangers associated with arctic climates that they make such compelling locations for your fantasy campaign. Whether it’s chasing a band of ice trolls across the undulating tundra atop a mammoth-bone sled pulled by polar bears or snowshoeing across the vast taiga in search of a lost civilization buried by time, the snow and ice make for fantastic adventuring sites.

 

What did you find frozen in the ice?

The ancient glaciers hold eons of secrets bound up in their glassy blue interiors. Who knows what mysteries lie frozen within them? Give your players something to marvel at while traversing the howling, windswept wasteland of the glaciers with the encounter seeds below.

D12	What did you find frozen in the ice?
1	An ice cave made of purplish sheets of ice. The cave consists of a series of 1d4+2 smaller caverns, etched out of the ice itself. Within the chambers can be found a family of ice trolls. The trolls have a fondness for high quality wine and mead.
2	A massive, green-coated mammoth locked in eternal battle with a variegated red and purple-skinned tyrannosaurus rex. The pair is frozen by the ice in perpetual combat. (Though both creatures perished long ago, their meat is still fresh!)
3	2d6 zombies have been completely frozen within a wall of ice. Their entire bodies save for their heads are frozen. Their eyes hungrily spy on the living that pass by and their jaws impotently snap at those who get too close.
4	Behind a three foot thick wall of translucent blue ice can be seen a hollow cube of space. Within the cube hovers a floating sphere the size of a basketball. The sphere slowly changes color from red into orange, then yellow, then green, then blue, then purple, and then back again to red in an endless undulating cycle. If freed from the hollow space in the ice, the cube will produce a blinding flash of light and then ascend into the sky forever. Anybody present must make a save vs. spells or be blinded for 1d4 rounds and permanently turn a different color (1. Red 2. Orange 3. Yellow 4. Green 5. Blue 6. Purple)
5	Sticking out of an ice sheet can be seen half of an ocean trading vessel from an ancient and long-extinct empire. Only the fore section of the boat remains intact. The aft is nowhere to be seen. Within the half of the boat that’s present can be found over twenty barrels stamped with an ancient imperial seal. The barrels in total contain 10,000 gp worth of ancient wine and spirits, including a barrel of special enchanted wine. If drunk, the imbiber must make a saving throw vs. spells. If they lose, they are considered charmed by the person who offered them the wine.
6	Barely visible through the ice is a spherical hollow roughly 10’ in diameter. A careful observer will spot the body of a bald child sitting within the sphere in a meditation pose as if waiting for something. A blue arrow tattoo on the child’s head is the only identifying mark visible.
7	From out of a greenish sheet of translucent ice looms a rust colored metal giant. The frozen creature is at least 20’ tall and is humanoid in shape, with a squat head and powerful-looking arms. If the thing can be freed and examined, PCs will notice the creature is mechanical in nature, with a clear crystal heart the size of a human head. If a spell of 2nd level or higher is cast into the gem, the rusty automata’s eyes will begin to glow green and it will be revived. The creature is called Gort and is an explorer sent to travel the universe and collect information for its masters.
8	The corpses of two half-rotten reindeer are half frozen into the ground, their bodies still lashed to a mammoth-bone sled covered in furs. The owner of the sled and animals these is long gone now.
9	Visible through the ice is a walrus-bone chest, carved with intricate scenes of ice dwarves going about their daily lives. Within the chest is a perfectly ripe golden-skinned apple. If eaten, the apple will immediately heal the consumer d8 hp and spread a warm feeling of surety throughout their body. The apple eater automatically succeeds at any saving throw for the rest of the day that has to do with resisting cold, tiredness, disease, or weariness.
10	From out of the looming glacier can be seen a gigantic dragon skull the size of a house. Its teeth are as long as spears! A careful examination will reveal the skull to be etched all over with arcane runes of an unknown origin.
11	The massive corpse of a purple worm can be seen frozen within the glacier. Though the thing is half rotten already, there is enough meat salvage to able to feed a small army.
12	Looming out of the ice is a large metal disk-like object roughly the size of a cottage. There is a visible hatch on the underside of the thing. If PCs choose to explore the object, they will discover it is some sort of magical craft, possibly for flight. In the cockpit of the vehicle can be found two dried out corpses in odd full-body suits with glass bubbles for helmets. The corpses don’t look human. The creatures are slighter than most humans, lack noses, and their skin is a gray-green color.

*Public Domain via rawpixel.com
 

Frozen Location Generator

Through hellacious weather and crippling cold, PCs stalk the snowy wastes for many reasons. Cold weather travel can be a brutal experience for characters out on adventure, and this is why more than other climate types, your players are going to be on the lookout for locations to rest and get out of the relentless wind. Use the tables below to generate an interesting icy location for your players to explore, filled with intrigue, treasure, and lurking dangers.

The table below will help us pick what will be the basis for our encounter location. We will use the tables further down to help flesh out the area. To help paint a more vivid picture for your players, the table below lists some suggested descriptions alongside each location. Feel free to use these as the foundation of your descriptions when you play.

D12	Locations
1	An Abandoned Village: The wind-scarred wooden houses leaning against the wind like stooped old men. The sound of chains chiming in the breeze from within a building. The bodies of the slain frozen solid in heaps. The smell of old fire.
2	An Old Watchtower: The keening of the wind through the parapets above. Gray stone blocks frosted white. The smell of stale ale and old fires. A torn tapestry of a once powerful kingdom. The silence of the stones within the tower. Drafts from down the blackened chimney.
3	A Stone Circle: A deep ditch rings the stones. An unexpected warmth within the circle. The stillness of the wind. Blue-black sarsen stone, etched in faded runes. The scent of blood on the air. The presence of the divine.
4	An Ice Castle: A kaleidoscope of prismatic hues filtered through magical icy walls. The spicy smell of ancient magic wafts through the halls. The twinkle of crystal windchimes. An otherworldly beauty in every detail. A nagging chill upon the air.
5	A Hot Spring: The tinkling of spring water flowing over rocks. The sputtering of a hot muddy pool. The smell of earthy, vibrant life. The emerald green of grass and tree. The humid warmth that hovers throughout. The sound of insects and birds return.
6	An Old Dolmen Grave: The chilly air that reaches out. The gray stone slabs that descend into the earth. The bones of the dead, laid out in reverence. A waiting silence. The shafts of light cut the darkness. The smell of old bones and the ancient earth.
7	An Ice Fishing Cabin: The bitter cold held at bay. A thin spot in the icy floor where a hole was cut. The warmth of a brazier. The stench of sweat and human habitation. A well-stocked larder. The creaking of the cabin in the wind.
8	A Stone Cave: A natural cleft in the rock. The sound of gravel crunching against feet. Walls covered with the ancient ocher paintings of bison, giraffes, lions, and wolves. The smell of old campfires. The distant sound of dripping water.
9	A Wrecked Ice Sailing Ship: The berm of snow covering half the vessel. The sound of ropes and pulleys swaying in the breeze. The pervasive quiet within the hull. Corpses frozen in terror. A hint of blood on the air.
10	A Crashed Dirigible: Wind-dried wood cracked and splintered. The sound of the balloon fabric flapping in the wind. The smell of a coal fire. The taste of metal on the tongue. The green patina covering the brass steam engine.
11	An Inexplicably Temperate Valley: A deep valley, ringed by mountains. Green trees and the smell of fecund earth. The sound of a distant predator. Trees taller than castle towers. The sound of a flowing river. Warm and humid air.
12	A Mammoth Graveyard: An unrelenting wind. The jutting bones of thousands of dead mammoths. The smell of rotting flesh. The keening sound of the wind through bare bones. Heavy clouds that never lift.

This table is for adding an interesting secret to your location. This will allow you to craft more interesting and interactable locations for your players. The feeling that there is always more to discover about a location is a powerful driver of player choice and engagement. The secrets table can help you make your encounter locations feel like more than four walls and a monster.

D8	Secrets
1	Ghosts of the first persons to die on site still haunt those who visit this place.
2	A magic item synonymous with an ancient paragon of evil is hidden here.
3	A wizard secretly lives here, hidden in an extradimensional space behind an illusory obstacle.
4	This is the long-used meeting site of a secret evil cabal.
5	A shrine is hidden somewhere on the premises dedicated to Hosta, the goddess of warmth and protection.
6	A scene of a dreadful murder plays out every night at midnight between the specters of two ill-fated lovers.
7	This is the last resting place of a famed paladin known for their bravery and faith.
8	An intelligent ice elemental hides here to avoid those that would harm it.

Use the table below for adding additional oddities to your location. This table brings an otherworldly quality to your fantastical location, permeating it with mystery and wonder. These oddities are useful for pushing your scenes into the uncanny and magical without overwhelming player or adventure goals.

D12	Oddities
1	Fire freezes here into solid blue flames. They cast heat and light, but they can’t melt ice.
2	The snow swirls all around the location but won’t fall within 50’ of it.
3	A low hum can be more felt then heard; it permeates the area yet has no discernable origin point.
4	The echoes in this location are all delayed by half a second.
5	The snow berms here have been carved by the wind into bizarre and unnatural shapes.
6	The sounds of deep, cracking ice echo throughout the area.
7	Those who rest here will occupy the same collective dream-space while they sleep.
8	Words whispered quietly into the setting sun can be heard clearly by all the inhabitants of the location.
9	Music played at this location will always sound better and more well played than anywhere else.
10	The aroma of fresh baked meat pies and bread can be smelled strongly throughout the whole location.
11	No matter how hot the fire, one can’t get warm here.
12	A keening and mournful cry can be heard periodically over the sound of wind here. It sounds almost human.

 

*Public Domain via rawpixel.com

Use the below table to generate the location’s inhabitants. Who occupies this weird place? What do they want? What can they do for your players? Use the table to determine the factions present at the location when players arrive. The second column lists the creature’s needs and wants to further aid with roleplaying.

D12	Inhabitants	Needs and Resources
1	Lost merchants of a wealthy trade house.	Need: Fresh food, cold weather protection, a way back home. Have: Arms, guards, expensive trade goods, writs of passage.
2	A nomadic tribe of ice dwarves.	Need: Metal tools, food, protection from predators. Have: Flint weapons, knowledge of the area, secret ice magics.
3	A raiding party of orcs.	Need: Slaves, man flesh, gold, oil (for fuel) Have: Weapons, raiders, knowledge of a monster lair.
4	An expedition of bug-eyed elves from the moon.	Need: Knowledge about our planet, a translator, the source of the energy field killing their people, food they can eat. Have: Advanced crystal magic, protection enchantments, navigational knowledge.
5	A colony of sabertoothed tigers.	Need: Food, companionship. Have: Shelter, protection, friendship.
6	A crew of crashed aliens.	Need: A way home, a translator, a power source. Have: Ray guns, space suits, advanced forcefield technology.
7	A hidden colony of robot people.	Needs: Solitude, raw materials, oil (for their mechanical parts). Have: Advanced technology, tracked vehicles, super strength, super-fast brains.
8	A proud tribe of cave people.	Need: Food, outsiders to marry and foster children with, psychedelic medicine for their shaman, protection from beasts. Have: Flint weapons, the gift of fire, knowledge of the surrounding area.
9	An extended family of polar bears.	Need: Food, solitude, back scratches. Have: Shelter from the cold, teeth and claws, exceptional senses.
10	A conclave of yeti.	Need: Solitude, illusion magic to hide them from the world, protection from purple worms, companionship. Have: Advanced scientific knowledge, enhanced senses, expert survival knowledge, super strength.
11	An expeditionary team of necromantic sorcerers.	Need: More bodies, knowledge of the outside world, a soul powerful enough to power their hidden city. Have: Necromantic magic, undead servants, forbidden knowledge, a secret way to travel the area.
12	A war party of fire demons.	Need: The direction of the nearest city, chaos-enchanted weapons, souls to enslave, good booze. Have: Demonic fire magic, protection from the cold, magic weapons, hell hounds.

 

*Public Domain via rawpixel.com

Finally, the table below can be utilized to incentivize treasure-focused players. Feel free to give these items to possible antagonists or “lock” them behind puzzles or obstacles. By giving your players something to overcome to acquire these interesting items, you will be vesting them with greater meaning for your players.

D12	Special Treasures
1	Ice Spear: A spear +2 with a blade of magical ice. Once a day the wielder may freeze solid a target they have already hit in combat. The target remains frozen for the next d3 rounds.
2	Personal Shield Generator: An odd device the size of a brooch that is worn on the wrist like a watch. The generator negates two hits a day from a weapon.
3	Environmental Suit: A bulky suit of heavy fabric with attached gloves and boots. The wearer may ignore extreme climate conditions due to heat or cold.
4	Crystal Staff: An ivory white staff over five feet tall with a glowing crystal head on top the size of a fist. Every two rounds of combat, the wielder can generate a ranged energy blast from the staff head. Has the range of a short bow and does 1d8 damage. The staff runs out of juice after five uses and must be set aside until the next day.
5	Personal Heater: A small, smooth metal lump that looks like steel, it fits in the palm of a hand. The lump comfortably warms a single person who holds the thing for at least five minutes.
6	Obsidian dagger: This is a beautifully crafted obsidian-bladed dagger with a carved elk antler handle. The dagger is a +1 dagger that deals double damage to orcs and goblinoids.
7	The Blue Book of Zend: This spell book is bound in blue dragon skin and contains the spells Resist Cold, ESP, Wall of Ice, and Control Weather.
8	Horn of Flames: A beautiful brass horn with a red and gold tassel. Once a day it can be blown to produce a 30 foot wide cone of fire 30 feet long. Anybody caught in the flames must make a breath save. Those who fail take 4d6 fire damage, and those who pass take half.
9	Hoarfrost Arrows: These six enchanted arrows have blue crystal arrow heads. When these arrows hit a target, they deal 1d10 cold damage and the target must make a paralysis saving throw or take a -4 penalty to attacks for the rest of the combat due to shivering.
10	Polar Bear Pelt: This is a complete pelt of a polar bear, including the skull which has been fashioned in such a way as to be worn like a hood. Once a day the wearer can transform into a polar bear for 1d4 hours. The person under the effects of the pelt takes on the physical abilities of a polar bear but retains their intelligence and other mental traits, though they cannot speak.
11	Ice Lantern: This enchanted lantern is made of magical ice and perpetually glows with a bright blue light from a frozen flame within. Once a day the wielder of the lantern can cast Wall of Ice.
12	Cloak of Cold: This white snow owl feather cloak is calf length and warm. The wearer is immune to the ill effects of mundane cold.