Random Encounters: Golden Valley
It took me a little while longer than I would have liked, but I finally finished up the random encounter table for the northern plains of the Great Valley, a region I'm calling Golden Valley. This area was something of a challenge because it is primarily dominated by grasslands, but does include some foothills and forest. I most travel throughout Calennor goes through the valley since it's so flat, and I wanted to make it relatively plausible that travelers could be safe doing so. To that end, I included soldiers/mercenaries as a non-hostile encounter. I'm actually relying a lot on judicial application of reaction rolls to get the flavor I want across with these tables. For example, the ghost on last week's post is intended to be a creepy encounter but not necessarily a hostile one. Of course, I can't predict if or when it'll appear but when I put it on there my intention was to modify the reaction roll heavily one way. I don't want hostile or non-hostile encounters off the table for any of the options, of course, but I do want to skew the results.
Some of these are repeated, as the creatures in them can range from mountains and forests to plains and scrubland, and I did end up just copy+pasting a few, but for the most part it's all original and I think lends Golden Valley its own flavor distinct from the Lössea Urun.
Without further ado, the encounter table for Golden Valley:
| 1d10 → | 1 | 2-3 | 4-6 | 6-8 | 9-10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1d12+1d8 ↓ | Monster | Lair | Spoor | Tracks | Traces |
| 2 | Wyvern | In hills: A cave in the side of a small ravine, a narrow canyon, or similar. In plains: a burrow or hidden nest. | A roughly three by one foot pile of scat. Various bones, likely of cattle or reeth, can be seen. There are 1d6 x 10 talents worth of gems and coin inside, for anyone brave enough to look. | A set of footprints appearing seemingly from nowhere - almost birdlike but more fleshy and substantial. A large drag mark in the center of them and some distance behind. | Prey with large chest wound hanging from tree branches. |
| 3 | Basilisk | Beneath a rock or tree - during the day the basilisk is always away and at night it is sleeping. There are many "statues" strewn around, with 2-in-6 being partly consumed. | Scattered among the rocks and trees are several statues of strikingly lifelike quality. Some have been partially eaten or shattered. | Odd tracks that seem to be several of the same creature walking in single file. The gait is very wide and slow, and heavier than it seems it should be. | Nearly entirely devoured statues - just the feet, or a hand. |
| 4 | 1d3 groundhawks | A large raised mound holds a gigantic nest, inside there are 1d4 young. If it's daytime, the parents are 2d10 x 100' away. | A crushed animal with two sets of four converging slices and large chunks torn off its upper body. | A set of bipedal footprints with three distinct toes and a claw mark on the inside of the foot. | The distant sound of three distinct warbling calls. |
| 5 | Bulette | A narrow trench, freshly dug with a wider section. If it's night, the bulette is still buried here. If not, it's gone. | The severed, mangled top half of a creature - it looks as though something tore the bottom half out from underneath. | A hole in the ground. A collapsed tunnel with clawed footprints leading away. | A single item remaining from a passerby found in a sinkhole. |
| 6 | 2d6 talonrunners | A series of small nests, the sound of chittering and screeching can be heard up to 2d6x100 feet away. | An abandoned ambush site, with blood stains and signs that prey was dragged away approximately 1d6 days ago. | Long-spaced footprints with three long, clawed toes. | The corpse of a prey animal nearly stripped clean of flesh. What remains is marked by many small claws, accompanied by much fewer large gashes. |
| 7 | 1d8+4 ghouls | Abandoned crypt, ruined chapel, ghost towns, etc. | A corpse riddled with bitemarks, with its limbs wrenched off | Shuffling, scraped footsteps. Some tracks seemingly made by people on two legs, occasionally on their knuckles as well. | A distant, inhuman howl. |
| 8 | Ankheg | Sinkhole-like burrows in moist areas or near cattle. | Several herd animals cut in half, with trenches leading up to the corpses. An animal half eaten, cut up, and with severe acid burns. | Collapsed tunnels. | Withered grass, acid burned trees. |
| 9 | 2d6 Adventurers +1d8 henchmen/followers | Roadside camp, hilltop ruins, leeward escarpment, etc. Always sets a watch, abandoned by 10:00 AM. | Abandoned camp. | Signs of a single file line of people on foot. All different sizes, different types of footwear, and much deeper than they normally would be. | A completely burnt out torch, a bloody handprint, empty elixir bottles, a used calyx, a frayed section of rope. |
| 10 | Travelers | "" 2-in-6 chance of a watch, abandoned by noon. | A doused campfire, broken pottery, food scraps, | Narrowly spread out footprints, wagon ruts/pack animal tracks. | Makeshift shrine to either Satres Eowesna or Eonu. |
| 11 | 4d10 (Odd) Legionaires/(Even) Mercenaries | ×100. Rows of tents, with a standard of some kind on display. 2-in-6 chance of simple barricades in place. | Former military camp. Broken arrows, sites for physical training, and signs of camp followers - dishwater, food scraps, etc. separate from the main site. | Even, single or double file tracks - uniform footwear, baggage train behind. | A broken prayer talisman, a discarded "Dear John" letter, a rank tassel. Mercenaries - company scrip, a letter of acceptance to the Mages Guild. |
| 12 | 3d6 Merchants + baggage train | Wagon circle, roadside camp, or similar. | Several oddly spaced campfires (different wagon circles). | Signs of many heavy laden wagons passing. | Flattened grass, a deep wheel rut, several old campfire pits. A discarded, broken wheel. |
| 13 | 1d6 wild animals: reeth, pronghorn, mountain lion, rabbits, etc. | Den, burrow, nest, watering hole, or copse of trees. | You know, spoor. Scat. | Game trails leading off in indeterminate directions. A footpath worn with repeated journeys. | Half-eaten food (berries, leaves, etc.), scratched trees, etc. |
| 14 | 3d6+ 2 (Odd) Gnolls/ (Even) Orcs | Chaotic war camp surrounded by crude pallisades. | Ruined clothing or personal items taken from victims. Salvaged tools, remnants from crafting makeshift weapons and armor. | Haphazard tracks of appropriately shaped feet. Somewhat uniform in approach, but less disciplined than say a goblin patrol. | Gnolls - corpses picked clean of flesh, 50% chance of cannibalism. Orcs - viscera scattered in divinatory practice/worship of Belhor. |
| 15 | Burgthyr | Cave or ruined structure, 2-in-6 chance thyr is absent during the day. 1d6 x 100 marks, 1d10 x 10 ducats, 1d4 calyxes, 1d4 art objects, 3-in-6 chance of 1d6 captives (roll 1d4 on results 9-12) awaiting some terrible fate. 1d8+8 thyrs live in the lair. | The remains of a goat roasted over a bonfire. A crudely buried mound, containing half the treasure afforded a burgthyr. A tree pushed over and snapped like a stick to create a new club. | Huge, heavy, plodding footprints. A trail from a dragged club. 2-in-6 chance of accompanying giant goat hoofprints. | Ceremonial site - a drawn and quartered mage tied upon a stone slab. Crushed elixirs, alchemical works, and the torn pages of the mage's grimoire are discarded around. Luck save determines if any of it is salvagable. |
| 16 | Leaden Mauler | Small ravine or shallow cave. 1-in-6 chance the Mauler has bonded to a random person. | The corpse of a poor creature who unfortunately ran into the Mauler (roll another encounter) that has been torn asunder, limbs scattered around like a child's broken toy. | Five-toed, clawed footprints. 1-in-6 chance of bonded creature accompanying. | Rended armor, bent sword, shattered weapon hafts, etc. |
| 17 | 1d2 Plumed Drake | Nest, 1d6 young. One parent present during day, both at night. | Fish bones. A very large bird dropping. | Square footprints, like a giant walking on their knuckles. Long lines from the wings scraping the ground occasionally. | Mating call. |
| 18 | 2d6 griffons | Pride's rock or vale. Double the number of adults present are cublets. 2-in-6 chance they're near wild/feral horses. Range up to 24 miles from lair to hunt. -3 to reaction if equines accompany party. | An entire herd of prey animals seemingly dropped from extreme height then feasted upon. | Eagle-like prints followed by catlike ones. | Very high scratches on a tree trunk. |
| 19 | 4d10×10 Zvarts + 1d8 giant rats | A tiny village hidden among foliage or rocks or a hollowed out tree. | An overturned cart riddled with tiny spears. A dead merchant, picked clean, ensnared in a bear trap, with many oversized bites from some kind of rodent. | Many tiny footprints. 1-in-6 chance of a prisoner being dragged behind the throng. Some giant rat prints. | Huge rat droppings, discarded coins. |
| 20 | Malphas | Ruins or cave. 1-in-6 chance of a petitioner also present. A treasure hoard of 1d6×1,000 talents, 2d6 gemstones, 2d4 art objects, and one Greater magic item. | Abandoned magical research equipment (astrological diagrams, alchemical equipment, occult materials, etc.), profane scribblings of madmen. | A hobbling, slow, set of prints with birdlike features and the use of a walking stick. | A few reeking feathers. An overwhelming musty smell with no clear source. |
Notes
I know a lot of people abide by the maxim that "2 should always be a dragon and 18 should always be a wizard," but personally I think dragons should be epic encounters that have to be planned for. Sure, with the table and procedure I'm using an actual face-to-face encounter with the monster is pretty rare but due to worldbuilding nonsense there are only ever 255 dragons in the world at any given time. So, in this instance I wanted something akin to a dragon - what else, other than a wyvern!
Basilisks are classic monsters for a reason. They're easy to telegraph, and they make for interesting encounters due to being impossible to fight head on. This, to me, seems like the kind of encounter that should be always hostile. Also, a great opportunity for an impromptu magic item - a basilisk's eye can petrify anyone who looks at it!
Groundhawks - these were on my last table and I realized I never actually explained what they were. Some time ago I was looking to add some fantasy flair to the wildlife in my setting, but I wasn't sure where to begin designing familiar, but still alien creatures until I remembered - there's millions of years of examples to choose from in Earth's history! Groundhawks are allosauruses, one of many examples of paleo animals I've included in my game. However, I want to present them as real animals and avoid the tropes and connotations that come with dinosaurs in fantasy. I'm presenting them as birdlike predators, fast and agile. I assume they got the name from their (proposed) method of hunting - ambushing prey by jumping on it. Kind of like a hawk dropping from above.
Bulettes, yet another classic monster. Could have some fun interactions with ankhegs, since they occupy similar niches. That's another thing I neglected to discuss last time. I want the tables to dynamically create interesting scenarios when encounters intersect.
Talonrunners, also known as deinonychus. Perhaps this is my naive understanding of paleobiology, but I know that in real live wolves very rarely attack humans. Dinosaurs, even presented as more scientifically accurate and less "land that time forgot" make more sense to me as more often than not hostile animal encounters.
Undead are always fun, and particularly dangerous. In my game, I allow PCs to choose the Wise partial class, and have buffed them a little with healing and turn undead arts, but they are still less effective than your typical Cleric in retroclones. This would be a pretty dangerous encounter, but I'm more okay with it due to the decreased chance of actually seeing the ghouls up front.
The ankheg I mentioned! These guys are so cool. I have half a mind to make these into a split entry, like orcs/gnolls. Perhaps bulettes should be nocturnal, maybe let me know what you think?
Adventurers are a bit rarer in the Valley because they are more often than not in the mountains, due to the Count of Galanthorn calling for people to become Adventurers (which is a distinct social class in the setting) and relocate to the forts in the mountains.
As I said before, travelers are going to be found in the Valley because it's the easiest way to head north or south. The Gold Road and the Northroad pass through the valley, both trailing along the foothills of the Lössea Urun and the Grey Mountains respectively. However, there are many small trails and paths not shown on the map that people could take to cut between them. Travelers encountered in this way indicates one of those is nearby, which could save the party some time if they want to cut across.
Legionaries are soldiers in a Duke's legion, obviously. Dukes are the only people allowed to raise armies, which is convenient for the Emperor as they are also typically a duke. They are probably not super concerned with petty crimes on the roads, but if something severe gets reported their commanding officer (probably a knight) has authority to dispense justice. Mercenaries, depending on the reaction roll, are available for hire. They may also be serving a count illegally, or be deserters who haven't quite stooped to banditry yet.
Merchants, yet again. A good target for less than scrupulous players, but also a way to resupply without heading to town. They also probably can give out a rumor or two with good reaction and connect rolls.
Wild animals, self explanatory. Mostly there for flavor, but could be nice if the party is far from a town and needs food.
Gnolls/orcs. I had the idea that gnolls are kind of pressing in on both orc and goblin territory because it seems like it would be cool if the players sided with one or the other. In my game, gnolls, orcs, goblins, and a few of the other humanoid type of monsters are basically demons given form by powerful otherworldly beings but that doesn't make them beyond allying with mortals if it would serve their masters' goals.
Thyrs are what I call giants, and a burgthyr therefore is a hill giant. I kind of love these guys, especially as a kind of counterpart to trolls and ogres. I think the idea of giants degenerating into many different kinds of giants and forever being in conflict can be super cool.
The Leaden Mauler is my take on the Gray Render. A neat monster, just one that I want to be distinct from WotC IP.
Plumed Drake, also known as Quetzalcoatlus. Not really a combat encounter, since most research I can find says this creature was a skim feeder. I think I'll reuse this entry when I do the Heronstad Basin region, since Lake Heronstad would be a really logical habitat for these guys.
Griffons! I like the idea of a player trying to tame these guys, similar to the hippogriff encounter from last time. I think griffons should maybe be a bit more dangerous, but once tamed more useful in combat. Maybe I'll mine the AD&DD 1e DMG for ideas on how to make flying mounts distinct.
Zvarts, which are similar to but distinct from Xvarts. Basically a variation on the goblin theme, except they serve a different god. I like the flavor that they take lots of prisoners, which makes them creepy.
Malphas, or as you might know them, Nagpa. Creepy wizards-turned-birdmen, cursed by their hubris. These guys are way cooler than the typical D&D hag, so I don't know why I had never heard of them until a few years ago. I like the idea that there's these cursed sorcerers living in burned out ruins. I have some ideas for how to use these guys as a wider part of my setting too, having to do with the formation of the ubiquitous Mages Guild.
Conclusion
And that about does it for Golden Valley. I'm still keying hexes, but with a few new random tables I've found I think that will speed up quite a bit. Next, I'm going to do the Heronstad Basin, which I think will be far more bandit-ridden as it's farther away from the capitol. How do you think this table compares to my last one? Any suggestions? I'd love to hear from you on Bluesky.
Until next time, keep your eyes on the skies.
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