When I almost roll a random encounter (roll within 2 of target number) or I want to suggest dungeon inhabited this area moments ago or just use this to keep adventurers on their toes. Keeps the dungeon seemingly more lived in. i could imaging a dungeon intruder alarm going off and half the rooms emptied in a hurry while monsters go to drill hall or guard their children from murderous humans wanting to squeeze their guts for gens or enslave or sacrifice them. These could be written into room descriptions also. Rather than use my what is the monster doing tables this is the what was the monster doing when it ran off in a hurry. These could also be more like investigator clues. You could find room after room left suddenly then find a huge ambush waiting or the monsters by the front door with a barricade. Or maybe something worse than adventurers just came through? Also dungeons dont have stories? Ad some touching humanism to the occupants and reveal the monsters dreams and families and personal lives before players kill them.
d100 Clues left by inhabitants or almost encounter
1 Left a fresh killed corpse of animal or person
d100 Clues left by inhabitants or almost encounter
1 Left a fresh killed corpse of animal or person
2 Left food scraps
3 Left a warm candle stub
4 Left blood from wound
5 Shaving scum or cut hair
6 Leaves a fresh stink
3 Left a warm candle stub
4 Left blood from wound
5 Shaving scum or cut hair
6 Leaves a fresh stink
7 Monster poop steaming fresh
8 Dead dungeon vermin like rat or bat or bug just killed
9 Dead dungeon inhabitant possibly diseased or with parasites
10 Dead dungeon intruder defiled and robbed and dumped
11 Spat up lump of fresh snot12 Left a trail of footprints in filth
13 Smell tobacco or pipweed
14 Smell terrible breath
15 Puddle of warm urine
16 Warm chamber pot
17 Left gnawed bones still warm
18 Coughed up furball or owl like pellet
19 Warm meal left steaming while monster out for a moment
20 Puddle of warm drool or spit
21 Left a warm lantern
22 Left a doused torch still warm
23 Smelly stained bandages
24 Small puddle of spat up bile from monster or drunk
35 Loose clump of hair or fur
36 Flakes of skin or scabs
37 Moist scabs
38 Droplets of puss or ichor from a wound
39 Fleas hopping about
40 Parasitic worms
41 Fresh bloody footprints
42 Loose hairs everywhere
43 Fresh vomit
44 Toenails and clippers
45 Bloody drag mark trail
46 Sick dungeon creature barely able to move
47 Drunken unconscious dungeon creature
48 Staggering drunk dungeon creature thinks party are it's friends
49 Smoking pipe left out
50 Note "back in 5 minutes"
51 Note "out to eat back soon"
52 Pile of warm wet snotrags
53 Cup of warm tea
54 Bowl of hot soup or stew
55 Floating whorl of dust from something rushing through
56 Several hats on rack
57 Playing cards left face down in mid game
58 Dice and coins left mid game
59 Bowl of warm half eaten porridge
60 Warm chair possibly with a blanket
61 Spilled drink still dripping
62 Several tubs of vegetables, peeled and unpeeled
63 Fish half way gutted and scaled with a fishknife
64 Bucket of fresh muscles with a knife and ple of shells
65 Pile of nut shells
66 Fruit and pile of fruit seeds
67 Damp socks left out to dry
68 Tiny fire with pot (boiling eggs or tea etc)
69 Baby monster on blanket asleep or crying
70 Pair of warm smelly boots
71 Slice of pie half eaten on plate
72 Half written note
73 Sleeping pet
74 Open book with fresh just lit candle
75 Sharpening stone and several blades left out
76 Obscene parchment with moist hanky
77 Crude chess set left mid game
78 Tiny stove with burning sausages
79 Burning incense just lit
80 Tied up pet with half hair trimmed, pile of hair and shears
81 Pair of boots half polished with open tin of boot black
82 Whistling kettle
83 Small keg of beer brew half way being bottled
84 Tiny figurines partly painted with brushes and tiny pots of paint
85 Half done drawing on parchment with charcoal or ink
86 Diary left out with half written entry..."must dash, intruder alarm!"
87 Half eaten bread rolls or cakes dropped
88 Tied up goat kid with butchers knives, bucket and pound of salt ready
89 Blood, thread, saw and a gangrenous limb
90 Old dribbling idiot monster with filthy bib and bowl of half empty gruel
91 Several open letters from home
92 Open potion bottle with alchemy test strips half done
93 Wooden idol half carved with some tools
94 Half repaired chair with tools and glue
95 Ingredients for meal layed out with pot
96 Bucket of live frogs for a stew with lid twitching
97 Joint of meat left out with flies and clever
98 Badly wounded bleeding monster unconcious
99 Hungry pet tied up near partly prepared food
100 Two angry cocks in cages near small fighting pen and betting odds on chalkboard
13 Smell tobacco or pipweed
14 Smell terrible breath
15 Puddle of warm urine
16 Warm chamber pot
17 Left gnawed bones still warm
18 Coughed up furball or owl like pellet
19 Warm meal left steaming while monster out for a moment
20 Puddle of warm drool or spit
21 Left a warm lantern
22 Left a doused torch still warm
23 Smelly stained bandages
24 Small puddle of spat up bile from monster or drunk
35 Loose clump of hair or fur
36 Flakes of skin or scabs
37 Moist scabs
38 Droplets of puss or ichor from a wound
39 Fleas hopping about
40 Parasitic worms
41 Fresh bloody footprints
42 Loose hairs everywhere
43 Fresh vomit
44 Toenails and clippers
45 Bloody drag mark trail
46 Sick dungeon creature barely able to move
47 Drunken unconscious dungeon creature
48 Staggering drunk dungeon creature thinks party are it's friends
49 Smoking pipe left out
50 Note "back in 5 minutes"
51 Note "out to eat back soon"
52 Pile of warm wet snotrags
53 Cup of warm tea
54 Bowl of hot soup or stew
55 Floating whorl of dust from something rushing through
56 Several hats on rack
57 Playing cards left face down in mid game
58 Dice and coins left mid game
59 Bowl of warm half eaten porridge
60 Warm chair possibly with a blanket
61 Spilled drink still dripping
62 Several tubs of vegetables, peeled and unpeeled
63 Fish half way gutted and scaled with a fishknife
64 Bucket of fresh muscles with a knife and ple of shells
65 Pile of nut shells
66 Fruit and pile of fruit seeds
67 Damp socks left out to dry
68 Tiny fire with pot (boiling eggs or tea etc)
69 Baby monster on blanket asleep or crying
70 Pair of warm smelly boots
71 Slice of pie half eaten on plate
72 Half written note
73 Sleeping pet
74 Open book with fresh just lit candle
75 Sharpening stone and several blades left out
76 Obscene parchment with moist hanky
77 Crude chess set left mid game
78 Tiny stove with burning sausages
79 Burning incense just lit
80 Tied up pet with half hair trimmed, pile of hair and shears
81 Pair of boots half polished with open tin of boot black
82 Whistling kettle
83 Small keg of beer brew half way being bottled
84 Tiny figurines partly painted with brushes and tiny pots of paint
85 Half done drawing on parchment with charcoal or ink
86 Diary left out with half written entry..."must dash, intruder alarm!"
87 Half eaten bread rolls or cakes dropped
88 Tied up goat kid with butchers knives, bucket and pound of salt ready
89 Blood, thread, saw and a gangrenous limb
90 Old dribbling idiot monster with filthy bib and bowl of half empty gruel
91 Several open letters from home
92 Open potion bottle with alchemy test strips half done
93 Wooden idol half carved with some tools
94 Half repaired chair with tools and glue
95 Ingredients for meal layed out with pot
96 Bucket of live frogs for a stew with lid twitching
97 Joint of meat left out with flies and clever
98 Badly wounded bleeding monster unconcious
99 Hungry pet tied up near partly prepared food
100 Two angry cocks in cages near small fighting pen and betting odds on chalkboard
This list is fantastic! I've had "clues" on my list of stuff but these ideas are inspirational.
ReplyDeleteCool list! Optional rule: if you rolled a "clue/missed encounter", add +2 to the next random encounter check.
ReplyDelete