Maze Rats
INDEX
INTRODUCTION
Maze Rats is a fantasy adventure game (also known as a roleplaying game, or RPG) of exploration, problem-solving, and survival. One player acts as the Game Master (GM) while the remaining players take on the role of Player Characters (PCs).
Although paper, pencils, and dice are involved, the core of the game is a conversation; the GM tells the players what is happening, the players tell the GM what their characters do in response, and the GM describes how their actions in turn affect the world.
The GM is the game’s host and facilitator. This job is the most difficult, but also the most rewarding. A good GM is someone with a great imagination and good people skills, who enjoys improvising and helping others have fun. Their primary duties include: playing the roles of all of the Non-Player Characters (NPCs), creating and running the fictional world, establishing concrete situations for the players to interact with, adapting to the unpredictable choices of the players, making rulings on how and when to apply rules in a particular situation, and finally inventing, altering or entirely removing game rules if it improves the game.
If this sounds challenging, it is! But don’t worry, Maze Rats offers plenty of tools, advice, and useful content for making running the game as smooth and stress-free as possible.
In contrast to the GM, the players’ jobs are simple: roleplay the personalities and choices of their PCs, interact with the situations presented by the GM, and work together to stay alive and hopefully prosper. Characters grow in strength the longer they survive, but Maze Rats presumes a world full of peril, so only the cleverest of players will see their PC live long enough to retire from the adventuring life and enjoy their ill-gotten gains.
PLAYING THE GAME
Danger Rolls
Whenever possible, a PC’s actions should be resolved by its player simply describing what the character does. However, if the action is risky and difficult to resolve through description, the GM may call for a Danger Roll. The player rolls 2d (two six-sided dice), and adds the proper ability bonus. If the total is 10 or higher the PC avoids the danger. If not, the GM describes how things go wrong. Danger rolls usually fail, so players should do everything they can to make risky situations less so.
- Add the Strength bonus (STR) when using raw power, stamina, or physical resilience.
- Add the Dexterity bonus (DEX) when using speed, agility or precision.
- Add the Will bonus (WIL) when using force of personality, perception, or willpower.
If one character takes an action against another, the GM may decide to call for an Opposed Danger Roll. In this case, both characters make a danger roll, with each trying to beat the other’s total instead of trying to roll a 10+. Defenders win ties.
Advantage
If the risk of an action is reduced due to the PC’s paths, preparation, or situational factors, the GM may grant Advantage to the roll. In this case, the player rolls 3d instead of 2d and uses the two highest dice. Attack rolls may also have advantage if the situation calls for it. Only one advantage die may be added to a roll. If several advantages apply to the PC’s action, the action is usually no longer risky.
NPC Reactions
If the PCs come across a monster or NPC whose disposition is unknown, roll 1d on the table below.
| D6 |
Disposition |
| 1 |
Hostile |
| 2-3 |
Wary |
| 4-5 |
Friendly |
| 6 |
Helpful |
Hostile NPCs will attempt to hinder, harass, or attack the PCs. Wary NPCs are unhelpful unless given significant motivation. Friendly NPCs will help as long as it doesn’t inconvenience them. Helpful NPCs will help even when it’s inconvenient.
Initiative
Both sides roll a die when combat breaks out, rerolling any ties. The side with the higher roll will act first during the first combat round, followed by the other side. After each round, reroll initiative. This may result in a side taking two consecutive turns.
On a side’s turn, each of its characters, in any order, may move about 30 feet and take one action. Types of actions include: attacking a target within range, casting a spell (see the Magic page), drinking a potion, making a second move, etc.
If a group ambushes another group or NPC, it automatically gains initiative, as well as advantage on all attack rolls during the first round. The leader of the ambushed group may be permitted a WIL danger roll to avoid surprise.
Combat
Characters have a base armor rating of 6. Light armor and shields provide +1 armor each, while heavy armor provides +2 armor. Shields use one hand and so cannot be used with two-handed weapons. Characters in heavy armor cannot gain advantage on DEX danger rolls or surprise attack rolls.
When one character attacks another, the attacker makes an Attack Roll by rolling 2d and adding their Attack Bonus (AB). Attacking with a ranged weapon is impossible while in melee combat.
Compare the attacker’s attack total to the defender’s armor. If the attacker’s total exceeds the defender’s armor, the attack hits and deals damage to the defender equal to the difference between the two scores. Heavy weapons add 1 to this damage (but not the initial attack roll), while unarmed attacks subtract 1 damage (but may not reduce damage to 0). If the attacker rolled double sixes, the roll is a Critical Hit and the total damage is doubled, or some other effect is applied at the GM’s discretion. Subtract the damage from the defender’s Health.
If the defender has a shield, they may choose to shatter it when they are hit by an attack to ignore all damage from that attack.
If a character ever has zero or less health, they are immediately slain. When a PC is slain, its player creates a new first level PC, or takes over a first level NPC hireling. The GM then has them rejoin the group as soon as possible.
NPC Morale
When an NPC or hireling faces more danger than they were expecting, the GM may call for a WIL danger roll to see if they rout or beg for mercy.
Typical situations for making a morale check include when an NPC loses half of their force (when in a group), loses half of their health (when alone), loses their leader, or is attacked by magic.
Most NPCs should not get into fights that they cannot win, and should tactically retreat or sue for peace if it makes sense, even without a morale roll.
Healing
PCs recover 1 point of lost health when the PC eats a meal and then gets a full night of rest. 24 hours of rest in a safe location restores all health. A dose of medicine restores 1 point of health, once per day.
Encumbrance
All of a PC’s items must have a recorded location: worn, in the backpack, on the belt, or carried in the hands. Belts carry up to two items, and backpacks can carry as much as a backpack could reasonably fit. Belt items can be grabbed in combat at any time, but backpack items take 1d rounds to find.
Leveling Up
All PCs begin at level 1, and gain levels over the course of the campaign. At the end of each session, the GM awards 1-3 Experience Points (XP) to all PCs based on how much the party achieved.
- Showed up to the game: 1 XP.
- Overcame a difficult challenge: 2 XP
- Overcame an impressive challenge beyond their expected ability: 3 XP
When a PC has enough XP, they gain a level. After reaching level 7, the PC may retire and become an NPC. The player then makes a new level 1 PC.
| LVL |
XP |
Level Features |
| 2 |
2 |
+2 max health, +1 to an ability bonus |
| 3 |
6 |
+2 max health. Pick one: attack bonus +1, gain a new path, or gain a spell slot. |
| 4 |
12 |
+2 max health, +1 to an ability bonus |
| 5 |
20 |
+2 max health. Pick one: attack bonus +1, gain a new path, or gain a spell slot. |
| 6 |
30 |
+2 max health, +1 to an ability bonus |
| 7 |
42 |
+2 max health. Pick one: attack bonus +1, gain a new path, or gain a spell slot. |
CHARACTER CREATION
Making a player character
Create your character at the beginning of a new campaign along with the other players. If your character dies during the game, you should make a new one right away. The random tables from the Characters pages can be used to flesh out your character if you want a bit more detail. Drawing a portrait of your character is highly encouraged, as is adopting a mannerism or two when speaking in your character’s voice.
Random tables
The tables that have 36 results are organized into 6 groups of 6 results each. To randomly pick an item from one of these tables, roll 2d separately. The first die points to a group, while the second die points to an item within that group. For example, rolling “4, 2” on the appearance table means group 4, item 2: Lanky. Bolded items refer you to another random table where you should roll again.
1. Roll or choose abilities
Your PC has 3 abilities: Strength, Dexterity, and Will. Roll 1d to find their starting values, or simply choose a row (with GM permission). You may raise one of your PC’s abilities by one point at levels 2, 4, and 6. A PC’s abilities may never be raised higher than +4.
| 1d6 |
Strength |
Dexterity |
Will |
| 1 |
+2 |
+1 |
+0 |
| 2 |
+2 |
+0 |
+1 |
| 3 |
+1 |
+2 |
+0 |
| 4 |
+0 |
+2 |
+1 |
| 5 |
+1 |
+0 |
+2 |
| 6 |
+0 |
+1 |
+2 |
If you want your abilities to be more randomized (and possibly unbalanced), the GM may also allow you to roll 1d for each ability separately.
| 1D6 |
Ability Score |
| 1-2 |
+0 |
| 3-5 |
+1 |
| 6 |
+2 |
2. Record maximum health
Your PC begins with 4 maximum health and 4 current health. PCs add 2 to their maximum health (but not current health) each time they gain a level.
3. Choose starting feature
Your PC begins with one of the following features:
- A +1 attack bonus (add 1 to all attack rolls).
- A single spell slot (cast one spell per day, generated from the tables on the Magic page).
- A single path from the four following options (gain advantage on related danger rolls):
Briarborn: Tracking, foraging, survival.
Fingersmith: Tinkering, picking locks or pockets.
Roofrunner: Climbing, leaping, balancing.
Shadowjack: Moving silently, hiding in shadows.
4. Roll or choose six items
Record the location of all items, armor, and weapons: hands, worn, belt, or backpack. Belts carry up to two items, and backpacks can carry as much as a backpack could reasonably fit.
| 1 |
| Animal Scent |
| Bear Trap |
| Bedroll |
| Caltrops |
| Chain (10 ft.) |
| Chalk |
| 4 |
| Iron tongs |
| Lantern and Oil |
| Large Sack |
| Lockpicks (3) |
| Manacles |
| Medicine (3) |
| 2 |
| Chisel |
| Crowbar |
| Fishing Net |
| Glass Marbles |
| Glue |
| Grappling Hook |
| 5 |
| Metal file |
| Rations (3) |
| Rope (50 ft.) |
| Steel wire |
| Shovel |
| Steel mirror |
| 3 |
| Grease |
| Hacksaw |
| Hammer |
| Hand drill |
| Horn |
| Iron spikes |
| 6 |
| Ten Foot Pole |
| Tinderbox |
| Torch |
| Vial of Acid |
| Vial of Poison |
| Waterskin |
5. Choose combat gear
PCs start with: light armor (+1 armor), a shield (+1 armor, 1 hand), and two weapons:
- Light weapons (1 hand): Axes, daggers, maces, short swords, flails, one-handed spears, etc.
- Heavy weapons (+1 damage, 2 hands): Spears, halberds, long swords, warhammers, etc.
- Ranged weapons (2 hands): Bows, crossbows, slings etc.
Characters have a base armor rating of 6. Wearing light armor increases it to 7, and holding a shield in one hand increases it to 8.
6. Roll or Create Appearance
| 1 |
| Aquiline |
| Athletic |
| Barrel-Chested |
| Boney |
| Brawny |
| Brutish |
| 4 |
| Hideous |
| Lanky |
| Pudgy |
| Ripped |
| Rosy |
| Scrawny |
| 2 |
| Bull Necked |
| Chiseled |
| Coltish |
| Corpulent |
| Craggy |
| Delicate |
| 5 |
| Sinewy |
| Slender |
| Slumped |
| Solid |
| Square-Jawed |
| Statuesque |
| 3 |
| Furrowed |
| Gaunt |
| Gorgeous |
| Grizzled |
| Haggard |
| Handsome |
| 6 |
| Towering |
| Trim |
| Weathered |
| Willowy |
| Wiry |
| Wrinkled |
7. Roll or Create Physical Detail
| 1 |
| Acid scars |
| Battle scars |
| Birthmark |
| Braided hair |
| Brand mark |
| Broken nose |
| 4 |
| Long hair |
| Matted hair |
| Missing ear |
| Missing teeth |
| Mustache |
| Mutton Chops |
| 2 |
| Bronze skinned |
| Burn scars |
| Bushy eyebrows |
| Curly hair |
| Dark skinned |
| Dreadlocks |
| 5 |
| Nine fingers |
| Oiled hair |
| One-eyed |
| Pale skinned |
| Piercings |
| Ritual scars |
| 3 |
| Exotic accent |
| Flogging scars |
| Freckles |
| Gold tooth |
| Hoarse voice |
| Huge beard |
| 6 |
| Sallow skin |
| Shaved head |
| Sunburned |
| Tangled hair |
| Tattoos |
| Topknot |
8. Roll or Create Background
A PC’s background does not have any particular mechanical effects. The GM may take it into account, however, when deciding what the PC knows or who their contacts are.
| 1 |
| Alchemist |
| Beggar-prince |
| Blackmailer |
| Bounty-hunter |
| Chimney sweep |
| Coin-clipper |
| 4 |
| Hedge knight |
| Highwayman |
| Housebreaker |
| Kidnapper |
| Mad prophet |
| Mountebank |
| 2 |
| Contortionist |
| Counterfeiter |
| Cultist |
| Cutpurse |
| Debt-collector |
| Deserter |
| 5 |
| Peddler |
| Pit-fighter |
| Poisoner |
| Rat-catcher |
| Scrivener |
| Sellsword |
| 3 |
| Fence |
| Fortuneteller |
| Galley slave |
| Gambler |
| Gravedigger |
| Headsman |
| 6 |
| Slave |
| Smuggler |
| Street performer |
| Tattooist |
| Urchin |
| Usurer |
9. Roll or Create Clothing
| 1 |
| Antique |
| Battle-torn |
| Bedraggled |
| Blood-stained |
| Ceremonial |
| Dated |
| 4 |
| Grimy |
| Haute couture |
| Lacey |
| Livery |
| Mud-stained |
| Ostentatious |
| 2 |
| Decaying |
| Eccentric |
| Elegant |
| Embroidered |
| Exotic |
| Fashionable |
| 5 |
| Oversized |
| Patched |
| Patterned |
| Perfumed |
| Practical |
| Rumpled |
| 3 |
| Flamboyant |
| Food-stained |
| Formal |
| Frayed |
| Frumpy |
| Garish |
| 6 |
| Sigils |
| Singed |
| Tasteless |
| Undersized |
| Wine-stained |
| Worn out |
10. Roll or Create Personality
| 1 |
| Bitter |
| Brave |
| Cautious |
| Chipper |
| Contrary |
| Cowardly |
| 4 |
| Lazy |
| Loyal |
| Menacing |
| Mopey |
| Nervous |
| Protective |
| 2 |
| Cunning |
| Driven |
| Entitled |
| Gregarious |
| Grumpy |
| Heartless |
| 5 |
| Righteous |
| Rude |
| Sarcastic |
| Savage |
| Scheming |
| Serene |
| 3 |
| Honor-bound |
| Hotheaded |
| Inquisitive |
| Irascible |
| Jolly |
| Know-it-all |
| 6 |
| Spacey |
| Stoic |
| Stubborn |
| Stuck-up |
| Suspicious |
| Wisecracking |
11. Roll or Create Mannerism
| 1 |
| Anecdotes |
| Breathy |
| Chuckles |
| Clipped |
| Cryptic |
| Deep voice |
| 4 |
| Mumbles |
| Narrates |
| Overly casual |
| Quaint sayings |
| Rambles |
| Random facts |
| 2 |
| Drawl |
| Enunciates |
| Flowery speech |
| Gravelly voice |
| Highly formal |
| Hypnotic |
| 5 |
| Rapid-fire |
| Rhyming |
| Robotic |
| Slow speech |
| Speechifies |
| Squeaky |
| 3 |
| Interrupts |
| Laconic |
| Laughs |
| Long pauses |
| Melodious |
| Monotone |
| 6 |
| Street slang |
| Stutters |
| Talks to self |
| Trails off |
| Very loud |
| Whispers |
12. Record Name, Level, and XP
Keep your name short and memorable. You begin at level 1 and with zero XP.
Magic
Generating spells
If a PC has spell slots, its player must generate spells to fill them. This is done during character creation and every morning in-game after the PC gets a full night of rest. Spells in spell slots cannot be removed except by casting them.
To generate a spell, the player first rolls 2d on the table below to find the spell formula. One die indicates the row, the other indicates the column.
| |
1-3 |
4-6 |
| 1 |
Physical Effect + Physical Form |
Ethereal Element + Physical Form |
| 2 |
Physical Effect + Ethereal Form |
Ethereal Element + Ethereal Form |
| 3 |
Ethereal Effect + Physical Form |
Physical Effect + Physical Element |
| 4 |
Ethereal Effect + Ethereal Form |
Physical Effect + Ethereal Element |
| 5 |
Physical Element + Physical Form |
Ethereal Effect + Physical Element |
| 6 |
Physical Element + Ethereal Form |
Ethereal Effect + Ethereal Element |
Once the player has found the spell formula, they roll on the two indicated magic tables to create the spell’s name. The GM then tells the player the spell’s general effects, based on its name. Offensive spells typically allow their targets a danger roll to resist or avoid the effects. If the spell includes damage, the GM can either set a flat damage rating, or rate the damage as a number of dice from 1 to 6.
Players may also suggest uses for the spell outside of the GM’s description. If the suggested effect matches the spells name and the situation very closely, the GM should usually allow it.
The GM may also opt to roll random spells from spell lists written for other old-school games.
Casting a spell
Casting a spell takes one action if cast during combat. The GM is the final arbiter of how the spell manifests and how it affects the current situation. After being cast, the spell is erased from the caster’s spell slot and cannot be cast again.
Physical Effects
| 1 |
| Animating |
| Attracting |
| Binding |
| Blossoming |
| Consuming |
| Creeping |
| 4 |
| Levitating |
| Opening |
| Petrifying |
| Phasing |
| Piercing |
| Pursuing |
| 2 |
| Crushing |
| Diminishing |
| Dividing |
| Duplicating |
| Enveloping |
| Expanding |
| 5 |
| Reflecting |
| Regenerating |
| Rending |
| Repelling |
| Resurrecting |
| Screaming |
| 3 |
| Fusing |
| Grasping |
| Hastening |
| Hindering |
| Illuminating |
| Imprisoning |
| 6 |
| Sealing |
| Shapeshifting |
| Shielding |
| Spawning |
| Transmuting |
| Transporting |
Physical Elements
| 1 |
| Acid |
| Amber |
| Bark |
| Blood |
| Bone |
| Brine |
| 4 |
| Moss |
| Obsidian |
| Oil |
| Poison |
| Rat |
| Salt |
| 2 |
| Clay |
| Crow |
| Crystal |
| Ember |
| Flesh |
| Fungus |
| 5 |
| Sand |
| Sap |
| Serpent |
| Slime |
| Stone |
| Tar |
| 3 |
| Glass |
| Honey |
| Ice |
| Insect |
| Wood |
| Lava |
| 6 |
| Thorn |
| Vine |
| Water |
| Wine |
| Wood |
| Worm |
Physical Forms
| 1 |
| Altar |
| Armor |
| Arrow |
| Beast |
| Blade |
| Cauldron |
| 4 |
| Horn |
| Key |
| Mask |
| Monolith |
| Pit |
| Prison |
| 2 |
| Chain |
| Chariot |
| Claw |
| Cloak |
| Colossus |
| Crown |
| 5 |
| Sentinel |
| Servant |
| Shield |
| Spear |
| Steed |
| Swarm |
| 3 |
| Elemental |
| Eye |
| Fountain |
| Gate |
| Golem |
| Hammer |
| 6 |
| Tentacle |
| Throne |
| Torch |
| Trap |
| Wall |
| Web |
Ethereal Effects
| 1 |
| Avenging |
| Banishing |
| Bewildering |
| Blinding |
| Charming |
| Communicating |
| 4 |
| Excruciating |
| Foreseeing |
| Intoxicating |
| Maddening |
| Mesmerizing |
| Mind Reading |
| 2 |
| Compelling |
| Concealing |
| Deafening |
| Deceiving |
| Deciphering |
| Disguising |
| 5 |
| Nullifying |
| Paralyzing |
| Revealing |
| Revolting |
| Scrying |
| Silencing |
| 3 |
| Dispelling |
| Emboldening |
| Encoding |
| Energizing |
| Enlightening |
| Enraging |
| 6 |
| Soothing |
| Summoning |
| Terrifying |
| Warding |
| Wearying |
| Withering |
Ethereal Elements
| 1 |
| Ash |
| Chaos |
| Distortion |
| Dream |
| Dust |
| Echo |
| 4 |
| Plague |
| Plasma |
| Probability |
| Rain |
| Rot |
| Shadow |
| 2 |
| Ectoplasm |
| Fire |
| Fog |
| Ghost |
| Harmony |
| Heat |
| 5 |
| Smoke |
| Snow |
| Soul |
| Star |
| Stasis |
| Steam |
| 3 |
| Light |
| Lightning |
| Memory |
| Mind |
| Mutation |
| Negation |
| 6 |
| Thunder |
| Time |
| Void |
| Warp |
| Whisper |
| Wind |
Ethereal Forms
| 1 |
| Aura |
| Beacon |
| Beam |
| Blast |
| Blob |
| Bolt |
| 4 |
| Gaze |
| Loop |
| Moment |
| Nexus |
| Portal |
| Pulse |
| 2 |
| Bubble |
| Call |
| Cascade |
| Circle |
| Cloud |
| Coil |
| 5 |
| Pyramid |
| Ray |
| Shard |
| Sphere |
| Spray |
| Storm |
| 3 |
| Cone |
| Cube |
| Dance |
| Disk |
| Field |
| Form |
| 6 |
| Swarm |
| Torrent |
| Touch |
| Vortex |
| Wave |
| Word |
Mutation
Use these results for magical curses, or spells that have gone wrong somehow.
| 1 |
| Ages |
| Attracts birds |
| Child-form |
| Corpulence |
| Covered in hair |
| ANIMAL arms |
| 4 |
| Hunchback |
| Item-form |
| Long arms |
| Lose all hair |
| Loses teeth |
| MONSTER FEATURE |
| 2 |
| ANIMAL eyes |
| ANIMAL head |
| ANIMAL legs |
| ANIMAL mouth |
| ANIMAL skin |
| ANIMAL form |
| 5 |
| MONSTER TRAIT |
| No eyes |
| No mouth |
| PHYSICAL ELEMENT Skin |
| Second face |
| Sheds skin |
| 3 |
| Cyclops |
| Extra arms |
| Extra eyes |
| Extra legs |
| Forked tongue |
| Gender swap |
| 6 |
| Shrinks |
| Shrivels |
| Skin boils |
| Slime trail |
| Translucent skin |
| Weeps blood |
Insanity's
Results in quotation marks are things that are believed to be true by the insane character.
| 1 |
| Always lies |
| Always polite |
| “ANIMAL Form” |
| Cannot count |
| Cannot lie |
| Face-blind |
| 4 |
| Fears rivers |
| Fears silence |
| Fears sleep |
| Fears sunlight |
| Fears the moon |
| Fears trees |
| 2 |
| Fears birds |
| Fears blood |
| Fears books |
| Fears darkness |
| Fears fire |
| Fears gold |
| 5 |
| Genius |
| Gorgeous |
| Hates violence |
| Invisible |
| Invulnerable |
| MONSTER ABILITY |
| 3 |
| Fears horses |
| Fears iron |
| Fears music |
| Fears own hand |
| Fears PC |
| Fears rain |
| 6 |
| MONSTER FEATURE |
| MONSTER TRAIT |
| Must sing |
| New PERSONALITY |
| Says thoughts |
| Sees dead people |
Omens / Catastrophes
| 1 |
| All iron rusts |
| Animals die |
| Animals MUTATE |
| Birds attack |
| City appears |
| Deadly fog |
| 4 |
| Mass INSANITY |
| Mass MUTATION |
| Mass slumber |
| Meteor strike |
| Mirrors speak |
| No stars |
| 2 |
| Dream plague |
| Endless night |
| Endless rain |
| Endless storm |
| Endless twilight |
| Endless winter |
| 5 |
| Outsider enters |
| People shrink |
| People vanish |
| Plants wither |
| Portal opens |
| Rifts open |
| 3 |
| Fae return |
| Forest appears |
| Forgetfulness |
| Graves open |
| Lamentations |
| Maggots |
| 6 |
| Shadows speak |
| Space distorts |
| Stones speak |
| Total silence |
| Tower appears |
| Water to blood |
Monsters & Animals
Creating monsters
Maze Rats assumes a world where most of the NPCs are human or humanoid. Otherworldly, unnatural, or aberrant creatures should be kept to a minimum to increase their impact on the players and gameplay. They lurk in the dark, deserted places of the world, hiding from the light of civilization.
Monsters should also be surprising, unique, and present players with an interesting problem to solve: overcoming a foe whose true nature is unknown. As a result, monsters should be custom designed by the GM.
Creating a monster can be as simple as combining an animal with an effect, element, or form from the magic tables. However, if the GM desires additional detail, the monster tables to the right can be used to combine random animals, traits, abilities, features, tactics, weaknesses and personalities.
Monster and NPC stats
Health. Weak: 1d. Typical: 2d. Tough: 3d. Hulking: 4d. Colossal: 6d.
Armor. Unarmored: 6 armor. Light protection: 7 armor. Moderate protection: 8 armor. Heavy protection: 9 armor. Nigh impervious: 10 armor. Note that armor can also be used to represent a monster’s resistance to mundane weapons, or other factors that would make it difficult to harm.
Attack Bonus. Untrained: +0 AB. Trained: +1 AB. Dangerous: +2 AB. Masterful: +3 AB. Lethal: +4 AB.
STR Bonus. Weak: +0 STR. Average: +1 STR. Strong: +2 STR. Powerful: +3 STR. Monstrous: +4 STR.
DEX Bonus. Slow: +0 DEX. Average: +1 DEX. Nimble: +2 DEX. Swift: +3 DEX. Blurred: +4 DEX.
WIL Bonus. Dimwitted: +0 WIL. Average: +1 WIL. Clever: +2 WIL. Brilliant: +3 WIL. Genius: +4 WIL.
Magic. While some monsters may have spells and spell slots like a human, most are innately magical. These monsters do not follow the normal spellcasting rules, and may have abilities that are always active or that can simply be used at will.
Monster Base
Roll once, or roll twice and combine the results.
| 1-2 |
3-4 |
5-6 |
| Aerial |
Terrestrial |
Aquatic |
Aerial Animals
| 1 |
| Albatross |
| Bat |
| Beetle |
| Bird of Paradise |
| Butterfly |
| Condor |
| 4 |
| Kingfisher |
| locust |
| Magpie |
| Mantis |
| Mockingbird |
| Mosquito |
| 2 |
| Crane |
| Crow |
| Dragonfly |
| Eagle |
| Falcon |
| Firefly |
| 5 |
| Moth |
| Owl |
| Parrot |
| Peacock |
| Pelican |
| Pteranodon |
| 3 |
| Flamingo |
| Fly |
| Flying Squirrel |
| Goose |
| Gull |
| Hummingbird |
| 6 |
| Rooster |
| Sparrow |
| Swan |
| Vulture |
| Wasp |
| Woodpecker |
Terrestrial Animals
| 1 |
| Ant |
| Ape |
| Armadillo |
| Badger |
| Bear |
| Boar |
| 4 |
| Mole |
| Ostrich |
| Ox |
| Porcupine |
| Rabbit |
| Raccoon |
| 2 |
| Caterpillar |
| Centipede |
| Chameleon |
| Cockroach |
| Deer |
| Elephant |
| 5 |
| Rat |
| Rhinoceros |
| Scorpion |
| Sheep |
| Slug |
| Snail |
| 3 |
| Ferret |
| Fox |
| Giraffe |
| Goat |
| Horse |
| Human |
| 6 |
| Snake |
| Spider |
| Squirrel |
| Tiger |
| Wolf |
| Wolverine |
Aquatic Animals
| 1 |
| Alligator |
| Amoeba |
| Angler-fish |
| Beaver |
| Clam |
| Crab |
| 4 |
| Octopus |
| Otter |
| Penguin |
| Platypus |
| Puffer-fish |
| Salamander |
| 2 |
| Dolphin |
| Eel |
| Frog |
| Hippopotamus |
| Jellyfish |
| Leech |
| 5 |
| Sea Anemone |
| Sea Urchin |
| Seahorse |
| Seal |
| Shark |
| Shrimp |
| 3 |
| Lobster |
| Manatee |
| Manta Ray |
| Muskrat |
| Narwhal |
| Newt |
| 6 |
| Squid |
| Swordfish |
| Tadpole |
| Turtle |
| Walrus |
| Whale |
Monster Features
Features can be used as loot. They can be crafted into items or sold to alchemists as ingredients for potions.
| 1 |
| Antlers |
| Beak |
| Carapace |
| Claws |
| Compound Eyes |
| Eye Stalks |
| 4 |
| Plates |
| Plumage |
| Proboscis |
| Scales |
| Segments |
| Shaggy Hair |
| 2 |
| Fangs |
| Fins |
| Fur |
| Gills |
| Hooves |
| Horns |
| 5 |
| Shell |
| Spikes |
| Spinnerets |
| Spines |
| Stinger |
| Suction Cups |
| 3 |
| Legless |
| Long Tongue |
| Many-Eyed |
| Many-Limbed |
| Mucus |
| Pincers |
| 6 |
| Tail |
| Talons |
| Tentacles |
| Trunk |
| Tusks |
| Wings |
Monster Traits
| 1 |
| Amphibious |
| Bloated |
| Brittle |
| Cannibal |
| Clay-Like |
| Colossal |
| 4 |
| Illusory |
| Intelligent |
| Iridescent |
| Luminous |
| Many-Headed |
| Mechanical |
| 2 |
| Crystalline |
| Decaying |
| ETHEREAL ELEMENT |
| Ethereal |
| Ever-Young |
| Eyeless |
| 5 |
| PHYSICAL ELEMENT |
| Planar |
| Reflective |
| Rubbery |
| Shadowy |
| Sharp |
| 3 |
| Fearless |
| Fluffy |
| Fungal |
| Gelatinous |
| Geometric |
| Hardened |
| 6 |
| Skeletal |
| Slimy |
| Sticky |
| Stinking |
| Tiny |
| Translucent |
Monster Abilities
The GM should give the players clues about a monster’s abilities to get them thinking about how to deal with it.
| 1 |
| Absorbing |
| Acid Blood |
| Anti-Magic |
| Blinding |
| Breath Weapon |
| Camouflaging |
| 4 |
| Mimicking |
| Mind-Reading |
| Paralyzing |
| Phasing |
| PHYSICAL EFFECT |
| Poisonous |
| 2 |
| Duplicating |
| Electric |
| Entangling |
| ETHEREAL EFFECT |
| Exploding |
| Flying |
| 5 |
| Radioactive |
| Reflective |
| Regenerating |
| Shape-shifting |
| Spell-Casting |
| Stealthy |
| 3 |
| Gaze Weapon |
| Hypnotizing |
| Impervious |
| Invisible |
| Life-Draining |
| Magnetic |
| 6 |
| Strangling |
| Super-Strength |
| Telekinetic |
| Teleporting |
| Vampiric |
| Wall-Crawling |
Monster Tactics
| 1 |
| Ambush |
| Call for support |
| Capture |
| Charge |
| Climb foes |
| Compel worship |
| 4 |
| Manipulate |
| Mock |
| Monologue |
| Order minion |
| Protect leader |
| Protect self |
| 2 |
| Create barrier |
| Deceive |
| Demand duel |
| Disorient |
| Encircle |
| Evade |
| 5 |
| Scatter foes |
| Stalk |
| Steal from |
| Swarm |
| Target insolent |
| Target leader |
| 3 |
| Gang up |
| Gather strength |
| Go berserk |
| Harry |
| Hurl foes |
| Immobilize |
| 6 |
| Target nearest |
| Target richest |
| Target strongest |
| Target weakest |
| Toy with |
| Use terrain |
Monster Personality
Roll on this table or on the Personality table from the Characters page.
| 1 |
| Alien |
| Aloof |
| Bored |
| Cautious |
| Cowardly |
| Curious |
| 4 |
| Jaded |
| Jovial |
| Legalistic |
| Manipulative |
| Megalomaniac |
| Melancholy |
| 2 |
| Devious |
| Distractible |
| Educated |
| Embittered |
| Envious |
| Erudite |
| 5 |
| Meticulous |
| Mystical |
| Obsessive |
| Out of Touch |
| Paranoid |
| Polite |
| 3 |
| Fanatical |
| Forgetful |
| Generous |
| Hateful |
| Honorable |
| Humble |
| 6 |
| Psychopathic |
| Sophisticated |
| Touchy |
| Unimpressed |
| Vain |
| Xenophobic |
Monster Weakness
Monsters do not have to have specific weaknesses, but it can be a good way to reward research and preparation.
| 1 |
| Bells |
| Birdsong |
| Children |
| Cold |
| Cold Iron |
| Competition |
| 4 |
| Mistletoe |
| Moonlight |
| Music |
| Methods |
| Phylactery |
| PHYSICAL ELEMENTS |
| 2 |
| Conversation |
| Deformity |
| Flattery |
| Flowers |
| Gifts |
| Gold |
| 5 |
| Puzzles |
| Riddles |
| Rituals |
| Silver |
| Sunlight |
| Tears |
| 3 |
| Heat |
| Holy Icon |
| Holy Water |
| Home Cooking |
| Insanities |
| Mirrors |
| 6 |
| True Name |
| VALUABLE MATERIALS |
| Weak Spot |
| Weapon Items |
| Wine |
| Wormwood |
Characters
Civilized NPC
| 1 |
| Acolyte |
| Actor |
| Apothecary |
| Baker |
| Barber |
| Blacksmith |
| 4 |
| Item-Seller |
| Jeweler |
| Knight |
| Locksmith |
| Mason |
| Miller |
| 2 |
| Brewer |
| Bureaucrat |
| Butcher |
| Carpenter |
| Clock-maker |
| Courier |
| 5 |
| Musician |
| Noble |
| Painter |
| Priest |
| Scholar |
| Scribe |
| 3 |
| Courtier |
| Diplomat |
| Fishmonger |
| Guard |
| Haberdasher |
| Innkeeper |
| 6 |
| Sculptor |
| Shipwright |
| Soldier |
| Tailor |
| Taxidermist |
| Wig-maker |
Underworld NPC
| 1 |
| Alchemist |
| Beggar Prince |
| Blackmailer |
| Bounty Hunter |
| Chimney Sweep |
| Coin-Clipper |
| 4 |
| Hedge Knight |
| Highwayman |
| Housebreaker |
| Kidnapper |
| Mad Prophet |
| Mountebank |
| 2 |
| Contortionist |
| Counterfeiter |
| Cultist |
| Cut-purse |
| Debt Collector |
| Deserter |
| 5 |
| Peddler |
| Pit-Fighter |
| Poisoner |
| Rat-Catcher |
| Scrivener |
| Sell-Sword |
| 3 |
| Fence |
| Fortuneteller |
| Galley Slave |
| Gambler |
| Gravedigger |
| Headsman |
| 6 |
| Slave |
| Smuggler |
| Street Performer |
| Tattooist |
| Urchin |
| Usurer |
Wilderness NPC
| 1 |
| Apiarist |
| Bandit |
| Caravan Guard |
| Caravan-er |
| Druid |
| Exile |
| 4 |
| Outlander |
| Tinker |
| Pilgrim |
| Poacher |
| Raider |
| Ranger |
| 2 |
| Explorer |
| Farmer |
| Fisherman |
| Forager |
| Fugitive |
| Hedge Wizard |
| 5 |
| Sage |
| Scavenger |
| Scout |
| Shepherd |
| Seer |
| Surveyor |
| 3 |
| Hermit |
| Hunter |
| Messenger |
| Minstrel |
| Monk |
| Monster Hunter |
| 6 |
| Tinker |
| Tomb Raider |
| Trader |
| Trapper |
| Witch |
| Woodcutter |
Female Names
| 1 |
| Adelaide |
| Alma |
| Barsaba |
| Beatrix |
| Bianca |
| Cleopha |
| 4 |
| Morgot |
| Minerva |
| Nerissa |
| Odette |
| Olga |
| Orchid |
| 2 |
| Clover |
| Constance |
| Damaris |
| Daphne |
| Demona |
| Elsbeth |
| 5 |
| Pepper |
| Phoebe |
| Piety |
| Poppy |
| Silence |
| Sybil |
| 3 |
| Esme |
| Fern |
| Hester |
| Hippolyta |
| Jessamine |
| Jilly |
| 6 |
| Trillby |
| Tuesday |
| Ursula |
| Vivian |
| Wendy |
| Zora |
Male Names
| 1 |
| Balthazar |
| Basil |
| Bertram |
| Blaxton |
| Chadwick |
| Clovis |
| 4 |
| Jules |
| Leopold |
| Merrick |
| Mortimer |
| Ogden |
| Orion |
| 2 |
| Destrain |
| Ellis |
| Erasmus |
| Faustus |
| Finn |
| Fitzhugh |
| 5 |
| Oswald |
| Percival |
| Peregrine |
| Quentin |
| Redmaine |
| Reinhold |
| 3 |
| Florian |
| Fox |
| Godwin |
| Hannibal |
| Jasper |
| Jiles |
| 6 |
| Silas |
| Stilton |
| Stratford |
| Tenpiece |
| Waverly |
| Webster |
Upper Class Surname
This table can also be used for upper-class first names, if you want them to sound extra snobby.
| 1 |
| Belvedere |
| Bithesea |
| Calaver |
| Carvolo |
| De Rippe |
| Droll |
| 4 |
| La Marque |
| Malmora |
| Miter |
| Oblington |
| Onymous |
| Phillifent |
| 2 |
| Dunlow |
| Edevane |
| Erelong |
| Febland |
| Fernsby |
| Fisk |
| 5 |
| Portendorfer |
| Romatet |
| Rothery |
| Skorbeck |
| Slora |
| Southwark |
| 3 |
| Gastrell |
| Girdwood |
| Gorgon |
| Grimeson |
| Gruger |
| Hitheryon |
| 6 |
| Stavish |
| Vandermeer |
| Wellbelove |
| Westerngren |
| Wexley |
| Wilberforce |
Lower Class Surname
| 1 |
| Barrow |
| Beetleman |
| Berrycloth |
| Birdwhistle |
| Bobich |
| Chips |
| 4 |
| Knibbs |
| Midnighter |
| Needle |
| Nethercoat |
| Pestle |
| Relish |
| 2 |
| Coffin |
| Crumpling |
| Culpepper |
| Dankworth |
| Digworthy |
| Dreggs |
| 5 |
| Rumbold |
| Rummage |
| Sallow |
| Saltmarsh |
| Silverless |
| Skitter |
| 3 |
| Gimble |
| Graveworm |
| Greelish |
| Hardwick |
| Hatman |
| Hovel |
| 6 |
| Slee |
| Slitherly |
| Stoker |
| Tarwater |
| Tumbler |
| Villin |
Assets
These are an NPC’s strong points, attributes that make them a valuable ally.
| 1 |
| Authority |
| Avoids Detection |
| Calls in Favors |
| Charming |
| Cooks the Books |
| Erases Evidence |
| 4 |
| Knows a Guy |
| Knows a Way In |
| Launders Money |
| Learned |
| Local Celebrity |
| Local Knowledge |
| 2 |
| Excellent Liar |
| Extremely Rich |
| FACTION LEADER |
| FACTION MEMBER |
| Feared |
| Fortified Base |
| 5 |
| Loyal Henchman |
| Middling Oracle |
| Nothing to Lose |
| Owns the Guards |
| Powerful Spouse |
| Procures Gear |
| 3 |
| Gorgeous |
| Hears Rumors |
| Huge Family |
| Huge Library |
| Impersonator |
| Interrogator |
| 6 |
| Pulls the Strings |
| Secret Lab |
| Sell Contraband |
| Smuggles Goods |
| Spy Network |
| War Hero |
Liabilities
These are an NPC’s weak points, chinks in their armor that can be exploited to defeat them.
| 1 |
| Addiction |
| Alcoholic |
| Corrupt Ally |
| Coward |
| Decadent |
| Forbidden Love |
| 4 |
| Narcissist |
| Needs Medicine |
| OCD |
| Paranoid |
| Partier |
| Poor Equipment |
| 2 |
| Gambler |
| Glutton |
| Greedy |
| Heretic |
| Huge Dept |
| Impostor |
| 5 |
| Protective |
| Scandalous |
| Softhearted |
| Strict Routines |
| Superstitious |
| Suspicious |
| 3 |
| INSANITY |
| Jealous |
| Leave Evidence |
| Many Enemies |
| Misinformed |
| Money Trail |
| 6 |
| Temper |
| Trusting |
| Vulnerable Base |
| Wanted |
| Weak Willed |
| Widely Despised |
NPC Goals
| 1 |
| A Better Life |
| Acceptance |
| Acquire ITEM |
| Craft ITEM |
| Destroy FACTION |
| Destroy ITEM |
| 4 |
| Locate NPC |
| Love |
| Mastery |
| Power |
| Reach Location |
| Rescue NPC |
| 2 |
| Enlightenment |
| Fame |
| Found FACTION |
| Freedom |
| Glory |
| Impress NPC |
| 5 |
| Resolve Dispute |
| Restore FACTION |
| Reveal a Secret |
| Revenge |
| Sabotage FACTION |
| Serve a Deity |
| 3 |
| Infamy |
| Infiltrate FACTION |
| Justice |
| Kidnap NPC |
| Lead FACTION |
| Learning |
| 6 |
| Serve Evil |
| Serve FACTION |
| Serve Ideology |
| Serve Leader |
| Serve the Needy |
| Wealth |
Misfortunes
| 1 |
| Abandoned |
| Addicted |
| Arrested |
| Blackmailed |
| Burgled |
| Challenged |
| 4 |
| Framed |
| Haunted |
| Humiliated |
| Impoverished |
| Kidnapped |
| Lost |
| 2 |
| Condemned |
| Crippled |
| Cursed |
| Defrauded |
| Demoted |
| Depressed |
| 5 |
| Mobbed |
| Mutilated |
| Overworked |
| Poisoned |
| Pursued |
| Rejected |
| 3 |
| Discredited |
| Dismissed |
| Disowned |
| Exiled |
| Famished |
| Forgotten |
| 6 |
| Replaced |
| Robbed |
| Sick |
| Sued |
| Suspected |
| Transformed |
Missions
Use this table in combination with items, locations, NPCs, factions, and so on to generate missions for the PCs. You can also use it as a source of problems, rumors or nearby events to generate plot hooks.
| 1 |
| Apprehend |
| Assassinate |
| Blackmail |
| Burgle |
| Chart |
| Convince |
| 4 |
| Infiltrate |
| Interrogate |
| Investigate |
| Kidnap |
| Locate |
| Plant |
| 2 |
| Deface |
| Defraud |
| Deliver |
| Destroy |
| Discredit |
| Escort |
| 5 |
| Protect |
| Raid |
| Replace |
| Retrieve |
| Rob |
| Ruin |
| 3 |
| Exfiltrate |
| Extort |
| Follow |
| Frame |
| Impersonate |
| Impress |
| 6 |
| Sabotage |
| Smuggle |
| Surveil |
| Take Over |
| Terrorize |
| Threaten |
Methods
| 1 |
| Alchemy |
| Blackmail |
| Bluster |
| Bribery |
| Bullying |
| Bureaucracy |
| 4 |
| Investigation |
| Legal maneuvers |
| Manipulation |
| Misdirection |
| Money |
| Nagging |
| 2 |
| Charm |
| Commerce |
| Cronies |
| Debate |
| Deceit |
| Deduction |
| 5 |
| Negotiation |
| Persistence |
| Piety |
| Preparation |
| Quick Wit |
| Research |
| 3 |
| Eloquence |
| Espionage |
| Fast-talking |
| Favors |
| Hard Work |
| Humor |
| 6 |
| Rumors |
| Sabotage |
| Teamwork |
| Theft |
| Threats |
| Violence |
Appearances
| 1 |
| Aquiline |
| Athletic |
| Barrel-Chested |
| Boney |
| Brawny |
| Brutish |
| 4 |
| Hideous |
| Lanky |
| Pudgy |
| Ripped |
| Rosy |
| Scrawny |
| 2 |
| Bull-necked |
| Chiseled |
| Coltish |
| Corpulent |
| Craggy |
| Delicate |
| 5 |
| Sinewy |
| Slender |
| Slumped |
| Solid |
| Square-Jawed |
| Statuesque |
| 3 |
| Furrowed |
| Gaunt |
| Gorgeous |
| Grizzled |
| Haggard |
| Handsome |
| 6 |
| Towering |
| Trim |
| Weathered |
| Willowy |
| Wiry |
| Wrinkled |
Physical Details
| 1 |
| Acid Scars |
| Battle Scars |
| Birthmark |
| Braided Hair |
| Brand Mark |
| Broken Nose |
| 4 |
| Long Hair |
| Matted Hair |
| Missing Ear |
| Missing Teeth |
| Mustache |
| Mutton Chops |
| 2 |
| Bronze Skin |
| Burn Scars |
| Bushy Eyebrows |
| Curly Hair |
| Dark Skinned |
| Dreadlocks |
| 5 |
| Nice Fingers |
| Oiled Hair |
| One Eyed |
| Pale Skinned |
| Piercings |
| Ritual Scars |
| 3 |
| Exotic Accent |
| Flogging Scars |
| Freckles |
| Gold Tooth |
| Hoarse Voice |
| Huge Beard |
| 6 |
| Sallow Skin |
| Shaved Head |
| Sunburned |
| Tangled Hair |
| Tattoos |
| Topknot |
Clothing
| 1 |
| Antique |
| Battle-Torn |
| Bedraggled |
| Bloodstained |
| Ceremonial |
| Dated |
| 4 |
| Grimy |
| Haute Couture |
| Lacey |
| Livery |
| Mud Stained |
| Ostentatious |
| 2 |
| Decaying |
| Eccentric |
| Elegant |
| Embroidered |
| Exotic |
| Fashionable |
| 5 |
| Over-sized |
| Patched |
| Patterned |
| Perfumed |
| Practical |
| Rumpled |
| 3 |
| Flamboyant |
| Food Stained |
| Formal |
| Frayed |
| Frumpy |
| Garish |
| 6 |
| Sigils |
| Singed |
| Tasteless |
| Undersized |
| Wine-Stained |
| Worn-out |
Personalities
| 1 |
| Bitter |
| Brave |
| Cautious |
| Chipper |
| Contrary |
| Cowardly |
| 4 |
| Lazy |
| Loyal |
| Menacing |
| Mopey |
| Nervous |
| Protective |
| 2 |
| Cunning |
| Driven |
| Entitled |
| Gregarious |
| Grumpy |
| Heartless |
| 5 |
| Righteous |
| Rude |
| Sarcastic |
| Savage |
| Scheming |
| Serene |
| 3 |
| Honor-bound |
| Hotheaded |
| Inquisitive |
| Irascible |
| Jolly |
| Know-It-All |
| 6 |
| Spacey |
| Stoic |
| Stubborn |
| Stuck-Up |
| Suspicious |
| Wisecracking |
Mannerisms
| 1 |
| Anecdotes |
| Breathy |
| Chuckles |
| Clipped |
| Cryptic |
| Deep Voice |
| 4 |
| Mumbles |
| Narrates |
| Overly Casual |
| Quaint Sayings |
| Rambles |
| Random Facts |
| 2 |
| Drawl |
| Enunciates |
| Flowery Speech |
| Gravelly Voice |
| Highly Formal |
| Hypnotic |
| 5 |
| Rapid-Fire |
| Rhyming |
| Robotic |
| Slow Speech |
| Speechifies |
| Squeaky |
| 3 |
| Interrupts |
| Laconic |
| Laughs |
| Long Pauses |
| Melodious |
| Monotone |
| 6 |
| Street Slang |
| Stutters |
| Talks-To-Self |
| Trails Off |
| Very Loud |
| Whispers |
Secrets
| 1 |
| Addicted |
| Artificial |
| Assassin |
| Bankrupt |
| Beholden |
| Counterspy |
| 4 |
| Insurrectionist |
| Low born |
| Married |
| Mind-controlled |
| MISFORTUNE |
| Monster hunter |
| 2 |
| Addicted |
| Artificial |
| Assassin |
| Bankrupt |
| Beholden |
| Counterspy |
| 5 |
| Non-human |
| NPC |
| Polygamist |
| Protects relic |
| Scandalous birth |
| Secret police |
| 3 |
| Ghost |
| Has a child |
| Heretic |
| High born |
| Huge fortune |
| Illusion |
| 6 |
| Serial killer |
| Smuggler |
| Spy |
| Time traveler |
| Transformed |
| War criminal |
Reputations
Reputations are not necessarily true. They are just how the local community perceives the character.
| 1 |
| Ambitious |
| Authoritative |
| Boor |
| Borrower |
| Celebrity |
| Charitable |
| 4 |
| Misanthrope |
| Miser |
| Neighborly |
| Nut-job |
| Obnoxious |
| Over-educated |
| 2 |
| Cheat |
| Dangerous |
| Entertainer |
| Gossip |
| Hardworking |
| Holy |
| 5 |
| Partier |
| Pious |
| Proper |
| Prophet of doom |
| Repulsive |
| Respected |
| 3 |
| Honest |
| Hypochondriac |
| Idiot |
| Influential |
| Layabout |
| Leader |
| 6 |
| Riffraff |
| Scandalous |
| Slime ball |
| Terrifying |
| Weirdo |
| Wise |
Hobbies
| 1 |
| Archaeology |
| Art collecting |
| Bad fiction |
| Calligraphy |
| Card games |
| Clockwork |
| 4 |
| Horse-racing |
| Hunting |
| Instrument |
| Knitting |
| Lawn games |
| Mountaineering |
| 2 |
| Collecting cats |
| Cuisine |
| Dark lore |
| Dog breeding |
| Embroidery |
| Exercise |
| 5 |
| Opera |
| Painting |
| Poetry |
| Puzzle-solving |
| Riddling |
| Science |
| 3 |
| Falconry |
| Fashion |
| Fishing |
| Foreign cultures |
| Gardening |
| History |
| 6 |
| Sculpture |
| Sketching |
| Smoking |
| Theater |
| Weaving |
| Whiskey |
Relationships
| 1 |
| Adviser |
| Blackmailer |
| Business partner |
| Business rival |
| Buyer |
| Captor |
| 4 |
| Parent |
| Patron |
| Political rival |
| Prisoner |
| Protege |
| Quarry |
| 2 |
| Client |
| Confidant |
| Debtor |
| Disciple |
| Guardian |
| Henchman |
| 5 |
| Right hand |
| Romantic rival |
| Servant |
| Sibling |
| Social rival |
| Spouse |
| 3 |
| Idol |
| Informant |
| Master |
| Mentor |
| Nemesis |
| Offspring |
| 6 |
| Stalker |
| Suitor |
| Supplicant |
| Supplier |
| Sweetheart |
| Unrequited love |
Divine Domains
Use this table to generate divinities in your setting, or as a way to align NPCs with universal forces.
| 1 |
| ANIMAL |
| Balance |
| Betrayal |
| Chance |
| Chaos |
| Conquest |
| 4 |
| NPC |
| Oaths |
| Order |
| Plague |
| Purification |
| Reason |
| 2 |
| Cycles |
| Death |
| Destiny |
| Dreams |
| ELEMENT |
| Gateways |
| 5 |
| Schemes |
| Secrets |
| Storms |
| Summer |
| Sun |
| The Forge |
| 3 |
| Judgment |
| Love |
| Memory |
| Monsters |
| Moon |
| Motherhood |
| 6 |
| The Sea |
| The Wild |
| Time |
| Underworld |
| Wealth |
| Winter |
After The Party
After a long night of celebration, roll a random result if the PC fails a WILL danger roll.
| 1 |
| Absurd boasts |
| Adopted a child |
| Awarded medal |
| Bought the inn |
| Cursed |
| Duel scheduled |
| 4 |
| Lost at gambling |
| Lost reputation |
| New identity |
| New tattoo |
| Poisoned |
| Recruited |
| 2 |
| Elected to office |
| Given a quest |
| Got married |
| In a coffin |
| In love |
| In the stocks |
| 5 |
| Robbed |
| Roof on fire |
| Shanghaied |
| Sick |
| Signed contract |
| Someone died |
| 3 |
| Inconvenient pet |
| Insulted a noble |
| Insulted Faction |
| Joined a cult |
| Letter of thanks |
| Lost |
| 6 |
| Spilled secrets |
| Started a cult |
| Swindled |
| Thrown in jail |
| Unruly mob |
| Wrong clothes |
Treasure & Equipment
Use the list of gold prices below as a guideline. Players may have to haggle for actual prices.
Light weapons: 1 hand (20g)
Heavy weapons: +1 damage, 2 hands. (40g)
Ranged weapons: 2 hands. (20-40g)
Shield: One handed, +1 armor (10g)
Light Armor: +1 armor. (100g)
Heavy Armor: +2 armor, no advantage on DEX danger rolls or surprise attack rolls. (400g)
Common Items: Rope, candles, etc. (1-5g)
Specialized Items: Bear trap, key, etc. (5-20g)
Luxury Items: Book, mirror, potion etc. (20-100g)
Animals: Mule (20g), Horse (100g), Dog (5g), Bloodhound (100g), Chicken (5g), Trained falcon (1,000g).
Transport: Cart (30g), Wagon (100g), Coach (250g). Rowboat (50g), Fishing boat (500g), Caravel (5,000g), Warship (10,000g).
Property: Small House (1,000g), Tavern (2,000g), Guildhall (5,000g), Manor (10,000g) Fortified Outpost (25,000g), Estate (50,000g), Castle (200,000g)
Hirelings (all prices are per day): Servant (1-5g), Torchbearer (5-10g) Guide (10-20g) Sellsword (20-50g) Specialist (50-100g) Magician (100-200g)
Miscellaneous Items
Players may find miscellaneous items when they loot dead bodies or pick someone’s pocket.
| 1 |
| Bowl |
| Brass bell |
| Brooch |
| Carved figurine |
| Cup |
| Deck of cards |
| 4 |
| Long fork |
| Numbered key |
| Oil lamp |
| Old doll |
| Paint pot |
| Pencil |
| 2 |
| Drawing |
| Foreign coin |
| Game piece |
| Glass eye |
| Glass jar |
| Hair comb |
| 5 |
| Purse |
| Quill pen |
| Salve |
| Scissors |
| Scroll |
| Sealed letter |
| 3 |
| Handkerchief |
| Hinged box |
| Hourglass |
| Human tooth |
| Hunting horn |
| Loaded dice |
| 6 |
| Sewing needle |
| Shaving razor |
| Silver button |
| Skull |
| Tobacco pipe |
| Wine bottle |
Worn Items
| 1 |
| Belt |
| Blouse |
| Boots |
| Bracelet |
| Breastplate |
| Brigandine |
| 4 |
| Leather armor |
| Locket |
| Mail Shirt |
| Mask |
| Necklace |
| Padded armor |
| 2 |
| Cincture |
| Cloak |
| Coat |
| Dress |
| Earing |
| Eyepatch |
| 5 |
| Plate mail |
| Ring |
| Robe |
| Sandals |
| Scarf |
| Shirt |
| 3 |
| Gauntlets |
| Glove |
| Gown |
| Hat |
| Helmet |
| Hose |
| 6 |
| Shoes |
| Skirt |
| Slippers |
| Socks |
| Trousers |
| Veil |
Weapon Items
| 1 |
| Arming sword |
| Backsword |
| Battleaxe |
| Blowpipe |
| Claymore |
| Club |
| 4 |
| Longbow |
| Longsword |
| Mace |
| Maul |
| Morningstar |
| Pike |
| 2 |
| Crossbow |
| Cutlass |
| Dagger |
| Flail |
| Flanged mace |
| Glaive |
| 5 |
| Scimitar |
| Shortbow |
| Sickle |
| Sling |
| Spear |
| Staff |
| 3 |
| Halberd |
| Hammer |
| Hatchet |
| Horsebow |
| Hunting knife |
| Lance |
| 6 |
| Stake |
| Stiletto |
| Throwing axe |
| Warhammer |
| Warpick |
| Whip |
Book Subjects
When a PC finds a useful book, roll 1d. The result is the number of questions the book can answer.
| 1 |
| Alchemy |
| Art |
| Astrology |
| Blackmail |
| Charts & maps |
| Conspiracies |
| 4 |
| Lost empires |
| Lost places |
| Love poems |
| Monsters |
| Mythology |
| Odd customs |
| 2 |
| Cookbook |
| Criminals |
| Divination |
| Etiquette |
| Fashion |
| Genealogy |
| 5 |
| Oratory |
| Propaganda |
| Prophecies |
| Siegecraft |
| Songs |
| State secrets |
| 3 |
| Hagiography |
| History |
| Journal |
| Language |
| Laws |
| Letters |
| 6 |
| Sword fighting |
| Theology |
| Treasures |
| War chronicle |
| Who’s who |
| Witch-hunting |
Tool Items
| 1 |
| Acid flask |
| Bear trap |
| Bellows |
| Bolt-cutters |
| Chain |
| Chisel |
| 4 |
| Lens |
| Lock/key |
| Lockpicks |
| Manacles |
| Metal file |
| Mortar/pestle |
| 2 |
| Crowbar |
| Door ram |
| Ear trumpet |
| Fire oil |
| Fishing hook |
| Goggles |
| 5 |
| Needle |
| Pickaxe |
| Pitchfork |
| Pliers |
| Pole |
| Pulleys |
| 3 |
| Grappling hook |
| Grease |
| Hacksaw |
| Hammer |
| Hand drill |
| Lantern |
| 6 |
| Rope |
| Scissors |
| Shovel |
| Spikes |
| Steel wire |
| Tongs |
Potions
Figuring out what a potion does may require experimentation. Potions that have gone bad or prepared incorrectly may cause mutations or insanities.
| 1 |
| Animal-form |
| Body swap |
| Camouflage |
| Control animals |
| Control element |
| Cure affliction |
| 4 |
| Item-form |
| Magic immunity |
| Mirror image |
| Monster Ability |
| Monster Feature |
| Monster Trait |
| 2 |
| Detect evil |
| Detect gold |
| Detect hidden |
| Direction sense |
| Element-form |
| Element-skin |
| 5 |
| Mutation |
| Night vision |
| Random spell |
| Restore health |
| Speed |
| Stretchy |
| 3 |
| Extra arm |
| Flight |
| Ghost-speech |
| Heat vision |
| Insanity |
| Invulnerable |
| 6 |
| Super-jump |
| Super-strength |
| Telekinesis |
| Tongues |
| Water-breathing |
| Water-walking |
Magical Ingredients
Use these ingredients for potion or poison making.
| 1 |
| Ancient liquor |
| Animal |
| Blind eye |
| Boiled cat |
| Book page |
| Bottled fog |
| 4 |
| Monk’s vow |
| Monster Feature |
| Newborn’s cry |
| Oil portrait |
| Phys. Element |
| Poisonous Plant |
| 2 |
| Coffin nail |
| Corpse’s hair |
| Crossroad dust |
| Cultist entrails |
| Edible Plant |
| Exotic spice |
| 5 |
| Potion |
| Pyre ember |
| Queen bee |
| Queen’s blood |
| Ship’s barnacle |
| Star-metal |
| 3 |
| Killer’s hand |
| King’s tooth |
| Last breath |
| Liar’s tongue |
| Lightning bolt |
| Lodestone |
| 6 |
| Thief’s finger |
| Tomb flower |
| Val. Material |
| Wedding ring |
| Widow’s tears |
| Wizard skull |
Treasure Items
| 1 |
| Alchemy recipe |
| Amulet |
| Astrolabe |
| Blueprints |
| Calligraphy |
| Carpet |
| 4 |
| Orrery |
| Painting |
| Perfume |
| Prayer book |
| Printing block |
| Rare textile |
| 2 |
| Compass |
| Contract |
| Crown |
| Crystal |
| Deed |
| Embroidery |
| 5 |
| Royal robes |
| Saint’s relic |
| Scrimshaw |
| Sextant |
| Sheet music |
| Signet ring |
| 3 |
| Fine china |
| Fine liquor |
| Instrument |
| Magical book |
| Microscope |
| Music box |
| 6 |
| Silverware |
| Spices |
| Spyglass |
| Tapestry |
| Telescope |
| Treasure map |
Treasure Traits
| 1 |
| Altered |
| Ancient |
| Blessed |
| Bulky |
| Compact |
| Consumable |
| 4 |
| Forbidden |
| Fragile |
| Heavy |
| Immovable |
| Impracticable |
| Indestructible |
| 2 |
| Cultural value |
| Cursed |
| Damaged |
| Disguised |
| Draws enemies |
| Effect |
| 5 |
| Intelligent |
| Masterwork |
| Military value |
| Non-human |
| Owned |
| Partial |
| 3 |
| Element |
| Embellished |
| Encoded |
| Exotic |
| Extra-planar |
| Famous |
| 6 |
| Political value |
| Religious value |
| Repaired |
| Royal |
| Toxic |
| Vile |
Valuable Materials
| 1 |
| Alabaster |
| Amber |
| Aquamarine |
| Azurite |
| Beryl |
| Black Pearl |
| 4 |
| Jade |
| Jasper |
| Jet |
| Lapis Lazuli |
| Malachite |
| Moonstone |
| 2 |
| Bloodstone |
| Bone China |
| Chalcedony |
| Cinnabar |
| Coral |
| Diamond |
| 5 |
| Onyx |
| Opal |
| Pearl |
| Platinum |
| Porcelain |
| Ruby |
| 3 |
| Ebony |
| Emerald |
| Fire Agate |
| Garnet |
| Gold |
| Ivory |
| 6 |
| Sapphire |
| Serpentine |
| Silver |
| Star Iron |
| Topaz |
| Turquoise |
The City
City Themes
| 1 |
| ANIMAL |
| Aristocracy |
| Art |
| Bureaucracy |
| Castes |
| Catacombs |
| 4 |
| Meritocracy |
| NPC |
| Opulence |
| PHYSICAL ELEMENT |
| Pilgrimages |
| Piracy |
| 2 |
| CITY ACTIVITY |
| CITY EVENT |
| Crime families |
| Cruelty |
| DISTRICT THEME |
| DIVINE DOMAIN |
| 5 |
| Plutocracy |
| Poverty |
| Rituals |
| Slavery |
| Spices |
| Theocracy |
| 3 |
| FACTION |
| Festivals |
| Feuds |
| Intrigue |
| LOW CLASS BUILDING |
| Martial law |
| 6 |
| Thievery |
| Trade |
| Tyranny |
| UPPER CLASS BUILDING |
| Wizardry |
| Xenophobia |
City Events
| 1 |
| Assassination |
| Carnival |
| Conscription |
| Coronation |
| Coup |
| Cult activity |
| 4 |
| Insurrection |
| Invasion |
| Jailbreak |
| Mass eviction |
| Mass pardon |
| Negotiations |
| 2 |
| Curfew |
| Discovery |
| Earthquake |
| Faction war |
| Fashion trend |
| Fire |
| 5 |
| Plague |
| Proclamation |
| Prohibition |
| Public games |
| Refugees |
| Rioting |
| 3 |
| Flood |
| Heavy fog |
| Heavy taxes |
| Holy day |
| Hysteria |
| Inquisition |
| 6 |
| Roundup |
| Scandal |
| Serial killer |
| Shortage |
| Tournament |
| Trial |
District Themes
| 1 |
| Catacombs |
| CIVILIZED NPCS |
| Construction |
| Crafts |
| Criminality |
| Culture |
| 4 |
| LOWER CLASS BUILDING |
| Marketplace |
| Memorials |
| Military |
| Opulence |
| Pollution |
| 2 |
| Dining |
| Education |
| Entertainment |
| Finance |
| Foreigners |
| Ghettos |
| 5 |
| Poverty |
| Punishment |
| Religion |
| Science |
| Trade |
| Trash |
| 3 |
| Government |
| Graveyards |
| Green space |
| Industrialization |
| Judgment |
| Livestock |
| 6 |
| UNDER WORLD NPCS |
| UPPER CLASS BUILDING |
| Vices |
| WILDERNESS NPCS |
| Wizardry |
| Wonders |
Upper Class Buildings
| 1 |
| Academy |
| Alchemist |
| Archive |
| Art dealer |
| Barber |
| Bookbinder |
| 4 |
| Lounge |
| Manor |
| Museum |
| Observatory |
| Opera house |
| Park |
| 2 |
| Bookseller |
| Castle |
| Clock-maker |
| Clothier |
| Courthouse |
| Furrier |
| 5 |
| Physician |
| Printer |
| Public baths |
| Restaurant |
| Salon |
| Stables |
| 3 |
| Gallery |
| Garden |
| Haberdashery |
| Jeweler |
| Law office |
| Locksmith |
| 6 |
| Taxidermist |
| Temple |
| Tobacconist |
| Townhouse |
| Winery |
| Zoo |
Lower Class Buildings
| 1 |
| Apothecary |
| Asylum |
| Baker |
| Brewery |
| Butcher |
| Candle-maker |
| 4 |
| Mill |
| Moneylender |
| Orphanage |
| Outfitter |
| Prison |
| Sewers |
| 2 |
| Catacombs |
| Cheese-maker |
| Criminal den |
| Curiosity shop |
| Dock |
| Fighting pit |
| 5 |
| Shipyards |
| Shrine |
| Stockyard |
| Stone-carver |
| Tattooist |
| Tavern |
| 3 |
| Forge |
| Fortuneteller |
| Gambling hall |
| Leather-works |
| Marketplace |
| Mason |
| 6 |
| Theater |
| Veterinarian |
| Warehouse |
| Watchtower |
| Weaver |
| Workshop |
City Activities
Use this table as inspiration when creating your random encounter table for each city district.
| 1 |
| Abduct |
| Beg |
| Brawl |
| Burgle |
| Celebrate |
| Chase |
| 4 |
| Marry |
| MISSION |
| Mourn |
| Party |
| Patrol |
| Perform |
| 2 |
| Construct |
| Cook |
| Dance |
| Duel |
| DUNGEON ACTIVITY |
| Execute |
| 5 |
| Play |
| Preach |
| Process |
| Proclaim |
| Protest |
| Release |
| 3 |
| Extinguish |
| Extort |
| Follow |
| Gamble |
| Haul |
| Interrogate |
| 6 |
| Repair |
| Riot |
| Rob |
| Search |
| Sell |
| WILDERNESS ACTIVITY |
Building Rooms
| 1 |
| Arboretum |
| Atrium |
| Attic |
| Aviary |
| Ballroom |
| Baths |
| 4 |
| Larder |
| Library |
| Map room |
| Menagerie |
| Mews |
| Nursery |
| 2 |
| Bed chamber |
| Cabinet |
| Chapel |
| Cloakroom |
| Dining room |
| Dressing room |
| 5 |
| Pantry |
| Parlor |
| Privy |
| Root cellar |
| Saucery |
| Scullery |
| 3 |
| Dungeon Room |
| Garden |
| Garret |
| Greenhouse |
| Junk room |
| Kitchen |
| 6 |
| Smoking room |
| Spicery |
| Still room |
| Study |
| Trophy room |
| Wardrobe |
Tactical Street Features
Combine this table with City Activities to add tactical elements to street combat and encounters.
| 1 |
| Arcade |
| Awnings |
| Balconies |
| Barricades |
| Bridge |
| Canal |
| 4 |
| Fountain |
| Gates |
| Ladders |
| Livestock |
| Muddy |
| Overgrown |
| 2 |
| Carriages |
| Catwalks |
| CITY ACTIVITY |
| Climbable walls |
| Clotheslines |
| Crowd |
| 5 |
| Roof access |
| Roof gardens |
| Sewer access |
| Sinkhole |
| Slick |
| Steep roofs |
| 3 |
| Dead end |
| Dense fog |
| Downpour |
| DUNGEON ACTIVITY |
| Flooding |
| Food stalls |
| 6 |
| Steep streets |
| Steps |
| Torn up street |
| Vermin swarms |
| Well |
| WILDERNESS ACTIVITY |
Tactical Building Features
Use this table to add challenges, access points, and other useful features to missions involving building interiors.
| 1 |
| ANIMAL nests |
| Balconies |
| Basement access |
| Brightly lit |
| Broken furniture |
| Broken glass |
| 4 |
| Overgrown |
| Patrols |
| Piles of trash |
| Pillars |
| Rotting ceiling |
| Rotting floors |
| 2 |
| Cabinets |
| Carpeted floors |
| Chandeliers |
| Crawlspaces |
| Drain pipes |
| Dumbwaiters |
| 5 |
| Rotting walls |
| Screens |
| Servant passages |
| Sewer access |
| Shadowy alcoves |
| Skylights |
| 3 |
| Echoing marble |
| Hanging chains |
| Huge fireplace |
| Narrow ledges |
| Open windows |
| Ornate weapons |
| 6 |
| Spy-holes |
| Staircases |
| Tall bookshelves |
| Unlit |
| Watchdogs |
| Window drapes |
Factions
| 1 |
| Art movement |
| Beggar’s guild |
| Black market |
| Brotherhood |
| City guard |
| Conspiracy |
| 4 |
| National church |
| Noble house |
| Outlander clan |
| Outlaw gang |
| Political party |
| Religious order |
| 2 |
| Craft guild |
| Crime family |
| Crime ring |
| Dark cult |
| Explorer’s club |
| Free company |
| 5 |
| Religious sect |
| Resistance |
| Royal army |
| Royal house |
| Scholar’s circle |
| Secret society |
| 3 |
| Gourmand club |
| Heist crew |
| Heretical sect |
| High council |
| Hired killers |
| Local militia |
| 6 |
| Spy network |
| Street artists |
| Street gang |
| Street musicians |
| Theater troupe |
| Trade company |
Faction Traits
| 1 |
| Bankrupt |
| Bureaucratic |
| Charitable |
| Confused |
| Connected |
| Corrupt |
| 4 |
| Insular |
| Manipulative |
| Martial |
| PERSONALITY |
| Pious |
| Popular |
| 2 |
| Decadent |
| Decaying |
| Delusional |
| Divided |
| Dwindling |
| Efficient |
| 5 |
| Righteous |
| Ruthless |
| Secret |
| Subversive |
| Suppressed |
| Threatened |
| 3 |
| Esoteric |
| Expanding |
| Hunted |
| Incompetent |
| Incorruptible |
| Insane |
| 6 |
| Thriving |
| Unpopular |
| Up-and-coming |
| Wealthy |
| Well-prepared |
| Xenophobic |
Faction Goals
| 1 |
| Advise leader |
| Avoid detection |
| Awaken being |
| Collect artifacts |
| Construct base |
| Control FACTION |
| 4 |
| Exchange goods |
| Hear rumors |
| Indulge tastes |
| Infiltrate FACTION |
| Map the wild |
| Overthrow order |
| 2 |
| Control politics |
| Create artifact |
| Create MONSTER |
| Defeat FACTION |
| Defend borders |
| Defend leader |
| 5 |
| Preserve lineage |
| Preserve lore |
| Produce goods |
| Promote arts |
| Promote craft |
| Purge traitors |
| 3 |
| Destroy artifacts |
| Destroy being |
| Destroy villain |
| Enforce law |
| Enrich members |
| Entertain |
| 6 |
| Sell services |
| Share knowledge |
| Spread beliefs |
| Summon evil |
| Survive |
| Transport goods |
The Wild
Wilderness Regions
| 1 |
| Ashy |
| Badlands |
| Bay |
| Beach |
| Delta |
| Desert |
| 4 |
| Jungle |
| Lowlands |
| Mesas |
| Moor |
| Mountains |
| Petrified forest |
| 2 |
| Dry lands |
| Dune sea |
| Dust bowl |
| Fjords |
| Flood lands |
| Foothills |
| 5 |
| Plains |
| Rain forest |
| River lands |
| Salt Pan |
| Savanna |
| Steppe |
| 3 |
| Forest |
| Glaciers |
| Heath |
| Highlands |
| Hills |
| Ice fields |
| 6 |
| Taiga |
| Thickets |
| Tundra |
| Volcanic plain |
| Wetlands |
| Woodlands |
Wilderness Landmarks
| 1 |
| Bog |
| Boulder field |
| Butte |
| Cave |
| Cliff |
| Crag |
| 4 |
| Lake-bed |
| Marsh |
| Mesa |
| Moor |
| Pass |
| Pit |
| 2 |
| Crater |
| Creek |
| Crossing |
| Ditch |
| Field |
| Forest |
| 5 |
| Pond |
| Rapids |
| Ravine |
| Ridge |
| Rise |
| River |
| 3 |
| Grove |
| Hill |
| Hollow |
| Hot springs |
| Lair |
| Lake |
| 6 |
| Rock-slide |
| Spring |
| Swamp |
| Thickets |
| Valley |
| Waterfall |
Wilderness Structures
| 1 |
| Altar |
| Aqueduct |
| Bandit’s camp |
| Battlefield |
| Bonfire |
| Bridge |
| 4 |
| Inn |
| Lumber camp |
| Mine |
| Monastery |
| Monument |
| Orchard |
| 2 |
| Cairn |
| Crossroads |
| Crypt |
| Dam |
| Dungeon |
| Farm |
| 5 |
| Outpost |
| Pasture |
| Ruin |
| Seclusion |
| Shack |
| Shrine |
| 3 |
| Ford |
| Fortress |
| Gallows |
| Graveyard |
| Hedge |
| Hunter’s camp |
| 6 |
| Standing stone |
| Temple |
| Village |
| Wall |
| Watchtower |
| Way-stone |
Wilderness Region Traits
Combine with Wilderness Regions.
| 1 |
| Ashen |
| Blasted |
| Blighted |
| Broken |
| Consuming |
| Corrupted |
| 4 |
| Perilous |
| Petrified |
| Phantasmal |
| Ravenous |
| Savage |
| Shadowy |
| 2 |
| Creeping |
| Desolate |
| DUNGEON TRAIT |
| Eternal |
| ETHEREAL EFFECT |
| Forsaken |
| 5 |
| Shifting |
| Shivering |
| Sinister |
| Sinking |
| Smoldering |
| Sweltering |
| 3 |
| Frozen |
| Haunted |
| Howling |
| Jagged |
| Lonely |
| Misty |
| 6 |
| Thorny |
| Thundering |
| Torrential |
| PHYSICAL EFFECT |
| Wandering |
| Withered |
Wilderness Discoveries
| 1 |
| Blood stains |
| Bones |
| Broken weapons |
| Burrow |
| CITY ACTIVITY |
| CIVILIZED NPC |
| 4 |
| MUTATION |
| Nest |
| Portal |
| Resources |
| Rift |
| Strange plant |
| 2 |
| Cut ropes |
| Dead animal |
| DUNGEON ACTIVITY |
| Food scraps |
| Grave marker |
| Human corpse |
| 5 |
| Stunned NPC |
| Supplies |
| Torn flag |
| Tracks |
| Trap |
| Treasure cache |
| 3 |
| ITEM |
| Lost NPC |
| Magical effect |
| Map |
| Message |
| Migration |
| 6 |
| UNDER. NPC |
| WILDERNESS ACTIVITY |
| WILDERNESS LANDMARK |
| WILDERNESS STRUCTURE |
| WILDERNESS NPC |
| Wizard fight |
Wilderness Activities
Use this table as inspiration when creating your random encounter table for the current wilderness region.
| 1 |
| Ambush |
| Argue |
| Birth |
| Build |
| Bury |
| Capture |
| 4 |
| Forage |
| Hunt |
| March |
| Raid |
| Rescue |
| Rest |
| 2 |
| CITY ACTIVITY |
| Convene |
| Demolish |
| Die |
| Duel |
| DUNGEON ACTIVITY |
| 5 |
| Sacrifice |
| Scout |
| Sing |
| Skin |
| Skirmish |
| Slay |
| 3 |
| Eat |
| Excavate |
| Feast |
| Felling |
| Fish |
| Flee |
| 6 |
| Sleep |
| Swim |
| Track |
| Trap |
| Wander |
| Worship |
Wilderness Hazards
Use this table to create your own personalized table that fits the type of terrain the PCs are in.
| 1 |
| Avalanche |
| Blizzard |
| Brush-fire |
| Cloudburst |
| Cyclone |
| Dense fog |
| 4 |
| Locust swarm |
| Magma flow |
| Meteor strike |
| Monsoon |
| Mud-flow |
| Mudslide |
| 2 |
| Downpour |
| Drizzle |
| Dust storm |
| Earthquake |
| Eruption |
| Flooding |
| 5 |
| Predator |
| Quicksand |
| Rain of frogs |
| Rock-slide |
| Sandstorm |
| Sleet |
| 3 |
| Forest fire |
| Hail |
| Heat wave |
| Hurricane |
| Ice storm |
| Light mist |
| 6 |
| Snow |
| Stampede |
| Thunderstorm |
| Tsunami |
| Whirlpool |
| Windstorm |
Edible Plants
Use this table and the Poisonous Plants table when PCs forage for food in the wild.
| 1 |
| Acorns |
| Apples |
| Asparagus |
| Blackberries |
| Blueberries |
| Carrots |
| 4 |
| Hickory nuts |
| Honeysuckle |
| Leeks |
| Milk thistle |
| Mint |
| Mulberries |
| 2 |
| Cattail |
| Cherries |
| Chickweed |
| Chicory |
| Clover |
| Dandelion |
| 5 |
| Mushrooms |
| Mustard |
| Onion |
| Pecans |
| Persimmons |
| Raspberries |
| 3 |
| Dead-nettle |
| Elderberries |
| Fireweed |
| Gooseberries |
| Hazelnuts |
| Henbit |
| 6 |
| Strawberries |
| Walnuts |
| Watercress |
| Wild garlic |
| Wild grapes |
| Wood sorrel |
Poisonous Plants
| 1 |
| Angel’s Trumpet |
| Baneberry |
| Belladona |
| Black Truffle |
| Bleeding Heart |
| Celandine |
| 4 |
| Jessamine |
| Kudu |
| Larkspur |
| Mandrake |
| Mangrove |
| Mistletoe |
| 2 |
| Cocklebur |
| Columbine |
| Crowncup |
| Death Cap |
| Dumbcane |
| Foxglove |
| 5 |
| Moonflower |
| Nightshade |
| Oleander |
| Ragwort |
| Reindeer Lichen |
| Snakeweed |
| 3 |
| Hemlock |
| Hogweed |
| Holly |
| Horse Chestnut |
| Hyacinth |
| Ivy |
| 6 |
| Spindle |
| Stinkhorn |
| Waxcap |
| Wine-Cap |
| Wolfsbane |
| Wormwood |
Inn Adjectives
Combine an Inn Adjective and an Inn Noun, or just two Inn Nouns to create an inn name. For example, the Ghastly Griffin or the Axe & Fork.
| 1 |
| Bellowing |
| Blazing |
| Bleak |
| Blessed |
| Bloody |
| Crimson |
| 4 |
| Moldy |
| Muttering |
| Nimble |
| Oozing |
| Petrified |
| Prancing |
| 2 |
| Cunning |
| Copper |
| Dancing |
| Dead |
| Drunken |
| Flying |
| 5 |
| Romantic |
| Salty |
| Singing |
| Shivering |
| Shrieking |
| Silver |
| 3 |
| Ghastly |
| Golden |
| Helpful |
| Hideous |
| Howling |
| Hungry |
| 6 |
| Smoking |
| Thirsty |
| Wicked |
| Tipsy |
| Whistling |
| Wanton |
Inn Nouns
| 1 |
| Axe |
| Barrel |
| Bear |
| Bell |
| Boot |
| Bowl |
| 4 |
| Hog |
| Hound |
| Lamb |
| Lion |
| Mackerel |
| Maid |
| 2 |
| Bucket |
| Candle |
| Cock |
| Cow |
| Dragon |
| Egg |
| 5 |
| Monk |
| Moon |
| Pipe |
| Prince |
| Rat |
| Skull |
| 3 |
| Elephant |
| Flea |
| Fork |
| Giant |
| Griffin |
| Hart |
| 6 |
| Spoon |
| Star |
| Swan |
| Sword |
| Whale |
| Wife |
Inn Quirks
| 1 |
| 100 years in past |
| Always night |
| Animal fights |
| Bard duels |
| Bigger inside |
| Black market |
| 4 |
| Fight club |
| Five floors |
| Ghost staff |
| Haunted |
| Hideout |
| Inn/Building |
| 2 |
| Brand new |
| Cannibals |
| CITY ACTIVITY |
| Constant party |
| Dancing contest |
| Dead drop |
| 5 |
| Magic sword |
| Magically moves |
| Mercs for hire |
| NPC hangout |
| Preaching |
| Secure storage |
| 3 |
| DUNGEON FORM |
| Expensive |
| FACTION hangout |
| FACTION TRAITS |
| Famous chef |
| Fey patrons |
| 6 |
| Staff are kids |
| Talking painting |
| Underground |
| VIP lounge |
| Voice in well |
| Women only |
The Maze
Dungeon Entrances
| 1 |
| All libraries |
| Beaver dam |
| Behind waterfall |
| Chalk rectangle |
| Chest bottom |
| Chimney |
| 4 |
| Magic painting |
| Man-shape hole |
| Maze potion |
| Mirror |
| Monster mouth |
| Monster wound |
| 2 |
| Cupboard |
| Dolmen shadow |
| Down a well |
| Fiery pit |
| Fog road |
| Forest spring |
| 5 |
| Narrow alley |
| Rain door |
| Sewer grate |
| Sudden rift |
| Tidal cave |
| Tower top |
| 3 |
| Giant book |
| Gypsy wagon |
| Hollow tree |
| Huge keyhole |
| Iron maiden |
| Living tattoo |
| 6 |
| Tree roots |
| Under the bed |
| Unfolded map |
| Up a tree |
| Whirlpool |
| Wine barrel |
Dungeon Forms
| 1 |
| Arena |
| Asylum |
| Aviary |
| Bank |
| Baths |
| Body |
| 4 |
| Library |
| Market |
| Mine |
| Monastery |
| Museum |
| Nursery |
| 2 |
| BUILDING ROOM |
| Casino |
| Catacombs |
| Cave |
| Court |
| DUNGEON ROOM |
| 5 |
| Orphanage |
| Palace |
| Prison |
| Sewer |
| Ship |
| Slave pit |
| 3 |
| Forge |
| Garden |
| Hideout |
| Hotel |
| LOWER CLASS BUILDING |
| Laboratory |
| 6 |
| Temple |
| Theater |
| UPPER CLASS BUILDING |
| University |
| Vault |
| Zoo |
Dungeon Layout
| 1 |
| Ant colony |
| Central hub |
| Claustrophobic |
| Crisscrossing |
| Curved |
| Disorienting |
| 4 |
| Mazes |
| Mix of layouts |
| Multiple hubs |
| No corridors |
| Open plan |
| Open voids |
| 2 |
| Galleria |
| Geometric |
| Gonzo |
| Haphazard |
| Highly regular |
| Honeycomb |
| 5 |
| Organic |
| Oversized |
| Recursive |
| Repetitive |
| Sprawling |
| Suspended |
| 3 |
| Intertwined |
| Isolated wings |
| Layered |
| Linear |
| Loops |
| Many corridors |
| 6 |
| Symbol shape |
| Tall and narrow |
| Themed zones |
| Vertical |
| Winding |
| Ziggurat |
Dungeon Ruination
| 1 |
| Arcane disaster |
| Army invasion |
| Cannibalism |
| Civil war |
| Collapse |
| Crystal growth |
| 4 |
| Ice |
| INSANITY |
| Lava flow |
| Magical sleep |
| Melted |
| Monster attack |
| 2 |
| Curse |
| Degeneration |
| Earthquake |
| Eruption |
| Evil unearthed |
| Experiments |
| 5 |
| MUTATION |
| Outsider attack |
| Overgrowth |
| Petrifaction |
| Plague |
| Planar overlay |
| 3 |
| Explosion |
| Famine |
| Fire |
| Flooding |
| Fungus |
| Haunting |
| 6 |
| Poison gas |
| Resources gone |
| Revolt |
| Risen dead |
| Too many traps |
| War |
Dungeon Rewards
Not all dungeons have to have rewards, but they provide a good motivation for players to explore.
| 1 |
| Ancient lore |
| Animal ally |
| Army |
| Blessing |
| Blueprints |
| Cultural artifact |
| 4 |
| Magical ally |
| Map |
| Marital ally |
| Masterpiece |
| MONSTER ally |
| Oracle |
| 2 |
| Enemy weakness |
| Faction ally |
| Forewarning |
| Guide |
| Holy relic |
| Influential ally |
| 5 |
| Piles of loot |
| Planar portal |
| Prophecy |
| Renown |
| Spell |
| Transformation |
| 3 |
| Instructions |
| Jewels |
| Key |
| Lost formula |
| Machine |
| Magic ITEM |
| 6 |
| Transport |
| TREASURE ITEM |
| Uncovered plot |
| VALUABLE MATERIAL |
| Vision |
| Weapon |
Dungeon Activities
Use this table as inspiration when creating your random encounter table for the dungeon.
| 1 |
| Besiege |
| Capture |
| CITY ACTIVITY |
| Collect |
| Construct |
| Control |
| 4 |
| Negotiate |
| Patrol |
| Perform ritual |
| Purge |
| Question |
| Raid |
| 2 |
| Deliver |
| Demolish |
| Escape |
| Feed |
| Fortify |
| Guard |
| 5 |
| Repair |
| Rescue |
| Research |
| Revive |
| Riddle |
| Scavenge |
| 3 |
| Hide |
| Hunt |
| Loot |
| Map |
| Mine |
| MONSTER TACTIC |
| 6 |
| Seize |
| Tunnel |
| Unearth |
| Vandalize |
| WILDERNESS ACTIVITY |
| Worship |
Dungeon Rooms
| 1 |
| Armory |
| Banquet hall |
| Barracks |
| BUILDING ROOM |
| Catacombs |
| Cavern |
| 4 |
| Mess hall |
| Mine shaft |
| Museum |
| Oubliette |
| Pool |
| Prison |
| 2 |
| Chasm |
| Courtyard |
| Crypt |
| Dormitory |
| Fighting pit |
| Forge |
| 5 |
| Record room |
| Shrine |
| Slaughterhouse |
| Stables |
| Storeroom |
| Throne room |
| 3 |
| Fountain |
| Gate house |
| Guard room |
| Kennel |
| LOWER CLASS BUILDING |
| Laboratory |
| 6 |
| Torture room |
| Treasury |
| UPPER CLASS BUILDING |
| Vault |
| Well |
| Workshop |
Dungeon Room Details
| 1 |
| Bias-relief |
| Blood trail |
| Bones |
| Chains |
| Chalk marks |
| Claw marks |
| 4 |
| Graffiti |
| Mosaics |
| Recent repairs |
| Rotting books |
| Rubble |
| Shed skin |
| 2 |
| Corpses |
| Cracked beams |
| Crumbling walls |
| Decaying food |
| Decaying nest |
| Dripping water |
| 5 |
| Slime trails |
| Spider webs |
| Stalactites |
| Stench |
| Smoke stains |
| Thick dust |
| 3 |
| Fading murals |
| Faint breeze |
| Faint footsteps |
| Fallen pillars |
| Fungus |
| Furniture |
| 6 |
| Torn clothes |
| Tree roots |
| Unusual smell |
| Vibrations |
| Vines |
| Whispers |
Dungeon Tricks
Tricks are weird effects, puzzles or challenges tied to a dungeon area. They may be dangerous, amusing or anything in between. Use the categories below as inspiration.
| 1 |
| Absorption |
| Activation |
| Animation |
| Blessings |
| Communication |
| Confusion |
| 4 |
| Mood-alteration |
| Nullification |
| PHYSICAL EFFECT |
| Plane-shift |
| Protection |
| Rejuvenation |
| 2 |
| Consumption |
| Creation |
| Curses |
| Deception |
| Duplication |
| ETHEREAL EFFECT |
| 5 |
| Release |
| Reversal |
| Rotation |
| Scrying |
| Size-alteration |
| Summoning |
| 3 |
| Exchange |
| Imprisonment |
| Instructions |
| Interrogation |
| Mind-control |
| MISSION |
| 6 |
| Theft |
| Time-alteration |
| Transformation |
| Transmutation |
| Transportation |
| Wonder |
Dungeon Hazards
| 1 |
| Acid drip |
| Bloodsuckers |
| Cave-in |
| Choking dust |
| Crude oil |
| Crystal shards |
| 4 |
| Poison goo |
| Poison plants |
| Precipice |
| Quicksand |
| Radiation |
| Rock-slide |
| 2 |
| Deafening noise |
| Dense fog |
| Ensnaring vines |
| Fallen floor |
| Flooding |
| Freezing |
| 5 |
| Rotten ceiling |
| Rotten floor |
| Sinkhole |
| Slippery slope |
| Spider webs |
| Spores |
| 3 |
| Geysers |
| Magma |
| Magnetic field |
| Mud flow |
| Narrow ledge |
| Narrow passage |
| 6 |
| Steam vents |
| Strong winds |
| Tar pit |
| Tight passage |
| Toppling object |
| Toxic fumes |
Trap Effect
A good trap should either already be active or should have a fairly obvious trigger. The challenge should come from avoiding the trap’s effects, avoiding the trigger, or finding a way to deactivate it.
| 1 |
| Acid pool |
| Adhesive |
| Alarm |
| Armor melts |
| Bear trap |
| Blinding spray |
| 4 |
| Lava flow |
| Lightning |
| Living statues |
| Missile fire |
| MONSTER FREED |
| Net trap |
| 2 |
| Blunt pendulum |
| Boiling tar |
| Collapsing floor |
| Crocodile pit |
| Crushing walls |
| Deep pit |
| 5 |
| Pendulum blade |
| Poison gas |
| Poison needle |
| Quicksand |
| Rage gas |
| Rolling boulder |
| 3 |
| Falling cage |
| Falling ceiling |
| Fills with sand |
| Flooding |
| Giant magnet |
| Hard vacuum |
| 6 |
| Room freezes |
| Room on fire |
| Sleeping gas |
| Spiked pit |
| Tombs open |
| Wall spikes |
Trap Trigger
| 1 |
| Blow |
| Break |
| Burn |
| Choice |
| Countdown |
| Darkness |
| 4 |
| Press |
| Proximity |
| Pull |
| Read |
| Reflect |
| Release |
| 2 |
| Drain |
| Eat |
| Insert |
| Kill |
| Knock |
| Light |
| 5 |
| Remove |
| Retrieve |
| Rudeness |
| Shut |
| Sit |
| Sleep |
| 3 |
| Magic |
| Melody |
| Noise |
| Open |
| Phrase |
| Pour |
| 6 |
| Slide |
| Touch |
| Turn |
| Unbalance |
| Unearth |
| Write |
Gamemaster's Guide
Sample Game
GM: You are awakened to the sound of breaking glass. Everything is still in the common room of the Sow & Spoon, but you can barely make out some whispering coming from the inn’s kitchen.
Sybil: I look over at Jasper and motion towards the kitchen. Then I begin creeping in that direction, taking care to avoid the other sleeping patrons.
Jasper: I follow her.
GM: Sybil, make a DEX danger roll to stay undetected.
Sybil: I have the Shadowjack path, so I get advantage on this. [Rolls dice] A 2, 4, and 5. I take the 4 and 5 and add +2 from my DEX. 11! I succeed.
GM: Since Jasper is following right behind you and taking your lead, I’ll rule that he stays silent as well.
Jasper: Ok, good. What do we see in the kitchen?
GM: Peeking around the corner, you see the innkeeper you met last night, Silas. He’s asleep on the floor with a bottle of wine.
Jasper: I whisper, “Silas!” And shake him.
GM: He starts awake. “Huhh! Whah? What’s going on?” I’ll make a reaction roll. 2. He’s wary of you guys and will need motivation before he helps you.
Sybil: “Silas, we heard a window breaking! I think someone’s trying to burgle the inn!”
GM: Yeah, that’s more than enough for him. He’s sticking with you now, holding the wine bottle. You hear more whispering from the back storeroom.
Jasper: Let’s sneak back there. DEX roll again?
GM: No, you did well on the first one, so I’ll let that ride until something changes. Peeking into the storeroom, you see that the small window at the top has been broken. A cloaked man is standing in the room, helping another man climb down through the window.
Sybil: Let’s take them by surprise! I rush forward to slash at the thief with my short sword.
GM: You’ve definitely taken him by surprise, so we don’t need to roll initiative. You also have advantage on your attack rolls.
Sybil: [Rolls dice] 1, 1, and 5. Using the 1 and 5, and adding my +1 attack bonus, my total is 7.
GM: His armor rating is 6, so that deals 1 damage to him. He spins around, and his companion slips and falls into the storeroom on his back. Jasper?
Jasper: I want to cast my spell, Blinding Beacon.
GM: A prism of light crackles into being above your hand, then explodes in a flash directed at the thieves. They’ll have to make WIL saves to avoid being blinded. [Rolls dice] And…the one that fell down failed. He’s blinded. Erase the spell from your sheet, Jasper. Now the innkeeper attacks, [rolls dice] but he misses, shattering his bottle on the wall. It’s the thieves’ turn.
The blinded thief is terrified, so he has to make a WIL danger roll to see if his morale breaks. [Rolls dice] 2 and a 4, +1 WIL…he fails. He can’t flee because he’s blinded, so he just throws down his knife and begs for mercy. His partner tries to attack you with his longsword, Sybil. [Rolls dice] 11 total. What’s your armor?
Sybil: I have light armor and a shield, so 8.
GM: You take 3 damage, +1 because he was using a heavy weapon, so 4 total.
Sybil: My health isn’t that great, so I want to splinter my shield to block all of the damage.
GM: Your shield shatters, reducing your armor by 1. You take no damage, though.
Jasper: Is it our turn again?
GM: It’s the start of a new round, so we have to roll initiative. [Rolls a die] I got a 5. Try to beat that, Jasper.
Jasper: I got a 4.
GM: Ok, the thief will go first this round. He sees his companion is out of commission, and decides that this fight isn’t worth it any more. He tries to scramble out the back window. What do you do?
Jasper: I try to grab his feet and pull him back.
GM: That’ll be a STR vs STR opposed danger roll. [Rolls dice] The thief isn’t terribly strong, a +0, so his total is 5. Try to beat that to prevent him from getting away…
Prepping A Session
Situations, Not Plots
Never prepare a plot for the players to follow. Instead, create a number of nearby situations that contain a reason to get involved, some problems to overcome, and optionally a threat that will worsen the PC’s lives if not dealt with. The first campaign session should start in the middle of a high-energy situation in order to get the players hooked.
Don’t overdo the preparation! Keep your situation ideas loose enough that they can be adapted to the PC’s choices and the flow of the game. Remember that unused prep can always be recycled in later sessions. After each session, ask the players what they plan on doing next and prep a few situations related to that. The direction of the game should be guided by the player’s decisions, not the GM’s.
Player Skill, Not PC Skill
Maze Rats PCs are very minimalistic because the character sheet is mostly there for when players make a mistake. Players are not meant to solve problems with die rolls but with their own ingenuity. Therefore, present them with problems that:
- Can be solved with common sense
- Have no simple solution
- Have many difficult solutions.
Examples: Cross a moat full of crocodiles. There’s a tiny octopus in your stomach that’s biting you. A door in the bottom of a dungeon will only open if sunlight shines on it. Retrieve a key from the bottom of a lake of acid.
Tools, Not Upgrades
When you give players tools, you give them new ways to engage the world. A good tool doesn’t increase PC’s damage or add an ability bonus; it does an odd, very specific thing that is only powerful when used cleverly. This turns every problem into a puzzle and encourages creative solutions.
Examples: A rope that becomes as rigid as steel on command. A coin that lands on any result you wish when flipped. A bell that produces a 1 foot sphere of silence around it. A ring that instantly grows you a different beard for each finger you put it on.
Running The Game
Be Fair and Impartial
-
Roll your dice out in the open, so players can see you aren’t fudging the results. Require the same thing from them. Never roll the dice if you aren’t prepared to accept the results.
-
As GM, you may add, remove, or alter game rules as you see fit, as long as you notify the players ahead of time. When you make a ruling on a specific case, apply that ruling consistently.
-
If the dice say that someone is dead, they’re dead. Protecting the PC’s from death results in games that lack tension and players who only solve problems with brute force. When a PC dies, tell its player to roll up a new character and have them reenter the scene as soon as plausible.
Reveal the World
-
Don’t hide important information from the players. If the PC could reasonably know something, tell the player and move on. The game is about making decisions, and players can’t make good decisions without good information.
-
The more dangerous something is, the more obvious it should be. No one likes to have their PC die without warning, so if something dangerous is ahead, give the players the chance to come up with a plan or avoid it altogether. In other words, when a PC dies it should clearly be their fault.
Offer Tough Choices
-
Make the players weigh risk versus reward. The deeper players go into the wilderness or dungeon, the more perilous things should become. Whether because their resources are running low (food, health, equipment, light, etc.) or because danger builds the longer they linger, keep the players asking if it is worth pushing their luck just a little bit farther. The greatest treasures are always the hardest to reach.
-
Risk and reward are also at the heart of combat. The PCs’ low health is meant to push combat quickly towards the point where players ask themselves, “Should I retreat to fight another day, or do I risk it all to finish them now?” The thrill of that choice is at the heart of combat.
-
Look for situations where all obvious choices come with a heavy cost. These situations encourage unorthodox solutions and lateral thinking.
Reward Clever Solutions
-
Clever solutions to a problem should usually work, as long as they are within the realm of possibility. Be generous. If the action is unlikely or dangerous, call for a danger roll, but only forbid a creative solution if it is clearly impossible.
-
Combat in Maze Rats is neither balanced nor fair, and PCs should encounter foes far more powerful and numerous than they are. Players should learn to treat combat like real-world warfare and use ingenuity, preparation, and underhanded tactics to rig the results in their favor. Train the players to outsmart and out-plan their enemies if they want to survive.
Bring the World to Life
-
Maze Rats is a game of improvisation and extrapolation, not rigid plots. During the game and in between sessions, think about how the other characters and factions would respond to what the PCs are doing, and develop them accordingly. Your guiding principle should be “What are the logical consequences?”
-
Use the random tables included in Maze Rats (or ones you’ve made yourself) to keep the game fresh. The surprising twists that random tables add can bring an energy and mystery to the game that is hard to improvise.
-
Treat NPCs like real people. Think about what NPCs want, especially in combat. NPCs want to stay alive, and will rarely start fights that they don’t have a high chance of winning. Only fanatical NPCs will fight to the death; most will try to retreat or surrender if they are losing. Also, remember that enemies and allies can be made to switch sides if given the right motivation.
-
Give the players a stake in the world. As the game goes on, players may accumulate a lot of money from completing jobs and looting treasures. Encourage them to use this money to buy property, hire retainers or found factions. Playing at this level can open up new ways for the players to interact with the world and affect its history.
Building The World
The Dungeon
Dungeons are the classic adventuring environment: claustrophobic, tightly-focused settings (often underground) revolving around risk-taking, problem solving, exploration, and lurking dangers.
To make a dungeon, you’ll need to draw a map. Try to write the contents of each room on the map itself to save you time running it, and remember to keep the map secret. If the players want a map, they’ll have to draw their own as they explore.
Dungeons commonly contain some or all of the following: monsters to fight, traps to avoid, puzzles to solve, valuable or magical items to loot, weird effects and hazards to deal with, and NPCs to talk to. Make sure to put secret areas and hidden treasures in the dungeon to reward players who are especially thorough. Also, create a table of random encounters (usually dangerous). Every 10 in-game minutes, there is a 3 in 6 chance of the PCs having an encounter. This helps keep up the pressure and it keeps things interesting for you. Don’t be afraid to put very dangerous monsters or large bands of enemies on there; the morale rules and reaction table will give the players options.
A good way to make a dungeon is the one-more-thing method. First put one simple thing in each room, keeping it pretty vague (a monster, a trap, a prisoner, a library). Next, look for connections between the things. How are they connected? How do they explain one another? What is their relationship? Then, go back and add one additional detail to each room based on what you now know. Repeat this process as many times as you like until you think the dungeon is finished.
Players should have lots of choices while exploring. Good dungeons are filled with loops, branching paths, secret passages, shortcuts, etc. This gives players the chance to use their surroundings strategically. They should be able to plan ambushes, avoid threats, and generally choose what kind of fun they want to have, rather than just marching down a linear sequence of rooms.
The Wilderness
When designing the wilderness of your world, start out by mapping just the local area, with at least one safe haven (like a city or town) and a number of possible adventure locations: dungeons, ruins, mines, towers, camps, etc. Drawing your map on hex-grid paper can be useful in keeping track of distances. As the players venture further afield, expand the map in that direction.
If you decide to use a hex-grid for overland travel, consider making each hex 6 miles across from side to side. A PC can generally travel 18 miles per day along a road, 12 miles per day across open wilderness, and 6 miles per day through difficult terrain like forests or mountains. Make sure the players are aware of several possible routes to any destination, each with their own advantages and drawbacks.
Fill in the wilderness of your map with different types of terrain (forests, deserts, rivers, mountains, hills, swamps, plains, wastes etc.), and for each region create a table of random discoveries, including dangerous foes, neutral NPCs, and interesting sites. Each day and each night there is a 2 in 6 that the PCs will find something. Night encounters are often more dangerous. If they find something of a permanent nature, mark it on the map and replace that table entry with something new. Make sure to describe the weather as the PCs travel. Weather is a great source of interesting compilations, especially things like heavy rain, snow, or storms.
Place unique, hidden locations around your map that players won’t find if are just passing quickly through. In order to find them, the PCs must either spend a whole day searching the area carefully or else know exactly where to look.
The City
A good city is built around some distinct themes. Is it decadent and bureaucratic? A major pilgrimage site? Famous for wizards? All three? The themes you choose help to cement the feel of the city in the players’ minds and let them know what to expect.
Decide what’s going on in the city at present. Are there any notable events, such as disasters, festivals, assassinations, or conflicts? Polarizing events like this make cities easier to run, since everyone in the city will be affected by them. You can use that one event to decide what everyone is up to.
Break the city up into districts or neighborhoods and mark the connections between them. Each district should have a theme of its own that sets it apart from the rest of the city. This allows players some control over the kind of encounters they have. Mark down any well-known locations in each district that players will automatically notice, along with any major characters and factions present. Each district should also have a number of interesting features that only reveal themselves if players know where to look.
Finally, make a list of random encounters for each district, based on the district’s themes. These encounters can be dangerous, but might also just be unusual events that the PCs can choose whether or not to engage. Each time players move through a district, there’s a 1 in 6 chance that they’ll run into one of its encounters. They also automatically find an encounter if they spend time looking for trouble.
Cities and towns are usually places where PCs rest and recuperate between expeditions and look for new jobs. Make sure that the PCs hear a couple of rumors about potential adventures every time they return to the city. As always, give the player options so they can choose missions that they’ll enjoy.
THANKS
Maze Rats only exists because of the incredible support, creativity, and proofreading assistance of the DIY D&D community on Google+.
Special thanks to: Chris McDowell (Into the Odd), Paolo Greco (Lost Pages), John Harper (World of Dungeons), Jason Lutes (Freebooters on the Frontier), Christian Mehrstam (Whitehack), Kevin Crawford (Godbound), David McGrogan (Yoon-Suin), Zak Smith (Vornheim), Brendan Strejcek (Necropraxis), Joseph Goodman (Dungeon Crawl Classics), James Murphy (Trollsmyth), Justin Alexander (The Alexandrian), Arnold Kemp (Goblin Punch), Courtney Campbell (Hack and Slash), Logan Knight (Last Gasp Grimoire), Greg Gorgonmilk and Gavin Norman (Wormskin).
Extra special thanks goes to the fifth grade students of Archway Glendale Classical Academy, who drove Maze Rats’ creation and playtested it through endless revisions over the years.