[RPG] Encounters by Environment-

(c) Copyright 2009 Kyrinn S. Eis

This is an early draft:

DESIGNING ADVENTURES-

Encounter Procedures-

I use d12 rolls to determine Frequency, Intensity, and Proximity (FIP). The higher the result, the likelier things will be encountered, the more powerful those things are, and how close they are to the characters.
Read the d12 as a clock-face when rolling for exact placement of the Encounter relative to the party in question. A 12 is directly in front, and 11 and 1 as being to adjacent forward locations, and 7, 6, and 5 as rear of the party, 9 left, 3 right, etc.

--Example:

I'm rolling Frequency, and see that the area the characters are in is +5 in that category. I get an adjusted 11, which is generally an Encounter for my games under most circumstances. Okay, an Encounter has been confirmed.

Ruins are also +5 to Intensity, making them much more likely to spawn powerful creatures and dwellers. I roll a 12, for a total of +17. This is something significantly more powerful than the characters, at least 5 Fight Dice greater than their highest, if not higher. Let's see how close it is to them.

The terrain imposes a -2 on Proximity, likely due to the sheer impassibility of much of the area. My roll is a 4, which is adjusted to 2 -- not very close at all.

Now, what does this information tell me as a Referee? Plenty.
I am free to choose which creature of that power-level, that makes sense for the terrain (ruins), and place it far enough away that I have time to blend its appearance into my descriptions (tracks or other evidence, sensory clues, etc.)


Rolling 2d6, using this same method, provides more uniform and average results, and specifically gives those discovering the encounter more distance, on average, before coming face-to-face with it, as it were.


Sd6 is a notation for rolling d6 twice, reading it serially, like d%. The range is 36 numbers running from 11-66, and only read up to 6, making the next number after 16, ...21, etc. If asked to roll #Sd6, simply add the Sd6 result together.


Terrain Generator: d12
1). Rough
2). Ruins
3). Settlement
4). Woods
5). Grassland
6). Wetlands
7). Grassland
8). Wetlands
9). Grassland
10). Woods
11). Ruins
12). Rough


* Grassland: +2 to Frequency| +0 to Intensity| -4 to Proximity
:: Short or tall grasses, wide open or dotted with ground cover and copse of trees, generally good visibility. Whatever concealment that may be present is most likely to be dense scrub or light woods before it is any sort of Ancient landscaping or structural elements, as demonstrated in the following tables. If nothing is indicated, then the flat, relatively featurelessness persists unabated throughout the area of 3d8 miles. The land supports many useful herbs and berries, and small game is often plentiful (+45%) for both hunting and trapping. However, it must be remembered that grasslands and any other open areas regardless of climate, are corridors for the movement of creatures, and with large numbers of herbivores and omnivores come the carnivorous predators. Nighttime is especially likely (+5 overall Frequency) for curious omnivores and carnivores to roam into human/humanoid areas looking for an easy meal.
:: Roll d12: 1-9). Nothing, 10+). Concealment
:: Roll d12: 1-10). #x5% concealment, 11). 55% +1d4 Armour, 12). 60% +1d6 Armour
:: 11-12). Roll d12:
1). Outlying defence post and the wilderness around it, +5 to all Encounter rolls
2). Cache: 1). Junk| 2). Data II| 3). Devices| 4). Data IV| 5). Arms/Armour| 6). Anything Referee determines
3). Warehouse, 15% occupied, 1d6 miscreants 1-3 FD, comparable arms
4). |
5). |
6-7). } Roll on Ruins, now overgrown
8). |
9). |
10). Shady Watering Hole 90% Frequency, + 3 Intensity, + 5 Proximity, animals 90% of encounters
11). Warehouses have a 10% chance of being occupied and guarded, and a 2% chance of finding something useful
12). Outlying defence post and the wilderness around it, +3 to all Encounter rolls


* Rough: -2 to Frequency| +2 to Intensity| +1 to Proximity
:: Anything from a rocky mound to flattened debris as fits the other terrain around it. If adjacent to Ruins, then these are the outskirts comprised of sundered warehouses and factories, etc. If in the wilds, it is most likely (01-95%) simply a rock formation or at most, a mound of earth. Burrowing and rock-crevace creatures will be most prevalent, including both serpents and stinging/biting arthropods (scorpions and spiders). Flying creatures often fight over the right to roost upon the highest points of rough terrain, whether a rocky crag,
or a toppled monument. Rough terrain can also be boggy, or littered with dangerous elements, or a very narrow path through a dangerous environment, such as a rope-bridge across lava.
:: Roll d12: 1-6). Nothing, 7+). Concealment
:: Roll d12: 1-10). #x10% concealment, 11). 100% +1d8 Armour, 12). 100% +1d10 Armour


* Ruins: +5 to Frequency| +5 to Intensity| -2 to Proximity
:: Can consist of any large structural debris either from complete structures or those under construction at the time of the destruction. Roll 5Sd6+133 prior-Population to understand scope of the immediate location you are describing. Many other sorts of locations (factories, offices, drink halls, public eating, parks, etc.) are to be described as surrounding these locations, and may (must) be fleshed out in similar terms as you continue to run scenarios or encounters in these locales. As Referee, you must adequately describe the destruction's effects (toppled towers scattered across broad roads and into former mansions, flooded streets and sink holes, animal occupation of ruins and unexpected nesting sites with subsequent peculiar terrain in territorial disputes). Imagine a city you have visited or seen, and think of two thousand years of disrepair, of no significant number of humans to affect the place, as well as the reclamation of nature in the form of creeping vines, trees uprooting the pavement and plazas, and quarters frequented by all manner of animals, as well as monsters and brigands, travellers, and other explorers. The most famous ruin in an area is often used as a rallying point for organised exploration, and in these cases (often), the ruins serve as the basis of a new settlement.
:: Type of location: Roll 1d12
1). Outlying barrens of ruins and the wilderness around it, +2 to all Encounter rolls
2). Store: 1). Junk| 2). Data III| 3). Devices| 4). Data V| 5). Arms/Armour| 6). Anything Referee determines
3). Market Larder/Food Distribution Centre, 33% viable food, 1d6+4 servings, 1d6 miscreants 1 FD, lesser arms
4). Carriage Lot with 1d10 vehicles, 30% ea. intact contents; +50% Type IV-I loot
5). Dwelling for 2 or fewer persons, animals dwelling in rooms likely, +15% Type IV-I loot
6-7). Dwelling for 3 or more persons, +50% Type IV-I loot
8). Dwelling for 2 or fewer persons, recently used by humanoids for shelter, +30% Type IV-I loot
9). Library full of knowledge and a world of mystery, animals dwelling likely, most likely herbivore
10). Water Works is a prize if it could be restarted, general encounters on site
11). Warehouses have a 45% chance of being intact, and a general 5% chance of finding something useful
12). Outlying barrens of ruins and the wilderness around it, +2 to all Encounter rolls


* Settlement: +7 to Frequency| +3-5 to Intensity| +3 Proximity
:: From the tents of nomadic Dokirin and old world Yirinn, to ancient metropoli -- seats to dozens of empires.
:: Type of location: Roll 1d12
1). Outlying defence post and the wilderness around it, +5 to all Encounter rolls
2). Store: 1). Junk| 2). Data II| 3). Devices| 4). Data IV| 5). Arms/Armour| 6). Anything Referee determines
3). Market Larder/Food Distribution Centre, 33% charity, 1d4 servings, 1d4 miscreants 1 FD, lesser arms
4). Personal Transport Sales Lot and Merchant; Bicycles to Beasts of Burden
5). Dwelling for 2 or fewer persons, animals dwelling in rooms likely, +30% Type III-I loot
6-7). Dwelling for 3 or more persons, +100% Type III-I loot
8). Dwelling for 2 or fewer persons, recently used by humanoids for shelter, +60% Type III-I loot
9). Library full of knowledge and a world of mystery, guarded and well staffed by knowledgeable scribes
10). Bath House and Public Tap
11). Warehouses have a 90% chance of being occupied and guarded, and a 25% chance of finding something useful
12). Outlying defence post and the wilderness around it, +5 to all Encounter rolls


* Wetlands: +4 to Frequency| +1 to Intensity| -2 to Proximity
:: Wetlands are incredibly diverse ecosystems. Plants found therein include: cypress, ferns, lichens, mangrove, mosses, rushes, sedges, black spruce, tamarack, water lilies, gum, among others. Wetlands are rife with foetid amphibians of every conceivable sort, powerful and resourceful mammal and marsupial predators and opportunists, highly intelligent and specialised birds, and tenacious and often ferocious fur-bearing insectoids and reptiles, alike. Small, biting insects are ubiquitous beyond all consternation.
:: Type of location: Roll 1d12
1). Island Dwelling for 2 or fewer persons, animals dwelling in rooms likely, +30% Type III-I loot
2). Dwelling for 3 or more persons, +100% Type III-I loot
3). River Community: Sd6 Population 67% adult, roll d12 for Disposition: 12 = Best, 1 = Worst
4). Creek and Woods on an island of solid ground, roll on Woods if they get in deep
5). Lake: 33% Encounter at +1 to all FIP, roll 1d10: 1-8). Small, 9). Large, 10). V. Large Lake
6-7). 3d8 Miles of everglades: + 3 to all FIP each Hour until clear
8). Lake: 67% Encounter at +0 to all FIP, roll 1d10: 1-6). Small, 7-9). Large, 10). V. Large Lake
9). Creek and Scrub on an island of solid ground, roll on Grassland if they follow
10). River Community: 3Sd6 Population 55% adult, roll 2d6 for Disposition: 11-12 = Best, 2 = Worst
11). Stilt Dwelling for 3 or more persons, +100% Type III-I loot
12). Houseboat for 2 or fewer persons, recently used by human(oid)s for shelter, +10% Type IV-I loot


* Woods: +5 to Frequency| +2 to Intensity| +3 to Proximity
:: Woodland is a low-density of trees, with an open habitat, allowing only limited shade. Ground cover may include shrubs and seeding plants (and grasses). Shrubland may form under drier conditions or during early stages of vegetative succession. A Forest is a higher density of trees with thick, shaded canopy which replaces shrubs with ferns and mosses, as well as increased fungal growth and lichens. Many sorts of creatures, intelligent and otherwise, find a great bounty within woodlands areas, and so the breadth of encounter types should be exercised.
:: Type of location: Roll 1d12
:: 1-6). Nothing, 7+). Concealment
:: 7+ Roll d12: 1-10). #x10% concealment, 11). 100% +1d6 Armour, 12). 100% +1d8 Armour
:: 11-12). Roll d12:
1). Outlying defence post and the wilderness around it, +5 to all Encounter rolls
2). Cache: 1). Junk| 2). Data II| 3). Devices| 4). Data IV| 5). Arms/Armour| 6). Anything Referee determines
3). Warehouse, 15% occupied, 2d4 miscreants 2-5 FD, comparable arms, some of these are hidden in reserve
4). |
5). |
6-7). } Roll on Ruins, now enveloped by the woods, -2 on all FIP rolls
8). |
9). |
10). Ritual Grove shelter 10% daylight Frequency, 33% night Frequency and 1d4 Clerics 2d6 Fighters 3d8 faithful
11). Warehouses have a 8% chance of being occupied and guarded, and a 23% chance of finding something useful
12). Outlying defence post and the wilderness around it, +3 to all Encounter rolls


Critters would then be listed in an index under the environments they most frequent.