Mesomergos Random Encounter Table

For my one-on-one hexcrawl game, I have been developing a thematic encounter table for the region of Mesomergos, inspired by german and chinese folklore as well as many disparate influences. The encounter roll is simple. For every day of travel, I roll a d20. On a 1-10, one of the encounters below occurs. Each number is a theme, allowing me to pick or alter one of its sub-entries to the conditions of the area.

Some Big Ideas of this table:

• A random encounter should have the potential to dramatically shift the game (beyond just threatening to kill you.) A curse, a sudden boon or follower, a call to adventure.
• A random encounter should reinforce the themes and elements of what this particular game is about. That's why so many encounters on this table deal with riddles or the dread of violating Rules.
• A random encounter table will not be level-appropriate. There should be different ways to approach an encounter based on whether you have the power to do so. Getting coerced into a fey-king's game is fun, and so is risking your life fighting through his court.
• The thematic structure makes it easier (and essential) to restock, because after a couple of encounters of the same type, you will have a prompt for what to add.
• On average, an encounter every other day feels about right. You can also overload additional entries. For instance, if bounty hunters are chasing the party, you can just add that on an encounter roll of 11, they catch up with them.

Ten Types of Encounters in the Wilderness of Mesomergos

1. A champion demands a duel to cross the byway.
• A “Samurit”-- level 1 warrior in OP armor and arms.
• An old man with a long staff and the jukes to keep you at bay.
• Bandits have barricaded the road. You may pay their extortions or else fight their leader, who has terrific leaping ability.
• A pack of wanted thieves. They don't allow anyone their face and live, so you must fight them or join their merry gang.
• Three murderous brothers wish to travel with you before betraying you. One only says “we three,” one only says “for gold,” one only says “That is right.” (They made a deal with a demon.)
• Reticent Sworn and their family have taken an oath to prevent people from crossing.
• Joined on the road by a group of men. After sharing wine, they reveal that they are some odious group: murderers, rebels, demon worshipers, or the like. Attacking them after sharing wine would make you Unclean...
2. Rumors of a terrifying beast. 1d4 days later, a beast!
• A wurm that breathes poison.
• A giant fox monster in the form of a human. Eats livers.
• A large black creature that eats corpses. Actually a penitent priest-thief.
• Jiangshi, a vampire official that cannot bend its limbs.
• A pale woman who kills with a glance.
• A monstrous ogre that revives if struck after falling. Will beg to receive another blow.
• A qilin that will gore any man it sees with its antlers. Its skin is bejeweled (as medium armor,) its voice is like chimes and it is bearded and scaled.
3. A foe that requires cunning or a riddle’s answer to defeat easily
• A demon that says it will crush you unless you blaspheme a certain god.
• A rubbery warrior offers a wager: he will let you hit him once with his club, and he will return an identical blow. Being rubbery, he is immune to bludgeoning damage.
• Felnogonisten, a giant that requires a riddle.
• A pack of Granous, who require the answer to twenty riddles in twenty seconds each. For each wrong answer, they eat one of your fingers or toes.
• Bronze birds that launch their feathers like knives
• A lion, Bhagmela, asks: “What are the best and worst stones?” Possible answers: Best: altar, whetstone, millstone; worst: hailstone, stone in the eye, gallstone. Failure to answer provokes it to attack.
• A fey offers you riches if you pull a white stone out of a bag and treachery if you pull a black stone out. They cheat, putting two black stones in. The very terrain becomes hostile if you try to kill them.
4. Someone offers hospitality, with a lovely offspring and an odd request.
• The local chieftain loves adventurer’s stories, and will do you a good turn if you catch That Damn Horse which can outrun anything.
• A nearby Sworn is happy to host you as long as you leave his harem alone. Also, he will share whatever he catches when he goes out hunting as long as you share whatever you catch in his palace. 😉 Also, his harem won’t leave you alone.
• The stonemason will give you whatever you want if you can get someone to cross his bridge. The first person to cross it owes their soul to the devil.
• The cave hermit will show you the way through the underground lair, but only if you can retrieve the golden collar off a wandering bear without killing it. Also, pay no attention to his handsome acolyte; the poor boy has leprosy.
• A chieftain has commended his wife to the devil, only to find that his wife’s chastity is defended by a demon. He wants to manipulate someone into trying to seduce her so that they might destroy the demon along the way.
• A chieftain has promised refuge to someone they later learned is villainous. Won’t you please convince the villain to leave the area of their protection?
• A fey offers provender as long as you promise not to harm them or touch their spouse. Later, you learn the spouse is kidnapped. If you break the promise, you are cursed with pyrohemia. (All wounds catch fire.)
5. An oracle or a creature beloved by a god.
• Blind wanderer, gives odd warning
• Cassandra-type seer. Their prophecy is only out-of-character.
• You, now old, sent back to avoid your fate. Disappears after changing anything too significant.
• A lion of Rektrine. Killing it curses you to be pursued by lions.
• A homunculus of Noryawes. Brings vengeance for someone a PC has wronged. 
• A Dwarf of Mithras. Offers historical wisdom to those who are virtuous.
• A wolf of Gnon. Its coat resists the chemic and the divine.
• A cock of Sedyf. Intelligent and literate. If you are not a follower of Sedyf and do not give it a gift it will wake you each midnight until you do. Otherwise, it will give you a pearl.
• A fox of Fisochol. Can smell crimes. Killing it makes you Unclean.
• A dryad of Vfoso. Tells you of potential future suitors, if you are polite.
6. A trader with an odd item. (either one of the encounters below or something based on this blog post.)
• Two yellow, gnobbly forgetters. Will trade treasure or magic fruit for your name.
• A demon willing to grant a wish, for an appropriate price.
• An old former thief bears one of the Dolorous regalia. The heat is on him, and while he will bargain fiercely he’ll trade it for your cloak.
• A tinker willing to sell you a house that unfolds from a piece of wood.
• An ancient locust bears a relic from Selmat.
• An old woman with three potions: a green one that creates a forest, a red one that creates a fire, and a blue one that creates a lake.
7. A suitor or potential servant, requiring a task.
• Princeling wants you to kill their parent or parent-in-law.
• An impossibly skilled artisan wants to get out of their contract with their cruel master.
• D4+1 minstrels, rakes, and bravos. They want good stories and a good time. Foolish, but loyal to quick friends.
• A magical noble is condemned to an ignoble form until someone can truly love them for who they are; you’re their next try.
• At a festival, a wealthy woman gives each of you a large sum of money. Later, she returns to see how you have spent it. If spent wisely, you will be rewarded. If not, you shall lose what you gained.
• A messenger of the Postal Brotherhood, bearing a very important letter, ideally for a PC. This brother is at least as capable as you.
8. A naked sacrifice tied to a post. A monster nears (see 2.)
• The sacrifice is a princeling from a nearby city, sacrificed because of the ruler’s cowardice.
• The sacrifice is a random citizen from a nearby city who lost drawing lots. Might become a follower if saved.
• A leper, apostate, heretic, or foreigner.
• A monster hunter, betrayed by their guides.
9. Natural disaster
• Earthquake
• Sudden freeze or heatwave
• Ground opens up
• Nephilim is killed; wave of blood followed by a new geographical feature
• Raining embers
• Hailstorm
• A storm or other weather-event in humanoid form attempts to seduce you. Rebuffing them will curse you; on an encounter roll of 13, they catch up with you.
10. The capital. An entire city, carried on the wind by cicadas, deposits itself in the area.

Combat in Vain the Sword; d12 Battle Cries

Vain the Sword, my ongoing roil of a GLOG hack, seeks simple and evocative combat. Drawing from the varied rulesets of people I've had the pleasure to learn from, I have something I'm happy with. Currently, it is akin to many GLOG combat systems, but with the following distinctive features.

Marius Kozik

At the start of a combat in which the order of turns is not obvious, each character gives a battle cry or flytes, then rolls a d20 and adds their entire charisma score. A bonus may be given for especially significant cries or incisive taunts. Combat proceeds in descending order.

(When relevant, a band of people acting together using their leader's charisma. If there is no leader, they go last in the round.)

Each character has a "dodge" and "block" score, either of which gives alters a foe's chance to hit them. Dodge is essentially your dexterity modifier. Block is determined by armor. This system replaces normal AC.

Some attacks will only be affected by one or the other, but often which is used will be based on just how the attacker strikes at someone and just how the defender acted on their last turn. Since these scores will usually be different, characters are constantly trying to get the edge to strike at their opponent's weaknesses in melee.

Since a combat round can last up to a minute, you have time to make an attack roll and attempt some kind of maneuver. This can be another offensive action like grappling, aiming, or disarming, but you can instead maneuver to go against your foe's block or dodge score. Major effects require an additional non-strength roll of some sort, while maneuvering to improve your strike always works if you can explain how it should.

If attacking someone who has much greater reach than you, either from the size of your foe or the size of their weapon, they get a free attack against you. If they miss, you are stuck-in and they cannot effectively attack you until they can create distance or switch to some closer attack.

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d12 Types of Battle Cries or Flytes

1. Name-drop of your liege or hometown
2. Bagpies, bugels, and/or conches
3. Shouting that you slept with your enemy's sister
4. Inarticulate war dance
5.  Onomatopoeic nonsense sounds
6. A curse of sickness
7. Imitating the call of a wolf, raptor, dragon, or bear
8. Eerie fighting song about how much you love killing
9. Political slogan or religious motto
10. Inviting the afterlife's attention
11. Swashbuckling or otherwise smashing your gear together
12. A heraldic slogan

Designing Holy Drugs

The lot of the practitioner is one of someone who masters the art of gigre, a holy drug that imparts certain behavioral commandments for its use. But other people can and do use holy drugs, or else their semi-magical relatives such as wine, opium, or absinthe.

Unlike the paladin, a practitioner is held to the standards of a commandment only for as long as they take them. It is possible to break a commandment, but to do so makes you Unclean; you cannot benefit from chemic or divine magic and if something bad happens, it happens to you. Some commandments proscribe mortal sins. These are harder to wipe away.

I do my best to pepper the occasional gigre (or gigre recipe) in every dungeon, since it can be used by practitioners and non-practitioners alike.  The guidelines I've hewn to are that there should be at least one commandment that compels you to take actions and at least one that forbids you from taking certain actions. The better the power imparted by the gigre, the heavier the burden of the commandments should be and the more likely that gigre should carry a mortal sin. It's also important to remember that these commandments should be relevant to whatever your game is about. A vow of abstinence is much less of a sacrifice in a dungeon delve than it is for many people in normal life.

To facilitate quick gigre creation, I've heavily borrowed from taboos listed in Stith Thompson's Motif-Index of Folk-Literature to create a list of example commandments, mortal sins, and prompts for gigre powers. In a hurry, you can just roll once on each table and apply some imagination to figure out the drug's name and purpose. I would recommend curating it so that the commandments are commensurate with the power.

 d20/20/20/10 Random Gigre

d20 Compelling Commandments Must answer questions honestly Must give thanks upon encountering water/fire Must boast Must touch everyone before speaking to them Must be sexually active Must eat some of everyone you kill Must count things compulsively Must steal when able Must make sacrifices after victories Must be silent on the sabbath Must attack the followers of a certain god Must pay homage to artists/priests/singers/artisans Must travel by starlight Must kill any birds/insects Must accept wagers Must daily drink saltwater/alcohol/poison Must mark yourself with blood/symbols/tattoos Must consume the heart/brain of a person weekly Must keep secrets Must sleep indoors

d20 Forbidding Commandments Cannot harm someone on sacred ground Cannot wear leather Cannot see someone naked Cannot offend a child Cannot have bread/meat/alcohol Cannot sleep indoors Cannot touch the dead Cannot touch supernatural creatures Cannot ask questions Cannot reveal gigre use Cannot speak to peasants/nobility/soldiers/priests Cannot use metal weapons or armor Cannot cross running water except at its source Cannot look at holy objects Cannot lie Cannot disobey men/women/laws/promises Cannot harm the followers of a certain god Cannot glimpse the moon Cannot ignore pleas for aid Cannot be suspicious of others

d20 Random Mortal Sin Wrath Gluttony Avarice Pride Envy Betrayal Malice Submission Vandalism Accepting destiny Chastity Temperance Charity Diligence Patience Kindness Vainglory Attachment Blasphemy Wealth

d10 Random Ability Naming a certain animal summons it. Incite love/hate/curiosity Cast a certain spell Smell a certain substance/magic/animal/type of person “Warp spasm” increases strength/speed/insight C0mmune with stone/plants/animals/the dead multiply/summon/refine items/coins/plants/fire/food prophecy/augury/divination Create a mask or tool from a cadaver/donor/portrait Stave off/inflict a certain illness

So say we rolled a 9, a 19, a 10, and a 2:

• Gigre of the Hearth: Must make sacrifices after a significant victory. Cannot ignore pleas for aid. Accepting destiny is a mortal sin. You can entice someone to share something with you.

Secret Jackalope 2020: Viigand's Chapel

Astuary Propheteer requested the following gift:
"a populated hex for a west marchian doomcrawl"

Okay. A little out of my wheelhouse, but that can be all the more fun. I will do this, and as fully as I can. So:

• Populated
• Hex (we'll say a classic six-mile hex)
• West Marchian
• Doomcrawl. This suggests to me a grim, possibly apocalyptic world.

Hex #XXXX Viigand's Chapel

          On a stony hill surrounded by what used to be good farmland, the fortified village of Viigand's Chapel stands obviously near the middle of this hex. The harried people who call the village home call it the last safe place. In truth, the centerpiece of Viigand's power is a drug manufactured for him by the chemist Anatole. Called Noyer, it produces a hopeful feeling and comfortable conformity.

          The chapel, empty of icons of the old religious order, is the seat of power for Sir Viigand, the undisputed marshal of the village. His soldiers are commonly seen in adjacent hexes, securing supplies and putting down marauders on the road.

          Viigand can be a straightforward threat to the party, or just as easily prove a source of reliable, if unsavory, work. He is one of the few people who has his act together in this falling, failing world.

Six NPCs in Viigand's Chapel

1. Ivakin, Viigand's enforcer. Needlessly rude and prone to making tactical mistakes.
2. Marloe, a cheerfully drugged-up butcher. Will subconsciously inform party of suspicious doings.
3. Svetlana, whose elderly father is dying. The village will not spare any aid.
4. Artor, the former parson of the chapel. Dreams of the old days when people cared about god.
5. Blair, a guard. His family from [the PC's base of operation] want him to join them there, but the pay is too good.
6. Katarina, Viigand's friend. People guess that she is his wife and/or sister, but in truth she is simply the first and last friend he has left. 

Six Valuables in Viigand's Chapel

1. The barrel of Noyer. Each dose makes you immune to fear and other drugs for a day, but you have a hard time acting against superiors.
2. The old idol, now tossed aside in a rubble heap outside of town. Made of solid bronze, worth about 50 gp.
3. a chariot kitted out Mad Max-style, pulled by drug-addled mules.
4. a misericorde that leaves no visible mark in its victims
5. scroll of forget memory, useful to help you sleep at night.
6. a pre-cataclysm map of the surrounding area, updated with modern information 

Six Tasks for Viigand's Chapel

1. "A pack of snakemen has been giving me trouble. Provide overwatch for one of my squads while we take it out. You like drugs?"
2. "I need shipments of eel urine carted in. Do not ask why. Only problem is mayor of [PC's base of operations] is holding it up. Convince him otherwise.:
3. "My chemist is getting the wanderlust again. Tell him some gruesome stories of what you've seen Out There. Really turn his stomach."
4. "My man, Ivakin. I think he's sweet on this boy from Asva. Make sure he gets a happy ending. Take this club with you."
5. "I here there are still horses in this world. Rumor says there's some in the valley out south. Deal with the pack of elves that live there, or steal them. I need at least one breeding pair."
6. "My people are getting fresh again. Kidnap someone and dispose of them. That will remind them what its like Out There. Just don't let one of my men see you. They'd need to... intervene."

Bazaar

In the past, when I’ve attempted to track what kinds of equipment might be available in a given town, I have usually just handwaved it or gestured vaguely at the normal equipment list. For a planned hexcrawl game, I will be trying a different approach that I’m calling the Bazaar system. 

First, I assign a market theme to each letter of the alphabet. Then, I populate each theme with three to seven items and attached prices. The same item may appear on different lists with different prices. Printing each market theme on a different card, I can combine different cards to represent different markets. The principle is simple, but it lets me tune things a great deal.

• You can designate one letter as always present for market staples.
• Assign more common market themes to more common letters. Then, when I want to populate a random bazaar, I can just ask a player for a random word. The longer the word I request, the more developed the bazaar. Example: I figure a small city will have a small bazaar, so I have the players give me a five-letter word: QUERY. With the themes below, that means the city will have wood, jewelry, travel supplies, beasts, and excavation tools.
• You can use overlap strategically. Items present in multiple market themes may have different prices, meaning that players will want to shop around.
• When players go out of their way to follow leads, track down sellers, or barter, reward them with extra cards.
• When players need to replace or upgrade weapons and armor, they are not assured to get exactly what they want. With sparse options, players are more likely to take up picks, hammers, and shovels.
• This is a great way to inject setting details

Example market for the Mesomergos setting I'm developing:

A- general supplies Beer (2 cp) 1 pound soap (2 cp) Heavy cloak (4 gp) light armor 30’ rope (8 sp) Knife (7 sp) light weapon Torch (2 cp) Wooden pole (1 cp)	N- drugs Beer (1 cp) Rice wine or pomace wine (3 cp) Opium (1 sp) Absynthe (1 sp) Random narcomanta* (8 gp) Random formula (10 gp) Random gigre (25 gp)
B-armor Cuirass (13 gp) medium armor Plaited reed armor (12 gp) medium armor Scale armor (120 gp) heavy armor Wicker shield (2 gp)	O- holies Tefillim* with a random WORD (15 gp) Amulet* of a random spell (10 gp) Serpent torse of a random formula (10 gp) Idol of a random god (2 gp)
C-oil 5 pounds lard (2 cp) 1 pound soap 1 cp Candle (1 cp) Oil flask (2 cp) Sesame oil barrel (6 gp)	P-weapons Shortspear (5 sp) Sickle sword (2 gp) Sling (5 sp) Lance (5 gp) Masterwork spear (22 gp)
D- hirelings* Beer barrel (3 gp) Porter (half share) Linkboy (half share, tale of adventure) Servant (half share) Eunuch (one share)	Q- wood 10 stakes (1 sp) Mallet (1 cp) light weapon Sled (2 gp) Walking staff (3 sp) Javelin (1 sp)
E- travel supplies Beer barrel 2 gp 30’ rope (6 sp) Block and tackle (2 sp) Whistle (3 cp) Porter (half share)	R- beasts Cattle (1 gp) Dog (1 gp, promises) Tamed Onager (2 gp) Sheep (3 sp) Goat (3 sp)
F- illegal goods 1 pound iron (100 GP) Thief’s cord (1 gp) Grappling hook (5 sp) Cursed item (you don’t pay… money) Fencing service (25%)	S- fabrics Quilted linens (2 gp) Heavy cloak (3 gp) Fancy chiton (10 gp) Ciclatoun or samite bolt (20 gp) Battered narcomanta (15 gp)
G-entertainment Lalon Set (1 sp, or 1 drink and victory in a game) Ur Set (2 sp, a game) Instrument (1 gp) Minstrel (half share) Opium (2 sp)	T- magic Random magic ostentation* (10 gp) Random magic talisman* (10 gp) Random magic scroll (2 gp) Random magic scroll (2 gp) Absynthe (2 sp)
H- writing supplies Ink (1 sp) Chalk (1 cp) Scroll (1 sp) Scrollcase (1 gp)	U- jewelry Gem mantle of a random formula (10 gp) Spiralled bracelet (4 gp) Reefstone* brooch (2 gp) Ceremonial dagger (8 gp)
I- trade goods Beer barrel (2 gp) Socketed axe (2 gp) 1 pound salt (1 gp) 1 pound copper (1 sp) 1 pound tin (12 cp)	V- alchemy Acid (1 sp) Mercury draught (2 sp) 1 pound chimerite*  (3 gp) 1 dose of poison (3 gp) Dry ice (2 gp)
J- bogwork Bog mummy (4 gp) Hand of glory (10 gp) Random necromantic talisman (8 gp) Stilt boots (1 sp)	W- contracted work Indentured worker (60 gp) Banded club (3 gp) Apprentice (40 gp) Concubine (100 gp, half share, promises)
K- metal Round Shield (2 gp) Lantern (2 gp) Bronze ingot (1 sp) Hammer (1 cp) light weapon Mirror (1 gp)	X- marvels Telescope (5 gp) Lock and key (40 gp) Water clock (45 gp) Icon of Noryawes (1 sp, talking shop) Engineer (1 share, first dibs on loot)
L-claywork Chisel (1 sp) Clay tablet (1 sp) Terra cotta tool (1 cp) Urn (3 cp)	Y- excavation Pick (8 sp) medium weapon Ard plow (3 gp) Bronze Crow (2 sp) Shovel (1 gp)
M- mercenaries Jaded slinger (1 share, 1 drink) Byway conjurer (1 share) Bravo (1 share, tale of adventure) Healer (1 share)	Z-goblin market A skill (two skills) A secret (your name) A fortune (Your firstborn) A spell (your luck)

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*While using a gigre, narcomantas are used to share the benefits and drawbacks with allies. Think a rallying banner, but it gets you high.

*Tefillim, amulets, and other ostentations are simple magic items used to reroll a magic or WORD die.

*Talismans are simple magic items that allow you to automatically memorize a spell.

*I strongly feel that you shouldn't have to track hireling wages per day. Just give them a full share if they're expected to fight and a half share if they're not.

*Reefstone is cut from living above-ground reefs

*Chimerate is the catalyst for magical transformation from which the chimera gets its nam.