The winds whisper, and the sands shiver. As the sun rises, the land begins to seethe. Yet life will out, even here. There are those that toil on the surface. And there are those that delve and yearn. With the oceans boiled away, the bones of history lay bare. Time does not heal all wounds. Be careful where you tread.
Desert
This marks the tenth entry in the all-in-one encounter generator series. The objective is to give GMs an [almost] instant generator to create a complex encounter or adventure seed. I’ve made these for anyone looking for ideas quickly, inspiration, or to stave off burnout.
Ben Milton’s Knave 2e and Kevin Crawford’s Without Number series were huge inspirations for this series. All of these books are brilliant for both worldbuilding and encounter ideas!
How It Works
It’s a simple flow: pick up a d20, d12, d10, d8, d6, and a d4. Roll all of them at once. Then, check below according to each die’s result. If it makes sense, combine results whenever you wish. The tables go from atmosphere (d4 environment, d6 aspects) to scene (d10 features, d20 creatures); lastly, come narrative developments (d8 complications, d12 secrets).
Obviously, feel free to pick and choose results as you like; follow any creative direction that opens up to you. It’s absolutely fine to tweak, rip apart, combine, and split any and all of my ideas: they’re purely a springboard. To create more complex encounters, multiple rolls (or picks) and linking them together should work well.
I want to stress, there’s zero need to link every result into one giant encounter. Do this only where it feels natural. Some encounters will play out better as separate events and that’s fine.
The inspiration for this article is Desert. Additionally, this week a member of the community reached out to me on the MGS Discord. They wanted to let me know the Bazaar generator had helped a bit with their GM burnout (all previous series entries are at the end of this blog). It was lovely to get direct feedback, especially in a case where these tools had done some good. It was one of the big reasons I wanted to create this series, and it’s brilliant knowing they’re doing their job! Consequently, I figured now was a good time to head to the burning sands! Desert is available on the MGS store here. Alternatively, it comes as part of the 50 track album RPG Ambiences Vol. 8 which you can find here.
Here is the generator:
Desert Roll Tables
d4 – The Environment
1. Melting heat, shattering cold – blistering days, mind-numbingly cold nights. Making supplies last is a matter of survival. This is the desert at its most hostile.
2. Paradise trap – the temperature is so warm, so soothing. Time can drift by in a haze. The thought of lying down is tempting. But what lies down struggles to wake back up.
3. The Wind that Carries – crystal clear air and sun-kissed horizons for miles (or kilometres!). However, sound carries unnaturally far here. Voices, growls, and screams travel far further than what should be normal.
4. Razor sand aftermath – the ground glimmers in a carpet of glittering glass shards. The storm has gone and the razor sand has now settled. But anything that got caught out of shelter lies where they fell, flesh stripped from bone.
d6 – Aspects
1. Shifting dunes – the dunes move like waves of the sea. Perhaps it’s the wind. Perhaps it’s the creatures beneath. Charts are useless. The sky is the best compass here.
2. Sinking sands – every step saps your strength. Even the lightest feet sink here. Tread quickly and don’t stop. Certain pockets will drag you down to The Buried Necropolis.
3. Migration – a once-a-year mass migration is in progress. Herds stretch from one horizon to the next, marching towards ancestral breeding grounds. They are skittish, and predators stalk the flanks. The noise of their feet could mask so many things, and hope against hope there’s no stampede…
4. Prismatic sands – the beauty is incredible. In the dawnlight, the ground shimmers like a constellation. The minerals here have material worth, too. Groups are moving in to collect.
5. Hard rock – this area is a canyon system of blood red rock. Optimistic guides say it’s the effect of ancient seas long gone. There are those that know the canyons are much newer, and the creators are still active, deep within.
6. Dust cover – fierce winds whip through the air, stinging skin and making eyes water. Visibility has dropped to less than 90 ft. (30m). If only the party could hunt through vibration, like the creatures hunting them.
d10 – Desert Features
1. Mirage – the oasis shimmers and then fades. Wildlife take no heed, but the party are not the first ones here to fall for it.
2. Oasis – a source of clean(ish) drinking water and shade. Life huddles together; predator and prey put aside their struggle for the moment to slake their thirst. Tensions, however, are always simmering.
3. Sinkhole – a massive cone-shaped hole, 60 ft. (20m) across at least, with grim darkness at its centre. Occasionally the ground trembles; don’t be too close when it does.
4. Glassworks – a massive factory rises out of the sand, radiating incredible heat. Pillars of smoke rise into the sky. This is the source for some of the finest glass in the world.
5. Titanic skeleton – ribs, perhaps, and maybe a skull lie half-buried in the sand. Less than half above ground, yet the sun-bleached bones tower 150 ft. (45m) into the sky.
6. Obsidian pyramid – a storm exposed its black glass peak. How far down does it go? There is an entrance and it isn’t sealed.
7. Star Temple – the altitude and clear air make ideal star-gazing territory. The complex, half temple, half observatory, is a perfect place to watch space. Only, it was built for those looking down, not up.
8. Gods’ Needles – ancient stone pylons, covered in hieroglyphic writing; each dedicated to a different god. Pilgrims and seers are a permanent complication here.
9. Burrows – a network of tunnels with several openings to the surface. A welcome respite from the blazing sun and a source of coin. Jewels are in the walls. Earthquakes regularly hit here, too. Harmless, perhaps.
10. Celestial observatory – a pilgrimage site of sorts for mages/scientists. A world-class facility, designed and occupied by brilliant minds. Currently, great excitement at a twin-tailed comet. But what does it mean?
d20 – The Creature(s)
1. Silk merchant – yelling at over-laden goats who’ve found grazing. Life is ticking down. Desperate.
2. Sand elemental – roaming in circles. Separated from enclave. Lost and confused. Naive.
3. Oiler – drilling a hole. Adamant wealth is below. Hates thieves. Wants to save their son. Paranoid.
4. Camel herder – searching for herd. Ran off from a large predator. Camels carry food and water. Ashamed.
5. Wounded priest – praying. Surrounded by dead. The lone survivor, she says. Bodies mauled. Feverish.
6. Hunter – fleeing. Carrying bones of a vengeful creature. Its family are coming. Grim.
7. Geologist – hammering rocks. About to make a dangerous discovery. This area was sacred. Cheerfully unaware.
8. Bandit – begging for water. Keen to reform, but has nothing to offer save blood, sweat, and tears. Nervous.
9. Sentient flask – complaining about humans. In previous owner’s skeletal grasp. Consumes liquid. Thirsty.
10. Lost shaman – wanting to reach holy site. Maps are all wrong. Lead to something worse. Determined.
11. Tracker – looking for a lost caravan. Four days and still no sign. Losing hope.
12. Twins – playing tag. Seem unaffected by the temperature. Enjoy pranks. Ancient. Curious.
13. Messenger – rushing. Late delivering a peace treaty. Escalation impending. Scatterbrained.
14. Dying dragon – struggling to breathe. Wishes to reach ancestral boneyard. Rapidly weakening.
15. Young sphinx – making riddles. Terrible logic, often gives answers first. Exiled. Frustrated with itself.
16. Mercenary captain – looking for recruits. Knows of valuable temple location. Scheming.
17. Glassmith – building a furnace. Fulfilling an impossible request for an unnatural patron. Terrified.
18. Alchemist – experimenting. Convinced sand is a secret ingredient. On the verge of a breakthrough. Eccentric.
19. Automaton – trying to reach “home”. Badly needs repairs. Solar-powered: only moves during the day. Logical.
20. Giant snake – starving. Needs food, but refuses to abandon eggs. One egg is alien. Fiercely protective.
d8 – The Complications
1. Haboob. A monster of a sandstorm is coming. 7,000 ft. (2,000m) high and closing. It will bury what it doesn’t suffocate. Hurry, run, or find shelter.
2. Starfall. A meteorite smashes into the sand, turning the area to glass. Exotic metals will attract hunters. The life-form will terrify anyone.
3. Hungry worms. The ground shudders. Something has driven them into a feeding frenzy. Every step, every vibration draws them. Hard rock is the only safe haven.
4. Dust devils. Vicious sand twisters carve through the dunes. Is there a sentience to them? They’re hunting flesh.
5. Water war. The long summer has exhausted many water sources and now local groups are launching raids against each other. Bystanders are acceptable collateral damage, or useful cat’s paws.
6. Spin spin. Compasses are going crazy. The sun and stars’ positioning are all wrong. The land itself is turning, aligning itself for The Arrival.
7. Darkness. The sun set and now doesn’t rise. Darkness blankets the land and creatures, long hibernating below ground, start to emerge. They are hungry.
8. Rainfall. Rain like this falls once every 100 years. Exotic plants and insects emerge from the ground in an incredible show of nature. For a few days at least, the land turns green. Scientists/Mages flock here. Opportunity and danger abound.
d12 – The Secrets
1. Half-buried in sand, an axe that knows where the nearest vampire is. Steel and silver pommel, black blood-stained blade.
2. In a dropped backpack, a jar of chameleon paste. Turns what it’s smeared on invisible. Only enough for one arm.
3. In the open ribcage of a dead beast, a brass brooch. Opens up to reveal a compass that points to what you want.
4. In the mouth of a large statue, a large onyx stone. Heals the thief once. If not put back, the statue animates.
5. Between three desert orchids, a chain of flowers. Each flower holds a magic missile. Once used, the flower dies.
6. In an abandoned campsite, a prayer book. Takes a day to read. Once finished, summons a god’s dark emissary.
7. In an old snake nest, three gems. At noon, shows the past, present, and future in their reflections.
8. Buried under a green stone, a water cache. Enough for 4 people. The owners are good trackers.
9. By a cairn, a doll with one button-eye. Whispers gibberish. If a second button-eye is sewn on, translates almost any language without bidding.
10. At the foot of a signpost, a singing cactus. Gives directions to a hidden water source to anyone that joins in.
11. By a cave entrance, a map denoting huge treasure vault. Leads to a hungry creature’s lair. They have laid maps everywhere to lure their food to them.
12. In a crater, a ball of meteorite. Any precious metals have been eaten. The now empty shell at its core is adamantium-tough. Will make a great shield in the hands of the right craftsman.
Example Encounter for Desert
Roll Results:
d4: 4 – Razor sand aftermath
d6: 3 – Migration
d10: 2 – Oasis
d20: 17 – Glassmith
d8: 5 – Water war
d12: 8 – Water cache
My Idea:
The winds whisper, and the sands shiver. As the sun rises, the land begins to seethe. Yet life will out, even here. There are those that toil on the surface. And there are those that delve and yearn. With the oceans boiled away, the bones of history lay bare. Time does not heal all wounds. Be careful where you tread.
With the land stripped bare of enemies, the herds are on the move again. Right in their way is a glassmith desperately trying to build a furnace to craft a magical item of prismatic glass. Desperate for water, and yet bound by eldritch power to never stop working, he begs for water. Pointing the party in the direction of an oasis, he pleads for them to hurry.
Unfortunately, two local groups have started a war over water and each lays claim to the oasis as theirs. Their conflict risks setting the migrating herds into a stampede, but the groups’ hatred for each other is causing recklessness.
En route to the oasis, the party can find a hidden water cache that’s buried underground, marked by an unusual green stone. The water has been collected by a sub-faction of one of the groups that is looking to profiteer from the war. They are siphoning off water whenever they can and leaving it in hidden locations scattered around the area, marked on a map. This betrayal will be viewed very unfavourably by both major groups. The sub-faction are clever, resourceful, and will protect their hard-stolen resources aggressively.
Using These Tables
A couple of tips when using these tables:
– Try using awkward results before tossing them away. Often it’s the unexpected combinations that build the most memorable stories.
– Modify the tables as you like. Change them; add to them; mix them up. GMs will know what will work best for their own group.
Finally, if you’re curious about the other generators, here is a list with links:
Simple Cave
Treant Forest
Bazaar
Baroque Noble Party
Old Fort
Temple of the Stars
Ship in Blizzard
Snowing
Forest River
Have a lovely day!
