Looking for some help fleshing out a content generator for use in world building.
<snip>
What I need from the community are one line sentences that describe a non-combat encounter that leads to either exploration or interaction.
An exploration sentence might look like:
You find a Ruined Elven Village, destroyed by fire
An interaction sentence might look like:
A small caravan is ahead of you on the road, they are carrying weapons and armor and are heavily guarded.
Interesting. I wrote up some one-liners like this for natural terrain features. Let me see if I can find the link.
Nope, doesn't look like there's a link. I'll throw them here instead.
[sblock=Plains]
1d20 Plains
1 A small bog. The water is poisonous; animal skeletons abound. Source of necrotic energy.
2 Strange mile-long, rune-carved ruts in the ground; from the air, they
form a magic circle. Determine type randomly.
3 Massive tree on a small raised mound. Small hidden space beneath offers
a convinient bolt-hole; 50% chance occupied by gnomes.
4 Sinkhole. Kruthik caverns run beneath the ground. 50% chance of active
kruthik hive.
5 Giant skeleton of unidentified, snake-like creature with all-too-human
skull running along the ridgeline.
6 Tall grass (5' high) grows here.
7 Singing grass. If tread upon, it shrieks, triggering wandering monster
roll.
8 Grab grass (see DMG pg 68).
9 Corpse grass (see Open Grave pg 171).
10 Large dolmens raised in a semi-circle, half-finished. Covered in
grafitti.
11 Stone monolith with image of frowning human face. 50% can speak.
12 Violet fog covering the area, motionless even in the face of strong
winds.
13 Forest of rotting wooden posts standing upright.
14 Ground covered in broken black-steel, rune-carved weapons. Skeletons of
not-quite-human creatures poke through the ground.
15 Iron cage with crow-pecked skeleton inside. Clutched in his bony hand
is a personal letter; 50% chance of directions to buried
treasure hidden in message.
16 Pikes with impaled human heads on them, blood still warm.
17 Dry, dusty ground razed of vegetation. The air seems to suck moisture
from the body.
18 Free-standing iron rune-carved door. Only visible from one direction.
19 Graveyard ringed by large marble blocks; an active undead ward is carved
on the blocks. Undead are visible trapped inside.
20 Mound of sun-bleached elven skulls.
Three 15' tall three-headed flails around a blood-soaked altar.[/sblock]
[sblock=Hills]
1d20 Hills
1 Cliff faced carved with images of unknown gods.
2 Unnaturally smooth tunnels criss-crossing through hill; images of snakes
and human sacrifice engraved on walls and entrance.
3 Steps carved into the stone leading nowhere, each step carved with faded
religious prayers and spells. 50% chance of portal at the top.
4 Ever-present rainbow leading just beyond the next hill. 10% chance of
pot of gold; 90% chance of something horrible.
5 Natural rock pillar rising above the hills. Secret door leads to stairs
climbing the pillar.
6 Poisonous fog settles in the valley.
7 Bones poking through the earth; excavation reveals the hills are held
up by giant rib cage, with hollow space inside.
8 Black stone square on top of hill, actually top of ziggurat.
9 Mouth in side of cliff; devours whatever comes in reach of its grasping
tongue.
10 Cultivated grapes naturally growing in even rows on top of hill. Wine
made from them produces mad dreams and visions. Resting place
of corrupted immortal dedicated to nature and agriculture.
11 Tiefling and dragonborn skeletons along with broken weapons and banners.
50% chance of devil still bound here.
12 Valuable gems in the rock; when removed from the area, they turn to
normal stone.
13 Vein of copper/silver/gold running through the hills.
14 Large cave in top of hill that overlooks the area.
15 Bridge over dry streambed. 50% chance of trolls.
16 Stone waymarker pointing to lost city in forgotten language.
17 Strong gusts of wind bellowing through the valley; the boundry between
the world and the elemental chaos is weak here.
18 Circle of white stones; shines for miles during a full moon. Characters
resting here during a full moon are stricken with moon fever.
19 Stairs that descend into a bottomless crevasse into the underdark.
20 Mushroom ring that teleports those standing within to random adjacent
hex.
Serene waterfall and grotto; 50% of demon lurking in cave behind
waterfall.
Stone altar covered in blood stains, some still wet.
Stones raised in magic circle.
Winding caves carved by lava that leads to a massive pit in the ground, belching toxic steam.[/sblock]
[sblock=Forest]
1dx Forest
1 Great tree. Really massive. You wouldn't believe it.
2 Vines hang from the canopy and strangle those who walk through them.
3 Deep crater. In the middle is a hunk of meteoric rock. It pulses with
evil intelligence.
4 Skeletal trees ravaged by forest fire. 50% chance of animal spirits
fleeing the fire. If a fire is started here (in camp or during
combat), a ghost attacks the starter of the fire.
5 Two trees wedded together form a portal to the feywild. On the other
side, two eladrin skeletons lie on a bed of roses. A dagger and
an empty vial lie at their side.
6 Paved blocks poking through the undergrowth, remnants of an ancient
road.
7 Air thick with blood-sucking insects; travel through here requires a
check (DC Moderate) or lose a healing surge. Any rest is
impossible.
8 Stone fountain with images of dancing elves. Wine still flows.
9 Hobgoblin corpses hanging from the trees.
10 Moving trees that conspire to lead PCs who follow game trails to nearest
monster (wandering monster check).
11 Stone altar on grassy lawn engraved with images of earthly delight.
75% chance of succubus bound to altar.
12 Tree growing through the skull of a giant. Excavation reveals magical
weapon, giant-sized.
13 Statues of men made of twigs and sticks dot a well-trod path.
14 Large tree with man's face in it.
15 Waterfall and cave, well-hidden.
16 A single golden apple hangs from a tree covered in poisonous snakes.
17 Closer inspection reveals that the thick forest canopy is covered in
spiderwebs.
18 Trees that whisper secrets into the wind.
19 5' tall mushrooms grow in a ring.
20 Stairs leading into a hole in the ground, descending deep into the
underdark.[/sblock]
[sblock=Mountains]
1d20 Mount.
1 Giant-sized statues of ancient rulers, untouched by time.
2 Lamentation of a Dwarven Slave carved into the stone.
3 Half-formed dwarf waiting to be birthed. 50% insane.
4 Roaring waterfall that pours into bottomless chasm.
5 Ancient dwarven-built bridge crossing a gorge.
6 Rope bridge crossing a gorge.
7 Ancient lighthouse on top of peak.
8 Stone altar on top of peak.
9 Strange skeletal steel tower, vaguely man-shaped.
10 Howling wind that cries a requiem in supernal.
11 Rune-carved door in side of mountain. Has not been opened in thousands
of years.
12 Thick fogs and mists continually shroud the mountains. Vision is
reduced to 10'.
13 Dwarven ghosts trying to build a wall; each night they die horribly,
killed by unseen assailants.
14 Blood seeping from the stone.
15 Ancient amphitheatre with giant-sized seats.
16 Life-sized statue of petrified angel.
17 Gargantuan copper colossus carved in the likeness of a forgotten god,
now covered in verdigris.
18 Well-carved stairs climbing mountain to gazebo on peak. The gazebo has
two magic arrows protruding from it.
19 Two giant serpents, one with five heads, carved along the ridge of the
mountain; on further examination, they are skeletons. Lightning
and thunder constantly rain upon the peak.
20 Caves entrances carved in the classical style line the walls of a well-
secluded valley.
Narrow natural rock bridge spanning a chasm.[/sblock]
[sblock=Swamp]
1d20 Swamp
1 Partially decomposed dragon protruding from the marsh. 50% chance of
scavengers picking apart the corpse, possibly elementally-
tainted.
2 Strange lights in the distance (corpse lights) portending doom. They
recede if approached.
3 Abandoned house on stilts. Inside there is a stew cooking over a fire,
still warm.
4 Quicksand.
5 Violet plants bloom here. They exude a hallucinogenic pollen.
6 Stone pillar with images of snakes and human sacrifice carved onto it.
7 Head of a dinosaur on a pike, still buzzing with flies.
8 Massive black stone obelisk.
9 Swarms of blood-sucking insects. No rest is possible.
10 A winding trail through 10' tall reeds. The reeds sing the traveller's
name as he passes along the trail.
11 A pyramid composed of wriggling 3' long maggots with man-like faces, all
trying to climb upon each other to the peak.
12 A stream of tarry black water oozing from the ground.
13 Large, delicious-looking fruit hanging from the trees. The meat inside
is composed of wriggling vermin.
14 Bones lashed together and set in a circle, each with a man's head
impaled on the end. Far-too-large flies buzz around the heads
and maggots crawl out the orifices. In the middle of the ring
is a copper cauldron bubbling over smoking coals. The thick,
reddish-brown brew exudes a slightly mettalic sickly-sweet
odour.
15 A dark mere with hundreds of corpses resting uneasily just beneath the
surface.
16 A large willow with foul intent.
17 A neatly-stacked pile of lizardman skulls.
18 Bubbling tar pit with strange half-snake half-human skeletons clawing at
the sky.
19 Vermin dropping from an empty space 10' in the air.
20 Pool infested with massive leeches, hungry for blood and memories.
Fog/bad air[/sblock]
[sblock=Moor]
1d20 Moor
1 Smooth stone blocks neatly formed into an arrow.
2 Evenly-spaced hedgerows along an embankment, always trimmed.
3 Rats with human faces and hands building stone cairns.
4 Raised stones in a circle on the top of a mound. A black stone altar
sits in the middle, stained with blood.
5 White flowers that hold the memories of the dead.
6 Thick fogs, always cold and wet, seemingly promising rest and peace.
7 Large black stone cross festooned with spiked chains.
8 Paved stone road leading through moor, overgrown with weeds, each paving
stone engraved with a grinning skull.
9 An eerie wind that sounds like the cries of a child.
10 Great cairns built with massive blocks.
11 Sweet-smelling blood-red heather covering the land.
12 A multitude of campfires in the distance, every night, that recede upon
approach.
13 On a full moon, a trail of fire winds its way across the moor.
14 Sharp rocks and scree, drinking the blood of those who cut themselves.
15 Flensed skin festooned on rotting wooden posts, hanging from silver
chains.
16 Pool of clear water that waxes and wanes with the moon.
17 Skeletal hands grasping weapons reaching up from the rocky soil.
18 Caves ringing a depression, all blocked with heavy stone slabs.
19 Hundreds of stele with epitaphs in long-forgotten languages.
20 Giant-sized throne made of stone, carved with images of death and glory.[/sblock]
[sblock=Desert]
1d20 Desert
1 A long road to nowhere made of glass.
2 Skin-tearing whirlwinds, blood eaten by the hungry desert sands.
3 Oasis with clear green water.
4 Animal skeletons lining a depression.
5 Rocky canyons that capriciously fill and empty themselves of sand.
6 Sinkhole dropping into subterranean river.
7 Mirage of rust-red towers on the horizon, greedily welcoming those with
no blood on their hands.
8 Pink sands.
9 Strange stars and planets in the sky, not visible elsewhere.
10 An ancient dragon's skeletal remains on the ridge covered with leather
tarps that provide shelter within.
11 Blood-stained sands.
12 Hundreds of black stone eggs waiting to be hatched.
13 Unseen poison in the air that warps man and beast.
14 A skeleton resting beneath a dead tree.
15 The shell of a great dragon turtle on a salt pan.
16 A tower made of steel and glass reflecting the sun, entrances buried by
sand and time.
17 Spire of stone rising high into the clear blue sky with artificial
platforms covering its sides.
18 Floating pillars of stone, water cascading from them into a deep tear in
the ground.
19 Smooth stone tower with no entrance, the smell of water rich in the air.
20 A forest constructed of bone.[/sblock]
[sblock=Coast]
1d20 Coast
1 Half-submerged lighthouse, still providing light.
2 Island with 50' sheer cliffs around entire perimeter.
3 Stone road leading into the sea.
4 Network of limestone caves.
5 The skeleton of a boat made of steel, rusting on the shore.
6 A copper statue covered in verdigris, half-buried on the beach.
7 A haunting song heard in the crashing of the breakers, tempting with
bittersweet promises.
8 Stone posts reaching above the waves, going on for miles.
9 A smooth, round white island, actually the top of a skull.
10 The top of a farmhouse, 100' off the shore.
11 Dikes ringing the coast, each stone engraved with a screaming face.
12 Faces and shapes in thick fogs and mists.
13 A wall of water held back by rune-carved stone, 20' below sea level.
14 Blood-red foam.
15 Two skeletons lashed to a rusting steel rod in the sea, wrapped in an
eternal embrace.
16 Plaintive weeping every day at dusk.
17 Strange lights moving beneath the sea.
18 Three unnatural-seeming islands with sheer cliffs, each topped with a
circle of stones.
19 Reef made of bones.
20 A woman in bedclothes standing on the bluffs, seen only on the night of
the full moon; if approached, she jumps to her doom.[/sblock]
[sblock=The Moon]
1d20 The Moon
1 An ivory tower with a single crescent window.
2 A sundial with four markers and no shadow.
3 A deep canyon cleft in the surface, a river of quicksilver running at its base.
4 A pool of quicksilver reflecting the dreams of those who peer into it.
5 A sleeping stone face, its mouth a large yawn.
6 A stone sarcophagus in the middle of raised silver stones.
7 The silver skeleton of a giant bull, its crescent horns raised into the air.
8 A large crater full of silver slipsand.
9 A massive adamantine pillar and broken chain link, the pillar torn out of the ground.
10 Silver slabs carved into the images of dreamers.
11 A large ivory tower with a silver clock.
12 Four trees of silver, one bare, one budding, one bearing fruit, one wilting.
13 A circle of statues, all women.
14 A great clockwork contraption, turning eternally.
15 An ancient city of ivory towers, crumbling to dust.
16 The leavings of a decadent eladrin orgy.
17 A tower in the bottom of a crater.
18 A telescope pointed at the world.
19 The remains of a crashed starship.
20 A tall, adamantine wall encircling nothing.[/sblock]
I have a bunch more.
Later on I found that those weren't that useful to me - I had to put in a lot of work fleshing out the one line. I was going to go through and try to create some semi-random terrain (exploration) elements but this method was kind of overkill.
I don't have anything for interaction. What I do is make a roll to see if the hexes with features have any one in them, and then I make a wandering monster roll to see who's there. Then I come up with some reason for the monster to be interacting with the hex feature.
I always make Reaction Rolls for monsters, which tends to make every encounter with NPCs contain some interaction. I usually just ad-lib the reason; I haven't found a random table to help much, though I guess a good one would.
