Bleys Icefalcon
First Post
Ok I am looking for my brothers in arms to assist me in coming up with some unique/cool/unusual ocean based random encounters!
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Brainstorm: Let's generate a bunch of really cool and unique ocean based random encounter.... GO!
- Thread starter Bleys Icefalcon
- Start date
Bleys Icefalcon
First Post
And we could make it totally harmless... and have them forever circling the wreck of their actual ship!
Last edited:
Bleys Icefalcon
First Post
Were-mermaids!
Celebrim
Legend
First, the secret of any good random encounter table is to be generous with 'roll again twice'. The best way to inspire interesting encounters is to have the PC's either arrive in media res at an existing counter between two groups (an armed merchant man being attacked by a force of mounted sea elves and their dolphin companions, for example) or else figure out how two groups are allied (a force of goblin raiders who've built a small keep on the back of a giant sea turtle).
Let's see...
Local Fisher Flock
Whaling Vessel
Shipwreck Survivors
Local trader - small sailing vessel (treat this as an encounter with a wandering 'shop'. He's on his way to some nearby port, but wouldn't mind parting with wares for a good price)
Local trader - small galley
Local trader - small galley
Foreign trader - large sailing vessel
Foreign merchant - armed sailing vessel
Local pirates - small galleys
Local pirates - small sailing vessel
Famous pirate - large armed vessel
Famous buccaneer - large armed vessel (like a pirate, but 50% chance he's on your side)
Warship
Prison Ship
Plague Ship
Abandoned Wreck
Abandoned Wreck - Used as lair, or currently being salvaged. Roll again to what else is here.
Abandoned Ship - Plague victims
Abandoned Ship - Monster aboard (doppleganger, red slaad, vampire, greater seawolf)
Abandoned Ship - Unknown cause of panic or hysteria (sirens, unnatural weather, monster was aboard but slipped away with crew)
Abandoned Ship - Cursed
Abandoned Ship - Magical mishap or spell misfire has created a magical trap aboard ship, including possibly a living spell.
Sirens
Sea Serpent
Giant Sea Otter
Giant Squid
Whales
Sea Elves
Merfolk
Blue Dragon
Goblin Sea Raiders
Sahuagin Boarding Party
Ghost Ship
Haunted Ship (Literal Skeleton Crew + officers that are Cadavers, Coffer Corpses, Plague Zombies, Haunts, Allip, Ghost Captain, etc.)
Noble's Funeral Barge (Possible undead, otherwise looting provokes curse. Beware disease victims)
Lacedons
Air Elemental
Water Elemental
Marid
Storm Giant
Supernatural Storm
Whirlpool
Griffins
Sirens
Nixies
Nymphs
Neriads
Sea Hag
Sea Dragon
Drowned
Reekmurk
Dragon Turtle
Sea Eagle, Giant
Selkies
Sargasso entraps ship unless skill check passed (roll again for what's lairing here)
Floating Island - May appear normal at first. Supernaturally afloat. Used as lair. Roll again for occupant.
Floating Island - Sleeping titanic creature.
Cursed Island - Appears only once a month. Contains small dungeon. Disappears at sunset/sunrise into small parallel dimension, carrying whatever is near it with it.
Seamount - Submerged city visible as you pass over. Lair of small aquatic civilization. Check for friendliness.
Seamount - Submerged city visible as you pass over. Cursed. Undead are present.
Seamount - underwater volcano visible as you pass over. Chance of small eruption showering ship in burning ash and noxious fumes.
Sea Turtles
Sea Turtle, Giant
Huge School of fish offers profitable fishing opportunity, but attracts predators
Pelican, Giant
Man near death on a raft looking much like Tom Hanks. 30 days ago he cast off an island with fabulous riches and is found by a passing ship. It is unclear which of the 15 small islands... some with dangerous beasts... that he was shipwrecked on.
Whirlpool time portal has pulled a Cold War submarine through. Dungeon crawl that would please Tom Clancy.
Underwater city... triton, seahorses, Aquaman.
Ice closes in on the ship. Arctic survival story based on Ernest Shackleton.
Mutiny!
Were-My-Little-Sea-Ponies
Doppleganger on board murder mystery. (Starring Kurt Russel?)
Misunderstood psionic kraken.
A floating bottle with a map.
Flying pterodactyls escaping Jurassic Park.
A disabled boat of colonial explorers.
Godzilla waist-deep fighting 300-foot Shark-Kaiju.
Floating island of the the pixie, Caribbean, reggae, musicians.
Erupting volcanic activity spilling Elemental Plane of Fire lava and monsters into the newly named Bay of Steam.
Pleasure ship of rich nobles out "fishing" with magical scuba gear and going after creatures from the deep. Lovecraft anyone?
Whirlpool time portal has pulled a Cold War submarine through. Dungeon crawl that would please Tom Clancy.
Underwater city... triton, seahorses, Aquaman.
Ice closes in on the ship. Arctic survival story based on Ernest Shackleton.
Mutiny!
Were-My-Little-Sea-Ponies
Doppleganger on board murder mystery. (Starring Kurt Russel?)
Misunderstood psionic kraken.
A floating bottle with a map.
Flying pterodactyls escaping Jurassic Park.
A disabled boat of colonial explorers.
Godzilla waist-deep fighting 300-foot Shark-Kaiju.
Floating island of the the pixie, Caribbean, reggae, musicians.
Erupting volcanic activity spilling Elemental Plane of Fire lava and monsters into the newly named Bay of Steam.
Pleasure ship of rich nobles out "fishing" with magical scuba gear and going after creatures from the deep. Lovecraft anyone?
Bleys Icefalcon
First Post
Good God Man! I wanted a few intersting ideas and you fling a thesaurus at me! j/k... nice list!
Bleys Icefalcon
First Post
Aquaman... THE Aquaman...
der_kluge
Adventurer
The ship lodges on something in the middle of the ocean. The party has to go into the water to find out what the ship is stuck on. The ship has run aground on the top of a submerged tower from a forgotten civilization. Going deeper into the ocean, the party finds golden coins glittering in the courtyard - but there's an opening to a much larger complex. Does the party dare venture inside in order to find more treasure??
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