Strange bird calls answering each other. Could be tasloi, or just birds.
A lyrebird doing a display.
Fallen trees in a wide area, as if something huge has knocked them all down.
An abandoned campsite
A strange dome.
A lyrebird doing people imitations. "Help, I'm being swallowed by quicksand!"
Scarecrow taboo totems.
Burrows which feet get caught in. (Works as a trap).
Multiple big predators fleeing something nastier.
Birds going silent.
Spears stuck in the ground with skulls in the end. A candle in the skulls
make the eyes glow.
The sound of wardrums in the distance (goes good with the previously
mentioned spears)
A chalk figure, cut into a hillside; a riverboat - perhaps crewed, perhaps
abandoned and grounded on a shoal; and abandoned habitation.
A white stag which waits for the PCs expectantly, then flees further in, only to wait for them again.
A diseased rabbit, lying untouched by predators but dying...PCs who
eat it could be in for a big surprise, but wiser ones might wonder
what caused the animal to die.
An aged wolf, thrown out of the pack but still alive. The animal
could befriend a Ranger PC if they play their cards right, or simply
want some kind of honourable death and attack uselessly.
A raven, which tries to steal a shiny bauble - like a magical ring,
leading the PCs on a wild goose chase (hey! Another encounter!) which
may end up with them regaining it - and finding the nest full of shiny
rocks, string, and...jewels?!?
A trapper's snare, or pit trap. Always fun for the whole family -
whether the PCs get trapped or find an animal in the trap already.
A strange looking rock formation that seems to be almost saying
something if you look at it the right way...might be a message from
the gods, could be a sign of a long-lost civilization, or simply an
interesting strata.
A four-leaf clover.
A single flower growing in the middle of a huge field. Could be
magical, or could be chance. Maybe it's grown by a little girl
nearby, or a dryad.
A rusty sword, or other old object. Bronze stuff is good here, too.
The remains of a previous traveller are also fun, especially if they
turn out to be undead. =)
A rare tree. Depending on your PCs, this could get yawned at or get
them really excited. It could also contain a dryad.
Suddenly have the sun covered by clouds. An ominous rolling of
thunder is heard in the distance. Then wait. Make them all save
versus magic. Say "Mm-hm" if any of them fail. Write something down
in your notes. Then smile at them and say "okay, nothing seems to
happen. The sun comes out of the clouds, and it gets bright again.
Go on with what you were doing."
a clearing in which stands an empty cottage. It looks as
though the owner has just stepped out. Needless to say,
said owner will not return . . .
Will o' the Wisps whom the party never manages to
encounter
A woodsman with a sack. A spot roll shows that blood is dripping from the sack...
A sudden flight of birds breaks from the underbrush, startling the
party.
Party accidentally camps to close to a mound of very annoying, (non-
giant) Ants! (( "AHHGGG! somethings under my plate mail!"))
A Peddler and his mule, making his way through the forest. He has lots
of odd gear to sale.
A deep gorge with a stream at the bottom, just too wide to jump across.
The site of a previous battle; Who was fighting? Who won? Is it important?
A ring of trees growing in a perfect circle.
A huge, spherical rock.
Graveyard, perhaps of some nonhuman race.
Unusual grove of plants, some dangerous (black lotus) some not (berries).
A lonely, but talkative Ent. (I have one in my world called the "tree of
high wizardry" ; guess why).
A gallows with a hanging skeleton.
A wise man (Sage) on a hill top.
A witch coven of benign witches (ie., three old crones in a hut)
An occupied farm with some interesting problem to solve.
A burned out patch of forest,
1: Extensively overgrown traces of an old path
2: Crumbled foundations of a farmhouse
3: Decayed foundations of an ancient temple
4: Crumbled foundations of a castle
5: Partly overgrown traces of an old trail
6: Burned-out debris that might have been a fort
7: Crumbled rubble, barely identifiable as having been an inn
8: Still-recognizable remains of an inn
9: Partially burned-out ruins of a mining camp
10: Extensively overgrown traces of an old path
11: Shattered debris that might have been a fort
12: Somewhat overgrown traces of an old road
13: Decayed rubble, no longer identifiable as having been a fort
14: Destroyed foundations of a mining camp
15: Partly destroyed ruins of a waystation
16: Collapsed rubble, no longer identifiable as having been a castle
17: Slightly shattered remains of a farmhouse
18: Totally decayed ruins of a fort
19: Fallen debris that might have been a trading post
20: Destroyed rubble, no longer identifiable as having been a bridge
21: Collapsed debris that might have been a trading post
22: Partially overgrown traces of an old road
23: Somewhat destroyed ruins of a bridge
24: Burned-out rubble, barely identifiable as having been a trading post
25: Extensively crumbled ruins of an ancient temple
26: Partially fallen ruins of a bridge
27: Decayed foundations of an ancient temple
28: Totally burned-out ruins of a mining camp
29: Minimally crumbled remains of a mining camp
30: Crumbled debris that might have been an outpost
31: Minimally destroyed remains of a mining camp
32: Totally fallen ruins of a farmhouse
33: Partly shattered ruins of an inn
34: Still-recognizable remains of a bridge
35: Decayed debris that might have been a trading post
36: Crumbled rubble, barely identifiable as having been an outpost
37: Somewhat fallen ruins of a temple
38: Mostly standing remains of a mining camp
39: Extensively overgrown traces of an old path
40: Partly overgrown traces of an old road
41: Decayed rubble, barely identifiable as having been a farmhouse
42: Totally fallen ruins of a bridge
43: Extensively overgrown traces of an old trail
44: Totally crumbled ruins of a farmhouse
45: Decayed rubble, barely identifiable as having been a fort
46: Decayed foundations of an outpost
47: Mostly standing remains of an inn
48: Crumbled debris that might have been a small settlement
49: Shattered debris that might have been a temple
50: Extensively burned-out ruins of a castle
My favorite (used many times) is the starving racoon (not really but he
wants you to think so) attaching himself to the group. I've managed to
completely empty party saddlebags, rearrange gear and eat a good 2 weeks of
supplies before anyone noticed. Of course this really depends on your
group, he won't work as an irritant/distraction if they kill him in the
first 3 seconds.
Another favorite. The elvish princess fighting her kidnappers with a
burning brand from the fire while yelling for help at the top of her lungs
(most parties never notice she's doing a good job of taking them out with
just a stick). I've used this one to lead into all sorts of different
campaign threads.
A King Pelenor type searching for his/her particular "Questing Beast" type.
Ruler of a kingdom "somewhere, can't really remember". Seems to remember
something about a wife/husband and some kids. Really would like to go
home, but hasn't a clue where it is.
A small pool that is actually a magic potion.
Mushrooms the size of trees.
(2) The PCs' camp is raided during the night; only food is missing,
no one is harmed, and a single pair of ogre footprints are found. The PCs
decide to track the ogre (to investigate, not to kill, at least for the
moment).
If the PCs stay their weapons long enough, they will discover the
ogre's lair--filled with cages holding sick animals, both natural and
fantastic. If the PCs play their cards right, they can gain the ogre's
trust, help him with his charges--and gain a wealth of information and
perhaps some treasure from the good-hearted but simple-minded ogre.
A weathered, old headstone marking a grave out in the middle of
nowhere.
A shallow, uninhabited cave with odd drawings of stick men and strange
animals on the walls.
A ship anchor half buried in the desert sands (How the hell did it get
there?).
Finally, describe the local wildlife in the area...
"A group of robins dance high in the air, the whir of grasshoppers
fill the medow."
"The swamp is filled with the song of frogs great and small... tiny
lizards scuttle away as you approach."
For conventional campaign:
Toadstool ring.
Stonehenge-like structure.
