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<blockquote data-quote="Quickleaf" data-source="post: 8169637" data-attributes="member: 20323"><p>I tend to take a more curated approach, so it's a bit labor intensive to translate my tables to BBCODE format, but I'll at least get one up to share. This is from a 5e game – but I tend to run fairly OSR style – for a big necropolis area the PCs ventured into. Lots of Ancient Egyptian-esque motifs, inspired by a blend of Green Ronin's <em>Hamunaptra </em>and Gary Gygax's <em>Necropolis</em>. Day/night cycle to emphasize how dangerous nighttime in the necropolis is.</p><p></p><p><strong>Kher-Semet Encounters</strong></p><p>Kher-semet rises along the western bank of the River Yor across from Hamunaptra, a 60-mile long necropolis. Commoners’ tombs line the river while royal tombs fill the valley. Crossing by river barge costs 1 sp each (2 sp if night). The river is 2 miles wide at this point, taking about 30 minutes to cross.</p><p></p><p>During summer (flood) season, the sun rises at 5:00 am and sets at 7:00 pm.</p><p></p><p>Every hour (hex) the PCs explore Kher-semet and once during a rest, roll a d20. A result of 18+ indicates an encounter.</p><p></p><p>However, the spirits of Kher-semet are drawn to death. For every encounter in which a creature dies, increase the chance of random encounters by one for the party until they take a long rest.</p><p></p><table style='width: 100%'><tr><td><strong>2d10</strong></td><td><strong>Day</strong></td><td><strong>Night</strong></td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>The Scorpion Witch</td><td>The Undead Court</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>Anubian Golem</td><td>Anubian Golem</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>Edimmu (ToB)</td><td>Tomb Scorpion</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>Tomb Robbers</td><td>Deadman Smugglers</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>Fennec Fox</td><td>Death Dogs</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td>Ardeth-Ben's Bandits</td><td>Ardeth-Ben's Bandits</td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td>Encounter en abstentia</td><td>Encounter en abstentia</td></tr><tr><td>9</td><td>People of the Tombs</td><td>People of the Tombs</td></tr><tr><td>10</td><td>Vultures</td><td>Ubashki (undead cat swarm)</td></tr><tr><td>11</td><td>Jackals</td><td>Jackals</td></tr><tr><td>12</td><td>Zombie Census-takers</td><td>Giant Fire Beetles</td></tr><tr><td>13</td><td>Gnoll Warband</td><td>Gnoll Deathmage</td></tr><tr><td>14</td><td>Sun Exposure</td><td>Baleful Winds</td></tr><tr><td>15</td><td>Ghoul Pallbearers</td><td>Ghoul Pack</td></tr><tr><td>16</td><td>Bone Vultures</td><td>Bone Vultures</td></tr><tr><td>17</td><td>Priests of Anubis</td><td>Priestly Incubation</td></tr><tr><td>18</td><td>Necromancer</td><td>Ghûl</td></tr><tr><td>19</td><td>Nabassu Cult</td><td>Nabassu Cult</td></tr><tr><td>20</td><td>Lamia's Entourage</td><td>Gypsosphinx (ToB)</td></tr></table><p></p><p>The random encounters can range from simple things described in a few sentences to more complex encounters with nested tables. Some examples...</p><p></p><p><strong>Anubian Golem (6,800 XP)</strong></p><p>A line of Anubis statues rests against the canyon wall, in various states of disrepair. An ancient <strong>clay golem</strong> inhabits these statues, defending Kher-semet from anyone not bearing a holy symbol of Anubis. However, its binding wears thin, and the golem’s essence shifts between these statues. As an action, a creature can make a DC 15 Religion check to correctly identify one of its aspects; speaking the name of the aspect aloud causes that statue to fall inanimate for 24 hours and forces the golem to enter a new statue at the start of its turn. If targeted by <em>dispel evil and good </em>or if all its statues are destroyed, it manifests as an anubian (ToB).</p><p></p><p>When the party first encounters the golem, and on the roll of a 5-6 on a d6 at the start of each of its turns, roll a d4:</p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong><em>He Who Is Upon the Mountain:</em></strong> The golem inhabits a hound statue affixed to a pedestal some 20 feet up. Its speed is 0. The statue has AC 10 and 119 hit points. It gains a new action: <strong><em>Burning Eyes.</em></strong> Each creature in a 40-foot cone must make a DC 10 Charisma save or take 11 (2d10) radiant damage.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong><em>Guide of the Two Lands (CR 9):</em></strong> The golem inhabits a statue with chipped exterior giving it water vulnerability – when exposed to water, its AC drops to 9 (i.e. losing natural armor) and it takes 1d4 cold damage per gallon. Once per turn, when it hits a creature with its slam, instead of reducing its maximum hit points, the creature must make a DC 15 Strength save or be pushed 15 feet and knocked prone.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong><em>Lord of Burial in the Necropolis:</em></strong> The golem inhabits a headless statue which can only see through its head lying 40 feet away; otherwise it is blind. The head has AC 10 and 13 hit points. Instead of Haste, the golem can take this action:<strong><em> Breath of Entombing Sand (recharge 5-6).</em></strong> Each creature in a 30-foot cone must make a DC 10 Strength save or be buried up to its neck in sand – the creature is restrained until being dug out as an action requiring a DC 15 Strength check.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><strong><em>Ruler of Eternity:</em></strong> The golem inhabits a decrepit statue carrying a <em>was</em> scepter. It has 60 hit points and does not go Berserk. When a creature fails its Constitution save against the golem’s slam, instead of its maximum hit points being reduced, the creature is aged 1d8 years. The aging effect can be reversed with a <em>greater restoration</em>, but only within 24 hours.</li> </ol><p></p><p><strong>Encounter En Abstentia</strong></p><p>Roll a d6 to determine what traces the party encounters. Choose or roll from the encounter table to determine which creature(s)’ trace they’ve found:</p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Evidence of a fight between the creature(s) and other creatures.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Track and sign of the creature(s) having passed here a few hours ago.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Echoing sounds or distant silhouette/shadow of the creature(s).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">A burrow, camp, lair, or sleeping lay.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">A lost item of the creature(s), or remains of prey.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">The dead body of one of the creatures. Others might be close.</li> </ol><p></p><p><strong>Fennec Fox</strong></p><p>A <strong>fennec fox</strong> (<a href="https://www.5esrd.com/gamemastering/monsters-foes/monsters-by-type/beasts/fox/" target="_blank">Fox – 5th Edition SRD</a>) is visible for a moment, before disappearing into a crack in the canyon wall. It can be followed with a DC 13 Survival check. However, Medium-sized creatures have disadvantage on these checks while squeezing through the crack. Following the fox discovers a hidden watering hole and safe resting place. A DC 15 Animal Handling check befriends the fox.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Quickleaf, post: 8169637, member: 20323"] I tend to take a more curated approach, so it's a bit labor intensive to translate my tables to BBCODE format, but I'll at least get one up to share. This is from a 5e game – but I tend to run fairly OSR style – for a big necropolis area the PCs ventured into. Lots of Ancient Egyptian-esque motifs, inspired by a blend of Green Ronin's [I]Hamunaptra [/I]and[I] [/I]Gary Gygax's [I]Necropolis[/I]. Day/night cycle to emphasize how dangerous nighttime in the necropolis is. [B]Kher-Semet Encounters[/B] Kher-semet rises along the western bank of the River Yor across from Hamunaptra, a 60-mile long necropolis. Commoners’ tombs line the river while royal tombs fill the valley. Crossing by river barge costs 1 sp each (2 sp if night). The river is 2 miles wide at this point, taking about 30 minutes to cross. During summer (flood) season, the sun rises at 5:00 am and sets at 7:00 pm. Every hour (hex) the PCs explore Kher-semet and once during a rest, roll a d20. A result of 18+ indicates an encounter. However, the spirits of Kher-semet are drawn to death. For every encounter in which a creature dies, increase the chance of random encounters by one for the party until they take a long rest. [TABLE] [TR] [TD][B]2d10[/B][/TD] [TD][B]Day[/B][/TD] [TD][B]Night[/B][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]2[/TD] [TD]The Scorpion Witch[/TD] [TD]The Undead Court[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]3[/TD] [TD]Anubian Golem[/TD] [TD]Anubian Golem[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]4[/TD] [TD]Edimmu (ToB)[/TD] [TD]Tomb Scorpion[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]5[/TD] [TD]Tomb Robbers[/TD] [TD]Deadman Smugglers[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]6[/TD] [TD]Fennec Fox[/TD] [TD]Death Dogs[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]7[/TD] [TD]Ardeth-Ben's Bandits[/TD] [TD]Ardeth-Ben's Bandits[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]8[/TD] [TD]Encounter en abstentia[/TD] [TD]Encounter en abstentia[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]9[/TD] [TD]People of the Tombs[/TD] [TD]People of the Tombs[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]10[/TD] [TD]Vultures[/TD] [TD]Ubashki (undead cat swarm)[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]11[/TD] [TD]Jackals[/TD] [TD]Jackals[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]12[/TD] [TD]Zombie Census-takers[/TD] [TD]Giant Fire Beetles[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]13[/TD] [TD]Gnoll Warband[/TD] [TD]Gnoll Deathmage[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]14[/TD] [TD]Sun Exposure[/TD] [TD]Baleful Winds[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]15[/TD] [TD]Ghoul Pallbearers[/TD] [TD]Ghoul Pack[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]16[/TD] [TD]Bone Vultures[/TD] [TD]Bone Vultures[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]17[/TD] [TD]Priests of Anubis[/TD] [TD]Priestly Incubation[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]18[/TD] [TD]Necromancer[/TD] [TD]Ghûl[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]19[/TD] [TD]Nabassu Cult[/TD] [TD]Nabassu Cult[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]20[/TD] [TD]Lamia's Entourage[/TD] [TD]Gypsosphinx (ToB)[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] The random encounters can range from simple things described in a few sentences to more complex encounters with nested tables. Some examples... [B]Anubian Golem (6,800 XP)[/B] A line of Anubis statues rests against the canyon wall, in various states of disrepair. An ancient [B]clay golem[/B] inhabits these statues, defending Kher-semet from anyone not bearing a holy symbol of Anubis. However, its binding wears thin, and the golem’s essence shifts between these statues. As an action, a creature can make a DC 15 Religion check to correctly identify one of its aspects; speaking the name of the aspect aloud causes that statue to fall inanimate for 24 hours and forces the golem to enter a new statue at the start of its turn. If targeted by [I]dispel evil and good [/I]or if all its statues are destroyed, it manifests as an anubian (ToB). When the party first encounters the golem, and on the roll of a 5-6 on a d6 at the start of each of its turns, roll a d4: [LIST=1] [*][B][I]He Who Is Upon the Mountain:[/I][/B] The golem inhabits a hound statue affixed to a pedestal some 20 feet up. Its speed is 0. The statue has AC 10 and 119 hit points. It gains a new action: [B][I]Burning Eyes.[/I][/B] Each creature in a 40-foot cone must make a DC 10 Charisma save or take 11 (2d10) radiant damage. [*][B][I]Guide of the Two Lands (CR 9):[/I][/B] The golem inhabits a statue with chipped exterior giving it water vulnerability – when exposed to water, its AC drops to 9 (i.e. losing natural armor) and it takes 1d4 cold damage per gallon. Once per turn, when it hits a creature with its slam, instead of reducing its maximum hit points, the creature must make a DC 15 Strength save or be pushed 15 feet and knocked prone. [*][B][I]Lord of Burial in the Necropolis:[/I][/B] The golem inhabits a headless statue which can only see through its head lying 40 feet away; otherwise it is blind. The head has AC 10 and 13 hit points. Instead of Haste, the golem can take this action:[B][I] Breath of Entombing Sand (recharge 5-6).[/I][/B] Each creature in a 30-foot cone must make a DC 10 Strength save or be buried up to its neck in sand – the creature is restrained until being dug out as an action requiring a DC 15 Strength check. [*][B][I]Ruler of Eternity:[/I][/B] The golem inhabits a decrepit statue carrying a [I]was[/I] scepter. It has 60 hit points and does not go Berserk. When a creature fails its Constitution save against the golem’s slam, instead of its maximum hit points being reduced, the creature is aged 1d8 years. The aging effect can be reversed with a [I]greater restoration[/I], but only within 24 hours. [/LIST] [B]Encounter En Abstentia[/B] Roll a d6 to determine what traces the party encounters. Choose or roll from the encounter table to determine which creature(s)’ trace they’ve found: [LIST=1] [*]Evidence of a fight between the creature(s) and other creatures. [*]Track and sign of the creature(s) having passed here a few hours ago. [*]Echoing sounds or distant silhouette/shadow of the creature(s). [*]A burrow, camp, lair, or sleeping lay. [*]A lost item of the creature(s), or remains of prey. [*]The dead body of one of the creatures. Others might be close. [/LIST] [B]Fennec Fox[/B] A [B]fennec fox[/B] ([URL='https://www.5esrd.com/gamemastering/monsters-foes/monsters-by-type/beasts/fox/']Fox – 5th Edition SRD[/URL]) is visible for a moment, before disappearing into a crack in the canyon wall. It can be followed with a DC 13 Survival check. However, Medium-sized creatures have disadvantage on these checks while squeezing through the crack. Following the fox discovers a hidden watering hole and safe resting place. A DC 15 Animal Handling check befriends the fox. [/QUOTE]
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