Putting together Sandbox Encounter Tables

[Wik]

For my upcoming E6 Dark Sun campaign, I want to have a good wide range of encounter tables, depicting the wastelands as the PCs move through them. I want these tables to be very functional and to be the springboard for random adventures - not just random encounters.

I want these tables to have a both day and night function, basically setting them up so that night adds (say) +20 to the roll, and day subtracts 20 to the roll.

I also want the tables to reflect weather patterns, and to have things like "ruins" as an option.

Any other ideas on what these tables should incorporate? And how to go about putting them together?

 

[NewJeffCT]

I'm not totally familiar with Dark Sun, but how distinct are the seasons in the Wastelands? If they are somewhat distinct, you might want to add in an adjustment for that, if possible.

Maybe proximity to a settled/civilized area will subtract from the roll, as well as any other distinct areas (ruins, like you had said)

in regards to putting them together, get a list of all the monsters by level/CR (if you can) and then it's up to you to decide how common each one is (i.e., a common one might be encountered on a roll of 12-20, but a rare one only a 21, while a powerful rare nocturnal creature would be like 115 or something) That is one thing I did like with 1E/2E - the Monster Manual would list monsters as common, uncommon, rare, very rare and (I think) unique.

 

[Wiseblood]

An event or perhaps even signs of an event.

Dust storm.

**peculiar dunes whomever or whatever was killed before or by said dust storm now part of the landscape.

Recent localised rainfall?

IIRC wizardy carried a corruptive taint perhaps an area that suggests the presence of the Sorcerer Kings. (that is if memory serves)

 

[C_M2008]

Is this one table or multiple tables?

Do you want just combat encounters or other things like slave caravans, finding an uncharted oasis, etc ?

Weather in darksun is pretty straight forward is it not?; scorching hot or violent sandstorm are pretty much the options.

I'd just make a huge list of things I wanted on the table, cut it to about 150 and group as needed so that my modifiers for night/day, ruins, etc were relevant.

 

[the Jester]

Dark Sun, huh? How about mirages?

EDIT: Ooh, and maybe mental/psionic phenomenon.

Oh, and areas that have been defiled.

 

[NewJeffCT]

good ideas on mental/psionic phenoms, as well as mirages... screw with the minds of the players - was it a mirage, or an illusion?

 

[the Jester]

The 3e Sandstorm book has some cool monsters that you could convert that would fit GREAT in Dark Sun, too- the crawling apocalypse and mirage mullah (? I think that's its name) especially.

 

[LostSoul]

Maybe seeded tables could work?

Table I - Travelling
1 - Ruins
2 - Landmark
3 - Weather
4 - Monster
5 - NPC
6 - Roll twice

Table II - Resting
1-2 Weather
3-4 Monster
5 NPC
6 Roll twice

Table II - Weather
Day - -2; Night - +2
2d4

 

[Wik]

Lost Soul's got the general idea. I was thinking of creating specific tables for each area, but to have every table have potential for subtables.

Weather in Dark Sun is basically the same everywhere - you can extrapolate that "windy" means worse in the silt sea than it does in, say, stony badlands. Each area could have slave tribe, ruins, trader, entries that lead to a master subtable.

I also plan on seeding the tables with one or two long-form triggered adventures.

The Mirages idea is a good one. And magical wastelands could definitely fit, since I do plan on emphasizing the post-apocalyptic nature of the setting.

I'm looking at doing a few generic tables (Steppes/Scrub Plains, Canyons, Mountains, Stony Barrens, Salt Flats, Near Silt Sea, Sandy Wastes) with some subtables that can be quickly used to generate encounters (traders, ruins, oases, cave systems, slave tribes, weather, etc).

The goal is to use these when the PCs travel from place to place, and basically just play the game in such a way that I react to player choices. This is my preferred style to play, and I really want to give the game an almost "west marches" sort of feel.

 

[Thanael]

Don't the 2E Dark Sun Monstrous Compendiums have encounter tables?