MICHAEL E. SHEA GUIDELINES AND INSPIRATION TO HELP YOU RUN AWESOME FIFTH EDITION FANTASY ROLEPLAYING GAMES THE LAZY DM’S COMPANION SLY FLOURISH’S
THE LAZY DM’S COMPANION SLY FLOURISH’S by Michael E. Shea Design by Michael E. Shea Editing by Scott Fitzgerald Gray Cover art by Jack Kaiser Interior Art by Matt Morrow Cartography by Chloe Bolland, Daniel Walthall, Dungeon Baker, and Saga Mackenzie Page design by Marc Radle Layout by Scott Fitzgerald Gray Thanks to 10,840 Kickstarter backers for supporting this project! Visit slyflourish.com for DM guides and articles Websites referenced in this book can be found at https://slyflourish.com/lazydmscompanion/ Look for the symbol (clickable in the PDF). Copyright © 2021 by Michael E. Shea
2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction.........................................................3 Tools for Improvisation........................................4 Quick Tricks for Lazy DMs....................................5 Core Adventure Generator ...................................6 Building an RPG Group..........................................8 RPG Safety Tools ..................................................9 Session Zero Checklist .......................................10 Running One-on-One Games..............................11 Playing RPGs Online...........................................12 Running Single-Session Games...........................13 Teaching New Players.........................................14 Options for 1st-Level Play..................................15 Strong Starts......................................................16 Quest Templates................................................17 Creating Secrets and Clues.................................18 Building Situations.............................................19 NPC Generator....................................................20 Villain Generator................................................21 Treasure Generator............................................22 Understanding Exploration.................................23 Point Crawls.......................................................24 Wilderness Travel...............................................25 Environment Locations.......................................26 Spiral Campaigns...............................................27 Updated Theater of the Mind.............................28 Zone-Based Combat ...........................................29 Lazy DM Combat Encounters ..............................30 Monster Difficulty Dials......................................31 Monster Templates.............................................32 Undead Templates..............................................33 Making Legendary Monsters..............................34 Running Hordes..................................................35 Stress Effects......................................................36 Settlement Generator.........................................37 Wilderness Exploration......................................38 Underground Exploration...................................39 Land of the Fey..................................................40 War-Themed Campaigns.....................................41 Haunted Lairs.....................................................42 God Generator....................................................43 Lost Kingdoms ...................................................44 Cult Generator....................................................45 Alien World........................................................46 The Traitor..........................................................47 The Hunger.........................................................48 Vengeance for Hire.............................................49 Protect the Village..............................................50 The Keep............................................................51 Invaders.............................................................52 Hunt for the Relic ...............................................53 The Heist............................................................54 Dungeon of Shadows..........................................55 Companion Maps................................................57
3 INTRODUCTION This book is the third in the Lazy DM’s series, alongside Return of the Lazy DM and The Lazy DM’s Workbook. As with each of those books, you don’t need to read the entire series to find value in this book. Each title stands alone, but also works together with the others to help you run great fantasy RPGs. Return of the Lazy DM offers an eight-step framework for preparing for your game, along with deeper dives into setting up, running, and thinking about your game. The Lazy DM’s Workbook sits beside you at your table when you’re running your game, offering references, random tables, and maps to help you improvise as things take unexpected turns. The Lazy DM’s Companion is designed to work with you while you’re preparing your game, offering guidelines and inspiration to make running games easier, and to help you build fantastic adventures and campaigns. Over the past seven years of running the fifth edition of the world’s most popular fantasy roleplaying game, we’ve all learned new tips and tricks to make things run better. We’ve looked at the bumps and sharp corners of this system and have learned how to smooth them out. This book contains more such guidelines, all designed to make it easier to run our games and focus on the parts that bring the most fun to the table. Although this book was written with fifth edition fantasy in mind, much of what’s here can be used with any fantasy RPG. About half the book contains guidelines to help you prepare and run 5e fantasy games, with those guidelines able to be used alone or in conjunction with other parts of the book as you see fit. You’re free to use what works for you, to skip what doesn’t, and to modify any of the book’s suggestions and advice to suit your game—including modifying it for games other than 5e fantasy. The other half of the book contains adventure and campaign generators—sets of random tables built around particular themes or functions such as generating a villain, cult, or god; or for building adventures around different narrative frameworks. These random tables have been grouped thematically, so you typically won’t need to flip around to access all the tables you need. We’ve spent a lot of effort making sure these tables hit the right resolution—specific enough to give you clear ideas you can use, but general enough that you don’t get overtaken by minutiae. This book also contains a number of location maps. While the maps in The Lazy DM’s Workbook focused on specific locations, the maps in this book are more general purpose. Each has been designed to serve as the basis for multiple locations, using a mixture of natural and constructed environments. Each has enough details to fill things out, but enough details left blank that you can use them in multiple situations. USING RANDOM TABLES This book makes heavy use of random tables, in the hope of inspiring all of us as DMs to let our minds travel in directions we never would have considered on our own. These random tables aren’t intended to build entire adventures with just a few dice rolls. Rather, they’re intended to inspire you to come up with your own adventure ideas as you and the dice work together to create something new and unique. When you’re sitting down to plan an adventure, go through the generators in this book and see if any of them includes a theme that excites you. Then roll on the tables in that generator and see what comes up. The results might make no sense to you initially. But spend some time with them, and see if you can make sense of them as the story forms in your mind. If they really don’t work, just reroll and try again. Random tables alone aren’t enough to build a fun game, but a creative mind fueled by randomness can come up with truly unique and inspiring adventures. GUIDELINES FOR STORY-FOCUSED GAMES All the guidelines in this book serve one ultimate purpose—to make it easier for you to run your games while staying focused on the evolving story taking place at your table. This book is built from the philosophy that the stories we share with friends and family matter more than the mechanics of the game. The mechanics serve the story, not the other way around. Likewise, the book is built around the idea that as DMs, we don’t write the story ahead of time. Rather, we set the stage for the story that we and the players create at the table together. Every part of this book is intended to make it easier to share that story. As such, the book abstracts the mechanics as much as possible to keep a focus on highaction fantasy roleplaying. As you would expect from any Lazy DM book, The Lazy DM’s Companion aims you towards the easy path whenever possible, sometimes simplifying the fine details that other DMs embrace. This process might push too far for you in some areas. That’s fine. Just use the guidelines that help you share the story you want to share in the way you want to share it.
4 The following tools can help you improvise during your games. Keep a copy of this section handy, paste notes in your favorite DM’s book, or memorize the key mechanics presented here to help you react to unexpected events and unforeseen changes in the game. DIFFICULTY CHECKS For any given task or challenge, ask yourself how hard it is to accomplish. Then assign a DC from 10 (easy) to 20 (very hard). If a task is trivial, don’t bother asking for a roll. Rather, the characters automatically succeed. Likewise, reserve DCs above 20 for superhuman challenges. IMPROVISED DAMAGE Decide on a challenge rating (CR) for the source of the damage, from CR 1 (low challenge) to CR 20 (very high challenge). Then roll a number of damage dice of a particular kind, as follows: • Single-Target Damage: 7 × CR (or 2d6 per CR) • Multiple-Target Damage: 3 × CR (or 1d6 per CR) This challenge rating can be thought of as roughly equivalent to the average level of a group of characters. However, don’t automatically choose a challenge rating based on the level of the characters. Rather, the level of the challenge might be higher or lower than the characters, depending on the situation. IMPROVISED STATISTICS Whenever you need to improvise Armor Class, attack modifiers, saving throw DCs, or other combat statistics for a creature, trap, object, or obstacle, use the following guidelines based on its challenge rating:: • AC = 12 + 1/2 CR • DC = 12 + 1/2 CR • Attack Bonus = 3 + 1/2 CR • Damage = 7 × CR (or 2d6 per CR) • Saving Throw with Proficiency = 3 + 1/2 CR • Hit Points = 20 × CR When improvising statistics for traps and other objects that deal damage and can be attacked to destroy them, estimate the object’s CR by comparing it to various creatures that produce the same sorts of effects in combat. OTHER IMPROV TRICKS The following tricks can also help make it easier for you to improvise during your game: • Use the story the players give to you, rather than forcing the characters to stick to a path you set. • Use static monster damage. • In combat, go around the table by player instead of rolling for initiative. • Use advantage and disadvantage to reward unique approaches or clarify poor choices. • Improve pacing by changing monster hit points on the fly to speed up or prolong a fight. (See “Monster Difficulty Dials” on page 31 for more on this topic.) • Let the characters stumble upon two weak monsters, then see whether the monsters and characters want to fight or simply have a conversation. DEADLY ENCOUNTER BENCHMARK Choose monsters that make sense for the location, the situation, and the story. Don’t worry about whether an encounter is “balanced”—except to determine if it might be deadly. An encounter might be deadly if the total of all the monsters’ challenge ratings is greater than one quarter of the total of all the characters’ levels, or one half of the characters’ levels if the characters are 5th level or higher. If an encounter might be deadly, warn the players— and make sure the characters have a chance to escape. (See “Lazy DM Combat Encounters” on page 30 for more information on creating great combat encounters.) RUNNING HORDES When running large numbers of creatures, instead of rolling independent attack rolls or saving throws, assume that one-quarter of those rolls succeed. Increase or decrease that number depending on the situation (for example, if many creatures in the horde have advantage or disadvantage). Additionally, instead of tracking individual hit points for a horde, you can tally the damage done to the entire horde when any of its creatures are hit. Every time the tally becomes equal to or higher than the hit points of any individual creature in the horde, remove a creature from the horde and reset the tally. Round monster hit points to the nearest 5 or 10 to make things easier. NAMES You can never have enough names on hand while improvising your game. Here are a few you can use whenever an NPC, location, business, or other part of your game needs a name. First Names: Shum, Agtos, Edbert, Josiane, Olaugh, Rosaline, Pearson, Boyle, Typhon, Satyros, Ronald, Brice, Wilford, Circe, Surbag, Kayla, Latona, Cecily, Shuzug, Moth, Dolly, Minerva, Prutha, Esmour, Tristan, Lake, Stewart, Hebub, Lanos, Ingram, Orvist, Daud, Metope Last Names/Organization Names: Lionstone, Treeson, Oakhelm, Gentleheart, Whitesong, Starharp, Nightchaser, Shadowstinger, Catclaw, Faeriebound, Leafwing, Goldrock, Darkslicer, Gravewalker, Rainbright, Needleflinger, Goosechaser, Steelclaw, Scalerazor, Glasscutter, Ironhouse, Eboncloud TOOLS FOR IMPROVISATION
5 The following quick tricks are designed to make it as easy as possible to run fun, story-focused games. You can find more tricks like these in chapter 28 of Return of the Lazy DM. START WITH INSPIRATION Award inspiration to each character at the beginning of a session. This takes some of the weight off of needing to remember to reward inspiration during the game. You can still award it again during the game if players have used it. USE INDEX CARDS FOR INITIATIVE Index cards can be used to track initiative in two potential ways. First, fold them over into “table tents” and number them from 1 to 9. Then hand them out to the players in the order of their characters’ initiative. Alternatively, write the characters’ names on one side of the card and put character info useful for you on the other. Fold them over the top of your DM screen, then set them out in initiative order each time combat begins. AVERAGE HANDFULS OF DICE You can reduce the size of huge handfuls of dice by removing pairs of dice from the pile and adding their average as a static number. For every two dice you remove, just add the maximum value on a single die plus one to the static bonus. So 2d4 becomes 5, 2d6 becomes 7, 2d8 becomes 9, 2d10 becomes 11, and 2d12 becomes 13. This way, rolling 8d6 can instead become 2d6 + 21 or 8d8 can become 2d8 + 27. USE PASSIVE SCORES Continually calling for checks in the middle of the narrative can disrupt the flow of the story. Instead, keep the characters’ passive Perception, passive Insight, and passive Investigation scores in front of you on a cheat sheet or on index cards. Then use those passive scores to describe what the characters see or experience while exploring the scene. CAMPSITE STORIES During rests, ask the players to tell a story of their character or describe how their character feels about what’s been going on in the campaign. This can help players dig into their characters’ thoughts and expose those thoughts to you and the other players. Players might want to describe their characters’ conversations while on watch in the same manner. PASSIVE MONSTER INITIATIVE For simple battles, use a passive initiative score for monsters, equal to 10 plus the monster’s Dexterity bonus. This typically puts monsters in the middle of the initiative order, rather than risking them being too high or too low. STARS AND WISHES Every few games, take time to ask each player for their “stars and wishes”—a concept described on the Gauntlet RPG blog. Ask each player two questions: • What have they enjoyed about the game so far? • What do they want to see more of in future games? The answers to these questions can help you understand exactly what your players are getting from the game, and can give you ideas for how the game might unfold in the future. OFFER CINEMATIC ADVANTAGE Throughout the game, offer players advantage on checks or attacks if they’re willing to undertake high-action moves. For example, a character might leap up and swing from a chandelier to stab at a foe down below. Call for an ability check, granting advantage on the character’s next attack with a successful check. But on a failed check, the character’s move goes awry and they fall. Most characters will focus on moves that use ability checks they’re good at, making success more likely than failure. A slight chance of failure can make winning advantage feel that much sweeter, but keep failure conditions fairly minor so that going for cinematic advantage doesn’t seem too risky to the players. OTHER QUICK TRICKS The following tricks make excellent additions to every DM’s toolbox: • Keep a list of random names on hand to use for NPCs, villains, and monsters. • Describe the world through the eyes of the characters, actively narrating what they see and know about the world around them. • Don’t ask for a d20 roll if there isn’t a chance for failure, or if failure wouldn’t be interesting. This can help you remember to never bury useful or vital information behind an ability check. • Reskin bandit, thug, ogre, and giant stat blocks to make new hard-hitting monsters of all different sizes. • Reveal monster ACs and the DCs for ability checks to the players, and help them calculate ahead of time what they’ll need on their d20 roll to succeed. This lets the players focus on the excitement of the die roll rather than the math. • When appropriate, roll on a character’s behalf so the player doesn’t know the result for something their character wouldn’t know. QUICK TRICKS FOR LAZY DMS
6 The tables in this section can help you generate a core fantasy adventure based on the traditional concept of getting hired by a patron or other NPC to take on a quest in a specific location. Often these adventures take place in small settlements surrounded by ancient ruins and monstrous lairs on the edge of civilization. Use these tables together to generate and inspire full adventures, or use individual tables to fill in the details of other adventures you create or play. This generator (and specifically, the Dungeon Monsters table and the Treasure table) is set up for characters of 1st to 4th level, but can be easily modified for higher-level adventures. PATRONS AND NPCS Use these tables to generate a patron or NPC for your adventure, applying an NPC stat block to create villains, hirelings, rivals, or heralds. d20 Behavior d20 Ancestry 1 Enthusiastic 1 Human 2 Flighty 2 Elf 3 Shifty 3 Dwarf 4 Optimistic 4 Halfling 5 Paranoid 5 Orc 6 Well spoken 6 Drow 7 Superior 7 Tiefling 8 Haughty 8 Dragonborn 9 Pessimistic 9 Fey 10 Suspicious 10 Goblin 11 Worried 11 Construct 12 Greedy 12 Celestial 13 Brave 13 Ghost 14 Stern 14 Wizard’s familiar 15 Sly 15 Talking animal 16 Wise 16 Avian 17 Reserved 17 Lizardfolk 18 Cheery 18 Catfolk 19 Opportunistic 19 Lycanthrope 20 Soft spoken 20 Artifact QUESTS Any quests the characters are asked to fulfill might be distilled down to one of the following starting points. d20 Quest Quest 1 Find an item 11 Open a gate 2 Kill a villain 12 Activate a monument 3 Rescue an NPC 13 Disable an artifact 4 Uncover a secret 14 Recover an item 5 Clear out monsters 15 Convince an NPC 6 Protect a monument 16 Awaken a monster 7 Protect an NPC 17 Put a monster to sleep 8 Steal an item 18 Bury a secret 9 Return an item 19 Discover a monument 10 Close a gate 20 Dig up an artifact LOCATIONS, MONUMENTS, AND ITEMS The location of the quest might also contain specific monuments or items tied to the adventure’s goals. d20 Location d20 Monument d20 Item 1 Tower 1 Sarcophagus 1 Coin 2 Crypts 2 Obelisk 2 Figurine 3 Keep 3 Orb 3 Gemstone 4 Cairn 4 Bone pile 4 Amulet 5 Giant statue 5 Skull 5 Earring 6 Caves 6 Megalith 6 Bell 7 Sewers 7 Pillars 7 Bone 8 Temple 8 Throne 8 Bowl 9 Mines 9 Statues 9 Candle 10 Mansion 10 Well 10 Ring 11 Academy 11 Orrery 11 Circlet 12 Dungeon 12 Effigy 12 Bracelet 13 Barrow 13 Arcane circle 13 Dagger 14 Vault 14 Spire 14 Goblet 15 Tomb 15 Altar 15 Key 16 Warren 16 Pit 16 Lamp 17 Ship 17 Fountain 17 Brooch 18 Sanctum 18 Archway 18 Skull 19 Cove 19 Cage 19 Mask 20 Castle 20 Brazier 20 Necklace CONDITION, DESCRIPTION, AND ORIGIN Locations, monuments, or items can be flavored by determining their condition, description, and origin. d20 Condition d20 Description d20 Origin 1 Smoky 1 Ruined 1 Human 2 Acidic 2 Decrepit 2 Elven 3 Bloodied 3 Obsidian 3 Dwarven 4 Burning 4 Haunted 4 Halfling 5 Frozen 5 Unholy 5 Gnomish 6 Poisonous 6 Sunken 6 Tiefling 7 Necrotic 7 Forgotten 7 Dragonborn 8 Thunderous 8 Macabre 8 Orc 9 Ringing 9 Ancient 9 Goblinoid 10 Lightning 10 Festering 10 Undead 11 Radiant 11 Monstrous 11 Celestial 12 Shadowed 12 Golden 12 Fey 13 Oozing 13 Spired 13 Elemental 14 Ethereal 14 Towering 14 Giant 15 Whispering 15 Forsaken 15 Fiendish 16 Windswept 16 Gloomy 16 Unseelie 17 Drenched 17 Horrific 17 Aberrant 18 Diseased 18 Colossal 18 Shadow 19 Crystalline 19 Overgrown 19 Ethereal 20 Silvered 20 Shattered 20 Abyssal CORE ADVENTURE GENERATOR
7 CHAMBERS Use this table when you need to define the purpose of a chamber in a dungeon, keep, or similar site. Reflavor any chamber to suit the theme of the adventure. d20 Chamber Chamber 1 Armory 11 Torture chamber 2 Prison 12 Bedchamber 3 Throne room 13 Gallery 4 Crypt 14 Dining hall 5 Treasury 15 Library 6 Barracks 16 Pantry 7 Monstrous lair 17 Laboratory 8 Storeroom 18 Cesspit 9 Charnel pit 19 Bone yard 10 Museum 20 Scrying chamber DUNGEON DISCOVERIES Add useful discoveries such as the following to your adventure, to create upward beats in the characters’ story. d20 Discovery Discovery 1 Helpful NPC 11 Adventurer’s journal 2 Holy fountain 12 Escape tunnel 3 Inspiring statue 13 Useful teleporter 4 Revealing mosaic 14 Enlightening mural 5 Radiant shrine 15 Healing spring 6 Friendly spirit 16 Wounded enemy 7 Hidden campsite 17 Well-stocked armory 8 Edible mushrooms 18 Friendly creature 9 Explorer’s pack 19 Useful machinery 10 Spy hole 20 Historical library DUNGEON MONSTERS You can add monsters and other foes to your adventure by consulting the following table. Roll a d8 for easy monsters, roll a d12 to expand the range into hard monsters, or roll a d20 to also include dangerous monsters. If you decide to use a monster as a boss monster, give it double hit points and let it take an extra action each turn. For foes such as bandits and cultists, you can also roll for ancestry on the previous page if those foes having a common origin makes sense for your narrative. d20 Monster Monster 1 Giant rats 11 Ghouls 2 Bandits 12 Specters 3 Cultists 13 Cult fanatics 4 Acolytes 14 Gelatinous cubes 5 Stirges 15 Ogres 6 Guards 16 Wererats 7 Skeletons 17 Basilisks 8 Oozes 18 Green hags 9 Shadows 19 Hell hounds 10 Spies 20 Mummies TRAPS AND HAZARDS Add traps as they make sense for the adventure. At 1st through 4th level, traps often have a DC of 13, and deal 7 (2d6) damage for easy traps or 11 (2d10) damage for hard traps. d20 Trap or Hazard Trap or Hazard 1 Spiked pit 11 Bear traps 2 Lightning blasts 12 Ghostly haunting 3 Poisoned darts 13 Poisoned gas 4 Swarms of insects 14 Magical instability 5 Explosive runes 15 Barbed spears 6 Radiant pillars 16 Dense fog 7 Flame-jet idols 17 Psychic feedback 8 Force beams 18 Greasy floor 9 Crippling caltrops 19 Thick webs 10 Acidic pools 20 Freezing jets TREASURE This table lets you add treasure to the adventure as appropriate. Roll a d10 to determine monetary treasure, or a d20 for monetary and magical treasure. d20 Treasure Treasure 1 Coins 11 Potion of healing 2 Bag of gemstones 12 Other potion 3 Platinum jewelry 13 Scroll or spell scroll 4 Rune-scribed gem 14 Bag of holding 5 Golden goblet 15 Wondrous item 6 Ancient tome 16 Wand or rod 7 Treasure map 17 Magic light weapon 8 Ancient relic 18 Magic heavy weapon 9 Fantastic art 19 Magic ranged weapon 10 Jeweled idol 20 Magic armor SPELLS Some commonly discovered relics might grant a singleuse spell, while less common magic items might allow their wielder to cast a spell daily. Use the list of common spells below or choose specialized spells to create unique magic item rewards. d20 Spell Spell 1 Magic missile 11 Spiritual weapon 2 Burning hands 12 Lesser restoration 3 Shield 13 Daylight 4 Cure wounds 14 Mass healing word 5 Guiding bolt 15 Revivify 6 Invisibility 16 Lightning bolt 7 Scorching ray 17 Fireball 8 Shatter 18 Dispel magic 9 Aid 19 Haste 10 Misty step 20 Fly
8 Finding and maintaining a solid group for roleplaying gaming remains the most difficult task for many DMs. This section offers suggestions for finding players that fit well with your group, and for keeping that group going for years to come. FINDING PLAYERS The first step to building an RPG group is finding players. Some of the most common ways to find players for a group include the following: • Recruit friends and family • Recruit coworkers • Ask about putting a notice up at your local game store or library • Join local organized play groups • Seek LFG (Looking for Group) forums on Discord, Reddit, Meetup, Next Door, and other forums SELECTING PLAYERS Before you invite a player to your gaming group, ensure that they’re the right fit for your game and the other players. Start by asking a prospective player questions about their commitment, play style, and reaction to your style of play. Example questions might include the following: • Do they live nearby, and can they commit to the game’s schedule? • Do they consider themselves a more story-focused or more tactics-focused player? • Are they okay playing with theater-of-the-mind combat or playing on a battle grid? • What do they enjoy most about RPGs? • How do they weight their enjoyment of the following: NPC interaction, exploration, world lore, character background, character optimization, and tactical combat? Asking questions isn’t about getting right or wrong answers. Rather, questions can help you identify players who will fit well into your game. They’ll also help you determine if there are things a player desires that they’re not going to find in your game. Take the time to meet one-on-one with a prospective player and talk to them about what they want from your game and what experiences they’ve had with other groups. Go with your gut judgment on whether each player you meet will be a good fit for your group. If they seem like a good fit, invite a player to a singlesession game or a short series of games at a different time than your regularly scheduled session, ideally with one or more regular players from your group. See how they fit in during an actual game. If they don’t fit, you don’t have to invite them to another game. But if they do feel like a good fit, you can invite them to your regular game and see how things go. FLEXIBLE NUMBERS OF PLAYERS AND ON-CALL PLAYERS Decide on the minimum and maximum number of players for any given session. A minimum of three and maximum of six is often ideal. While seeking players, you might find some who can’t commit to a regularly scheduled game, but who can come from time to time. Put these players on an “on-call” list so that if you have an open chair, you can ask them if they’re able to fill it. Putting prospective new players on an on-call list is also a good way to see if they’re a good fit for the group before they become a regular player. CHOOSE A REGULAR SCHEDULE Rather than attempting to schedule games from session to session, find a set day and time to run your games and stick to it. Run games every week if possible. Otherwise, try every other week at the same day and time. Choose regular, shorter games rather than longer, more infrequent games to help with scheduling. THE GAME MUST GO ON Run the game as regularly as you can. Don’t cancel games if one or two players can’t make it. If you’re able to play with as few as three and have a regular group of six, it should take four players canceling before you have to call off a game. The more consistent the game, the more likely that the players will make it a part of their regular schedule. If you find that certain players are regularly missing the game, ask if they would prefer to be on your on-call list, and then seek a new player with better availability. LET ABSENT CHARACTERS FADE INTO THE BACKGROUND Don’t worry about what happens to characters in game when a player misses the session. If there is an easy way for the character to step out of the story, take it. Otherwise, just let the character fade into the background. Your players will understand why you’re taking such liberties with the universe, and that in-world consistency isn’t as important as making allowances for the realities of people’s lives. BUILDING AN RPG GROUP
9 Safety tools help ensure that you and your players are always comfortable with the subject matter of the games you run—especially when that subject matter involves potentially troubling tropes or themes. The safety tools presented in this section can be used individually or together to make sure that everyone is comfortable with the material in the game, even as that material evolves during play. You can choose which safety tools work well for you and your group, and discuss their use early in your game. Usually this means discussing safety tools during your campaign’s session zero, or at the beginning of a single-session game. POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE TOPICS When you discuss safety tools, describe potentially sensitive topics that might come up in an adventure or campaign. The following table presents a number of topics that are good to talk about, but this is not an exhaustive list. Blood Murder Body horror Paralysis Burning Physical restraint Cancer Racism Cannibalism Rats Claustrophobia Real-world religion Death by exposure Ritual sacrifice Freezing Self-harm Gaslighting Sexism Genocide Sexual assault Gore Sexual contact Harm to animals Slavery Harm to children Spiders hom*ophobia Starvation Incest Terrorism Insects Thirst Kidnapping Torture Mental domination Transphobia Decide first what you are comfortable with as a DM before bringing a list of topics to your players. Add any topics you’re not comfortable with to your own lines and veils (see below). When describing these topics, ensure that the players are comfortable with them. But also ensure that you identify which topics they are not comfortable with, so you can omit that material from your game. LINES AND VEILS The concept of lines and veils was originally brought to RPGs by Ron Edwards, allowing you to set parameters for handling sensitive topics in your game. Once you’ve had a discussion with your players on those topics, talk about whether individual topics should be a hard line (material that should never come up) and which can be veiled (material that is okay being described vaguely or handled off-screen). For example, after discussion, you and your players might come up with something like the following: Hard Lines: Sexual assault, violence toward children, abuse toward children or animals, inter-character betrayal, character-driven torture Veils: Sex and sexual contact, torture, racism, slavery Discuss hard lines and veils in an open, nonjudgmental conversation with your players, and capture each player’s individual lines and veils along with your own. THE X CARD Developed by John Stavropoulos, the X card is an index card placed in front of each player with a large “X” drawn on it. Anytime a player isn’t comfortable with the material in a scene, they can hold up or touch the X card, notifying you that they are not comfortable with the current situation. When you see this, you can edit out that portion of the scene. Or, if you’re not sure what exactly is being X-carded, you can call for a break to get more information privately. PAUSE FOR A SECOND “Pause for a second” is a verbal cue that players and DMs can use to interrupt the current in-world scene, have everyone break character, and discuss the current situation as players. It’s specifically designed to work well with both online and in-person games. This safety tool works in much the same way as an X card. But it can also be used to ensure that all the players are comfortable with shifts in the game’s story. To use it, you or any other player can say, “Pause for a second” to interrupt the current state of play and break character. It can be used to edit content (“Pause for a second. I’m not comfortable beating a helpless character for information.”) or to check in with the group (“Pause for a second. Are we okay making a deal with a vampire?”). As the DM, think about using “pause for a second” regularly, so as to break the stigma of using it only for the most extreme circ*mstances—which might cause players to avoid using it at all. RPG SAFETY TOOLS
10 Session zero is a vital tool for getting players and DMs on the same page about a new campaign. A session zero takes place before the first session of a campaign. This special session gives you time to ensure that the players are on board with the themes of the campaign, and that their characters will integrate well together and with the adventures to come. The following guidelines take you step-by-step through a session zero. WRITE A ONE-PAGE GUIDE Before your session zero, write out and deliver a onepage campaign guide to your players. Include the following information: • The campaign’s theme and flavor. Sell the campaign’s story to your players so they’re excited for the campaign. • What separates this campaign from others? What are the main things about this campaign that the characters would know going in? This might be the “six truths” that separate your campaign from all others (see “Spiral Campaigns” on page 27). • What characters work best in the campaign? Talk about specific character options that are a good fit for the campaign, including classes, backgrounds, heritage, skills, and so forth. Then discuss what kinds of motivations will help the characters best enjoy the campaign? • What potentially troubling themes might this campaign include? Write out a list so the players know what they might be getting into and can talk to you about it. • What group patrons might the players select as a group? Who might serve as their primary quest giver? (See below for more information.) Keep your campaign guide down to a single page so that the players can easily read and absorb it. DESCRIBE THE THEME Once you and your players are sitting around the table or gathered online for session zero, start by describing the theme of the campaign and going over the details of the one-page campaign guide. Use this time to get the players excited for the campaign. DISCUSS SAFETY TOOLS Discuss any potentially troubling themes of the campaign and its adventures, establishing the lines and veils you and your players have for the campaign. (See “RPG Safety Tools” on page 9 for more on these concepts.) Write these things down. Discuss what tools you and your players can use to pause the game and break character whenever it becomes necessary to talk about the campaign’s themes and content. DECIDE ON A GROUP PATRON A group patron is any NPC tied to all of the characters, and who can help propel the characters forward in an adventure or campaign. Describe potential group patrons that the players can choose from in your campaign, and let them discuss which ones they like. Work toward a consensus where all players are happy with the chosen patron. Don’t let this choice alienate any players. BUILD CHARACTERS TOGETHER Work with the players to develop their characters, reinforcing the themes of the campaign and establishing the character motivations that will work best to fit the characters into the campaign. Mention if any skills or backgrounds are an especially good fit for the campaign. All this work is to ensure that the characters are motivated to adventure together to solve the campaign’s goal. If desired, you can connect the characters together with individual relationships. Allow the players to roll on the following table, or to use it as inspiration for a unique relationship of their own devising. d20 Relationship Relationship 1 Adopted siblings 11 Noble and bodyguard 2 Mentor and student 12 Soul bound 3 Friendly rivals 13 Former prisoners 4 Sage and scribe 14 Former criminals 5 Priest and acolyte 15 Hunted quarry 6 Fellow veterans 16 Pact bound 7 Ward and guardian 17 Apocalypse survivors 8 Spouses 18 Savior and saved 9 Buddy cops 19 Business partners 10 Childhood friends 20 Master and servant RUN A SHORT ADVENTURE Once the characters are built and your players are ready, you can run a short adventure at the end of session zero to introduce the characters to the campaign in a fast and exciting way. You might choose to run a single combat encounter with some added negotiation and exploration, after which the characters advance to 2nd level and are ready to fully engage with the story of the campaign. SESSION ZERO CHECKLIST
11 Though a typical fantasy RPG is played with a group of four to six players and a DM, running games with a single player can be a lot of fun. A one-on-one game offers a unique way to play that focuses the whole story on a single character. This section offers tips and tricks for getting the most out of one-on-one play. RUN A SIDEKICK In addition to their main character, get the player to build a secondary character to act as a sidekick. Use simple options for a sidekick, such as simple subclasses, no feats, and no multiclassing. Work with the player to design the sidekick to have abilities that will complement those of the main character. During the game, the player controls the actions of the sidekick while the DM roleplays the sidekick. This gives the DM a way to pass along valuable information, offers a continual avenue for roleplaying, and can help guide the adventure in a direction that leads to the most fun. TUNE COMBAT 5e combat challenges typically expect four or five characters, so that using standard encounter-building guidelines will result in deadly battles for just two characters. Two characters have fewer resources, fewer actions in a round, and less synergy than a group of four or five characters. Keep the following guidelines in mind while tuning combat for one-on-one play: • Be careful running three or more monsters, and default to one or two monsters in a battle if possible. You can increase the number of lower-CR monsters if the characters have effective area attacks such as fireball. • Remove legendary actions from legendary monsters. • From 1st to 4th level, encounters where the sum total of monster challenge ratings is greater than half the level of the main character might be deadly. At 5th level or above, encounters might be deadly if the sum total of monster CRs is greater than the characters’ level. In addition to building your own encounters, you can use these guidelines to modify encounters in published adventures when running them one-on-one. THE INVESTIGATION MODEL Running games one-on-one can expand the range of your gameplay options, including how long your games can take and where you can play. The following “investigation” model offers you three gameplay modes for quick, fun games, two modes of which you can enjoy anywhere. Session One: Seeking Jobs. In the first roleplayfocused session, the sidekick comes to the character with three potential job offers. You can use any method you prefer to generate these jobs, including the adventure generators in this book. Each job has a patron, a quest, a location, and a reward. The player chooses which job their character will take during this roleplay-based session, which takes about 15 minutes and can be played anywhere. Prepare the next session based on the player’s decision of which job to take. Session Two: The Interview. In the second roleplaybased session, the character meets with the patron offering the chosen job and hears the specifics of the job. This includes the goal, the location, known potential threats, and the potential reward. This session takes about 15 minutes and can be played nearly anywhere. Dice and a character sheet might be needed for ability checks. Session Three: The Job. This session plays out like a typical game session. The character and the sidekick go to the location and attempt to complete the quest, facing monsters, NPCs, and other challenges before they complete it. This session takes one to three hours and is played in a typical setting. OTHER TIPS The following general tips can help make for a better experience running one-on-one-games: • Try it. Playing one-on-one games might seem awkward at first. But once you do it, it’s great fun. • Use the sidekick effectively by using them to provide valuable information and advice that moves the story forward. • The sidekick should always be a trusted ally, and shouldn’t betray the character. • Use the character’s background to drive the story. It’s much easier to support a single character’s backstory in a one-on-one game than it is to work in the backgrounds of all the characters in a larger group. • Offer magic item rewards that shore up the main character’s weaknesses, such as a magic weapon that can cast burning hands once a day for a fighter with no spellcasting ability. • Build sessions around the schedules of both you and the player. One of the advantages of a one-on-one game is that you don’t need to complete an entire adventure in one session. RUNNING ONE-ON-ONE GAMES
12 Though RPGs were developed for play at a physical table, online tools now let players gather together from all over the world. This section offers tips for playing RPGs online, suitable for many different games and many different online tools and virtual tabletops. CHOOSE THE RIGHT TOOLS Many different tools exist to run RPGs online, including virtual tabletops (VTTs) and online tools for managing characters, monsters, initiative, and many other aspects of a game. Many tools have vast arrays of features, but add complications that might get in the way of the fun of the game. So focus in on the tools that most easily get you and your players into the game and support the stories you share. AUDIO AND VIDEO Shared voice and, ideally, video are the main tools required for online play. A wide range of apps can be found that let you talk to and see other players online, so you have lots of solutions to choose from. Aside from your game materials, online communication is really the only tool required to run RPGs online. ROLL HOWEVER YOU WILL Many online VTTs include a shared dice roller and character integration. While these things can be nice to have, they aren’t required for play. If your players prefer to use paper character sheets and roll physical dice, let them. COMMON TECHNICAL PITFALLS Setting up two-way communication between every member of a gaming group can be complicated. Take the extra time to work with each player to set up your tools of choice, and prepare to handle technical problems as they happen. Some players might have excellent communications, while others are spotty. Use tools like “press to talk” on your audio- or video-sharing app to avoid background noise, and ask players to mute their mics when needed. If players have trouble with a computer-based system, you can always suggest they switch to running your group’s online tools on their phones. ONLINE ETIQUETTE Playing RPGs online has complications not typically seen during in-person play. You should discuss these complications and matters of online etiquette before play begins, keeping the following in mind: • Consider using “press to talk”—keeping players muted except when they push a key to turn their microphones on—to avoid feedback and crosstalk. • If possible, use video in addition to audio, to get better engagement and feedback from all players. • Crosstalk often disrupts online play, and latency between speakers adds to the problem. When interruptions occur, stop the interrupter, call on the original speaker, and then return to the interrupter. • Moderate chat by calling on individual players for responses rather than asking for the whole group to chime in. • Note and engage with quiet players to ensure they’re still involved in and are enjoying the game. • Augment voice communication with text chats. You can use text chat for polls on potential next steps for the characters, prompts to jump into the conversation, or side conversations. • It’s everyone’s job to help others communicate effectively in an online game. Keep a close eye on the text chat while running the game. SHARING VISUALS Most VTTs include systems for sharing maps and images, and online chat applications also offer ways to share images. So share pictures of NPCs, locations, monsters, and maps through your chat tool. Using a graphics viewer on your computer, you can copy and paste specific sections of maps showing areas explored by the characters, then share those cut-down images with the players. TEXT-BASED COMBAT TRACKER While virtual tabletops let you display maps and tokens for grid-based combat, you can also use a text-based combat tracker to represent creature distance and positioning in zone-based combat (see page 29). Use bold or all-caps text for the names of zones, which are separated by a blank line. Then put each creature’s name on its own line in the appropriate zone. If creatures in a zone are far enough apart that they need to use their movement to reach other creatures, leave a blank line between their names. Creatures whose names are all in a group can attack each other without moving. PLAYING RPGS ONLINE ICY CAVE _Myria_ Frost Giant Champion _Bilgrim_ FROST GIANT TOMB _Gordak_ _Sylceran_ _Yepa_ Skeletal Frost Giant Skeletal Frost Giant DRAGON SKULL CAVE EXIT Zone 1 Creatures are next to each other Creatures must move to reach each other Zone 2 Zone 3
13 Many times, DMs find themselves in the position of running an entire game in a single session—commonly called a “one-shot” game. These games, often played within a limited time, require a different style of prep and play than ongoing campaigns. This section offers suggestions for getting the most out of single-session games. AN ENTIRE ARC IN 4 HOURS Single-session games need to encompass the entire arc of a story in a single game. While different one-shot games might have different goals or formats, the following points cover what most one-shot games likely require: • A strong start. How does the session begin and how are the characters thrown into the adventure? • A solid hook. What motivates the characters to follow the rest of the adventure? • A clear goal. What are the characters trying to accomplish? In a single-session game, you don’t want the goal to get buried. Make it clear. • A good villain. Players always appreciate a cool villain in a single-session adventure. • A cool location. Include interesting locations to explore whose secrets the characters can discover, then add thematically appropriate and fun NPCs and monsters. • A satisfying conclusion. Good single-session adventures have a clear crescendo leading to a satisfying ending. It’s hard to go wrong with a boss fight, but give yourself time to run it. Some of these steps are similar to the eight steps from Return of the Lazy DM, which should come as no surprise. The eight steps are built to fully support the next session of any game, including one-shot games. PREGENS OR NOT? When planning a one-shot game ahead of time, ask your players to build their characters around the theme of the adventure, giving guidance that supports that theme. Alternatively, if you’re running a one-shot game on the spur of the moment or in a convention setting, keep a set of pregenerated characters on hand. Consider the free pregenerated character packet available for Sly Flourish’s Fantastic Adventures. WATCH THE TIME One-shot adventures typically have a fixed playing time, often around four hours. Check with your players at the beginning of the game to ensure they can stay for the game’s expected duration. Then keep track of the time throughout the adventure. Plan for every scene to take roughly 45 minutes, then note how much time goes by as you play and how much time you have remaining. If one section runs long, tune your remaining material accordingly. It’s very easy to lose track of time while in the flow of a game, so set timers if needed to keep things on track. CUT FROM THE MIDDLE It’s far more important to run the climax of the adventure than the material in the middle of the adventure. Whether running a homebrew or a published one-shot, be prepared to cut from the middle to ensure you have enough time to run the ending to its conclusion. Shrink the dungeon. Cut scenes. Reduce the number of battles or the number of combatants in a battle. Do anything you need to do so that you give enough time for the ending of the adventure. If you can, design or prepare scenes and situations with a clear way to cut them short or cut them out if needed. Nothing is worse than saying, “We’re out of time so we’re going to end it right here,” in the middle of the big final fight of an adventure. KEEP AN EYE ON THE END One-shot games often end with big climactic scenes, including big battles. However much time you plan for running your one-shot game overall, prepare for about 45 minutes to an hour to run this final battle. Scale and scope the rest of the game to ensure you set this time aside to run your big final scene. TRY OUT NEW PLAYERS Single-session games are a great way to try out new players for a long-term gaming group. Rather than building big commitments with new players in longer campaigns, one-shot games give everyone a chance to try the game, try the DM, and try the group to see how it all plays out. Even if you have a stable group, think about running one-shot games with new players for a chance to enjoy your favorite RPG with new people—and to put new players on your list of people you’d like to play with again. RUNNING SINGLE-SESSION GAMES
14 Experienced DMs sometimes find themselves teaching the game to players brand new to the hobby. While many of us might have played the game for decades, it can be difficult to remember how different RPGs are from most other games. The guidelines in this section are intended to help you teach new players how to play, and to bring them into this wonderful hobby. WHAT DO THEY KNOW? Take some time to understand what previous experiences a new player comes in with. Have they played computer RPGs? What fantasy or science fiction do they like? Getting a clear reference point helps you know how best to teach the game given a new player’s previous experience. SHOW WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE For decades, it was near impossible for people new to the game to understand what it looks like without playing it themselves. Now, with the advent of online streaming games, thousands of examples exist. If someone is brand new to the hobby, consider sending them a link to a liveplay game you think best serves as a positive example of how to play. This way, the new player can get a sense of how the game is played even before they sit down at the table. TEACH THE CORE PROCESS The first thing to focus on is describing the core process of the game to a new player: • The DM describes the situation. • The players describe what they want their characters to do. • The DM adjudicates. Sometimes this results in the character rolling an ability check versus a difficulty class (DC) to see if they succeed or fail. • The DM describes the results. TEACH THE CORE MECHANIC Alongside the core process of the story moving back and forth between the DM and the players, teach new players the core mechanic of the game: • Roll a d20 and add any modifiers. • Compare the total to a target number—usually either a Difficulty Class (DC) for an ability check, or an AC (Armor Class) for an attack roll. Whenever a character tries to do something that requires skill or has a penalty for failure, this core mechanic helps determine what happens. GET INTO THE GAME FAST The sooner you can get a new player playing the game, the better. It’s tempting to start off by diving into the rules and explaining everything that’s going on in the game. But it’s better to start with the core process and the core mechanic, the get straight into the action. All the various details and mechanics of the game can be explained as they come up, and are often less interesting than the story that comes from playing the adventure. ASSIGN A BUDDY As the DM, your plate is often full. You likely won’t have a lot of time to explain every nuance of a character to a new player. Instead, choose an experienced player able to explain the details, and pair them up with the new player. Another option is to run a one-on-one session with the new player to show them the game as they play through a short adventure. You can run a sidekick to avoid overwhelming the player with two full characters. (See page 11 for information on one-on-one play.) START AT 1ST LEVEL AND BE NICE It can be tempting to start games at higher levels, but the fewer mechanics a new player needs to learn, the better. Starting at 1st level is ideal for new players trying to understand how the game is played. That said, 1st level is the deadliest level of the game, so be careful not to kill a new player’s character and ruin their fun before it ever begins. “Options for 1st-Level Play” on page 15 has more information. KEEP THINGS SIMPLE For a first adventure, consider something simple. An NPC hires the characters to slay a monster or seek out treasure in a nearby dungeon. Include opportunities to roleplay, to explore and make ability checks, to make clear meaningful choices, and to get into non-deadly fights. You can use the adventure generators in this book to generate many types of simple adventures as needed. PREGENS OR NOT? Ask prospective new players whether they’d rather make a new character from scratch, or would prefer jumping right into the game with a pregenerated character. If time allows, sitting down with a new player and talking through the creation of their character can be a lot of fun. For some players, the process of character creation creates a much stronger bond with the game and with the world of the campaign. Other players learn best by playing with pregenerated characters. Playing with a pregen character means having to learn fewer rules before play, and taking less time to get into the action as the game is played. Pregenerated characters often include a few options for customization, helping a new player feel like they have some choice in who they play. Take the time to look into these options so that even a pregenerated character feels unique. TEACHING NEW PLAYERS
15 In many ways, the 1st level of our favorite fantasy RPG is a unique game of its own. At 1st level, games have a reputation for deadliness like no other levels in the game. This section offers guidelines and options for running 1st-level games to maximize the fun for the players. EMBRACE THE DEADLINESS If you and your players are on board, you can embrace the deadliness of 1st level. Remind the players that 1st-level characters can die easily, and set them up to be ready to either generate replacement characters in case of death, or keep pregenerated characters on hand. If you adopt this play style, let the players bring in new characters easily. If a character dies in the middle of an adventure, you want to include an easy way to bring a new character into the game rather than making the player wait. Consider any of the following options to set up a new character waiting to be found nearby: • The new character is the last member of a former adventuring band exploring the same location. • The character emerges after being trapped in a cracked magic mirror. • The character is magically raised from the remains of a skeleton. • The character falls out of a fresco painted on the wall. • The character has been resting in a hidden vault sitting outside of time. • The character is a petrified statue holding a spell scroll of greater restoration. • The character is trapped in a life-preserving sarcophagus. • The character floats in a vat in a strange laboratory. • The character is expelled by an eternal bonfire. • The character is resurrected by their former holy symbol when it is found by the characters. START AT A HIGHER LEVEL One easy solution to counteract the deadliness of 1st level is to start the characters at 2nd or 3rd level. This option works best for players who already understand the basics of the game and can jump into a higherlevel character without becoming overwhelmed by the options. At 3rd level, the characters have enough capabilities and hit points to survive a tough adventure. REACH 2ND LEVEL QUICKLY Another option to prevent the untimely deaths of 1stlevel characters is to ensure the characters reach 2nd level quickly. Run a quick encounter as part of a session zero (see page 10), then take the characters to 2nd level once they’ve completed the encounter. OFFER “AID” One easy way to increase the survivability of 1st-level characters is to give them a blessing of the gods. As long as they are 1st level, each character is under the effect of the aid spell, increasing their hit point maximum and current hit points by 5. When they reach 2nd level, the aid effect wears off, giving 1st-level characters a greater chance to survive but not changing the rest of the game. If you’d prefer something other than a divine blessing, you can give the characters an item that lets them cast the aid spell, or have a friendly NPC priest cast aid on them at the beginning of their adventures. Just make sure the characters know they will eventually lose universal access to this magic, so that they know to use it before they reach 2nd level. REMOVE INSTANT DEATH Death by massive damage is typically only a threat at 1st level, when hit points are at their lowest. By ignoring that rule at 1st level, you give 1st-level characters a better chance at survival. BALANCING 1ST-LEVEL COMBAT Running encounters at 1st level requires a different understanding of the threat of monsters at that level, as compared to all other levels. Keep the following guidelines in mind for avoiding encounters too deadly for 1st-level characters: • Use monsters with a challenge rating of 1/2 or less. • Include fewer monsters than characters. • Avoid monsters that can deal more than 8 damage in a single turn. • Avoid monsters with more than 30 hit points. The following monsters provide appropriate challenges for 1st-level characters. d20 Challenge Challenge 1 Bandits 11 Giant centipedes 2 Cultists 12 Giant frogs 3 Giant rats 13 Giant wolf spiders 4 Kobolds 14 Goblins 5 Stirges 15 Skeletons 6 Guards 16 Swarms of rats 7 Dretches 17 Zombies 8 Drow 18 co*ckatrices 9 Flying swords 19 Gnolls 10 Giant bats 20 Gray oozes OPTIONS FOR 1ST-LEVEL PLAY
16 A strong start kicks your game off in the middle of the action. It helps the players to let go of the real world and fall into the story unfolding at the table. Depending on where your adventure takes place, you can use any of the following strong starts in your own game, whether running a single-session adventure or a longer campaign. CITIES AND TOWNS In a settlement, a strong start can make use of either combat or roleplaying. d10 Strong Start 1 The characters interrupt bandits breaking into a shop. 2 Something slithers out of a nearby sewer. 3 A noble lord bumps into one of the characters and threatens to have them arrested. 4 A group of cultists kindly ask for a sample of a character’s blood. 5 A hooded patron visits the characters, asking the characters to kill them in two days. 6 A riot draws the local watch away, whereupon a squad of hired killers descends on the characters. 7 The campaign’s main villain shows up and invites the characters for a drink. 8 A scarred explorer offers to sell one of the characters a map to a site of a lost or stolen ancestral heirloom. 9 A golem from a wizards’ academy goes on a rampage. 10 The local monarch is assassinated and a villain takes over the government. SEWERS A session that starts in a sewer can make use of numerous monsters and hazards. d10 Strong Start 1 A flood of poisonous water flows past the characters’ position. 2 The sewer collapses into deeper tunnels sealed up for centuries. 3 A wererat approaches the characters, offering to sell valuable information. 4 A pack of ghouls chase a young couple reported missing days ago. 5 A legendary giant crocodile stealthily stalks the characters. 6 The characters find a powerful magical dagger sought by a guild of wraith assassins. 7 Swampy sewer gas gives one of the characters supernatural visions of the villain’s master plan. 8 The characters meet an eccentric wizard farming mushrooms for spell components. 9 A wall collapses, revealing a hidden temple of the god of slimes and oozes. 10 A flood of water draws the characters into a dangerously large mechanical sluice system. WILDERNESS Wilderness locations can involve either action or mystery in a strong start. d10 Strong Start 1 A nearby tree opens up, and a satyr steps through and says “Hi!” 2 A rampaging werebear storms through the area, mistaking the characters for the hunters who killed their mate. 3 Night falls, revealing an alien starscape above. 4 The characters see a tall humanoid with antlers stalking from the shadows, carrying a large scythe in one hand and three humanoid heads in the other. 5 The ground suddenly churns, bringing the body of a long-lost elf king to the surface. The king’s eyes open. 6 The characters stumble upon a nest of skeletal pixies surrounding a desecrated fey gate. 7 A golden-antlered stag leaps into the characters’ camp and asks to be defended from the hunters chasing it. 8 An old woman greets the characters, offering them candy and baked treats if they will come to her nearby cottage. 9 A skeleton hanging from a tree begs the characters to right the wrong it committed while alive. 10 A sinkhole opens up, revealing the tunnels of longforgotten burial chambers. DUNGEONS, CAVES, AND CAVERNS Subterranean adventures lend themselves to the widest possible range of strong starts. d10 Strong Start 1 A vampire appears from a sudden rise of mist, introduces herself, and asks the characters for a favor. 2 An ancient statue turns its head toward the characters and whispers a valuable secret. 3 The floor collapses, revealing even deeper tunnels long forgotten. 4 Through a cracked wall, the characters spot a gateway flanked by two huge obsidian statues, and featuring a set of stairs leading down. 5 The characters come across two bands of goblins fighting each other for the favor of a hag named Auntie Chiptooth. 6 An eyestalk swells out from an oozy patch on the wall, beholds the characters, and then disappears back into the wall. 7 A wounded knight collapses near the characters, begging them to find her lost love before she dies. 8 The ground cracks open and a pillar of chipped obsidian juts out, projecting a prophecy in red Infernal glyphs on the walls of the chamber. 9 Stars swim in a moonlit well, then rise up to reveal themselves as will-o’-wisps. 10 A spectral hound guides the characters to the camp of a reclusive mage. STRONG STARTS
17 Quest templates are general-purpose designs around which you can build specific quests for your own game, using adventure archetypes that have been standard for more than forty years in RPGs. This section offers ten quest templates you can customize for your own adventures. If generating a random adventure, just roll a d10 to determine which quest template to use, then fill in the details of the quest with your own ideas or by making use of the adventure generators in this book. 1. KILL THE BOSS In this simple quest design, the characters are hired or conscripted to hunt down a particular monster or villain in a location, then permanently end their threat. The boss might be protected by lieutenants or other minions. 2. FIND SOMETHING The characters are charged with finding an item, whether they have to steal it or hunt for it in a dangerous location. The item might be protected by a boss monster and could have many different purposes, such as opening a portal to another location, removing a curse, compelling servants to return it to its rightful owner, and so on. In a variant of this quest, the characters can be charged with returning an object to a location rather than seeking one. 3. RESCUE SOMEONE In this common quest, the characters are sent to a location in order to rescue someone—a captured spy, a wayward prince, a missing child, and so forth. In a variant of this quest, the characters must escort someone to a location, defending them every step of the way. 4. KILL THE LIEUTENANTS In this variant of the “Kill the Boss” quest, the characters hunt down multiple sub-bosses or lieutenants, either eliminating, capturing, or converting them as the story demands. Each of these lieutenants might reside in different parts of a single location (a dungeon, a headquarters, and so forth) or at multiple locations across the land. Dealing with an appropriate number of lieutenants might lead to a final “Kill the Boss” quest. 5. DESTROY SOMETHING With this variant of the “Find Something” quest, the characters enter a hostile location to destroy a particular object—an ancient evil obelisk, the catalyst of a dark ritual, a weapon of great power, and so forth. 6. STEAL SOMETHING The characters have to obtain an object from a location where the challenge is more about intrigue than the dangers of a “Find Something” quest. Players must first plan their approach, then engage in the heist. Stealth and subterfuge are often required, and you should be ready to let the characters “fail forward” so that a single bad ability check doesn’t ruin the entire plan. Likewise, the location should have multiple entry and exit paths such as sewers and rooftops in addition to a main entrance. 7. CLEAR THE DANGERS In this simple quest template, the characters enter a hostile location and clear it of any dangers. A dwarf clan might need their ancestral mines emptied of monsters, a local lord might want to take over a haunted keep, and so forth. This quest focuses on the characters exploring an entire location to ensure that the danger has been dealt with, as opposed to taking on just a single known foe. 8. COLLECT THE KEYS This quest template works for both small adventures and large campaigns, and sees the characters hunting for a number of keys before another group can get them first. This quest works best if it requires a majority of keys instead of all the keys. That way, no one side can thwart the other by possessing only one key. A setup where the characters search for three of five keys, four of seven keys, or five of nine keys works well. These keys might be hidden in a single dungeon for a small adventure, or spread across the entire multiverse for a huge campaign. 9. DEFEND A LOCATION The characters must defend a location from oncoming enemies. As with the “Steal Something” quest, the players will spend time preparing for the quest, shoring up their defenses and perhaps positioning NPC groups to handle parts of the defense under their direction. Though it’s tempting to run this sort of scenario as a large-scale mass battle, that kind of combat is best handled “off-screen” while you focus the spotlight on the characters and their individual roles in the defense. 10. END THE RITUAL In this quest template, the characters must end an ongoing ritual. Doing so usually requires the disruption of multiple components, such as destroying glyphmarked pillars or corrupting magic pools. Suitable rituals might include those dedicated to opening or closing a gate, summoning a fiend, resurrecting a dead god, and so forth. In a variant of this quest template, the characters must defend those performing a ritual against other forces that seek to stop it. QUEST TEMPLATES
18 Secrets and clues, as defined in Return of the Lazy DM, are short pieces of information the characters might discover during an adventure. Secrets and clues are initially written without regard to the method by which they might be discovered. Instead, we improvise their discovery as the characters engage with the adventure’s locations and NPCs. The following prompts don’t create specific secrets and clues. Rather, the questions they ask are meant to inspire the creation of your own secrets for your campaign. Keep in mind that secrets are meant to serve you. Don’t overthink them or worry about making them perfect. There’s no wrong way to use secrets and clues as long as they help you run your game. CHARACTER SECRETS Use character secrets to tie the characters to the world around them. These sorts of secrets might be revealed by NPCs, old journals or letters, suddenly recalled memories, or prophetic dreams. d10 Character Secret 1 What family history might be revealed? 2 What ties the character to this location? 3 What ghost or spirit haunts the character? 4 What dreams fill the character’s rest? 5 What parasite secretly infests the character? 6 Which family member is involved in the adventure? 7 How is the villain related to the character? 8 What NPC who the character thinks is dead still lives? 9 What ritual was the character blessed with as a child? 10 What previous event ties the character to the story? HISTORICAL SECRETS Use historical secrets to give the characters meaningful and useful information as they explore the setting of the campaign. Secrets of this kind should provide characters and players alike with bite-sized pieces of local or world history. Historical secrets might be found as mosaics in ancient tombs, statues in old ruins, dusty tomes in ancient libraries, markings on strange weapons, or tales shared among elderly villagers. d10 Historical Secret 1 What dead god has a connection to the area? 2 What armies once battled here? 3 What cruel lord was slain in this place? 4 What ancient civilization once thrived here? 5 What old empire’s settlements lie buried here? 6 What alien creature or power is hidden here? 7 What rebellion took place here? 8 What primeval mysteries lay buried here? 9 What was this location’s former purpose? 10 What horrific monster once ruled here? CREATING SECRETS AND CLUES NPC AND VILLAIN SECRETS Use NPC and villain secrets to reveal information about these NPCs to the characters, especially as a means of introducing villains before they face the characters. Characters might learn NPC or villain secrets from a villain’s herald or sidekick, rumors at a local pub, recovered journals, a minion’s last words, captured letters, or town gossip. d10 NPC or Villain Secret 1 What dark history follows the NPC? 2 What makes the NPC think they’re right? 3 What was the NPC’s great accomplishment? 4 What foe did the NPC defeat? 5 What makes the NPC politically untouchable? 6 What great power does the NPC possess? 7 What does the NPC desire? 8 What regular routines does the NPC follow? 9 Who does the NPC love above all others? 10 What secret does the NPC want to keep hidden? PLOT AND STORY SECRETS Use plot and story secrets to teach characters about the larger events going on in the world, and to move the characters forward in the story of your campaign. Characters might learn these secrets from questgiving NPCs, notes found on defeated foes, dreams or portents from the gods, NPCs fleeing a disaster, arcane feedback from an object, or psychic projections. d10 Plot or Story Secret 1 What villainous event will soon come to pass? 2 What disaster is about to befall the land? 3 What royal figure was just assassinated? 4 What dungeon entrance just became revealed? 5 What monsters recently appeared in the realm? 6 What armies just invaded the realm? 7 What dark sign or portent just appeared? 8 What natural disaster has recently struck the area? 9 What unnatural being has appeared in the world? 10 What unusual creature was seen walking the wilds?
19 DMs often build adventures from a string of sequential encounters, matching monsters and environments to be run in succession. Instead, consider building adventures around a larger situation—a location, a number of inhabitants with particular behaviors, and a goal for the characters. That way, instead of simply playing through an outline of scenes, the players create a more dynamic scenario by choosing how their characters approach the location and its inhabitants to accomplish their goal. Creating a situation for an adventure is as easy as coming up with those three elements—location, inhabitants, and goals—and seeing how they might work together. Consider the following example: • A corrupt lord worships an archdevil within his keep, built on a rocky hill above the local village. (That’s our location, which might be set up using a map.) • In the keep’s cellars, mercenaries, cultists, and sentient oozes begin to poison the river flowing through the town. (Those are our inhabitants and their behaviors.) • The characters must infiltrate the keep, destroy the machinery poisoning the river, and slay the corrupt lord. (Those are the characters’ goals.) TIPS FOR BUILDING SITUATIONS When building situations in your game, keep the following tips in mind: • Think “big picture.” Think about how the inhabitants act and react across the whole location, not just in individual encounters. • Let the players fail forward. A single bad roll shouldn’t bring total disaster and defeat. Rather, let each failed roll lead to interesting complications. • Improvise upward and downward story beats during the game—moments that can make the players and characters feel like they’re accomplishing things, or which can dash their hopes and highlight the challenges they face. • Give the players enough information to plan a strategy. • Add both unexpected benefits and complications as the characters enact their plans. • Think about how the inhabitants of a location act and operate when left on their own. Then, during the game, think about how they react to the characters’ actions. COMPLICATIONS While the characters are involved in a situation, they might run into a complication like one of the following. d10 Complication Complication 1 The villain arrives 6 Something’s on fire 2 Drunken brawl 7 Something explodes 3 Rival infiltrators 8 Drunken witness 4 Magic goes awry 9 Situation goal is missing 5 Monster summoned 10 Training drill EXAMPLE LOCATIONS Any of the following locations can work for building a situation. Let the location suggest as many options as possible by including multiple entrances and multiple paths the characters can follow within the location. d20 Location Location 1 Noble’s manor 11 Abandoned lair 2 Lord’s castle 12 Underwater city 3 Mercenary camp 13 Floating fortress 4 Thieves’ mansion 14 Huge airship 5 Crime boss’s lair 15 Fiendish prison 6 Cult warrens 16 Fortified town 7 Unholy temple 17 Underground keep 8 Seedy undercity 18 Large watchtower 9 Pirate ship 19 Twisted village 10 Ruined citadel 20 Wretched museum EXAMPLE INHABITANTS When building a situation, populate locations with creatures that make sense for the story. Always think about the big picture when considering things like how creatures move within a location. d20 Inhabitants Inhabitants 1 Orc knights 11 Lizardfolk druids 2 Abyssal cultists 12 Corrupt nobles 3 Dwarf assassins 13 Vampire thralls 4 Kobold investigators 14 Vengeful mercenaries 5 Undead thralls 15 Dragonkin fanatics 6 Human bandits 16 Drow monks 7 Gnome pirates 17 Unholy paladins 8 Grimlock cannibals 18 Hags and thralls 9 Mages and servants 19 Gnoll marauders 10 Goblin sorcerers 20 War-scarred devils EXAMPLE GOALS Clear goals similar in setup to those on the following table are critical when running adventures featuring open-ended and flexible situations built from locations and inhabitants. Ensure that these goals and their importance are clear to the players. d20 Goal Goal 1 Steal an arcane tome 11 Meet a monarch 2 Rescue a prisoner 12 Retrieve an artifact 3 Kill a corrupt noble 13 Swap contracts 4 Evaluate enemy forces 14 Kill four lieutenants 5 Open a back door 15 Poison a supply of ale 6 Plant false evidence 16 Sabotage cannons 7 Destroy an altar 17 Copy a map 8 Steal a crystal ball 18 Steal a weapon 9 Recover secret plans 19 Open a magic portal 10 Save a royal heir 20 Stop a ritual BUILDING SITUATIONS
20 NPCs bring our game worlds to life. You can use the generator in this section to quickly build NPCs to drop into your game, rolling on the tables below to generate baseline characteristics. To really bring the NPC to life, you can then model their personality and roleplaying off characters from your favorite books, TV shows, or movies, switching up gender and other traits to make them feel fresh. NAMES Osborne, Halstein, Rycheld, Symond, Sysley, Tansa, Levi, Beneger, Hailey, Jayce, Vesta, Savannah, Avelin, Claudia, Sighard, Timothy, Somerhild, Radolf, Denston, Judithe, Nireus, Sulen, Teukros, Cullive, Arnald, Guinevere, Madison, Stella, Edmund, Goddard, Paul, Gerland, Eupalamos, Sebastian, Anthonette, Lowell, Dauid, Halia, Colton, Bellinda, Roger, Chase, Pulmia, Sadie, Leofwen, Hildegard, Thelexion, Latisha, Raffe, Sydnee, Nicholas, Lausus, Johannes, Derkos, Boyle, Hudson, Meryll, Peter, Godebert, Randwulf, Aegipan, Bryde, Josiah, Sabra, Hilda, Lapithes, Reothine, Jeger, Sybaris, Cared, Clifton, Annabel, Kaylee, Neale, Bayard, Albin, Maronne, Jocelyn, Isemeine, Toril, Aisa, Franny, Turstin, Chulisa, Samantha, Poine, Sanche, Maya, Nicholina, Margry, Drew, Parnell, Taran, Cunovin, Ryan, Caroline, Halisera, Florens, Tantalos, Wynefreede Brightwhisper, Redspur, Hollyfang, Goosewalker, Goldbane, Ebondazer, Emeraldstorm, Monsterthumb, Goblinchaser, Thornhelm, Lionfall, Swordbuckle, Earthdancer, Graywillow, Cloudlover, Sharpwhisker, Glasscleaver, Macebound, Icebrood, Fireheart, Angelbright, Anvilcloud, Heromaker, Lightblade, Shieldrazor, Whitetail, Spiderhunter, Shadowblood, Doombrissle, Bronzestone, Moongazer, Catfinger, Lawknocker, Rainsoother, Swiftcaller, Mudteeth, Wyrmriver, Dragonknee, Flamestar, Millhand ANCESTRY Use the following table to choose a random ancestry for your NPC. d20 Ancestry 1–4 Human 5–6 Elf 7–8 Dwarf 9–10 Halfling 11–12 Goblinoid 13–14 Gnome 15–16 Orc 17–18 Dragonborn 19–20 Tiefling WORLDVIEW An NPC’s worldview can help determine how they initially react to the characters, adjusted by how the characters approach them. Improvise DCs for social interaction ability checks based on that approach, with checks usually ranging between DC 10 (easy) and DC 20 (very hard). A default of DC 12 is usually a good choice. d20 Worldview Worldview 1 Surly 11 Cautious 2 Friendly 12 Roisterous 3 Brash 13 Optimistic 4 Elitist 14 Ignorant 5 Suspicious 15 Selfless 6 Carefree 16 Brazen 7 Loyal 17 Loving 8 Opportunistic 18 Ambitious 9 Wide-eyed 19 Greedy 10 Humorous 20 Outgoing APPEARANCE AND MANNERS NPCs will often be most easily remembered by the players based on some unique aspect of their appearance or manners. d20 Appearance and Manners Appearance and Manners 1 Wild hair 11 Feathered earring 2 Scarred cheek 12 Missing hand 3 Body tattoos 13 Spits a lot 4 Smokes a pipe 14 Shifty eyes 5 Golden teeth 15 Intense stare 6 Walks with a limp 16 Snorts often 7 Dashing clothes 17 Facial tattoos 8 Picks teeth 18 Heavy beard 9 Missing eye 19 Missing fingers 10 Multicolored eyes 20 Half-shaved head PROFESSION Assign a profession to your NPC to add color to their stat block. The commoner is the default stat block for NPCs of this type. d20 Profession Profession 1 Farmer 11 Acolyte 2 Blacksmith 12 Sailor 3 Clerk 13 Mercenary 4 Merchant 14 Sage 5 Apothecary 15 Noble 6 Bandit 16 Artisan 7 Guide 17 Priest 8 Entertainer 18 Veteran 9 Guard 19 Knight 10 Soldier 20 Mage NPC GENERATOR
21 Villains drive the stories underlying so many of our adventures. They follow their own quests based on their own motivations, and when a villain acts, the world moves in response. For longer campaigns, consider including three potential villains working either independently or in unison toward the central goal of your campaign. Villains are typically sentient creatures. But it’s possible to think of pure forces of nature such as a coming plague, an unnatural disaster, or the end of the world as villainous entities. Return of the Lazy DM uses the term “fronts” to describe the similar ways in which creature and non-creature villains use their own motivations to constantly move forward in opposition to the characters. VILLAINS Choose up to three villains for a campaign with an optimal amount of complexity. d20 Villain Villain 1 Ancient dragon 11 Archdevil 2 Ageless lich 12 Corrupt priest 3 Insatiable vampire 13 Merciless assassin 4 Corrupt emperor 14 Resurrected king 5 Brilliant crime lord 15 Buried horror 6 Alien moon 16 Elder evil 7 Hag coven 17 Elemental prince 8 War machine 18 Fallen celestial 9 Undead plague 19 Uncaring archmage 10 Demon prince 20 Vengeful villager VILLAINOUS HERALDS Heralds often speak for villains before they appear, bringing the villain’s threat to the attention of the world. Use villainous heralds to clarify, reinforce, and bolster villains in the eyes of the characters. A herald might become a hated adversary in their own right, facing severe and satisfying ends. d20 Herald Herald 1 Spirited jester 11 sad*stic bard 2 Whispering spirit 12 Snobby valet 3 Deranged cultist 13 Sinister child 4 Obsessed wizard 14 Talking doll 5 Chattering skull 15 Sentient sword 6 Faithful priest 16 Well-dressed toady 7 Loyal villager 17 Evasive shapeshifter 8 Prophetic seer 18 Pompous thespian 9 Imp familiar 19 Armored champion 10 Talking vermin 20 Rotting necromancer VILLAINOUS MOTIVATIONS Every villain follows a core motivation, whether they believe themselves to stand at the center of a noble cause or because they hunger for destruction. d20 Motivation 1 Wants the world to burn 2 Wants to see the world made better 3 Seeks to become a god 4 Seeks bloody vengeance 5 Wants to build an empire 6 Wishes to devour everyone and everything 7 Wants to create a staging ground for a bigger goal 8 Hopes to escape from somewhere 9 Wishes to awaken 10 Yearns to create balance 11 Seeks a state of advanced righteousness 12 Seeks to enter the world to escape its own realm 13 Hates all forms of life and light in the universe 14 Seeks total control 15 Wishes to spread at the cost of everything 16 Wishes to survive and grow 17 Seeks to destroy themself and everything else 18 Wants to get incredibly rich 19 Wishes to prove themself 20 Seeks to quell a terrible grief VILLAINOUS QUESTS Like adventurers, villains have specific quests that they undertake or steps that they follow. Described as “grim portents” in Return of the Lazy DM, villainous quests foreshadow the plots and movement of villains to the characters. Villains often have several such quests (three is a good number), which act as a countdown clock to the successful execution of the villain’s master plan. d12 Villainous Quest 1 Recover ancient artifacts 2 Destroy magic-infused shrines 3 Uncover ancient weapons 4 Destroy local kingdoms 5 Corrupt local lords 6 Fire up ancient machines 7 Form dark alliances 8 Open otherworldly portals 9 Awaken horrible monsters 10 Build invincible armies 11 Kill former or would-be heroes 12 Build powerful monuments VILLAIN GENERATOR
22 Piles of coins, shining gems, and powerful relics hidden away in the depths of the world await adventurers brave enough to seek them. This section offers a simple set of tables and guidelines that let you quickly reward treasure for your fantasy RPG, and which work well alongside the more detailed treasure rules of the game. GOLD PER LEVEL Use the following gold parcels to quickly reward adventuring groups based on the characters’ average level. Reward four such parcels each level, or add parcels together to create larger rewards Level Gold per Parcel 1st–4th 100 gp (3d6 × 10 gp) 5th–10th 1,300 gp (3d8 × 100 gp) 11th–16th 7,000 gp (2d6 × 1,000 gp) 17th–20th 70,000 gp (2d6 × 10,000 gp) This earned wealth can take the form of coins, gemstones, jewelry, and art objects as desired. You can also adjust the numbers slightly to keep hoards from looking too uniform. For example, you might turn two 1,300 gp parcels into 1,145 gp and 1,422 gp. CONSUMABLE TREASURE As desired, you can augment monetary treasure with consumable magic items from the following table. d20 Consumable 1–7 Potion of healing 8–9 Potion of greater healing 10 Oil of slipperiness 11 Potion of animal friendship 12 Potion of climbing 13 Potion of growth 14 Potion of mind reading 15 Potion of poison 16 Potion of resistance 17 Potion of water breathing 18 Dust of disappearance 19 Dust of dryness 20 Dust of sneezing and choking Rather than standard consumable items, you can also award powerful single-use magic items generated using the Spells table from the “Core Adventure Generator” section (page 6). You can also use the Condition, Description, and Origin table in that section to give an item a unique flavor. MAGICAL TREASURE Permanent magic items can be included with treasure as desired, with the uncommon items on the following table suitable for characters of all levels. Choose specific weapons and armor that fit the proficiencies and desires of the characters. You can use the Condition, Description, and Origin table from the core adventure generator to give such items additional flavor. d100 Item 1–12 Weapon +1 13–24 Armor +1 25–26 Ammunition +1 27–28 Amulet of proof against detection and location 29–30 Bag of holding 31–32 Bag of tricks 33–34 Boots of elvenkind 35–36 Boots of striding and springing 37–38 Boots of the winterlands 39–40 Bracers of archery 41–42 Brooch of shielding 43–44 Broom of flying 45–46 Circlet of blasting 47–48 Cloak of elvenkind 49–50 Cloak of protection 51–52 Cloak of the manta ray 53–54 Eversmoking bottle 55–56 Eyes of charming 57–58 Eyes of the eagle 59–60 Figurine of wondrous power (silver raven) 61–62 Gauntlets of ogre power 63–64 Gloves of missile snaring 65–66 Gloves of swimming and climbing 67–68 Goggles of night 69–70 Hat of disguise 71–72 Headband of intellect 73–74 Helm of comprehending languages 75–76 Helm of telepathy 77–78 Immovable rod 79–80 Javelin of lightning 81–82 Lantern of revealing 83–84 Medallion of thoughts 85–86 Necklace of adaptation 87–88 Pearl of power 89–90 Ring of mind shielding 91–92 Rope of climbing 93–94 Slippers of spider climbing 95–96 Stone of good luck 97–98 Wand of magic missiles 99–100 Wand of web TREASURE GENERATOR
23 Our fantasy RPG includes three pillars of play: roleplaying, combat, and exploration. While roleplaying and combat are relatively well understood, exploration consists of essentially everything else in the game. The fundamental process of exploration consists of the DM describing the situation, the player describing their intended action, and the DM adjudicating the result. Sometimes this involves an ability check if an intended action is risky or has a meaningful chance for failure. Otherwise, you can just let it happen. TYPES OF EXPLORATION Exploration covers a wide range of activities in the game. The following is just a partial list of activities that fall under the exploration pillar: • Traveling across the wilds to old ruins • Disarming a trapped treasure chest • Revealing history captured in an ancient mosaic • Mapping out the patterns of guard patrols at a villa • Traveling through ancient labyrinthine sewers • Exploring a ruined keep • Picking a lock on a door • Seeking and discovering a hidden chamber • Carefully moving through a dangerous dungeon • Sailing a ship through stormy seas • Hunting an assassin in a seedy city IMPROVISING ABILITY CHECKS The fundamental mechanic of our fantasy RPG often requires that the DM improvise a check when the player wants their character to do something risky that has a meaningful chance for failure. To improvise a check, consider which ability score and potential skills best suit the attempt, then choose a difficulty between DC 10 (easy) and DC 20 (hard) for most checks. If the DC is less than 10, assume that a character just succeeds at their intended action. You can easily improvise DCs in this range by asking yourself, “On a scale of 1 to 10, how hard is this?” and then adding 10 to the result. COMPLEX SITUATIONS Often, situations are complex enough that a single ability check can’t capture an entire event. In such cases, let each part of the scenario break down to chosen actions, with each check made leading to the next action. But because it can be difficult to plan out all potential paths mechanically, focus instead on thinking about how such a situation might work in the world of the game. For example, breaking into a protected vault likely requires staying quiet, disarming any arcane protections, and then picking the lock. So let those real-world activities suggest the need for ability checks (likely Dexterity and Intelligence), applicable skills (Arcana and Stealth), and useful spells and gear (dispel magic and thieves’ tools) before you start breaking things down to DCs and dice rolls. FAILING FORWARD Being able to improvise results that “fail forward” is critical for more complex situations. A single failed check shouldn’t result in disaster. Instead, a failed roll should complicate the situation or bring in new challenges for the characters. This is an important skill for DMs, and one that we all get better at the more we do it. PROGRESS CLOCKS The RPG Blades in the Dark describes the use of “progress clocks” as a way to track complex situations. Consider how many successes it takes to accomplish a complex task or how many failures must take place before true disaster strikes. Keep track of these successes or failures as tick marks (or slices of a sketched-out pie as Blades in the Dark describes). How many pieces of evidence must the characters recover before the guards become alerted to their presence? This might involve two competing progress clocks: one for the evidence collection and one for the guards’ level of alert. OVERLAND TRAVEL AND WILDERNESS EXPLORATION Overland travel and wilderness exploration can be handled in many different ways, and you and your group will ultimately choose the approach that brings you the most enjoyment. Some groups prefer pure narration, with the DM describing the journey. Others like shared group storytelling, in which the players describe the events of the journey. Some groups like the more mechanical approach of a detailed hex crawl, with each stage of a journey possibly playing out like a short adventure. Point crawls offer a similar approach, and are described on the next page. DUNGEON EXPLORATION Dungeon exploration has its own set of additional steps, such as choosing a marching order, understanding lighting conditions, making decisions about scouting and stealth, and keeping an eye out for traps and secret doors. The “Underground Exploration” section on page 39 lets you build great dungeon exploration adventures. UNDERSTANDING EXPLORATION
24 Point crawls give GMs a simple tool to map and run overland travel or city exploration. This style of play allows characters to travel across a wilderness or within a large city by focusing on notable locations and the routes between them. Some locations on a point crawl map might be large adventure areas, while others are simple landmarks used as the backdrop for a single scene or encounter. Either way, a point crawl map built from locations and routes often resembles a classic dungeon with its connected chambers and hallways. The concept of point crawls comes from ChrisKutalik at the Hill Cantons blog. DESIGNING POINT CRAWLS Point crawls are a network of locations and routes. You can draw simple point crawl maps as circles connected with lines, each with a short label. For example, in Lord of the Rings, two locations—the village of Bree and the ruined tower of Weathertop—are connected by the route through the Midgewater Marshes. Point crawls work best when they don’t just make a straight-line narrative route. Rather, they should offer meaningful choices as to where the characters can go, as well as chances for discovery en route. In many ways, good point crawls benefit from the same criteria as good dungeon design, including: • Multiple meaningful paths • An interesting asymmetric design • Loops that reconnect with known locations • Shortcuts to new or previous locations • Secret paths to hidden areas You can find two example point crawl maps—one detailing an underground environment and the other for an overland route—on pages 61 and 62. LARGE LOCATIONS Large locations usually mark the site of a full adventure area. These locations likely have their own detailed maps, and locations such as cities might be a point crawl of their own. Any of the following make good choices for large point crawl locations. d20 Location Location 1 Ancient watchtower 11 War-ravaged dam 2 Ruined castle 12 City of towers 3 Seedy city 13 Riverside town 4 Pirate docks 14 Library of the ages 5 Elven respite 15 Shadowgate keep 6 Dwarven mines 16 Grand observatory 7 Haunted manor 17 Blood-soaked arena 8 Vast metropolis 18 Goblin king’s citadel 9 Giants’ fortress 19 Mountain of doom 10 Warlord’s bastion 20 Sunken ziggurat SMALL LOCATIONS Small locations often serve as the backdrop for a single scene or encounter. Routes on a point crawl might have numerous hidden small locations along them that the characters discover as they travel. d20 Location Location 1 Dragon’s graveyard 11 Mesa of tusks 2 Standing stones 12 Fallen statue 3 Tar pits 13 Travelers’ rest 4 Fetid swamp 14 Monstrous lair 5 Bloody battlefield 15 Fey spring 6 Bridge of teeth 16 Ghostly shipwreck 7 Crashed airship 17 Titanic skull 8 Primeval shrine 18 Bottomless shaft 9 Elven portal 19 Huge throne room 10 Shining oasis 20 Ring of teeth ROUTES The routes in a point crawl connect locations together using in-world descriptions. Some routes will be known ahead of time to the characters, while others are only revealed when the characters reach a particular location. Still other routes might be hidden, and must be found as the characters explore a location. Finding new routes is an element of discovery that most players enjoy. d20 Route Route 1 Ancient roadway 11 Cracked plains 2 Dry riverbed 12 Subterranean trek 3 Old aqueduct 13 Precarious switchback 4 Well-traveled road 14 Thunderous gap 5 Peaceful seacoast 15 Goblin tunnels 6 Hidden stair 16 Lost mines 7 The shadowpath 17 Passages of the beast 8 Golden stag’s trail 18 Road of despair 9 Overgrown vale 19 Sapphire rapids 10 Fey forest path 20 Path of bones POINT CRAWLS
25 This section offers a systematic approach for handling travel through wild lands filled with potential dangers, and can be used with both point crawls (see the previous page) or hex crawls. As the characters travel overland, they undertake specific activities related to the journey. Select appropriate DCs for those activities, with checks usually ranging between DC 10 (easy) and DC 20 (very hard). A default of DC 12 is usually a good choice. CHARACTER ROLES When the characters choose to travel through the wilderness, each player chooses a role for their character to take on. If two characters feel like good choices for a particular role, one character can use the Help action to assist the other, granting advantage on the check. TRAILHAND Applicable Skills: Nature, Survival A trailhand ensures that the party follows the right path to reach an intended destination, masterfully navigating the natural or constructed paths that crisscross the wilds. With a successful check, the characters stay on the correct paths. On a failure, they might become lost, stumbling into a hostile area or losing resources. Characters might also be subject to exhaustion as they try to make their way back to the correct path, or might find it difficult to take a short or long rest until they do. SCOUT Applicable Skills: Insight, Investigation, Nature, Perception, Survival A scout keeps an eye out for potentially hostile creatures during the characters’ journey. These might be creatures stalking the characters, creatures that have earlier crossed the characters’ path, or creatures that are traveling in the same direction and overtake the party. With a successful check, the characters spot the potentially hostile creatures and can plan their response. On a failure, the scout might unknowingly lead the party into a hostile encounter or an ambush. QUARTERMASTER Applicable Skills: Medicine, Survival A quartermaster ensures that the characters remain well fed and hydrated during their journey. They ensure that provisions remain unspoiled, and help forage for additional resources along the way. Shorter journeys might not require a character to take on this role. With a successful check, the characters have plenty of food and water for the journey, with provisions remaining unspoiled. On a failure, the characters might lose precious resources of food and water (potentially leading to exhaustion), or need to spend additional time searching for resources. GROUP STEALTH If the characters decide to move stealthily through the wilderness, doing so doubles the length of their travel time and might impose disadvantage on other checks at your discretion. To move stealthily through the wilderness, the characters make a group Dexterity (Stealth) check and compare that result to the passive Wisdom (Perception) scores of any potentially hostile creatures that might spot or hear them. CREATING THE WILDERNESS When an adventure sees the characters trekking across the wilds, use the following steps to create an adventure framework for that wilderness journey. The “Wilderness Exploration” section (page 38) features lots of details for wilderness journeys, including encounter ideas and suggestions for landmarks. DETERMINE THE WEATHER Choose or randomly select potential weather for the characters’ journey. Weather mostly adds to the in-world atmosphere, but harsh weather can change the DCs of the characters’ activities as they travel if you wish. DETERMINE POTENTIAL ENCOUNTERS As the characters travel through the wilderness, choose or randomly select potential encounters. These might be face-to-face encounters with denizens of the wilderness, but not all such encounters need to be hostile. The characters could run into friendly travelers, fearful monsters, weak foes, or signs of a previous battle. Likewise, they might spot the tracks of creatures recently passed by, or that are heading in the party’s direction. PLACE NOTABLE LANDMARKS Use notable landmarks to mark key points along the characters’ journey. Such landmarks can serve as a backdrop for random encounters or as places to rest. They might also serve as a source of secrets and clues that the characters can discover. WILDERNESS TRAVEL
26 This section offers up a number of location ideas tied to particular environments. You can use any of these locations as the site of an encounter or a whole adventure, or as backdrops while the characters travel through the wilderness. “Point Crawls” (page 24), “Wilderness Travel” (page 25), and “Wilderness Exploration” (page 38) can all make use of and build on the quick ideas generated with these tables. ARCTIC LOCATIONS d20 Location Location 1 Titanic skull 11 Hunting lodge 2 Frost giant’s lodge 12 Precarious cliff 3 Frozen corpses 13 Frozen lake 4 Faerie glade 14 Abandoned village 5 Frozen ship 15 Stone circle 6 Glacial rift 16 Icy tower 7 Shifting ice flow 17 Fisher’s hut 8 Ice palace 18 Frozen battleground 9 Melted tunnels 19 Domed warren 10 Giant’s cairn 20 Old war machine DESERT LOCATIONS d20 Location Location 1 Shattered ziggurat 11 Half-buried statue 2 Shimmering oasis 12 Grasping stone hand 3 Abandoned campsite 13 Sacrificial podium 4 Huge statue’s legs 14 Bestial skeleton 5 Floating earthmote 15 Collapsed tombs 6 Abandoned fort 16 Shifting sinkhole 7 Ruined fortress 17 Infested boneyard 8 Towering wall 18 Black megalith 9 Sundered tower 19 Half-buried ship 10 Huge sundial 20 Abandoned city FOREST LOCATIONS d20 Location Location 1 Fetid mire 11 Ivy-covered altar 2 Shadowy gateway 12 Empty tree house 3 Faerie glade 13 Standing stones 4 Huge hollow tree 14 Huge dragon skull 5 Overgrown gazebo 15 Crashed airship 6 Shattered statue 16 Forgotten graveyard 7 Broken pillars 17 Mudflat warren 8 Old aqueduct 18 Cavernous sinkhole 9 Petrified beast 19 Circle of dead trees 10 Root-cracked cave 20 Cavernous maw MOUNTAIN LOCATIONS d20 Location Location 1 Altar of the sun 11 Narrow goat path 2 Draconic statue 12 Smoking crater 3 Hollow spire 13 Titanic bones 4 Volcanic rift 14 Stone temple 5 Abandoned tower 15 Hanging cages 6 Primeval carvings 16 Floating castle 7 Sky tomb 17 Ring of giant swords 8 Huge nest 18 Rune-marked meteorite 9 Hidden waterfalls 19 Natural archway 10 Misty overhang 20 Acidic geysers SWAMP LOCATIONS d20 Location Location 1 Sunken ziggurat 11 Flaming monster effigy 2 Collapsed statue 12 Sunken ship 3 Ghostly village 13 Ruined fortress 4 Boiling bog 14 Shattered gateway 5 Poisonous geysers 15 Steaming pond 6 Unholy altar 16 Tree-house village 7 Fetid sinkhole 17 Bloody battleground 8 Submerged corpses 18 Obsidian tower 9 Gnarled tree 19 Mushroom forest 10 Misty tower 20 Rotted caves UNDERGROUND LOCATIONS d20 Location Location 1 Abyssal altar 11 Petrified skeleton 2 Massive shaft 12 Haunted boneyard 3 Bloody fountain 13 Bloody battlefield 4 Huge rift 14 Natural megalith 5 Petrified statues 15 Ring of stones 6 Tunnel network 16 Natural hot spring 7 Bloody mosaic 17 Roiling lava flow 8 Carved temple 18 Crumbling chasm 9 Narrow bridge 19 Planar shipwreck 10 Gaping maw 20 Alien stone shapes RUINED SETTLEMENT LOCATIONS d20 Location Location 1 Old well 11 Crumbling watchtower 2 Ivy-covered statue 12 Darkened mansion 3 Fetid fountain 13 Rotted orchard 4 Half-collapsed house 14 Thorny garden 5 Broken wall 15 Hedge maze 6 Desecrated altar 16 Sodden monster effigy 7 Abandoned temple 17 Smuggler’s warehouse 8 Collapsed sinkhole 18 Shadowy alley 9 Noxious sewer 19 Rusted prison 10 Sundered keep 20 Creaking scaffold ENVIRONMENT LOCATIONS
27 Spiral campaign development builds campaign worlds starting in the area immediately surrounding the characters, then spirals out, expanding the world as the characters experience it. This section offers suggestions and inspiration for building a spiral campaign. CAMPAIGN PITCH Start off by describing the central theme of your campaign in a single sentence. This campaign pitch becomes the main focus of the campaign, and might be given to the players during your session zero so they can build their characters around it. Use the following campaign pitches as a starting point for a campaign, or as inspiration for pitches of your own. d20 Pitch 1 Prevent the summoning of the Dragon Queen 2 Prevent the coming of the Black Moon 3 End the dark reign of Elenda the lich queen 4 Break the political power of Vroth the death knight 5 Kill Veresyn the vampire lord and his horde 6 Restore light to the Vale of Nightmares 7 Restore the prison of Orlon the demon prince 8 Shatter the draconic Alliance of Five Claws 9 Save people from the blood feast of a gnoll war band 10 Restore light to the fallen celestial Ixyan 11 Dismantle the Empire of the White Blade 12 Find the seven keys to the gates of Ilumenia 13 Prevent the resurrection of the sorcerer king 14 Stop the cult of the Red Ocean 15 Save the heir of the sapphire throne 16 Find and seal the vault of the world serpent 17 Close the gateway to the Outside 18 Destroy the Sword of the Black Sun 19 Slay the ancient dragon Larthyx Flametongue 20 End the dark pact of Karthyn the archdevil SIX TRUTHS Once you have your pitch, identify six truths that set your campaign apart from others, then share them with your players. Here are six example truths for a campaign built around the coming of the Black Moon from above. • Sages and cultists describe the coming of the Black Moon—an elder evil that will swallow the world. • Monsters have been sighted along what were once the safest roads. The populations of whole villages are disappearing without a trace. • A floating obsidian citadel has appeared above the Cragteeth Mountains to the north. • Folk once had to deal with the coming of the Black Moon, but their secrets for surviving it were lost. • The evil King Trex uses the chaos created by the coming of the Black Moon to wage war across the land. • Prophecy speaks of the return of the Knights of the White Sun, who will restore light to the land. STARTING LOCATION Spiral campaigns begin in a central location, often a small settlement from which the characters set out to explore neighboring lands. A village always works well as a starting location, but there are many alternatives. d10 Location Location 1 Adventurers’ guild 6 Refugee camp 2 Mining outpost 7 Fortress under siege 3 Recent shipwreck 8 Great library 4 Frontier outpost 9 Planar hub city 5 Holy temple 10 Crumbling fortress CAMPAIGN FRONTS Campaign fronts are the external motivators in a campaign. Like a battlefront (from which they’re named), a front is a point of conflict that advances and retreats as the campaign develops. Fronts are often villains (including any of the villains from page 21), but might also be external forces such as natural disasters or grim fate. Campaigns might have up to three fronts at any given time, including any of the following. d20 Front Front 1 Thieves’ guild 11 Mages’ guild 2 Dark necromancer 12 Outlander horde 3 Armageddon cult 13 Meteor storm 4 Mercenary army 14 Planar invaders 5 Forgotten machine 15 Powerful archmage 6 Evil construct 16 Ancient lich 7 Demon prince 17 Blood-raging cannibals 8 Archdevil 18 Unseelie fey lord 9 Corrupt noble lord 19 Draconic terror 10 Rival adventurers 20 Undead prince LOCAL ADVENTURE LOCATIONS As the campaign spirals outward, the characters will become aware of local adventuring locations. Drop three such adventure locations into the areas close by the starting location. And if you need help filling out an adventure location, just look to the other sections of this book! d20 Location Location 1 Ancient crypt 11 Abandoned dungeon 2 Forgotten sewers 12 Ruined watchtower 3 Haunted keep 13 Huge hollow statue 4 Festering well 14 Sunken catacombs 5 Rat-infested cellar 15 Obsidian ziggurat 6 Unholy temple 16 Haunted forest 7 Dangerous caves 17 Otherworldly rift 8 Underground city 18 Submerged grotto 9 War-torn citadel 19 Dead hollow tree 10 Fey glade 20 Sundered shipwreck SPIRAL CAMPAIGNS
28 This section builds on the guidelines offered in The Lazy DM’s Workbook for running “theater of the mind” combat—no maps or miniatures, making use only of narrative and your players’ imaginations. Share these guidelines with your players so that everyone has a common understanding of how this style of playing out combat works at the table. CORE PRINCIPLES Round-by-round combat played in the theater-of-themind style is built around three core principles: • The DM describes the situation. • Players describe their characters’ intent. • The DM helps the players achieve that intent and adjudicates how the situation unfolds as a result. COMMON UNDERSTANDINGS For best results, build your theater-of-the-mind combat around the following ideals: • The DM and the players are working together to share a story of high action and adventure. They are not opponents. • The DM and players do not hide their intentions during combat. • Players and DMs assume that the characters and their enemies all move cautiously, avoiding opportunity attacks whenever possible. • The DM identifies when a character is taking a risk, such as provoking an opportunity attack, before the player chooses the character’s action. PLAYER ADVICE Players in a theater-of-the-mind game should keep the following points in mind: • Describe your intent. Tell the DM what you want your character to do in the story that the combat encounter is building. Avoid a back-and-forth series of tactical questions. • Tell the DM what special features your character has that you want to highlight. If you have crunchy tactical abilities you want to use, describe how you want them to work for the situation. For example: “I want to stay close to the cleric so I can use my Protection Fighting Style, but I’ll keep 10 feet away from the orcs so I can use my Polearm Mastery feat to hit them on their way in.” • Describe specifically what you want to do. “I want to stay within the paladin’s aura but still attack the hobgoblin ravager.” • Look for fun ways to use the environment described by the DM. • Worry less about the mechanical details of the game and more on the high action and adventure of the story. One good way to do that is to imagine combat as a high-action battle in one of your favorite movies. DM ADVICE A DM running a theater-of-the-mind game should keep the following points in mind: • Work with the players, not against them. Err in favor of the characters as you help the players achieve their intent. • Each turn, describe the situation surrounding the acting character. • Adjudicate the number of targets in an area attack based on the situation, the assumed positions of the combatants, and the size of the area. • Use evocative in-world narration to describe the characters, the monsters, the action, and the high adventure of the story as it plays out. • Make bargains and deals with the players. “You can hit three orcs with fireball, or you can hit five orcs if one of your companions is willing to be hit as well.” • Describe the distances between combatants in feet to help players recognize what they can and can’t do. Default to 25 feet if you don’t really know. • Run simpler encounters with useful environmental features, such as flipped tables, cracked stalagmites, cliff edges, bottomless pits, roaring fires, and hanging chandeliers. • Ask the players to identify monsters by describing interesting physical characteristics. • Give the players opportunities to show off their characters’ skills and abilities. • Some players can’t visualize combat scenes in their head, a condition known as aphantasia. For these players, consider providing a quick sketch or other visual. ONE TOOL OF MANY Add theater of the mind to your collection of ways to run combat, including abstract maps, zone-based combat (see the next page), gridded combat, or 3D terrain. Choose the right style of combat for the pace and complexity of the scene. Keep each approach as a tool in your DM’s toolbox to help you share exciting tales of action and high adventure. UPDATED THEATER OF THE MIND
29 Zone-based combat can help DMs run fast, dynamic, and high-action combat without worrying about all the details of tactical combat played out on a grid. It supports multiple combat styles, including pure narrative theater-of-the-mind combat, quickly drawn abstract sketches, or miniatures used with detailed maps or 3D terrain. Using zone-based combat means you have to worry less about the details of a 5-foot-per-square grid and can focus more on big heroic action. Zone-based combat simply requires that the DM and the players work together with the shared goal of creating fantastic stories of high adventure. Share these guidelines with your players so that everyone has a common understanding of how this style of playing out combat works at the table. ZONE RULES The following guidelines establish the broad strokes of zone-based combat: • Combat areas are made up of one or more zones, each of which is roughly 25 feet on a side but which can be any size. • The DM defines zones using evocative descriptions, such as “a crumbling bridge over a bottomless gorge,” “a blood-covered altar,” or “a holy statue of light.” • The DM can write down or define these zones and their descriptions on paper, note cards, or erasable battle maps so the players can visualize the situation. Miniatures or tokens can mark out the positions of characters and monsters in zones. • Players are encouraged to make use of features in a zone, whether by taking cover, climbing to an advantageous position, activating magical locations, and so forth. • Most combat encounters occur in a single zone. Big battles might use two or more zones. • On each of their turns, a character can move within a zone or can move from one zone to another. Characters with extra movement can move up to two zones away. • Assume that all creatures in combat move cautiously, avoiding opportunity attacks when possible. The DM informs the players if a character risks an opportunity attack from their intended activity in the fight. • Attacks with a range of 25 feet or greater can target creatures within a zone or one zone away. • Attacks with a range of 50 feet or greater can also target creatures two or more zones away. • If a character attacks with or is attacked by a melee attack with a 5-foot reach, that character will provoke opportunity attacks if they attempt to move away from their opponent. A character attacked by a melee attack with a 5-foot reach also has disadvantage on ranged attacks. • Players can make best use of zone-based combat by describing their intent—for example, “I want to attack the orc chief with my glaive but stay out of his reach,” or “I want to get between our wizard and the ogre.” • The DM then works with the players to help them achieve their intent. AREAS OF EFFECT IN ZONES Many spells and features have areas of effect. DMs can use the following guidelines to adjudicate which targets are hit by such effects. These guidelines break out general descriptions of the size of an area of effect, how many creatures are typically affected in that area using zonebased combat, and examples of common spells and class features that use that size: • Tiny Area: One or two creatures in the same zone (cloud of daggers) • Small Area: Two or three creatures in the same zone (burning hands, thunderwave) • Large Area: Four to six creatures in the same zone (cone of cold, fireball) • Huge Area: Twelve creatures across two zones (circle of death, Turn Undead) • Short Line: Two or three creatures in the same zone (wall of fire) • Large Line: Two to four creatures across two zones (lightning bolt) DMs can adjudicate and adjust these numbers based on the current situation. For example, an area containing a horde of monsters might double the potential number of monsters affected. Whatever the circ*mstances, though, a DM should always adjudicate in favor of the characters. HANDLING EDGE CASES Zone-based combat doesn’t account for a wide range of features that make use of specific distances. In those cases, it’s up to the DM to work with a player’s intent to help them make use of those features. In all cases, the DM should ask what the player wants to do, then help them figure out how to do it. ZONE-BASED COMBAT
30 This section helps you build and improvise dynamic combat encounters based on the fiction of the game. It’s intended as an alternative take on the encounterbuilding guidelines in The Lazy DM’s Workbook. START WITH THE STORY Good combat encounters begin with the story. Instead of building combat encounters as fixed components of the game, let combat encounters evolve naturally from the story taking place at the table. Begin by asking the following question: What monsters make sense given the current location and situation? Then let that question guide you in the creation of a list of monsters and NPCs that might show up at a given location, and in what quantity. Instead of predefining scenes as combat, roleplaying, or exploration, let the characters’ approach determine what happens. Maybe they fight the guards at the gatehouse. Maybe they sneak past. Maybe they try to play the part of hired mercenaries. But let whatever happens come from the choices of the players. AVERAGE CHARACTER HIT POINTS Gauging the level of challenge in an encounter often comes down to comparing the amount of damage a monster can deal to the hit points of the characters. Hit points vary widely between classes, but you can use the following formula to estimate an average character’s hit points at a given level: (Level × 7) + 3. By giving you a rough estimation of how tough characters of a given level are, this formula can help you gauge how dangerous a specific monster will be, as well as judging the potential deadliness of traps, hazards, and other effects that deal damage. POTENTIAL DEADLINESS Assuming that your chosen monsters aren’t dealing damage that easily overwhelms the characters’ hit points, you can usually not worry about an encounter’s difficulty—unless the encounter is potentially deadly. You can gauge an encounter’s potential deadliness with the following benchmark: An encounter might be deadly if the total of all the monsters’ challenge ratings is greater than one quarter of the total of all the characters’ levels, or one half of their levels if the characters are 5th level or higher. To use this benchmark for characters of 1st through 4th level, add up the challenge ratings of all monsters in the encounter. Then add up the levels of all of the characters and divide that number by 4. If the challenge level summation is greater than the sum of character levels divided by 4, the encounter might be deadly. If the characters are above 5th level, use the same process but divide the total character levels by 2 instead of 4. Each time the characters gain a new level, calculate this deadly benchmark score and jot it down in your preparation notes so you have it on hand. If you find that the characters in your game often have an easy time with potentially deadly encounters, treat the characters as though they are one or more levels higher. This will raise the benchmark at which an encounter might become deadly, making the calculation more accurate. This benchmark assumes multiple monsters, and doesn’t work well for gauging combat against a single monster. For legendary monsters—those with legendary actions and possibly lair actions—an encounter is generally deadly if the monster’s challenge rating is 5 or more higher than the characters’ average level. CHARACTER CAPABILITIES VARY No chart, table, or equation works perfectly to judge encounter balance at any given level, because no such system can take into account the wide range of options that can affect combat. Any individual character’s effective power in a fight can go well beyond what’s expected for their given level, especially at higher levels. And other factors that can affect a character’s power might include any of the following: • Player experience • Class synergy between different characters in the party • Magic items • Environmental and situational circ*mstances • Feats and multiclassing • The total number of actions on either side • How well rested the characters are So use the benchmarks for determining whether an encounter might be deadly as a starting point. Then trust that you’ll be better able to gauge what your characters can handle in combat the more you see them in action during the game. SCALING FOR HIGHER LEVELS As characters reach 11th level and higher, the deadly encounter benchmark becomes less useful for accurately representing a deadly encounter. Depending on the capabilities of those higher-level characters, monsters might pose even less of a threat than their challenge rating denotes. As such, you can further adjust the deadly encounter benchmark to account for this power with the following optional guideline: At 11th level and higher, an encounter might be deadly if the total of all the monsters’ challenge ratings is greater than three quarters of the total of all the characters’ levels, or if it is equal to the total of their levels if the characters are 17th level or higher. This sets up encounters of a much greater challenge than the baseline benchmark, but it might work more accurately for higher-powered characters. LAZY DM COMBAT ENCOUNTERS
31 Balancing combat encounters is notoriously difficult. Different groups of characters can bring very different capabilities to each battle, even at the same level. However, because monsters as they are typically presented are the average of their type, you can adjust the averages to subtly or dramatically change the difficulty of a given monster or group of monsters. By turning these “difficulty dials” for monsters, you can easily shift the tone of combat even in the middle of a battle. “HIT POINT” DIAL Hit points given for monsters are the average of their Hit Dice. This means you can adjust hit points within the minimum and maximum of a monster’s Hit Dice formula based on the individual story for that particular monster, the current pacing of the battle, or both. For example, an average ogre has 59 hit points from 7d10 + 21 Hit Dice. This means a weak ogre might have as few as 28 hit points, while a particularly strong ogre might have 91. This lets you easily set up fights in which minion ogres might have fewer hit points while boss ogres have more. (As an even lazier rule of thumb, you can halve or double a monster’s average hit points to give you a weaker or stronger version of that monster.) You can turn this dial before a battle begins or even during the battle itself. If a battle drags, reduce the hit points of a monster to get it out of the fight earlier. If a battle feels like it will be over too quickly, increase the monster’s hit points to make it hold up longer. Start with average hit points, and then turn the hit point dial one way or the other whenever doing so can make the game more fun. “NUMBER OF MONSTERS” DIAL The “number of monsters in a battle” dial alters combat challenge the most dramatically of all the dials—but because it’s so clearly visible to players, this dial is also sometimes difficult to change during a fight. If circ*mstances allow for it, some monsters might flee or automatically fall depending on the events of a fight. Undead might break if their necromancer master is killed, and many intelligent creatures will flee a fight they can’t win. Other times, more monsters might enter the fray in a second wave if the first wave isn’t standing up to the characters. When developing a combat encounter in which you think you might turn this dial, consider beforehand how monsters might leave the battle or how other monsters might join the fight as reinforcements in a realistic way. “DAMAGE” DIAL Increasing the amount of damage a monster deals on each attack increases the monster’s threat and can make a dull fight more fun. In the same way, decreasing monster damage can help prevent a fight from becoming overwhelming if the characters are having trouble. The static damage value noted in a monster’s stat block represents the average of the damage formula for the monster’s attack. If you use average damage, you can adjust the damage based on that formula. For example, an ogre deals 13 (2d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage with their greatclub attack, so you can set this damage at anywhere from 6 to 20 and still be within the range of what you might roll. If you’re a DM who rolls for damage, you can also turn the damage dial up by adding one or more additional damage dice. If you like, you can have an in-game reason for this increase. Perhaps an ogre sets its club on fire to deal an additional 4 (1d8) or 7 (2d6) fire damage. Or a particularly dangerous vampire with an unholy sword might deal an extra 27 (6d8) necrotic damage if you so choose. Adding these kinds of effects to a monster’s attack is an excellent way of increasing a monster’s threat in a way the players can clearly understand—and it has no upper limit. “NUMBER OF ATTACKS” DIAL Increasing or decreasing the number of attacks a monster makes has a larger effect on its threat than increasing its damage. You can increase a monster’s number of attacks if it’s badly threatened by the characters, just as you can reduce its attacks if the characters are having an easy time. An angry ogre left alone after its friends have fallen to the heroes might start swinging its club twice per Attack action instead of just once. Single creatures facing an entire party of adventurers often benefit from increasing their number of attacks. MIX AND MATCH You can turn any or all of these dials to tune a combat encounter and bring the most excitement to your game. Don’t turn the dials just to make every battle harder, though. Sometimes cutting through great swaths of easy monsters is exactly the sort of situation players love. Turning several dials together can change combat dramatically, helping to keep things feeling fresh. For example, a group of starving ogres might be weakened (lowering the hit point dial) but also frenzied in combat (turning up the attack dial). By adjusting these dials when designing encounters and during your game, you can keep the pacing of combat exciting and fun. MONSTER DIFFICULTY DIALS
32 The following monster templates can help you customize existing monsters into new unique variants that can fit a variety of locations and circ*mstances. With just a few templates in hand, your core monster books can become much more useful. CHALLENGE RATING INCREASE? The challenge ratings described in these templates are loose guides, so use your best judgment with them. Apply these templates only when you have a good handle on your characters’ capabilities, and be prepared to tune your new monsters accordingly. ELEMENTAL MONSTERS Apply this template to any monster to make an elemental version of that monster. Choose from or roll on the following table to determine the type of elemental template you want to apply: d8 Elemental Template Elemental Template 1 Fire 5 Poison 2 Cold 6 Necrotic 3 Lighting 7 Radiant 4 Acid 8 Thunder Then choose one or more of the following traits to customize your monster, making use of the damage type determined by the elemental template: • Elemental Resistance. The templated creature has resistance against its damage type. • Elemental Damage. When the templated creature scores a hit using a weapon attack, the attack deals extra damage of its damage type. • Elemental Aura. Any creature that starts their turn within an area surrounding the templated creature, or that enters that area for the first time on a turn, takes damage of the templated creature’s type. • Elemental Shield. Any creature that touches the templated creature or hits them with a melee attack while within 5 feet of them takes damage of the templated creature’s type. The amount of damage and the size of a templated creature’s elemental aura is determined by the base creature’s challenge rating. The damage noted is the same for both attacks and the creature’s aura. CR Damage Aura Size 0–1 3 (1d6) 5 feet 2–5 7 (2d6) 10 feet 6–10 10 (3d6) 15 feet 11–15 14 (4d6) 20 feet 16+ 21 (6d6) 25 feet This elemental template increases a monster’s challenge rating by 1 or 2. DIRE MONSTERS Dire monsters are particularly large and dangerous versions of typical monsters, and can be created using the following guidelines: • The monster’s hit points are doubled. • The monster’s size increases one category. • The monster gains a +2 bonus to attack rolls. • The monster can use one or more of its standard attacks multiple times on its attack action. Use your best judgment to choose which of the monster’s attacks to use for multiple attacks. • The monster’s challenge rating increases by 2 or 3. FIENDISH MONSTERS Infernal or abyssal variants of existing monsters are endlessly spawned across the Lower Planes. This template can turn any monster into a fiendish variant: • The monster’s type becomes fiend. • The monster has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. • The monster has resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks. • The monster has resistance to cold and fire damage. • The monster has immunity to poison damage and the poisoned condition. • The monster’s weapon attacks are magical. • The monster has darkvision out to a range of 120 feet. • The monster’s challenge rating increases by 1. SPELL-INFUSED MONSTERS Some monsters can innately cast magical spells. Spellinfused monsters typically have a spell attack bonus of 3 + one-half the monster’s challenge rating, and a spell save DC of 12 + one-half the monster’s challenge rating (rounded down in both cases). Spell-infused creatures do not require components to cast their spells. They typically use each of their spells once, recovering the ability to do so when they finish a long rest. Roll for or choose from the table to determine which spells a creature can use. Spells that deal high damage can affect a creature’s challenge rating. d20 Spell Spell 1 Burning hands 11 Invisibility 2 Magic missile 12 Misty step 3 Disguise self 13 Scorching ray 4 Fog cloud 14 Shatter 5 Shield 15 Spirit guardians 6 Inflict wounds 16 Dispel magic 7 Faerie fire 17 Fly 8 Thunderwave 18 Gaseous form 9 Blur 19 Lightning bolt 10 Darkness 20 Fireball MONSTER TEMPLATES
33 Death comes to all things, but not even death can keep a good monster down. You can easily create an undead variant of any monster simply by giving it the undead type and describing its undead appearance, letting the narrative feed the players’ impression of fighting undead without requiring any mechanical changes. But for even more realistic undead, you can use any of the following templates to give a monster some of the properties and attributes of a specific type of undead creature. UNDEAD TEMPLATES All creatures that take on one of these templates gain the following universal changes: • The creature’s type becomes undead. • The creature has darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. • Any new trait of the creature’s that requires a saving throw uses a DC of 12 + one-half the undead creature’s challenge rating. Then apply the traits and actions of any of the following specific templates. SKELETON • Vulnerability to bludgeoning damage. • Immunity to poison damage, to exhaustion, and to the poisoned condition ZOMBIE • Immunity to poison damage and the poisoned condition. • Undead Fortitude: If damage reduces the creature to 0 hit points, it must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC of 5 + the damage taken, unless the damage is radiant or from a critical hit. On a success, the creature drops to 1 hit point instead. GHOUL • Immunity to poison damage, to exhaustion, and to the charmed and poisoned conditions. • Paralyzing Touch. When this creature hits with a melee attack using a natural weapon, the target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. Elves and undead are immune to this effect. WIGHT • Resistance to necrotic and poison damage, and to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks that aren’t silvered. • Immunity to exhaustion and the poisoned condition. • Life Drain. When this creature hits with a melee attack using a natural weapon, the attack deals necrotic damage equal to 1d6 + one-half the creature’s challenge rating, and the target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or have its hit point maximum reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken. This reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0. WRAITH • Resistance to acid, cold, fire, lightning, and thunder damage, and to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks that aren’t silvered. • Immunity to necrotic and poison damage, to exhaustion, and to the charmed, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, prone, and restrained conditions. • The creature has the wraith’s Incorporeal Movement and Sunlight Sensitivity traits. • The creature gains the following trait: Life Drain. When this creature hits with a melee attack using a natural weapon, the attack deals necrotic damage equal to 1d6 + one-half the creature’s challenge rating, and the target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or have its hit point maximum reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken. This reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0. VAMPIRE SPAWN • Resistance to necrotic, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks. • The creature has the vampire spawn’s Spider Climb, Vampire Weaknesses, and Regeneration traits. • Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: 4 + one-half the creature’s CR to hit, reach 5 ft., one willing creature, or a creature that is grappled by the vampire spawn creature, incapacitated, or restrained. Hit: piercing damage equal to 1d6 + one-half the creature’s CR, plus necrotic damage equal to 1d6 per onehalf the creature’s CR (minimum 1d6). The target’s hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken, and the templated creature regains hit points equal to that amount. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0. • The creature can grapple a target instead of dealing damage with any of its attacks. If it makes multiple attacks, it can replace one of those attacks with the Bite action. • If you want your vampire spawn creature to feel even more vampiric, give it the ability to cast the misty step, command, or hold person spells at will as a bonus action. POWERFUL UNDEAD TEMPLATES To build variants of creatures modeled after more powerful undead, use the undead creature’s stat block and add traits from the base creature. It’s easier to apply the traits and actions of a stone giant to a lich or vampire stat block than it is to apply lich or vampire traits to a stone giant stat block. ABILITY MODIFICATIONS Ability score modifications to undead creatures aren’t covered in these templates. For example, skeletons might have reductions to Dexterity and Charisma, and vampire spawn might have boosted Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores. Most of the time, you can safely skip such changes, simply improvising adjustments to the baseline abilities of the monster when needed. UNDEAD TEMPLATES
34 This section helps you quickly improvise a legendary version of an existing monster, letting you make a single monster a greater challenge. Such improvised monsters break the challenge ratings of the creatures they’re based on, so use your experience with the capabilities of the characters to build encounters with these monsters. Focus on building an exciting boss monster that challenges the characters and lets them show off their coolest abilities, and let the encounter define its own difficulty. When using an improvised legendary monster, make sure the players and characters know that they are facing a more powerful legendary version of a foe they might have fought before, so they know what to expect. As well, avoid combining multiple legendary creatures in a single combat encounter, whether standard legendary creatures or new creatures improvised with these rules. LEGENDARY RESISTANCE You don’t want a legendary monster getting pinned down by a few failed saving throws early in the fight. The Legendary Resistance trait is the solution: Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the monster fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead. You can also choose to boost a boss monster’s defenses by granting it advantage on saving throws against magical effects, advantage or immunity to effects that turn undead, or advantage when making Constitution saving throws to maintain concentration. Do whatever makes sense for the narrative of the battle. LEGENDARY ACTIONS Legendary actions increase the number of actions your boss monster can take, making a potent foe throughout each round of the fight: This legendary monster can take 3 legendary actions. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The legendary monster regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn. Legendary actions typically include such things as making a single attack, casting a low-level spell, or taking the Dash, Dodge, Disengage, Hide, or Search actions. Legendary creatures might likewise be able to take such actions as bonus actions on their turn. Powerful effects such as area attacks might cost 2 or 3 legendary actions. TWEAK HIT POINTS Boss monsters are often the central target of the characters, and need the defenses to be able to withstand the brunt of their attacks. Consider increasing the hit points of a boss monster, most easily by doubling the hit points of the base monster. TWEAK DAMAGE Adding attacks as legendary actions dramatically increases the overall damage done by a legendary version of an existing monster. If you feel the need to add even more damage, consider adding elemental damage that makes sense for the monster. For example, a legendary wight might deal an extra 7 (2d6) necrotic damage with successful weapon attacks. USEFUL INNATE SPELLS Even if a legendary monster isn’t a traditional spellcaster, giving them access to innate spells is an easy way to make them significantly more interesting. Choose spells that work well for the boss monster’s role in the combat narrative, based on the challenge you want to provide and what makes thematic sense for the monster. Certain innate spells might be “always on,” creating effects that the boss can use automatically. Others might be cast by the monster as an action, a bonus action, or a legendary action, or might replace one attack in the monster’s Multiattack action. PERSISTENT THREAT Spells that can threaten the characters regardless of how the boss takes its actions make good candidates for “always on” effects, and might not require concentration as you see fit. Such spells include spiritual weapon, spirit guardians, cloudkill, and fire shield. ESCAPE AND DEFENSE Some spells can help boss monsters survive longer and counter debilitating effects, including shield, fog cloud, darkness, misty step, and greater invisibility. HIGH DAMAGE Some of the best spells for an improvised legendary creature allow it to deal a whole bunch of damage to one or more creatures, including fire bolt, scorching ray, shatter, lightning bolt, and fireball. ADD MINIONS One of the easiest ways to keep a boss battle a continuing challenge is to add more monsters to it. Whether a legendary monster is a shadowy assassin, a high cultist, or a monster with foul servants, minions can help harry attackers and create a protective barrier around the boss. A boss might also be able to redirect the damage they take to their minions if it makes sense for the story. MAKING LEGENDARY MONSTERS
35 This section helps you more easily run battles in which the characters face large numbers of monsters, and provides an alternative to the guidelines found in The Lazy DM’s Workbook. To accommodate running horde combat, we change the rules for running monsters in two ways: adjusting how we track damage done to monsters in a horde, and how we adjudicate attack rolls and saving throws for the horde. You can use these approaches individually or together when running large numbers of monsters. POOLING DAMAGE Pooling damage means that instead of tracking the damage dealt to individual monsters, you track damage dealt to the horde as a whole. Add up the damage of each attack, regardless of which monster in the horde is hit. Then every time the total of damage taken is higher than the hit points of a single monster in the horde, remove the last monster hit and reset the damage dealt to zero. If enough damage is dealt with a single attack to kill multiple monsters, remove that number of monsters, subtracting their hit points from the damage dealt until there isn’t enough damage remaining to kill another monster. To make this math even easier, you can round each monster’s hit points to the nearest 5 or 10. If the horde is hit by a damage-dealing area effect (including spells), remove any creatures that took damage equal to or greater than their hit points after determining their saving throw results. If the damage isn’t enough to kill a single monster, tally up the total damage done and remove monsters one at a time, subtracting their hit points from the damage until all damage is accounted for. For even easier adjudication, you can simply remove any monsters that fail their saving throws, without worrying about their hit points. DETERMINE TARGETS The circ*mstances of the encounter dictate how many members of the horde can attack the characters. Unless the circ*mstances dictate otherwise, assume the horde evenly spreads its attacks across all characters. If certain characters step ahead of the rest of the party or block choke points that prevent the horde from reaching other characters, you can redirect the horde’s attacks to the characters stepping forward. ADJUDICATING ATTACKS AND SAVING THROWS Whenever rolling individual attacks or saving throws would be a burden, assume that one quarter of attacks or saving throws rolled by the horde succeed. Round up or down depending on the circ*mstances, such as when determining how many attacks succeed against characters with wildly different ACs. If all the creatures in a horde have advantage on an attack or saving throw, increase the number of successful attacks or saving throws to one half. If the horde has disadvantage, reduce the number to one in ten. If any member of the horde is affected by an effect that leaves them incapacitated, remove them from play. If you prefer to roll dice, roll twice when a group of monsters all make attacks or saving throws. On each success, one quarter of the monster attacks or saving throws succeed. If both rolls fail, no attacks or saving throws succeed. ADJUDICATING AREAS OF EFFECT Adjudicate the number of creatures caught up in an area of effect based on the circ*mstances, but leaning toward more creatures rather than fewer. You can use the following as a baseline for the number of tightly packed creatures in a horde that are affected in a given area: • Tiny Area (5-foot radius): Two creatures • Small Area (10- to 15-foot radius): Four creatures • Large Area (20-foot radius): Sixteen creatures • Huge Area (30-foot radius or more): Thirty-two or more creatures • Short Line (60 feet): Six creatures • Long Line (120 feet): Eight creatures TIPS AND TRICKS The following guidelines can help you use horde combat most effectively: • Describe these horde combat rules to the players so everyone understands how they work. Always adjudicate combat to the characters’ benefit, and help the players achieve their goals. • Use evocative descriptions to flavor a horde. Worry less about the mechanics and more about the feeling involved in fighting a huge horde of monsters. • Avoid using hordes with monsters of different types in a single battle. Instead, use a single stat block and describe any physical differences between monsters narratively. • Augment a horde with a handful of more powerful monsters when desired. Track the hit points and attacks of these powerful monsters normally. • As hordes diminish to a manageable level, return to tracking individual hit points, attacks, and saving throws normally. RUNNING HORDES
36 The guidelines in this section replace the madness rules found in the game’s core rules and The Lazy DM’s Workbook. The concept of “madness” has long been used to malign and marginalize complex psychological symptoms and the individuals coping with them. This new approach works with explicitly supernatural hindrances to break away from those stereotypes. These effects represent dire reactions to a character witnessing something so alien and horrific that it has a lasting effect. You can use these descriptions to replace the more general frightened, stunned, or incapacitated conditions as desired. When amplifying a sense of stress or horror in a game, ensure that you have the players’ permission ahead of time and that proper safety tools (see page 9) are in place. USING STRESS EFFECTS Some things are beyond the ability of the mortal mind to comprehend. When witnessing alien or horrific entities, locations, and events, even the most powerful heroes might find their ability to process what unfolds around them shut down, forcing them to make a stress check. Such a check might be warranted by any of the following situations: • Witnessing a ghoul devouring a body • Beholding a bloody sacrificial altar • Watching the raising of the dead • Witnessing a ritual sacrifice • Hearing the sermon of a dark priest • Reading words from a forbidden tome • Reading glyphs describing an elder evil • Seeing a parasite burst free from its host • Beholding unholy primordial cave paintings • Touching an unholy artifact • Peering through a portal into the Nine Hells • Staring into a scrying pool showing the Abyss • Discovering the ruins of a sentient alien vessel • Watching depraved acts of cannibalism • Seeing the true form of an abomination • Falling into the depths of the Astral Plane • Staring into the tumultuous extents of Limbo • Standing in the presence of a demon prince • Beholding an alien city of elder evils • Witnessing the death of a god STRESS RESULTS Whenever a character witnesses a potential stress event, you can ask for a Charisma saving throw with a DC based on the severity of the event, from DC 10 (easy) to DC 20 (hard). On a failed save, the character suffers a roleplaying effect from the Stress Effects table. Make sure you review the effects on the table during session zero to ensure they don’t cross any players’ lines of comfort. STRESS EFFECTS d20 Effect 1 You slip into a mental vision of a restful place. 2 You whisper in a tongue no mortal understands. 3 Blood flows from your eyes. 4 You collapse as you lose all strength. 5 A screaming whine fills your hearing. 6 Your heart seems to stop in your chest. 7 The faces of your friends hideously contort. 8 Your heartbeat hammers in your ears. 9 You hear strange, discordant music. 10 You fall asleep and dream of darkness. 11 A terrible memory of your past comes to mind. 12 Physical pain and burning wracks your body. 13 You find yourself unable to move or speak. 14 Unbound shadows seem to crawl toward you. 15 You hear the echoing sound of children crying. 16 You lose control of your bodily functions. 17 Your vision fills with twisted geometric shapes. 18 You hear the whispers of an otherworldly being. 19 You scream as blood flows from your mouth. 20 You feel as though all your bones begin to crack. You determine how long the effect lasts and can add mechanical hindrances inspired by the effect at your discretion. Alternatively, you can add the following mechanical effect: On a failed save, the character becomes stunned for 1 minute. The character can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of their turns and whenever they take damage, ending the effect on themself on a success. If the character’s saving throw is successful or if the effect ends for it, the character is immune to this effect for the next 24 hours. A character can also choose to break this effect at the start of their turn by taking 4 (1d8) psychic damage per two character levels. A lesser restoration or equivalent effect likewise negates a stress effect. (You can also apply this mechanism for breaking an effect by taking psychic damage to characters who are frightened, stunned, or incapacitated.) LONG-TERM EFFECTS DMs and players can work together to determine whether stress effects have longer-term ramifications. Any such long-term results should reflect not just the character and the situation, but also the players’ desires. Be mindful to avoid terms such as “madness” or “crazy” to describe the long-term effects of stressful encounters. Consider instead the otherworldly nature of the situation and effect, and focus on how the character might respond to such a stressful experience. Special thanks to Dr. Megan Connell and Dr. Michael Mallen for their feedback on this guide. STRESS EFFECTS
37 This section can help you quickly build a village, town, or city with a focus on the features that are generally most important for fantasy adventures. You can roll for various features on the following tables, or use them as inspiration for features of your own. SETTLEMENT LOCATIONS The establishments the characters might find themselves in can help build out a settlement. Roll a d8 for villages, a d12 for towns, and a d20 for cities. d8/d12/ d20 Establishment Establishment 1 Inn 11 Magistrate 2 Tavern 12 Druid’s grove 3 Outfitters 13 Military castle 4 Blacksmith 14 Apothecary 5 Small keep 15 Wizard’s tower 6 Job board 16 Prison 7 Butcher/grocer 17 Coliseum 8 Stables 18 Amphitheater 9 Temple 19 Adventurers’ guild 10 Weaponsmith 20 Royal court NOTABLE LANDMARKS As the characters travel within a settlement, drop in landmarks as encounter backdrops or to bring the settlement to life. d20 Landmark Landmark 1 Hero’s statue 11 Signal brazier 2 Holy shrine 12 Ancient gateway 3 Funeral pyre 13 Lush gardens 4 Old tomb 14 Carved pillars 5 Empty well 15 Ornate fountain 6 Prisoners’ stocks 16 Beautiful mosaic 7 Public bell 17 Seedy market 8 Executioner’s block 18 Crumbling watchtower 9 Faerie tree 19 Old sewer entrance 10 Ancient megalith 20 Triumphal arch ADVENTURE LOCATIONS Any settlement can contain exciting adventure locations. d20 Location Location 1 Haunted manor 11 Crumbling cairn 2 Forgotten sewers 12 Old tomb 3 Abandoned mines 13 Trapped mansion 4 Deep well shaft 14 Otherworldly portal 5 Ancient catacombs 15 Smugglers’ warehouse 6 Ruined tower 16 Wrecked vehicle or ship 7 Thieves’ den 17 Abandoned lighthouse 8 Castle dungeons 18 Underground caverns 9 Infested cellars 19 Forgotten halls 10 Flooded tunnels 20 Ruined bridgeworks MAIN INDUSTRIES A settlement could have a number of industries around which it has grown and developed. d20 Industry Industry 1 Fishing 11 Military training 2 Hunting 12 Religion 3 Horses 13 Winemaking 4 Livestock 14 Arcane research 5 Farming 15 Higher learning 6 Woodworking 16 Exploration 7 Metalworking 17 Dungeon delving 8 Mining 18 Archaeology 9 Guilds and trade 19 Beast riding 10 Boatbuilding 20 Protectors LOCATION NAMES A traditional-sounding fantasy name can help make shops and businesses memorable for the players. You can extend the use of this table by rolling twice, and using the first word from the first roll and the second word from the second roll. Add “The” as appropriate. d20 Name Name 1 Rusty Lantern 11 Swooning Lion 2 Learned Rooster 12 Angry Bottle 3 Steel Sword 13 Pleasant Friend 4 Ruby Goat 14 Sunlit Cloister 5 Midnight Tomcat 15 Autumn Citadel 6 Shining Gemstone 16 Sunken Warship 7 Iron Cauldron 17 Burning Blossom 8 Midday Moon 18 Frozen Skull 9 Lady’s Stallion 19 Old Warhorn 10 Lord’s Basket 20 Black Sun SETTLEMENT EVENTS The events taking place in a settlement while the characters are visiting can make the place come to life or provide an interesting backdrop to the adventure. d20 Event Event 1 Street theater 11 Knights’ tournament 2 Holy anointing 12 Athletic competition 3 Military parade 13 Great hunt 4 Costumed parade 14 Children’s festival 5 Seasonal festival 15 Historic remembrance 6 Royal excursion 16 Official proclamation 7 Public execution 17 Somber funeral 8 Grand bazaar 18 Bandit attack 9 Grand feast 19 Grand discovery 10 Day of mourning 20 Arcane display SETTLEMENT GENERATOR
38 This section can be used to build out an interesting environment while the characters are exploring a wilderness setting. Rather than having a wilderness feel like an empty landscape, you can focus on memorable landmarks, distinct paths and route markers, and noteworthy encounter possibilities to bring the characters’ wilderness journey to life. WILDERNESS QUESTS If you don’t have a quest already in mind, or if you’d like to set up a side quest during the characters’ wilderness exploration, you can use the following table for inspiration. d10 Quest 1 Restore a defiled grove 2 Find and heal a wounded beast 3 Locate an ancient fey gateway 4 Find a lost city 5 Recover an item stolen by unseelie fey 6 Find a rare spell component 7 Hunt down a defiler 8 Seek the counsel of an ancient being 9 Locate someone lost in the deep wood 10 Plant a magical acorn WILDERNESS LANDMARKS To start building out your wilderness location, choose a number of landmarks the characters might discover while they explore, using the following table for inspiration. d20 Landmark Landmark 1 Cracked megalith 11 Acidic hot springs 2 Giant mushroom 12 Natural archway 3 Hollow meteorite 13 Standing stones 4 Huge dead tree 14 Gateway to shadow 5 Perfectly still pool 15 Huge cave entrance 6 Ancient fey gate 16 Lost city of gold 7 Lava lake 17 Huge glowing crystal 8 Giant skull 18 Tunneled mud flats 9 Faerie village 19 Primeval graveyard 10 Tree of skulls 20 Floating monolith WILDERNESS PATHS For each of your landmarks, determine what paths— literal or virtual—might connect them. Include multiple paths, loop backs, dead ends, and secret paths to create interesting options for the characters while traveling. d20 Path Path 1 Dancing faeries 11 Pointing skeletons 2 Arcane ley line 12 Obsidian markers 3 Bloody game trail 13 Strange smells 4 Glyphed trees 14 Tree carvings 5 Mushroom path 15 Ghostly wolf 6 Running hares 16 Laughing nymphs 7 Lines in the stars 17 Alluring songs 8 Ancient ravine 18 An old string 9 Roaring river 19 Unique plants 10 Friendly critters 20 Ivy-covered statues MONSTROUS ENCOUNTERS You can use this table to determine what monstrous encounters the characters might face while exploring. And even if the characters don’t face a monster, they might see signs of monsters that traveled through an area earlier. d20 Monsters Monsters 1 Goblin scouts 11 Ancient skeletons 2 Unseelie elves 12 Raging redcaps 3 Mutated giants 13 Solitary vampire 4 Wrathful cyclopes 14 Ravenous ghouls 5 Vengeful medusas 15 Hag coven 6 Gazing basilisks 16 Dark knights 7 Dreadful spiders 17 Twisted cultists 8 Territorial dragon 18 Evil druids 9 Betrayed banshees 19 Drow protectors 10 Confused specters 20 Defiling wizards WONDROUS SITES In addition to the locations and encounters above, give thought to unusual creatures and sites the characters might encounter. Such sites can provide upward beats and positive experiences in your adventure. d10 Encounter 1 Secluded village 2 Ancient healing fountain 3 Natural restful spring 4 Holy knight on a quest of honor 5 Helpful but mischievous faeries 6 Celestial entity of a hero’s god 7 Elder tree of wisdom 8 Lost enclave 9 Glade of empowering flowers 10 Vine-covered statue of blessings WILDERNESS EXPLORATION
39 This section helps you build rich encounters in the caverns, tunnels, and chambers hidden beneath the surface of the world. You can use the point-crawl style of adventure design (see page 24) to create a map of caverns and other areas, linked by tunnels and other connecting routes. Then fill those caverns and chambers with interesting monuments, effects, and encounters as needed. Include multiple paths, secret routes, and loop backs to make exploration interesting. UNDERGROUND LOCATIONS The nature of underground adventuring means that each location might serve as simple backdrop for exploration, or could be the site of a full adventure. d20 Location Location 1 Towering waterfall 11 Ruined village 2 Massive rift 12 Underground lake 3 Spiraling pit 13 Hall of faces 4 Chilled bone yard 14 Chamber of pillars 5 Molten lake 15 Huge stairwell 6 Mushroom grove 16 Petrified forest 7 Shattered keep 17 Crystalline chamber 8 Forgotten crypt 18 Infernal prison 9 Primeval cairn 19 Cavern of echoes 10 Deep shaft 20 Abandoned mine UNDERGROUND CONNECTORS Paths and passageways of all kinds can connect the various areas of the underworld. d20 Connector Connector 1 Narrow rift walkway 11 Natural caves 2 Underground river 12 Steam vents 3 Molten lava flow 13 Failing fey gate 4 Giant worm’s tunnel 14 Giant staircase 5 Rotten roots 15 Narrow bridge 6 Dimensional portal 16 Arcane doorway 7 Ancient hallway 17 Dimensional rift 8 Infested warren 18 Forgotten sewers 9 Dwarven roadway 19 Earthquake fissure 10 Mining tunnels 20 Bottomless ravine UNDERGROUND MONUMENTS The monuments of contemporary, ancient, and lost civilizations often decorate caverns and chambers underground. d20 Monument Monument 1 Floating rocks 11 Towering effigy 2 Black obelisk 12 Offal mound 3 Huge skull 13 Giant sword 4 Iron statues 14 Huge statue 5 Charnel pit 15 Steam vents 6 Webbed corpses 16 Carved stalagmites 7 Arcane circle 17 Sacrificial altar 8 Cracked megaliths 18 Iron sarcophagus 9 Glyph-marked archway 19 Smoldering firepit 10 Bloody battlefield 20 Hanging cages UNDERGROUND HAZARDS Locations and connectors alike can feature strange ongoing hazards and effects. Some of these might be wholly descriptive, or you can improvise mechanical effects as desired. d20 Hazard Hazard 1 Dripping acid 11 Ancient traps 2 Psychic screams 12 Scarab swarms 3 Lava cracks 13 Gripping shadows 4 Freezing fog 14 Razor-sharp stones 5 Blood-raging song 15 Charming mosaics 6 Poisonous geysers 16 Explosive runes 7 Static discharge 17 Falling rocks 8 Arcane instability 18 Magnetic ceiling 9 Life-draining glyphs 19 Armed statues 10 Slippery ooze 20 Antimagic pockets UNDERGROUND ENCOUNTERS Countless sinister monsters lurk in the shadows underground. These encounters are best suited for characters of 3rd through 6th level. d20 Encounter Encounter 1 Murderous bandits 11 Howling death dogs 2 Bloody cultists 12 Starving ghouls 3 Plague-ridden rats 13 Giant spiders 4 Drow scouts 14 Misguided specters 5 Skeletal guardians 15 Spiders and ettercaps 6 Cunning co*ckatrices 16 Gibbering mouthers 7 Orc zombies 17 Ogre mercenaries 8 Gray oozes 18 Minotaur skeletons 9 Monstrous shadows 19 Stone-eyed basilisks 10 Bugbear hunters 20 Guardian wights UNDERGROUND EXPLORATION
40 Beauty and ugliness, night and day, summer and winter—the lands of the fey are lands of duality, filled with mysteries and wonders. Use the tables in this section to build out your own faerie-inspired adventures. Each table is set up so the first half provides options for the seelie fey, with the second half providing options for the unseelie fey. FAERIE ADVENTURE LOCATIONS Wondrous locations abound across the lands of the seelie and the unseelie alike. d20 Location Location 1 Summer palace 11 Hollow dead tree 2 Faerie pool 12 Defiled grove 3 Tree of life 13 Cavernous maw 4 Golden earthmote 14 Dead village 5 Sunbathed tower 15 Lost oubliette 6 Treant grove 16 Acidic geysers 7 Mushroom villa 17 Wild cairn 8 Maze garden 18 Volcanic caverns 9 Natural airship 19 Overgrown keep 10 Faerie menagerie 20 Winter court STRANGE EVENTS As characters journey throughout the lands of the fey, they might find themselves caught up in mysterious happenings of all sorts. d20 Event 1 A character’s bootlaces suddenly tie together. 2 Snowballs appear in clement weather. 3 All rations turn into cupcakes. 4 A rain of honey mead begins to fall. 5 Frogs begin to sing a bawdy tune. 6 The party’s silver coins are replaced with marbles. 7 Day changes to night, then back to day in minutes. 8 The party’s water is replaced by wine. 9 Characters’ pockets are filled with tiny bells. 10 Animals and insects mock the characters. 11 The party’s rations grow rancid. 12 It begins to rain black oil. 13 Muddy ground sucks the boots off characters’ feet. 14 The air fills with ashen butterflies. 15 Bugs erupt out from the characters’ packs. 16 Plants exude the smell of rotting meat. 17 The temperature drops to freezing. 18 The characters find the graves of loved ones. 19 Blood flows like sap from trees and stones. 20 Statues whisper terrible secrets. FAERIE MONUMENTS Overgrown monuments dot the lands of the fey, many containing secrets lost to time. d20 Monument Monument 1 Tree of flowers 11 Hag’s cauldron 2 Faerie spring 12 Impaled faeries 3 Elven monoliths 13 Titanic bones 4 Floating orrery 14 Headless statue 5 Satyr statue 15 Unholy megaliths 6 Blue-water fountain 16 Tree of corpses 7 Rosebud throne 17 Dark portal 8 Mirror pond 18 Obsidian throne 9 Wishing well 19 Unsettling sculpture 10 Wine grove 20 Icy tomb FEY ENCOUNTERS Travelers to the lands of the fey might encounter wonders both delightful and terrible. d20 Encounter Encounter 1 Mischievous faeries 11 Bloodthirsty redcaps 2 Lost travelers 12 Twisted giants 3 Court picnic 13 Battle-worn hobgoblins 4 Centaur hunters 14 Beguiling devil 5 Luminescent stag 15 Friendly hag 6 Beguiled minstrels 16 Elf hunters 7 Satyr flautist 17 Haunted vampire 8 Queen’s procession 18 Cruel spiders 9 Elven plane walker 19 Bloody werewolves 10 Golden unicorn 20 Cursed treants FEYTOUCHED OBJECTS Strange feytouched objects can be found anywhere in the lands of the seelie and unseelie. d20 Object Object 1 Stone mushroom 11 Black staked heart 2 Ever-growing root 12 Bloody fang 3 Unicorn pendant 13 Ever-sticking thistle 4 Ring of living wood 14 Candle of darkness 5 Liquid sunshine 15 Bag of children’s teeth 6 Gold-laced silk rope 16 Idol of madness 7 Moon-phase amulet 17 Screaming black root 8 Golden hairbrush 18 Vampiric fangs 9 Ever-full wineglass 19 Crown of thorns 10 Self-playing harp 20 Tiny sarcophagus LAND OF THE FEY
41 In a war-themed campaign, battles rage around the characters while they do their part to turn the tide in favor of their forces. This section lets you generate the details of a campaign in which the characters play a part in a larger war between two or more armies. While the war rages around them, they choose or are assigned missions to bolster their allies and defeat their enemies. Rather than running a complicated mechanical system for large conflicts, a war campaign can focus on traditional party-based adventures and quests against a backdrop of battle, allowing the characters’ accomplishments to affect larger events. WARTIME MISSIONS As war rages around them, the characters take on missions that help steer the conflict. Consider offering three such missions at a time, and let the players choose the one that most interests them. d20 Mission Mission 1 Kill enemy leaders 11 Defend a watchtower 2 Rescue prisoners 12 Take out lieutenants 3 Steal enemy plans 13 Defend a keep 4 Sabotage machines 14 Open a drawbridge 5 Deliver intelligence 15 Detonate a bomb 6 Forge alliances 16 Seize a commander 7 Defend a choke point 17 Awaken a monster 8 Steal enemy treasure 18 Retrieve a spy 9 Uncover a weapon 19 Protect refugees 10 Destroy a bridge 20 Scout positions BATTLEGROUND LOCATIONS Locations typical to a wide-scale battle can be used as backdrop or the sites of individual adventures. d20 Location Location 1 Ruined watchtower 11 Underground bunker 2 War-torn manor 12 Dimensional gateway 3 Newly raised fort 13 Massive war machine 4 Old castle 14 Siege tower 5 Occupied town 15 Fortified hill 6 Naval ship 16 Repurposed factory 7 Planar airship 17 Occupied cathedral 8 War barge 18 Wizard’s tower 9 Floating keep 19 Defended mines 10 Mountain caves 20 Grisly prison MONUMENTS OF WAR As the characters explore or travel the battlefield, they might come across any number of war-torn monuments. d20 Monument Monument 1 Sundered machine 11 Burned bodies 2 Bloody battlefield 12 Cracked memorial 3 Massive crater 13 Shattered wall 4 Impaled victims 14 Overgrown garden 5 Destroyed fortress 15 Heads on pikes 6 Wrecked statue 16 Empty gallows 7 Charred farmhouse 17 Destroyed cemetery 8 Defiled graveyard 18 Abandoned cannons 9 Crashed airship 19 Acidic pools 10 Corpse-filled trench 20 Collapsed bridge ENEMIES At any point in their journey across hostile lands, the characters might run into deadly foes. d20 Enemy Enemy 1 Dwarf brigands 11 Bugbear assassins 2 Elf mercenaries 12 Troll warriors 3 Ogre infantry 13 Orc conscripts 4 Wounded soldiers 14 Siege-specialist giants 5 Halfling hunters 15 Guardian elementals 6 Goblin scouts 16 Protective constructs 7 Elite soldiers 17 Evil cultists 8 Hired mages 18 Loyal worgs 9 Awoken undead 19 Summoned demons 10 Kobold spies 20 Armored minotaurs WARTIME ENCOUNTERS A number of encounters in a battlefield begin peacefully, but might lead to combat when tensions run high. d20 Encounter Encounter 1 Wounded soldiers 11 Broken knights 2 Scrounging bandits 12 Frightened turncoat 3 Refugee villagers 13 Hidden treasurers 4 Prisoners of war 14 Friendly farmers 5 Stern mercenaries 15 Druid band 6 Displaced nobles 16 Surrendering troops 7 Confused spirits 17 Malfunctioning machine 8 Undercover spies 18 Neutral hospital 9 Helpful priests 19 Abandoned camp 10 Lost scouts 20 Drunken enemies WAR-THEMED CAMPAIGNS
42 Horror hides in the forgotten places of the world, and this section offers all kinds of inspiration to create haunted lairs as part of your campaign. HAUNTED LOCATIONS Many lost and abandoned locations become conduits for paranormal activity and fell magic. d20 Location Location 1 Ancient cairn 11 Sacrilegious temple 2 Decrepit manor 12 Diseased farmstead 3 Crumbling keep 13 Gothic castle 4 Unholy monastery 14 Opulent palace 5 Festering warren 15 Foggy ghost ship 6 Twilight tower 16 Abandoned mine 7 Abandoned village 17 Unseelie fey grove 8 Hollow tree 18 Moonlit cemetery 9 Forgotten dungeon 19 Frozen watchtower 10 Tainted well 20 Dusty catacombs DARK LORD In the heart of many horror-filled locations, a being of pure malevolence watches and waits before it strikes. Creatures that appear higher up on the table are typically more powerful than creatures lower down. d20 Dark Lord Dark Lord 1 Familiar zombie 11 Skeletal mage 2 Hungering ghoul 12 Raging demon 3 Haunted specter 13 Vampire lord 4 Scheming ghast 14 Death knight 5 Vengeful mimic 15 Skeletal dragon 6 Entombed mummy 16 Dusty demilich 7 Tortured ghost 17 Forgotten lich 8 Wailing banshee 18 Otherworldly horror 9 Scheming devil 19 Bound demon prince 10 Cursed revenant 20 Imprisoned god DREADFUL MONUMENTS The chambers of a haunted lair often contain physical monuments dedicated to its horrors. Roll more than once for a more flavorful location d20 Monument Monument 1 Bloody altar 11 Bloody iron maidens 2 Bone-filled cages 12 Disturbing frescoes 3 Thrumming obelisk 13 Twisted statues 4 Charred bodies 14 Dissected aberration 5 Unholy sigil 15 Massive sarcophagus 6 Abyssal portal 16 Maddening effigy 7 Deep well 17 Spiked throne 8 Crucified demon 18 Tree of woe 9 Impaled corpses 19 Iron bull 10 Charnel pit 20 Dusty columbarium TWISTED ENCOUNTERS A haunted environment can inspire any number of malevolent horrors. d20 Encounter Encounter 1 Confused ghost 11 Raving tomb robber 2 Vengeful specter 12 Starving vampire 3 Reanimated bones 13 Otherworldly horror 4 Haunted tea party 14 Curious will-o’-wisps 5 Restless mummy 15 Life-seeking shadows 6 Ghostly child 16 Swarm of insects 7 Trapped demon 17 Unholy cultists 8 Hooded torturer 18 Evil adventurers 9 Bone-filled ooze 19 Zombie horde 10 Floating skull 20 Undead mage STRANGE HAUNTINGS In every corner of a haunted location, tormented spirits might manifest in terrible ways. d20 Haunting Haunting 1 Dripping blood 11 Shrieking screams 2 Horrid stench 12 Maddening laughter 3 Squirming worms 13 Tortured wails 4 Slimy walls 14 Disturbing shadows 5 Unholy scrawling 15 Upward-flowing water 6 Flashing lights 16 Blue flames 7 Bug infestation 17 Flashes of darkness 8 Quivering corpse 18 Pulsing walls 9 Bloody markings 19 Twisting fog 10 Floating eyes 20 Strange music ACCURSED OBJECTS Within the haunted lair, strange and disturbing items contain forgotten secrets or dark power. d20 Object Object 1 Bloody hairpin 11 Severed hand 2 Amulet of skulls 12 Bleeding candle 3 Jar of eyes 13 Disturbing portrait 4 Tortured doll 14 Locket of the dead 5 Bag of teeth 15 Biting ring 6 Impaled rat 16 Thorny rose 7 Bloody dagger 17 Otherworldly cube 8 Writhing necklace 18 Twisted diary 9 Unholy coin 19 Haunted music box 10 Mist-filled canister 20 Iron skull HAUNTED LAIRS
43 Forces beyond mortality exist throughout the cosmos, and the signs of the gods mark the world in its largest cities and its oldest forgotten ruins. Some gods directly influence the lives of mortals, while others sit back on astral thrones and watch the world move as it will. You can use this section to generate gods and their secrets, whether for a single-session campaign or as part of building a larger world. For sinister gods and their followers, you can also make use of the “Cult Generator” section (page 45). DOMAINS Each god commands a specific domain covering some aspect of life in the mortal realm. Some domains fall under the auspices of good or neutrality, while others represent amorality and evil. d20 Good or Neutral d20 Evil 1 Light 1 Darkness 2 Life 2 Death 3 Nature 3 Plague 4 Crafting 4 Destruction 5 The Sea 5 The Wrathful Sea 6 The Sky 6 Storms 7 Fire 7 Wildfire 8 Valor 8 Wrath 9 War 9 Murder 10 Bravery 10 Greed 11 Peace 11 Hell 12 Order 12 Chaos 13 Arcana 13 Occult Magic 14 Blacksmithing 14 Cold Iron 15 Beauty 15 Horror 16 Death 16 Undeath 17 Knowledge 17 The Forbidden 18 Entertainment 18 Lies 19 The Seelie Fey 19 The Unseelie Fey 20 Dreams 20 Nightmares HOLY SYMBOLS The symbols of deities both popular and forgotten can be found throughout history and across all lands, whether hanging from every hearth of a great city or moldering over centuries in an ancient tomb. Whether you roll on this table or use it for inspiration, mix the results with iconography from your god’s domain and your own ideas. As an example, the symbol of a nail for the god of the wrathful sea might be a rusted nail sticking in the shattered board of a wrecked ship. A sphere for the Forbidden domain might be a cracked glass orb leaking black liquid. The Condition, Description, and Origin table in the “Core Adventure Generator” section can be used to add additional detail to specific holy symbols. d20 Symbol Symbol 1 Open hand 11 Sphere 2 Eye 12 Hammer 3 Star 13 Pair of hands 4 Roiling wave 14 Droplet of liquid 5 Crossed branches 15 Nail 6 Skull 16 Pointing hand 7 Sword 17 Fire 8 Shield 18 Scales 9 Book 19 Horns or antlers 10 Spear 20 Open claw DIVINE NAMES Each deity has a unique name among all the other beings of the cosmos. Roll twice on the following table to inspire your own divine names for the gods, or pick from name components you like. d20 Name Fragment d20 Name Fragment 1 Ava 1 ark 2 Bor 2 alys 3 Car 3 bin 4 Drin 4 ceen 5 Faer 5 druun 6 Go 6 enath 7 Gor 7 etar 8 Kal 8 ofer 9 Kor 9 gaen 10 Mir 10 kan 11 Mul 11 kuun 12 Ora 12 lenar 13 Prae 13 meer 14 Rave 14 oban 15 Sil 15 orin 16 Saar 16 syth 17 Trun 17 serath 18 Tre 18 talis 19 Wor 19 undar 20 Zyr 20 zin GOD GENERATOR
44 The world is old, and much of it lies buried beneath the sands of time. Characters who explore forgotten tombs, crumbling castles, and dead cities can easily discover the remnants of what came before. The tables in this section let you construct the broad details and historical flavor of a lost kingdom. KINGDOM’S NAME The name of an ancient kingdom might be found in the depths of old ruins or whispered by inebriated folk at the local tavern. d20 Name Name 1 Evanton 11 Zederotha 2 Rasal 12 Gleven 3 Sezar 13 Abator 4 Wovuna 14 Xendrya 5 Shade 15 Vorolus 6 Texobron 16 Puria 7 Yventra 17 Wevendra 8 Steptia 18 Makaar 9 Kralion 19 Delrya 10 Prolyn 20 Nagon RULERSHIP The oldest legends of a forgotten kingdom talk of its founders and how they came to rule. d20 Ruler Ruler 1 War-made monarch 11 Brutal warlord 2 Imperial lineage 12 Corrupt nobility 3 Corrupt council 13 Peaceful monarch 4 Magocracy 14 Demon lord 5 Theocracy 15 Aberrant horror 6 Guild council 16 Vast parliament 7 Living god 17 Regional warlords 8 Undead lord 18 Charismatic bard 9 Council of elders 19 Elected senate 10 Child emperor 20 Ageless vampire FORGOTTEN MONUMENTS Many ancient kingdoms leave monuments and ruins that can linger for centuries after the last legends fade. d20 Monument Monument 1 Massive statues 11 Songs of old 2 Stone ziggurats 12 Ancient coins 3 Trees of iron 13 Glyphed monoliths 4 Crashed earthmotes 14 Huge burial cairns 5 Huge sunken ships 15 Massive aqueducts 6 Vast spiral mines 16 Glass statues 7 Obsidian cathedrals 17 Mysterious orbs 8 Empty catacombs 18 Dead war machines 9 Charred battlefields 19 Underground cities 10 Crystalline towers 20 Dead moon CATASTROPHIC EVENTS Horrific events might have shaped the rise of a lost kingdom—or been responsible for sending it into the pages of history. d20 Event Event 1 Falling meteor 11 Sudden disappearance 2 Arcane apocalypse 12 Roiling earthquake 3 Vast flood 13 Demonic invasion 4 Terrible war 14 Ancient dragon 5 Alien invader 15 Psychic disease 6 Civil war 16 Unleashed horror 7 Bloody rebellion 17 Internal decay 8 Flesh-eating plague 18 Vast sinkholes 9 Undead hordes 19 Divine wrath 10 Cruel starvation 20 Huge monstrosity CUSTOMS AND LEGACIES Unique customs and behaviors often define the kingdoms of old, and might linger as superstitions or unexplained traditions to the present day. d20 Legacy Legacy 1 Strange deity 11 Trial by arena 2 Unusual writing 12 Ritual dancing 3 Communal families 13 Live burials 4 Strict caste system 14 Moon worship 5 Traditional piercings 15 Living artwork 6 Dances with the dead 16 Esoteric magic 7 Huge stone clocks 17 Construct technology 8 Lifelike mosaics 18 Tamed monsters 9 Numerous tattoos 19 Dragon worship 10 Brutal laws 20 Living with undead LOST KINGDOMS
45 From the depths of forgotten sewers to towering obsidian cathedrals, twisted cults can be found in any location, drawing in all those who seek answers and power. CULT ORIGINS Cults can originate among all the lineages of the world. Roll for or choose as many options on the table below as feels right to define a cult’s starting place. d20 Origin Origin 1 Human 11 Serpentfolk 2 Elven 12 Lycanthrope 3 Dwarven 13 Bugbear 4 Halfling 14 Fiendish 5 Gnome 15 Celestial 6 Orc 16 Dragonkin 7 Goblin 17 Vampiric 8 Hobgoblin 18 Ghoulish 9 Drow 19 Winged humanoids 10 Tiefling 20 Lizardfolk CULT WORSHIP At its core, a cult typically focuses on a single theme of worship and symbolic power. d20 Theme Theme 1 Death or undeath 11 Pain 2 Fire 12 The Black Moon 3 Water 13 Disease 4 Demons 14 Murder 5 Devils 15 War 6 Fallen celestial 16 Shadow 7 The Abyss 17 The Far Realm 8 Snakes 18 Blood 9 Insects 19 Pestilence 10 Rats 20 Earth CULTIST APPEARANCE Strange marks or decorations often identify individual cult members. You can roll for or choose multiple options on the table below. d20 Appearance Appearance 1 Intricate tattoos 11 Ornate clothing 2 Bite marks 12 Gilded weapons 3 Third eye 13 Horned headdress 4 Long claws 14 Amulet of an eye 5 Scarred necks 15 Black veins 6 Facial piercings 16 Eyes of flame 7 Bony protuberances 17 Bloody face paint 8 Half-shaved heads 18 Monstrous hand 9 Missing eye 19 Ornate masks 10 Ceremonial scars 20 Blindfolds CULT HEADQUARTERS Cults practice their darkest rituals in hiding, seeking the shadows of many potential locations. d20 Headquarters Headquarters 1 Abandoned tower 11 Ancient monastery 2 Forgotten sewers 12 Bloody dungeon 3 Obsidian cathedral 13 Mountainous spire 4 Royal cellars 14 Black-sailed ship 5 Unhallowed temple 15 Hollow volcano 6 Haunted keep 16 Sunken ruin 7 Buried ziggurat 17 Sundered city 8 Pit-strewn cave 18 Floating earthmote 9 Dead forest 19 Aged museum 10 Defiled crypts 20 Twisted university STRANGE RITUALS Characters investigating a cult will discover the strange and twisted rituals in which cultists partake. d20 Ritual Ritual 1 Flesh eating 11 Dark scribing 2 Humanoid sacrifice 12 Disturbing songs 3 Sacramental murder 13 Blood drinking 4 Cultists sacrificed 14 Insect stinging 5 Incense inhalation 15 Ceremonial suicide 6 Ritual combat 16 Body painting 7 Eclipse worship 17 Flesh branding 8 Self-mutilation 18 Planar binding 9 Monstrous worship 19 Cosmic whispering 10 Live burial 20 Forbidden spells CULT PROTECTORS The core of a cult is often formed of one or more types of protectors dedicated to hiding the cult’s deepest secrets. d20 Protector Protector 1 Rich aristocracy 11 Beloved performers 2 City guards 12 Greedy merchants 3 Devout villagers 13 Bloody pirates 4 Hired toughs 14 Murderous bandits 5 Holy templars 15 Corrupt officials 6 Shadowy assassins 16 Armored giants 7 Silent monks 17 Decrepit undead 8 Hidden demons 18 Animated statues 9 Disguised devils 19 Huge insects 10 Thieves’ guild 20 Servile elementals CULT GENERATOR
46 Sometimes adventurers catch glimpses of worlds beyond their own, whether a portal manifesting in the nighttime sky, another plane of existence phasing into the mortal realm, a world trapped in its own pocket universe, or a magical realm lost in the depths of the multiverse. This section helps you build out the broad details of an alien world as glimpsed through gateways or mirrors, written about in forbidden tomes, seen in dark dreams— or where the heroes find themselves trapped. TWISTED SKIES As the characters look above them, they see a sky never before witnessed by mortal eyes. You can roll for or choose multiple options from the table to create a rich tapestry for your alien sky. d20 Sky 1 Sheets of deep red that are the color of blood 2 Swirling violet clouds in a vortex 3 A starscape of huge dying suns 4 Lightning-laced clouds and dark shapes 5 Roiling flames and screaming faces 6 Floating shattered obsidian earthmotes 7 A lacework arrangement of huge twisting conduits 8 Pure light-absorbing darkness 9 A massive revolving black hole 10 Flying monstrosities dwelling in sickly yellow clouds 11 Twisting worms in a red haze 12 Filled with huge nearby planets 13 Three suns of different colors and sizes 14 A maze and webwork of walkways 15 Floating plates of shattered worlds 16 Orbiting ruins of ancient citadels 17 The fleshy maw of a huge monster 18 The roiling of an inverted sea 19 Towering pyramids on the horizon 20 Stars colliding and exploding SHATTERED LANDSCAPES The strange and twisted landscape of this otherworldly realm stretches out in front of the characters. d20 Landscape Landscape 1 Fractured stones 11 Giant bone fields 2 Acidic oceans 12 Lakes of black oil 3 Organic spires 13 Silvery rivers 4 Glyph-marked pillars 14 Skull-topped hills 5 Massive mountains 15 Geometric patterns 6 Huge crevasses 16 Floating discs 7 Glass deserts 17 Wrecked vessels 8 Towering forests 18 Ancient ruins 9 Spewing volcanoes 19 Massive fortresses 10 Vast sinkholes 20 Dead cities OTHERWORLDLY LANDMARKS An alien landscape can be marked with monuments both ancient and awe-inspiring. d20 Landmark Landmark 1 Huge stone hands 11 Writhing tentacles 2 Floating obelisks 12 Petrified worm 3 Acidic geysers 13 Circle of spires 4 Poisonous fissures 14 Huge ribcage 5 Massive skulls 15 Shattered gateway 6 Petrified aliens 16 Black moon 7 Twisting towers 17 Molten meteorite 8 Sundered keep 18 Scarlet vortex 9 Baleful red sun 19 Ring of huge teeth 10 Huge orbital eye 20 Ironspire tree OTHERWORLDLY LAIRS Throughout the alien world stand lairs filled with beings from beyond nightmare. d20 Lair Lair 1 Alien tomb 11 Vast temple 2 Hollow obelisk 12 Cracked earthmote 3 Half-buried statue 13 Ancient citadel 4 Shattered ziggurat 14 Towering spire 5 Titanic corpse 15 Walking colossus 6 Ruined alien city 16 Floating dungeon 7 Fallen skyship 17 Dormant volcano 8 Floating vessel 18 Hovering pyramid 9 Rotten tunnels 19 Festering hive 10 Hollow mountain 20 Howling mausoleum ALIEN ENCOUNTERS Characters who explore an alien world might come into contact with all manner of otherworldly creatures. d20 Encounter Encounter 1 Chosen cultists 11 Twisted construct 2 Gibbering mouthers 12 Alien hunters 3 Grasping oozes 13 Eccentric mage 4 Festering demons 14 Flying horrors 5 Ancient purple worm 15 Lost travelers 6 Sentient crystal 16 Raving telepath 7 Trapped angel 17 Tattooed hulk 8 Planar mercenaries 18 Chained giant 9 Singing pillar 19 Blinded priest 10 Grasping tentacles 20 Bursting behemoth ALIEN WORLD
47 This section lets you create an adventure inspired by Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now, in which the characters hunt down a traitor in a hostile land. Use the tables below to build out your scenario. PATRON The characters’ quest might have a patron whose history with the traitor gets the adventure going. d20 Patron Patron 1 Vengeful royalty 11 Local sheriff 2 Trading guild 12 Witch coven 3 University 13 Astral presence 4 Military officer 14 Ancient tome 5 Wizards’ guild 15 Celestial prophecy 6 Religious leader 16 Relative of a character 7 Local magistrate 17 Woodlands hunter 8 Bounty hunter 18 Dwarf miners 9 Thieves’ guild 19 Elf aristocrats 10 Noble family 20 Halfling merchants WHO IS THE TRAITOR? The traitor’s background and backstory establish the baseline of what they’re capable of, and suggests what they might have done to become the characters’ target. d20 Traitor’s Background Traitor’s Background 1 Military commander 11 Uncaged devil 2 Deadly assassin 12 Fallen celestial 3 Unholy priest 13 Living weapon 4 Forbidden mage 14 Betraying monk 5 Corrupting artist 15 Unleashed monster 6 Embezzling thief 16 Traitorous knight 7 Triple-agent spy 17 Bandit captain 8 Dangerous historian 18 Blasphemous sage 9 Royal family member 19 Escaped murderer 10 Dangerous telepath 20 Ancestral demon MOTIVATIONS In addition to (or instead of) a quest-giver, one or more of the characters might have personal motivations for seeking the traitor. d10 The Traitor … 1 … murdered a loved one. 2 … committed a coup. 3 … stole something valuable. 4 … has vital information. 5 … possesses a sought-after relic. 6 … received a vision. 7 … is kin to the character. 8 … escaped a debt. 9 … is possessed by an evil spirit. 10 … poses a future threat. HOSTILE LANDSCAPE As the characters pursue the traitor, the landscape they pass through will shape the rigors of the hunt. d20 Landscape Landscape 1 Fetid swamp 11 Rugged mountains 2 Abandoned mines 12 Scorched desert 3 Ruined city 13 Parched badlands 4 Abyssal realm 14 Haunted dungeon 5 War-torn hellscape 15 Underwater city 6 Sinister shadowland 16 Icy wasteland 7 Lush fey realm 17 Hostile war zone 8 Crime-infested city 18 Volcanic wastes 9 Ancient sewers 19 Nightmarish necropolis 10 Wild forest 20 Abstract dreamscape HOSTILE INHABITANTS In addition to other threats of your design, one particular group surrounds and protects the traitor in their sanctum. d20 Inhabitants Inhabitants 1 Ravaging undead 11 Dwarf headhunters 2 Goblinoid hunters 12 Drow assassins 3 Orc cultists 13 Vengeful wererats 4 Ogre mercenaries 14 Ravenous gnolls 5 Lizardfolk spies 15 Bloodthirsty sahuagin 6 Kobold mages 16 Stalking ghouls 7 Human cannibals 17 Ettercap hunters 8 Elf bandits 18 Hungering demons 9 Former soldiers 19 Devilish soldiers 10 Aberrant horrors 20 Feywild monsters TRAITOR’S SANCTUM The traitor’s sanctum is their last line of defense, and most likely the site of a final climactic battle. d20 Sanctum Sanctum 1 Dilapidated castle 11 Ancient machine 2 Ruined fey grove 12 God-touched ziggurat 3 Charred hellgate 13 Shattered earthmote 4 Deep cairn tunnels 14 Abyssal cyst 5 Forbidden library 15 Hollow meteorite 6 Hollow statue 16 Sunken ship 7 Unholy temple 17 Infernal prison 8 Stone fortress 18 Multiverse orrery 9 Infested sinkhole 19 Forgotten vault 10 Shadowy rift 20 Dead titan’s carcass THE TRAITOR
48 Inspired by Stephen Spielberg’s Jaws, these tables help you build an adventure focused on hunting a creature of nightmare holding a settlement in terror. Can the characters eliminate the threat before its ravenous hunger causes it to kill again? WHAT IS THE CREATURE? Any number of creatures might follow the call of hunger or evil to become a monstrous threat. The higher the roll on the following table, the more powerful the creature. d20 Creature Creature 1 Cunning dire wolf 11 Forgotten chuul 2 Ancient spider 12 Buried bulette 3 Ravenous toad 13 Legendary crocodile 4 Elusive ankheg 14 Entombed gorgon 5 Brutal ettercap 15 Chaotic chimera 6 Mythic basilisk 16 Vengeful wyvern 7 Deadly scorpion 17 Restless hydra 8 Scarred owlbear 18 Bound golem 9 Planar spider 19 Scheming behir 10 Hidden werewolf 20 Apocalyptic worm WHAT MAKES IT UNIQUE? In addition to its baseline traits and attacks, the hungering creature can have one or more unusual abilities. d20 Ability Ability 1 Invisibility 11 Teleports 2 Flies 12 Disrupts magic 3 Spider climbing 13 Burning eyes 4 Magic resistance 14 Stone armor 5 Elemental attacks 15 Darkness aura 6 Necrotic aura 16 Magical shield 7 Sprays acid 17 Elemental aura 8 Turns ethereal 18 Reflects magic 9 Charms victims 19 Blinding gaze 10 Regenerates 20 Turns to stone WHERE DOES IT RESIDE? The lair of the creature could be the site of a final battle, or an entire adventure location to be explored. d20 Lair Lair 1 Primeval cairn 11 Sunken grotto 2 Unholy cesspit 12 Derelict vessel 3 Lich's sanctum 13 Volcanic cave 4 Forgotten sewers 14 Twisted dreamscape 5 Moonlit tower 15 Infested warrens 6 Empty undercity 16 Decrepit mansion 7 Unhallowed temple 17 Underground ziggurat 8 Lost menagerie 18 Alchemist's lab 9 Uncovered mineshaft 19 Treacherous mountain 10 Ancient shipwreck 20 Infernal forge WHO PROTECTS THE CREATURE? Different groups might protect, lair with, or have built a symbiotic relationship with the hungering creature. d20 Protectors Protectors 1 Fanatical cultists 11 Duergar miners 2 Swarms of insects 12 Drow knights 3 Feral grimlocks 13 Plane-walking azers 4 Pack wolves 14 Ogre zombies 5 Death dogs 15 Plotting devils 6 Giant crabs 16 Hag coven 7 Loyal skeletons 17 Lycanthropes 8 Scheming bandits 18 Soulless nobles 9 Vengeful shadows 19 Reverent trolls 10 Worg sycophants 20 Plotting mages WHAT DRIVES THE CREATURE? The creature’s specific motives for its attacks might be a mystery the characters uncover. d10 The Creature … 1 … seeks a stolen beacon. 2 … has had their territory encroached. 3 … is wounded and in pain. 4 … has been awoken from a long slumber. 5 … is the weapon of another unknown villain. 6 … was a failed sacrifice by those they now hunt. 7 … is the guardian of disturbed ruin. 8 … had their offspring kidnapped. 9 … was part of a pact that is now broken. 10 … committed a grievous sin. WHO ELSE HUNTS THE CREATURE? The characters’ hunt for the hungering creature can be complicated by the actions of another faction also seeking the creature, and who might actively try to prevent the characters’ success. d20 Faction Faction 1 Holy paladins 11 Guardian orcs 2 Vengeful villagers 12 Planar hunters 3 Bounty hunters 13 Naive scouts 4 Fanatic cultists 14 Isolationist druids 5 Greedy bandits 15 Devout monks 6 Trophy hunters 16 Ancient knightly order 7 Mercenary soldiers 17 Elven protectors 8 Local militia 18 Outlander wolf-riders 9 Rival adventurers 19 Celestial guardians 10 Scheming wizards 20 Opportunistic fiends THE HUNGER
49 This section lets you create adventures that see the characters hunt down villains, whether for coin or retribution. You can roll multiple times on these tables to generate a series of revenge missions, whether disconnected or feeding into an overarching plot of your own design. VENGEFUL PATRONS If the characters are enlisted to deal with a villain, the patron who hires them sets the initial tone for the hunt. d20 Patron Patron 1 Vengeful spirits 11 Prophet with visions 2 Resurrected noble 12 Lone survivor 3 Warring king 13 Military veteran 4 Assassins’ guild 14 Historian with a secret 5 Struggling priest 15 Village elders 6 Avenging angel 16 Mourning widows 7 Bargaining devils 17 Restless dead 8 Relative of victim 18 Orphaned children 9 Witness to destruction 19 Religious zealots 10 Stoic monks 20 Merchant’s guild HUNTED VILLAINS A wide range of villains might be the target for the characters’ missions of vengeance. d20 Villain Villain 1 Uncaring mage 11 Brutal warlord 2 Dark priest 12 Fallen knight 3 Corrupt noble 13 Sinister vampire 4 Cult fanatic 14 Unbound devil 5 Bloodthirsty gladiator 15 Horrid demon 6 Retired assassin 16 Twisted faerie 7 Bandit captain 17 Duplicitous veteran 8 Possessed warlock 18 Horrifying hag 9 Master thief 19 Destructive dragon 10 Violent brigand 20 Murderous medusa VILLAINOUS CRIMES The characters might learn of the specific crimes of a villain before undertaking the quest, or might uncover them as part of bringing the villain to justice. d10 The Villain … 1 … murdered a friend of a character. 2 … murdered a character’s loved one. 3 … assassinated a local lord. 4 … destroyed something vital. 5 … abandoned someone to a terrible fate. 6 … grievously wounded someone important. 7 … stole something that cannot be returned. 8 … defiled something holy. 9 … kidnapped someone. 10 … betrayed someone. WHO PROTECTS A VILLAIN? Each villain the characters go after might have one or more groups protecting them. d20 Group Group 1 Fanatical cultists 11 Conspiring mages 2 Thieving bandits 12 Summoned elementals 3 Rampaging undead 13 Animated plants 4 Mercenary orcs 14 Trained beasts 5 Elf spies 15 Armored ogres 6 Loyal kobolds 16 Battle-scarred trolls 7 Conscripted devils 17 Trained wolves 8 Bound demons 18 Loyal dragon 9 Bladed constructs 19 Mercenary drow 10 Hired ruffians 20 Murderous wererats WHERE DOES EACH VILLAIN HIDE? Part of the characters’ pursuit of a villain involves seeking out the sanctum in which they hide. d20 Hiding Place Hiding Place 1 Ruined watchtower 11 Wizard’s tower 2 Well-guarded inn 12 Thieves’ den 3 Abandoned prison 13 Unhallowed grove 4 Noble’s villa 14 Sinister cathedral 5 Crumbling castle 15 Earthmote fortress 6 Mining tunnels 16 Dragon’s lair 7 Fortified monastery 17 Unholy temple 8 Docked ship 18 Dank crypt 9 Monstrous lair 19 City center 10 Treasure vaults 20 Local lord’s keep COMPLICATIONS To make the hunt interesting, work in one or more complications that impede the characters’ progress. d10 Complication 1 Law enforcement protects the villain. 2 The villain is related to a character. 3 Eliminating the villain will unleash a greater threat. 4 The villain has turned over a new leaf. 5 The villain is beloved by their family. 6 The villain knows vital information. 7 The villain will ally with the characters against a greater threat. 8 The villain was a patsy used by another foe. 9 The villain was set up by an unknown foe. 10 The villain hid a valuable treasure. VENGEANCE FOR HIRE
