“People are supposed to fear the unknown, but ignorance is bliss when knowledge is so damn frightening.”
― Laurell K. Hamilton, The Laughing Corpse
How does it work?
- When the adventurers enter in a new area/hex in the map, roll the dice in the terrain type and terrain characteristics tables.
- After getting a terrain characteristics, roll on the specific tables (Effect, NPC, Creature or Point of interest).
- Play!
All of the images used in this post are thanks to Perplexing Ruins. Support his work here!
Example:
The DM rolls a 2 and an 8 so he gets a forest (2) with a monster + point of interest (8) for the party. Afterwards he rolls the dice to find out the monster and the point of interest. He gets an 8 for the monster (Giant Worm) and a 10 for the point of interest (Broken bridge).
So the DM can start working on a forested area where the characters that go through it have to cross a broken bridge. What they do not know is that a giant worm lurks at the bottom of the bridge… Nice and fresh!

TERRAIN TYPE TABLE:
- Mountain
- Forest
- Desert
- Hills
- Valley
- Swamp
- Marsh
- River terrain
- Glacier
- Tundra
- Canyons
- Plateau

TERRAIN CHARACTERISTICS TABLE:
- None
- Area effect
- Monster
- NPC
- Point of interest
- Monster + NPC
- Monster + Area effect
- Monster + Point of interest
- NPC + Area effect
- NPC + Point of interest
- Area effect + Point of interest
- Monster + Monster
Depending on the result on the table “Terrain characteristics”, roll on the following tables:

AREA EFFECT TABLE:
Area effects are individual characteristics of a specific area. For example, related to terrain characteristics, temperature, geology, etc …
- Geographic danger (quicksand, earthquake, wildfire…)
- Poisonous plants
- Thick fog
- Storm
- Big crater
- Excessive heating
- All animals are dead
- Illusion
- Extreme wind
- Extreme cold
- Random noises
- Shooting stars
- Fruit trees
- Poisoned area
- Eclipse
- Radioactive area
- Quiet and relaxing
- Heavenly
- Quiet
- Rotten smell

NON-PLAYER CHARACTER TABLE:
Roll a d20 to generate a non-player character in the area:
- An injured soldier
- A lost missionary
- A lost boy looking for his family
- An explorer
- A witch
- A shepherd
- A shaman
- A merchant
- A monk
- A headhunter
- A hermit
- A werewolf (human shape)
- A knight
- A lumberjack
- A thief
- A madman
- A group of cultists
- A herbalist
- A tribesman
- Traveller

POINT OF INTEREST TABLE:
A point of interest is a place within the area that might be worth exploring for the adventurers. Roll a d20:
- Abandoned fortress
- Cave
- Temple
- Skeleton of a giant animal
- Graveyard
- Giant hollow tree
- Abandoned mine
- Ancient tower
- Fruit trees
- Broken bridge
- Temple
- Lake
- Abandoned merchant caravans
- Natural pit
- A small town
- A huge river crossing the way
- Abandoned castle
- Abandoned stock
- Farm
- Remains of dead adventurers

CREATURE TABLE:
Enemies! Roll a die of 20 to discover the creature in this area:
- Hooded men
- Tribal warriors
- Trolls
- Orcs
- Hobgoblins
- Skeletons
- Vampires
- Giant worms
- Wolves
- Blights
- Shambling mound
- Goblins
- Cultists
- Dryads
- Manticore
- Giant Spiders
- Ghosts
- Giant boar
- Insect swarm
- Giant
Additionally roll on the next table to enrich the exploration adding a plot:
PLOT TABLE:
Generating a plot in the area can help make it more interesting. It can be a rumor that has reached them, someone they met who has told them about something they have seen or something they have seen directly. Roll a d20:
- A herbalists asks for help, he talks about a wolf that hunts men every night.
- A death idol once concealed by heavy undergrowth is revealed when a wind storm knocks down a tree.
- Some witnesses claim to have seen a winged serpent guarding treasures in its cave.
- The adventurers come across the ruins of a destroyed city. The only survivor is a 10 year old girl.
- The spirit of an old lady wanders in pain, waiting for someone to give her heart back.
- A vampire clan has organized a wicked game in which everyone who enters the area will be hunted until there is only one survivor.
- A man covered in moss has been seen in the woods and caves. Some believe he is evil personified.
- A little girl gives a flower crown to each adventurer. They are invited to a festival that takes place every 100 years in the middle of the forest.
- The party witnesses a fluorescent meteorite hitting the ground.
- A thick and dense fog suddenly appears. Anyone who goes into the fog disappears.
- The sounds of a crying child come from the thick underbrush.
- A local tribe is frightened because a strange being made of shadow and hatred is destroying its inhabitants.
- A flash of lightning destroys an old temple. People believe it’s a punishment from god and ask for help.
- A pack of wolves enter the area and won´t leave until they find the adventurers.
- The water of the river has turned red. Some people believe there is a big creature bleeding up the river.
- Freshly killed dead bodies covered in slime are lying around.
- There is a fountain that is believed to have the water of eternal youth.
- A witness claims to have witnessed a wildfire started by demonic creatures who want to destroy the forest.
- A farmer claims he has found a gate to hell.
- Bodies in a graveyard are dug up and found scattered around the town. Some witnesses point to a strange man, they call him “the body snatcher”.