Rolling Hills and Grassland (Encounter Table C)

        Rym's vast, open plains are a relatively calm environment, blanketing much of Penduk's interior and many of the southern islands. Gentle hills and small copses or groves are the only thing to break up an otherwise rolling landscape, and most encounters can be seen from some distance away. Grassland is only slightly more difficult than travel by road, though the open terrain makes it easy to get lost when no landmarks are available. Northern grasslands are often converted to farmland where available, as the soil is reasonably rich. Southern grasslands are more difficult to claim, as the vegetation tends to take a firmer hold on the land, and crop-devouring insects are more plentiful.

        The open plains are home to a wide variety of nomadic and herd-type animals - horses, elk, bison, and so forth, along with all manner of small game such as rabbits, ground squirrels, and field mice. Local predators include wolves, wild dogs, and other pack hunters, with larger felines appearing in more tropical climates. In rare instances, extremely large varieties of the local fauna can be found - these are the decendants of the great beasts who fought alongside the gods during the Twilight War. They are guardians of their smaller kin, and the lands that might otherwise be stripped bare by greedy humanoids. Even rarer monsters roam the open plains from time to time, often for the purpose of hunting the large and plentiful game supported by these fertile regions. Like the dire beasts, many of them are remnants of the ancient war - mythical creatures who once served the gods.

  • When generating encounters, take the region and local climate into account. Many animal and humanoid types are not specified in the encounter table - base these on the party's current location. For instance, in southern Slank, 'local peasants' would be koba, whereas humans would be substituted for encounters winthin the Erdani borders. The same holds true for animals; predators in the northern plains may amount to a pack of wolves or a lone cougar, while in warmer climes the same result yields a pride of lions or a tyranosaurus.

  • Encounter frequency can vary, or be set according to taste. For instance, a storyteller may generate an encounter every 4d6 hours, resulting in at least one event per day. The majority of these will be mundane, and thus the pace will be fairly relaxed, with a potentially-threatening encounter once every three days or so. For those actually wandering the wilderness in search of adventure, encounters can be generated more frequently.

    Table C1 (Temperate Day)

    01-11: Rain/Snow (1d6 hours)
    12-22: Game Animals (1d4)
    23-33: Game Animals (1d4x10)
    34-44: Predatory Animals (1d4)
    45-55: Predatory Pack (2d6)
    56-66: Random Local Hunters/Peasants (2d4)

    67-70: Storm/Blizzard(2d6 hours)
    71-74: Dire Wolves (1d4)
    75-78: Dire Bear (1)
    79-82: Ankheg (1d4)
    83-86: Random Local Bandits/Slavers (3d6)

    87-89: Earth Elemental (1)
    90-92: Wyvern (1d2)
    93-95: Manticore (1d2)
    96-98: Hill Giant (1d2)
    99-00: Lesser Dragon (1)

    Table C2 (Temperate Night)

    01-11: Rain/Snow (1d6 hours)
    12-22: Game Animal (1)
    23-33: Game Animals (2d4)
    34-44: Predatory Animal (1)
    45-55: Predatory Pack (2d6)
    56-66: Fiendish Animals (1d4)

    67-70: Storm/Blizzard(2d6 hours)
    71-74: Dire Wolves (1d6)
    75-78: Dire Weasel (1)
    79-82: Worgs (4d4)
    83-86: Random Local Bandits/Slavers (3d6)

    87-89: Earth Elemental (1)
    90-92: Shadows (1d6)
    93-95: Wraiths (1d4)
    96-98: Night Hag (1)
    99-00: Lesser Dragon (1)

    Table C3 (Tropical Day)

    01-11: Rain (1d8 hours)
    12-22: Game Animals (1d8)
    23-33: Game Animals (1d6x10)
    34-44: Predatory Animal (1)
    45-55: Predatory Pack (2d6)
    56-66: Random Local Hunters/Peasants (1d6)

    67-70: Downpour (1d4 hours)
    71-74: Dire Boars (1d4)
    75-78: Dire Lion (1)
    79-82: Deinonychus (1d4)
    83-86: Random Local Bandits/Slavers (2d6)

    87-89: Earth Elemental (1)
    90-92: Elephants (1d12)
    93-95: Monstrous Spider (huge) (1d2)
    96-98: Triceratops (1d4)
    99-00: Tyrannosaur (1)

    Table C4 (Tropical Night)

    01-11: Rain (1d8 hours)
    12-22: Game Animal (1)
    23-33: Game Animals (2d4)
    34-44: Predatory Animal (1)
    45-55: Predatory Pack (2d6)
    56-66: Fiendish Animals (1d4)

    67-70: Downpour (2d6 hours)
    71-74: Dire Wolves (1d6)
    75-78: Dire Bats (2d6)
    79-82: Worgs (4d4)
    83-86: Monstrous Spiders (huge) (1d4)

    87-89: Earth Elemental (1)
    90-92: Shadows (1d6)
    93-95: Wraiths (1d4)
    96-98: Night Hag (1)
    99-00: Androsphynx (1)

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