Even historical Egypt was like a fantasy kingdom to ancient historians like Herodotus or Pliny. In a fantasy setting, all you need to add is a few monsters. This table covers the wilderness beyond the valley of the Nile — which visitors will have to cross in order to reach the rich Black Land of Khem.
ENCOUNTERS IN THE DESERT OF FANTASY EGYPT
Roll 1d20 when traveling, 1d10 when camped.
- Roll Twice and Combine
- Plot-advancing encounter: The heroes run into someone or something connected with whatever has sent them out into the desert in the first place.
- Baboon Troop: 2d4 baboons, armed only with their fearsome teeth and claws. Against a large group they will be sneaky, trying to steal food and escape, but if they outnumber a party of travelers, they will attack.
- Caravan: 2d20 camels loaded with goods, escorted by 1d6 mounted guards and 1d6 priests of Amun (their temple sponsored the trading venture). The goods on each camel are worth 1d10 times 100 gold pieces per camel, so the guards are alert.
- Desert Raiders: 1d12 nomadic tribesmen riding camels, armed with spears. They will definitely rob travelers, but may be persuaded to share water and give directions. Raiders have their weapons and some loot from the previous batch of unhappy travelers they encountered.
- Gnolls: 2d8 Gnolls, with spears and shields. They serve dark gods of chaos and try to isolate travelers or break up large groups before attacking. These Gnolls have a pair of Hyenas as hunting animals.
- Hyenas: 2d6 hyenas, which will trail prey until dark, then strike.
- Meteor! The party sees a bright meteor flash across the sky and crash to earth just beyond the nearest line of hills. Others may have seen it, and a lump of meteoritic iron is worth its weight in silver.
- Sandstorm! A tempest of hot wind and flaying sand, lasting 1d4 hours. It's impossible to see in the storm, and without protection everyone risks damage from windblown grit. Trying to travel in the storm will get you lost, and when it passes the landscape is altered and tracks are erased.
- Winged Serpents: 1d8 venomous serpents six feet long, with leathery wings, come soaring out of the eastern sky to prey on anyone they spot out in the open. They have a poison bite equivalent to a cobra's.
- Cobras! A nest of 2d4 deadly cobras in a rocky hollow that you just stepped in.
- Dunes: You have wandered into an area of shifting windblown sand. There's no track here, and the loose sand slows progress to half speed. Check every hour to avoid getting lost.
- Foreign Spies: 1d6 foreigners —Assyrians from the east, Meroeans from the south, or barbarians from beyond the Mediterranean — up to no good in the wilderness. They're observing caravan traffic, taking note of patrols and fortifications, and making contact with desert tribes. They are well-armed and accompanied by 1d8 guides and servants.
- Giant Scarab: A beetle the size of a Volkswagen erupts from under the sand, snapping at you with its huge mandibles! Its den under the sand contains 1d6 enormous hungry grubs (which fear the sunlight), and the scattered belongings of a dozen unlucky travelers.
- Haunted Tomb: A forgotten desert tomb, which proves to connect to a whole warren of catacombs and tunnels. 2d10 Ghouls live down there and will come seeking prey. There is quite a lot of treasure hidden in the tunnels.
- Mirage: It looks like dark shrubs and the glimmer of water in the distance. You'll need to use your willpower to resist going in search of the nonexistent oasis, and the longer you've been in the desert the harder it is to fight the urge.
- Oasis: It's too small to support a settlement, but there's a small spring among some boulders ahead. Though the water's bitter-tasting and muddy, it'll keep you alive, and there are bushes and tough grass for your mounts to eat. Animals come here to drink so there's a 1 in 4 chance of gazelles or birds every hour.
- Shattered Colossus: It's a statue half-sunk in the sand, and the face has a sneer of cold command on it. Nearby there's the original base of the statue, but you can't read what's carved on it.
- Sphinx: It's cunning and likes to attack travelers by stealth. If it cannot surprise its victims, the Sphinx offers them a contest of riddles instead. It knows a lot of riddles. It knows a lot of other things, too, and clever opponents can trade information as long as they keep their guard up.
- Tracks/Aftermath: Reroll to see what you just missed, or what missed you.
SITUATIONS IN THE DESERT
Roll 1d6 for the basic situation, then roll on the above table to see who's involved.
- A desires B
- A wants to capture B
- A wants B dead
- A wants to go somewhere
- A wants to solve a mystery
- A wants X
For more stories about strange encounters, check out my ebooks Outlaws and Aliens and Monster Island Tales!
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