Random Encounters: Monster Island!

No one's exactly sure where Monster Island lies. Those secretive government men in sunglasses made sure it's omitted from the charts. It may be off Siberia, or in the Indian Ocean. It may even be a peninsula. Nobody knows for sure.

What we do know is that it had a thriving native ecosystem of giant creatures, most of them surprisingly aggressive. During the postwar era it became the perfect dumping-ground for invaders from space, radiation-spawned monstrosities, and the work of mad scientists.

Unfortunately the coverup worked a little too well. The people in charge of keeping Monster Island a secret forgot to pass key information to their successors. Only a few people even suspect it exists any more, and none of them know where it is or how to find it.

Which means any island you come across might just be . . . MONSTER ISLAND!

ENCOUNTERS ON MONSTER ISLAND

(Roll 1d20 when exploring or being chased, 1d10 when encamped.)

1. Roll twice and combine
2. Plot Advancing Encounter: Someone or something related to the reason you came to Monster Island — or to getting off of Monster Island again.
3. The Big Guy: The biggest monster on the island, probably trademarked. You know which one I mean. Not even the whole Japanese Self-Defense Force can stop it.
4. Blob Monster: It's a titanic mass of gelatinous flesh, oozing along and consuming everything in its path. You can outrun it — but for how long?
5. Mad Scientist: He's got a string of advanced degrees, a white lab coat, thick goggles, and epic hair. Some or all of the monsters do his bidding. And you're exactly what he needs for his latest project!
6. Storm! For 1d6 hours the island is lashed with high winds and powerful rain. None of the creatures seek shelter — instead the weather seems to make them even more aggressive.
7. Super-Apes: 2d6 Gorillas with human intelligence and a bad attitude. They may serve the Mad Scientist, or they may have rebelled against him as the first step toward conquering all humans.
8. Sylvia Scientist: The brilliant and lovely daughter of the Mad Scientist, she is much more sympathetic. Her own projects are conveniently portable, because she wants more than anything to leave the island.
9. Wicked Weasels: A swarm of fierce, flesh-ripping weasels!
10. Time-Lost Explorers: 1d4 travelers whose routine expedition somehow went awry, stranding them here. They may be from the past, or the future — or possibly they are the future selves of the player-characters!
11. Crab Canyon: It looks safe, until the big white "boulders" start to move and you realize this is where 1d6 Giant Crabs make their home.
12. Crashed Plane: It's a C-130, crashed here some time in the 1970s. The radio doesn't work and the plane will never fly again, but it does provide shelter, the first-aid kit is intact, and the cargo is just what you need right now!
13. Cyclopean Ruins: They're exceedingly ancient, maybe pre-human. The worn carvings show monsters you've already met, but they're fleeing something which isn't shown. There's a big stone door with a complicated seal on it — what's behind it?
14. Giant Spiderweb: This section of jungle is swathed in sticky strands tougher than steel. 2d6 Giant Spiders can sense if you're cutting a path, and will come hungrily to see what's struggling in their web.
15. Log Bridge: The path crosses a deep chasm, and you have a choice. Use the slippery log bridge, which large monsters could knock down into the abyss? Or swing across on vines — one of which is probably a big snake?
16. Non-Euclidian Zone: The geometry of this part of the island is bizarre. Distances are distorted, paths loop through time and space, and it's almost impossible to avoid getting lost.
17. Plesiosaur: The lake looks placid, but a Plesiosaur is lurking under the surface, ready to lash out with its long neck and snatch prey from passing boats.
18. Pursuers: Hungry dinosaurs are chasing you! Roll 1d10 to see what. 1-3: 1d4 Allosauruses, 4-7: 2d6 Velociraptors, 8: Lone Tyrannosaur, 9-10: Flock of 2d6 Pterodactyls*.
19. Volcano Erupts! The traditional sign that it's time to get the heck off the island. If you've only just arrived, this is merely a precursor to the eruption that will sink the place. Perfectly normal, nothing to be concerned about. If you've been chased around already, this is the Big One.
20. Tracks/Aftermath: Roll again to see what you find traces of.

*I know, they're reptiles, not dinosaurs. Sheesh.