Just The Caffeine Talking

Random Encounters: On the Fantastickal Moon

We know what you'll find on the Moon if you get there via a Saturn rocket and Apollo Program Lunar Module lander. But what if  you sail to the Moon aboard an elven galleon or step there through an enchanted silver door?

ENCOUNTERS ON THE FANTASTICKAL MOON

(Roll 1d20 when roving about the Lunar surface, 1d10 when stationary.)

1. Roll Twice and Combine
2. Plot-Advancing Encounter: Someone or something connected with whatever mission brought you to the Moon in the first place.
3. Bat-Men: 2d6 slender, hairy humanoids who fly by means of a membrane stretching from feet to wrists. They are armed only with claws and small stones they drop with great accuracy. Bat-men are curious, mischievous, and greedy, but their fragile bones make them flee any armed foes.
4. Fog: Dense fog lasting 1d4 hours (during the day) or until dawn (at night). You can't see more than a dozen feet in any direction.
5. Giant Hounds: A pack of 2d6 white hounds as tall as a man. During the day they scavenge and are quite friendly; at night they hunt and pursue anything they encounter.
6. Giant Moth: A moth with a 20-foot wingspan, looking for a suitable incubator for her eggs. If she scores a hit with her ovipositor, next Lunar dawn a brood of giant caterpillars hatch within her victim.
7. Lunar Elves: 1d6 Small and silver-haired elves armed with bows and sabers; during the day they are noble and benevolent, but when darkness falls they become cunning and evil.
8. Lycanthrope: During the day he takes the form of a giant black wolf. At night he reverts to human form.
9. Mooncalfs: 1d6 ugly, translucent-skinned quadrupeds about the size of a horse. They are harmless, but if threatened they give off a hypnotic cry which puts other creatures to sleep.
10. Rival Explorers: 1d8 visitors from Earth whose goals conflict with yours. They'll do anything to keep you from getting back before they do.
11. Cheese Mine: an open-pit mine worked by 1d8 dwarves with sharpened spades. The dwarves are protective of their claim, but have plenty of cheese to spare and will eagerly trade for wine and crackers.
12. Dust Pool: You stumble into a deep pool of fine grayish dust, too light to swim in and too dense to breathe. What's worse is that there's a giant Dust Worm at the bottom of the pool, coming to eat you up.
13. Enormous Mushrooms: They only open during the Lunar day, and send out clouds of hallucinogenic spores.
14. Giant Caterpillar: The last stage of life before it transforms into a moth, this caterpillar is the size of a bus. It rears out of the hole where it has been eating cheese and growing for years, hungry for protein.
15. Pathway into the Dreamlands: If you think this place is weird, you haven't seen anything.
16. Ruin: Huge shattered crystal domes and towers, built by the ancestors of the underground Lunarians, inscribed with their ancient runes.
17. Seashore: The black waters of a Lunar sea stretch before you. You can continue travel along the shore, or improvise a boat and take to the strangely calm sea.
18. Temple of Hecate: A vast pillared hall where 1d100 witches come to worship their dread goddess. Non-worshippers are sacrificed if they can't get away in time.
19. Tunnel Entrance: An opening into the caves of the insectile and telepathic Lunarians, who are perpetually on the verge of starvation and envy Earth's abundance.
20. Tracks/Aftermath: Reroll to see what you just missed.

SITUATIONS ON THE FANTASTICKAL MOON

1. A desires B
2. A wants to capture B
3. A wants B dead
4. A wants to go somewhere
5. A wants to solve a mystery
6. A wants X

If you're interested in stories which don't take place on the Moon, check out my ebooks Outlaws and Aliens and Monster Island Tales!

Random Encounters: The Golden Age of Deimos

In the 22nd Century, Deimos is the Solar System's hub of trade and finance. Linked to Mars by an orbital elevator, and occupying an enviable position requiring very little energy expenditure to reach both Earth orbit and the outer planets, Deimos is fantastically rich. Its wealth draws in talented people from across the Solar System — and opportunists hoping to siphon off a little of that wealth for themselves. The tightly-knit Deimos Community tolerates outsiders as long as they remember they are temporary guests, and ignores any behavior which doesn't threaten the safety or profits of the Community's members.

  ENCOUNTERS INSIDE DEIMOS

(Roll 1d20 when moving around inside Deimos, 1d10 when stationary.)

1. Roll Twice and Combine.
2. Plot-Advancing Encounter: Something related to whatever caused you to visit Deimos.
3. Gene-Collector: The Deimos Community is always working to improve its genome, and you've gained a reputation as a person of unusual qualities. The gene-collector would like a sample of your genetic material in exchange for a small fee. She won't give up easily.
4. Meteor Strike! Something big just hit Deimos — alarms are going off, all the pressure doors are sealed shut, and emergency crews are rushing to stop leaks and repair damage. Wherever you are, you're stuck there for a while.
5. Micromegas: An android body controlled by the artificial superintelligence which runs all of Deimos's systems. It can answer any questions, but will probably learn as much as it tells.
6. Military Contractors: Better known as mercenaries, these are the people who run the robots that fight Deimos's commercial wars across the Solar System. They are smart and tech-savvy, but without power armor are no tougher than anyone else.
7. Recruiter: Deimos always needs operatives, agents, and military contractors to go off across the Solar System to do the dirty jobs the Community requires. Are you in?
8. Security Drone: No bigger than a hummingbird, it's keeping an eye on you.
9. Space Squid: Genetically-modified squids patrol Deimos's zero-gravity environment, grabbing trash, hunting vermin, and cleaning every surface. But this one seems to be following you around.
10. Swindler: A temporary resident with a sure-fire business venture that just needs a little liquid capital to launch. The only thing being launched is the swindler, on the next Cycler ship to Earth.
11. Art Project: A surreal nightmare come to life, this edgy artwork could easily be mistaken for a deathtrap, an attack, or a supernatural occurrence.
12. Deimos Community Members: They act like they own the place, because they do. All are physically-perfect geniuses, shareholders in the wealthiest enterprise in human history. If they want something from you, they'll get it.
13. Flood! A twenty-meter globule of water got loose from one of the reservoirs, and now it's wobbling slowly through the corridors and open spaces of Deimos. It fills narrow passages, and in large open areas it's a floating sphere. People or objects may be swept along inside.
14. Holdouts: Some temporary residents try to stay beyond their allowed visit. Living in hiding, surviving on the underground economy, they are ripe for exploitation and quickly become ruthless survivors. You're either prey, or a rival.
15. Hopeful Applicant: A smart, talented, or physically-perfect individual who has crossed millions of miles of space to get here, and hopes to get accepted as a permanent member of the Deimos Community. He'll do anything to be accepted.
16. Martians: Deimos has their world on a string, and they aren't happy about it. These Martian guest-workers are feeling exploited and angry, and could easily be recruited for anything which will piss off the Deimos Community.
17. No Visitors: The area you're trying to enter is off-limits to anyone who isn't a member of the Deimos Community. If you go in anyway, polite but implacable robots will remove you.
18. Strangers' Club: A saloon catering to off-worlders and outsiders — though there's always a few Community members "slumming." Anything goes here, and usually does.
19. Vacant Sector: A series of tunnels and spherical caverns ready for the Community's next expansion. Lighting is dim and scattered, the air is stale — and there are no security monitors watching.
20. Tracks/Aftermath: Reroll to see what you just missed.

SITUATIONS INSIDE DEIMOS

(Roll 1d6 to see what the situation is, then roll on the table above to find out who the parties involved are.)

1. A desires B
2. A wants to capture B
3. A wants B dead
4. A wants to go somewhere
5. A wants to solve a mystery
6. A wants X

If you like stories which aren't set inside Deimos, check out my ebooks Outlaws and Aliens and Monster Island Tales!

Random Encounters: Occupied Honolulu

When secret Japanese superweapons caught the American carriers unprepared at sea just after Pearl Harbor, the Pacific was defenseless. Imperial Marines landed on Oahu a few weeks later and the Rising Sun flag now flies over Hawaii. America's still in the fight, but it will take time to rebuild the fleet. The people of Honolulu aren't sure if they can endure that long.

ENCOUNTERS IN OCCUPIED HONOLULU

Roll 1d20 for players moving around the city and environs, 1d10 if they're holed up in Honolulu.

1. Roll twice and combine.
2. Plot-advancing encounter: someone or something connected to whatever mission the player-characters are trying to accomplish in occupied Honolulu.
3. Air raid! American carrier-based planes make a night attack, trying to hit the airfield and Japanese ships in the harbor. But bombs sometimes go astray.
4. Black marketeer: he's got cans of genuine Spam, cigarettes from Ecuador, Japanese rifles that fell off a truck . . . and he knows a guy who has anything else you might need. For a price. A steep price.
5. Downed pilot: his reconnaissance plane had to fly low because of cloud cover, and anti-aircraft guns brought it down. The rest of the crew were killed but he parachuted to safety. If the Japanese catch him he's doomed.
6. Historical figure: any real-history person who might have been in the Pacific during World War II. What they're doing in Honolulu is probably a very interesting story.
7. Kenpeitai investigators: 1d6 officers of the Japanese internal-security police force, looking for spies and subversives. They carry pistols and are very persistent.
8. Phantom Eagle: a mysterious figure in a red-white-and-blue costume who stalks the rooftops and back streets of Honolulu, battling crime and the Kenpeitai with fists and super-science. But who is under that mask?
9. Raid! 1d4 truckloads of Japanese soldiers (8 men per truck) armed with rifles, led by a Major and some junior officers. They're here to round everyone up and shoot anyone trying to escape.
10. Typhoon! For the next 2d10 hours, the whole island is lashed by heavy rain and 100-mph winds. The power is out and everyone including the Japanese garrison are indoors waiting for the storm to pass.
11. Gangsters: 1d6 crooks who value money above anything else. (Roll 1d6 — 1-2: Yakuza moving in, 3-5: Pre-war Honolulu syndicate, 6: Shanghai Triads.)
12. German sailors: 2d8 German U-boat crewmen, having a ball on shore leave in Paradise and in no hurry to leave.
13. Giant Robot (Dai-Tetsujin): a menacing armored giant 30 feet tall, armed with 37-millimeter autocannons on each forearm.
14. Gill-men: 1d6 scaly amphibious humanoids fighting for the Emperor. Some say they're the product of bizarre experiments, others claim the Japanese made contact with them on a remote island. Whatever they are, they're very strong and seem to view all humans as prey.
15. Japanese soldiers: 2d6 soldiers armed with rifles and bayonets, led by a junior officer wearing a sword. They are hostile to just about anyone not in an Imperial Army uniform.
16. Labor detail: 3d10 prisoners doing repair work under the eyes of 1d6 Japanese guards carrying submachine guns. The prisoners are a mix of American POWs, civilians arrested on vague charges, and petty crooks from the jails.
17. Marine commandos: 1d6 U.S. Marine commandos who have slipped ashore from a sub in a rubber dinghy to gather intelligence and make contact with the Resistance. They are armed with submachine guns and pistols.
18. Neutral sailors: civilian seamen off of an Argentine-flagged freighter, though none of them have ever set foot in Argentina. Are they spies, smugglers, or something stranger?
19. Resistance cell: a dedicated group of 2d6 people doing intelligence-gathering, sabotage, and assassination while they prepare for the day the Marines hit the beach. (Roll 1d6 — 1: Communist Party of Hawai'i, 2-4: U.S. Loyalists, 5: Mormon Underground, 6: Hawai'ian Monarchists.)
20. Tracks/aftermath: reroll to see what passed recently.

SITUATIONS IN OCCUPIED HONOLULU

Roll 1d6 for each situation, and use the table above to determine who is involved.

1. A desires B
2. A wants to capture B
3. A wants B dead
4. A wants to go somewhere
5. A wants to solve a mystery
6. A wants X

 

For stories which will occupy your attention, check out my ebooks Outlaws and Aliens and Monster Island Tales!

Random Encounters: Fantastic Egypt (Part 2, The City)

Assuming you made it past the desert, the ribbon of black earth and green vegetation hugging the banks of the Nile is studded with grand cities. They are filled with whitewashed brick houses, grand palaces and temples of stone, and busy markets. As the richest kingdom in the ancient world, Egypt is renowned for luxuries, learning, and magic.

ENCOUNTERS IN A FANTASTIC EGYPTIAN CITY

Roll 1d20 when moving around the city, 1d10 when staying in one place.

1. Roll Twice and Combine
2. Plot-advancing encounter: Someone or something related to whatever brought you to a city in Fantasy Egypt.
3. Beggar With a Fantastic Tale of Woe: A poor unfortunate who claims he is actually a wealthy merchant whose house and goods were stolen by a wicked magician.
4. Crocodiles: 1d4 vicious Nile crocodiles looking for food along the riverbank. You qualify as food.
5. Flies! For 1d6 hours the city is blanketed in a dense swarm of biting flies. They're so dense you can only see a few yards. Anyone venturing outside takes damage from their bites, and risks disease.
6. Ghost Cat: A pure-black cat with golden eyes seems to want you to follow her.
7. Gossipy Barber: Amenhemen has a quick razor and a quick tongue, and he knows everything going on in town. He's your source for news, rumors, job openings, directions, and a smooth shave.
8. Greedy Officials: 1d4 bureaucrats in linen kilts, demanding fees and/or bribes from the player-characters. They can be placated with 10 pieces of gold each, but if you cross them, the officials can throw innumerable obstacles in your path as long as you remain in the city.
9. Runaway Chariot! The horse drawing a nobleman's chariot has bolted, dragging the chariot and a panicky nine-year-old child on a wild course through the streets. If you can stop it without harming the animal, you'll be richly rewarded.
10. Undead Sorcerer: A mummy wearing mostly-convincing human disguise. She is a very powerful magician and is looking for some loyal and well-trained agents to serve her mysterious plans.
11. Bored Aristocrat: The lady Rahepshet is bored, and you've been selected to entertain her (you don't get a vote). She offers you gold to perform a series of increasingly ridiculous tasks, most of which involve public humiliation and/or the risk of bodily harm.
12. Crime in Progress! A band of 1d6 thieves armed with short swords are robbing a money-lender.
13. Foreign Quarter: This part of town is inhabited by non-Egyptians — Greeks, Jews, Nubians, Elves, whatever. They are suspicious and fearful of Egyptians, and even more suspicious and hostile toward non-Egyptians who aren't their own kind.
14. Gang of Thieves: A gang of 2d6 thieves armed with clubs and knives try to rob you. They pretend to be harmless idlers, then strike by surprise.
15. Haunted Palace: An old palace by the river-side, surrounded by overgrown gardens and crumbling walls. It is said no one can spend a night there and survive.
16. Nest of Ghouls: A dry well hides the entrance to a network of tunnels inhabited by 2d6 ghouls. They try to snatch passers-by when no one is looking.
17. Singing Statue: A great stone statue of a seated king, which sings at dawn.
18. Temple: You come upon a temple to the city's tutelary deity. It's a big complex, and serves as a center for learning, charity, and business as well as worship. Some of the priests are well-versed in magic. Evil creatures fear to enter.
19. Wall Collapse! As you pass through a narrow street the wall of a house under construction collapses on top of you. Only the most agile can avoid getting hurt. Was it an accident — or did someone arrange it on purpose?
20. Tracks/aftermath: Reroll to see what you just missed.

SITUATIONS IN AN EGYPTIAN CITY

Roll 1d6 to determine the situation, then roll on the table above to figure out who is involved.

1. A desires B
2. A wants to capture B
3. A wants B dead
4. A wants to go somewhere
5. A wants to solve a mystery
6. A wants X

For more stories about encounters in exotic places (or not so exotic), check out my ebooks Outlaws and Aliens and Monster Island Tales!

Random Encounters: Fantastic Egypt (Part 1, The Desert)

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.

1. Roll Twice and Combine
2. Plot-advancing encounter: The heroes run into someone or something connected with whatever has sent them out into the desert in the first place.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Hyenas: 2d6 hyenas, which will trail prey until dark, then strike.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. Cobras! A nest of 2d4 deadly cobras in a rocky hollow that you just stepped in.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. 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.
17. 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.
18. 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.
19. 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.
20. 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.

1. A desires B
2. A wants to capture B
3. A wants B dead
4. A wants to go somewhere
5. A wants to solve a mystery
6. A wants X

For more stories about strange encounters, check out my ebooks Outlaws and Aliens and Monster Island Tales!

Random Encounters: Aboard the Orbital Elevator

The Orbital Elevator, stretching from an artificial island south of Singapore 36,000 kilometers up to geosynchronous orbit, is one of humanity's great engineering achievements. Capsules leave the ground terminal every two hours, and the whole journey up the long carbon-fiber cable takes two days.

Each capsule is a self-contained spaceship, with lounges at the top and bottom, a dining room amidships, and 64 little compartments on 8 decks. You never know who you're going to meet . . .

ENCOUNTERS ON THE ORBITAL ELEVATOR

Roll 1d20 if the characters are moving about the capsule interacting with others, 1d10 if they remain in their own compartment.

1. Roll Twice and Combine
2. Plot-advancing encounter: Someone or something related to the reason you're aboard this elevator in the first place.
3. Alien: It's from outside the Solar System, and it's heading home now. But it left one small bit of business unfinished down on Earth, and is looking for someone who can take care of it.
4. Flying Unicorn: An asteroid-mining tycoon returning to the Belt is taking along a genetically-engineered pet for her children. It's a 20-pound unicorn with wide feathery wings, silky rainbow fur, big dewy eyes, and a mean streak a mile wide. Now it's loose and must be caught, but every hair on its body is probably worth a year's salary if it's harmed.
5. Helpless Traveler: He's never been outside the atmosphere before and needs help with everything, and somehow he's decided that you're his personal lifeguard and instructor.
6. Hunter Drone: A mechanical spider the size of a housecat, equipped with advanced face and voice recognition and a built-in poison dart gun. It's hunting for you, either for something you did or something someone thinks you did. There may be more.
7. Retired Space Pirate: He's traveling incognito, of course, and for some reason he's taken a liking to you. Until the capsule reaches the station at geosynch, you've got a friend with plenty of cash, a lot of practical knowledge, and a well-used laser pistol in his boot.
8. Solar Storm! The capsule is bathed in radiation from a solar flare. Everyone takes refuge in the "storm shelter" compartments at the center of each deck — unless you're willing to risk radiation exposure to sneak around when nobody's watching.
9. Spy: A Martian agent who has been warned that the authorities are waiting for him (or her) up top, so he's picked you as the best person to impersonate.
10. Unscheduled Stop: The elevator slows to a halt, halfway between the Earth's surface and the orbital terminal. The PA system says it's a "routine safety stop" but someone's using the airlock. What's going on?  
11. Concession Stand: It's no bigger than a closet, and the plump purple-haired old lady who runs it takes up most of the room. But it's amazing what she's got for sale: spacesickness pills, first-aid kits, power packs, hull patching tape . . . whatever you need most, she's got it.
12. Coolant Leak: One compartment is full of droplets of flammable coolant. Any spark could turn the whole place into a bomb powerful enough to destroy the whole capsule.
13. Face at the Window: You just saw it out of the corner of your eye, and when you turned to look it was gone, but you could swear you saw someone outside the window — ten thousand miles above the atmosphere!
14. Hostile-Environment Section: This whole deck is configured to reproduce conditions deep in the atmosphere of Jupiter. A Jovian envoy is heading home, uncomfortably squeezed into a single deck of the elevator capsule and feeling irritable.
15. Mesmerizing Lecturer: She's talking about the spiritual implications of space travel, and she's secretly using psychic powers or advanced subliminal technology to make her talk absolutely hypnotic — so hypnotic that her assistant can move through the audience searching pockets and wallets without being noticed.
16. Party Suite: There's plenty of booze and expensive psychoactive substances, and a dozen young people with someone else's money.
17. Sealed Compartment: The door is not just locked, it's bolted shut and there's a sign reading "DANGER" in big unfriendly letters. What do you suppose is in there?
18. Tense Standoff: There are four people in one compartment, all pointing guns at each other. One of them is clutching a briefcase, another is holding a small computer memory stick in her free hand.
19. Terrorists: They're planning to sabotage the capsule and need to plant one of their demolition charges in your compartment.
20. Tracks/aftermath (reroll)

SITUATIONS ABOARD THE ORBITAL ELEVATOR

Roll 1d6 for each situation, then roll on the table above to figure out who is involved.

1. A desires B
2. A wants to capture B
3. A wants B dead
4. A wants to go somewhere
5. A wants to solve a mystery
6. A wants X

 

If you like stories about strange journeys, check out my ebooks Outlaws and Aliens and Monster Island Tales!

Random Encounters: City of Supers

Almost every superhero has a home town. Whether it's Batman's Gotham City, Superman's Metropolis, or Marvel Comics's shared New York City, it's the place where the heroes live in their secret identities, where their non-super friends live, and the place which keeps getting attacked by villains.

ENCOUNTERS IN THE CITY OF SUPERS

Roll 1d20 if the heroes are patrolling or moving about the city, roll 1d10 if they are working in their Secret Identity jobs or hanging out at the Hall of Champions.

1. Roll Twice and Combine
2. Animals Gone Wild: There's been a breakout at the City Zoo, or the circus — or maybe all the pets in town have turned against their owners. Stop them, preferably without harming the creatures too much, and then figure out what happened.
3. Attack! A supervillain's minions attack nearby while the heroes are in their civilian identities. Can they get changed in time to stop the marauders?
4. Clue: One of the heroes stumbles across something connected to whatever Big Case the supers have been investigating.
5. Crossover Issue! A hero from another city has come to visit. He's probably tracking down some old foe here in Super City, and may wind up needing help from the local champions.
6. Invasion! An actual army is attacking the city. The hostiles may be coming from space, under the sea, through a dimensional portal, or piling out of buses. They're armed, they've got uniforms and face-concealing helmets, and they're trying to take over. Who's in command of this assault?
7. Monster! It's big, destructive, and not very bright, and it's rampaging through downtown right now. Who sent it, and why?
8. Strange Apparition: A ghost, or a mysterious winged humanoid, or an alien being just out of phase with reality is prowling the city. What does it want? What does it mean?
9. Supervillain: He's a charismatic genius with formidable powers, but this time he claims he just wants to talk. What nefarious scheme is he plotting?
10. Weird Weather! It's snowing in summer, or raining frogs, or maybe the smog has turned deadly. The heroes must deal with accidents, panicky citizens, and crooks taking advantage of the chaos, all while trying to end the phenomenon and find out who's responsible.
11. Ambush! One or more supervillains were waiting for you to show up. They've picked the site for maximum advantage, and strike without warning.
12. Creepy Abandoned Building: The perfect place for a hostage exchange, an ambush, or a madman's deathtrap.
13. Deathtrap! The hero stumbles into a fiendishly clever trap. Can he escape in time?
14. Distraction! You spot your love interest out walking with a rival, or your feeble aunt being rushed to the hospital. Your civilian life and your heroic career are in conflict!
15. Hazard: An accident has just released a flood of whatever your hero is vulnerable to. Will you place your own safety first, or wade in to help contain the menace, no matter the risk?
16. Lair: The hero has stumbled across the bad guy's hidden lair. It's full of mooks, gadgets, and maybe a couple of captives.
17. Low Dive Favored By The Criminal Element: Full of mooks and low-level villains. Known heroes get a hostile reception, but someone in disguise could learn a thing or two of interest.
18. Power Up! It's just what you need to regain your strength — a fresh set of fusion reactor fuel, or a place of mystic power, or a truck loaded with canned spinach. But can you reach it in time?
19. Weirdness: Something really bizarre. All the other heroes have become villains, or the Communists won the Cold War, or a supervillain claims to have reformed and is running for Mayor. What's going on?
20. Tracks/Aftermath (reroll)

SITUATIONS IN THE CITY OF SUPERS

Roll 1d6 to determine the situation, then roll on the table above to see who the parties involved are.

1. A desires B
2. A wants to capture B
3. A wants B dead
4. A wants to go somewhere
5. A wants to solve a mystery
6. A wants X

If you like adventures with crooks and monsters, buy my ebooks  Outlaws and Aliens and Monster Island Tales!

 

If you like adventures with crooks and monsters, buy my ebooks  Outlaws and Aliens and Monster Island Tales!

Random Encounters: Decadent Venice

The Most Serene Republic of Venice was a major player in Mediterranean trade and politics for at least nine hundred years, but in the 17th century the city's power went into a terminal decline. It went from being a commerical and naval power to being a tourist destination. Foreigners came to enjoy the Carnival season, which gradually stretched to last half the year. The canals and narrow streets became a hive of carousing, intrigue, crime, espionage, and seduction. The party lasted almost two centuries, until Napoleon's army put an end to Venetian independence for good. But during the Baroque Era, you could meet almost anyone in Venice . . .

ENCOUNTERS IN DECADENT VENICE

Roll 1d20 when moving about the city or seeking encounters, or 1d10 if the characters are staying in one place.

1. Roll Twice and Combine.
2. Plot-Advancing Encounter: Someone or something related to whatever brought the heroes to Venice in the first place.
3. Assassins! 1d4 professional killers armed with long knives dipped in poison, hired by someone to get rid of the heroes. It's possible they've got the wrong target, but try telling them that.
4. Con Man: He's got an elaborate scheme tailored to some wealthy mark — possibly one of the player-characters. Details vary, but the schemes always promise a great reward but only if the victim can provide a lot of cash up front.
5. Flood! An extra-high tide and unfavorable winds have raised the water level. The piazzas and alleys are under a foot of water — as are the ground floors of most houses.
6. Historical Character: Hey, it's Casanova! Or John Law, or Mozart, or the castrato singer Farinelli. The player-characters can hobnob with someone famous (or someone who will be famous later), and possibly get involved in some secret adventure.
7. Secret Police: 1d4 agents of the secretive Supreme Tribunal, investigating the player-characters as possible foreign spies or criminals. (Someone slipped an anonymous tip into the lion's mouth.) They're armed with swords and wear creepy full-length cloaks and masks. Resistance is proof that you're guilty of something.
8. Thieves: 1d4 house-breakers, stealthily entering through an upstairs window and looking for cash or easily-portable items of value. They have knives but will fight only to get away. If there's some MacGuffin in the adventure, that's what they're looking for.
9. Vampire: She's found the one place in Europe where someone who never appears before sunset isn't unusual. Posing as one of Venice's high-class courtesans, she drains her lovers of both health and wealth. And now she's got her sights on one of the heroes.
10. Wealthy Traveler: An English "Milord," or a political exile from France, or maybe an exotic visitor from Russia or America. He (or she) has money to spare, but is woefully naive about how things work in Venice.
11. Abandoned Palazzo: It's a huge, grand house but nobody has lived there for decades. Nobody except the hideous octopus monster which oozes up out of the canal every night to prey on whoever it finds.
12. Ambush! Your enemies (or maybe just a gang of robbers) are waiting in a dark, narrow alley. There are 1d6 men in cloaks armed with swords. En garde!
13. Boat Under Bridge: If you're on the water you can swing up onto the roadway; if you're on foot you can drop down into someone's boat.
14. Crooked Gambling Salon: The dice are weighted, the cards are marked, the dealers use sleight of hand to give you a losing hand, and if you complain there's a huge bouncer ready to throw you into the canal.
15. Masked Roisterers: 2d6 drunken gentlemen and courtesans in Carnival attire. They're at the aggressively friendly stage, but may feel insulted if you don't want to join them.
16. Neighborhood Church: One of dozens in the city, and at the moment Mass is being celebrated. Anyone can enter, and not even the most hardened thug would dare disrupt the service.
17. Spies: The player-characters stumble across a secret meeting, as a foreign agent passes information to her handler. The spies could be from any of Europe's great powers — and they'll kill to preserve their secrets.
18. Sunk! Your boat has sprung a seam or collided with another gondola. Whatever the cause, everyone on board is going into the water.
19. Water Ghost: The phosphorescent corpse of a drowned woman appears in the waters of the canal, beckoning for you to follow.
20. Tracks/Aftermath: Reroll to see what you just missed.

SITUATIONS IN DECADENT VENICE

Roll 1d6 to determine what the situation is, then roll on the table above to see who the participants are.

1. A desires B
2. A wants to capture B
3. A wants B dead
4. A wants to go somewhere
5. A wants to solve a mystery
6. A wants X

 

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Random Encounters: The Bar Outside Area 51

It's a tumbledown roadhouse on a desert highway, no cute signs, no come-ons for tourists. Inside it's shabby but comfortable. The customers are mostly crewcut types with sunglasses. But the photos on the walls include shots that can't be anywhere in the Solar System. This is the bar where the people who Know The Secrets go to hang out after work.

ENCOUNTERS AT THE BAR OUTSIDE AREA 51

(As always: roll d20 when you're moving around the bar, d10 if you're seated for a long period.)

1. Roll Twice and Combine
2. Plot-advancing encounter: Someone or something related to whatever has brought the player-characters to a remote highway in Nevada.
3. Alien: It's a spindly, huge-eyed "Grey" alien in a tacky tourist cap and Hawaiian shirt, drinking strawberry daiquiris and trying to pick up humans for some "examinations." In conflict it uses its telepathic blast power.
4. Artie: The resident bore, skinny and intense. He's full of secret conspiracy theories, all of them guaranteed wrong. In actuality he's trying to find out what you know and who your masters are. He packs a small revolver in a leg holster, which everyone can see because he wears shorts.
5. Bob, the dog: He's part Golden Retriever, part everything else, and thanks to a mutation his IQ is about twice what yours is. He is curious about people, especially if they smell interesting. Other dogs are in awe of Bob.
6. "Doctor G": He's a con man selling "genuine alien artifacts," typically for 1d100 times 10 dollars (no checks), though he's more than willing to haggle (and loves to swap merchandise). Roll 1d100 for what he's selling. 1-50: useless junk, 51-80: military salvage worth a tenth of what he's charging, 81-90: actual secret Air Force or NSA cutting-edge tech, 91-95: inert alien machinery or metal, 96-00: actual working alien tech. Note that Dr. G's descriptions of what items do often have nothing to do with what they actually do.
7. Men In Black: (Actually they hire women, too.) 1d6 government agents in black suits and dark sunglasses, armed with automatic pistols and one ray gun. They're very suspicious of strangers.
8. Poltergeist: It's been haunting the place for years — a disembodied psychic presence which uses telekinesis to play puerile practical jokes on customers.
9. Power Failure: The lights and air conditioning go off for 1d6 minutes. That might provide cover to do something . . .
10. The Thing Under The Table: It's a shapeless purple blob, 1d100 lbs. in size, which glows faintly when it's eating. The staff have tried everything to kill it, but even the tiniest scrap of purple goo eventually regenerates. It tries to swallow anything smaller than it is.
11. Abandoned newspaper: It's yesterday's Las Vegas Sun, except that every news story begins with praise of the Pharaoh Nyarlathotep, who reigns over America from his palace in Baltimore. All the news is strange (except the sports results, which are exactly the same as in any other newspaper). The waitress says a trucker left it.
12. Angie: She's a lovely runaway looking for a ride, and if you look into her violet eyes you'll have to use all your willpower to resist falling in love with her. When you're alone she reverts to her true form, a large insect with a paralyzing sting who wants to lay eggs in your abdomen.
13. Bikers: 2d6 members of the Los Chupacabras motorcycle gang. They're tough, tattooed, and have alien implants giving each of them a different low-level special power. They all have knives and half have pistols, and they don't want to be bothered by anyone.
14. Bulletin Board: Mostly cards for local businesses, but there is a tattered flyer offering "Good pay for risky work" with a single tear-off phone number remaining at the bottom of the page.
15. Graffiti Table: The surface of this table is covered with names, jokes, numbers, and crude little pictures, drawn or carved by generations of diners. Reading it all gives anyone a bonus to knowledge of conspiracies or the secret history of the world.
16. Haunted Jukebox: It has a large selection of vintage rock-n'-roll and country songs, but whatever song you pick will influence what happens to you in the next 24 hours.
17. Mister H.: An incredibly old and frail-looking man, he insists on eating with new, still-wrapped utensils, and always has steak and green peas. He knows a lot about secret aerospace projects and old Hollywood secrets, and tips the waitress with a new hundred-dollar bill.
18. Party Room: Right now it's hosting 2d6 Reptilian aliens in human disguise, drinking ridiculous "tropical" cocktails and dining on plates of live rabbits. Anyone who isn't on the bar staff is assumed to be the "special main course" they're waiting for.
19. Polybius Game: A beat-up old coin-operated video game which implants a hypnotic command in anyone who plays it for more than 10 minutes.
20. Tracks/aftermath: Reroll to see what you find traces of.

SITUATIONS IN THE BAR OUTSIDE AREA 51

(Roll 1d6 to determine the situation, then roll on the table above to identify who is involved.)

1. A desires B
2. A wants to capture B
3. A wants B dead
4. A wants to go somewhere
5. A wants to solve a mystery
6. A wants X

For more tales of aliens and shady characters, buy my ebooks:  Outlaws and Aliens and Monster Island Tales!

Random Encounters: The Cloud Island

Cloud Island is a mile-wide mass of solid cloud, shaped rather like an egg. It was settled long ago and is currently ruled by a Cloud Giant sorcerer. The island serves as a free port and marketplace for ships and creatures that sail the sky or venture through the ether.

ENCOUNTERS ON THE CLOUD ISLAND

(Roll 1d20 if the characters are moving about the island, 1d10 if they are stationary.)

1. Roll Twice and Combine
2. Plot-advancing encounter: The adventurers meet someone or something connected with whatever reason has brought them to the Cloud Island.
3. Fungi From Yuggoth: 1d4 aliens like winged crustaceans, with the frost of interplanetary space still thawing on their wings. They are armed with ray-projectors and have come to trade for rare minerals, human brains, and arcane secrets.
4. Gremlins: 1d4 gremlins have decided to bedevil the player characters with sabotage and mischief.
5. Invisible Stalker: This unseen horror was conjured up by a wizard to assassinate a particular person, but the magician's instructions were unclear and he died soon after. The Stalker remains bound by the dead wizard's spells, has long ago become completely insane. It stalks the island, selecting victims according to some mysterious criteria.
6. Mischievous Sylphs: 1d6 air elementals who mean no serious harm but delight in annoying and taunting "groundlings."
7. Pterosaur Pirates: 1d8 goblins with trained Pterosaur mounts, armed with crossbows and grappling-hooks. They normally raid towns and ships on the surface, but if nobody's looking they might snatch something here on the cloud island.
8. Sky Dwarves: A group of 1d6 Sky Dwarves, who live within cloud islands and build sky ships which seldom touch the ground. They are lawful merchant sky sailors, armed with shortswords. They may have exotic items to trade.
9. Storm! The island has floated into a storm system, and gets pelted with hail and lashed by 100-mph winds for 1d4 hours.
10. Winged Apes: 1d6 semi-intelligent creatures like chimpanzees with huge bat wings. They lair in caves on the underside of the island, and fly up to snatch food and loot. They are armed with spears and crude swords.
11. Electric Spider: A giant spider with an electricity-generating organ has spun its web across the path. Anyone touching the web gets a powerful shock and must resist paralysis.
12. Ether Tower: Within this enchanted tower there is no air, no gravity, no warmth. It is home to visiting space-dwellers who find it comfortable.
13. Giant Eagles: 1d4 great golden eagles have nested here on the cloud island. They protect their nests fiercely but have a tremendous amount of knowledge to share about the world and the sky.
14. Ki-Rin: A noble aerial unicorn of East Asian legend, this semi-divine beast will help those in danger.
15. Lightning Deposit: A section of the island 100 yards across has developed a powerful electrical charge. Anyone entering gets hit by 1d4 lightning bolts per round.
16. Lightning-Peddler: A grizzled old sky-sailor selling jars of lightning, sealed bags of wind, and bottles of distilled aurorae from a small handcart. Note that if the cart overturns his wares might spill . . .
17. Novice Thief: A young lad who got up to the island somehow and is determined to slay its giant ruler.
18. Ruined Observatory: Savants built this tower to study the sky and the atmosphere, but their group dissolved and the building is abandoned. It may hold valuable information, and possibly dangerous items.
19. Yeth Hounds: 1d4 demonic hounds of the Wild Hunt, living as feral scavengers on the Cloud Island. If they catch you alone, you're prey.
20. Tracks/aftermath (reroll to see what you find traces of)

SITUATIONS ON THE CLOUD ISLAND

(Roll 1d6 to determine the situation, then roll on the table above to identify the people or creatures involved.)

1. A desires B
2. A wants to capture B
3. A wants B dead
4. A wants to go somewhere
5. A wants to solve a mystery
6. A wants X

For more tales of places beyond the sky or weird islands, buy my ebooks:  Outlaws and Aliens and Monster Island Tales!