Bigger Even More Honking Random Monster Table [Wastelands]

Just a quick update to share today. I've expanded my Wastelands random creature encounter table to include more monsters (mostly from the Fiend Folio) and I folded the sublists (humanoids, giantkin, oozes, undead, and the like) into the main table.

I've also added in my other wilderness random encounter tables up front, which use some house rules like "scatter" dice as well as the excellent d30 Sandbox Companion (by Richard J. LeBlanc Jr. of New Big Dragon Games) for wilderness travel.

As with the previous version, the tables can be downloaded here (.pdf) should you good readers wish to use it as-is, or here (.docx) if you'd like to tinker and customize it.

Wastelands Big Honkin Random Monster Table

The Wastelands is a sandboxy hex-crawl style setting. As such, I needed to create a series of random encounter tables for the numerous geographical regions. I had originally drafted a d20-based table for each major region (Bandlands of Paj, Kreth Verdant, Steaming Jungles of Su'Janga, etc.), but soon realized that a d20 randomizer did not produce enough variation within each region to satisfy my personal Creature Feature Quotient--meaning I needed more monsters!

Artisan dice! https://www.artisandice.com/

So as I often do when pondering dungeon mastery-type things, I consulted the definitive work of Grand Master Gygax, the 1st edition DMG. Therein, as usual, I found my solution: d100-based random tables delineated by predominant terrain type. I have moved away from d100-based tables in recent years, mostly because they require a lot more fiddly maths and sometimes produce too many options for my personal tastes. However, for this purpose, and to satiate my CFQ--I wanted roughly between 20 and 40 possible random creatures for most regions--the good old d100 tables worked perfectly.

Thus, I reorganized my separate regional d20 tables into one big honking d100 table broken out into predominant terrain types (arctic, badlands, forest, desert, and so on) similar to what was done in the DMG. The table can be downloaded here (.pdf) should you good readers wish to use it as-is, or here (.docx) if you'd like to tinker and customize it.

The creatures on the table include a few of the regular suspects from the Monster Manual (it goes without saying that I mean the AD&D version--but I guess I just said, or wrote, it anyway!) But with this campaign setting I wanted to mine the other monster manuals for lesser-known and/or infrequently-used critters. For example, monsters such as the crysmal, kampfult, solifugid and xag-ya from Monster Manual II, and the caterwaul and skulk (and the humanoid aarakocra, grimlocks and quaggoths) from the Fiend Folio will turn up randomly in some areas of the Wastelands.

I also included the thanoi, or walrus men, from the Dragonlance Adventures book (and DL6 Dragons of Ice). Mostly because I like the idea of warrior walrus men. I never liked much from Dragonlance, but I always thought the thanoi were cool. Coo coo ca choo! Bad puns intended. ;-)

Fortnight of Chaos, Part VII: Blessings of Chaos

Today we have the final installment of the Fortnight of Chaos—a big old table of mutations. This table is a modified version of the d1000 table found in Realms of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness. By that I mean the entries are, for the most part, all there (some of the “more powerful” entries have been removed in the switch to a d100 table format), but have had their effects converted or altered to suit old-school games like Labyrinth Lord.

Enjoy, and thanks for following along with the Fortnight of Chaos!

CHAOS MUTATIONS

The mortal servants of chaos who most fervently exemplify the carnage and bloodthirst of their dark gods are granted boons of physical mutation. Use the following tables to determine any mutations possessed by mortal chaos followers.

CHAOS MUTATIONS TABLE I: MORTAL MUTATIONS

Chaos Mortal	% Chance of Mutation	Number of Mutations
Marauder	10%	1
Marauder Chieftain	25%	1
Ungor*	10%	1
Gor*	10%	1
Bestigor*	25%	1
Wargor*	50%	1
Warrior	25%	1
Champion	50%	1
Knight	90%	1d2
Bray-Shaman*	25%	1
Great Bray-Shaman*	50%	1
Neophyte	25%	1
Sorcerer	50%	1d2
Exalted Sorcerer	90%	1d3
Acolyte	25%	1
Priest	50%	1
Exalted Priest	90%	1d2

*Beastmen are, by their very nature, already warped by the powers of chaos, so further mutations are entirely optional.

The mutations detailed below are mostly flavorful, but many provide attributes in the form of statistical benefits or penalties to those who possess them. This table could also be used to randomly determine mutations in chaos henchmen or non-combatants, as well as for adding color to NPC descriptions in any “town corrupted by chaos” scenario.

CHAOS MUTATIONS TABLE II: MUTATIONS & ATTRIBUTES

	Mutation	Attribute		Mutation	Attribute
1	Acid Excretion	Touch causes 1d4 acid damage	51	Long Neck	Can look around corners or over obstacles
2	Additional Eye	Extra eye in head/limb/body/etc.	52	Long Nose	Enhanced sense of smell
3	Agility	+1 DEX	53	Long Spines	Can make ranged dart attack each round
4	Albino	Suffers albinism	54	Mace Tail	Can make melee mace attack with tail
5	Alcoholism	Constantly drunk, acts as confusion spell	55	Magic Resistant	+2 to all saves vs magical effects
6	Atrophy	Withered limb, -2 STR or DEX	56	Mane of Hair	Mane like a lion
7	Beaked	Bite causes 1d4 damage	57	Manic Fighter	+2 to morale
8	Bestial Face	Face like a beast	58	Mindless	2-in-6 chance to stare blankly each round
9	Big Ears	+1 to checks to hear noise	59	Moronic	2-in-6 chance to act stupidly each round
10	Bird’s Feet	Claw causes 1d4 damage	60	Multiple Arms	May make extra attack or carry a shield
11	Blood Rage	+1 to damage after kill, not cumulative	61	Multiple Heads	Argumentative, acts as confusion spell
12	Blood Substitution	Weird blood causes 1d4 damage	62	One Eye	-2 to ranged attacks
13	Breathes Fire	5’ breath attack causes 1d4 damage	63	Overgrown Body Part	Don’t even go there…
14	Brightly Patterned Skin	Bizarre skin colors and patterns	64	Pin Head	-1 to INT
15	Bulging Eyes	Proverbial “bug eyes”	65	Pointed Head	‘I am Beldar! We are from France!”
16	Cloven Hooves	Has hooves instead of feet	66	Poisonous Bite	Poisoned bite attack (class 16 poison)
17	Cowardice	-2 to morale	67	Powerful Legs	Double jump distances, +10’ to combat move
18	Crest	Has plumage or skin crest around head	68	Prehensile Tail	May make extra melee attack or carry a shield
19	Crossbreed	Obvious mixed race origin	69	Puny	-3 STR
20	Crystalline Body	AC 0 but any damage destroys	70	Quadruped/Biped	+10’/-10’ to combat move rate
21	Elastic Limbs	Melee attacks up to 10’	71	Razor-sharp Claws	Claw causes 1d4 damage
22	Enormously Fat	-3 DEX	72	Rearranged Face	Facial features all mixed up
23	Enormous Noise	Attracts or scares wandering monsters	73	Regeneration	Roll d6 per round: on a 5-6, gain 1d3 hit points
24	Evil Eye	Unnerves single foe/round, +1 to AC	74	Resilient	+1 to CON
25	Extra Joints	+1 DEX	75	Rotting Flesh	Horrid stench, skin constantly flakes off
26	Extremely Thin	-1 CON	76	Scaly Skin	+1 to AC
27	Eyestalks	Movable eyestalks, -1 to be surprised	77	Scorpion Tail	Poisoned tail attack (class 16 poison)
28	Fangs	Bite causes 1d4 damage	78	Short Legs	-5’ to combat move rate
29	Fast	+10’ to combat move rate	79	Shrink	Effect as reduce spell
30	Fear of Blood	Save vs petrify at sight of blood or faint	80	Silly Voice	“Hi, my name is Mickey Mouse!”
31	Feathered Hide	Avian plumage all over skin or hide	81	Silly Walk	Walks silly but no government grant
32	Featureless Face	No features, but senses unaffected	82	Skull Face	Effect as cause fear spell
33	Fits	2-in-6 chance for seizure each round	83	Snake Tail	Snake-like tail has rattle
34	Flaming Skull Face	Effect as cause fear spell	84	Spits Acid	Spit (10’ range) causes 1d4 acid damage
35	Furry	Covered in hair or fur	85	Strong	+1 to STR
36	Growth	Effect as enlarge spell	86	Suckers	Effect as spider climb spell
37	Headless	Effect as blindness spell	87	Tail	Animal-like tail
38	Hopper	Halve movement rate	88	Telekinesis	Effect as telekinesis spell
39	Horns	Horn causes 1d4 damage	89	Tentacles	Tentacles instead of arms
40	Horrible Stench	Effect as stinking cloud spell within 10’	90	Transparent Skin	Effect as cause fear spell
41	Huge Head	Very large and bulbous head	91	Uncanny Resemblance	Resembles famous person
42	Hunchback	Proverbial “hunchback”	92	Uncontrollable Flatulence	“What crawled up your butt and died, dude!”
43	Hypnotic Gaze	Effect as hypnotism spell	93	Vividly Colored Skin	Bizarre skin coloration
44	Illusion of Normality	Looks normal until combat ensues…	94	Walking Head	No torso, -3 CON
45	Iron Hard Skin	Half-damage from nonmagical attacks	95	Warty Skin	Covered in nasty warts
46	Irrational Fear	2-in-6 chance to suffer fear each round	96	Weapon Master	+1 to hit and damage with weapon
47	Irrational Hatred	Will always attack hated creature type	97	Wings	Effect as fly spell
48	Levitation	Effect as levitate spell	98	Zoological Mutation	Animal-like feature
49	Limb Loss	Can’t use 2-hand weapons, or halve move	99	Invent Your Own
50	Long Legs	+5’ to combat move rate	00	Roll Twice