Wilderness Stocking - Expanded

Here is the Outdoor Companion for my Dungeon Stocking – Expanded Resource that provides similar Links and Prompts to assist with Overland Hex Stocking. As I’ve mentioned before, I often utilize the traditional B/X Stocking Table (slightly reskinned) for inspiration when I’m working on Hex Features:

But I wanted to try and leverage the same “wasted” Treasure/Resource Roll for this as well to come up with 36 potential combinations that might be used for a bit of Inspiration when placing them.

Under normal circumstances, I prefer placing a handful of these in each Hex (some Obvious, but others might be Hidden or require Exploration/Rumor to uncover.) The goal is genereally to interject more decision points and choices within Travel, because those are usually what makes those Journeys through Wild Places more memorable.

I still have a few more ideas for some additional Resources I might add to this in the future (probably in the form of more d100 Tables, though I was surprised at just how many I found under that [wilderness tier] label already!), but the current version is below:

d100 - Treasure Transformations or Trusty Trade Goods

While wool-gathering today, I wondered if there could be a quick and convenient way to add a little more variety to Treasure Hoards generated via the typical Hoard Treasure Types we find in these games. While Gems, Jewelry, and Magic Items are definitely exciting to the Players, sometimes the huge heaps of coins are less immediately compelling. So, I began to speculate: What if there were some ways to supplement or substitute some of those for other interesting items of value.

My initial idea was that upon rolling doubles when Generating Treasure Chances with the d100, one could assign a percentage (10%, 20%, etc.) or even a full “pip’s worth” of the value rolled to certain Goods/Commodities that might be present among the gleaming and glittering piles. Or in certain Settings, these types of more mundane items might be even more common or economically important. This could add some variety to those hauls, as well as lead to some potentially interesting choices and decisions in terms of appraising, transporting, and flogging off these wares. Some results could even potentially replenish crucial supplies, augment the creature comforts in a Party’s living conditions, or even potentially make transporting the rest a little less onerous.

As I began populating tables (by Coin type, with more intrinsically precious items corresponding to their respective metals) it hit on me that this might also be pretty useful as a Resource for generating Trade Goods should the Party stumble across a Merchant or Trader in their Travels, so I suppose it can do a bit of double duty, or serve that purpose if tweaking the Treasure in this way is not to your liking.

d100 - Wilderness Fauna

As part of my Preparation for a new Wilderness Stocking Resource (an Overland version of my Dungeon Stocking – Expanded) I’ve identified a few potential d100 Tables that I would like to add to the pile. Although I have plenty of tables concerning Trees, Flora, and even Fruit/Berries, I noticed that the ones that I have made in the past for Wildlife are generally pretty specific (Fantastic Fish, Remarkable Birds, etc.) I wanted to something a little more generally applicable: A kind of Outdoor Companion to my Dungeon Fauna table.

So here are a hundred ideas to add some more Critters to those Wildernesses. I don’t view these strictly as Encounters per se: More akin to a bit of decoration or embellishment when portraying an area as we Journey through it. These can serve as a source of small vignettes, just to make those places feel a little more alive. Of course, that doesn’t mean that they won’t sometimes spur choices or interaction by more inquisitive Players, or even potentially serve as some entries to sprinkle in a Hunting or Regional Rumor Table. I have some more fully-fledged ideas for Hunting/Foraging in my Forest Farragoes.

d100 - Why Is This Treasure So Valuable?

Sometimes, rolls on those Random Treasure Tables can often produce some surprisingly Rich Results. A piece of Jewelry, Gemstone, or even an Object d’art may be so very valuable that one is tempted to ask “Why?” We can usually conveniently couch this in properties such as Size, Materials, or even Crafting Techniques and Artisanal Skills, but sometimes it can be interesting to have that justification be a little less tangible or intrinsic to the physical item itself.

This table explores some additional options and rationale behind how those incredibly prized finds get assigned their values. Sometimes something so dear might be a bit more trouble than it’s worth after all!

d100 - “Bottle Episodes" - Seafaring Scenes & Situations

Long Journeys by Sea often differ from other types of Travel. Outside of Weather Changes, and the occasional Random Encounter, there is often very little to decorate them when compared to their Wilderness Exploration counterparts. The distances are vast, and often “empty” in the sense that there are few landmarks, features, or points of interest present.

To address this in my Wave Crawls, I often introduce “Bottle Episodes.” These are usually Shipbound Situations that develop among the Crew or on the Vessel itself and serve as a way to interject some vignettes that often can lead to Decisions and Choices for the Players. Occasionally they can lead in interesting directions or consume a portion of Play to resolve. Similar things often work well for Space Travel as well.

Here are a hundred ideas for these kinds of Nautical Events, tailored a bit to the typical “Sailing Ship” but I’m sure they can be whittled to fit other vessels without too much work.

d100 - What Do Those Rations Consist of Anyway?

Adventurers often find themselves with loudly growling bellies. The clever ones make sure that they’ve brought along some Rations for this occasion, but we rarely really delve into what those portable foodstuffs might actually be. Other than vague acknowledgements nodding in the directions of Pemmican and Hard Tack, it seldom gets the detail it’s due.

Foodways can convey a lot about a Culture or Place, and it struck me that a bundle of provisions might sometimes come with a little something extra. Something that could serve as a potential problem-solving Tool or give those Rations a little extra utility behind munching or Monster bribing.

So here are a Hundred ideas to make those Meals more Meaningful. Most are representative of the “Standard” Ration variety, as Iron Rations might deserve separate ministrations. Until then, I’m sure some of these could be re-skinned with a focus on how they’re stored and the preservation methods used.

d100 - Side Effects from Bargain Basement Potions

In most of my Campaign Settings, I try to emphasize that Magic is a rather Rare and Wonderous thing. You’ll seldom find Arcane Artifacts for Sale in Markets and generally you must locate them through Adventure. But some Settings are slightly less stringent and may make some Magic Items more available than others. You might have your “Ye Olde Magic Shoppe” conveniently franchised in most Settlements, or Characters might be able to purchase some things (like consumables) on occasion from a travelling Alchemist or Witch. Potions are consistently in demand, and a bit of a mainstay in these situations.

They may balk at the Steep Prices for such things, so here is another Option: They might be able to save a little Gold by going with a draught that’s perhaps a little less predictable or has some unusual drawbacks. Here are One Hundred Potions, with a couple ideas for these kinds of “Side-Effects” that might impact their efficacy a bit, result in a more challenging situation, or just simply add a little humor. As for how long these might last, I’d usually go with something Randomized, or maybe a periodic Saving Throw once the Duration is up to return to normal. Usage Dice could be useful here too. Bottoms Up!