" A few mammoths are investigating a half-buried tent. Around them is a plateau of bloodstained snow and a pile of firewood..."
Simple encounter tables for cemeteries and tombs in any fantasy setting. Tables for Combined Cold Encounters, Cold Encounter Details and Cold Encounter Locations.
Fantasy Wilds - all | trinkets | coastal encs | cold encs | desert encs | forest encs | plains encs | swamp encs
Winter Theme - all | trinkets | cold encs
[Photo by Miguel Mansilla]
Fantasy Cold Lands Encounters
Cold lands might be those always cold such as subarctic or cold mountains, affected by frost magic or a plane of elemental ice. Or it might be winter in an otherwise temperate area. There might be a frozen lake, mound of firewood, circle of ice statues or a charred sleigh. Hunters putting up tents, a white fox with the symbol of a winter deity or frost wight on a sled.
It's also a place of reindeer, raiders, snow sculptures, ivory, wolves, pine trees and skis.
There is a fantasy arctic encounters generator at ChaosGen. There is also a pdf of these and more tables at the DriveThruRPG as Cold Lands Encounters.
Cold Combined Encounters
These reference Cold Lands tables for Encounter Prompts, Hazards and NPCs
| 1d10 | Cold Lands Combined Encounters | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | a flag marking a buried cache of supplies or roll on Hazards | |
| 2 | a solitary (or giant)... d10 (1-2. bear 3. reindeer or whale 4. snowy owl or puma 5. fox 6. walrus or lynx 7. woolly rhino8. wolverine 9. tiger 10. mammoth ) | |
| 3 | a grizzled artist, sat carving scrimshaw and thinking or roll on NPCs | |
| 4 | several (or a pair of)... d10 (1-2. hunters 3. raiders 4. goblins 5. warriors 6. scouts 7. ogres 8. nonhumans 9. berserkers 10. herders) | |
| 5 | laughing travelers making snow figures or roll on Enc. Descriptions | |
| 6 | a few (or many)... d10 (1-2. wolves 3. aurochs 4. mammoths 5. giant goats (or alpacas) 6. reindeer 7. penguins 8. deer 9. dogs with a sled 10. seals or oxen) | |
| 7 | embers of a dying campfire and tracks an hour old or roll on Hazards | |
| 8 | a spirit, a(n)... d10 (1-2. snow imp 3. animated ice statue 4. revenant 5. winter sprite 6. ghost 7. snow witch 8. frost wight 9. blizzard spirit 10. ice elemental) | |
| 9 | a wary goblin outrider on a wolf, scouting for trouble or roll on NPCs | |
| 10 | a potential (or signs of a) danger, a(n)... d10 (1-2. frost giant 3. ice dragon 4. frost salamander 5. winter wolf 6. griffon 7. undead mammoth 8. troll 9. sabre-toothed tiger 10. yeti ) |
Cold Encounter Details
Use 1d6 for beasts or non-sentient creatures.
| 1d10 | They are... (or one is...) |
|---|---|
| 1 | stalking (or being stalked by) something; or attempting to catch fish |
| 2 | investigating a half-buried... d10 (1-2. abandoned hut 3. corpse 4. ugly statue 5. set of tracks 6. sleigh 7. skeleton 8. tunnel entrance 9. tent 10. cursed shrine) |
| 3 | consuming a recent kill or hopelessly lost |
| 4 | eating lichen (or a recent kill); or hiding in the snow |
| 5 | displaying the symbol of a winter deity or being noisy |
| 6 | sheltering from dangerous weather or infected with a disease |
| 7 | currently... d10 (1-2. making music 3. skiing 4. hunting 5. intoxicated 6. yodeling 7. skating 8. hiding 9. chanting 10. celebrating) |
| 8 | making an ice (or snow) sculpture (or wall); or holding a funeral |
| 9 | putting up (or investigating) tents or searching for the party |
| 10 | on (or pulling) a sled (or sleigh); or burying something in the snow |
Cold Encounter Locations
| 1d10 | Area, a(n)... | Feature, a(n)... |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | area of pine trees (or permafrost) | mammoth skeleton or fading fire |
| 2 | slippery ridge (or slope); or icy cliff | wide pool with a layer of thin ice |
| 3 | field of cotton grass (or crisp snow) | mound of firewood (or old furs) |
| 4 | circle of ice statues (or columns) | frozen bear corpse or rope ladder |
| 5 | burial ground or grove of fir trees | fur-lined tent or snow sculpture |
| 6 | plateau of bloodstained snow | treacherous walkway (or bridge) |
| 7 | frozen lake (or waterfall) of blue ice | cairn with lichen or few big icicles |
| 8 | glacial valley or arcane tower | pile of bones (or ivory) and snow |
| 9 | fish-filled river or few wooden huts | icy pool or blocked cave entrance |
| 10 | crumbling temple (or obelisk) | charred (or fine) sleigh (or kayak) |
More Encounters
There is a fantasy arctic encounters generator at ChaosGen. There is also a pdf of these and more tables at the DriveThruRPG as Cold Lands
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