" A giant figure covered in seaweed and shells, scavenging among the debris on a sandy beach, beside a statue made of driftwood..."
Simple encounter tables for islands in any fantasy setting. Tables for Combined Island Encounters, Island Encounter Details and Island Encounter Locations.
Fantasy Sea - all | trinkets | coastal encs | island encs | open sea encs | port encs | underwater encs
[photo by Michael on Unsplash]
Fantasy Island Encounters
From rocky isles circled by seagulls to sandy beaches hemming in islands of lush vegetation, islands are the bedrock of many a seafaring campaign or adventure. A boat of fisherfolk playing a dangerous game by a cliff with many caves, a giant turtle basking in the sun near a huge rusty anchor or a seaweed dryad, currently mending a net in an area of rockpools with a palm tree.
A place of seals, crabs, rocks, boats, sirens, divers, shells and sand.
There is a fantasy sea encounter generator at ChaosGen. There is also a pdf of these and more tables at the DriveThruRPG as Island Encounters.
Island Combined Encounters
These reference Island tables for Encounter Prompts, Hazards and NPCs
| 1d10 | Island Combined Encounters | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | huge recent footprints, leading to a cavemouth or roll on Hazards | |
| 2 | a solitary (or giant) ... d10 (1-2. crab swarm 3. flock of terns 4. lizard 5. crocodile 6. turtle 7. snake 8. dinosaur (or walrus) 9. octopus (or penguin) 10. sea eagle ) | |
| 3 | A travelling oracle gives accurate readings for group or roll on NPCs | |
| 4 | several (or a boat of)... d10 (1-2. fisherfolk 3. sailors 4. nonhumans 5. locals 6. divers 7. merfolk (or smugglers) 8. warriors 9. outcasts 10. pirates ) | |
| 5 | Two feathered merfolk dance in the waves or roll on Enc. Descriptions | |
| 6 | a few (or many)... d10 (1-2. giant turtles 3. ponies 4. giant crabs 5. seals 6. lizardfolk 7. pegasi 8. pteranodons 9. griffon 10. island drakes) | |
| 7 | a troubled spirit making shapes using the wind or roll on Hazards | |
| 8 | an aquatic creature ... d10 (1-2. sea sprite 3. seaweed dryad 4. merfolk 5. brine imp 6. serpent 7. giant octopus 8. whale 9. transparent slime 10. naiad) | |
| 9 | A hunter (or smuggler) searches for crabs or roll on NPCs | |
| 10 | a potential (or signs of a) danger, a(n)... d10 (1-2. huge bird 3. wind spirit 4. water dragon 5. brine troll 6. reef giant 7. siren 8. sea monster 9. ghost 10. cyclops and livestock |
Island Encounter Details
Use 1d6 for beasts or non-sentient creatures.
| 1d10 | They are... (or one is...) |
|---|---|
| 1 | on a long journey or sheltering in a cave |
| 2 | watching (or waiting for) something out at sea, a(n)... d10 (1-2. floating wreck 3. moving island 4. sea monster 5. raft with figures 6. ghostly ship 7. strange incoming mist 8. flare 9. pod of dolphins 10. squad of ships) |
| 3 | feeding on (or hunting for) fish or basking in the sun |
| 4 | trapped in netting or more dangerous than they seem |
| 5 | investigating (or in) a weathered (or abandoned) ... d10 (1-2. fishing boat 3. rowing boat 4. canoe 5. single-masted ship 6. raft 7. longboat 8. sailing boat 9. skiff 10. unique vessel) |
| 6 | playing (or washing) in the water; or covered in mud |
| 7 | salvaging among the debris or curious about a body |
| 8 | making a sand (or rock) sculpture; or playing a dangerous game |
| 9 | currently... d10 (1-2. swimming 3. watching a threat 4. singing 5. mending a net 6. waiting 7. climbing 8. digging 9. making a map 10. repairing a boat) |
| 10 | collecting driftwood (or shells); or trying to get attention of someone |
Island Encounter Locations
| 1d10 | Area, a(n)... | Feature, a(n)... | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | area of rock pools or sand dunes | driftwood (or stone) statue or winch | |
| 2 | sandy (or rocky) beach; or wreck | cave mouth or dead sea creature | |
| 3 | ruined hamlet (or stone tower); | huge rusty anchor or stone arch | |
| 4 | cliff with many caves (or a path) | old (or sacred) boat or pile of debris | |
| 5 | estuary (or lake) edge; or slipway | mass of seaweed or unlit beacon | |
| 6 | area of debris (or pebble dunes) | pile of shells (or driftwood); or jetty | |
| 7 | line of trees (or ruined pillars) | wooden hut (or walkway); or cage | |
| 8 | group of rocks (or mangroves) | palm (or dead) tree; or sea stack | |
| 9 | shallow stream or belltower | bone shrine to a sea (or island) god | |
| 10 | whalebone (or bamboo) house | sturdy crate (or barrel); or campfire |
More Encounters
There is a fantasy sea encounter generator at ChaosGen. There is also a pdf of these and more tables at the DriveThruRPG as Island Encounters.
If you liked these there are Generators at Chaos Gen and a monthly random tools Newsletter. Or find us on the Rand Roll Discord or an instagram of Random Tables.
