The Sundaland RPG Setting: Sundaland Sword & Sorcery Adventure Generator

Yet another Sword & Sorcery Adventure Generator, but this one is tailored to my Bronze Age to Antiquity setting.

After my tables I've collected some more great free Sword & Sorcery adventure generators (From which I myself have taken inspiration or outright borrowed).

Use the following tables in any configuration you wish as many times as you need to spark your imagination. Go to the content overview for more random tables that will be of use. The Random RPG Faction Generator is particularly useful for adversaries and allies in ongoing campaigns.

Location: Where does the adventure take place. 1d12

Setup 1, 2 and 3: The situation at the start of the adventure. 3d20

Hook: How the players get involved. 1d6

Patron, ally, client, help-seeker: Who is asking for help or on their side. 1d6

Task: What has to be done? 1d6

Reward: What's in it for the players? 1d6

Antagonist or Adversary: Who is working in opposition to the players? 1d6

Obstacle: What stands in the way? 1d12

Complication: What makes the situation complicated? 1d6

Twist: What unexpected thing happens? 1d12

Location (1d12):

1. Island: Archipelagos, bays, lagoons, coral reefs, sand bars, cliffs, limestone karsts. Pirates, serpents, leviathans.

2. Savannah: Open grasslands, scattered trees, rocky outcrops, bush lands. Heat, herd animals, predators.

3. Valleys: Cliffs, crevices, hidden paths, winding trails, boulders, deep rivers, waterfalls, rock falls, ledges, overhangs.

4. Caves: Shallow caves, deep cavern systems, giant sink-holes, cenotes. Echoes, eyes in the dark, hiding places.

5. Temples: In ruins or pristine, abandoned or in use, huge complex or small as a house. Worshippers, fanatics, priests, acolytes.

6. Village: Along the river bank, high on a cliff's edge, on stilts over water, distributed across a wide area, closely packed with defences. Fishermen and women, hunters, weavers, warriors, gardeners.

7. City: Abandoned or occupied, falling into ruin or thriving, enclosed within walls or spread out across a wide area. Merchants, guards, soldiers, artisans bureaucrats,

8. Table top mountain: Cliffs, hidden access, unusual flora and fauna.

9. Volcanic: Ash lands, lava streams, geysers, geothermal pools, noxious smells.

10. Swamps, marshes, bogs, mangrove forests: Occasional islands of firm ground, tides. Bottomless quagmire, mosquitos and insects, movement in the water.

11. Rivers: Wide and slow, narrow and fast, waterfalls, rapids.

12. Forest: Rainforest: dense canopy with little undergrowth. Jungle light canopy with dense undergrowth.

Setup 1 (1d20):

1. Pirates, brigands, raiders or thieves

2. Nobles

3. Ambassadors

4. Common city dwellers

5. Slavers

6. Enslaved

7. Courtesans

8. Sea-gypsies

9. Merchants or traders

10. Crafters and artisans

11. Mercenaries

12. Villagers

13. Guards

14. Soldiers

15. Sailors, fisher-folk

16. Explorers

17. Ambassadors

18. Bureaucrats

19. Cultists

20. Priests or shamans

Setup 2 (1d20):

1. Attack

2. Ally with

3. Bribe

4. Lead

5. Subjugate

6. Worship

7. Trade

8. Build

9. Take

10. Replace

11. Kill or destroy

12. Buy

13. Rescue

14. Seek or find

15. Guard, protect or escort

16. Capture

17. Discover or explore

18. Hide

19. Make

20. Escape

Setup 3 (1d20):

1. Spices

2. Animals such as elephants or water-buffalo

3. Metal such as Bronze or tin

4. Gold, silver, jade or obsidian

5. A magical metal

6. Jewels or jewellery

7. Boat or ship

8. Food resources

9. Astrological knowledge

10. Herbal and healing knowledge

11. Maps

12. Weapons

13. Tablets

14. Idols

15. Scrolls

16. Statues

17. Tombs

18. Ruin

19. Beasts or monsters

20. Star Gods

Hook (1d6):

1. Characters owe someone a debt or favour.

2. Characters are blackmailed into helping.

3. Characters are hired specifically for the job.

4. Characters hear there is a reward for any volunteers.

5. Characters hear an enticing rumour or legend.

6. Circumstances force the characters to get involved.

Patron, ally, client, help-seeker (1d6):

1. Old friend

2. Old ally

3. Superiors from your culture

4. Superiors from another culture

5. Common folk

6. Travellers or strangers

Roll on Setup 1 again to know more about the Patron / Ally

Task (1d6):

1. Rescue

2. Escort, defend or guard

3. Find or explore

4. Transport, trade or exchange

5. Destroy

6. Attack

Reward (1d6):

1. Treasure such as precious metals, jewels, artefacts, spices or jewellery.

2. Special rights, privileges, future favour or personal debt.

3. Weapons or tools.

4. A house, mansion, palace or fort.

5. Elephants, water-buffalo, boat or ship with crew.

6. Information or clues.

Antagonist (1d6):

1. An old or former friend

2. An old or former ally

3. Someone with a neutral or indifferent relationship to the players.

4. An old adversary

5. A sworn enemy

6. An unknown adversary

Roll on Setup 1 again to know more about the Antagonist

Obstacle (1d12):

1. Animals

2. Beasts or monsters

3. People (Roll on Setup 1 again to know more)

4. Geographical feature or barrier such as mountains, rivers, waterfalls, swamps, reefs, deserts, ravines, jungles and such things.

5. Natural disaster such as typhoons, torrential rains, mud-slides, volcano explosions, plagues etc.

6. Strange local customs

7. Restrictive local laws

8. Subterfuge, deception or trickery

9. Mistaken identity

10. Sudden loss of an important person, resource, tool, knowledge or weapon.

11. Curse

12. Secret

Complication (1d6):

1. Lack of appropriate resources.

2. Lack of appropriate people.

3. Lack of appropriate tools or weapons.

4. Lack of appropriate knowledge or information.

5. Misleading information.

6. The clock starts ticking because... (roll on another table such as Antagonist, Obstacle or Twist)

Twist (1d12):

1. The ally is a potential enemy.

2. The enemy is a potential ally.

3. The Setup is not as it seems.

4. The Obstacle is not what it at first seemed to be.

5. Adversaries are forced to help each-other.

6. The antagonist's goal more worthy than at first seemed.

7. What seemed mundane is actually super-natural.

8. What seems super-natural is actually mundane.

9. It's a trap or trick.

10. The goal of the mission is superseded by something more immediately important.

11. Failure results in unexpected consequences.

12. Success results in unexpected consequences.

Let's roll up a random Sword & Sorcery Adventure:

2d12 (I want two locations), 3d20, 5d6, 1d12, 1d6, 1d12

Location:

7. City: Abandoned or occupied, falling into ruin or thriving, enclosed within walls or spread out across a wide area. Merchants, guards, soldiers, artisans bureaucrats,

10. Swamps, marshes, bogs, mangrove forests: Occasional islands of firm ground, tides. Bottomless quagmire, mosquitos and insects, movement in the water.

Setup 1: 15. Sailors, fisher-folk

Setup 2: 7. Trade

Setup 3: 1. Spices

Hook: 4. Characters hear there is a reward for any volunteers.

Patron, ally, client, help-seeker: 5. Common folk

Task: 1. Rescue

Reward: 1. Treasure such as precious metals, jewels, artefacts, spices or jewellery.

Antagonist: 6. An unknown adversary + 11. Mercenaries

Obstacle: 3. People (Roll on Setup 1 again to know more) + 3. Ambassadors

Complication: 4. Lack of appropriate knowledge or information.

Twist: 11. Failure results in unexpected consequences.

Weaving this together I get:

The adventurers arrive at s a city that lies deep in a swamp. The reason the city lies in a swamp is because it is a collection and trading hub for rare spices that are only found in the vicinity.

Common folk that live in the swamp (who otherwise live as fisher-folk) gather spices and bring them to the city in exchange for goods and services. While perusing the street markets the characters overhear that some of the swamp people have been kidnapped by a band of unknown warriors (they are in fact mercenaries) They are holding them hostage in order to force their families to divulge the secrets of where to find particularly valuable spices and how to harvest them.

The adventurers may wonder what properties do these spices have that make them so valuable?

The swamp people are offering a reward of some of these spices to anyone who can rescue their family members. The origin, culture and character of the kidnappers is unknown and the leaders of the city are reluctant to send out guards or warriors on a rescue mission because they believe they will be at a severe disadvantage in the swamp. In fact there are ambassadors from several other city states in attendance and they have all agreed to forbid anyone from aiding the common folk of the swamp. It is unclear if this decision was unanimous or if there was a vote or some kind of ruling.

The complicating factors of this task are a lack of information of the whereabouts of the kidnappers or any other information including their numbers. All they swamp-folk can offer is a scroll detailing the demands (Or so they've been told, they can not read this language and needed the aid of one of the cities' scribes).

The twist in this adventure is that if the adventurers fail to rescue the kidnapped people the swamp folk will turn on them and offer them up in exchange for their family members.

What will happen?

Will the adventurers aid the swamp people?

What is the nature of these particularly valuable spices?

Will the characters try to play both sides in order to secure the knowledge of how to find the spices themselves?

Why do the city leaders and ambassadors not want to help?

Do all parties agree this is the right course of action?

Will the city leaders and ambassadors actively try to hinder the adventurers?

Did one of them hire the mercenaries?

What happens if the adventurers succeed?

How will the city leaders and ambassadors react? Will they be pleased, or will it anger them?

Will they each react differently because of different motivations and involvement?

What will the adventurers do if they fail and the swamp people turn on them?