The focus of this procedure is mostly on the physical landscape and places within it. To discover more details about what is happening in this world I have created many tables to help you generate adventure ideas, factions, cultures, religions, magical metals and more, all of which you can find here: Content Overview.
Use as much or as little detail as you need and there's nothing to stop you from rolling on some of the tables again at a later time to discover more about the world or see how it develops over time. And as always, play to find out more. The meaning and connections will emerge over time.
Step 1: Biome 1d6
Decide which biome you want to generate content for or roll 1d6 for a random choice. See the resource section at the end to learn more about the geography and biomes of Sundaland. (Get an idea of what the different biomes look like as well as inspiration for other parts of the world: Biomes of Sundaland). In my example I use just one biome for the whole area.
1. Tropical rain and dry forests
2. Savanna and grasslands
3. Swamps and Mangrove forests
4. Hills and highlands
5. Mountains and volcanic regions
6. Islands, reefs, lagoons
Step 2: Generate Hex Type 1d10
Roll for each of the hexes on your map.
1-6: 'Empty' hexes*
These are typical for the biome. Half of these hexes have an interesting geographical feature. Roll on the Geographic Features table for 50% of these hexes (every other)
7: Settlements
8: Ruins
9: Dangers and Hazards
10: The Strange, Weird, Unusual, Unnatural or Supernatural**
*Empty means nothing out of the ordinary for this biome. This is still the wilderness where you may encounter the relevant danger, hazards and opportunities.
**On the initial map simply labelled as 'Unusual'.
Step 3: Determine the nature of hexes that contain: Geographic Features, Settlements, Ruins, Dangers and Hazards, Unusual.
3.1 Geographic Features 1d6
1. Tropical rain and dry forests
1.1 Karst limestone towers. Jagged stone giants piercing the mist. Echoing caverns, sheer cliff faces, hidden hollows offer shelter. Could they be climbed?
2.1 Banyan strangler grove, bamboo thicket. A claustrophobic labyrinth of creeping roots and rustling stalks. What could hide in there?
3.1 River gorge, rapid stream. Roaring white water carving through the land, rapids and waterfalls. Would you risk crossing?
4.1 Swamp, peat swamp, quicksand, marsh. Black water and treacherous mud, rotting vegetation, flies, mosquitos and scarily large insects. No one would voluntarily enter unless there was a very important reason to.
5.1 Clearing, canopy gap. A rare sunlit haven, a place to rest but vulnerable to watching eyes.
6.1 Cenote, flooded cave. Mirror still water cradled in stone. Cool water offers salvation from the heat, but subterranean depths hold ancient secrets and inescapable traps.
2. Savanna and grasslands
2.1 Rocky outcrop, ridge or elevation. A vantage point, crevices to hide from the shade, a defensible position. You're not the only one with those ideas.
2.2 Watering hole or small river (smaller or completely dry during the dry season). A place to rest and cool down that attracts everyone and everything from miles around.
2.3 Mass grave. A pit, the walls of a Kite, a narrow ravine. Sun bleached bones, flies, vultures and hyenas. This is where the hunters drive and kill their prey.
2.4 Herd path. This is where the herbivores wander. Mass movement of animals, trodden grass, dung, predators on the prowl. How long will they stay in the area?
2.5 Cluster of trees. A deep source of water, shade, a hiding place, plant resources not common in the savanna.
2.6 Thorny bushes, dense shrubs, spiky plants. Difficult to traverse, hard to navigate, both an obstacle and a defensive opportunity.
3. Swamps and Mangrove forests
3.1 Stilt root network. A tangled wood web suspended over brackish tides. Traversing demands precarious balance and knowing the way. Don't fall off because you might find more than water down there.
3.2 Sunken mangrove channel. A serpentine waterway flanked by dense green walls. Navigating the slow, murky current offers smooth travel, but you are a sitting target from above and below.
3.3 Driftwood mound. A high-tide tangle of bleached logs, sea debris, and rotting kelp. A rare dry resting spot above the muck, though its hollows host swarms of insects and opportunistic scavengers.
3.4 Mudflat expanse. A vast, shimmering plain exposed at low tide. Foraging is rich and easy, but crossing means total exposure, with nowhere to hide. Be careful not to get stuck there when the tide rolls in.
3.5 Abandoned fish weir. Decaying woven reeds and stakes trap rotting fish and trapped marine debris. The foul stench draws opportunistic scavengers.
3.6 Blackwater sinkhole. A quiet, bottomless pool stained dark by decaying leaves. The glassy, mirror-like surface hides icy depths, treacherous sudden drops, and whatever slithers beyond the light.
4. Hills and highlands
4.1. Waterfall or plunge pool. A roaring cascade cutting through stone, hiding a wet cavern behind its veil or offering a pool of fresh clean water. These are revered places.
4.2. Mist-shrouded gorge or ravine. A deep, narrow fracture in the earth where low clouds gather and choke out the sun. Whatever avoids the sun hides here.
4.3. Scree field or crumbling talus slope. A treacherous expanse of loose, shifting shale and broken rock along the high ridges. Accidentally dislodging stones is incredibly dangerous.
4.4. Sinkhole or limestone collapse. A sudden drop where the hillside has caved into a subterranean river or cavern system below. Things that normally can't come to the surface might have an opportunity now.
4.5. Dry creek or wash. A deep, gravel-lined ditch winding between the hills, carved out by seasonal torrents. The weather can change fast here and a convenient path can become a torrential peril within minutes.
4.6. Tepui (table-top hill or mountain) A high, flat shelf covered in meadows or forests. Nestled between steep ridges or perched high above the lower plains. Seemingly an isolated ecosystem inaccessible from below. But perhaps there is way?
6. Islands and reefs
1. Kelps forest shallows or sargassum mat. A dense, floating forest of thick, rubbery sea-weed that chokes the coastal waters and wraps around oars and rudders. It completely silences the sound of approaching water-craft
2. Ship-wreck graveyard or flotsam reef. A chaotic maze of rotting timbers, caught on the shallow rocks. It is a treasure-hunter's dream for salvaging supplies, but the creaking wreckage is structurally unstable and attracts the foolhardy and desperate.
3. Sinking sandbar or tidal spit. A low, shifting strip of white sand that appears only when the tide retreats, offering a brief path or a temporary place to beach a boat. If you stay too long, the rising ocean returns to swallow everything in a rush of churning foam. What can be accessed when the tide is high or low?
6. Hidden lagoon. A placid, ringed pool of crystal-clear water cut off from the open sea by high cliffs or dense jungle. It is a perfect, serene sanctuary but you probably aren't the only one seeking safe here.
3.2 Settlement Table 1d100
Remember that settlements in Sundaland are unlikely to be organised like Medieval French towns and villages. The equivalent of a hamlet or village could be a set of homes built on stilts along a stretch of a river. A city might be walled like those of ancient Mesopotamia or an expansive urbanised forest like those of the Maya or ancient Khmer. These are not the only settlements in the area, the assumption being that there are many settlements of up to around 400 people not worth generating results for. Also some areas may contain groups of hunter-gatherers and nomads.
Here's an article to get an idea of settlement sizes for different population size scenarios ranging from the equivalent to ancient Mesopotamia to the Roman Empire. Population: Cities, Town and Villages in Sundaland. I've chosen the lowest overall population size estimate that fits my idea of a Bronze Age or Post-Golden Age / Apocalyptic scenario. Which provides lots of wilderness, ruins and opportunities for social mobility due to societies emerging from a dark age.
Roll 1d100
1-50: Small settlements up to around 400 people (Equivalent to a larger hamlet, small village, large trading camp, monastery or military outpost)
50 - 88 Medium settlement (Equivalent to a town or garrisoned fort) 400 to 1500 people
89 - 97 Cities of up to 10,000 people.
98 - 100 The largest city in the region, equivalent to ancient Ur. Around 50,000 people.
More tables to generate details about the settlements:
The Gods and Religions of Sundaland
3.3 Ruins 1d10
Sundaland is scattered with ruins upon ruins of past civilisations. Roll on this table to discover a particularly notable ruin in the area. Perhaps one that is less overgrown and decayed than the others, more grand and ornate than usual or has particular rumours about it.
1. City walls and gates or fortifications. Crumbling defences brought down by armies or the passage of time. What were they trying to protect?
2. Aqueduct, cistern, reservoir, bathhouse, waterway or canal. The sound of trickling and dripping water carries the memory of the skilled masons and architects of the past. Where is the source and where is the destination?
3. Colosseum, stadium, forum or amphitheater. Where once the noise of crowds echoed now only monkeys and birds are heard. What spoils went to the winners? What befell the losers?
4. Temple, ziggurat, shrines or a large platform. Here priest kings and queens appealed to the gods and ruled over the lower castes before all turned to dust. What underpinned the power of the elite?
5. Harbour, market building or central plaza. The hub of trade and commerce now only sees the exchange from day to night. What was deemed valuable enough to bring from far away lands?
6. Residential areas, garrison buildings, workshops. Once simple homes for simple people. Now, simple shelter for simple explorers. What helped these people prosper?
7. Palace or treasury. Where wealth was collected and distributed. Has anything been overlooked by generations of treasure hunters?
8. Tunnels, cellars, wells, passageways, crypts, catacombs and burial chambers. Dark passages, half collapsed ceilings, musty smells, dust and decay. Some things were hidden here and some decided it was a good place to hide.
9. Observation platform or tower. A place to view far away places and far away stars. What were people looking at or for?
10. Unusual structures with an unknown purpose. Broken statues and obelisks covered in vines, strange faces carved into stone, polished reliefs preserving history and myth. Symbols that could explain it all. What is it all trying to communicate?
3.4 Dangers and Hazards
1. Animals: Ranging from the mundane to the fantastical. See Beasts and Monsters for setting appropriate examples.
2. People: Bandits, raiders, pirates, smugglers or other hominids.
3. Disease, blight or sickness: Affecting humans, plants or animal.
4. Natural disasters: Fires, floods, earthquakes, cyclones, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, heat waves,
4. Natural obstacles: Quicksand, lava flows, deep bog, impenetrable vines, dense undergrowth, ravines.
5. Unique monsters, spirits, ghosts, demons, snake people.
3.5 Generate The Unusual 7d20
Combine several of the following Adjectives, Nouns and Verbs. The stranger the combination the better.
Feel free to skip ahead to how I generated the results for my example because below you'll find 7 tables with 20 rows each!
Adjectives
1. Ancient
2. Forgotten
3. Blasphemous
4. Accursed
5. Forbidden
6. Primeval
7. Bloodstained
8. Decadent
9. Unnatural
10. Veiled
11. Silent
12. Malignant
13. Bestial
14. Holy
15. Diseased
16. Feral
17. Wild
18. Tainted
19. Corrupted
20. Blighted
Place Nouns
1. Pyre
2. Barrow
3. Throne
4. Portal
5. Spire
6. Tower
7. Citadel
8. Gate
9. Pit
10. Ring
11. Necropolis
12. Chamber
13. Cavern
14. Hall
15. Chasm
16. Temple
17. Labyrinth
18. Shrine
19. Altar
20. Vault
Other Nouns
1. Sword, spear, bow, shield, armour, axe (1d6)
2. Eye, mouth, hand, head, foot, tongue (1d6)
3. Drum, pipe, lyre, trumpet, tambourine, rattle (1d6)
4. Scroll
5. Statue
6. Urn
7. Totem
8. Talisman
9. Amulet
10. Shrine
11. Obelisk
12. Colossus
13. Crown
14. Relic
15. Horn
16. Tablet
17. Idol
18. Mask
19. Brasier
20. Cauldron
Verbs
1. Carve
2. Spill
3. Scorch
4. Summon
5. Bind
6. Devour
7. Lurk
8. Invoke
9. Seal
10. Descend
11. Haunt
12. Beseech
13. Warp
14. Unravel
15. Destroy
16. Chase
17. Discover
18. Shatter
19. Encroach
20. Rot
Miscellaneous Adjectives, Verbs and Nouns 1
1. Luminous
2. Hollow
3. Bloom
4. Spiral
5. Drift
6. Husk
7. Vein
8. Glimmer
9. Chorus
10. Tangle
11. Ripple
12. Flicker
13. Echo
14. Glisten
15. Linger
16. Slumber
17. Leak
18. Blur
19. Gather
20. Scatter
Miscellaneous Adjectives, Verbs and Nouns 2
1. Breathing
2. Bleeding
3. Gasping
4. Crying
5. Laughing
6. Twitching
7. Shuddering
8. Trembling
9. Lurching
10. Arching
11. Curling
12. Flinching
13. Choking
14. Staggering
15. Collapsing
16. Convulsing
17. Heaving
18. Reaching
19. Grabbing
20. Taking
Miscellaneous Adjectives, Verbs and Nouns 3
1. Star
2. Sun
3. Moon
4. Sea
5. River
6. Fire
7. Air
8. Earth
9. Wind
10. Ophidian (Relating to or denoting snakes)
11. Numinous (A strong religious or spiritual quality, indicating or suggesting the presence of divinity)
12. Chthonic (Relating to or inhabiting the underworld)
13. Eldritch (Weird, sinister or ghostly)
14. Miasma (An unpleasant or unhealthy smell or vapour)
15. Cathexis (The concentration of mental energy on one particular idea, person or object to an unhealthy degree)
16. Crepuscular (Resembling or relating to twilight)
17. Dolorous (Feeling or expressing great sorrow or distress)
18. Umbral (Innermost darkest part of a shadow)
19. Noctivagant (Something or someone that wanders, roams or travels at night)
20. Amaranthine (Unfading, everlasting, immortal)
Example
I've decided to map out a region of 19 x 6 mile hexes giving an area of close to 600 square miles (19 x 31.18 square miles = 592.42 sq mi.) Which is about the size of present day Houston, London and Delhi. (Compare the size here: Themeasureofthings.com) This is plenty of space to have adventures in.
Step 1: I've chosen to only generate content for a Savanna region in the south of Sundaland but you can of course choose multiple biomes. The hexes are numbered 1 to 19 from bottom to top, from left to right.
The map key is as follows:
Step 2: High Level Overview. Rolling 1d10 for each hex gives me:
1. Unusual #1 2. Savanna 3. Savanna 4. Settlement #1 5. Savanna 6. Ruin #1 7. Danger #1 8. Savanna 9. Unusual #2 10. Savanna 11. Savanna 12. Savanna 13. Savanna 14. Savanna 15. Savanna 16. Savanna 17. Danger #2 18. Savanna 19. Settlement #2
12 'normal' hexes with half having an interesting geographic feature.
2 hexes with something notably dangerous.
2 hexes with notable settlements.
2 hexes with something very strange, weird or unnatural
1 hex with a notable ruin.
Step 3.1 Geographic features for every other empty Savanna hex starting with #2 in the left column. Updating the key now gives us:
1. Unusual #1 2. Savanna Watering Hole 3. Savanna 4. Settlement #1 5. Savanna Herd Path 6. Ruin #1 7. Danger #1 8. Savanna 9. Unusual #2 10. Savanna Mass Grave (A ravine where animals are driven and hunted) 11. Savanna 12. Savanna Cluster of Trees 13. Savanna 14. Savanna Herd Path 15. Savanna 16. Savanna Cluster of Trees 17. Danger #2 18. Savanna 19. Settlement #2
3.2 Settlements
I consulted my Cultural Flavour for some extra details. You could also use the City Generation Table,Random Sundaland Culture Generator and Random Faction Generator.
Settlement Ban-Gal
Result 14: A settlement of around 400 people. Status Symbol: Ceremonial rights or obligations. Personal Decorations: Head binding. Religion: Vision Questing. Burial: Cremation. Ceremonies: Singing Customs: Rights of passage through combat, survival, physical or mental tests. Folkways: Always leave a little food left over to indicate to your host that you are full. Mores: Don't kill, harm or hurt particular people. Laws: 'Skin in the game' laws. E.g. builders must sleep in the building after it's finished. Taboos: Against anthropophagy.
Settlement: Ban-Yar
Result 87: A settlement of around 1500 people. Status Symbol: Weapon or tool privileges. Personal Decorations: Tattoos. Religion: Sacrifice or offerings. Burial: Burial at sea, lake or river. Ceremonies: Chanting Customs: Unusual dowry, dower or bride price. Folkways: Speak in a volume appropriate to your status in the family. Mores: Listen to the guidance of your elders. Laws: Only certain people are permitted to acquire particular skills. E.g. reading, mathematics, masonry. Taboos: Against body modification, or conversely not having it done.
As you can see I generated a whole bunch of ideas for these settlements but at this stage I wouldn't necessarily look to tie it all together into coherent overview of each culture. Rather it's there to inspire me in the back of my mind for when I start playing.
3.3 Ruins
6. Ruin #1: 1d10 = 8 Tunnels, cellars, wells, passageways, crypts, catacombs and burial chambers. The nature of these ruins isn't clear at present but the underground element is important.
Again for this and the next set of hex features my preference isn't to nail down exactly how everything is. Rather I want to give myself some initial prompts and ideas that will crystallise as I play. Some things will be set in stone early others will emerge over time. You can set the slider as to how much is predetermined and how much is up in the air as you see fit.
3.4 Dangers and Hazards
Danger #1: Monster: A unique monster roams here.
Danger #2: Spirits: This place is said to be visited by spirits.
I will leave the exact details of these dangers unclear for now. For the moment they are but rumours shared by traders and herders.
3.5 The Strange, Weird, Unusual, Unnatural or Supernatural
Unusual #1: 10 Veiled 6 Tower 20 Cauldron 12 Beseech 19 Gather 6 Twitching 15 Cathexis
A veiled tower contains a cauldron around which sinister men and women gather to perform dark rituals in order to concentrate their mind and will. What happens when their rituals are successful? Do they need to put something in the cauldron for the magic to work?
Unusual #2: 5 Forbidden 2 Barrow 12 Chamber 5 Statue 14 Glisten 12 Flinching 4 Sea
There is a rumour that within a chamber of one of the nearby barrows there stands a glistening gold statue. It is said that if you can look into the eyes of the statue without flinching it will give you visions of how to find and navigate the endless undying sea beyond which the star gods reside. It is forbidden to enter any of the barrows but who would ever find out if the trespassers were careful?
Once again here is the final result.
Additional thoughts
Empty' hexes will still contain roaming predators, wandering monsters, ecological dangers (fires, floods, swarms), marauding warriors, travelling merchants etc. The world is dynamic and you'll encounter different things in each hex as time passes. You could generate some factions to introduce a dynamic human aspect to the area.
Some hexes may have multiple interesting things going on. For example a ruin might provide a temporary home for some hunter gatherers and a settlement might be terrorised by a monster. The point is to generate some initial inspiration from which new ideas and connections will emerge during preparation or during play.
If you wanted you could roll 1d100 for each hex and decide that on a result <50, 33 or 25 you repeat Step 2 again to double up on interesting features for a selection of hexes.
An option is to not keep the generated results once you've written up the descriptions of your hexes. That way you won't limit your imagination as to what's possible, especially if you review your map after a break, even more so after using it in a game. As you play, meaning and connections that you could not foresee will emerge.
Resources
Sundaland Content Overview Find posts about the geography and biology of Sundaland plus lots more tables for generating cultures, factions, religions, adventures etc.
Indonesia topographic map Height map of the region.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indomalayan_realm Biogeographic realm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australasian_realm Biogeographic realm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_and_subtropical_dry_broadleaf_forests
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_and_subtropical_moist_broadleaf_forests
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_and_subtropical_grasslands,_savannas,_and_shrublands
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_and_subtropical_coniferous_forests
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montane_grasslands_and_shrublands
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangrove_forest
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