Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Roofcrawling: Table II

Roofcrawling Table II (D30)
  1. (4d6) Giant Ants have set up a nest inside the crumbling facade of a storefront. So far they have confined themselves to preying upon the few derelicts, bums or stray dogs that they have been able to grab from the near-by alley, but as the nest expands, they'll need more fresh meat.
  2. A Gelatinous Cube has learned to shape itself so that it now fills the troughs and eaves around 1d4 buildings that lean against one another. Because it is spread out so much, it only inflicts 1d4 damage on initial contact, and takes 1d4 turns to gather itself together enough to swallow a human-sized victim. There is a base 20% chance that the Gelatinous Cube will expand too quickly or too heavily and break the eaves loose, spilling it and its victim into the street or alleyway.
  3. (1d4) Albino Apes have made a sleeping-area within a caved-in section of this building's roof. They wait here for their master to come at night and give them orders, such as what homes to break into, or whom to stuff up a chimney.
  4. (2d4) Pixies have set-up a small little fort within the overhang of this building's roof. It looks like a clever child's play-fort, but is in fact protected by a set of caltrops, snares, and at least one deadfall trap. The Pixies are also likely to have 1d6 belled cats prowling the area to warn them of any potential intruders.
  5. (2d4) Molg prowl this rooftop in search of stray wisps of ectoplasm.
  6. (1d4) immature, recently hatched baby Basilisks clutch tightly to a chimney for warmth. Their gaze still petrifies, but victims get a +2 on their save as the youngsters haven't fully come into their powers yet.
  7. (2d4) Giant Centipedes have been burrowing under the shingles of this house. They will erupt forth from the rotten tiles and attack anyone who walks on this rooftop with almost complete surprise.
  8. A lone kobold with a light crossbow and a dagger is carefully picking his way across the rooftops in order to take a pot-shot at one of the local Guards or Constables on a dare with his friends. He knows where another 6d10 kobolds are holed-up within the rafters of an abandoned building near-by and he'll sell-out his buddies at the first sign of trouble if it'll save his scaly hide.
  9. Insect Swarm (see sub table)
  10. The bones of a long-dead Hippogriff are lodged behind a cluster of chimneys and a section of false fronting. A crude, but still intact cold iron manacle is locked around the beast's left hind-leg and the rotting shreds of a leather muzzle dangle from the thing's beak.
  11. (1d4) Vilg have made a fetid nest next to a stagnant pool. Someone seems to deposit dead bodies here every few days. The trail of dried blood might lead back to Encounter 3 above.
  12. (1d8) Shriekers are growing quietly and unobserved just beneath the collapsed awning of this shop that has been closed for months, if not longer. There might well be something nasty lairing within the abandoned shop that gets awakened by the shriekers.
  13. (2d6) Higher Baboons, all of them descended from a mated couple that escaped from a traveling circus, have taken to a life of casual thievery from the rooftops. So far very few people have ever seen the Baboons, and those few who have are not believed.
  14. A wounded Blink Dog lies in the hollow behind this facade. The blood is still fresh on the roof surface  revealing where it crawled into this space. A little kindness could earn the creature's trust...
  15. (1d3) Carcass Scavengers have been attracted to the rotten bodies that have been getting dropped off at Encounter 11 and they want their share. Now.
  16. This rooftop is in actuality one rather old, almost senescent Gray Ooze that generally contents itself with preying upon small birds, insects, and bats. It has grown very large and very contented by the success of this more stealthy, patient approach and is unlikely to get overly involved with larger prey unless the opportunity is just too good to pass up, or someone riles the Big Ooze by setting fire to its rooftop, or something similarly stupid as that.
  17. A swarm of (1d100) normal bats will stream forth from this broken chimney at dusk, just as they stream back in at dawn. They've been nesting here for years. But who -- or what -- would live in a place that's filled with bats hanging from the rafters?
  18. (1d2) Dapple-gray coated panthers have taken to prowling the rooftops at dusk. They hunt pixies, kobolds and avoid the Vilg at Encounter 11 as much as possible.
  19. A Dryad has taken up residence within a sapling that is growing from out of the detritus and debris accumulated in the crook of this sagging roof. She is on good terms with the Pixies at Encounter 4 and can call upon the Higher Baboons from Encounter 13 for a favor, if needed.
  20. (1d6) Giant Carnivorous Flies are buzzing about a recently killed body that someone left here in a hurry--perhaps the characters scared-off someone on their way to feed the Vilgs at Encounter 11?
  21. (2d4) Fly-Taurs are in the process of hatching from translucent pupae, all of this has been carefully arranged and set-up, but by whom? To what end?
  22. The carcass of a Wall Horse has been left here by some gargoyles.
  23. A profoundly lost Marmoset in chain mail lugging a massive pot of mustard across the roof-tiles. It is grumbling in archaic Francais.
  24. (1d6) Necro-Pixies are having a game of tag with a will-o-the-wisp.
  25. (1d4) Koponu are hidden beneath and behind some rubble. They only come out at night. Unless disturbed. They will attempt to get anyone they recognize as adventuring-types to hire them on as quiet, non-flammable and self-propelled torches. (60% chance the little thing have an arrangement with some local gang of ruffians and thugs to deliver said adventurer-types into their trap.)
  26. A Daemonical Cyst has become lodged in the eaves. There appears to be something, or someone, trapped within it.
  27. A green spindle of polished bloodstone mounted in an assembly of thin, brass hoops hangs off of a protruding mass of broken roof-timbers by a delicate chain. Every time it is disturbed, roll on one of the Damned Things tables to determine what sort of things begin to fall from the sky...
  28. An Ordrang is hovering about this rooftop, devouring bits of ectoplasm left-over from a fight between a Fantomist and some now very, very dead scavengers.
  29. (1d4) Rulak hover here entranced by the subtle emanations of a peculiar tenebrous red triangular object (It is a portal.)
  30. A Blatherer has been trapped up here all week and it is simply dying to tell you all about it...

4 comments:

  1. The interrelationships are the gold, and I love the mention of stuffing up a chimney. What dark purpose does that serve? This batch gives the rooftops a more surreal magic.

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  2. @Porky: Thanks--just couldn't resist a little touch of Rue Morgue...

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  3. Great stuff! You may have just inspired me to do something similar for the City.

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  4. @Trey: We would love to see what you do for The City. All of these entries and those of the previous table, and more are in the process of becoming another Living Table over at DM Muse, and since they are Open Game Content, feel free to lift any of these that might be helpful. We're planning on developing a couple of roof-top adventurer types, and some more architectural encounters as well. All that research on Piranesi, Vitruvius, etc., will finally pay off...

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