An installment of my hexmap for Middle-earth project. Follow the "Middle-earth Hexmap" tag for all entries in this series.
From the beginning of the project, I knew it wasn't enough to just have keyed hexes. The potential energy of the hex contents must be energized with the kinetic energy of random encounters--that's what makes hexcrawling pop. Thus, here are an absurd abundance of nested encounters for you.
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| Art by Goran Gligovic |
1-6. No encounter
- Faction - Knights of the Road: A group of martial hobbits who have formed their order based on the land grant from the King of Arnor carried the provision that they protect and maintain the king's road. Their wives soberly point out that there hasn't been a king for over nine-hundred years and their husbands are basically just LARPing. When you encounter them, roll a d6 to see what they challenge the company to do. See subtable 7 for a full explanation of each challenge.
- Jousting at the turnip knight
- Reenactment of the Battle of Greenfields
- Archery contest
- Pony race
- Bridge repair
- Road maintenance
- Traveler:
- Tin-Kettle Tom: You come upon Tin-Kettle Tom, an itinerant tinker and peddler who wanders from village to village performing odd jobs and selling mended kettles from his enormous pack. He has a bad reputation; people often find things have gone missing just after he's left town. See subtable 8.1 for what he's carrying today.
- Bungo Hopalong: The itinerant merchant, Bungo Hopalong, is carrying supplies to clients between villages. See subtable 8.2 for what extras he has in stock.
- Dunald the Dwarven Merchant: Dunald lends his services as an artisan to a village for a season before moving on. He is willing to sell anything unsold from last season's work for a fair price. See subtable 8.3 for what he's carrying.
- Gerda Cotton: Gerda Cotton has taken it on herself to walk the entire length of the East Road (40 leagues). She wants a stiff drink (buy her a pint? there's an inn just up the road) and gives rumours.
- Messenger: "Postie" Pimpernel Goodchild dashing off with a special delivery. Will give [1d6] coppers to handle a delivery to a nearby farm for him.
- Gandalf: Gandalf the good wizard is on an errand in the Shire. He is on the lookout for any uncanny activity that would threaten this peaceful land. If the company seems goodly and capable, will immediately tell them of a quest.
- Curiosity:
- An old water pump stands up proudly from weeds and grass. It is an easy place to refill all water bottles and quench the day's thirst.
- Merry magpies fill the trees, laughing at the company.
- A carpet of moss stretches out invitingly in the region.
- Gregarious goats reach through their fencing with open mouths, hoping for a handout.
- A prickle of hedgehogs are trundling over the fields on some errand. (If followed, they get together in an apparent conference in a copse of trees and have a squeak with each other. The company gains a +2 bonus to their campsite scouting roll in this hex.)
- A verdant smell fills the company's nostrils. Plants are blooming today. (+2 bonus to search for herbs today.)
- Travel Event:
- Weather worsens: The weather rolled for the day decreases by one step during the second watch.
- Logistics: Can't find something / something got wet / a harness is missing. If the company has a quartermaster, they can negate this mishap by passing a Skill Δ8 check.
- Minor sickness: Random burglar or NPC can't do their job today.
- Lame animal: Animal in the company hurts its leg. It can hobble along at half speed. If company rests for a day, a burglar with Animal Lore can make an Understanding Δ8 check to heal it. If 3 of these checks fail, the animal is lame permanently.
- Bad boots: Random burglar discovers that their boots have a hole worn in them. -1 travel points and takes 1 damage each morning until replaced. Hobbits may ignore this travel event; they are immune.
- Things that Yet May Be: As a random burglar passes by a pool or pond, they seem to see an image shimmering in the water. Ask them if they want to spend 1 Hope for a vision of a possible future. If they do, they may ask the GM any question and receive some vision of the answer.
[Inspiration: TOR1E - Journeys and Maps]
- Notice: Increase the company's Notice rating by 1d6. When it reaches 20+, the GM triggers some doom.
- Encounter:
- Big Dog: A local farmer's guard dog chases after the company, baying and nipping. If the fellowship fails to calm the dog, they must spend the rest of the afternoon stuck uncomfortably up a tree to avoid his bites. Lose 2 Endurance each from hours of being crammed awkwardly in the boughs of a pine. [Credit: TOR2E - Starter Set - Shire]
- Gorecrows: 2d4 gorecrows follow the company at a distance. When they look vulnerable, they'll attempt to steal treasure, purses, or anything obviously shiny.
- Angry Farmer: An angry farmer with a blunderbuss and 1d6 of his strapping sons confront the company. He's convinced they're [trespassing / after his mushrooms / after his beautiful maiden daughters / after his homely maiden daughters / no-good burglars (true!)].
- Sloggers: A street gang of 2d6 hobbit bullies armed with fire irons, canes, and golf clubs look to increase their criminal clout by challenging the burglars to "wrestling."
- Bounders: 1d4+1 hobbit Bounders are looking for the cause of some local trouble. They stop the burglars to ascertain their recent doings. If push comes to shove, they'll summon a shirriff.
- Närr Deadtooth: A dwarven tramp, secretly a servant of the Necromancer. He reports on the vulnerabilities of decent folk to trolls, sorcerers, goblins, and worse. Cringes, hides, follows, steals, frames, accuses, curses.
7. Challenges of the Knights of the Road
7.1 Jousting at the turnip knight
The knights take turns making jousting passes at a scarecrow with a turnip head and a pot for a helm, wielding various rakes, hoes, and shovels as lances. Touching the scarecrow's straw-filled chest is 1 point, knocking off the pot is 3 points. A weary old draft pony named Bob takes each knight in turn; he's the only one they have.
Hugo Bracegirdle has the current high score of 12. To participate, make an attack. If a player rides Bob (instead of a mount of their own), they take a -2 penalty. The turnip knight has a Defense of +2. The amount of damage dealt by the attack is the character's score at the joust. The winner receives a woven laurel crown.
7.2 Reenactment of the Battle of Greenfields
The knights are encamped in a field: canvas tarps have been enriched with hand-made pennants and flags. Later, they plan on reenacting the Battle of Greenfields. They already have an actor playing the Bandobras the Bullroarer but need someone to play Golfimbul and his goblins (none of them want to do it).
If the company consents to help, make a group test of Beauty Δ4. Depending on what the players have to make their costumes, the GM may grant a bonus or a penalty to their roll. If the test is a success, the Knights of the Road will gift them a shillelagh with an iron core. The battle takes the rest of the day.
7.3 Archery contest
The knights have set up a target under the arms of a huge old oak tree and are taking turns taking bow shots at it. There is an open challenge for who can place the most arrows nearest the mark.
Those who take up the challenge should roll 2d6 and add their Valour x2. Whoever has the highest total score wins a waxed bowstring (will almost never break).
7.4 Pony race
The knights have organized a pony race and invite all to participate. Those who race should roll 2d6 and add their Skill. Additionally:
- Those with Animal Lore (or similar) may add +2
- Steeds with a movement speed of 60+ add +2
- Steeds with a movement speed of 80+ add an additional +2
Whoever has the highest total score wins a leather satchel bag.
7.5 Bridge repair
The knights are ensuring the bridges in this region are in good repair and ask the company to volunteer their time. This includes checking under each bridge for hiding trolls. Participation takes the rest of the day. This task gives no reward but the satisfaction of a job well done.
7.6 Road maintenance
The knights are spending the rest of the day picking up trash from the roads in this region, planting flowers, repairing signs, etc., and invite the company to volunteer their time. Those who participate find a bit of random impedimenta.
8. Merchants
Roll the indicated dice. The merchant is carrying everything on their table of that result and less.
8.1 - Tin-Kettle Tom (d12)
- Tea kettle & four ceramic cups (mended), 6 copper / 3 marks
- Umbrella (patched), 2 copper / 1 mark
- Rainslicker poncho, 3 copper / 1 mark
- Chalk slate & chalk, 2 copper / 1 mark
- String of silvery bells, 5 copper / 2 marks
- Pocketwatch (broken), 2 silver / 1 penny
- "Portable bath" (tin tub), 8 copper / 4 marks
- Hobbit baby doll (mended), 2 copper / 1 mark
- Washboard (secretly enchanted with a spell of excellence), 1 copper / 1 mark
- Bag of marbles, 2 copper / 1 mark
- Cloudy handmirror (secretly enchanted, shows transformed creatures as their true form), 8 copper / 4 marks
- Green waistcoat with floral pattern (kept in tissue paper), 1 silver / 9 marks
8.2 - Bungo Hopalong (d8)
- Insect-repellent candles (6), 1 silver / 9 marks
- 5 x Aloe (doubles recovery at camp), 4 copper / 2 marks each
- 6 x Wolfsbane (protects against lycanthropy, repels wolves), 3 copper / 2 marks each
- 12 x Greasy rations, 1 copper / 1 mark each
- Blank book with cotton pages, 5 silver / 2 pennies
- Pipe carven into face of a wizard, 1 silver / 10 marks
- Hair-growth tonic (useless), 3 copper / 2 marks
- Tent (4 person), 1 silver, 11 marks
8.3 - Dunald the Dwarf Merchant (d6)
- Dwarf boots (waterproof), 6 copper / 3 marks
- Blue tasseled hood and cloak, 4 copper / 2 marks
- Steel knife (excellent, holds an edge), 9 copper / 5 marks
- Harp (excellent, rarely loses its tune), 1 silver & 5 copper / 1 penny
- Silver mazer cup (finely wrought, themes of marriage), 2 silver / 1 penny
- Chess board (enchanted, pieces move and battle each other), 5 silver / 3 pennies
Shire urban encounters are forthcoming.
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