1d20 Table: Forest Findings
Recently a friend Tim Harper Samwise7RPG on YouTube found a video I did awhile ago about the RPG Brigade. It got us to discussing a community project. So for the month of May we are going to be doing Random Tables to aid peoples Tabletop RPGs. Here is one that I did followed by a list of the ones I have seen posted. I will try to add more below as people submit them. If you did one please message me on Facebook with a link to yours. Also to the side here is a product that I recently got for Christmas from my wife. It is The Book Of Random Tables by Matt Davids. I love random tables and if you do too then this is a good purchase.
While traveling or searching in a forest roll 1d20 to determine what your party runs into/uncovers/finds.
An entrance to a well but not just any well. A well that grants the first person who drinks from it temporary hit points of 1d12 for the duration of the day.
A player trips over a lump of dirt uncovering a sword with a loose red gemstone. This can also be uncovered if any players cast detect magic within 50ft of it. If the players mess with the gem stone it will fall off. If it falls off the sword comes to life as an animated sword that can talk and be reasoned with. It has 3d12 hit points. If the players can attach the red gemstone to it again it will become unanimated again. The gemstone can leave any constructs as unconscious while attached on a failed DC Strength save of 15. This can be used as treasure from an encounter as well as a lot of other creative ways.
A hole which appears to be an opening to the deepest darkest depths. There appears to be a slope down that goes for as far as the eye can see.
A door in a tree that can only lead to a druid or hag hideout. Maybe it is a wizards house? Either way there is sure to be a quirky or wild individual inside. Look out for any protectors!
A map of a forest but not resembling this forest at all. It looks fairly new too. What is this X though? Treasure? A monster?
There appears to be a cold, tired, hungry, lost child that is too weak to speak. How did a child get all the way out here?
A nest full of 2d6 large eggs. These are very exotic and very warm to the touch.
There is a series of 1d4 traps. Only a passive perception of 18 will notice them before it is too late. There is a spike trap, followed by a swinging log, followed by a poison dart. If the spike trap is dodged with a DC Dex Save of 20 then none of the other 2 will hit. The log and dart traps are only DC10. Each trap does 1d6 damage.
Roll to randomly determine which player is effected… a vision of an elf comes and stabs the player with a black dagger. No other player sees it. After 1 round the vision goes away. Do not tell the player but they do not take any damage.Every week for 1d8 weeks this will happen to that same player.
All players experience a vision of an Elf running through the forest very far away before he disappears behind some bushes.
There is a carving in a tree of the player characters names. It is a very old carving most likely from before they even knew each other.
A group of strong men and women are camped off the path and making a lot of noise. They seem to be enjoying some fine ale and food. Are they bandits? Are they just a traveling group of gypsies? Maybe a group of outcasts or misfits?
A dead soldier of the local guard is found dead. Shortly after he is found by the player characters a patrol searching for the guard can be heard with dogs nearby. They are shouting his name (DM’s choice).
A pack is found of mundane supplies. Whichever player searches it though will be bitten by a bug on a failed DC Dex Save of 15. They will suffer from the poisoned condition and in 1d6 days 1d20 eggs will hatch out of the bite hole unless they get treated for it. At that time they could get bit again. The bugs have 1hp and only inflict 1 point of damage.
A tomb for a forgotten hero will be found far off the road. In this tomb there is a great guardian that is much more powerful than the players. He is guarding a great armor of legend that this hero once wore.
An Elven magical arrow of light. It emits light in 120ft radius. Once fired it will stay lit until the person who fired it puts it out or someone removes it from where it hit. Once it has been removed or the light has been put out it becomes a normal arrow of exquisite make.
There is a bench on the side of the path. It looks like a random bench in the middle of nowhere but anyone who sits on it will immediately feel the effects of a short rest.
A shield of arrow catching is found riddled with arrows on the corpse of an unassuming adventurer. He seems to have been stripped of all his valuable items including his weapons. Could this be an ambush?
A Gnome is found knitting a hat while sitting on a tree stump. He offers the players a reward if they can fetch him the horn of a Unicorn. He will not disclose why to the players even should they do this for him.
A Lilac flower is found in the middle of a patch of dirt surrounded by no living plant growth. How is it growing in a spot so baron? Is it sucking the life of its surrounding space? Is it more than meets the eye? Is it a monster under the dirt waiting to pounce?
For more tables check out the RPG Brigade group on Facebook. I also plan on compiling as many of these tables as I can into one PDF as long as the creators give me permission to. That link will be up in the downloads section here as of June 2019.