Randomizing Plotlines

An old roleplaying tradition that goes back to the early days of Dungeons & Dragons is creating adventures by rolling on tables of randomized encounters, items and locations. In keeping with this tradition here is a collection of tables that can be used to create randomized plotlines for your adventures.

Remember, the charts presented are composed of buzzwords to help you formulate a quick plotline. Very little detail has been provided to allow your imagination to fill in the blanks. Use these charts as a jumping-off point for planing an adventure. It is fun to try to get the randomized results to form a cohesive story, but if the rolls do not make sense then by all means re-roll, or ignore the results all together. This article is considered Open Game License (OGL).

Locale (d20): where is the location of that kicks off the adventure?

1. Camp
2. Castle / Keep
3. Cave
4. College
5. Dock
6. Farm
7. Graveyard
8. Hideout
9. House
10. Inn
11. Mansion
12. Market
13. Mine
14. Monastery
15. Outpost
16. Ruin
17. Temple
18. Tower
19. Trading Post
20. Warehouse

Backdrop (d20): what is the Backdrop that helps set the scene for the starting Locale?

1. Beach
2. Bog
3. Canyon
4. Civilization
5. Desert
6. Farmland
7. Forest
8. Island
9. Lake
10. Moor
11. Mountain
12. Pasture
13. Plain
14. Pond
15. Ridge
16. River
17. Road
18. Swamp
19. Valley
20. Wasteland

Source (d20): who is it that approaches the party with a Goal?

1. Beggar
2. Child
3. Constable
4. Criminal
5. Deity / Demon
6. Ghost
7. Guardsman
8. Guild Leader
9. Hermit
10. Inn Keeper
11. Legend
12. Madman
13. Mentor / Patron
14. Mercenary
15. Noble
16. Pilgrim
17. Priest
18. Relative
19. Trader
20. Wizard / Witch

Goal (d20): what is it that the Source needs accomplished?

1. Alter
2. Capture
3. Contact
4. Defeat
5. Destroy
6. Discover
7. Document
8. Fix
9. Interrogate
10. Investigate
11. Kidnap
12. Negotiate
13. Obtain
14. Protect
15. Rescue
16. Retrieve
17. Track
18. Sabotage
19. Steal
20. Verify

Item (d20): if the Goal involves an item, what is that item?

1. Alchemical Agent
2. Animal Trophy
3. Antidote
4. Armor
5. Artifact
6. Artwork
7. Cure
8. Evidence
9. Gem(s)
10. Heirloom
11. Idol
12. Jewelry
13. Magic Item
14. Manuscript
15. Map
16. Money
17. Person(s)
18. Potion
19. Spell Components
20. Weapon

Person: if the Goal involves a person, who is that person? (roll again on the Source chart to determine)

Source Motivation (d20): why does the Source need to provide a Goal in the first place?

1. Ambition
2. Blackmail
3. Bored
4. Debt
5. Diversion
6. Exoneration
7. Favor
8. Greed
9. Honor
10. Insanity
11. Love / Lust
12. Obsession
13. Redemption
14. Reputation
15. Rivalry
16. Salvation
17. Spellbound
18. Survival
19. Terrified
20. Vengeance

Adventure: where does the Goal lead the party? (roll again on the Locale and Backdrop charts to determine)

Complication (d20): what are some of the things that could possibly hinder the party from succeeding in their Goal?

1. Ambush
2. Assassin
3. Betrayal
4. Curse
5. Disaster
6. Enigma
7. Illusion
8. Incarcerated
9. Informant
10. Lust
11. Madness
12. Misinformation
13. Murder
14. Revolt
15. Rival
16. Sidetracked
17. Theft
18. Trap
19. Unfriendly Locals
20. Weather

Adversary: who opposes the party from completing their Goal? (people or creatures that oppose the party need to be tailored to fit the scenario and challenge level)

Activity (d20): what is the adversary up to when the party arrives?

1. Bound
2. Cooking
3. Dead
4. Dozing
5. Drinking
6. Eating
7. Fighting
8. Gambling
9. Grooming
10. Hiding
11. Lost
12. Mating
13. Planning
14. Praying
15. Relaxing
16. Sick
17. Studying
18. Talking
19. Training
20. Unconscious