"This rocky beach has a pile of firewood. Several ogres are sat by the shoreline, making some kind of sculpture from collected debris..."
Simple encounter tables for coastal terrain in any fantasy setting. Tables for Combined Coastal Encounters, Coastal Encounter Details and Coastal Encounter Locations.
Fantasy Sea - all | trinkets | coastal encs | island encs | open sea encs | port encs | underwater encs
Fantasy Wilds - all | trinkets | coastal encs | cold encs | desert encs | forest encs | hill encs | jungle encs | mountain encs | plains encs | swamp encs
[Photo by Quino Al on Unsplash]
Fantasy Coastal Encounters
Coastal encounters might involve creatures of the sea, merfolk, crabs and dolphins. or creatures of from the shore such as bears or sailors. Boats, seagulls and fisherfolk are also likely.
They might be watching ships out at sea, hunting for fish or sheltering in a cave.
The encounter could be in a cove with a jetty and boat, or a ruined temple with a palm tree and sand sculpture.
There is a fantasy sea encounter generator at ChaosGen. There is also a pdf of these and more tables at the DriveThruRPG as Coastal Encounters.
10 Coastal Encounter Prompts
These reference Coastal tables for Encounter Prompts, Hazards and NPCs
| 1d10 | 10 Coastal Encounter Prompts |
|---|---|
| 1 | a damaged boat with recent tracks leading away or roll on Hazards |
| 2 | a solitary (or giant)... d10 (1-2. sea eagle 3. hermit crab 4. sea snake 5. octopus 6. jellyfish 7. turtle 8. walrus 9. bear 10. saltwater crocodile) |
| 3 | an exhausted hunter searching for a cave or roll on Coastal NPCs |
| 4 | several (or a boat of)... d10 (1-2. fisherfolk 3. smugglers 4. ogres 5. locals 6. travellers 7. mounted guards 8. lizardfolk 9. sailors 10. raiders) |
| 5 | large waves where several locals (or merfolk) are having fun on rafts; or roll on Unique Encounters |
| 6 | a few (or many)... d10 (1-2. seagulls 3. ponies 4. giant lizards 5. seals 6. griffons 7. drowned zombies 8. crabs 9. wind spirits 10. giant lizards ) |
| 7 | a thick mist which sweeps in obscuring the area or roll on Hazards |
| 8 | an aquatic creature... d10 (1-2. dolphin 3. shark 4. merfolk 5. giant seahorse 6. whale 7. water sprite 8. giant octopus 9. sea siren 10. merrow) |
| 9 | a scarred pirate with a dog, collecting wood or roll on Coastal NPCs |
| 10 | a potential (or signs of a) danger, a(n)... d10 (1-2. sea giant 3. water elemental 4. sea dragon 5. undead spirit 6. hydra 7. water genie 8. sea troll 9. coastal drake 10. sea monster |
Coastal Encounter Details
Use 1d6 for beasts or non-sentient creatures.
| 1d10 | They are... (or one is...) |
|---|---|
| 1 | playing (or washing) in the water; or on a long journey |
| 2 | watching (or waiting for) something out at sea ... d10 (1-2. a fire 3. seabirds swarming something 4. a waving figure 5. a pair of ships 6. colourful lights 7. several whales 8. a flashing beacon 9. bobbing barrels 10. a staircase of clouds |
| 3 | curious about an unmoving body or basking in the sun |
| 4 | hiding (or watching) a threat; or more dangerous than they seem |
| 5 | investigating (or in) a sturdy (or damaged) ... d10 (1-2. rowing boat 3. fishing boat 4. canoe 5. longboat 6. raft 7. coracle 8. flat-bottomed barge 9. skiff 10. ferryboat |
| 6 | hunting for (or eating) fish; or making something from driftwood |
| 7 | trying to get attention of something at sea or in shallow water |
| 8 | making a sand (or rock) sculpture; or scavenging among the debris |
| 9 | collecting seaweed (or shells); or sheltering in a sea cave |
| 10 | digging up (or burying) something; or studying a map |
Coastal Encounter Locations
| 1d10 | Area | Feature |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | a cliff or edge of an estuary | a cage or a statue facing the sea |
| 2 | a ruined village (or temple) | a lighthouse or a sand sculpture |
| 3 | a sandy (or pebble) beach | a variety of seaweed or a slipway |
| 4 | jagged rocks or a lagoon | a cave mouth or a pile of firewood |
| 5 | a cove or a rocky island | a palm tree or an unlit beacon |
| 6 | a thriving (or empty) hamlet | a jetty with a boat or a sandbank |
| 7 | sand dunes or large rockpools | a sea stack or a wooden hut |
| 8 | a ford (or bridge) over a river | an overturned boat or a belltower |
| 9 | a beach of debris (or shells) | a shipwreck or a mass of seaweed or a dead body |
| 10 | slippery seaweed-covered rocks | a shrine (or statue) of a sea deity |
More Encounters
There is a fantasy sea encounter generator at ChaosGen. There is also a pdf of these and more tables at the DriveThruRPG as Coastal Encounters.
If you liked these there are Fantasy Generators at Chaos Gen, a monthly random tools Newsletter and an instagram of Random Tables.
