Random Tables PDFs for Wilderness and Hexcrawl Adventures in Fantasy

Here we are looking at pdf and book titles for Wilderness, split up by terrain type.

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Starting Points

The wilderness is a classic part or roleplaying games, with long journeys through forest paths and mountain trails.

But they can also be the adventure, with swamp hexcrawls, hostile deserts and ruins in the jungle.

They are home to all manner of beasts and monsters, from giant bears and werewolves to swamp drakes and frost giants.

Also of interest will be the Random Tools Guide for Wilderness. Finally for more PDF titles try Random Table Titles for Fantasy.

Aug 2024: Added more titles. Dec 2023: Added more titles and Hexcrawl section.

Titles for any Wilderness

Some titles cover all of the wilderness, or at least a range of it.

The Perilous Tables from Lampblack and Brimstone is a set of renowned random tables for generating wilderness adventures, emphasizing exploration and discovery. The full Perilous Wilds (revised) has rules and advice using Dungeon World.
For events in the wilds, Atelier Clandestin has Wilderness Travel Events with several different tables for weather, npcs, night, resting and more. they also have Bad Things Happen - In the Wilderness.
Grinning Skull Studios has 100 Wilderness Encounters with detailed encounters for the middle of nowhere.
Into the Wyrd and Wild Revised Edition from Wet Ink Games is a system-neutral title to introduce a terrifying and weird wilderness into your game. It includes tables for wilderness dressing, hazards, flora encounters and other extras.
From Raging Swan Press there is GM's Miscellany: Wilderness Dressing, with tables to flesh out all types of terrain. . Each has wilderness dressing, encounters and settlement backdrops. Pathfinder based More from Raging Swan Press with encounters for all wilds in Random Encounters: Wilderness and Random Encounters: Wilderness II.
From Black Falcon Games is D-Percent - 100 Foraging Finds with edible things to find in the wilderness.

Hexcrawl Generator Titles

For solo games, wilderness can give you hexcrawls and sprawling adventures.

Atelier Clandestin has a Sandbox Generator with hex maps and tables for filling them with settlements, npcs, dungeons and other pieces of interest.
The Old Commander goes to Hexcrawl from Doppelganger Publishing is a fantasy mini-setting with tables for hexes in a hexcrawl wilderness setting.
Inifininm Game Studios has FlexTale Hexcrawl Atlas: Western Realm of Aquilae, with many hexmaps for wilderness terrains.
From Shielddice Studio is Hex-Worlds & The Domain Cartographer, a grid and system for creating hex-icon worlds.
The Hexcrawl Toolbox from Games Omnivorous is a collection of 150 map hexes, covering eight biomes. Plus a 48 page guide on running hexcrawls, with random tables to support these.

Solo Wilderness Titles

For solo games, wilderness can give you all kind of challenges and sprawling adventures. Checkout the hexcrawl section for more options.

Hex Dek from Philip Reed Games has Hex Dek, Systemless Fantasy RPG Hexcrawl Cards with a deck of 50 double-sided cards, containing hexes, short description, extra info and random encounter table.
Inkwell Ideas has Sidequest Decks: Wilderness & Frontier Fantasy, 50+ cards with adventure outlines and encounters.
Azukail Games has 100 Random Encounters for on the Road or in the Wilderness. And a number of other general wilderness titles, including 100 Encounters for the Borderland Regions, 100 Landmarks for a Fantasy Setting and 100 Caves and Shelters to Find in the Wilderness.
Outdoor Encounter Cards from Philip Reed Games is a deck of 36 cards with encounters and locations on them.

Wilds Free and Pay What You Want

If you like pdfs and random tables then there are some options. And where you find one you might find more...

Never Engine has different wilderness encounters with Encounter Generator - Wilderness.
From dicegeeks are 100 Items in a Cottage to fill out those shacks and huts in isolated places. Plus foraging help with d100 Medicinal Herbs and d100 Culinary Herbs and Spices.
100 Botanical Names from Pink Dice Bag Publishing grounds out some foraging goodness.
From Frugal GM is d30 Natural Potions and Poisons Generator, system neutral.

Forest and Woodland

To find more related titles by a particular publisher the "Customers Who Bought This Title also Purchased" bar at the bottom of product description is useful.

Skirmisher Publishing helps with fey woods and ancient woodlands with 100 Oddities for an Enchanted Forest.
With a title of scenarios for forests is True Mask Games with Realm of Leaves - 100+ scenarios for forest adventures.
A Pay What You Want option is d100 Forest Encounters & Events from Christian Blair.
From Philip Reed Games is a variety ideas in d100 Forest Hooks, Fantasy RPG Encounter Ideas. These are also available as Deck of Rumors, d100 Forest Hooks.
To generate those forests Pink Dice Bag Publishing has a European Style Forest Generator and an Asian Style Forest Generator, both with tables for characteristics encounters, hooks and events.
From Happicat Creations is The Forest Generator Handbook: Crafting Immersive Forests for RPGs with many tables for creating an filling all types of forests.

Jungle and Tropical Titles

Hotter climbs means terrain such as tangled jungle, barren deserts, muggy swamps, tropical rainforests and warm mountains.

From MediaStrean Press is a Gamemaster's Guide to Tropical and Jungle Regions. It has over 1000 ideas for tropics gaming, with simple lists including animal encounters, foraging, plants, hook, hazards, and names
Encounters by Environment - Jungle from Troy McConnell has 1d20 Jungle encounters plus advice for running Jungle encounters and a few maps.
Azukail Games can help with 100 Tropical Wilderness Locations for hotter campaigns. Plus 100 Encounters for a Fantasy Jungle.
For beast encounters Healing Fireball has Two Bit Tables: Mundane Jungle Animal Encounters. 4 pages of tables for animals native to steppes and plains.

Tundra, Arctic and Cold Titles

For those times you need to wrap up warm....

For mapping cold terrain, Alexey Aparin has Pocket Lands: Frostlands, a deck of 32 cards detailing maps of frosty terrain.
For information on running adventures in arctic terrains, Critial Hit Publishing has Cinematic Environs - Arctic Lands.
From MediaStrean Press is a Gamemaster's Guide to Arctic and Tundra. It has over 1000 ideas for cold regions gaming, with simple lists including animal encounters, foraging, plants, hook, hazards, and names
From Azukail Games there is 100 Cold Wilderness Locations with descriptions of 100 places for cold and arctic climes. Also 100 Snow and Ice Encounters.
A Pay What You Want option is d100 Arctic Encounters & Events from Christian Blair.
For beast encounters Healing Fireball has Two Bit Tables: Tundra and Arctic Animal Encounters. 4 pages of tables for animals native to steppes and plains.

Mountains and Hills Titles

Cold highlands, haunted hills, craggy moors and other uplands are popular in fantasy campaigns.

From Raging Swan Press there is Hills & Mountain with wilderness dressing, encounters and settlement backdrops. Pathfinder based
For information on running adventures in mountainous environments, Critial Hit Publishing has Cinematic Environs - Mountains.
From MediaStrean Press is a Gamemaster's Guide to Mountains. It has over 1000 ideas for gaming in highlands and alpine areas, with simple lists including animal encounters, foraging, plants, hook, hazards, and names.
From Chaos Gen (me) is Fantasy Mountain Encounters, with six tables in one page.
For mountain maps, Handiwork Games has Jon Hodgson Map Tiles - Mountain Pass Tiles with Grid, a set of 30 map tiles for mountain terrain.
Azukail Games has 100 Encounters for Fantasy Mountains and 100 Hill Encounters.

Desert and Wasteland

For desert, barren terrains and wastelands....

100 Desert Encounters from Grinning Skull Studios has detailed encounters which are system neutral
Pocket Lands: Deserts from Alexey Aparin is a set of 30 geomorphs (a deck of cards with maps that fit together).
A Pay What You Want option is d100 Desert Encounters & Events from Christian Blair.
From Raging Swan Press there is Campaign Backdrop: Desert. Each has wilderness dressing, encounters and settlement backdrops. Pathfinder based
For information on running adventures in desert environments, Critial Hit Publishing has Cinematic Environs - Deserts.
For desert maps, Handiwork Games has Desert Tiles Grid, a set of 30 map tiles for desert terrain.

Plains, Grassland and Steppes

For flatter terrains and endless rolling greenery....

Azukail Games has 100 Encounters for Fantasy Plains.
While Cinematic Environs - Plains and Grasslands from Critical Hit Publishing has some random tables, it has more in hte way of weather, hazards (and some dnd rules)
For beast encounters Healing Fireball has Two Bit Tables: Plains and Savanna Animal Encounters. 4 pages of tables for animals native to steppes and plains.
From Chaos Gen (me) is Fantasy Plains Encounters, with six tables in one page.

Swamp and Marsh

To slosh around in mud with a leaky boat, marsh gas or crocodiles how about some swamp titles!

From Azukail Games is 100 Encounters for a Fantasy Swamp.
From Raging Swan Press there is Campaign Backdrop: Marsh & Swamp with all kinds of tables. (Pathfinder Based)
Pocket Lands: Marshes from Alexey Aparin is a set of 30 geomorphs (a deck of cards with maps that fit together).
For information on running adventures in swampy environments, Critial Hit Publishing has Cinematic Environs - Wetlands.
A pay-what-you-want is Wetlands: Swamps, Marshes, Bogs, and Fens from dicegeeks, with advice for scenarios in these locations.
For beast encounters Healing Fireball has Two Bit Tables: Mundane Swamp Animal Encounters. 4 pages of tables for animals native to steppes and plains.