Bandits and Lizards, and Birds, Oh My! Desert Encounters of the D&D Kind

I’m going to postpone the third installment of my preliminary wandering goblin tables (those drafts aren’t going anywhere). A friend and player in my B/X D&D game recently asked if I could provide a walkthrough example of me constructing a wandering encounter table for a desert environment. That’s a pretty broad request and lacks specific context, but I’ll give it a shot!

First, the way I do things is neither a “right” way, nor is it the only way. Also, there are many gifted people out there that have already written great stuff about wandering monsters in ways that surpass my own skills. For example, those interested in this topic should consider checking out this older post from 2011 entitled, “Breathing Life into the Wandering Monster,” by Justin Alexander over at The Alexandrian. The article contains solid advice and good ways to think about the concept of a wandering monster. I especially like his suggestion to keep four questions in mind when deciding upon a wandering monster:

1. What makes them unique?
2. Where are they coming from?
3. What are they doing?
4. What’s their reaction to the PCs?

I think these are excellent questions, and I often use them as part of my framework for thinking about encounter tables. With that said, I usually don’t start with these questions. Instead, I start by simply forcing myself to just write.

Just Write!

I know I can get bogged down by spending too much time in my head trying to envision aspects of the game like tables, player hooks, NPCS, and back stories in hopes of getting such things just right before I actually commit them to paper (or the computer screen). The problem with this approach is that all too often I never actually get things just right in my head; instead, I often end up simply ruminating about the same ideas over and over again without making any forward progress.

Part of the problem (at least for me) is falling prey to the misconception that creative acts just appear and are complete, rather than seeing them as a more lengthy process consisting of good ideas, bad ideas, more new ideas, incompleteness, experimentation, mistakes, drafts, revisions, more drafts, and so forth. When I remember this, I free myself to just write, all the while knowing that whatever I come up with (no matter how silly, cliché, or boring) is just the first step in the creative process.

So, I usually start by writing down any ideas that come into my head. In short, I brainstorm. Desert setting . . . ok . . . here we go:

sandstorms, getting lost, wild hunting dogs, caravans, desert quicksand (is that a thing? Who cares?), giant scorpions (cliché, yes…still cool, absolutely), snakes, giant snakes, vipers, snake people (oh yea!), lizards, lizard people, giant lizards, giant poisonous lizards, people wearing lizard skins, lizards wearing people skins (nice!), desert bandits/dwellers, bright desert plums that have special properties, cacti, giant birds of prey (roc?), jinn/malevolent spirits, oasis, dying person due to lack of water, dying person is really an evil trickster spirit, camels, camel carcass, and camel carcass attracting big-ass bird.

Ok, you get the point. As you can see, most of the stuff that popped in my head consists of pretty standard tropes. That’s alright, it’s something to start working with, and any of it can be tweaked, or scrapped, as I continue to refine my ideas.

Consider Possible Subthemes

The primary theme is a desert (that’s all I have to work with in this example). However, looking over my initial brainstorming list, I can already see a number of subthemes emerging in my list of possible encounters.

1. Environment Themes (sandstorms, desert quicksand, cacti, and plums)
2. Interaction Themes (caravan, camel corpse, person dying of thirst, malevolent spirit, and possibly bandits depending on the players’ reactions)
3. Monster Encounters (of course this is a type of interaction theme as well)
4. Possible Factions and/or Monster-to-Monster Interactions (snake people, lizard people, people wearing lizard skins, etc.)

Nothing really new here; however, one can already see possibilities for making a more interesting encounter table that could include more than just wandering monsters. Of course, I could make a table with only wandering monsters, and there is also nothing wrong with having a separate random table for things like weather, but I usually prefer to make one table with built-in sub-tables.

Draft the Table

In this stage, I usually give some thought to how large I want the table to be (e.g., do I want to roll a d6, d8, d10, d12, etc.?). I also think about if I want to include sub-tables, roll again slots, DM choice slots, and other features that will enable the table to generate different kinds of play and content. I don’t want to spend a lot of time on this topic because it would lead to discussions on subjects like probability, and that would make for an already ridiculously long post. For now, just remember that while larger tables have more variety, each slot in a larger table will also have a smaller probability of being rolled. This probability can, of course, be tweaked by assigning one encounter a range of slots (e.g., rolling 1-3 to produce an encounter with 2d4 Bandits).

For the sake of brevity (something I am not very good at), I will use a d6-sized encounter table. I want to insert a sub-table comprised of possible encounters with the desert environment itself. I’ll also include another sub-table for unique interactions that could occur in the desert. The other slots will be filled with wandering monsters. After giving it some thought, it occurred to me that desert encounters would probably look very different at night (e.g., nocturnal predators, traveling at night to avoid heat of day, etc.). Therefore, I like the idea of having two different desert encounter tables to reflect such differences (however, I will only provide a day encounters table for this post).

Difficulty Level Considerations

Here, again, I will not spend too much time because I was not provided any information on character levels for my friend’s game, or any other information regarding the expected level of play in this setting. Structuring the difficulty level also depends on a number of factors such as the system being used (e.g., B/X, 3.5, 5e, etc.), the DM’s approach to the concept of “balanced play”, and the size of the party.

Personally, I place very little emphasis on the notion of balanced play, but I don’t completely discount it either. I feel my role is to provide information based on the players’ exploration of the setting. The players can then assess risks for themselves and make decisions. For example, let’s say I inform a group of players with low-level characters that the locals of a village report a number of trolls and hydras roaming the swamps to the south. Let’s also say that those same players then decide to head south and explore the swamps. Well, that’s on them if a wandering monsters check results in an encounter with a monstrous and pissed off hydra. Perhaps their next decision will be a bit wiser.

But again, I don’t completely discount the notion of balanced play, and I’m not out to wreck a party with overwhelming encounters. I usually like to make multiple tables covering a range of low-level, mid-level, and high-level encounters. The tables are then associated with a particular outdoor region or particular levels/areas of a dungeon. Since something like a low-level table will be used for a range of character levels, the encounters could be easy, evenly matched, or more difficult the players. I’m ok with this. Even easy encounters (in terms of combat) could still cost players in terms of resources, time, or being detected. On the other hand, allowing for the possibility of “unbalanced”/difficult encounters reinforces a style of play where there is always a risk, and sometimes a need to flee.

Fill in the Table

After looking back at my brainstorming list, I might create a table like the following:

The Sub-table for Environment Encounters might start out like this:

The Sub-table for Unique Desert Interaction Encounters might look like this:

Not bad for a first draft, but the main d6 table has some pretty generic and bland monsters outside of the gila-monster-like lizard folk. Here, I think it is worthwhile to consider Justin Alexander’s four questions mentioned at the beginning of the post. For example, what makes monsters like the scorpions or desert dwellers unique? Where are they coming from? What are they doing? What are their reactions to the players? You are free to ask yourself additional questions, but those four are usually enough to spark some additional creativity.

Right now, nothing makes my scorpions unique or interesting (other than giant scorpions being bad-ass in and of themselves). So, let’s merge the giant scorpions with the desert bandits. I’m thinking the desert dwellers could be clan-like bandits or gangs roaming the wastes on giant scorpions harnessed with fort-like riding structures. These desert bandits raid others out of an on-going need for scarce resources in the harsh desert environment. I’m thinking of a Mad Max atmosphere with giant scorpion vehicles instead of cars. Ok, that’s cool. Since there is now an open encounter slot, I will add a giant predatory bird that rules the desert skies named Desert Wind. She is worshipped and respected by some, and feared by all. The new table looks like this:

Refine & Flesh Out

This small table can work as is, but it is also a draft that can continue to be refined as additional ideas come to mind. The table can also be enlarged to accommodate other desert encounters that are likely to occur in the setting (e.g., like the chance of stepping on a pit viper). Spending a little bit of time fleshing out each of the possible encounters, even if it is only a sentence or two, can add additional color to the encounters that will help make them unique. The process of writing some flavor text might also prompt additional ideas for the DM.

Now, time to wrap up this example table with some brief descriptions.

1) Desert Wind, Ruler of the Skies: Desert Wind is a giant predatory hawk that hunts the vast wastelands. Desert Wind is a translation of the Tiníléí (Desert Lizard Folk) name for the bird, and it refers to the buffeting gusts of wind created by the bird’s enormous wings. The nomadic gangs of the desert greatly fear Desert Wind and have named her Death from on High. It is said that the Tiníléí revere the great hawk, and they are known to make regular pilgrimages to a large and sacred outcropping of stone to make offerings of food and wealth.

2) Giant Lizard: The desert wastes are home to a breed of horned lizards with long spiked tails that are larger than camels. These giant lizards live solidary lives outside of the mating season. They spend the blistering days submerged just underneath the desert sand waiting for an unsuspecting victim to tread over them. +2 to surprise potential victims. Those familiar with the desert environment have an increased chance at detecting a submerged lizard.

3) Nomadic Desert Gangs riding Giant Scorpions: These nomadic gangs prowl the desert looking to raid caravans, rival gangs, and any other parties traveling in the region. They traverse the desert on giant scorpions harnessed with fort-like riding structures. These structures are constructed with bones and the leathery hides of camels and the Tiníléí. They are also festooned with colorful banners depicting a gang’s sigil. As many as eight nomads can ride atop a single scorpion. All the desert gangs fear Desert Wind, and they will immediately flee the area if her presence is detected. The Tiníléí tend to avoid these gangs, although they have been known to set deadly ambushes for them when gangs tarry too long in their territory.

4) Lizard Folk: In their own tongue, they are known as the Tiníléí (DM note: I lifted this from the word for gila monster in the Navajo language). The nomadic gangs of the desert call them Fat Heads because of their massive triangular heads. The Tiníléí are covered from head to tail in scales that contain pearl-like bone beads. The Tiníléí are black in color with contrasting bands of pink and orange (males) and light brown (females). The Tiníléí molt their skin regularly, and the discovery of such moltings indicate that one is in Tiníléí territory. Like the giant lizards that also inhabit the region, the Tiníléí prefer to ambush parties from submerged sand (+1 surprise). They wield primitive weapons like spears and nets, but their bite is their most dangerous weapon. If successful with a bite, their jaws clamp down on a victim, and that victim can only escape with a successful STR check. Even if successful, ripping free causes additional damage. Lastly, any bitten by a Tiníléí will have to make a Save vs. Poison. Failure results in paralysis. Players begin with a +2 to the saving throw. However, each combat round a Tiníléí remains attached to a player, that player must make an additional saving throw adjusted by -1 for each round trapped as the poison builds up in their system.

5) Environment Encounters: Roll again on the Environment Encounters Table.

1. Sandstorm: A dangerous desert sandstorm descends on the players. Inadequately dressed players that fail to take/find shelter will incur 1d4 points of damage for every 10 minutes in the storm. Continued travel during a sandstorm significantly increases the chances of becoming lost. Even if players hunker down for the storm, the sands of the terrain will have shifted enough to prompt some kind of direction/travel check, as determined by the DM.
2. Desert Quicksand: The players have entered an area of loose and shifting sand. Those familiar with the desert environment have an increased chance of detecting the dangerous patch of sand. Unless the party is taking some kind of precautions, the base chance of detection is 1-in-6. Those stepping in the patch of sand will immediately sink to their thighs, and they will continue to sink at a slower rate. A character caught in such a patch will become completely submerged in 1d4+1 minutes.
3. Desert Plums: The players have come upon a patch of wild desert plums. In addition to providing some hydration, the plums can heal 1d4 hit points (or provide some other benefit as determined by the DM).
4. Cacti Forest: The players have entered an area containing intermittent patches of tall cacti. Unbeknownst to players not raised in the desert, these cacti are predatory. The cacti are sensitive to movement and shadows, and those walking near a cactus trigger a volley of deadly needles. A long filament-like fiber attaches each needle to the main part of the cactus, and this fiber acts both as conduit for a deadly venom and for the victim’s bodily juices which are utilized by the plant for nutrients. Victims struck by needles should Save vs. Poison or become paralyzed. Paralyzed victims will be sucked of all bodily fluid until nothing but a desiccated corpse remains.

6) Unique Desert Interactions: Roll again on the Unique Interactions Table.

1. Caravan Train: The players encounter a caravan of merchants crossing the desert. The caravan provides opportunities for the trade and purchase of various supplies and wares. Caravans will always be accompanied by hired escort guards. DMs can use such an encounter to create any number of additional plot seeds and NPC interactions. The Caravan may also be able to assist lost characters (at a price), or the caravan may offer them some type of employment.
2. Dying of Thirst: The players come upon a merchant named Zolmel dying of thirst. He is badly sunburned and dehydrated. He tells a tale of getting separated from his caravan in a sandstorm. Later, his camel died after being bitten by a deadly viper. Who is he? What tales can he share? What belongings does he still have on his person? Can he make it worthwhile if provided assistance? DMs decide.
3. Camel Carcass: The carcass of a camel is being consumed by a pack of wild desert dogs. Players can see several large saddle bags still attached to the camel, but these dogs will not trot away from such a rare feast. What do the players do?
4. Spirit of the Desert: Those of the desert all tell tales about the Spirit of Desert. She is a trickster spirit, and somewhat malevolent. It is the Spirit of the Desert that lures the desperate deeper into the heart of the desert with mirages of water and lush oases. In the evening, she taunts with a cool refreshing breeze only to become a cold companion in the deep desert night. Those that listen will occasionally her laughter, or her lied-filled whispers. Those of perseverance and strength sometimes earn her admiration and favor. To such individuals, she has been known to grant a boon. However, some say to accept such a boon is to be tied to her forever for she is a covetous and jealous mistress.