PDA

View Full Version : DM Help Ideas for types of adventure locations?



PhoenixPhyre
2018-02-24, 11:03 AM
My biggest struggle as a DM is getting inspiration for locations. I can come up with what's in them and how they're connected just fine once I have a seed idea, but getting there is hard for me.

To remedy this, I'm creating a customizable, semi-random adventure seed location generator. Fed information about a region (what races are most common, the average tier of play, and the types of locations common there), it randomly chooses a bunch of seeds. These aren't fully-fleshed out locations, just the following:

* A type (wilderness, underground, ruins, etc)
* A subtype (type of wilderness, cave vs vault, etc)
* A scale and a size (scale is how much of a 6-mile hex it occupies, size is the number of discrete mapped areas it has)
* an age (ranging from ancient to recent)
* whether it has a major "boss" monster
* what type of creature is the dominant one
* whether it has the entrance to a lair in it

The part I want some sanity checking on is on my types and subtypes. Am I missing major ones or are some redundant?

The list I have so far is:

* Wilderness
** Hostile
** Enchanted / fey
** Barren
** Mountains
** Plane-touched
** Corrupted
** Arctic
** Forest
** Jungle

* Ruin
** Tower
** Fortress
** Overgrown
** Shrine
** Estate
** Arcane
** Vault

* Magitech Ruin (this one's different because there's a specific sub-culture in my setting that did magitech back in the day)
** Tower
** Fortress
** Factory
** Time-lost (meaning not very ruined because it's been preserved out of time)
** Estate
** Vault

* Urban Ruin (this is the ruins of a city or town)
** Agricultural
** Industrial
** Religious
** Military
** Arcane

* Graveyard
** Battlefield
** Mass Grave
** Fancy
** Catacomb

* Camp
** Bandit
** Tribal
** Trader
** Permanent
** Hermit

* Underground
** Crypt
** Vault
** Cave
** Hideout
** Shrine

* Lair
** Dragon
** Beast
** Fiend
** Undead




Level: 3



Type: Graveyard
Subtype: Fancy


Scale: Small
Areas: 2


Monsters: beast
Boss? No

redwizard007
2018-02-27, 10:09 AM
I have loads to add, but no time right now...

I do want to ask, why "Wilderness, Hostile?" Is there a specific condition in your world that curses the land? Otherwise, this seems kind of redundant.

PhoenixPhyre
2018-02-27, 10:28 AM
I have loads to add, but no time right now...

I do want to ask, why "Wilderness, Hostile?" Is there a specific condition in your world that curses the land? Otherwise, this seems kind of redundant.

My intent was for places where everything's out to get the PCs, including the environment. Things like deserts with sandstorms, places with special rules for exposure, unnaturally aggressive wildlife, etc.

KillianHawkeye
2018-02-27, 12:37 PM
* Wilderness
** Hostile
** Enchanted / fey
** Barren
** Mountains
** Plane-touched
** Corrupted
** Arctic
** Forest
** Jungle

Seems to be missing a plains or grassland option. You could also differentiate hills or highlands from plains and/or mountains, but that may or may not be necessary. There also is a lack of aquatic environments, such as coast or deep ocean.


* Ruin
** Tower
** Fortress
** Overgrown
** Shrine
** Estate
** Arcane
** Vault

Not sure exactly what falls into each category, but I suppose "Estate" could include something like a monastery, while "Shrine" could include evil temples and whatnot.


* Camp
** Bandit
** Tribal
** Trader
** Permanent
** Hermit

Might want to include a Nomad Camp as a temporary location? I guess that's more of a story event in the grand scheme of things.


* Lair
** Dragon
** Beast
** Fiend
** Undead

Might wanna add Aberrant to the list (depending on your setting) for stuff like Aboleths and Mind Flayers that don't quite fit into any of these categories. Undead is a pretty broad list that could probably be split into subgroups like Zombies or Skeletons, Ghouls/Ghasts/Wights or similar, Vampires, Incorporeals (Ghosts/Shadows/Wraiths/etc), Lich, and whatever else makes sense. Fiend and Dragon likewise might be worth splitting into subgroups like Demon/Devil/Other and Metallic/Chromatic/Other, but again this seems like something that could be dictated by the story.

PhoenixPhyre
2018-02-27, 12:55 PM
Seems to be missing a plains or grassland option. You could also differentiate hills or highlands from plains and/or mountains, but that may or may not be necessary. There also is a lack of aquatic environments, such as coast or deep ocean.


Yeah, that's probably the case. I added "water" as well (for both fully aquatic areas and ones where a water-feature/lake/waterfall/river are a major part of the area).



Not sure exactly what falls into each category, but I suppose "Estate" could include something like a monastery, while "Shrine" could include evil temples and whatnot.


I was thinking Estate = secular isolated residential complex (so manor house + outbuildings or similar) while "Shrine" includes all religious-type or monastery complexes.

They're designed to be broad categories with overlap



Might want to include a Nomad Camp as a temporary location? I guess that's more of a story event in the grand scheme of things.


I'll probably add "temporary" or "tribal" for those. That category needs some rework--"orc" is too specific for this category.



Might wanna add Aberrant to the list (depending on your setting) for stuff like Aboleths and Mind Flayers that don't quite fit into any of these categories. Undead is a pretty broad list that could probably be split into subgroups like Zombies or Skeletons, Ghouls/Ghasts/Wights or similar, Vampires, Incorporeals (Ghosts/Shadows/Wraiths/etc), Lich, and whatever else makes sense. Fiend and Dragon likewise might be worth splitting into subgroups like Demon/Devil/Other and Metallic/Chromatic/Other, but again this seems like something that could be dictated by the story.

Aberrants are probably a good addition; Undead/Dragon/Fiend is supposed to be broad (since there's a separate split by level tier) and these are more thematic than anything. An "evil outsider" location will act different than an "undead-infested" than a "beast" location.

Thanks for the suggestions!

redwizard007
2018-02-27, 04:38 PM
* Wilderness
** Hostile
** Enchanted / fey
** Barren
** Mountains
** Plane-touched
** Corrupted
** Arctic
** Forest
** Jungle


Add Aquatic, Aerial (if it fits your campaign,) Coastal, Desert, Glacial, Hills, Plains, Swamp



* Ruin
** Tower
** Fortress
** Overgrown
** Shrine
** Estate
** Arcane
** Vault


Is Overgrown not the default for a ruin?
Add Farmstead, Conveyance (wagon, train, etc.)



* Magitech Ruin (this one's different because there's a specific sub-culture in my setting that did magitech back in the day)
** Tower
** Fortress
** Factory
** Time-lost (meaning not very ruined because it's been preserved out of time)
** Estate
** Vault


If its setting specific, than I need to assume you covered everything.



* Urban Ruin (this is the ruins of a city or town)
** Agricultural
** Industrial
** Religious
** Military
** Arcane


Add Outcast (leper colony, refugee camp, etc.)



* Graveyard
** Battlefield
** Mass Grave
** Fancy
** Catacomb


Add Simple, Overgrown.



* Camp
** Bandit
** Tribal
** Trader
** Permanent
** Hermit


Add Military, Noble, Pilgrim, Entertainers, Outcast.



* Underground
** Crypt
** Vault
** Cave
** Hideout
** Shrine


Add Volcanic for flavor.



* Lair
** Dragon
** Beast
** Fiend
** Undead


Add Aberration, Humanoid, Giant.