Die Drop World

Related Concept

• Die-Drop Regional Sandbox Generation - Distilled regional procedure for roads, terrain, missions, and placed sites

Overview

This procedure builds a playable overland mini-setting by dropping mixed polyhedrals on hex paper and reading die type/value as location class and content. The method produces a complete wilderness region with 2-3 settlements, interconnected sites, NPC elements, and linked dungeons in approximately one hour of prep.

Wilderness Die-Drop Procedure

The following eight-step process generates a complete sandbox region:

Step 1: Prepare the Hex Map

• Use 8×10 piece of hex paper (hexes large enough to hold a die).
• Gather 2d4, 4d6, 2d8, 3d10, 2d12, and 2d20 (22 dice total).
• Drop all dice onto the hex paper, aiming for general spread but allowing clumping.
• Mark each hex with die notation: e.g., "1/8" (rolled 1 on a d8), "9/12" (rolled 9 on a d12).

Step 2: Place Settlements and Roads

• The 2d4s represent settlements.
• Draw a road network connecting: one edge of map → first d4 → second d4 → another edge.
• Roads can curve but should avoid passing through non-d4 hexes when possible.
• This creates a natural trade route linking settlements and bordering the territory.

Step 3: Place Rivers and Water Features

• The 4d6s represent terrain types (see Terrain table below).
• If mountains (d6 result = 1) exist: draw a river line from at least one mountain through at least one settlement to the edge of the map.
• If no mountains but rolling hills/lake/swamp exist: draw river from that terrain type.
• If none of these exist: no rivers; all settlements use wells for water.
• River runs naturally downhill; settlements should have river access for trade/supply.

Step 4: Map Terrain Types

• For each d6, mark its hex with a symbol (M for mountain, F for forest, H for hills, C for canyon, L for lake, S for swamp).
• Mark the six surrounding hexes with the same symbol.
• If symbols overlap, try to give each terrain an equal share of hexes.
• This creates natural terrain clusters and biome identity.

Step 5: Add Missions (3 Rolls)

• Roll three times on a standard adventure-hook table or use examples: "Recover a magical object", "Investigate a mysterious stranger", "Stop a cult ritual", "Rescue a prisoner", etc.
• Write down the three missions.
• Assign each mission to a die location: d4 (settlement), d6 (terrain hex), d8 (NPC camp), d10 (individual NPC home), d12 (point of interest), or d20 (dungeon).
• Missions anchor player motivation and provide variety.

Step 6: Detail Non-Terrain Dice

• Note the results of d8, d10, d12, and d20 rolls.
• Reference the corresponding tables below to determine: what camp/NPC/POI/dungeon type occupies each hex.
• For rolls requiring sub-rolls (e.g., "Hobgoblins - roll for friendliness"), note the secondary roll result.
• Optional: embellish to avoid direct IC revelation (e.g., if d10 = Vampire, hide the reveal behind "Investigate a mysterious stranger" mission).

Step 7: Begin Play

• Start the party in one of the d4 settlements.
• NPCs in that settlement are aware of the three missions and can provide rumors/hooks about other sites.
• Provide the party with hand-drawn map showing settlements (d4), terrain hexes (d6), and general region layout.
• Do NOT reveal exact die types; let the party discover NPCs, dungeons, and sites through exploration.

Step 8: NPC Movement During Play

• After initial placement, you may move NPC camps (d8) one hex per round of party movement.
• This allows camps to avoid party confrontation or intercept players traveling between sites.
• Keeps the wilderness dynamic without requiring full simulation.

Wilderness Tables

d4: Settlements

d6: Terrain

d8: NPC Camps or Groups

d10: Individual NPCs and Their Homes

d12: Points of Interest

| Result | POI Type | Features | Adventure Hooks | Notes | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | Shrine/Altar | Holy site, possibly desecrated | Restoration quest, religious find | Neutral ground for parley | | 2 | Ruins | Crumbling buildings, ancient | Treasure hunter destination, historical clues | Possible inhabitants | | 3 | Inn | Waystation, travelers' hub | Information gathering, rest stop, local rumors | Safe haven; gossip source | | 4 | Cult Lair/Monastery | Hidden or obvious headquarters | Investigation, infiltration, combat | Factions; moral choice | | 5 | Spring or Pool | Fresh water, magical (roll magic on 1) | Healing, divination, corruption | Landmark; resource competition | | 6 | Abandoned Shack | Derelict building, salvageable | Shelter, mystery, salvage | Short-term camp site | | 7 | Standing Stones | Monumental arrangement, mysterious purpose | Ritual site, magical anchor, astronomy | Significant terrain marker | | 8 | Cemetery/Burial Mound | Grave site, possibly ancient | Undead threat, burial goods, ancestor worship | Moral implications | | 9 | Ancient Tree/Grove | Massive vegetation, possibly sentient | Druid alignment, treasure (carved symbols), sanctuary | Ecosystem hub | | 10 | Pit | Bottomless or deep chasm | Treasure (fallen gold), monster lair, trade hazard | Barrier or resource | | 11 | Old Battlefield | Historic conflict remnants, bones | Haunting, treasure (weapons), faction history | Environmental pressure | | 12 | Ancient Statue | Monumental, possibly magical | Guardian, divination target, treasure buried nearby | Landmark; possible intelligence |

d20: Dungeon/Site Types

Dungeon Die-Drop Procedure

After establishing the wilderness, you can quickly generate multi-level dungeons linked to any d20 site.

Dungeon Generation Steps

1. Roll for the BBEG on the BBEG table (see below).
2. Drop the dice: 1d4, 2d6, 2d8, 4d10, 4d12, and 2d20 onto a regular sheet of paper.
3. Circle each die and write the result in the circle (e.g., "3/6", "7/10").
4. Determine entrances: Locate them on the opposite side of the paper from the d4 (which will be BBEG or next-level entrance).
5. Connect with lines: Draw multiple routes from entrance(s) to BBEG room, creating loops and shortcuts (no pure hallway dungeons).
6. Mark secret exits (roll on Secret Exit table if desired).
7. Check BBEG result:
8. If d4 = BBEG/treasure/minions: dungeon is complete.
9. If d4 = entrance to lower level: go back to step 2 and add another level. Repeat until BBEG is found.

Dungeon Population Tables

d4: BBEG / Entrance to Next Level

d6: Minions

d8: Other NPC Factions

d10: Room Contents and Types (Trap Rooms)

d12: Rooms without Traps (Safe Rooms)

d20: Individual Room NPCs or Creatures

d4/d6 BBEG Choices

Secret Exit Table

At-Table Use

Preparation: Roll entire wilderness + dungeon the night before or during character creation.

Play cycle: 1. Party enters a settlement (d4). 2. Learning about missions sends them toward a site (d8/d10/d12/d20). 3. Reaching dungeon (d20) → run dungeon using dungeon tables. 4. Return to settlement to sell loot, recruit, plan next move. 5. Repeat.

Flexibility: These are scaffolds. Embellish as needed. Boring encounters can be skipped; interesting ones expanded.

Adaptation Notes

• Use this wilderness procedure for hexcrawl setup by treating dice as terrain or landmark types.
• In spacefaring campaigns, wilderness can become an orbital debris field, asteroid cluster, or sector map.
• Settlements can be reskinned as stations, arcologies, compounds, or enclaves.
• Dungeons can be reskinned as derelict ships, alien megastructures, or stacked city levels.

See Also

• Simple Die-drop Dungeon
• diedropdungeon Procedure Sheet
• Pointcrawl and Hexcrawl Exploration
• Sandbox Generator