Skip to content

Random Tables: Loot, Death Worlds, and Dungeon Themes

I Search the Body (d100)

Source: Furthest Lands blog — setting-specific table for unusual body loot.

A d00 (percentile) table of items found on searched bodies. Goes well beyond generic "2d6 copper pieces" — includes mundane items with setting flavor, tools, instruments, documents, and oddities. Setting-specific entries reference the Furthest Lands setting (Fasinaa, Goboda, Iele, Shem) but are easily reflavored.

Table characteristics: - Mix of genuinely useful items (spool of fine thread strong enough to fish with, cipher key) and pure flavor (shrunken head, reed flute) - Some items imply ongoing situations or hooks (skywatch pamphlet warning of a threat, the city's complacency) - Several entries have interesting dual-use potential

Usage: Roll when players search bodies in low-fantasy settings where generic loot is unsatisfying. Strip or reflavor setting-specific entries for other worlds.

Source

d100 Death Worlds

Source: Reddit r/d100 crowdsourced table.

A crowdsourced table for generating characteristics of hostile, deadly, or post-apocalyptic worlds. Useful for: - Science-fantasy planet generation - Post-collapse setting creation - Hexcrawl region flavor - Random setting challenge generation

Table entries span environmental hazards (toxic atmosphere, perpetual storms), biological threats (megafauna, engineered plagues), technological hazards (active weapon systems, malfunctioning infrastructure), and social conditions (factional war, resource scarcity, cultic power structures).

Usage: Roll on this table to establish what makes a setting or region dangerous at a systemic level — not just encounter-level threats but world-defining conditions that shape every decision players make.

Source

The Dungeon d100s: Themes (Papers & Pencils)

Source: LS, Papers & Pencils.

A d100 table of dungeon themes for fast conceptualization. Each entry is a single noun or short phrase that captures the governing idea of a dungeon — not its occupants or specific encounters, but what it is and feels like.

How to use it: 1. Roll one or two results 2. Combine them into a single concept ("A dungeon about [X] and [Y]") 3. Let the concept drive content decisions: what monsters belong here, what's the dungeon history, what does the treasure reflect

Why this matters: Dungeons designed around a theme (fungal hive, forgotten court, petrified menagerie) have internal consistency that players can notice and engage with as a puzzle layer. Dungeon dressing, monster selection, and weird room contents all reinforce the theme without requiring explicit explanation.

Sample themes (from the d100): The table covers: natural phenomena, supernatural concepts, human activities (now corrupted or abandoned), mythological references, and pure weirdness.

Source

Cross-Table Usage

These three tables combine well: - Dungeon Theme → establishes what the dungeon is - Death World entries → contextualizes what region/setting conditions the dungeon exists within - I Search the Body → provides flavor loot consistent with theme and setting

For a complete dungeon-stocking workflow, pair with the Hexcrawl Design Checklist's landmark/hidden/secret framework.

See Also

Sources

  • https://www.furthestlands.com/2018/08/ordinary-starting-item-i-search-body.html
  • https://www.reddit.com/r/d100/comments/ki56qz/d100_lets_build_death_worlds/
  • https://www.paperspencils.com/the-dungeon-d100-themes/