Fantasy Great Wall Encounters

 Fantasy Great Wall Encounters

For OSR Adventures

Roll 1d20

[1] Great Storm rolls over the wall, trying to throw you off the wall or into it hard. One party member may take a lightning strike (2d6 damage) by holding up a metal weapon, which ends the storm instantly.

[2] This section of wall is painted in bright, spiritual colors. Atop large wooden pools are three Wall Shamans.

On a Good Reaction roll, the Shamans will allow you to pass unmolested. On a Neutral or Bad reaction roll they will demand the party give them sacred paint or else they will attack, even if you don't have any.

Wall Shamans (2HD, +2 initiative, +2 AC from height, 1d4 pole damage, 1d6+1 painted swords)

Appearing; 3

The Wall Shamans fight atop their long wooden poles, impossibly keeping balance even as they hop around on them and hit people with their poles. If they touch they ground they say a prayer and draw painted swords.

[3] Wall Poachers. They are here to steal some of the native wildlife that has grown on and around the wall, to which there is surprising diversity.

If reactions are Good, they offer to pay the party for helping them catch one of the follow. If reactions are Neutral or Bad they will instead tell the party to turn back and not let them past their 'protected wall-park'.

Creature they Seek (1d6);

1. Golden Eagle. (eggs preferred).
2. Wall Spiders, dog sized.
3. Rare Wall Spiders, normal sized.
4. Wall Goat. Butts people off with horns.
5. Wall Shaman's pet mink. It's painted.
6. Wall Dodo. They can turn invisible.

[4] Unnatural brick-and-mortar 'cave' built in to side of wall here. 50% chance for a great white bear to be stationed within. Area is filled with bones and two silver friendship amulets inside. (Worth 1d6x5 gold each, if two people wear them all rolls to aid each other get +1)

[5] Living Echo inhabits this area. In order to stay alive it needs people to 'speak' to it and keep its booming voice going. Can selectively repeat what people say to try and get them to converse with it.

Living Echo (1 hit point, cannot be hurt except for Silence Spell, which kills it or by starving it. Thunderous Echo can deal up to 1d4 damage to people who try to ignore it too long.)

[6] Eunuch Architect examining part of the wall. Carries a golden robe and a few treasures with his horse, but is unsurprisingly a powerful Sorcerer. Extremely proud of his horsemanship skills though, not his magical prowess.

Roll reactions; on a good or neutral roll he simply goes about his business. On a bad roll he assumes the party members are godless wall-hating barbarians and he will attack them.

If party has an Emperor's Writ (from [7]) he will show them a secret method to ascend to the guard towers, one located every half mile on the wall.

Eunuch Architect (2HD, casts up to 5^th level spells, d4 damage war fan)

Can stand atop his horse and ride while casting spells. His Magic Missile spell appears as golden calligraphy that burns into his foe's skin, the words all being insults or racial slurs against that person.

Eunuch's Horse (2HD, horse, d6 trample)

Not a gelding, surprisingly.

[7] Huge cart travels along with hundreds of official scrolls and paperwork in the back. One Emperor's Writ will be left behind on the road.

If returned the wagon driver will give the party 300 Gold, otherwise they can keep and use the writ to their own ends.

[8] Goblins hid nearby, coming out under cover of night to scrap and lick at the lichen and moss that grows on the great wall.

Rolling this encounter and getting a bad reaction means they want to spread your blood on the wall to grow their 'crop'. Good or Neutral reaction involves them staying hidden, but still attacking if any party member touches their moss.

Wall Goblins (stats as goblin but +2 to climbing equipment, attack with hooks and chisels.)

In combat they like to swing on ropes holding out their chisels like jousters.

[9] Monkeys living nearby and atop this section of wall. They have sticky fingers and like to steal things, but mostly just to act cute to get food.

If party members find their secret stash high up on the wall, they'll find 2d6 rings and trinkets worth 20 gold each.

[10] Immortal Idiot-Prince moping and crying to himself. Wears fancy gold trimmed armor and a shining spear.

On a Good or Neutral reaction roll he will explain his plight, that he went off on a campaign and became immortal, but by the time he was returning home somebody built this huge wall in his path.

On a Bad reaction roll, he just goes off by himself and doesn't want to talk.

Seems very stupid (50% chance he's on the right side of the wall all along), but is a great warrior. His armor and weapons are quite good and could be sold for 1d6x100 gold to the right buyer. His blood is also a potent magical reagent.

Immortal Idiot Prince (4HD, +3 AC, d8 Golden Spear deals +1 damage vs elves)

Expert fighter, but very lonely and dumb. Will not attack unless provoked. Get nervous and blushes around beautiful women.

[11] Fortress built as part of the wall here with surrounding village. 1 in 6 chance each day the peasant's revolt. When they 'revolt' they send strongly worded letters to the baron and delay paying their taxes a few hours. The baron's guards respond by playing minor pranks and knocking over fence posts around the village.

If the party spurs them on they could create an actual real revolt which would lead to many deaths on both sides.

[12] Curious inlet set into the wall. Closer examination reveals the wall was built around a gigantic sleeping creature. Roll 1d4.

1. Family of Giants snuggled together, wearing pajamas. Troll sized teddy bear.
2. Celestial Dragon, napping on the job for a few hundred years, his boss won't notice
3. Appears as huge pile of stones, actually gigantic rock golem peacefully inert
4. Hoard of Barbarians put under an eternal Sleep spell, covered in bloody blankets.

[13] Huge number of tally-marks dot this part of the wall. Rival Adventurers are camped here, challenging anyone that passes to duels. Roll on the Rival Adventurers table.

[14] Hundreds of wind chimes hang from the wall here, the light twinkling sound attracts attention. Roll for wandering monsters.

[15] Chain gang of 50 slaves or criminals working on building/repairing this part of the wall. They are watched over by 15 Guards. 50% chance the Guards are actually also slaves that killed their captors and are pretending to be the guards to passersby, like you.

If the guards are normal then a reaction roll will not be needed. Otherwise if the slaves have taken over roll reaction, subtract -2 if you have the Emperor's Writ. On good result they will ask you to help them escape over the wall. On a bad result all of the slaves pick up their tools and attack you.

[16] The clatter of horses and yelling in a foreign tongue can be heard over the wall as though the barbarians are coming; and over the top they go!

These Wall-Riding Barbarians can ride up and down the wall on their horses, who they've given magic horseshoes and trained how to run up and down the great wall. They are armed with bows.

Wall-Riding Barbarians (1HD, riding horses, +1 AC and to hit, can ride up and down walls)

Appearing; 1d6+1

These barbarians are almost impossible to catch since they can simply run back over the wall if they. If any of their number are knocked off their horses, the other barbarians will shoot arrows at them as well to give them a quick death.

Each barbarian has a sack of pilfered rubies hanging from the side of their horse, 500g each.

[17] There is a well nearby and a feeling of unease. 50% chance of a random encounter. If true, increase the enemy's HD by +1. At the bottom of the well is a helmet made of clay and other strange materials, strangely unbreakable. Grants +1 AC.

[18] There is a second wall that stretches on for about 100 yards built perpendicular to the first one, as though trying to show it up, but it was sadly unfinished. The space between is filled with dead birds.

[19] Backwater village of the empire still lives in mud and stick huts, views the Great Wall as a God. Any declarations of the wall not being the end of the universe or going on to encircle all of creation will be met with a flogging. If you can prove you can work with stone the villagers will offer you rare fruits and banana-skin armor (stats as leather) in return, but have little else of material wealth.

[20] Floating koi pond. It hovers next to the wall near the top, going along merrily as signal-fire men feed the fish crumbs from their rations.

Wandering Monsters

Roll 1d6

(1) Great Goat (3HD, 1d6 ram attack, knocks targets back equal to damage x10 feet.)

Appearing; 1

Climbs on and defends his harem of ewes from anyone who gets too close. Nearly elephant sized.

(2) Wall Witches (1HD, +1 AC if touching the wall, 1d4 hammers, casts Entangling Vines)

Appearing; 2d4

Crazed Witches trying to draw power from the potent lay-line the great wall was built upon. Cast Entangling Vines but the spell appears as a sandcastle that appears around your feet, preventing movement. Beat people up with hammers who entangle.

(3) Hill Giant (2HD, +2 to hit due to size, throws d8 boulders and d8 tree club)

Appearing; 1 or 2

Hill Giants examining the wall closely, learning the secrets of human architecture. Possibly sexually attracted to the great wall.

(4) Quarry Bandits (stats as bandit, but one carries a giant quarry stone on his back granting +3 AC)

Appearing; 2d6+2

Bandits looking to steal the best bricks from the great wall for their own wall. Terrified of the wall collapsing on them.

(5) White Lion (2 HD, +2 to hit, 1d6+1 claw, can change its gravity.)

Appearing; 1d4

Great white lions that can change the direction of their gravity on a solid surface. They're laying on the side of the great wall, enjoying the sunlight.

(6) Roll on Rival Adventurers Table instead. Typically they will already have had some treasure of their own, or will argue with the party about who should take the treasure from the next area. Typically not interested in working together.

Rival Adventurers

Roll 1d4

(1) The Underminers. Armed with pickaxes and lanterns, pet canary that can detect magic at will. They like to destroy huge building projects. When discovered they will more then likely be already starting to dig.

Alfrid Alfris (Fighter)- Leader. Uses two pickaxes at once like an idiot. Actually has 18 Str and Int. Mining and digging expert.

Zol Manill (Cleric)- Worships the Humming from Below, a God of unseen depth. Replaced turn undead with a localized earthquake power.

Lantern (Rogue)- Young boy without a name, abandoned near the wall long ago. Appears unarmed, actually has a dozen knives on him.

Garl (Fighter)- Has the head of a chicken, he was cursed for running from a fight. Has d4 peck attack along with his d6 pickaxe.

Tholis Umdar (Fighter)- Studded belt, huge tongue piercing. Doesn't talk much. +2 AC

Yellow the Brave- Pet canary. No class levels, but can detect magic at will. Often chirps as though speaking, Underminers try to figure out what it means in Lassie fashion (What's that boy? Garl fell down a mineshaft?)

(2) Seekers of the Shards of Fire. All of them are sun worshipers, trying to find a piece of crystallized sunlight to rekindle the dying sacred flame of their church. Have nothing to do with the great wall at all, this is just one stop for them.

Zack (Cleric)- Leader. All his light spells are so powerful he can blind people or deal 1d4 damage to them without a save, his choice.

Eater-of-Chaos (Cleric)- Convert to the sunlight-religion. Tattooed face, vow of silence. His bite deals 1d12 damage to Chaotic alignment.

Mellannia (Rogue)- Steals from the rich and gives to the church. 50% chance she pickpockets a few gold from the party members, which she will wave to antagonize them.

Uther Bearskin (Fighter)- Literal bezerker. Upon going down to 0 or negative HP transforms into a rabid bear that will attack anyone, but prefers attacking others before his own group. He's looking for a cure for his condition. If he turns he can't ever turn back.

(3) Graffiti Group. Mystics who examine graffiti to try and find the secret words of God hidden within the vandalism.

Illthan (Magic User)- Leader. Hundreds of scrolls of parchment on his back, filled with the scrawling of random numbers generated from rolling his die over and over. He believes a Demon of the number 5 is possessing his dice. 50% chance this is true

Rackus Feewinkle (Rogue)- Selfish prick, but loyal to his group. Likes to stab people in the kneecap, it's his favorite spot. +2 to hit.

Medee the Scratch (Magic User)- Pet Raccoon. Wishes she was a raccoon. Wizard but really skilled with knives, compete with Rakus. +1 to hit.

Finnus Noodlearm (Magic User)- 4 Str total weakling. Makes up for it in magic power- all his spells deal +1 damage, +1 saving throw difficulty

Copius Crescott (Cleric)- Casts Clerical spells but most of them are hidden knoweldge he stole from his temple elder's years ago. On the run since.

(4) Meagan's Band. Generic adventuring group, believes every other adventuring group is evil and calls them lawless criminals.

Meagan (Rogue)- Crossbow user. Witty, solves any riddle put before her. Likes to open combat by getting her friends to distract, fires a crossbow at the enemy's head.

Gibbler Gold-Band (Magic User)- Tremendously fat, but thin little dainty fingers. Loves to wear gold rings, currently wearing 15.

Pothus (Fighter)- Human, but thinks elves are the greatest race in the world. Fights with multiple identical slender longswords. When he rolls max damage his sword gets stuck in the armor of his enemy, reducing movement, and he just draws another sword.

Yanni (Rogue)- Young initiate of the golden dragon temple. Meagan's Band is helping her become a Cleric, but she must make a pilgrimage to the end of the wall first. Easily winded, fights with a scepter that deals +1 damage to undead.

Javvir (Rogue)- Stunted small male, speaks in squeaky voice. Actually is a humanoid rat person. Excellent sense of smell, fights with a hidden rapier on a spring, deals +1 damage first round.