Sci Fi Expedition-Planet Generator

Roll on this table when you discover a new planet and beam down to interact with the locals. Each planet has a specific biome (to keep with the tropey sci-fi theme), has a technology level, is ruled by one dominant race, and a dark secret.

Biome – Roll 1d20

[1] Desert.

[2] Forest. 50% chance of being Rainforest/tropical instead.

[3] Grasslands and mountains.

[4] Garden. Planet has no predators, perfectly manicured grass, berries everywhere, etc.

[5] Polluted dump/trash world. May or may not be the fault of the current inhabitants.

[6] Snowy tundra world. Sparse woodland areas.

[7] Ocean world. If the dominant race is land dwelling, then they live on islands.

[8] Rain forest/tropical.

[9] Giant fungal blooms.

[10] Surface of planet is too hostile for life- everything lives inside massive cave system.

[11] Lava world.

[12] Rocky wasteland with giant crystals and geodes.

Technology Level – Roll 1d6

[1] Stone age. Tribal, but a few cities and monoliths exist. Built without your help.

[2] Medieval technology level. Most people are subsistence farmers.

[3] Early Industrial level. They live in growing cities with factories and automobiles.

[4] Modern Era. Technology has progressed to computers and information age.

[5] Early Space Age. Local orbit space ships and have begun colonizing their 1d4 moons.

[6] Modern Space Age. Have space ports, robots, regulation planet of the federation.

Dominant Species – Roll 1d20

[1] Cybernetic spiders with their brains in an artificial “mesh” attached to their heads.

[2] Immortal race of “pleasure droids” dropped on this planet eons ago.

[3] 10 ft tall ogre dudes with a beak. They pierce holes in their beaks for status.

[4] Fuzzy worms that constrict/snuggle prey to death.

[5] Triceratops people. Go crazy if they see a comet (or crashing spaceship?)

[6] Muscle people. Root themselves to one spot and stay their for life. Lots of regret.

[7] Tree people. Extremely slow moving, blend in with nature extremely well.

[8] Mole people. Die if too much of their skin is exposed to open air at once.

[9] Alien dudes that are like 80% head by weight. Ridiculous evolved trait for mating displays.

[10] Bird people. Look like emus. Can't fly, believe their gods can.

[11] Soft rounded bean people with few traits. Look like Fall Guys, basically.

[12] Horrible barbed chitinous bug people.

[13] Centipede race. Not anthropomorphic, just giant centipedes.

[14] Multiple eel “headhands” burst from a central “hive”. Brain is in the hive.

[15] Levitating, highly intelligent beings made of plasma and paper-thin tissue.

[16] Eyeballs filled with lighter than air gas. Use spindly spider legs as graspers.

[17] Blue/Green/Red/Yellow skinned humans. May or may not have weird forehead.

[18] Aggressive, predatory skinless monster people with dog-like heads and horns.

[19] Fish with prehensile fins. Have to wear globes on their heads to travel on land or your ship.

[20] Sponge people with regenerating, sexless egalitarian society.

Weird Cultural Quirk – Roll 1d20

[1] Doctors, and all other types of sorcerers, are forbidden.

[2] Every individual of their species wears choking amounts of perfume.

[3] No concept of intellectual property. They'll take a picture of your face and put it in ads.

[4] Find it extremely rude if your grasping organs (hands, tails, tentacles, etc.) are not covered.

[5] Everyone there follows an intolerant space religion. However, there is no pretense against new converts or apostasy. You are baptized when you arrive and excommunicated when you leave.

[6] All new arrivals are required to give up DNA sample. If low technology- it's a superstition.

[7] Every hut/house/pod flies a different flag above it. It's basically a family crest here.

[8] All vehicles, required by law, look like animals a bit. Somebody will paint a face on your ship.

[9] Every third individual here is a musician. All public places are expected to have music!

[10] The people are relatively solitary. Build their dwellings so they can't see each other.

[11] The technology here developed in a very unusual way. Stone weapons, lasers for medicine.

[12] Please take off your shoes before you step on the planet's surface. Thank you.

[13] Common slang on the planet sounds very similar to something very offensive on yours.

[14] Aliens keep rocks/dolls/robots as pets and give them names and personalities.

[15] They're Indian givers. They give much hospitality and gifts, but will call you thieves if you try to leave before paying them back.

[16] People are assigned into “friend groups” at a young age and aren't allowed to leave them. Your party trying to talk to the locals or be nice is seen as very weird, kind of taboo.

[17] Most of them think space is a bit of a hoax. Even if they have space travel themselves. You're from some island or something, right?

[18] They invite you to a simple, leisurely game. The game actually shows mating fitness, expect horny aliens if you try at all.

[19] Extremely neighborly and kind. They leave around random red tiles and objects; don't touch or step on them or else everyone will treat you like shit for then on. It's a test of your “intuition”.

[20] You must eat food the same day it is prepared, anything else is miserly. They'll feed visitors like you a great feast but will look offended and/or question your sanity if you ask for a to-go bag.

Dark Secret – Roll 1d20

[1] Secret society rules the world- pulls the strings. Group has access to tech one level higher.

[2] One tree/rock/derelict ship is fed sacrifices from visiting “outsiders” like yourselves.

[3] Geological event will cause everything on the planet to die in near future. Obvious to you.

[4] There is a race of alien conquerors just above the planet, hidden from natives' view.

[5] The dominant race has a very cruel culture; rape, slavery, child abuse behind closed doors.

[6] Genocide currently underway. Camps full of slightly off-color aliens, starving to death.

[7] You arriving here has exposed aliens to a deadly, incurable pathogen. Oops.

[8] Planet's core has a cache of super weapons, unknown to natives. Taking them = dead planet.

[9] Air contains an addictive substance; almost impossible to leave once adapted to it.

[10] Natives have a plentiful resource that is incredibly rare and valuable in open space.

[11] Ancient precursor vessel trapped underneath ice cap/sand dune/deep ocean.

[12] Their language and writing wasn't invented here. Taught by ancient alien visitors.

[13] They can mate with other species. 1 in 4 chance they eat mates after sex.

[14] Alien government keeps one of every species in their “zoo”. One of you will do.

[15] Planet has some kind of boogeyman creature that has lived on it since forever.

[16] Spirit of a murderer executed when you arrived will try to possess a crew member.

[17] Dominant race goes berserk at the sight of a specific color or pattern. Nobody mentions this.

[18] Computers are outlawed here because of a self-aware AI that destroys everything. Nanomachines on the planet are drawn to unprotected advanced technology- like your ship.

[19] One family/corporation/clan owns basically everything. It's not much of a secret, just kind of sad and nobody really has the will to change it or speak against it.

[20] The brains of the dominant species are not their own. They harvest gray matter/souls from a race of compassionate, pacifistic slug-like people who they've held as slaves for centuries.