Fantasy Vietnam Jungle Encounters

Fantasy Vietnam Jungle

For OSR Adventures

[1] Every square foot of this section of jungle has been trapped. There is a tripwire between every shrub, a pit on every level footing and barbed nets hanging overhead waiting for activation.

Takes 3 exploration turns to move through. Moving faster then a very slow crawl causes 1d6 damage every turn to any party member who isn't careful.

[2] Tiny silver hand bell; the clapper inside is stuffed with leaves so it won't ring unless these are removed. The first time it is rung, it disarms all nearby traps. There is a note on top of it that explains this.

The owner of the bell is a sorcerer who was turned into a Jaguar; he enchanted this bell so that he can hear its ringing anywhere to lead him to easy meat. It also disarms all traps so the people who ring it are more likely to be fresh.

[3] Pygmy Elephants (2HD, +1 to hit and damage from tusks. Can use their trunk and attempt a grapple or disarm) There are 1d6+1 of them.

They are being attacked by (equal to elephants +2) pygmy people- stats and tactics of (1). If you kill the pygmies the elephants will let you take the meat and ivory of their dead after sadly trumpeting for them. If you help the pygmies they'll just turn their spears on you after all the elephants are dead.

If you don't interfere, 50% chance for either side to win. Elephants will not let you take the meat or ivory from their dead if you didn't fight off the pygmies with them.

[4] Road-Tree. If you climb the tree and stand on a branch, the tree will make a safe path through the canopy of the jungle to take you there. Riddle hinting to this carved on tree trunk; speaking the name of your location will take you there.

Can lead to [5], [12], [13], or [15].

[5] Sacred Grove. Surrounded by painted ropes, standing stones, cairns of rocks, curved tree archways and other symbols. All random Encounters and beings native to the forest are terrified of it, and will not chase the party within its borders.

The Grove itself is immensely well tended and bountiful, but if any fruit is plucked, water is drunk, or a single sapling is trod upon it will invoke the wrath of the Woodwraiths.

Woodwraiths (Stats completely as Ghouls, including petrification, but totally immune to Turning.) Equal number to party members.

If Woodwraith attack kills party member, their body rapidly turns into a groaning wooden statue made of driftwood pieces. Full statues of people can be restored and returned to 1 HP with a powerful spell, but after combat ends the Woodwraiths will typically pick apart these statues and burn them in a bonfire, then spread their ashes as fertilized for their grove.

[6] Giant Purple Bloom flower; fat pedals and lays on the forest floor smells very sweet. If flower is cut into pieces and dried; dried pieces functions as a Cure Wounds and Cure Poison potion (3 doses), but taking the flower will anger [7], which will attack the party when they first take the flower and once every 1d4+1 days for as long as they remain in the forest.

Since Wasps do not make honey or gather pollen, their fervor to punish anyone who defiles the flower is a complete mystery.

[7] Giant Wasp-Nest. Hung between a cluster of trees and made of sticks, vines and bones clumped together with spit and mud. The Nest constantly releases 1d4 giant wasps (1HD, +1 to hit, poison deals 1d4 Cha damage; causes blotches on skin).

The wasps don't attack anyone unless they've interfered with the colony or have killed other wasps in the past. The wasps are somewhat intelligent though and can predict who is going to invade their nest (carrying climbing equipment).

The nest itself contains about a hundred giant wasp larva, each of which counts as a day ration or can be used to apply a 1d4 Charisma damage poison on any weapon, either or once each. Asking price is about 2 silver per. Obviously wasps will attack anyone who tries to take their larva.

[8] Pair of trees unnaturally twisted into an archway over a path. The first person to pass through the arch suddenly gains a wound (1d6 damage), lost a random item, and gained another one rolled on loot table below.

The person who went through the arch had vivid memories of the rest of the party disappearing, being attacked by wombats and being forced to climb a rocky cliff and go into a cave. Thus, they lost one item and found another in the cave. They swear this happened and only when they returned to the arch hours later and tried walking through it again did they return to the party.

This effect happens for each party member that passes through the arch with different stories invented by the players, but the wounds increase each time. (first 1d6, then 2d6, then 3d6, etc.) Those who would die from their injuries simply disappear.

Random Loot Table (d8)

1. Magic Stone- Allows magic users to cast 1 more 1^st level spells a day each day.
2. Skull of a Panther. All Big Cats who see it run in terror.
3. Bone Amulet- The wearer is invisible to divination spells and scrying
4. 1d4 Snail Shells packed with strange herbs- If ignited and thrown act like a grenade that makes all hit by it much slower; -3 to Initiative and Agility modifier
5. 4 large gold nuggets, worth 6 gold each.
6. Stone Spear and Leather Shield. Magic; as strong as steel at half the weight.
7. Fertility Goddess Statuette. Anyone who kisses it is cured of infertility enough for one child- but that child will be wild and troublesome.
8. Pet Wombat. Cute.

[9] Giant Hammock tied up in the trees made of vines, leaves, and comfy stuff. If the party sleeps here they will recover +1 HP over night.

[10] Giant scratch marks on the ground lead to a huge tree. Underneath its gnarled roots there is a chest visible, but they are too clustered together to reach normally. Cutting the roots wakes up the tree, which is actually a giant tree-squid in disguise.

Giant Tree-Squid (4HD, Attacks all party members close enough each round, deals d6+1 damage). The branches and trunk of this tree turn out to be a kind of weird shell that surrounds the land-dwelling mollusk and its 'roots' are many hundreds of tentacles it uses to attack people.

The chest is locked and is filled with silver coinage, a golden goblet, fine silks, spices, and a unicorn horn. Approximate value of 400 gold within. It is sealed with a nearby Kingdom's Noble Crest- it was stolen and ended up here.

If the noblemen nearby discovers the party sold the chest and contents they will send guards to arrest them, believing them to be the thieves; but will only otherwise offer a pittance (1d6x10 copper) for returning all of it to their family.

[11] Dangling Apes (2HD, 1d4 damage, attack at long range) Two apes with ridiculously long, retractable arms (20 feet at longest) swing their fists down at you from high up. If arms are ripped off or cut, they will regrow in a few days. They tend to annoy people more then try to kill them, but will steal any unsecured items from your character and drag them up into the canopy. They especially love grabbing hats and helmets.

[12] Trader Camp. Large semi-permanent camp in the middle of the jungle. Will sell you machetes, bug repellent, ape blinding-spray, arrows and other useful goods in return for the bounty of the jungle or coin.

The Trader's have no affiliations outside of the Jungle but have a kinship among themselves, if you attack one of them, all will fight back.

[13] Pygmy Cave. Cave is obviously inhabited and has several guards stationed at multiple entrances. The pygmies small size makes this place ideal for them but difficult for any party member to traverse unless they are small. Each area has 2d6 pygmies currently in it.

Thousands of bones liter the outside of the caves and make it harder to sneak up on the guards without alerting them (-1 to sneaking).

The cave itself should be treated like a small dungeon with seven major areas;

1. Communal Area- largest area with a shallow recess for stored drinking water. Pygmies are not smart enough to have invented pots yet.
2. Filthy Latrine ditch; [14]
3. Crafting room. Filled with many 'anvils' of small stones as well as spears, atlatl darts and clothing scraps.
4. Sleeping room. Small fire has blackened the ceiling.
5. Drawing Room. Walls are scrawled with pygmy cave paintings and mystic symbols. One Pygmy Shaman guards this place at all times.
6. Shiny-Shiny room. Small pile in center contains one random piece of armor, three silver arrow heads and 2d6 gold and silver pieces.
7. Animal Room. Room contains a captive, legless pygmy elephant and the bones of many others. Trumpets sadly to anyone but pygmies that enter, clearly wants death.

[14] Large latrine ditch partially dug and partially found in this cave room. Smells horrible and air is combustible from fire based attacks or sources. Down in the filth is a Goblin who is just trying to lay low. If anyone in the party is a goblin or can speak goblin the goblin will beg for them to help him escape; he came here thinking he could rule the pygmies but found out they were so primitive and shitty that he couldn't' handle it.

Surprisingly; the goblin carries a Scroll of Mass Charm that he was planning to use on pygmies. Will give it to the party for helping him escape.

[15] Great standing stone, flat and monolithic. There are four pillars around it, riddled with holes.

These pillars fire poison darts at anyone who crosses between them, save vs poison or die.

The monolith itself is etched with runic letters and magic symbols on one side. Magic Users can read this and copy it down to their spellbook to learn the spell Curse of the Lost. When cast on a target this curse causes the target to take a save vs magic or be lost permanently. After the first time you get hit by this spell you are immune.

Important characters such as villians, important NPCs and player characters hit by this spell should roll a d6 and add their wisdom modifier for the results.

1. (or less) Permanently Lost. Essentially removed from game world.
2. Lost until they die, their body may be found by important allies or family.
3. Lost for 1d10 years
4. Lost for 1d6 months
5. Lost for 1d6 days
6. Lost for 1d4 turns.

[16] Giant Pitcher plants hand from nearby trees and use vines to try and drop party members inside of them. Vines only have one health each and are easy to hit, but each party member is attacked by 1d4 vines each round.

If dropped in the pitcher plant party member will take 1d6 damage per round inside and will not have the space to use anything but a knife inside.

Can cut their way out if they use a knife, or someone else can cut in. Climbing the slippery walls is basically impossible.

Within one of the pitchers are the bones of several pygmy people, it has since vomited up the spears.

[17] Giant Centipede carvings. Several fallen logs have been arranged and carved as giant centipedes. Each centipede log contains a few hundred regular sized, but still poisonous centipedes.

Underneath one of the carvings is a pile of blue gems worth 2d8 gold.

[18] Stuck within the trunk of a large tree; four weapons. Axe, Dagger, Sword, Arrow. Each one has a random quality only determined when removed from the tree.

Roll 1d4

1. Weapon animates and attacks
2. No magical qualities, but weapon is highly decorated and worth 1d6+1 gold.
3. Flaming Enchantment. +1 damage, weapon glows red hot unless quenched.
4. Weapon warns holder when undead are near.

[19] This entire area of jungle is flooded with murky waist-high water. Roll for a random encounter.

[20] Party is suddenly attacked by rain of arrows and sling-stones from all directions. The attack lasts only 1d4 rounds- each party member not in cover, with a shield, or fails a save will take 1d6 damage.

There is no apparent source of the attack. Investigation will lead to [12] or [13]

Random Encounters

Roll 1d6

(1) Pygmy Scouts (stats as goblin, no darkvision)

1d6+1 Appearing. Pygmies are extremely primitive and brutal creatures without any known language, agriculture, or religion of any kind. Pygmies are very cowardly and a loud noise or flashy spell will almost always scare them away. They attack with stone spears, slings, and atlatls.

(2) Jungle Tiger (3HD, 2 attacks deal d6+1, incredibly leap, speed and stealth)

The tiger is an animal that preys on party members, typically it singles out the smallest one or the one with the least protection around its neck. Flees combat after 3 rounds regardless of how much damage it deals, but will stalk party for days.

(3) Pythons (2HD, d6 bite attack and d4 constrict)

Attack in pairs. Wait in ambush.

(4) Pygmy Warriors (stats as goblin, +1 to hit and AC, no darkvision)

Appear in groups of 8-12. These Pygmies are much more aggressive and brave. Additionally, they will always be accompanied by at least one shaman who can either cast Entangling Roots or conjure a small lizard with a 1 damage bite.

(5) Barkerthing (2HD, d8 damage, +2 AC, blends in perfectly with surroundings on a tree)

Rare creature. Looks like a mix between a rodent and a bug, has two large 'shield' arms that look exactly like tree bark and two more 'sickle' arms that are designed to cut and bleed people.

There is a natural scientist at [12] who refuses to believe these things exist and has promised 200 gold for anyone who tells him otherwise. He doesn't actually have that much gold.

(6) Gorilla Flesh-Eater (stats as ogre, but can swing between trees and doesn't use weapons)

Large lonely gorilla, expelled from his troop due to haven eaten flesh. Has an unnatural aura because of this, and detects as chaotic/evil. Will attack humans on sight, but is neutral towards demihumans and other races.