Hi ya'll, I'm about to run my first campaign in the Fallout setting (specifically, I'm running my players through the story of FO1 — so 2161, California) — and for that, I'd like to create a table I could roll on for random encounters. Now, obviously these will need to be scaled to the approx. level of the players and would need to fit on the terrain they are traversing, but I'll leave that for now and just want to think up a lot of ideas for cool encounters that could make the world feel alive (not too alive, mind you — it's still barren wastes for the most of it).
I'd like a good mix of combat, social and exploration encounters. The encounters can be positive, negative or neutral, and range from being a minor inconvenience to being a Total Party Kill.
This thread'll also serve as a place for me to just write down ideas, and I'll update it with your answers as well. Here goes:
1) A Highwayman speeds by in the distance.
2) A pre-war makeshift bunker, that didn't hold up against the bombs. There might still be notes left behind from the ex West-Tek scientist that tried to outlive the war here.
3) A cayote has gotten his leg caught in a beartrap. It'll make dinner for a trappers family soon.
4) A caravan rolls by. They're carrying cargo to a new client, to the north west. The caravan won't be heard from again.
5) A family is traversing the wastes, but have run out of water. If the party won't share, the father will be forced to pull out his rifle and rob the players of their water.
6) A nest of Radscorpions has buried in the sand, waiting for their next victims to stumble by. That's you!
7) Bob's Pre-Owned Car Mart
8) A large group of hungry cannibals surrounds the players, demanding a sacrifice.
9) Slavers transporting a group of Tribal-looking people, scarred and malnourished. Slavers are looking to sell off a young woman, who's apparently "not worth the trouble".
10) A corpse in metal armor; the metal seems to have warped and is distorted with blue and pink colors, and the corpse is horribly charred where the armor had touched the persons skin. A couple of expended Small Energy Cells can be found not far away.
11) A Ghoul is trying to psych himself into acquiring the services of a whore in the nearest town, while his Ghoul buddies are messing with him.
12) Patrick the Celt
13) The Children of the Cathedral (Guarded by a Nightkin, following not too far away) — they'll praise the Holy Flame, and how the party can seek the Cathedral to one day also be allowed to walk the Holy Pilgrimage (they're walking to Mariposa).
14) Someone's calling for help — if the party gets closer, they'll see a person immersed in a large patch of Spore Plants. The person is a travelling trader, that was left here by his two guards who seized the opportunity.
15) A group of Raiders jump out from hiding, one of them wielding a gigantic and very futuristic looking weapon (in reality, it's just electrical wires and various scavenged components that's been hot-glued onto a pipe-rifle). They demand tribute.
16) Trappers hunting for Gecko. They'll tell anyone who'll share their booze about the fabled Fire Gecko.
17) Whilst travelling in the mountains, the party might spot the crashsite of a small Chinese bomber plane. The plane is rusted away, and the payload was dropped 80 years ago.
18) A toxic waste dump stands in the party's way. Insects have been feeding off the barrels and whoever came near the grounds.
19) Someone, somehow, has arranged a bunch of old and rusty refrigerators as a circle-within-a-circle shape here. If the party decides to camp here for the night, they'll heal twice as much during the night.
20) A caravan making their way from Junktown to the Hub — all complaining about a specific crate that smells like "something's gone real bad". If convinced to dump it's contents, human limbs will fall out.
21) A guy stumbling along, ignoring the players, walking aimlessly. He's been doing that for 4 days. 5 days ago he ate a whole box of Mentats.
22) The party comes across a small farmstead, with a well. Light emerges from the well, from the glowing ghoul that is stuck at the bottom. He's gone feral long ago, but survives by feeding on the animals that are attracted to the light.
23) ...
24) ...
25) ...
Hoping some of you will find it fun to pitch in!
Cheers
I'd like a good mix of combat, social and exploration encounters. The encounters can be positive, negative or neutral, and range from being a minor inconvenience to being a Total Party Kill.
This thread'll also serve as a place for me to just write down ideas, and I'll update it with your answers as well. Here goes:
1) A Highwayman speeds by in the distance.
2) A pre-war makeshift bunker, that didn't hold up against the bombs. There might still be notes left behind from the ex West-Tek scientist that tried to outlive the war here.
3) A cayote has gotten his leg caught in a beartrap. It'll make dinner for a trappers family soon.
4) A caravan rolls by. They're carrying cargo to a new client, to the north west. The caravan won't be heard from again.
5) A family is traversing the wastes, but have run out of water. If the party won't share, the father will be forced to pull out his rifle and rob the players of their water.
6) A nest of Radscorpions has buried in the sand, waiting for their next victims to stumble by. That's you!
7) Bob's Pre-Owned Car Mart
8) A large group of hungry cannibals surrounds the players, demanding a sacrifice.
9) Slavers transporting a group of Tribal-looking people, scarred and malnourished. Slavers are looking to sell off a young woman, who's apparently "not worth the trouble".
10) A corpse in metal armor; the metal seems to have warped and is distorted with blue and pink colors, and the corpse is horribly charred where the armor had touched the persons skin. A couple of expended Small Energy Cells can be found not far away.
11) A Ghoul is trying to psych himself into acquiring the services of a whore in the nearest town, while his Ghoul buddies are messing with him.
12) Patrick the Celt
13) The Children of the Cathedral (Guarded by a Nightkin, following not too far away) — they'll praise the Holy Flame, and how the party can seek the Cathedral to one day also be allowed to walk the Holy Pilgrimage (they're walking to Mariposa).
14) Someone's calling for help — if the party gets closer, they'll see a person immersed in a large patch of Spore Plants. The person is a travelling trader, that was left here by his two guards who seized the opportunity.
15) A group of Raiders jump out from hiding, one of them wielding a gigantic and very futuristic looking weapon (in reality, it's just electrical wires and various scavenged components that's been hot-glued onto a pipe-rifle). They demand tribute.
16) Trappers hunting for Gecko. They'll tell anyone who'll share their booze about the fabled Fire Gecko.
17) Whilst travelling in the mountains, the party might spot the crashsite of a small Chinese bomber plane. The plane is rusted away, and the payload was dropped 80 years ago.
18) A toxic waste dump stands in the party's way. Insects have been feeding off the barrels and whoever came near the grounds.
19) Someone, somehow, has arranged a bunch of old and rusty refrigerators as a circle-within-a-circle shape here. If the party decides to camp here for the night, they'll heal twice as much during the night.
20) A caravan making their way from Junktown to the Hub — all complaining about a specific crate that smells like "something's gone real bad". If convinced to dump it's contents, human limbs will fall out.
21) A guy stumbling along, ignoring the players, walking aimlessly. He's been doing that for 4 days. 5 days ago he ate a whole box of Mentats.
22) The party comes across a small farmstead, with a well. Light emerges from the well, from the glowing ghoul that is stuck at the bottom. He's gone feral long ago, but survives by feeding on the animals that are attracted to the light.
23) ...
24) ...
25) ...
Hoping some of you will find it fun to pitch in!
Cheers
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