Procedural Stocking of Hex Maps

So, you’ve got your beautiful hex map – with rain shadows, realistic rivers, and biomes based on
bands of latitude and prevailing currents. But now the tricky part – what to put on that map? Where
should the towns go – or the dungeons? The lairs and the points of interest?
In the same sense of generating a dungeon – for which the rules provide mapping and stocking
guidance utilizing a procedural method – when I am creating a hex map, or fleshing out a region of
a hex map to which my players intend to adventure, I follow a procedural method: treating that
region, treating those hexes, like rooms in a dungeon: waiting for denizens to hide their treasure
inside.

Subdivide
First, divide the map into super-hexes and sub-hexes. A ratio of 1-to-6 is best for the math, but 1-to-
3 works too, if you simply divide the numbers in half later when rolling for placement. On a normal
hex map – this can fairly easily be done by selecting a starting point and then counting six hexes
away in a straight line along a flat side. Mark the sixth hex, as you marked the first one, and
continue the pattern until you have an even matrix of “center points” marked along the whole of the
space you’re aiming to stock.
From the example map provided, the bay to the south seems like a good place to start a campaign –
so I’ve zoomed in there to provide an example, cleaning up the coasts and adding a little spice to the
dominant terrain to boot.
Some hex mapping software has a “zoom” feature which allows you to expand or contract maps
given a ratio, as described above. I’ve used software of that variety to create the example map!
However, it’s also useful – to use the “zoom” feature – because it can affect the nature of the hex
crawl. If you want a traditional experience – with more open space, more open land, and more days
spent on the road between adventure and town – the reading referee is advised to retain the 6 mile
scale and impose super-hexes over the top. Conversely, if you want a more dense hex crawl – with
more points of interest, less distance per session, and more focus on dungeons – zoom in and use a
1 mile scale without changing the generation rolls below.
Now that we have our scale and our map, I can add the center points for reference.
With the larger scale comes larger journeys – but with the smaller scale comes greater focus.
Choose the experience you prefer and use the stocking mechanism that supports it!

Place Points of Interest

Next, for each point of center, you’ll need three dice: 1d8, 1d4, and 1d6. These determine the
number, size, and position of the points of interest in the super-hex:
• The 1d8 determines the number of points of interest in the super-hex.
◦ On a 1-4, there are no points of interest in the super-hex.
◦ On a 5-6, there is one point of interest in the super-hex.
◦ On a 7, there are two points of interest in the super-hex.
◦ On an 8, there are three points of interest in the super-hex.
• The 1d4 determines the distance from center that a given point of interest lies.
Roll 1d4 for each point of interest determined above and subtract one. This number –
between 0 and 3 – is the number of hexes counted from center mark that the adventure site
under scrutiny will be located. On a 0, it’s in the dead center.
• The 1d6 determines the direction from center the point of interest should be placed. If a 0
was rolled for distance, this roll is not needed – however if the distance is above 0, qualify
due North (or due East, if you’re the kind of degenerate who orients the hexes to line up in
rows rather than columns) as a result of 1, continuing clockwise according to the roll.
Thus, a roll of 3 with North as the origin would place the point of interest to the South-East.
Starting left to right, let’s populate points of interest on the example map.
1d8: 1.
No points of interest; this hex is empty.
Move on to the next.

1d8: 5
One point of interest.
1d4: 3 – 1d6: 3
Two hexes from center to the South-East.

1d8: 3.
No points of interest; empty ocean.
1d8: 8.
Three points of interest!
1d4 / 1d6 for each point:
1. 1 / 4 – one hex due South.
2. 3 / 1 – two hexes due North.
3. 2 / 6 – one hex North-West.

1d8: 8.
Three points of interest again!
1d4 / 1d6 for each point:
1. 1 / 2 – dead center.
2. 3 / 5 – two hexes South-West
3. 2 / 6 – one hex North-West

1d8: 3.
No points of interest.
 1d8: 8.
Dice are hot – three points of interest!
1d4 / 1d6 for each point:
1. 2 / 3 – one hex South-East
2. 3 / 5 – two hexes South-West
3. 1 / 4 – dead center.

So – having generated these points, the map now looks like this:

This method doesn’t cover all the possible sub-hexes. True. However, it’s your map: this placement,
you can keep it or you can tweak it. If it would make more sense for a point to be moved? Move it.
If the placement – based on where it lands: on a coast, in a river, on a landscape transition – gives
you inspiration for what might be there? Move it – and note what you want to put there rather than
following the next step to roll for content.
But what if multiple points overlap? Recall how I mentioned these dice determine the size of the site
in addition to its other properties? If only one location hits on only one site – instead of having two
different sites in the same hex, consider having one location and ramping up the scale. One location
rolled as undead may be a graveyard with a 6-to-10 room mausoleum hiding some burial goods:
two locations rolled as undead on top of each other may be a full crypt, hanging 2d4 levels deep.
Three locations rolled as undead on top of each other? Consider you may have just randomly placed
the Barrowmaze.
Alternatively, you’re welcome to have multiple sites – say you rolled a Dragon and some Gnolls:
you can have the dragon roosting across the way while the Gnolls are hiding in a complex distant to
it – or, say, you’ve rolled some Trolls and some Ogres: consider having one complex with two
factions – the Troll faction and the Ogre faction – vying for control over the ruins to repurpose as
their own lair. Again – this tool is as much an inspiration generator as it is a procedural assignment.
Use the info you’ve got and tweak the output to fit the experience you want to have at your table.

Define the Denizens

Finally, determine the primary occupants or builders of the generated points. As indicated above – if
the location or the proximity to other locations inspires you: go with your inspiration! Assign it a
theme based on what you want to be there. However, for each point that doesn’t scream “This
should be X” – roll on the terrain-appropriate wilderness encounter table.
For the sake of variety, we’ll roll for the fourth generated super-hex here using the wilderness
encounter tables from Cook’s Expert:

Ordered North to South, rolling 1d8 / 1d12:

Point 1: 8 / 11
Biome is Jungle – 8 is Dragon.
On the Dragon sub-table, 11 is a Basilisk.

Point 2: 6 / 8
Biome is Jungle-Hills – so, Animal or
Humanoid, depending on which column you
reference. Humanoid 8 is Lizard Men; Animal 8
is “Giant Shrew.”

Lizard Men is more evocative – go with that.

Point 3: 2 / 7
Biome is Savanna – closest analog is Grasslands
– 2 is Flyer: result of 7 turns up Gargoyle.

So – we have our themes: Basilisk, Lizard Men, and Gargoyles. Are these lairs? Villages? Ruins?
Gargoyles live on churches, right – so maybe we have an abandoned cathedral here: a level above
ground, a level below, where they and some native wildlife live. Basilisk – perhaps a stone garden
surrounding a lair, whatever treasure it may possess lying below – or perhaps this is a marker of
Basilisk territory: the party is going to wander into them more often as it patrols and defends its
territory. Of the Lizard Men – this may be their tribal center: what then is their relationship to the
Basilisk? Do they know about the abandoned cathedral – or the Gargoyles in it?
Right off, we have at least three or more leads here, opportunity both for adventure and intrigue and
faction interaction and relationship cultivation among the locals – and if you’ve customized your
wilderness encounter tables at all for your setting? More and more opportunity to showcase and
reinforce your theme! Get to mapping those sites and dungeons and get ready for players to explore!

And Them’s My Two Coppers

Is this system perfect? Of course No. But it does provide a fast procedural mechanism for both
randomized placement of locations and inspiration as to what those locations should be – after
which, natural interactions will follow: fleshing out the world and providing a canvas against which
your party’s adventures will paint the picture of your campaign.
Delve on, readers – thanks for reading!