e

fil
e
pl
m
Sa

An adventure toolkit for

Neoclassical Geek Revival
by Zzarchov Kowolski
 e
fil
Lost in the wilderness
e
pl
m

Game Designer Zzarchov Kowolski

Sa

Writter Zzarchov Kowolski

Graphic Designer Jeff Hammell

Cover art Charles Marion Russel

Interior art Alex Mayo

ISBN 978-1-988224-08-4
© 2019 Zzarchov Kowolski
 Random encounters are an important component of
any great game. They do three critically important
things. They generate a lot of content with minimal
prep time for the time starved GM. They throw
monkey wrenches into the best laid plans of
players and antagonists alike to create suspense
and tension. They are a tremendous tool for
worldbuilding that allows you to show players what
the world is like, rather than merely tell them with an
A useful tip for integrating encounters into a
larger adventure is to add a default implied
context of the player’s actions, to make it a
“small world” if you will. If the party encounters
farmers as they track orc marauders through
the countryside those farmers may have
just been attacked themselves. If the party
encounters goblins then those could be a rear

info dump.
The method I use for generating random encounters
are seed tables. I roll a single d8, d6, and d4
and then divine a complex encounter from their
results like a teary eyed cromniomancer. The d8
e
guard, or perhaps a rival warband also on the
same trail as the players. In short, add a little
bit of coincidence to fit the encounters into the
game’s context most (but not all ) of the time.

fil
will indicate the local terrain, the d6 will indicate
any antagonists, and the d4 will add an extra
kick of potentially unusual activity. What is more
patterns in the numbers will add more wrinkles
to the encounters. Two or three of a kind, a run
of three, or rolling an 18 are important elements
when crafting an encounter from the result. The
sum of the three dice (Σ) is often used within the
encounters themselves. It is important to stress that

e
you only roll the dice once for each encounter. If a
d6 result says Σ orcs with d8 goblins, the number
of goblins will be based on the terrain result and the
number of orcs based on the sum of three dice. The
encounters are crafted to take this into consideration
pl
and you may get some oddity if you change this
mechanic (like lake monsters in a dry field).
These encounters are in no way balanced, because
I think doing so would take away from the sense
of mystery and fear that should accompany
exploration of strange new lands, but you do you.
I am not your boss.
m
Sa

Lost in the wilderness—Neoclassical Geek Revival 1

 Farm country
Travel Speed 4 Health Pleasant, Rural

Where Trips & Dubs

1 Grain Field. 111 Farmers are trying to evict the Hermit in a mob,
claiming he is a magician who has hexed them. He
2 Fallow Field.
IS actually a magician (a level 5 wizard who knows
3 Rotted remnants of huts or other outbuildings, much hedge magic and the ability to polymorph
overgrown with shrubs. people into swine or boars), things will go south

e
quickly.
4 Pollarded Woodlot.
222 Aholy relic is at the shrine and the shepherds watch
5 Hedgerow and Vegetable Patch.
over it. Its quite valuable and said to have healing
6 Orchard. powers.

fil
7 Grain Field. 333 Theberries are feral grapes growing over the body of
a murdered widow. She will angrily haunt whomever
8 Farm house and vegetable patch.
takes her grapes, appearing as a wraith near them
each night until her body is burned or buried on holy
What ground. You should not have tasted “the grapes of
1 Farmers (Σ/2).
wraith”.
2 Shepherd and (Σ) of goats or sheep.
444 The boar is actually a person, suffering a terrible hex.
3 Ghosts (d4) (night only). The boar stares into the pond as its reflection is still
that of a human. Someone able to read lips could
4 Wild
4 Boar).

5 Nothing.

6 Armed
e
Game (d4 ➤ 1 Rabbit, 2 Pheasant, 3 Deer,

group (d8+d4, d4 ➤ 1 Wealthy merchants,

read the reflections lips to speak with the boar. It tells
you it was cursed by a jerk hermit.

55 Thevegetable patch’s scarecrow comes to life at

night. It is either murderous (Odd) or friendly (Even).
pl
2 Road wardens, 3 Poachers, 4 Footpads).
66 The armed group is opposed by a fully armoured
knight. Either a white knight doing battle with
Weird evildoers or a black knight attacking the helpless as
1 Hermit’s Hut.
appropriate. The Knight is a 4th level warrior.
2 Small Shrine.

3 Wild Berry Patch. Runs

m

123 A horse wanders about unattended.

4 Small Pond.
234 Thereare children in the area, [d4] of them about
10 years old.

345 Charcoal Burners [d4] are heading to the nearest

town. They carry backpacks of charcoal and
hatchets.
Sa

456 A pack of wolves Σ prowl at night.

Max
864 The Outlaw King is holding court in this temporarily
commandeered farmhouse (the inhabitants are in the
cellar cowering). There is a large bounty on his head
and he is said to have a few thousand gold crowns in
his person and/or in his saddlebags. He is a 5th level
Rogue/Rogue/Bard with 3 additional henchmen.

Lost in the wilderness—Neoclassical Geek Revival 2

 Royal woods
Travel Speed 2 Health Normal, Rural

Where
1 Thetrees are widely spaced and show signs of fire.
The ground is covered in dense undergrowth.
2 Thearea has rows and rows of evenly spaced trees.
The undergrowth has all been cleared.
Trips/Dubs
111 Awhite rabbit is caught in a snare trap. Freeing the
rabbit will bless anyone who follows a nature or luck
deity. Taking the rabbit is poaching, but provides a
delicious meal.
222 Thenoble’s have captured a rebel scout and are

e
3 Theforest here is dense with a thick canopy of old
bringing him back to the city to be tortured and then
growth. Treat as indoors with darkness of 2.
hung. Rescuing him would endear his saviours to
4 There
is an abandoned log cabin rotting in the rebel forces.
woods. The trees nearby are pollarded.
333 The Mushroom gatherers are trio of wise women who

5A small clearing, 50 feet across, vaguely peanut
shaped.
6A stream moves through the area. Treat the d4
result as an additional d8 result.
7A dense grove of mature oak trees.
8A grave marker is at the base of a linden tree. Treat
the d4 as an additional d8 result.
fil
know some hedge magic. They are preparing a small
ritual to divine the location of certain valuable herbs.
They have healing salves they are willing to sell.
444 Thewolves serve a weakened vampire who is
recovering in a coffin hidden within the cabin.
55 Avampire hunter has set up camp in the clearing. He
has a crossbow, holy water, a holy symbol, wooden
stakes, an a garlic necklace. He is looking for the

What
1 Small

2 Noble
e
game (d4 ➤ 1-2 a hare, 3 a fox, 4 a pheasant).

Hunting Party (three mounted nobles, five

servants, a warden, and ten dogs).
remnants of a recently broken vampire nest.

66 Thebandits are waterboarding what appears to be a

merchant. They are loudly demanding to know where
he buried the jewels he was carrying when they first
pl
ambushed his convoy. The bandits are distracted.
3 Peasants (d8, d4 ➤ 1 Poachers, 2 Charcoal burners,
3 Mushroom gatherers, 4 Brushwood collectors).
Runs
4 Large
game (d4 ➤ 1 a boar, 2 a buck, 3 a doe, 4 d8 123 Atrio of game wardens patrol the area looking for
Wolves). poachers.

5 Nothing. 234 A friar roams about seeking charity.

m

6 Bandit Archers (d8). 345 A pair of goblin thieves scout the area.

456 An abandoned wagon is in front of the tree. Careful

Weird examination reveals fresh bloodstains. If the d6
1 Poacher’s snare trap.
is 6 the bandits are waiting in ambush behind the
2A well worn path, +1 movement. tree with the wagon’s loot and unconscious driver.
Otherwise hastily covered tracks lead to the cabin
3A faerie circle.
where 4 casks of wine, a pouch of 3000 copper
Sa

4A large recently fallen tree that could easily conceal coins, and a dead driver are shoddily hidden under
opponents and/or provide excellent cover. some brush.

Max
864 The bandits are starting to dig around the cabin
looking for buried treasure based on rumours. 2000
silver coins are buried under the back right corner of
the cabin. At night a bitter wraith will emerge from the
grave to kill everyone who tried to rob it.

Lost in the wilderness—Neoclassical Geek Revival 3