DM Tool: Random Terrain Features

In working on some hex-crawling stuff, I realized I needed some tables for minor features on travels through hexes. These would also work well for a West Marches-style hexless wilderness crawl (perhaps especially for that!).

The idea is that with a good network of landmarks, the players can travel in a more believable manner than, "Let's head North into that Forest hex". This way, the players can say, "Let's head past that rocky outcropping and into the forest, then make for that copse of evergreens we found." I think that's got a bit better feel!

How to Use

Roll d10 three times a day (or to taste) and compare the result to the number in parentheses next to the terrain type.

Roll another d10 to see what kind of feature you find.


Explanations of Some Terms

• Swamp: wetland characterized by trees.
• Marsh: wetland characterized by grasses.
• Moor: Covered in peat bog, rolling hills, wet, foggy (e.g. central Wales, Dartmoor). Peat harvesting can be lucrative. Organic matter in the peat suffers only minimal decomposition.
• Quaking Bog: A layer of peat, sometimes a metre or two thick, floating on top of water. Possible to fall through a weak spot, which would likely be deadly. Can be detected by feeling the ground "quake" a little.
• Wadi: depression in the ground, possibly a dry streambed or lake. Can be dangerous during rain, as flash floods are possible.

Plains (6+)

1. Rocky Outcropping
2. Copse
3. Copse
4. Stream 
5. Spring
6. Hill
7. Hill
8. Wetland
9. Wildflower Meadow
10. Wildflower Meadow

Moor (8+)

1. Rocky Outcropping
2. Rocky Outcropping
3. Copse
4. Copse
5. Stream 
6. Spring
7. Dominant Hill
8. Quaking Bog
9. Pond, or Small Tarn/Loch/Lake
10. Grandfather Tree

Forest (6+)

1. Rocky Outcropping
2. Copse (Different Tree Type)
3. Thicket
4. Thicket
5. Stream
6. Spring
7. Grandfather Tree
8. Clearing
9. Clearing
10. Wetland

Hills (6+)

1. Rocky Outcropping
2. Rocky Outcropping
3. Copse
4. Copse
5. Thicket
6. Stream
7. Spring
8. Grandfather Tree
9. Cliff
10. Cave

Mountain (8+)

1. Rocky Outcropping
2. Rocky Outcropping
3. Broken Ground (poor footing, treacherous)
4. Broken Ground
5. Permanent Snow Deposit (mini-glacier in a crevice)
6. Stream
7. Waterfall
8. Cliff
9. Cave
10. Crevasse

Desert (8+) 

1. Rocky Outcropping
2. Rocky Outcropping
3. Rocky Outcropping
4. Salt Pan 
5. Oasis
6. Hill
7. Hill
8. Wadi
9. Wadi
10. Wadi

Jungle (8+)

1. Rocky Outcropping
2. Hill
3. Swamp
4. Swamp
5. Marsh 
6. Marsh
7. Stream
8. Spring 
9. Grandfather Tree
10. Clearing

Edited, 2012-10-07: I've edited this chart a little to clean it up and conform it to another chart I'm working on in this series, one on man-made landmarks.