This post is the first in a series of minigames/tables to quickly and easily generate locations for your maps of any kind, using only a handful of dice. For the first entry, we'll be tackling Keeps.

Keep

To generate a Keep, roll 4d6. Then, arrange them in a 2x2 grid and read the results as such:

• The class of the Lord or Lady of the Keep is determined by the highest upwards-facing visible number:

Result	Class
6	Fighting Man
5	Cleric
4	Magic-User
3	Thief
1,2	Demi-Human

• The level of the Lord or Lady of the Keep is the sum of the three other upwards-facing numbers (average of 9);

• The sums of the faces on each of the four sides of the Keep (the "wall" faces) make up it's Garrison, Features, Treasures and Demesne, one for each side:

2d6	Garrison	Features	Treasure	Demesne
2	A Magic User of level 1d6+1d4. Knows up to 2d6 spells of random levels. 50% chance to be in possession of a random staff, rod or wand. Secretly plotting against the Lord or Lady of the Keep.	An Alchemist's laboratory, completetly equipped to produce one barrel's worth of black powder per week, if manned and supplied.	Sentient Sword, chained and locked in a cavern underneath the Keep. Tries to tamper with dreams of mighty warriors in the region to be wielded once again.	A crack in the stone, from where Earth Blood flows through. Those who drink from it are cured of all mortal diseases, and extend their lifespan by d6 years, but must Save or be horribly mutated.
3	A master Huntsman with two trained Giant Eagles	A solitary tower stretching upwards into the sky. The Birdmaster inside has trained carrier pidgeons that can send messages to most major settlements in the area.	An Orb of Scrying that reveals the surrounding lands. It always shows a tilted perspective that paints anyone other than it's user as more wicked and foul as they truly are.	An old cabin in the woods, seemingly abandoned. The resident Witch spies the intruders through the eyes of her frog familiar.
4	Two Houndmasters with three trained War Hounds each	A catapult. Can be manned by four foot soldiers each, firing a boulder for 2d6*5 damage every third round.	A heavy mantle of fur, the wearer can shapeshift into a Bear once per day. Currently worn by a lone, homeless vagrant found wandering the streets at night.	A Serpent long enough to wrap it's body three times around the hill. It has been sleeping for so long, dirt and grass cover it's body completely. It is as wise as it is old.
5	A detachment of 10 Longbowmen	A cozy and homely Inn. Troops from this keep get a +1 bonus to morale rolls while within it's territory.	2d6 Arrows +1. On a roll of 2, a pair Arrows+1/+3 (roll for preferred foe) instead.	A Giant sits on a stump at the crossroads of a road rarely taken and overgrown with vegetation. It asks for a riddle (not it's solution) of each party that crosses its path. It will part with its most prized possession (the eyes of a Gorgon) if anyone can beat it at its own game, but will gladly devour those that fail its challenge.
6	A detachment of 15 Horsemen	A Stable and it's horse trainer. 1d4+1 War Horses inside.	A Wreath adorning one of the doors inside the keep is actually a Circlet of Plant Control. A local druid wants it back.	On a nearby abandoned village, Orcs lair in tunnels dug on muddy soil, bringing tribute to the strange gods buried under the earth.
7	A detachment of 30 Foot Soldiers	Barracks. A veteran Knight no longer fights, but can train up to 6 level 0 hirelings into 1st level Fighting Men in d4 weeks, for 100gp/week each.	A +1 Sword and a Shield +1, confined to the tomb of a warrior-saint of old.	The spirit of the former Lord or Lady of the keep, gives out dull and melancholic advice on earthly matters.
8	A detachment of 10 Crossbowmen	Two Ballistas. Can be manned by two foot-soldiers each, firing a heavy bolt for 1d6*5 damage every other round	A Sword +2 embedded into a cracked boulder. Actually stuck to the pierced head of a great Rock Elemental that will wake and wreak havoc should the armament be removed.	A Jester cursed with eternal life. Grown tired of living, will make it's quest to annoy anyone to the point of being murdered, only to rise again at the next sunrise.
9	A detachment of 10 musket-wielding dragoons.	Two cannons. Can be manned by three foot-soldiers each, firing a shot for 2d6*5 damage every third round	A pair of Drums of Rage on a boarded-up shrine to a forgotten frog god, that drive all who hear to a mad frenzy (+1 to hit and damage rolls; if there are no enemies in range save or attack an ally).	A mad Bard cries the horror of Old Gods at an eroded, forgotten shrine of past empires. He can be persuaded to speak the language of the winds, turning clear skies into thunderstorms or vice-versa, once per week.
10	A pair of griffon-riding knights.	A small monastery. A Cleric of level 1d6+1d4 knows up to 2d6 cleric spells, and can cast them for a generous donation to the cause.	A Warhammer +1/+3 against Undead. Currently in the stony grasp of a petrified Paladin.	2d6 Harpies nest in a nearby hill. One is a Harpy Witch currently shapeshifted as a female squire in the Keep.
11	An enslaved Ogre, armed with a mobile catapult mounted on his back	An Engineer and his assistants. Can construct siege equipment, or other less mundane projects, given the cost and the time.	A Horn of Blasting, disguised as the drinking horn of the Keep's leader.	A still, placid lake. Lair of 2d6 water nymphs, one of which carries a seashell (Medallion of Water Breathing).
12	A minor drake, chained and imprisoned.	An observatory. A skilled Astrologist or Sage can ask a Yes/No question to the stars once per week. The stars answer correctly 5-in-6 times (rolled secretly).	A Mirror of Life Trapping, covered by a fine silk sheet in the master bedroom of the Lord or Lady of the Keep. The mirror contains the soul of a Chaotic Magic User of level 1d6+1d4.	The crater left behind by a falling star. Its shimmering, sentient Color, is slowly warping the surrounding ecology.

#dice #hexcrawl #minigame #procedures #stocking

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