After the incredible success of my previous
Junglebox Kit post, here's a list of random encounters in the jungle to tide you over when the party has decided to wander away from your carefully designed adventure site.
d12 what the fuck kind of rejects did we run into this time
- Foraging crew (3 officers, 3d10 semi-intelligent zombies) of
Karrnathi Unterwasserboot Todmansliebe, Capt. Dallmeyer commanding.
Experimental transplanar strike craft, hopeless navigational issues, no
clue the War is over, amiable disposition and high morale. Crewed to
capacity, low on fuel crystals and other supplies. Prone to ask "vich
vey zo Sharn, bitte?"
- Toll post of Giants
on the great river, with watch towers and a huge net across the stream.
Allied with local mer/crab/mollusk-men or other assorted Deep One-knockoffs.
Embarrassing case of cross-species STD doing the rounds.
- Deeply
paranoid party of Shadowbinder Drow on an infiltrition in the soft,
weak overworld. Lost in the jungle and lost even more in their political
officer's daily propaganda. Indoctrinated to believe that overworlders
will sell their souls, secrets, riches and precious protein for baubles,
and will fall for the most pathetic schemes. Carry nothing that isn't
trapped, poisoned, honed or enchanted to kill. Slave carries their
trading supplies of baubles - returning daggers, decoy homunculi,
everhungry cloaks, boots of invisible tracks (will hide tracks but leave
marks that glow in darkvision).
- Serpent
Folk slavers (1d6, and 2d4 drugged humanoid guards) returning to market
with 3d6 new acquisitions (roll on table of People/sentients). At least
one undercover revolutionary in the group - 1d6: 1-3 number of slave
revolutionaries; 4 guard; 5 guard and slave; 6 Serpent Folk bleeding
heart mistaking suicide vengeance squad of 3 slaves for revolutionary
cadre that will help build a just new society where all are free.
- Giant ants (1 weary overseer, 1d3+1 soldiers, 2d4 workers) carefully herding
oozes and fungi to clear a death trap bonanza Drow burial vault which
Princess First of Tender Ministrations has declared the
site of her future colony. Going is slow and frustrating, with
suspicions of the oozes intentionally leaving some traps intact.
Overseer would love for a team of experts do a hands-on inspection of
the project. Will promise first dibs on any annoying gold or arcana
cluttering the chambers. Will need to contend with oozes having reached
critical mass and bootstrapping their hive mind into full-Shoggoth
rebellion.
- Happier than a pig in mud-explorers Prof.
Livingstone and Prof. Stanley from Arcanix University. Wandering the
jungle in blissful ignorance of their treacherous guides, the wild
narcotic properties of the local "pipe weed" and the horrific curses on
their archeological finds. Curiously lucky in avoiding the many
accidents that strike their companions instead of them. Picture two
clueless gentleman-explorers gallivanting around the jungle going "I
say, what a pretty view, more tea?" while their cartoon villain guides
are picked off by flesheating spider horrors.
- Cyclops
archaeologist ultra-carefully excavating ancient Giant fortress, keeps
berating innocent Hill Giant servants for tearing down delicate
structures at night. Sleepwalks, drawn to buried mindcrystal that houses survivor of
the big extraplanar invasion from the nightmare realm 40k years ago.
- Swamp
of super relaxed, doped out tree frog-people enjoying the warm waters.
Attended by motley crew of 1d6 wildly different servants (roll randomly
for people, animals, vermin) that have become enchanted and docile after
exposure to the drug-soaked swamp water. Use as nymphs but with more
slime.
- Dream merchant willing to provide ancient, weird or
just plain otherplanar gear for minor deliveries and fetch quests,
clearing of vermin from a local glade, etc.. Actually a bunch of trained
phase spiders that deliver shiny crap on behalf of a psychic tree monster
that's trying to lure sentient food to its lair.
Stranded
House Orien teleporter on a deep secret mission to treat with a
Rakshasa demon. Have agreed to both teleport into and meet a an easily
described hidden valley. Valley functions as ancient Giant honey pot for
invading Quori (nightmare) spirits - you can teleport in, but then a
magic circle goes up until the local overseer can check you out. Human
and demon very suspicious of each other, playing polite shadow games to
find out each other's real, true, actual motivation. Last Giant overseer
died 40k years ago protecting hidden vault of promising Giant children
in deep stasis. All animals in valley carry soul fragments of stark
raving mad nightmare spirits. Have started to eat each other to
concentrate spiritual power, take over biped invaders and open
dimensional lock. Overburdened crap.
Take two: two mages + entourage have teleported to this beautiful valley to discuss illegal trade or treasonous activity. Local shaman is troubled by dreams that indicate one of the visitors is a demon in disguise.
- Hapless troupe of
actors from Sharn have decided to travel the jungle for inspiration with
ever-diminishing band of stage hands. So far, have picked up cursed
golden idols, gems that are whispering demon souls, the skull of a
ravening ancient vampire, sacred totems of the local filed teeth Drow,
two changeling impersonators, and well hidden and increasingly bemused
locals following them with bets on how much longer they'll last.
- Burlesque smugglers. (I have no idea. My wife suggested this one while watching Mel Brooks' The Producers.)
- BONUS
ENCOUNTER FOR WHEN YOU'RE STUMPED BY ANOTHER ENTRY: group of young
industrial espionage gnomes hunting for the next scientific breakthrough
after elemental binding, necromancy or Warforged. (Could still be
burlesque, offers my wife.)
- SUPER EXTRA BONUS ENCOUNTER: Giant hermit preaching wisdom to bunch of deeply conflicted Drow, who are torn between unending racial hatred for anything over 6 feet tall and the fact that the hermit is a werescorpion, which must surely be a sign from their scorpion god Vulkoor. Hermit's poisonous sting conveys scorpianthropy and is also 90% deadly. Drow understandably less than enthousiastic about those odds, but will
gladly try to rope interlopers into transfering holy werescorpionishness unto less
troublesome vessel, leaving the group free to kill off the hermit without
offending Vulkoor.
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