‘Footsteps of Hercules’/Peloponnese Encounter Table

Following is a system-free table that can be used for generating or selecting encounters and which storytellers can easily use in conjunction with any traditional fantasy campaign setting, especially ones set in an Aegean or Mediterranean milieu. It has been created as support material for Skirmisher Publishing’s In the Footsteps of Hercules universal sourcebook — a companion volume to its bestselling and popular City Builder: A Guide to Designing Communities — and is is just one of numerous pieces of “In the Footsteps of Hercules” Bonus Content on this site.

This table has also been designed to convey information about a Dark Ages fantasy version of the sprawling Peloponnesian Peninsula of mainland Greece and its eight sub-regions — Achaea in the north, Corinthia in the northeast, Argolis and Cynuria in the east, Laconia in the southeast, Messenia in the southwest, Elis in the west, and Arcadia in the center — and to function as a tool for developing stories and scenarios set in it or similar areas.

As they travel the Footsteps of Hercules pilgrimage trail or venture off of it to explore various parts of the Peloponnese, characters might encounter, sometimes completely by chance, all sorts of people, creatures, and conditions. Some will simply be the normal inhabitants of the land going about their daily business, unaware of or uninterested in the concerns of the characters, while others may be more peculiar in nature or take an interest in the adventurers based on anything from friendliness to malice to simple curiosity.

In general, recommended chance of an encounter is 10% per hour while characters are moving or exploring and 10% every two hours while they are stationary or camping (storytellers should, of course, exercise judgment when applying this rule or using the tables in general). Characters might also see from afar normal birds, animals, and perhaps even local people, especially in heavily-settled, areas but might not come into contact with them unless going out of their way to do so.

To use the table, simply roll d20 and apply the cumulative conditional modifiers provided to the roll. Results can also be extrapolated upon and multiplied by 10 to determine the nature of nearby communities (e.g., if two Centaurs are encountered, then if desired the storyteller could assume that a colony of 20 such creatures is located somewhere nearby). If a result is not compatible with a particular game or setting the storyteller has any number of options, to include substituting something appropriate, re-rolling, or simply choosing items from the table.

Storytellers should not assume that every encounter between characters and others, or even most of them, need to result in violence, even in the case of creatures that are more-or-less malicious. Harpies, for example, might relish waking characters with their horrible shrieking, but not have any desire to actually attack them; large beings like giants might not deign to even notice characters or to want to interact with them in any way; and local military patrols might simply want to determine whether strangers pose some sort of a threat.

This table is fully compatible with Skirmisher Publishing’s Swords of Kos Fantasy Campaign Setting and structured similarly to the terrain and nation-based encounter tables in it. Skirmisher Publishing’s 100 Oddities for a Pilgrimage Trail is also an ideal companion to this encounter table and can be used in conjunction with it in any number of ways (e.g., by rolling for a result on its d100 list anytime a duplicate result occurs on this table).

Modifiers

Near settled areas: -4

In Hills, Forests, Mountains, or Swamps: +2

Near ruins, burial grounds, or battlefields: +2

At night: +2

d20 Encounter

<0 Helots

1 Citizens

2 Officials

3 Slaves

4 Domesticated Animals

5 Merchants

6 Pilgrims

7 Soldiery

8 Character

9 Adventurers

10 Infrastructure

11 Terrain-Based

12 Environmental Hazard

13 Construct

14 Airborne Creatures

15 Brigands

16 Demihumans

17 Tribespeople

18 Sylvan Folk

19 Wild Animals

21 Canids

20 Cultists

22 Humanoids

23 Vermin

24 Undead

25+ Hydra

Adventurers: A party of 2d3 adventurers or other characters — possibly some the party has met before or will meet again — that the storyteller can employ as adversaries, allies, admirers, or in any other suitable capacity. It is one-third likely each that these characters will all be of the same type (e.g., priests travelling to a local shrine), that they will all be of different types (i.e., like a traditional adventuring party), or that they will be some mix (e.g., a wizard accompanied by one or more fighter guards). There are also equal chances that this band is collectively weaker than the character party, equal in strength to it, or stronger than it.

Airborne Creatures: An encounter of this kind will involve one or more flying creatures that may be noticed by characters, or which might notice them, and can vary widely in its nature and potential consequences. On the one hand, it could be something as innocuous as crossing paths with an eagle or flock of vultures that the characters might take for an omen of some sort. At the other extreme, it could be with an airborne predator like a Griffon or Hippogriff that sizes up the party and attempts to make a meal for itself, possibly attacking pack animals, small characters, or the like (carrying off its kill to eat elsewhere if possible).

            If this encounter occurs in the vicinity of Lake Stymphalia it is 50% likely that it will be with 1d2 Harpies (see “War Priestesses of Stymphalia”).

Brigands: This encounter is with a group of 3d6 bandits, at least one of which is likely to have more experience than the others and serve as their leader. About half of such groups will not menace pilgrims while they are on the Footsteps of Hercules trail and those that do attempt to rob such travelers will endeavor to not kill them. None will show such forbearance toward other travelers, however, or even to pilgrims who have ventured away from the trail for non-religious reasons.

            In coastal areas it is 70% likely that such encounters will be with pirates that are in the locale in question for a particular reason (e.g., raiding a small community or other site, collecting water and supplies, burying treasure). Brigands of this sort, who are more likely to be foreigners or at least not tied to the area, are more likely than their land-based counterparts to abduct or do violence even to pilgrims.

            In the vicinity of Mount Erymanthos, in the northwestern quarter of the Peloponnese, it is 70% likely that an encounter of this sort will with be with Kapros, “the Boar of Erymanthos,” a vile pig-headed brigand that haunts the area with his band.

Character: This encounter is with a single person who is interesting or significant in some way and can be used by the storyteller as a device for anything from a one-time meeting to the start of an association that might have future implications. This individual might react to characters in any number of ways, quite possibly significantly influenced by their actions and demeanors, to include friendliness, indifference, or enmity. Possibilities are limitless and include a disguised demigod, the heir to a foreign throne walking the pilgrimage trail before taking power, a powerful and somewhat otherworldly wizard, or a bard who will reappear at some point with a different gender. This character is 30% likely to be accompanied by a companion, guards, animals, or other appropriate subordinates.

Canids: This encounter is with a pack of 2d6 canine predators, possibly just resting or on the move from one place to another but almost certainly hungry and willing to make a meal of anything vulnerable that they encounter. Such creatures will typically be feral dogs in the vicinity of communities; wild dogs in coastal, plains, or swamp areas, and wolves in forests, hills, or mountains. Multi-headed “Death Dogs” might also be encountered around ruins or in wasteland areas, especially in the southwestern quarter of Laconia, at the southern end of the Peloponnese, where such creatures are believed to have originated when Hercules dragged the three-headed hound Cerberus out of the underworld.

Citizens: This encounter is with a group of 2d4 citizens from one of the major sub-regions of the Peloponnese, most likely the one the characters happen to be in and engaged in any number of appropriate activities but possibly (10%) travelling from one area to another. Citizens are entitled to own property and many receive income from revenues produced by lands that they own (which are typically worked by helots or slaves), while others earn their livings as guild artisans, scholars, entertainers, soldiers, or in almost any other capacity. Citizens are generally not prohibited from carrying weapons and many have military training and, while those in settled areas may not be armed or armored, those travelling almost certainly will be and might also be mounted. They are 10% likely to be attended by 1d4 servants or slaves and 10% likely to be protected by 1d4 guards and these chances are doubled if away from settled areas.

Construct: This encounter is with a semi- or fully-autonomous mechanical device of some sort, which might be under the control of someone or could simply be on its own, and which could be either an artifact from an ancient era or a more recent invention. Some possibilities include a large self-propelled Dwarven ore cart that may have gotten away from its owners at some point; a three-foot tall mechanical warrior controlled by a Gnome artificer; or a flock of strange metal “Stymphalian Birds” that someone has created in an almost-certainly misguided attempt to replicate the creatures battled by Hercules.

Cultists: Practitioners of various forbidden religions, primarily those devoted to worship of the Titans but also including ones dedicated to perverted aspects of Olympian deities or infernal beings, live in the shadows of conventional society throughout the Peloponnese. Some 3d6 members of such a group might be encountered after dark or beyond settled areas engaged in appropriate activities, most likely a ritual involving some combination of invocation, music and chanting or singing, frenzied dancing, orgy, flagellation, sacrifice of animals or people, and attempts to summon something (which may or may not be successful). Depending on circumstances, cultists might respond in any number of ways to discovery or interruption of their endeavors, to include scattering, attacking intruders, or inviting outsiders to join them. About one in five cultists will be superior to the others in some ways, possibly including having the ability to cast spells.

Demihumans: A wide variety of demihumans, many of them descended from the offspring of various deities or the unions of Fey beings and Humans, can be found throughout the Peloponnese, generally dwelling in remote wilderness areas but sometimes emerging to trade, attend festivals, or conduct other activities. In general, such encounters will be with 1d6 Dwarves, Elves, Gnomes, or Halflings, which might be of any genders but which will typically be mixed groups that are two-thirds male and one-third female. If the party is in the region of Arcadia or within the area circled by the Footsteps of Hercules pilgrimage trail but not actually on it then twice as many demihumans will be encountered.

Domesticated Animals: An encounter of this sort might be with any number of domesticated animals in some relevant way, such as a single horse that has escaped its stable and is running wild through the countryside; a herd of goats stuck on a bridge that characters need to cross; or a herd of cattle stampeding through an area the characters are in. How characters respond to it might have immediate repercussions (e.g., whether characters get trampled) and possibly also longer-term consequences (e.g., gratitude from a rancher whose horse characters return, investigation by local officials of characters who abscond with stray cattle).

Environmental Hazard: Travelers through the Peloponnese might have to contend with any number of different environmental hazards associated with the prevailing terrain, seismic events, or the erratic weather patterns that have existed since the Great Cataclysm. From a mechanical point of view these can be treated in a particular game system the same way as appropriate traps or magical effects and might range in impact from nuisance to lethal.

            Coastal: Rainstorms rolling in from the Aegean Sea or heavy fog can make travel and navigation difficult and might cause characters to become lost, miss something they are looking for, or make it easier for foes to catch them off guard. If an earthquake has just occurred such areas might also be subject to tidal waves, which can sweep away people and even destroy communities.

            Forest: Areas of thick and overgrown vegetation might cause travelers to be significantly slowed or have to alter their routes and, in the course of doing so, end up making more noise than they would prefer. Other possibilities might include forest fires and poisonous plants that sting or otherwise harm those that come into contact with them.

            Hills: Rain could cause flash floods to sweep through ravines and low-lying areas; large rocks might become dislodged and bounce down from places above characters moving up or along slopes and possibly hit them; lightning strikes on hilltops or in exposed areas that might hit those moving in the open; and sinkholes covered by thin layers of soil might cause those going off the trail to fall into and become trapped in them.

            Swamp/Marsh: Rapidly-rising tides or surges in areas adjacent to the sea and patches of quicksand that travelers going off the beaten path could wander into are among the environmental hazards characters might face in low-lying areas filled with water and mud.

            Mountains: Rock slides, avalanches, sudden blizzards, high winds, and lightning strikes are all among the hazards characters might face if they end up wandering into or exploring mountainous areas of the Peloponnese.

            Plains: Hazards characters might face in the grassy plains of the Peloponnese include wildfires that rapidly sweep through areas characters are in, lightning strikes during storms, and stampedes of herd animals.

Helots: This encounter is with a group of helots, the disenfranchised peasant class of the Peloponnese, and will be with 3d12 of them if within sight of a community and half as many in more remote areas. Such people typically earn their livings as tenant farmers, herders, laborers and the like and any encountered will be engaged in appropriate activities, such as working in fields or orchards, tending animals, repairing infrastructure like walls, or fishing in coastal areas. Helots are prohibited from carrying martial weapons but some might have implements like handaxes, daggers, quarterstaffs, or slings, especially if encountered some distance from communities. Demeanor of such people will vary widely, from downtrodden in oppressive Laconia where the Spartans treat them as little better than slaves and often kill them out of hand; to obsequious in most settled areas throughout the region; to somewhat bolder and more outspoken in areas like Arcadia, where they enjoy greater independence than in many other places and even have their own communities and local governance.

Humanoids: Humanoids of various sorts appeared in the Peloponnese in the wake of the Great Cataclysm that occurred a 100 years before the current era and can now be found throughout the region, living in ruins or the wilderness, passing through from one place to another, or attacking vulnerable targets like isolated farmsteads or small groups of travelers. Most such encounters will simply be with a band of d20+10 Orcs, 10d4 Goblins, or d10+10 Hobgoblins, but it is 30% likely that any group will include at least as many females and children as males, and 30% likely that it will have other elements associated with it (e.g., wolf-riders with a gang of Goblins, an Ogre with a party of Orcs). Such humanoids are not necessarily a warband but are almost always predatory and malignant and will take advantage of any situation that they can.

Hydra: One of the most fearsome sorts of creatures lurking in the wildest and most forsaken areas of the Peloponnese are Hydras, multi-headed serpentine abominations possibly descended from the iconic monster slain by Hercules in the swamps around the village of Lerna. Most such creatures have at least five heads and as many as nine and, in that they are malicious, aggressive, and gluttonous, they are a plague upon any place with which they are associated. Variant cold-loving Cryohydras may live in frigid caves on the slopes of the few snow-capped mountains in the Peloponnese, and especially dangerous Pyrohydras might dwell in a handful of active volcanic spots, notably the Methana Peninsula at the western end of the sub-region of Argolis.

Infrastructure: This might be any sort discrete man-made structure or site appropriate to the circumstances and location, such as a bridge, causeway, dam, pier, water tank, well, cabin, hunting stand, mining or lumber camp, shrine, windmill, road project, cemetery, watchtower, or seasonal military encampment. It is 50% likely that such infrastructure will be ruined or abandoned and 25% likely that it will be occupied or otherwise being used by a creature of some sort (e.g., brigands using an old watch tower as a means for spotting approaching travelers and preparing to ambush them). If this encounter occurs while the party is not moving then the storyteller can either disregard it or deem it is something they have spotted or discovered while camping, etc.

Merchants: This encounter is with a group of 1d8 merchants, each accompanied by 1d4 guards. They will have some means of carrying their goods, and this might range from one or two pack mules or a single cart in the case of a lone peddler, to several wagons pulled by draft horses or oxen in the case of a fully-guarded caravan. Smaller groups may be engaged in trade with locals for commodities they may have gathered or manufactured themselves (e.g., herbs, pottery), while larger ones will almost certainly be travelling from one trading hub to another. They will be cautious in dealings with strangers but may be inclined to trade anything from information to items.

Officials: This encounter is with 1d4 officials of some sort, which are 70% likely to be from the local area and 30% likely to be from some other area. Possibilities might include elected municipal representatives inspecting public roads or infrastructure like bridges; law enforcement personnel searching for fugitives; tax collectors making the rounds to farmsteads and estates; priests or other clergy visiting holy sites; diplomats or ambassadors from one sub-region or nation travelling to another; or anything else that serves the needs of the story. Depending on the nature of their activities, officials might be attended by as many as 1d4 servants or assistants and 2d4 guards.

Pilgrims: Religious pilgrims are a common site along the Footsteps of Hercules trail and, while it is 90% likely people of this sort will be walking the route dedicated to the demigod, there is a 10% chance that they will instead be devoted to some other deity or cause. In either case, an encounter of this sort is 60% likely to be with 1d6 pilgrims, most of whom just happen to be travelling together; 30% likely to be with a cohesive group of 2d6 people who set out on their journey together; and 10% likely to be with a large group of 3d6+18 pilgrims who have banded together for security and companionship.

            Small groups of individual pilgrims will be composed mostly of normal people but as many as one in three will have exceptional abilities of some sort, to include things like military experience or aptitude with spellcasting.

            Some or all of the members of cohesive groups will have religious backgrounds and might include priests, acolytes, members of monastic orders, or martial templars, and may have some mission associated with their collective pilgrimage, such as delivering a relic to a holy site.

            Most of the members of large groups of pilgrims will be normal people but as many as one in six will be characters like templars, priests, and monks trained to guard the roads and protect those using them.

Slaves: Slavery is fairly common throughout the Peloponnese and the unhappy, if not always permanent fate, of people that include prisoners-of-war, debtors, and those convicted of certain crimes. An encounter of this sort will generally be with a gang of 5d4 slaves engaged in some form of grueling work appropriate to the surroundings (e.g., tending fields, mining limestone, repairing a road); double these numbers if in the sub-region of Laconia and halve them in the sub-region of Arcadia.

            Slaves will almost always have some direct supervision and this will typically take the form of one lightly armed-and-armored overseer for every five laborers, but in places like Spartan mining camps there may be as many as one heavily-equipped guard for every three or four slaves.

            Alternately, there is a 10% chance such an encounter will be with 1d6 escaped slaves, who even if they are not being closely pursued are certainly fugitives and in a somewhat desperate position.

Soldiery: A unit of 10d10 soldiers, ranging in size from squad to company strength, that is 60% likely to be from one of the communities in the region the characters are in, 30% likely to be from Sparta, and 10% likely to be from a hostile foreign state. By default these troops are heavy infantry hoplites, with spears, shields, and medium armor, but 1d4-1 x 10% of such a unit might be other sorts of troops (e.g., archers, slingers, cavalry) and it is 30% likely that they are all of a different sort. In general, one in five members of any such group will be NCOs and officers with greater experience, superior gear, and possibly mounts.

            Soldiers from the region might variously be patrolling, training, travelling from one local community to another, or the like, and how they react to characters will likely be based on their actions and demeanor (e.g., they may decide to investigate any who are acting suspiciously).

            Soldiers from Sparta might be travelling to or from one of the overwatch garrisons they have throughout the Peloponnese, hunting down deserters, or showing the colors in helot villages as a means of intimidating them. They are more likely than local troops to ignore characters who do not somehow fall within the purview of their mission but much more likely to be aggressive if engaged.

            Soldiers from a hostile foreign state, such as Attica and the City State of Athens, may be conducting a raid, a reconnaissance in force, or anything else that fits with the setting and circumstances. They are not likely to kill pilgrims or other travelers out of hand but will do whatever they need to in support of their mission and, if provoked, will certainly respond with force.

Sylvan Creatures: Woodland folk of many sorts dwell throughout the Peloponnese, especially in the mountainous interior region of Arcadia, and include Centaurs, Dryads, Naiads, Nymphs, and Satyrs. Encounters of this sort will typically involve 1d3 creatures of a single sort that the storyteller deems appropriate to the setting and circumstances, but it is 20% likely that it will be a mixed group that includes two or more different sorts of Sylvan creatures or some kind of affiliated beings (e.g., Wood Elves helping a Dryad deal with a threat to her tree, Satyrs cavorting with Maenads). In either case, twice as many creatures will be encountered within the region of Arcadia or within the area circled by the Footsteps of Hercules pilgrimage trail.

Terrain-Based: Many sorts of terrain can be found throughout the Peloponnese, including plains, mountains, hills, swamps and marshes, forests, and coastal areas, contributing to the diversity of creatures that make the region their home. An encounter of this kind will be peculiar to the sort of country the characters happen to be in and can be chosen by the storyteller, determined using a terrain-based encounter table (e.g., those that appear in the affiliated Swords of Kos Fantasy Campaign Setting), or selected by rolling 1d4 on the mini-tables that appear below:

            Coastal: 1) Merfolk; 2) Giant Crabs; 3) Shipwreck; 4) Sirens

            Forest: 1) Hermit; 2) Giant Spiders; 3) Werebear; 4) Plant Monsters

            Hills: 1) Giant Scorpions; 2) Myrmidons; 3) Ogres; 4) Ruins

            Mountains: 1) Cave Bear; 2) Elemental; 3) Giant Eagle; 4) Giant

            Plains: 1) Giant Ant Lion; 2) Griffons; 3) Herd Animals; 4) Vultures

            Swamp/Marsh: 1) Crocodiles; 2) Hydra; 3) Lizardfolk; 4) Snakes

Tribespeople: This encounter is with 1d10 relatively primitive people who subsist as hunter-gatherers, subsistence farmers, raiders, and scavengers. They might variously be people whose ancestors did not return to a city-based way of life after the Great Cataclysm, members of indigenous tribes that were never absorbed into the prevailing Greek society, or foreign “barbarians” who have immigrated into the area. Whatever their origins, they will be considerably more likely than other locals to worship the Titans or foreign gods of some sort.

            Twice as many tribespeople will be encountered in the sub-region of Arcadia and three times as many in Cynuria. About one in five, wherever they are encountered, will be more skilled and better equipped than the others and probably serve as their leaders.

Undead: Animate corpses and unquiet spirits of all sorts haunt the darkened corners of the Peloponnese and might menace travelers, especially those unwise or unlucky enough to be out and about at night. These might include monsters like skeletons or zombies near untended burial grounds or ancient battlefields; wights around the tombs of cursed or evil warriors; processions of spectral Nychtoperpatitis, “night walkers,” who eternally traverse the roads of the region; or anything else the storyteller deems appropriate.

Vermin: One of the more loathsome side effects of the Great Cataclysm that occurred a century earlier is the impact of increased geothermal activity and other factors on the size and demeanor of vermin like centipedes, scorpions, and spiders. Mutant versions of such creatures that are merely as big as cats or dogs are bad enough — in that they are invariably venomous and almost always ravenous and aggressive — and those that are larger or which congregate in swarms are even more of a menace. Encounters of this kind are almost always with monsters of a single sort and might involve any number of ones appropriate to the surroundings and conditions.

Wild Animals: Beasts of all kinds dwell throughout the Peloponnese and can be found in many of the places never settled by people or abandoned and not returned to by them after the Great Cataclysm. An encounter of this sort is 50% likely to involve whatever sort of animal might be associated with a particular sub-region or stretch of the Footsteps of Hercules pilgrimage trail (e.g., a lion on the approaches to the town of Nemea, a hind in the hills around the village of Keryneia, a boar around Mount Erymanthos, a feral bull in Elis where the stables of Augeas were located). At the storyteller’s option, a thematically-appropriate creature of this sort might have other appropriate traits, such as being an oversized “Dire” version or being “Celestial” or “Fiendish” in nature.