20 Things to Find In...
by Creighton Broadhurst
Compiled by Kelly Neal
Use the tables below, to add minor points of interest to the party’s exploration.
in an Abandoned Building
1. Cobwebs—heavy with cocooned insects—fill the corners of this dank, gloomy chamber; a veil
of cobwebs fills a doorway leading further into the building.
2. Rotting, mould shrouded furniture stands against the walls of this chamber. A heavy, formal
chair is particularly far gone and one leg collapses if the chair is disturbed.
3. The shattered remains of several pewter mugs lie scattered across the floor. A dented and bent
pewter plate lies against one wall. Dust covers everything.
4. The sound of faint scrabbling comes from deeper in the building. If a PC investigates, a squirrel
clutching a nut, darts out of the darkness.
5. A mouldering brown blanket lies where it fell.
6. A strange dark stain mars the floor of this chamber. Investigation reveals the stain is likely old,
dried blood.
7. Someone has pried up the floorboards to reveal a small space below. Nothing but cobwebs fill
the niche. A faint outline in the dust hints a small box or coffer was once stored here.
8. Black mould has grown over one wall of this room and the air is redolent with the stench of
decay.
9. Part of the wooden wall has been pried loose and the boards tossed casually aside.
10.The roof of this chamber is partially missing and the rain has got inside. The floor is damp and
several small puddles have gathered.
11.The hinges of this door have failed and only the door jam holds it in place. If the door is
opened, it collapses into the room with a loud thud.
12.The floorboards in this chamber are rotten. They collapse if subjected to a weight of 100 lbs. or
more.
13.Someone has covered one wall in graffiti daubed in charcoal. To the untrained eye, the graffiti
looks like nothing but deranged scribbling. Scholars of the occult may realise, however, the
scribbles looks a little like the sigil of a certain elder, blasphemous power…
14.A forgotten sack stands in one corner. In contains blankets and old clothes sized for a child. All
are now mouldy.
15.A pile of mouldering planks—pulled from the walls and floors—are stacked in the centre of the
room.
16.The fireplace in this room has obviously been used relatively recently. The ash within is still
faintly warm and marks in the dust show where someone slept.
17.Thick dust coats the floor of this room. Nothing—except the tracks of small insects—is visible
in the dust.
18.Small droppings—probably from rats or mice— cover the floor by one wall. Several small
holes gnawed at the bottom of the wall show where the rodents probably live.
19.Mottled green slime coats the ceiling. The slime is harmless, but paranoid adventurers may
suspect otherwise.
20.The door to the room is wedged shut. Either debris has fallen against the other side or is has
swollen in place due to water damage.
in an Abandoned Village
1. A dense stand of weeds and brambles grows by the side of the road. The gleam of white bones
is visible within.
2. A wildly overgrown hedgerow stands hard against the road. Brambles and ivy coil through the
dense undergrowth.
3. A dilapidated, partially collapsed fence marks the boundary of one of the village’s properties.
Much of it is rotten and covered in moss and lichens.
4. Several large apple trees grow in front of a dilapidated house. Rotten, decomposing apples litter
the ground.
5. The roof of a nearby house has completely collapsed. Birds nest among the ruins and take wing
if anyone enters the building.
6. Weeds and grass grow over the disused road. Only deeply gouged wagon tracks show where the
road ran.
7. The nearby field is overgrown and wild. The rustle of small creatures moving through the tall
grass is easily audible.
8. A riot of wild flowers covers the bank by the side of the road.
9. At some point in the past, this building caught fire. The surviving structure—part of one wall
and the chimneystack—are blackened and scorched. Charred timbers are the only remnants of
the rest of the building.
10.The hinges of a shutter obscuring a window of a nearby house suddenly fail. The heavy shutter
falls to the ground with a crash.
11.The doors and windows of a nearby building gap wide; gloom cloaks the interior and deeper
shadows within hint of some lurking, unseen menace.
12.Three large crows perch atop the roof of a nearby structure and seem to intently watch the party
as they pass.
13.A thin smudge of smoke rises from behind a distant building. By the time the party reaches the
site, and discovers a campfire, the area is abandoned. Clearly, the party is not the only ones
interested in the village.
14.A broken wagon wheel lies by the wide of the road.
15.The bones of several large animals—cows, horses or the like—lie amid the gloom of an
abandoned barn.
16.Saplings—new growths—cluster thickly about the bounds of the village’s fields and gardens.
17.Most of the village’s buildings appear to be “normal” abandoned buildings. One, however, on
the village’s outskirts is different. The doors and windows of this building have been nailed
shut…from the outside.
18.A large tree has fallen across the road and into a small building, smashing the roof and gouging
a huge hole in one exterior wall. The tree’s trunk blocks the road.
19.Wind chimes still hang from the gutters of several houses and clatter gently in the wind.
20.The decomposing body of a wolf—several arrows protruding from its hide—lies in the street.
Examinations reveal several small predators have been at the corpse.
in a Sewer
1. A mouldering, slime-covered rat corpse lies on a ledge. It’s eyes are missing and its tail has
been partially chewed off.
2. A slimy pile of excrement and mud partially fills the sewer channel.
3. Bricks have come loose from the ceiling and water dribbles through the gap.
4. A pocket of noxious gas fills this part of the sewer. Characters breathing in the gas must make a
DC 12 Fortitude check or become sickened for 1d6 minutes.
5. Slime and ooze covers the walkway, making it very slippery (+5 to the DC of Acrobatics
checks).
6. Bats nest on the ceiling. Bright lights disturb them and they flap about until the intruders leave.
7. Bricks have come loose from the wall, and water oozes from the gaps. This make the wall slick
(+5 to the DC of Climb checks) and the floor similarly slippery.
8. The air in this section of the sewers is fetid. The stench is overpowering and negates any scent
ability the party may possess.
9. A thick miasma hangs in the air. Tendrils of a fog-like vapour rise from the fetid waters and
provide concealment (20% miss chance) to anything more than 20 ft. away.
10.If the party possesses any naked flames, they suddenly turn blue as they encounter strange gases
in the air.
11.The loud sounds of dripping comes from up ahead. Shortly thereafter, the party discover the
roof has partially caved in over the sewer. Water drips down from above, and the rubble from
the collapse has created a dam of sorts.
12.A great mass of rubbish and detritus has formed a veritable island that almost completely blocks
the flow of water through the sewer. Tracks of small creatures—probably rats—are easily
visible in the island’s “mud”.
13.A mouldering red cloaks floats in the water.
14.An extinguished lantern stands on a walkway. Of the owner, there is no sign.
15.Faded and smeared chalk sigils once decorated this wall, but they are now illegible.
16.A glimmer of light comes from up ahead. When the party reaches the light, they discover a
narrow hole in the ceiling enables a thin beam of sunlight to reach into the sewers. The air here
is a little clearer.
17.An iron-bound door pierces one wall of the sewer. It is old and swollen and hard to open. It is
also barred from the inside—clearly someone values their privacy.
18.This sewer passageway is old and decayed. Part of one wall has fallen away creating a rubble
field to scramble over. Characters exploring the collapsed wall discover a small, dry natural
space beyond. The foundations of a large building intersect the area.
19.The water in the sewer flows rapidly in this narrow section of the sewers.
20.At this point, several sewer passageways come together in a rough cross. The flow of so much
heavy, turgid water has eroded the bottom of the intersection, and now a lazy but powerful
whirlpool draws the waters into yet deeper caverns.
at the City Gate
1. A merchant at the head of the queue argues loudly with the guard, disputing the toll he must pay
to enter. The argument gets quite heated and distracts the other guards.
2. As #1 above, but as the argument reaches a crescendo a small, heavily cloaked figure dashes out
of the gate. The guards do not notice.
3. A man in the queue grumbles loudly about the delay in getting into the city.
4. Children dart in and out of the queue playing tag. They may be having harmless fun or they may
be using the game as a distraction for pick pocketing or other nefarious ends.
5. Three iron cages hang above the gate—each holds the decomposing corpse of some unfortunate
or another.
6. Suddenly the guards use their spear butts to push those queuing out of the way. Moments later, a
small company of horsemen—accompanying several nobles—burst forth from the gate at a
canter.
7. A dishevelled man pushing an old wheelbarrow trundles up and down the queue of folk waiting
to gain access to the city. He’s selling refreshments—vinegary wine and meat pies (although he
is cagy about exactly what kind of meat the pies contain). He is an excellent source of rumours,
if the PCs can afford his price.
8. As the PCs approach the gate, a messenger whispers something into a guard’s ear. The guard
looks at the party before shaking his head. The messenger then returns into the city.
9. Several beggars—mostly ex-soldiers missing limbs—sit in the shadow of the gate and plead for
coins from those passing by. Few stop to donate anything to these desperate souls.
10.A mud-splattered warrior stalks up to the gate, pushing passed those waiting to get into the city.
The gate guards studiously ignore the warrior as he passes under the gate’s archway.
11.A banner depicting the local lord’s sigil hangs from the gate’s battlements. A sudden gust of
wind wrenches it loose and carries it away. One of the guards dashes after it.
12.A light rain begins to fall as the party wait to enter the city. The other people in the queue start
muttering as they pull their cloaks closer about themselves.
13.Up ahead, a wagon laden with hay has got stuck under the gate’s archway. The guards shout at
the carter to get the wagon moving and the cracking sound of a whip follows swiftly thereafter.
14.A priest harangues those passing through the gate. Most of his message seems to alternate
between pronouncement of doom and pleas for money to help repair his order’s dilapidated
chapel.
15.A young ruffian—perhaps barely ten-years-old—approaches the party and offers to act as their
guide in the city. His name is Rufan and he may (or may not) be allied with the local thieves’
guild. He does, however, know a great amount about the city and its inns, taverns and shops.
16.Three iron cages hang above the gate. Two hold rotting corpses—now little more than bone—
but the third holds a forlorn figure. He clutches the bars as he watches those passing beneath. At
sight of the PCs—particularly any paladins or clerics of good faiths—he begs for help; he has
been (after all) wrongly imprisoned.
17.Birds perch on the gate’s archways. As the party passes beneath them a sticky white substance
lands on one PC’s head.
18.A small child walks up and down the line shouting loudly—in a high pitched voice—of the
warm welcome and fine ales to be found at The Green Dragon inn.
19.A wagon—full of barrels containing excrement and other noxious waste trundles out of the city.
Two men—with cloths around their mouths and noses—sit hunched in the wagon. A terrible
stench surrounds the wagon and those it passes shrink back in disgust.
20.Ahead of the PCs, a richly dressed merchant is negotiating entry to the city for his two wagons.
A perceptive PC spots the merchant slip a small purse to one of the guards. Moments later, the
merchant and his wagons are waved through.
in a Barroom Brawl
1. A brawler tips over a table. Atop the table lies a small pile of coins — the pot of some game
now unattended. 2d20 cp and 2d10 sp clatter to the floor. Nearby brawlers dive for the coins and
try to gather up as many as possible.
2. A brawler kicks over a bench, chair or table. The next person who isn’t a PC, to move through
the square trips over it and falls prone.
3. A brawler tries to punch a target, misses and smashes a beer keg. Beer gushes out, creating a 15
ft. cone of slick floor (DC 10 Acrobatics check to move at half-speed through the area; failure
by 5 or more and the character falls prone). The innkeeper wails at this unfortunate event.
4. A random brawler hurls a flagon or chair at a PC.
5. A small contingent of the Watch arrive to break up the brawl. They use nonlethal attacks to
subdue the brawlers, beating them with the ends of their spears. Brawlers fight to get away from
the Watch as no one wants to get arrested.
6. A brawler leaps onto the bar and starts to kick half-full flagons of beer into the melee. Every
time he scores a hit he shouts in triumph.
7. Someone shouts that the Watch is coming. At that, many of the combatants make a break for
the nearest exit. The area around the front and back doors of the tavern get congested as patrons
fight each other to get away.
8. One brawler throws another 1d2 x 5 ft. onto a chair or table. The piece of furniture collapses
and the thrown brawler lands prone.
9. Somehow, high-strength alcohol (such as brandy) lands in the fire. All combatants within 5 ft.
suffer 1 fire damage as the fire sparks and spits.
10.The innkeeper (or other staff member) gets attacked by a brawler. The innkeeper shouts
for help; if a PC assists him, he gets free board and lodgings for one week.
11.Three brawlers gang up on another patron and quickly kick him to the floor. They beat him
unconscious in two rounds before moving onto another target.
12.Desperate to escape the violence, a patron dives under a table and screams for help. The man is
well-dressed and gives his rescuer a reward of 2 gp.
13.Skirting the violence, a patron moves from table to table stealing coins, downing drinks and so
on. After three rounds of this, he is spotted and attacked by irate patrons.
14.A large brawler picks up a bench and belts nearby targets with it. Once he has knocked
unconscious a few other brawlers, the rest avoid him and so he goes in search of new targets. He
settles on the nearest PC.
15.A female patron jumps onto the back of a brawler and starts hitting him over the head with a
flagon. It smashes, blinding him for one round with ale. In the next round, he pulls her off and
throws her to the floor.
16.A table collapses dumping the patron on it onto the floor. The patron falls prone.
17.A patron dives behind the bar and grabs several bottles or brandy or other expensive beverage.
On the next round, he makes a break for the door clutching his prizes.
18.The fight spills out into the street as several brawlers fall through the tavern’s door.
19.A brawler is thrown through a window or door into the street. Three rounds later, the Watch
arrives.
20.Amid the chaos, a thief rifles the pouch of a fallen brawler. If no one stops him, he moves onto
his next mark. If accosted, he flees.
in a Graveyard
1. A lone gravestone—much weather worn and overgrown by weeds—stands off alone to one side.
2. A stand of dense trees creates an area of shade. The trees’ roots are so dense no graves have
been dug beneath their boughs.
3. A large oak tree stands majestically among the graves. Coloured ribbons and streamers hang
from its lower branches and move gently in the wind.
4. An open grave—freshly dug—awaits its occupant.
5. Several spades rammed into a pile of freshly dug earth stand next to an open grave.
6. Three graves lie close to one another. A low iron wrought fence pierced by a single gate
surrounds the trio. Within the fence’s perimeter, the grass is neat and well tended.
7. A small shrine decorated with the carved decorations of all the local deity’s sigils stands near
the graveyard’s entrance.
8. Obscured by a thick hawthorne hedge, a shrine dedicated to the god of death stands at the centre
of the graveyard. The shrine is little used—except by those recent bereaved. Three grim-faced
clerics maintain the shrine, conduct services and oversee the graveyard.
9. A long, low mound covered in wild flowers dominates one side of the graveyard. Here are
buried the victims of some long ago disaster—perhaps a plague, war or large fire that ripped
through the town.
10.Low hedges heavy with blooms divide the graveyard into sections.
11.Four men carry a coffin through the graveyard. A weeping man helped along by a grim-faced
priest follows in their wake.
12.A large crow—its black feathers glimmering in the light—perches atop a gravestone and caws
loudly when anyone approaches.
13.A cluster of people stands around a grave, arguing loudly and gesticulating wildly.
14.A lone figure stands in the gloom beneath a stand of trees. He seems to be watching the
graveyard intently, but if approached disappears into the shadows.
15.The wind moans among the headstones.
16.Wind chimes hang from the branches of the trees scattered about the graveyard. When the wind
blows they create a discordant clamour. The locals believe this keeps the ghosts of the dead in
their graves.
17.A stonemason is on his knees in front of a grave carving something onto a headstone. He could
be making a correction to a carving, finishing a decorative carving or adding graffiti to the
grave of a hated rival.
18.Dark clouds hang over the graveyard, casting the whole area into gloom.
19.Several of the gravestones are topped with half-melted candles. Their wax has dripped down
and dried on the face of the stone. The dried red wax looks like old blood.
20.Suddenly the birds pecking among the graves or perching in the surrounding trees all fall silent.
Moments later—in the sudden quiet—they take flight.
in a Riot
Riots aren’t an everyday occurrence in most towns and cities. However, sometimes because of food
shortages, perceived (or actual) injustices or the oratory of a charismatic speaker mobs form and riots
result. Such events can be great fun to game in, but tough to run. Thus, use the table below, to generate
minor events of interest the party could witness while caught up in a riot:
1. Three men pick up a barrel and hurl it though the window of a shop. With the shutters smashed
in, the rioters surge inside and begin looting.
2. As the crowd surges forward, an old woman is knocked to the ground and trampled underfoot.
Unless the PCs intervene, she will likely be crushed to death.
3. Thrown cobblestones rain down upon the crowd—perhaps thrown by other rioters who can’t
see at what they are aiming. Several rioters—and perhaps a PC or two—suffer minor injuries as
a result.
4. A riderless horse—driven to panic by the noise and chaos—stampedes through the crowd. It
injures and knocks several people to the ground.
5. A man forces his way back through the crowd carrying a heavy sack. He roughly pushes aside
those who get in his way.
6. A footpad uses the chaos of the riot as cover to mug a well-to-do citizen caught up in the crowd.
He smashes the man over the head with a club before stooping to take the now unconscious
man’s pouch.
7. An overturned wagon, a horse still attached to its traces, partially blocks the road. The driver
fumbles madly at the horse’s reins desperately trying to release it.
8. A man stands with his back to the crowd desperately trying to shield two young children against
a wall from the madness of the riot.
9. Litter and rubbish—torn up cobblestones, broken barrels, dropped possessions and so on—litter
the floor. Those crossing the area without care and attention may fall to the ground (and then be
trampled by those behind them).
10.Two rioters argue over a small sack, pulling it back and forth between them. Suddenly, the sack
rips and dumps flour all over the floor.
11.Three watchmen desperately try to stem the tide of rioters pouring through the area. Quickly,
they are pushed back against a wall through sheer weight of numbers.
12.Several rioters are battering at a shop door—trying to get in. From inside comes the barking of
several large—and apparently vicious—dogs.
13.A young girl wearing a ripped and torn brown shift sits on a barrel crying her eyes out. She
seems quite alone…and terrified.
14.A man carrying an unconscious friend tries to shoulder his way through the crowd of rioters.
The sheer number of rioters, however, is stymieing his progress.
15.The tide of humanity pouring through the streets pushes the party (or perhaps a lone PC) toward
a narrow, shadow-filled alleyway. Curiously, none of the rioters go close to the alleyway.
16.Above the riot’s clamour, a man calls desperately for his wife.
17.The press of people in this area is intense. With a loud crack, the entire front wall of a building
gives way and collapses inwards. Almost immediately, the floors above begin to sag
dangerously. Minutes later, the entire building collapses into the street, burying dozens of
rioters.
18.The neighing of horses rises above the clamour. Ahead, a squad of mounted watchmen pushes
into the street and try to force the rioters back.
19.With a scream, a nobleman—in the wrong place at the wrong time—is pulled from his carriage
by the mob. He quickly disappears from sight into the sea of humanity. He emerges minutes
later, battered, bleeding and stripped of all his finery.
20.Incongruously, a red dragon suddenly appears on a building in front of the rioters. He roars
loudly, and panic grips the crowd. The rioter break, and run back the way they came. The
dragon is an illusion created by a powerful wizard who is trying to break up the riot using
nonlethal means. Unfortunately, several rioters are crushed to death in the ensuing panic.
in a Seedy Tavern
1. Two men sit at a table drinking. As the evening progresses their conversation gets more and
more heated. Eventually, one of the men slams his empty flagon down on the table and storms
out of the tavern.
2. A drunk half-orc totters through the crowd in search of the privy. He suddenly stops and throws
up on the floor. Cheers and laughter greet this event.
3. A scantily clad woman leaps to her feet and throws a drink into the face of the man with which
she was sitting. With a splutter and roar he staggers to his feet, but the woman is faster—and
darts off through the common room.
4. A half-dozen drinkers sit around a table playing a complicated dice-based gambling game.
Many empty flagon stand upon the table; as the evening progresses the drinkers gets more and
more raucous.
5. A single near destitute man (if his garb is anything to go by) sits morosely at a table nursing his
drink. At his feet lies a miserable-looking, scrawny dog of indeterminate breed.
6. A small gang of rough and ready men and women enter the common room and all surge toward
the bar at the same time. All of them are armed, and all seem slightly worse for wear.
7. An old man dressed in rags moves from table to table offering to tell fortunes for only one silver
coin. The man has a modicum of power and offers a surprisingly prescient—if garbled—
description of an important event or encounter in the party’s near future.
8. A drunk man sitting alone at a table roars for another flagon of wine. When one appears, he tries
to fondle the serving wench bring it to him. She slaps him across the face before flouncing
away.
9. A wide and impressively muscled dwarf sits alone at a table by the wall. He seems to be
drinking, but a perceptive watcher realises he is actually stone cold sober…and watching the
other patrons intensely.
10.A small group of patrons suddenly break into a rowdy (and obscene) drinking song. The song
ends with roars and drunken cheering.
11.A well-dressed man is in deep, intense conversation with two heavily armed women. They,
however, seem bored and keen to leave. The man is oblivious and continues talking, becoming
more and more animated as they get more and more bored.
12.A small child wanders into the tavern and slowly looks around the common room before
leaving.
13.After a short conversation, an attractive, scantily clad woman leads a drunken merchant from
the tavern. Neither returns. (In fact, the woman is a thief and is leading the besotted merchant
outside to be mugged).
14.Shouting from the bar draws everyone’s attention to a heavily scarred warrior—hand on sword
hilt—demanding credit. The landlord stands behind the bar shaking his head from side to side.
15.Two men arm wrestle at a table surrounded by a crowd of onlookers. Eventually, one man loses
and much silver changes hands among the watching crowd.
16.As the PCs sit drinking a man totters up to their table and asks—surprisingly politely—if they
would lend him some money. His clothes proclaim him a manual worker of sorts, and he seems
rather desperate for the money.
17.Raised voices at the bar, herald an argument quickly spirally out of control. Before it can come
to (proper) blows several regulars step in and bundle the two arguers outside.
18.A man sits alone—his head on the table surrounded by several empty wine flagons. Perceptive
watchers notice one of the serving wenches relieve the man of his coin pouch.
19.A tall, muscular man enters the bar, and suddenly everyone stops talking. He surveys the crowd
before picking an empty table and calling for wine. Gradually, the mood in the common room
returns to normal.
20.A hooded figure sits alone in a shadowy corner. If approached, he spins a clever tail of needing
adventurers to carry a certain parcel to an associate who waits just outside town. This is—of
course—a trap; the man only talks to the PCs once they’ve been drinking for several hours and
his associates wait outside for the marks to stumble into their ambush.