Location generator
If you find yourself with a number of empty hexes, and you want to come up with something to put in them, then this article is for you. It will help you generate a list of locations for each hex, based on its terrain and level of civilization. Once your're done, you will know exactly what kind of locations you should create for each hex.
Civilization level (CL)
Each hex should have a civilization level according to the following table, representing how civilized (or populated) it is. Determine it randomly, or choose manually. This affects what kind of locations show up in the hex - there are more settlements and other signs of intelligent life as the civilization level increases.
| Level | Civilization |
|---|---|
| 0 | None |
| 1 | Very little |
| 2 | Some |
| 3 | Above average |
| 4 | High |
Determine type
Determine randomly based on terrain and civilization level
- Refer to the column corresponding to the terrain in the current hex.
- Then, for each location, roll 2d6 and add the civilization level (CL) to determine the type that particular location should be. If you get a dash, then there's nothing there.
After some of the results, there is a number, such as "Camp 2". The number represents the age of the location, and will be used later to determine whether the location is still inhabited by the original inhabitants, abandoned, or even ruined.
| 2d6+CL | Swamp | Plains | Forest | Hills | Mountains |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | - | Landscape | Magical | Water | Magical |
| 3 | - | Magical | Ancient ruins | Vegetation | Ancient ruins |
| 4 | Magical | Ancient ruins | Religious | Landscape | Lair |
| 5 | - | Trading post 1 | Hermitage 3 | Magical | Religious 3 |
| 6 | - | Religious 2 | Hunting lodge 3 | Trading post 2 | Water |
| 7 | - | Lair | Lair | Lair | Vegetation |
| 8 | Lair | Vegetation | Vegetation | Religious 2 | Monument |
| 9 | Vegetation | Camp 2 | Camp 2 | Lair | Landscape |
| 10 | Camp | Water | Water | Mine | Mine |
| 11 | Water | Dungeon 2 | Dungeon 2 | Military 2 | Camp |
| 12 | Settlement | Settlement 1 | Landscape | Monument | Military 4 |
| 13 | Monument | Military 1 | Settlement 2 | Settlement 2 | Structure |
| 14 | - | Structure | Structure | Structure | Settlement 3 |
| 15 | - | Monument | Monument | Camp 2 | - |
| 16 | - | Graveyard | Graveyard | Graveyard | Graveyard |
Type and subtypes
In the next section, we will randomly determine how many and what types (from the following list) of locations are in the current hex.
- Ancient ruins
- Camp
- Hunting camp, logging camp
- Dungeon
- Graveyard
- Burial mound, cemetery, crypt
- Hermitage
- Hunting lodge
- Lair
- Inhabited, abandoned
- Landscape
- Ravine, canyon, moor, cave, peak
- Magical
- Wizard's tower, teleportation ring, portal
- Military
- Fortifications, watchtower, keep, castle
- Mine
- Quarry, mine
- Monument
- Standing stones, monolith, statues
- Religious
- Shrine, temple, monastery, druid circle
- Settlement
- Outpost, hamlet, village, town, city
- Structure
- Bridge, dam, aqueduct, tower, mega structure
- Trading post
- Vegetation
- Copse or clearing, fungi forest, petrified forest, garden, orchard
- Water
- Pond, lake, waterfall, hot spring
Location age
This is where the number after some of the location types in table above comes in.
- In the below table, go to the row with the number that appeared after the location.
- Roll 1d20 to determine if the location is inhabited, abandoned, or ruined.
| Age | Buried | Ruined | Abandoned | Inhabited |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 2-3 | 4-20 | |
| 2 | 1-4 | 5-10 | 11-20 | |
| 3 | 1 | 2-7 | 8-13 | 14-20 |
| 4 | 1-2 | 3-11 | 12-16 | 17-20 |
| 5 | 1-3 | 4-17 | 18-19 | 20 |
| 6 | 1-8 | 9-20 |