Rereturn to the Keep on the Plaplands

A few months back I posted about a forum rpg I was planning to run (which unfortunately did not get far, but that is the fate of play-by-post gaming more often than not). However, I liked the idea and since there's a shortage of PDQ adventures out on the net I figured I'd go ahead and turn it into a full-fledged adventure write-up. I'll start with the Keep itself and then in a later post I'll do the lands around the keep and finally the dungeons in the area. Once it's all done I'll combine it into a PDF version.

For a recap of the ideas behind the adventure check out the old post here.

The adventure will be written for the PDQ system Questers of the Middle Realms, my personal favorite iteration of the PDQ system. That said it would be almost no trouble to convert this to another version of PDQ, either "generic" or something like Zorcerer of Zo or Swashbucklers of the Seven Skies. The game is meant mostly for starting characters but there's no reason that experienced adventurers couldn't have fun wading through the relatively minor dangers to be found out on the plains.

The Keep

The Keep is a small, unremarkable fort far from civilization. Four hefty walls of mismatched stonework with a squat watchtower on three of it's four corners (they never got the funding to complete the fourth). The walls are causally patrolled by guardsmen in rusty chainmail and sturdy steel helmets. There are two gates on the north and south sides of the keep. Both are kept closed most of the time and those seeking entry to the keep need to provide the gatekeeper with their name and business. None of the guards take their duty very seriously...nothing truly dangerous has shown up in the area for decades. They're mostly here to break up fights between scavengers, deal with petty theft and chase the occasional goblin out of someone's cellar.

A bit over a dozen homes as well as a handful of businesses are nestled within the keep. The scavenger "tribes" mostly wander the plain and stay at the inn when they're in town and the guards make their home in the barracks of the inner keep. Travelers will quickly notice that every single building has a strong, sturdy looking roof. Although the Keep is only on the edge of the plains no-one wants an iron washbasin or nude, armless statue smashing through the ceiling during dinner.

Extra Notes:

-The Guards should usually be treated as Minions (Good [+2] Lazy Soldiers).

-The walls of the keep have a couple of ballistae in dire need of repair (attempts to fire one suffer a downshift but on a successful hit double the number of Damage Ranks inflicted).

The Fallen Fortune

The largest building in the Keep other than the inner fort is this large tavern and inn. The place is run by a burly human, Abe Morley, who keeps the beer flowing and makes sure everyone pays their due. The food is (unfortunately) prepared by Mister Green, an orcish cook. Due to Mister Green's strong sense of taste he prefers to serve particularly bland meals, boiled chicken, unseasoned potatoes and applesauce on white bread are favorites. Green also serves as the bouncer and few people complain more than once about their meal. 

Extra Notes:

-A week's stay at the inn is an Average [0] expense. Food and lodging for one night is merely a Poor [-2] expense. 

The Jeweler:

Tucked away in one corner of the Keep is a small, well-built jewel shop run by Rhes Silverbeard a dwarven merchant and his human wife, Dorothea Silverbeard. She somehow managed to convince Rhes that they had to get married several years in the past. Rhes is still somewhat confused by the situation but he finds it easier to go along with it and be grateful for the extra help around the shop. Rhes will appraise and purchase the more valuable objects that fall out on the plains but he is mostly interested only precious gems or metals. As the wealthiest resident he also serves as an unofficial banker, offering loans and allowing others to keep their valuables stored with him for a small price. 

Extra Notes:

-Rhes employes two mercenary guards far more alert and competent than the standard Keep soldiers (Good [+2] Loyal, Good [+2] Warriors, Good [+2] Perceptive) and during the night his huge guard-dog sleeps in the store to keep an eye out for intruders (Expert [+4] Big Dog, Good [+2] Tough, Expert [+4] Sense of Smell, Poor [-2] Animal Instincts). 

-The dwarf's small vault (with an Expert [TN 11] Lock) contains a Master [+6] Fortune in cash and small gemstones. The vault may also contain valuables stored here by some other travelers or businessman (a good possible plot hook). 

The Temple of Lonuse

The only real holy ground in the Keep is this small church. The place is crammed full of knick-knacks, tattered clothing and cracked tableware. The temple is dedicated to Lonuse, the god of Second-Hand Goods. The place is watched over by the elderly and cheerful Dana Samwell. She is always happy to offer spiritual advice and may grant some miracles to those who purchase some of her junk (although there's always the possibility of something exceptionally valuable hidden among the dross). 

Extra Notes:

-Dana Samwell, human priestess: Good [+2] Cheerful, Good [+2] Ordination: Lonuse, Good [+2] Persuasive, Average [0] Divinations*, Good [+2] Lonuse's Healing Goodwill*, Poor [-2] Bleeding Heart. She has +4 Favor from Lonuse. 

-Donating a good chunk of second-hand equipment or goods is a good way to earn Favor from Lonuse. 

The Smithy

The keep's only blacksmith, a human named Arlie Mill, is generally kept pretty busy shoeing horses, repairing helmets and performing maintenance for travelers and locals. However, in his free time he indulges in his personal hobby: polearms. Arlie collects, restores and constructs polearms of just about any shape, size or description. The walls of the smithy (and Arlie's home) are covered in a truly startling variety of long-hafted weaponry: spears, halberds, ranseurs, glaives, bardiches, guisarmes, glaive-guisarmes, glaive-axe-bec-de-fauchards and other highly experimental weaponry. Attempts to sell Arlie a new or interesting polearm receive an upshift.

Extra Notes:

-Arlie's collection of spears are all Average [0] props (some of the more impractical designs might even be Poor [-2]) but the prize of his collection is a Good [+2] Enchanted Halberd which he keeps above his mantle at home. Convincing him to part with it would be a Master [TN 13] transaction. 

Rivas' General Store

Near the center of town, this store stocks rope, tools, traveling supplies, farming and camping gear and just about any miscellaneous thing you might require. The owner, Rivas, doesn't tend to stock weaponry or other "adventuring" gear but he's got plenty of food and general supplies. Rivas is a human who hails from Arrgarnarr and has the general shifty, unpleasant look of people from that region. Despite this he's managed to settle into life at the keep quite well and his neighbors are open-minded about his cultural background and no-one minds so long as he keeps the ominous chanting down. 

Extra Notes

-Rivas Darkheart human shopkeeper: Average [0] Wicked, Good [+2] Tradesman, Average [0] Dread Occult Lore, Good [+2] Smarmy Charm.

-Rivas and his son live on the second floor of their shop. In the basement is a shrine to Azanut and the other Nether Powers. Anyone investigating the leather-bound books and eldritch sigils can find an Average [TN 7] ritual to summon an Imp from the Nether realms. 

Salazar's Trading Post

Karin Salazar runs a trading post directly across the street from Rivas' General Store and the two have developed a vicious competitive streak. While she also carries a large supply of "general" goods Salazar also buys valuable goods brought in by the scavengers out on the plains so there's always a chance for just about anything to end up here. Salazar also keeps a stock of "grey market" items: lockpicks, mild poisons, unlicensed potions and so on. Her exact inventory is up to the GM but she's unlikely to advertise her under-the-counter goods to outsiders. 

The Inner Keep

The heart of the Keep is a relatively small fortified manor. The inner keep contains barracks for the multinational soldiers who man the keep and the armory where spare weapons and armor are left to molder. Underneath the inner keep is a cobweb-filled dungeon that hasn't been used for years and the meager treasury containing the Keep's yearly budget. The upper floors of the manor are home to the captain of the guard, a knight named Gwynne Tanbound, the keep's administrative staff and the governor of the whole place: Actius Goa.

   Most of the day-to-day tasks are handled by clerks or by Captain Tanbound, a hard-nosed individual far more concerned with fulfilling her duties than Actius is. Governor Actius spends most of his time with research and study, he considers the keep little more than a quite place to store his books and considers a little bit of paperwork a small price to pay. 

Extra Notes:

-Gwynne Tanbound human knight: Expert [+4] Swordplay, Expert [+4] Honorable, Good [+2] Commander, Good [+2] Knight of the Argent Cube, Good [+2] Homeland: Orthedia, Expert [+4] Riding. Gwynne has a Good [+2] Blessed Blade and a suit of Expert [+4] Platemail which she wears on duty. Anyone who deals with the strict and disciplined woman will quickly realize she's far too competent and driven for her post out here in the Plaplands (her superiors felt she was a little too enthusiastic and sent her out here to mellow out for a few years) and she is quite tired of her post herself. 

-Actius Goa human scholar: Expert [+4] Obscure Lore, Good [+2] Magical Theory, Expert [+4] Studious, Good [+2] Perceptive. Actius also owns an Expert [+4] Personal Library. Far more laid-back and casual than his captain of the guard Actius is mostly concerned with keeping things calm and quite and helps to temper Gwynne's eagerness to mount up and sally forth the moment there's any news of monsters or danger. 

-The keep's treasury is well-guarded by two soldiers at all times as well as an Expert [TN 11] Massive Locked Door. Even if would-be thieves manage to break in there's a Good [TN 9] Light-Web enchantment which fills the room with thin beams of reddish light. Touching a beam triggers an alarm spell and causes the room to fill with Expert [+4] Sleeping Gas. The chests in the treasury contain two Expert [+4] Sacks of Money and 10 Good [+2] Silver Bars. 

Keep Plot Hooks

Here are some short, interesting plot-hooks that PCs might stumble upon or assigned due to damage-induced-plot-hooks. 

-When the PCs come into Rivas' General Store they find the counter empty with only a small gong labeled "strike for service". Striking the gong a few times will elicit shouting from downstairs and the sound of stomping up the stairway. Rivas will arrive, out of breath and apologetic and also wearing a large, pentagram covered, headdress of blackened wire and goat-horn. Once he realizes he's still wearing it he'll quickly chuck it under the counter and change the subject. 

-Abe Morely at the Fallen Fortune has heard about other inns and taverns with basements full of rats and rather than driving business away this infestation seems to attract droves of adventurers who eagerly wipe out the rodents for chump change and then turn around and spend that money (and more) at the bar. A bit too eager to get in on this Abe released a few crates of large rodents into the cellar. After a few weeks the squeaking, gnawing damage and rat filth were too much so he decided to get rid of them, releasing a giant spider into the basement to deal with the infestation. Unfortunately the spider had an egg sac and soon his cellar was full of webs and eight-legged horrors. Well, one thing led to another and now there's a bear down there and no-one can get to the booze and he could really use some help. 

-Gwynne Tanbound is extremely eager to cleanse the area around the Keep of any dangers or monsters and will generally offer bounties for the extermination of any such threats. She's also got a mile-wide competitive streak and if any knights or warriors of note show up in town she'll do her best to talk them into "sparring matches" or "friendly jousts". 

-The dungeons of the inner keep are long, long abandoned, mostly because of an extremely annoying haunting that developed a few weeks ago. A headless specter drifts from cell to cell. Attempts to put the ghost to rest have so far been complicated by the fact that the thing can't speak without a head and no-one has any idea what in the world it wants.

EDIT: Here's part 2 and part 3 

RPG Chopshop VIII: Savage Aberrant 2

A while back I was trying to convert Aberrant to Savage Worlds. Originally I figured it would be pretty fast and simple, but I ended up making it a fairly big project. So here's the full-sized Savage Aberrant conversion (well a full 25 pages or so).

Savage Aberrant

gallery of rejection 4

My second attempt at Piazo's RPG superstar came to an end yesterday as I didn't make through the initial harrowing process. No hard feelings, the contest has 1000+ entrants and making it into the top 32 is a pretty long shot even if you're a game design genius. Anyway, as before I'll share my entry this year:

Boots of Trailblazing

Aura: Faint Transmutation; CL 5th
Slot feet; Price 15,000 gp; Weight 3 lbs.
Description
These heavy, travel-worn boots warp terrain around the wearer creating a smoother, flatter path for travel. Beneath the soles of the boots muddy ground dries and firms, dead wood and branches decompose and living plants shrivel or squirm out of the way.

This trail forms immediately in front of the wearer's feet and extends 10 feet to both sides. The trailblazing affects any areas of undergrowth, rubble or bog making them one level less difficult (for example, heavy undergrowth is treated as light and light undergrowth is removed). This effect is permanent until reversed by outside forces such as plant growth or natural erosion but it is impossible to blaze the same trail over again (so you cannot walk over Heavy undergrowth twice to remove it completely). The trailblazing effect does not provide any protection against magically created growth or barriers such as entangle or wall of thorns and will not alter man-made terrain features.

When traveling overland the wearer treats all Trackless terrain as though they were traveling along a trail. Since the trail is permanent any companions benefit from this as well so long as the wearer takes the lead.
Construction Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, Diminish Plants, Stone Shape; Cost 7,500 gp

things from the internet

I firmly believe having a minimal readership should never prevent you from sharing the love with other cool sites on the internet. So here are some cool, nerdy things.

Awesome Dice It's a blog about....well about dice obviously. They've got their own dice store and some interesting posts about dice, dice-making and even a technique for making chocolate dice (something I've wanted to find for quite a while).


 World Works I really like playing with minis and terrain but it's ungodly expensive to buy or make the "real" stuff. World Works has some insanely high quality plans for paper-craft terrain, minis and buildings. Their stuff is probably the highest quality I've seen and while putting papercraft terrain together is hardly instantaneous it's a heck of a lot easier than normal terrain modeling. And if, like me, you work on a computer and headset all day it gives you a good, mindless task to do with your hands. Another great papercraft site is http://onemonk.com/

Also some good webcomics I discovered just the other day:

Battlepug!

don't worry, it's an evil giant seal

It's just as great as it looks.

Rusty and Co.

A very fun D&D-themed comic, which includes a recipe for your very own badger-gun.

click for full size...or you know go to the website and read the comic.

Gallery of Rejection: Self-Rejection edition

So just a few days ago was the end of the first stage of Piazo's RPG Superstar contest. I submitted an entry there and so later this month I'll learn whether or not I'll be one of the lucky 32 entrants to move on to the next round or whether or not the Gallery of Rejection will have a new entry.

But before that happened I figured I'd throw out the ideas that I rejected. The contest requires that you design (in 300 words or less) an interesting and useful Wondrous Item suitable for Piazo's Pathfinder system (i.e. D&D 3.75 for those of you who somehow have not come across it). In addition to creativity and utility the item is also judged by how well it follows the magic item creation guidelines and accurate pricing.

You get only one entry each year and it's got to stand on it's own (so no creator hyping or explanation) so obviously there's a lot of pressure to make sure that your item is the very best you can come up with. Which makes it pretty odd that the item that actually got submitted was one I came up with in the shower the night before the contest ends. Obviously since the contest is still ongoing I'm not going to go into that idea just yet.

But here are the item concepts that didn't make the cut. These are not complete magic items...rather they're prototypes that never quite got off the drawing board. There's two reasons I'm sharing them. One because I think it's interesting and I haven't made enough posts recently. The other is the fact that by posting these ideas I'm disqualifying them from future Superstar contest entries. This means that in the future I'll be forced to come up with a fresh idea rather than mulling over a bunch of previous ideas that I've already rejected.

1) Alchemical Scabbard 
 
This is a heavy scabbard decorated with shining copper and alchemical symbols. The scabbard's magic is activated by pouring alchemical substances into the mouth of the scabbard. It can accept either alchemist's fire, acid or liquid ice. When the substance in question is poured into the mouth of the scabbard it will vanish with an audible gurgle. Attempting to mix multiple alchemical substances or filling it with any alchemical substances other than the three listed above causes a cloud of foul-smelling smoke and a nasty sputtering sound. Filling it with any other liquids simply makes a mess.

When the scabbard has been filled with 100 gp worth of the appropriate liquid then it will become active and the symbols will emit a dull glow. When a weapon is placed inside (the scabbard resizes itself to fit any sword) an active scabbard then it will become infused with elemental energy and add +1d6 damage of the appropriate element to the weapon (which does not stack with bonuses like Flaming or Frost) for 5 hours. If the weapon is not magical then it also gains a +1 enhancement bonus but the elemental energies ravage it and it gains the broken condition at the end of the duration.

Why I rejected it: Not sure. It just never struck me as "great" in any way. The mechanic was clunky and didn't really jive with any existing mechanic and I didn't see it as being too popular with players considering the expense (by the time the players can afford to toss out several alchemical items they can probably afford to just use a spell to enchant their weapon). These were probably fixable problems but I was short on time and this one just didn't inspire me.

2) Spare Heart

This is a small, mummified rabbit's heart wrapped in a web of black iron wire and worn as a necklace. The device will activate itself if the wearer is damaged by a successful critical hit or sneak attack or if they are reduced to 0 hit points or below by any damage source. The heart only activates if the wearer survives the attack. Once activated the heart bursts

First, when activated the heart casts the spell Cure Serious Wounds on the wearer, healing 3d8+5 damage immediately. Secondly, the heart creates a detailed illusion of gruesome wounds and dramatic damage. The form of the illusion is appropriate to the attack that triggers the heart: a sword slash will produce a deep cut and a spray of blood while a fireball will produce the stench of charred flesh and burns covering the wearer's body. The wearer may "play dead" as an immediate action, making a Disguise roll at +10 to appear mortally wounded by the attack (the illusion will even mute the wearer's pulse and breathing). Alternatively they may make a Bluff roll (also with a +10 bonus) as an immediate action to appear alive but critically wounded. This Bluff roll can also be used as a Feint against the attacking opponent.

Why I rejected it: I think the idea is cool and interesting...but when I think about how this item will work in play I think it'd be really annoying. As a player if you run into an NPC villian with one of these it'll probably just be used as a cheap ploy to get out of a losing fight (and if there's one thing I've learned it's that players don't tend to appreciate it when a bad guy they think they've beaten vanishes). If it's used by the players it'll be too uncontrollable and unpredictable...good for a life-saver in some situations but most players would probably just prefer a protective amulet that's always useful over this one shot device.

3) Bottled Storm

A large bottle of black glass plugged with a thick cork. Very faint sounds of rainfall and the distant rumble of thunder can be heard from inside. Unplugging the bottle releases the torrential rainstorm held inside. The effect of the storm depends on how long the bottle remains uncorked (see below). Replacing the cork requires a DC 18 Strength check to overcome the intense force of wind and rain that pour out.
1^st round: Intense gusts of wind and pounding rain spew from the opening in the bottle and continue for three rounds, in addition to the effects of the following rounds. The wind and rain fill a 60’ cone emanating from the mouth of the bottle (every round anyone holding the bottle can choose to change the direction as a free action once per round). The storm produces gale force wind and heavy rain in that area.
2^nd round: A bolt of lightning emanates from the mouth of the bottle (10d6 damage, DC 14).
3^rd round: An intense blast of thunder duplicating a Shout spell emanates from the mouth of the bottle.
4^th round: The wind and rain calm, producing no significant effect and dropping the DC to cork the bottle to 12
5^th round: The storm pours out and rises into the sky. This creates an area of thunderstorm weather conditions in a 3 mile radius, lasting 8d12 hours. 
            If the bottle is not recorked by the 5^th round then any magical properties are permanently lost when the storm is released. 

Why I rejected it: I really, really liked this item. It had a unique mechanic, it was potentially very useful in a wide variety of situations  and it was cool. That said I honestly had no idea how this item should be priced and that was just as much a part of the contest as the item idea itself. Not to mention the item's odd mechanics produced a ton of "what-if" situations and potentially abusive techniques and the item was already pushing the 300 word limit. 

Happy New Year

   Just finished watching Time Bandits. If you haven't seen it or (like me) saw it so long ago that you can't actually remember anything about it then you should make watching it a new year's resolution. It is a damn fun movie and it's great to watch. Especially Evil's quotes:

" If I were creating a world I wouldn't mess about with butterflies and daffodils. I would have started with lasers, eight o'clock, day one!"

So, hopefully everyone had a good 2011 and is looking forward to '12. I don't have much in the way of resolutions beyond my continuing goals to finish projects like Battle Royale and DICE. 

Improving the World's Largest Dungeon: Random Encounters

One thing I haven't addressed so far in my improvement of the WLD are the random encounter tables. This is probably because I don't tend to use random encounter tables myself. However in an environment like the WLD I can definitely see the value...especially once your group has slaughtered their way through most of the scripted encounters in a region.

So lets see how they do...

First let's take a look at the "Random Encounter Conditions" table. This is used to get a general feel for the situation each encounter takes place in and can determine the initial attitude of the Encounter. Overall, I'd rate this table as "acceptable". You'll probably find yourself ignoring it a good deal of the time but it could still be a good way to mix up the encounters and ensure that they're more interesting than "some goblins come down the hall"

That said I notice that many of the entries on this table are fairly redundant. For instance 5 of the 20 boil down to "the encounter is hostile" and there are several other entries that are either identical or so close as to not make a difference. Many of them are also very circumstantial and would have to be re-rolled or ignored in many situations. So here's a simplified "encounter condition table". As a general rule if the creature encountered is really evil and/or violent (such as demonic outsiders, undead or evil cultists) then subtract 1 from the roll (minimum of 1). If the encounter would normally be benevolent (such as celestials) then add +1 to the roll, maximum of 12.

Roll a d12

1- Hostile. The encounter will attack the party or otherwise attempt to subdue or drive them off, depending on alignment.
2- Hostile. The encounter is completely savage. They will attack immediately and fight to the death regardless of alignment. They are completely non-responsive to attempts at communication.
3- Hostile. The encounter is afraid or cautious and will attempt to escape. They will fight if cornered.
4- Unfriendly. The encounter is wounded or otherwise disadvantaged in some way (1d6 x10% off of their hp, possibly missing prepared spells or limited use powers).
5- Unfriendly. The encounter has something else to do. Perhaps they're chasing someone or something, returning to their home or otherwise engaged.
6- Neutral. The encounter is unresponsive. They may be wandering aimlessly or simply catatonic or magically bound or paralyzed. Usually extreme force, pain or violence will cause them to attack but they may be confused.
7- Neutral. The encounter is not sure what to make of the party and will wait for them to make the first move.
8-Neutral.  Dead. The PCs find evidence or corpses showing that the encounter was killed, destroyed or triggered (in the case of traps).
9- Neutral. The encounter having an encounter of its own. Roll on the random encounter table twice and determine how the two encounters are interacting with each other based on the result.
10- Friendly. The encounter needs the party's help or at least believes they do.
11- Friendly. The encounter would prefer to interact peacefully, although they may still attempt to trick or manipulate the party depending on alignment. Creatures of animal or less intelligence will simply ignore the party.
12- Helpful. The encounter will try and help the PC in some way. Creatures of animal intelligence or less will ignore the party but may inadvertently do something that helps them.


So, lets get to the random encounter tables themselves!

Region A

Okay, well Region A has only a single encounter chart so that makes things easy. The first thing I notice is that it asks you to roll on the table once per hour which seems like it's going to get tedious extremely fast. On top of that I notice that 6 of the 20 possible outcomes is "nothing" (more if you count random sounds and . It seems like it would be easier to roll less often but with a greater likelihood of something happening. I'd say that rolling once every 4 hours seems fine. Honestly though, I'd suggest that you go with something more abstract. Perhaps roll on the table every 2 hours of real-world (rather than game) time. Obviously if a random encounter would be nonsensical (or inconvenient) at that exact moment then it can be delayed.

The table has a few other problems as well. First and foremost the results are too specific. If you stick to the table you'll probably run into many pairs of troglodytes playing cards in all sorts of improbable locations. Also, when creating this table the writers seem to have forgotten about the entire point of the Encounter Condition table. The reason the encounter condition table is a good idea is that it significantly multiplies the number of possible outcomes without creating a single huge table. A 20 entry encounter condition and 20 entry encounter table provide 400 different possibilities without having to figure out how to roll a d400. However this encounter table throws it out the window, pretty much each encounter has very specific conditions to start with. This is going to lead to some very repetitive "random" encounters. So here's a shorter, more generic random table designed to synergize better with the Encounter Condition table. Obviously "event" or trap encounters can ignore the table.

Roll 1d12

1. Some terrible noise echoes down the hallway or a mighty gust of wind. Echoes 5, 50% chance of Drafty. 
2. A lone humanoid. roll 1d3: 1-Kobold, 2-Orc, 3-Troglodyte. 
3. A flock of flying, fiendish animals, 1d6+1 of them. Roll 1d6: 1-Darkmantle, 2-Stirge, 3-Dire Bat, 4-Eagle, 5-Vargouille, 6-bat swarm.
4. A swarm. Roll 1d3: 1-Spider, 2-bat, 3-rat.
5. A humaniod patrol. Roll 1d3: 1- 2d6 1st level kobold warriors, 2- 1d8 1st level Orc warriors, 3- 1d6 Troglodytes.
6. It's a Trap! Roll 1d4. 1- Razor-Wire, 2- Basic Arrow Trap, 3-Deeper Pit Trap, 4-Wall Blade Trap.
7. Someone important: Choose a named NPC the party has not yet encountered wandering the halls alone. 
8. Pack of fiendish beasties, 2d4 of them. Roll 1d6: 1-Dire Rat, 2-Wolf, 3-Medium Centipede, 4-Riding Dog, 5-Baboon, 6-Small Spider.
9. A lone fiendish monster. Roll 1d6: 1-Dire Badger, 2-Black Bear, 3-Monitor Lizard, 4-Boar, 5-Large Viper, 6-Lion.
10. Minor Tremor. The ground shakes (DC 15 Reflex save or fall), dust swirls (concealment for 1d10 rounds). 
11. Lone scout from Region B...a 2nd level goblin rogue or a 1st level Bugbear ranger. 
12. Nothing at all. 

So that looks good. Now on to region B.

Region B

Now Region B is a bigger fish than A, at least when it comes to random encounters. The place is divided into several subsections and each has its own encounter chart. Ultimately though they all share the same problems as region A...they're rolled too often, produce many uninteresting results and its results are too specific. So here are my improved versions. Like Region A I would suggest rolling once every 4 hours or once per two-hours of real-world time (excepting the abandoned halls, see below).

B1-48

The abandoned halls Encounter table has a 50% chance of nothing which makes sense but it makes for an uninteresting table. Instead we'll just roll less often. So roll once per 8 hours or once per game session (or 4 real-world hours if you're into marathon-length gaming).

Roll 1d8

1. A foul gas pours from a crack at someone's feet. Roll 1d3. 1-Stinking Cloud, 2-Fog Cloud 3-Ungol Dust vapor
2. Wanderer from Region A, roll on that encounter table instead. 
3. A humanoid scout, A 1st level Bugbear Rogue or a 3rd level Hobgoblin Ranger.
4. A lone wolf. A single Worg (40%), Dire Wolf (40%) or Blink Dog (20%). 
5. Ancient trap. Roll 1d4: 1-Portcullis Trap (cold iron), 2-Bestow Curse Trap, 3-Wall Scythe Trap, 4-Searing Light Trap (5th lvl). 
6. Former prisoner still lurking about. Roll 1d4: 1-Imp, 2-Quasit, 3-1d6 lemures, 4-1d4 dretches. 
7. Slimy horror. Roll 1d4. 1-Patch of brown mold, 2-Puddle of green slime, 3-patch of yellow mold, 4-Grey Ooze
8. Nothing.

B49-B68
In the bugbear settlement itself I strongly recommend avoiding "random" encounters. You should definitely have bugbears wandering the halls or keeping watch but it'll stretch believability to run into random magic, wandering beasts or similar hazards when smack dab in an encampment. For other parts here's a revamped encounter chart.

Roll 1d10

1. Bugbear patrol. 2d3 Bugbears.
2. Crude bugbear trap. Roll 1d4: 1-Camouflaged Pit Trap (20 ft), 2-Bricks from Ceiling, 3-Javelin Trap, 4-Poison Dart trap
3. 2 bugbear scouts (1st level rangers)
4. Goblin scout. A single 3rd level goblin rogue (75% from the Empire, 25% from the rebels). 
5. Important NPC. Pick a named NPC, they're here with an appropriate escort. 
6. Ancient Trap...a Glyph of Warding (Blast, 5th level). 
7. Blockage. The party encounters a barrier. Either a section of collapsed rock or an abandoned barricade. 
8. Goblin invaders! A 2nd level hobgoblin fighter leads 2d6 1st level goblin warriors. 
9. An alarm in the form of a Shrieker Fungus. 
10. Nothing.

B69-90

Just like the bugbears I'd make sure to avoid making encounters in the empire random....and really that's actually this entire area with the exception of B89 and B90. And I've already suggested that B90 be changed to a "civilian" area for the goblins and it would be pretty ridiculous to just have a table for B90. So my suggestion is to ditch this encounter table entirely.

B92

So, the Maze is kind of unique when it comes to random encounters...since those are in fact the only encounters. As I suggested in the last post it's best to treat the whole area as an abstract puzzle rather than having the PCs simply march through. To recap: Traveling through the Maze involves 30 minutes and a DC 20 survival roll. On a success the PCs have navigated from one end of the maze to the other. On a failure they've lost their way and must spend 30 more minutes and another Survival roll to get through. Roll for an encounter every 30 minutes. Of course if the PCs are checking carefully for traps then they're going slow (taking an hour between each check instead of 30 minutes).

However, I never actually looked over the random encounter tables themselves...and it features some truly bad editing...for instance options 6-9 involve finding a trap...but there's no traps listed at all. So here's a new, improved set of encounters. There's also the Maze-specific encounter condition table.

Roll 1d10 for the encounter then 1d10 for the encounter condition

1. Annoying Traps. Roll 1d3: 1-Portcullis Trap (Cold Iron), 2-Stone Block Trap, 3-Wall of Thorns. Either way the trap blocks the passage, increasing the Survival DC by 5 unless bypassed. 
2. Deadly Trap. Roll 1d4: 1-Fussilade of Darts, 2-Lightning Bolt (5th level), 3-Glyph of Warding (5th level), 4-Spiked Pit Trap (40 ft).
3. Fearsome Trap. Roll 1d4: 1-Fear, 2-Confusion, 3-Phantasmal Killer, 4-Sepia Snake Sigil.
4. 1d6 Vargoulle. 
5. 1d3 Shadows
6. Maze of Illusion. The character navigating (the one making the survival checks) must make a DC 17 Will save or become tricked by illusions, increasing the DC of the next survival check by 10. 
7. A lone Wight. 
8. A lost humanoid of your choice. 
9. A group of goblin rebels navigating the maze. 2d6 1st level goblin warriors. 
10. Nothing. 

1. A zone of complete Silence. 
2. A cloud of vile stench. Stagnant Air
3. Patches of Brown Mold dot the walls. 
4. Deep Darkness. 
5. The area is coated in slime. Hazardous Footing 15.
6. Eldritch evil fills the air. Fear 12. 
7. Horrific echoes fill the hall. Distracting Noises 3.
8. Thick layers of moss and slime. Bog. 
9. Intense cold fills the air. Extreme Cold
10. An ill wind blows...Drafty. 

 Also, while I'm at it I should try and justify this place's existence. It's a neat area from a challenge/strategy standpoint but it doesn't really have much reason to actually ever be built. Supposedly it's meant to help the celestials in case their prisoners escape...but it's tucked away here on the far side of the WLD and while it is the only way out of the B93 area it still doesn't do the job nearly as well as several solid walls and large heavy doors would. So lets reconsider its purpose. With my re-vamp of the WLD's origin story I claim that the demons/undead/aberrations here were not brought here and imprisoned by the celestials. Rather they are drawn here or actually born from the horrific abomination sealed in the dungeon's heart. The center of the maze here is one area where the concentrated evil wells up and has the potential to spawn demons or create undead. The celestials capped it but the "bleed off" is enough to still spawn lesser horrors. If the place was sealed and walled in it would soon be full to bursting so instead they created a sprawling maze to confuse and delay any new spawn (as well as traps to kill off the weakest and alert the guards) with guards stationed at the mouths of the Maze to slay any who make it through. Obviously such things were long, long ago but the well of evil is still waiting there in the heart of the maze. Fortunately the celestial's seal still holds...for now.

Anyway...enough of that. Back to the tables.

B93-108

Again it just doesn't make sense to have random encounters when wandering through what is essentially someone's home. So really this area shouldn't have random encounters (or more accurately every random encounter should simply be some rebel goblins wandering between rooms or on guard duty).

B109-119

 This place on the other hand is perfectly fine for random encounters:

Roll 1d10

1.  Zombie beast. Roll 1d4 1-Owlbear, 2-Dire Wolf, 3-Minotaur,  4-Dire Ape. 
2. Undead warriors, the reanimated corpses of paladins who died battling here. 1d3 ghouls armed with longswords, shields and chain shirts. 
3. Frightful illusion. Treat this encounter as a Shadow Conjuration spell, pick a random creature from the Summon Monster III list.
4. Rolling fog moves through the area. Treat it as a Fog Cloud spell that moves slowly (1 foot/round) down the hall. 
5. 1d4 Howlers.
6. Unlucky wanderer. Roll on the encounter table for Region F (remember my new map).
7. Traps. Roll 1d3: 1-Cameoflaged Pit Trap (50 ft), 2-Acid Arrow Trap, 3-Wall Scythe Trap (silver)
8. Lone goblinoid.
9. 1d3 Wights. 
10. Nothing

And that concludes the random encounters for Regions A and B. As I complete more Regions I'll make sure to address their random encounters as well.