Random Village Table

Stocking dozens of large, sandbox style hex-maps is much easier when random tables come into play. A few months ago I put together a large spreadsheet file that can stock any size map with monster lairs, demi-human lairs, strongholds, ruins, dungeons and villages. What follows are charts I put together to create a random village, slightly modified since the spreadsheet can generate random number in any range, whereas these need to work with a set of dice.

Matt's Random Village Generator

How many live in the village?

Roll 1d6 x 100

What do the villagers do? (Roll 1d6)

1. Fishermen
2. Herdsmen
3. Hunters
4. Miners
5. Peasants
6. Woodsmen

What are the villagers like? (Roll 1d30)

1. Ragged
2. Foppish
3. Swarthy
4. Fair-skinned
5. Chaotic
6. Lawful
7. Jovial
8. Somber
9. Militant
10. Peaceful
11. Licentious
12. Pious
13. Lanky
14. Stout
15. Dour
16. Hard-working
17. Thrifty
18. Lazy
19. Honest
20. Deceitful
21. Ill-tempered
22. Loutish
23. Friendly
24. Rude
25. Diplomatic
26. Literate
27. Cowardly
28. Bombastic
29. Wrathful
30. Meek

What do the villagers live in? (Roll 1d6)

1. Huts
2. Houses
3. Longhouses
4. Cottages
5. Domes (1 in 6 chance of domes, otherwise re-roll on this table with 1d4)
6. Towers (1 in 6 chance of towers, otherwise re-roll on this table with 1d4)

What are the dwelling made of? (Roll 1d8)

1. Adobe
2. Bricks
3. Stone
4. Thatch / wicker
5. Timber / logs
6. Wattle & daub
7. Decorative stone, i.e. marble, porphyry (1 in 6 chance, otherwise re-roll on this table with 1d6)
8. Metal, i.e. iron, bronze (1 in 6 chance, otherwise re-roll on this table with 1d6)

What protects the village from invasion? (Roll 1d6)
(note, 1 in 6 chance of moat, 1 in 6 chance of watch towers)

1. Thicket
2. Earthen rampart
3. Wooden palisade
4. Stone wall
5. Metal wall (1 in 10 chance, otherwise re-roll on this table with 1d4)
6. Geodesic dome (1 in 100 chance, otherwise re-roll on this table with 1d4)

Where do the villagers get their water? (Roll 1d4)

1. Stream / river
2. Well
3. Cisterns
4. Aqueduct or reservoir

Who rules the village? (Roll 1d6)

1. Council of elders
2. Mayor and aldormen
3. Aristocrat / noble
4. Reeve of the nearest royalty
5. NPC with class levels (1 in 6 chance, otherwise re-roll on this table with 1d4)
6. Monster (1 in 10 chance, otherwise re-roll on this table with 1d4)

Does the village have a specialist? (Roll 1d10)

1. Alchemist
2. Armorer or Bowyer
3. Den of assassins
4. Guide
5. Healer
6. Sage
7. Temple with cleric or druid
8. Tavern
9. Inn
10. No specialist

What are the villagers known for throughout the land? (Roll 1d6 and 1d6)

1-1. Their fine beer / ale
1-2. Their fine wine
1-3. Their legendary livestock
1-4. Their beauty
1-5. Their cunning
1-6. Their brawn
2-1. Their vigor
2-2. Their magical abilities
2-3. Their fine orchards
2-4. Their skill at weaving
2-5. Their skill at stoneworking
2-6. Their skill at woodworking
3-1. Their skill at smithcraft
3-2. Their domesticated monsters
3-3. Their strange customs
3-4. Their outlandish costumes
3-5. Their thick accents
3-6. Their impenetrable keep
4-1. Their vampire problem
4-2. Their melodious voices
4-3. Their were-(fill in the blank) problem
4-4. Their athleticism
4-5. Their love of gambling
4-6. Their haunted manor
5-1. Their suspicious lack of crime
5-2. The guardian spirit that protects the village
5-3. The friendly neighborhood druid who stops by now and again
5-4. Their fey allies
5-5. Their fey tormentors
5-6. Their awful weather
6-1. Their rare herbs
6-2. Their outstanding breads and pastries
6-3. Their love of a good donnybrook (i.e. the fight scene from The Quiet Man)
6-4. Their xenophobia
6-5. Their visitations from beyond
6-6. Their dark secrets

If anyone out there in internet land has some ideas to add to this, I would love to hear them!