Dungeon Dressing: Random Encounters II
Use these random encounters to add spice and interest to your dungeon. The encounters are designed to be relatively generic and should be easy to insert into almost any dungeon. As always, change or ignore any details that do not work for your setup.
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Mimics
Cunning dungeon predators, mimics are well-skilled at masquerading as doors, chests, chairs or other dungeon feature. Use the list below, to determine what form a wandering mimic has taken when it encounters the characters.
Door
Portcullis
Shuttered window or arrow slit
Chest or coffer
Barrel
Well
Wardrobe
Chair
Crack or niche in the floor or wall
Easily found secret door
Some mimics have both the ability and desire to speak. Such mimics, for a suitable consideration, will tell other wanderers of what lies in the surroundings. For this service, some mimics demand coins or other valuable objects while others desire food—whether that be a sentient being or some form of dungeon pest—rats, bats or the like—of which it has grown particularly fond.
Zakara the Atypical Mimic
Zakara (N mimic) has grown weary of the chore of hunting for food. Instead, it masquerades as a magical sage or oracle bound to the dungeon through an ancient curse.
A large mouth suddenly appears in a nearby wall.
Zakara loves the crunchy goodness of bats, but finds it difficult to catch them—their echolocation makes it almost impossible to take them unawares. If the characters promise to bring it some bats (preferably alive) to snack on, it reveals choice information about the dungeon.
Personality: Zakara is lazy and likes eating bats. It is also quite knowledgeable about the dungeon and is happy to share its knowledge with wanderers—for food. Despite his appearance, Zakara is essentially trustworthy—he has no interest in double-crossing or betraying the party.
Mannerisms: Zakara yawns often when speaking. He licks his lips when thinking or talking about tasty bats.
Hook: Zakara is bored with dungeon life and wants to explore the world. Will the characters take it with them? If they agree, Zakara could make a loyal and somewhat atypical henchthing.
Sentient Zombie
When Rauni Vesi’s (NG female human zombie) body was returned to unlife by a black-hearted necromancer, something went horribly wrong. Instead of merely reanimating the corpse, the foul magics involved returned Rauni’s soul to the decomposing corpse and trapped her consciousness within.
Clad in dirty, mildewed robes, this woman has pallid, grey skin. Eyes alive with intelligence and deep sorrow blaze forth from her sunken, drawn face.
Rauni died a century ago. Slain by a necromancer’s undead horde, she was risen to join his servants. She became a creature of curiosity for the necromancer when he discovered her soul lurking within her corpse. He kept her around, her intelligence and reasoning making her a valuable slave. When he was slain by adventurers, she escaped and has wandered the world ever since in search of her final rest.
Personality: Trapped in deep despair and depression, Rauni is gloom personified. She has existed in this perpetual prison for decades; everyone she knew is dead, and she is without hope.
Mannerisms: Rauni shivers as if gripped by a deathly chill, and only raging blazes can (temporarily) return warmth to her frigid flesh. She speaks slowly in a monotone voice.
Hook: Rauni greatly desires to return to the afterlife, but is afraid that merely destroying her body will not do the trick. She is right; destroying her body merely transforms her into a ghost—and continues her torment. To return her soul to death’s slumber, the characters must anoint and wash her with holy water before casting remove curse.
Credit
This is a short system-neutral extract from GM’s Miscellany: Dungeon Dressing. The book is available in 5e, System Neutral and Pathfinder 1 editions. The OSR edition will be available in early 2023.
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