Plains Dressing
Plains are far more than endless vistas of rolling grassland and hills. Wandering adventurers will encounter many things on a plain.
You can download this material for free as a .pdf and .txt file by hitting the button at the bottom of this post. You do not need to give us your email or set up an account.
Minor Plains Events
A murder of crows flocks over the cleanly picked remains of a large animal.
Vultures circle a stretch of grassland.
A character steps into the entrance of a rabbit’s burrow and trips over.
A herd of loping deer crosses the path.
A solitary wolf stands over the prone form of a deer, growling in defence of its kill.
An ominous scarecrow sways in the wind as it stands vigil over a barren field.
A dappled stallion parallels the characters’ progress before disappearing over a rise.
A herd of grazing cows crop the nearby grass.
The droppings of some enormous animal contain the remains of a partially digested sheep.
A random character trips into a shallow hole that looks like a half-dug grave.
An enormous black raven follows the party, intently eyeing any familiars.
A pack of wild dogs briefly trails the party.
Minor Plains Dressing
The tumbled remains of a stone wall denote the boundaries of a long abandoned farm.
Many rabbit burrows pierce a mud bank. Abundant rabbit tracks mar the mud.
The burnt-out frame of a barn stands stark against the sky.
The entrance to a mine is boarded over. A sign warns of the dangers of collapse.
A lonely, massive oak tree stands alone amid a sea of grass.
A low area of scrub conceals a traveller’s half-eaten remains.
A loose sign spins on its post, ironically trying to point to “the city.”
A gate stands at the edge of a field, but there is no fence. A sign proclaims: “Tawcket’s Place.”
A set of squared stones is laid out in the crude imitation of a man.
An ancient statue stands at a crossroad, pointing to the eastern fork. Its inscription is barely visible—the words lost to time.
The burnt-out remnants of a wheeled canvas wagon lie near the path.
A spent oil lamp, its brass tarnished nearly solid green, perches atop a tree stump.
Uneventful Day’s Travel
A cloudless sky, a gentle breeze and glorious isolation give the party a quiet, relaxing day.
The trail leads ever onwards through a seemingly endless sea of grass. The characters encounter no other travellers.
Birds circling high overhead are the only living things the characters see on this hot, dry day.
Rain falls for much of the morning, but the clouds clear after midday, and the afternoon is pleasant.
Heavy rain falls all day. Progress is slow and the characters see no other travellers.
Except for a herd of grazing cattle watched over by a trio of peasants the characters see no one on this slow, boring day.
A range of low hills break up the monotony of the plain; it takes the party the day to cross them.
The trail leads the party through a broken region of tumbled boulders and scree which slows their speed considerably.
Campsites
A hollow between two hillocks provides a discrete camp away from prying eyes.
A ruined farmhouse stands amid weed-choked, unworked fields. Enough of the building remains to protect the party from the elements.
An isolated stand of trees in the lea of a hill provides shelter and good lines of sight.
Several old campfires dot the banks of this small lake that mostly fills an old quarry.
The flanks of this craggy hill provide several small spaced-out sheltered nooks.
This narrow valley has a sheltered floor cut through by a gurgling stream.
An abandoned cabin stands amid the shadows of a small hill. The cabin is in good condition.
A ruined watchtower perches atop a craggy tor. Inside, fallen masonry has been cleared to make the grand floor habitable.
Credit
This is a short system-neutral extract from Wilderness Dressing: Plains by Eric Hindley.
Get the Free Download
Download this post by hitting the button below—you’ll get a zip file containing a lightweight one-page PDF and a superlight text file for your digital GM’s folder or virtual tabletop (VTT).
If you’ve found this resource useful, please let me know by leaving a comment. And also leave a comment if you have a suggestion to make this kind of post better.
Related Supplements
