Random Urban Tables

These are the quick urban tables that I use in my cities when I need a roll to determine something. My only problem is that I am continually updating it. Is there anything I should add?

Basic City Encounter Table - Assume the same as primary race in the community

01-02: Hanging or Executed Man

03-04: Beggar or Poor Man (#1-3) 

05-06: Press Gang (# 5-20 - 1st/2nd HD)

07-08: Labourer #1d6

09-10: Untouchable (1st-2nd, # 1d4) - Social or Physical Impairment

11-12: Street Preacher (Cleric 2nd - 5th)

13-14: Pickpocket (Rogue 3rd-5th)

15-16: Pile of Refuse/Garbage

17-18: Wild Animals (Swarm, Rats, Insects)

19-20: Pet or Trained Animals (Dogs, Horses, Parrots)

21-22: Drunk (Roll 1d6 - Soldier, Citizen, Worker, Older, Teen, Visitor)

23-24: Funeral procession (3-10 mourners)

26-28: Wealthy Gentleman or Rogue in disguise (3rd-6th)

29-34: Guild Member or Craftsmen (4th-8th, Roll Below) 

35-36: City Guard, Lower (1st-2nd Soldier, 1d6)

37-38: Alchemist (Alchemist, Wizard or Rogue 2-5th)

39-40: Dancer, Musician or Harlot (Bard or Rogue 3rd-6th)

41-42: Chained Prisoners or being escorted

43-45: Farmers with Food Stuff

46-55: City Worker (2nd-5th, Roll Below)

56-57: Dealer (Spice, Drugs, Alcohol - Rogue, Warrior or Cleric 2nd-5th))

58-62: Merchant Stall

63-65: Cleric Procession (11-20, plus cleric 3rd-5th)

66-68: Nobleman (3rd - 5th lev Aristocrat)

69-70: Busker or Bard (2nd - 5th Bard or Rogue)

71-72: Animal Handler or Stabler

73-74: Sailor, Dockhand or Labourer (1st - 3rd Rogue)

75-76: Small Unofficial Market (3-5 stalls)

77: Bounty Hunter (50% Ranger or Rogue, 2nd-5th)

78: Town Crier

79-80: Knight or Paladin (3rd - 6th)

80: Visitors or Pilgrims (1st - 3rd)

81: Psychic

82: Street Performer (1st-3rd Bard)

83: Clocksmith 

84: Artist

85: Sorcerer (3rd - 5th)

86: Child or Apprentice

87: Prisoner - Marked (not chained, able to move around, cannot leave the city)

88: Slave - Marked  (not chained, able to move around, cannot leave the city)

89: Spy or Agent (1st-3rd Rogue or Ranger)

90: Guild Officer (1st - 4th)

91: Disguised (Roll again)

92: Messenger

93: Statue (50% Normal, 50% Fossilized)

94: Crown Agent (4th-6th level Rogue or Ranger)

95: Shapechanger (Lycanthrope, Doppleganger, Rakshasa, etc)

96: Small Obelisk to Lesser Faith

97: Seer (6th to 10th Cleric or Rogue)

98: City Guard, Middle (3rd-6th)

99+: DM's Choice

Random Building / Sites: Most have 5-16 typical workers inside with quarter the number in customers

01-02: Artisan's Community (Artist, Bard, Busker or Entertainers)

03-04: Herbalist or Apthecary

05-07  Small Monastery (2nd-4th level Monks)
08-09: Sewer plus Gate (1d3 City Workers or Soldiers)

10-11: Bakery 

12-13: Builders Tower (Mason, Construction or Wood Worker)

14-15: Tower of Law (Advocate, Alderman or City Councillor)

16-17: Sewing House (Weaver, Tailor, or Leather-Worker)

18-19: Tomb or Cemetery

20-21: Hospital (Doctor or Masseuse)

22-24: Tower of Pleasure (Shantal/Prostitute) with standard bodyguards at door

25-26: Animal House (Pet-Master, Animal Handler or Taxidermist)

27-28: Stables 

29-30: Lock House (Locksmith, Clocksmith or Tinkersmith)

31-32: Jewelry Store

33-34: School (Master, Lecturer or Teacher plus 5 X for students)

35-36: Pits 1d10 feet (Refuse, dead, plus 1d3 City Workers or Soldiers)

37-40: Obelisk* or open street Mission

41-42: Dock (Sailor, Dockworker or Labourer) or Delivery Station on Landlocked Locations

43-44: Stockade (1-10 Prisoners) with 2d5 1st to 3rd level Guards

45-46: Library, (Librarian, Scribe or Cartographer)

47-48: Open Square (double base number filled with a few of anything)

49-50: Psychic or Astrologer (75% Fake)

51-52: Salon (Salonist, Barber, Stylist or Cosmetician)

53: Abandoned Building (20% Store, 20% Squatters, 25% Cult, 25% Illegal Operations, 10% Empty)

54: Undertaker

55-56: Barrel Shop (Hooper)

57-58: Elegance Shop  (Major Domo, Secretary, Butler) 

59-60: Laborer's Union

61-65: Tavern or restaurant (Double or Triple Base)

66-67: Smithy (Blacksmith or Armourer)

68-77: Residences (Apartment Buildings)

78: Moneylender or Pawn Smith

79: Tobacconist or Perfumer

80: Charcoal, Burning Oil or Fireworks

81: Collectibles (1d4 Hired Hands)

82: Brassworker 

83-85: Garden (Farmer or Gardener)

86-87: Servicing Industry

88-90: Wyvern Tower - Pseudo Dragon Familiars and Pets

91-92: Trader - Arrange Deals and Trades for 3rd Parties 

93-94: Vault (Double Guard Numbers)
95-98: Auction House (Double Guard Numbers)

99+: DM's Choice

Moat major sites such as Mercenary Houses, Temples, Prisons, Wizard Towers, Thief Safe Houses shouldn't be random events. Typically they are specifically located in the city near 2-3 other places that you've planned. Pick any of these for a neighborhood before rolling any random site.

Tower has the same meaning as a guild in my world in cities. Any union or a group of wealth & influence will use this term to indicate their importance. Most cities are considered Towerocracies, rule by vote by each Tower. Trade Towers have one vote each, military, magical and clerics groups often have more than one.

Obelisks are religious meeting places in my world as they are the primary sources of magical energy. Most are 10-50 ft high, in a square dedicated to a particular deity or ideal. The ones in this listing have no permanent buildings and may hold a meeting only once every month or so. Larger ones are in dedicated squares, many have roofs covering them and staff. Most cities will have 2-4 larger obelisks that serve the same functions as a temple.

Random Race and number usually appearing together.

01-70 Human 1d6

71-74 Dwarf (90% - Fighter) 2d10

75-78 Cat-Kin (Humanoid Cats) Fighter or Rogue 2d8

79-81 Elf (Any) 2+1d12

82-84 Lizardith (Lizardmen) 2+1d12

85-87 Gobber (Goblins) 2d6

88 Tenderfoot (Halfling) 2d6

89 Sylph (Thin Winged Humanoids) 1d3

90- Ogren (Mostly civilized Ogres) 1d3

91- Thorne-Kin (Sentient & Mobile Plant Species) 2+1d6

92- Charr (Blind Psionicists with access to psychic weapon) 2+1d6

93 Quillian (Humanoid Purcupines that can throw their quills) 2+1d6

94 Jahlen (Golden Horned Ram Humanoid) 2+1d10

95 Corlth (Core) (Blind, Pale skinned humanoids with psionic augments) 2d3

96 Gargoyle (Stone figures that haunt towers) 1d4+1

97 Minotaur (Horned Brutes very lawful) 1d3+1

97 Jackalla (furred jackal humanoids that hunt undead and cannot lie) 1d4+1

98 Phaetox (Flame winged humanoids that cannot tell untruths) 1d4+1

99 Clockwork (Sentient Mechanoid with freewill) # 1d2

00 DM's Choice

*The first five selections in the race table can be replaced with each other. So if in a Dwarf city, they take the top choice, and humans go to the next tier.

Level: 01-50 - One or Two Levels Lower
            51-70 - Same Level
            71-5 - One Level Higher
            76-80 - Two Levels Higher
             81-85- Three Levels Higher
             86-90 - Four Levels Higher
             91 +   +1 more level higher

Class:       
01-10  Cleric
11-30  Rogue
31-60  Fighter
61-70  Ranger
71-80  Bard
81-90  Paladin
91+     Wizard or Sorceror

For level, I roll to determine the leader's level in comparison. Then all others in the party will be 1 to 3 levels lower than the leader.

Table Rules

My House Rules - These are the assumed rules I use for running all games. Even when I run other system stories and I am gm, this is what I think should be the default. Again, most times unless it is appropriate, I just use these rules unless there`s apart of the story/game that dictates otherwise.


Clerics, except for raise dead spells, require only one spell component - their holy symbol, this is the rule for all spells regardless of the description in the PHB or other sources. Clerics are utterly tied to their holy symbol, which is why most will have more than one in their possession.  If they lose access to their holy symbol, they cannot cast any spells. One free feat clerics receive at first level is Create Holy Symbol. This requires 1 hour of prayer at an obelisk or holy site, (or six hours otherwise) and they must verbally say the required prayers. If they are unable to complete the verbal and somatic components, they cannot complete this ritual.

Wizards do not require spell components for spells less than 3rd level while in cities, as there is plenty of magical energies as a result of the obelisks or temples nearby. This is not assumed to be the case in remote areas. The dedication of the obelisk is unimportant, if it acts as a connection to the heavenly or demonic forces, it will still charge all spell casters as noted above.

Undead arise when anything dies and the corpse is not properly interned. Things killed by undead generally take 5-12 days, unless a shorter period is listed in the monsters description. If killed by anything else (including a natural death), it usually takes 21-40 days, and will usually arise as a Carcass (HD 1+.) Anything that dies in a settled area will be buried in either a druid's grove, temple's catacombs or public mausoleum usually called Tower of Sorrow. Searing Towers are an archaic tradition of cremation, especially in Phastia, the Desert Lands. Creating undead is perhaps the most vile and hated action imaginable, no society (evil or chaotic ones) condones it.

Constructs treat their HD number as their intelligence, wisdom and charisma scores until they reach 15 HD. If they have an intelligent score higher than 7, they can speak. Otherwise use as per the construct entry in the MM. Constructs have no soul at creation, though rare, it is possible for them to generate one. Some sentient constructs worship the Holy Cog, and can gain cleric levels in lawful forces.

Cosmology There are no stars in the sky. 4 moons dominate. The seasons, magic cycles, predictions are based on their relative locations. There are actually more than 100 moons all around, very few of them are ever actually visible without a telescope, but they all have meaning and most have specific connections to magic, fate and the gods. Weeks are also usually called the Ten-Day. Years are called Cycles. Months are often called Turns, and are each five weeks long there are 15 to a standard year. Holidays occur outside of the weeks.

Deities The High Gods cannot physically come to Nyssa, only their proxies or servants. Most gods have multiple domains, each will have a different proxy or Avatar. These are utterly and completely loyal. Demi-Gods are able to walk the land, but only in areas of their faithful.

Active vs Passive Skill Checks: If the player asks to do something, that is an active roll, and done as normal. At any time, a DM can roll at a half chance check to determine if they notice or realize something that just jumps into their heads, this is a passive roll.

Roll vs Role Playing: How they do something is equally important as a dice roll. For example with trap finding: If a player tells me what they are going to do or how they are going to check, if it fits the scenario, I give them a bonus to the skill check roll. If a player tells me look for traps, without any detail or description, they just roll the dice. This is how a non-thief can potentially disarm a trap, or convince a stranger to do something, or anything else in game, etc.

Low Magic My world is an assumed low magic item world, every dweomered item essentially decays over months (or years), so going into a dungeon they might find info, scrolls and coins, but all the 'Real Magic' has long since faded back into the Ether. Only items found on an outer-plane or at last partially stuck in the Ether can avoid this, but then once on Nyssa, the decay starts to happen. There are ways to avoid this, but usually only available at higher levels.

Free Character Change No penalty for changing characters: outside of a dungeon.  Go ahead, play what you want. Getting killed imposes a slight drop in level for starting a new character.

Dueling Proficiency: Most characters are proficient with both rapier and dagger, as duels are common and it is the weapon of choice for aristocrats and most soldiers. You can carry these anywhere. Many places allow dueling, as it's assumed that both parties consent. Even in places that do not allow dueling as a daily practice, it happens on Sword Day (last day of the Ten-Day week) as its a traditional fair day when competition happens. Duels, both for training and honor occur regularly. The majority of duels are stopped once three strikes happen or other stated condition.

Firearms are available in some remote locations much more common than urban ones. Though guns cannot be enchanted; ammunition can be. However, it is more common for ammunition to be made out of magical materials (like anthril), but is rare and expensive.

Spells or spell-like affects are not affected by critical or fumble rolls unless there are side rules specifically in the spell description.

Teleport Spell (5th level) can only be cast from one teleport pad to another. You must know the exact location of the second pad. If it is blocked (a simple cloth covering it) you cannot teleport through. It takes one hour to carve a temporary teleport insignia in sand (up to six hours if in stone.) The Greater Teleport (7th level) does not need a teleport pad to begin; but it always needs a teleport pad to go to.


A hoard of gold (especially coins) act as a blocker, which is one reasons why kings and dragons cannot be scryed. Top priority.

A hoard of silver (especially coins) acts as an enhancer to many spell & spell effects involving illusions.  Most Fey collect silver for this reason. Seconded priority.

A hoard of platinum (especially coins) prevents charm spells & effects. Some say this is why it is so rare. No Priority - works when there are more platinum in one central location.

A hoard of electrum (especially coins) prevents deception in spells or spell effects.

A hoard of copper coins prevents strength draining magic or effects. Giants always have tonnes of copper in their lairs.