Strange Land/Plane Generator

There is Therefore a Strange Land continues, alongside New Troy (more on that in a future post). I keep describing TTSL as "Planescape meets The Magician's Nephew meets William Blake". The gist is as follows: at the start of play, one of the PCs inherits the home of a deceased uncle, which contains a study; inside the study is a portal to a liminal "vestibule" which in turn contains portals to other universes. Also inside the study is a series of clues and information about what the other universes are like and what they contain - and how to get into them. In addition to this, the game assumes an early-19th Century real world in which a vast network of secret societies of aristocrats, collectors, priests, devil-worshippers, thieves, royals, artists and poets know about the existence of other portals and universes and are busily engaged in trying to exploit them. So as well as adventuring in the "Strange Lands", the PCs also explore the (to me equally interesting) question of what happens in the real world when they bring things back...

Like Yoon-Suin it is mostly formed from random tables. I'm currently working on the "Strange Land" generator itself. This is what I'm fooling around with; there's a lot to be fleshed out (including all the subtables), but this will give an idea of the kind of thing I'm aiming for.

Strange Land Generator

Dice	Base Type (refer to subtables)	Psyche	Special Conditions*	Inhabitants**
1	Single element (subtable 1)	Neutral	Gunpowder/chemistry does not function	One species only
2	Mix of elements (blend) (subtable 1)	Pleasure	Unstable – has a 1% chance of collapse and regeneration as a new Strange Land after each visit	Appropriate inhabitants for base type
3	Mix of elements (distinct) (subtable 1)	Optimism	Very small – only a matter of miles or even metres
4	Maze/Construct (subtable 2)	Beginning	One human sense does not function
5	Tunnels (artificial) (subtable 3)	Light	Air is not breathable; special equipment, alchemy or magic required
6	Tunnels (natural) (subtable 3)	Pain	Many layers of different base types
7	Tunnels (mix) (subtable 4)	Barren	Gravity is very strong	Random distribution of intelligent races (2d6)
8	Single natural terrain type (subtable 5)	Ending	Gravity is very weak
9	Single climate type (subtable 6)	Dark	Gravity is sideways	Many gargantuan beasts
10	Mix of terrains (subtable 5)	Order	Gravity is reversed	Many demigods
11	Mix of climates (subtable 6)	Chaos	Bytopia type	Every individual is an amalgam of many species
12	Unusual***	Neutral	Many spheres separated by vaccuum	Every individual is a separate species

*Only roll if desired

**Think of your own, choose appropriately, or randomly determine from Monstrous Manual

***Inside the belly of a leviathan, an infinite lake’s surface covered in giant lilypads, a vast graveyard, a world of toadstools, etc.

Subtable 1 – Elements

Roll d3+3 times where the result indicates a blend or mix.

Dice	Element	Dice	Element
1	Earth	11	Mist
2	Air	12	Mineral
3	Fire	13	Radiance
4	Water	14	Storm
5	Void	15	Ice
6	Wood	16	Ooze
7	Metal	17	Magma
8	Salt	18	Smoke
9	Dust	19	Plasma
10	Ash	20	Nexus

  

Sutable 2 – Maze/Construct

Dice	Type
1	An infinite maze of traditional type – hedgerows and gardens
2	An infinitely large art gallery and/or museum
3	An infinitely large library
4	An infinite cabinet of outlandishly sized curiosities
5	A universe of gears, cogs, pistons, and/or clockwork
6	A vast metallic geometric solid, or a universe of them
7	An endless hall of mirrors
8	An infinite staircase with rooms leading off

Subtable 3 – Tunnels

Roll d3 times. For a mix, roll a d3 in each column.

Dice	Artificial	Natural
1	Wood-panelled corridors	The veins or digestive tract of a vast beast
2	Primitive stone	Volcanic caves
3	Advanced masonry	Solutional caves
4	Mines and construction works	Glacier caves
5	Giant worm, mole, ant tunnels	Infinitely deep sinkhole with caves leading off
6	Metallic corridors	Crystal caves

And so forth.