Events and Encounters
Scarland Hex

1: Roll 1d6 for every 10 km travelled in Scarland to find the predominant terrain. Add +1 for every 10 km from the nearest city, max +4.

Terrain
1d6 Terrain
1 Suburban community
2 Suburban community
3 Suburban community
4 Irrigated fields
5 Irrigated fields
6 Irrigated fields
7 Open ground
8 Open ground
9 Open ground
10 Open ground

2: Roll 1d6 every hour for an event.

Event
1d6 Suburban community Irrigated fields Open ground
1 No event No event No event
2 Human/Zurph Human/Zurph Human/Zurph
3 Human/Zurph Animal Wild animal
4 Human/Zurph Animal Wild animal
5 Human/Zurph Wild animal Wild animal
6 Storm Storm Storm


3a: If the event is an Human/Zurph encounter roll 1d6 for specifics and resolve as normal.

Human/Zurph Encounter
1d6 Suburban community Irrigated fields Open ground
1 Police patrol Police patrol Police patrol
2 1d6 citizens (general) 1d6 citizens (general) 1d6 citizens (general)
3 2d6 citizens (general) 1d6 citizens (farmers) Military unit
4 3d6 citizens (general) 2d6 citizens (farmers) Military unit
5 Military unit Military unit Military unit
6 1d6 offworlders 1d6 offworlders 1d6 offworlders

  • Police patrol - Usually one Human and one Zurph police officer in a patrol speeder.
  • Citizens (general) - A group of local inhabitants (Human or Zurph or mixed) going about their business.
  • Citizens (farmers) - You need an explanation of this?
  • Military unit - A group of soldiers (usually just a squad) on a training exercise (usually a patrol).
  • Offworlders - Can be IISS, tourists, merchants, off-duty marines from the starport, or a group of adventurers up to no good.

3b: If the event is a domestic animal encounter roll 1d6 to determine what animal and resolve as normal. (Animal table near bottom of page)

Domestic Animal Encounter
1d6 Animal
1 Hog Dog
2 Sweating Hoglets
3 Sweating Hoglets and a Hog Dog
4 Yorian Goat
5 Yorian Goat
6 Yorian Goatlings


3c: If the event is a wild animal encounter roll 1d6 to determine what animal and resolve as normal. (Animal table near bottom of page)

Wild Animal Encounter
1d6 Animal
1 Rats
2 Plated Racoon
3 Rainbow Flies
4 Rainbow Flies
5 Yorian Mongoose (aka "Egg Thief")
6 Gull

3d: If the event is a storm then a rainstorm (possibly violent) will start. Roll 2d6 for the severity (Beaufort Scale number) and 1d6 for the duration in hours.


Desert Hex

1: Roll 1d6 for every 100 km travelled in the desert to find the predominant terrain. Note that an "oasis" on Yori means an outcrop of moisture producing Desert Coral.

Terrain
1d6 Terrain
1 Rocky desert plateau (roll 6 on 1d6 for an oasis)
2 Rough valleys and canyons (roll 6 on 1d6 for an oasis)
3 Rocky desert with mesas, buttes, and columns (roll 6 on 1d6 for an oasis)
4 Salt flats
5 Desert surface of gravel laid down in a mosaic (roll 5 or 6 on 1d6 for an oasis)
6 Dune sea

2: Roll 1d6 every 9 hours for an event.

Events
Terrain No event Animal Storm
Oasis (any desert terrain) 1 2-5 6
Rocky desert plateau 1-4 5 6
Rough valleys and canyons 1-3 4-5 6
Meas, buttes, and columns 1-4 5 6
Salt flats 1-5 - 6
Desert surface of gravel 1-4 5 6
Dune sea 1-5 - 6


3a: If the event is a wild animal encounter roll 1d6 to determine what animal and resolve as normal. (Animal table near bottom of page)

Wild Animals
1d6 Animal
1 Death Wings
2 Sand Snake
3 Plated Racoon
4 Rainbow Flies
5 Black Darter
6 Little Devil (desert variety: aka "Sand Spider")


3b: If the event is a storm then a violent wind will start, causing a "duststorm" (or a "sandstorm" if in a dune sea). Roll 1d6+6 for the severity (Beaufort Scale number) and 1d6 for the duration in hours, but if a 6 is rolled then roll 1d6 for the duration in days!

Sand is heavy, so a sandstorm is rarely above 2 meters in height. It will resemble a vast, thick, rolling carpet gliding over the desert. Characters in the open without filter masks who cannot get their heads above the cloud will take 1 point of damage every 5 minutes (from smothering). Ground vehicles and shelters will be covered by 1d6-3 meters of sand. Characters in the open may take 1 point of damage from the abrasive action of the sand.

Dust, being lighter than sand, can be flung up to great heights by the wind. Characters in the open without filter masks will take 1 point of damage every 15 minutes (from smothering). Improvised a filter mask from a piece of cloth will reduce this to 1 point of damage every 30 minutes. Duststorms do not bury things like sandstorms do.

A duststorm on a salt flat is more dangerous. Characters in the open without filter masks will take 1 point of damage every 5 minutes (from smothering). Improvised a filter mask from a piece of cloth will reduce this to 1 point of damage every 10 minutes. Characters in the open may take 2 point of damage from the corrosive action of the salt.


Mountain Hex

1: Roll 1d6 for every 50 km travelled in the mountains to find the predominant terrain. Note that an ""oasis"" on Yori means an outcrop of moisture producing Desert Coral. (A ""canyon"" is a steep-sided valley.)

Terrain
1d6 Terrain
1 Mountainous with a valley (roll 6 on 1d6 for an oasis)
2 Mountainous with a canyon (roll 6 on 1d6 for an oasis)
3 Mountainous with a major fault escarpment
4 Mountainous with a volcano
5 Plateau
6 Badlands (roll 6 on 1d6 for an oasis)

Roll 1d6 for every 5 km travelled in mountainous terrain to find the predominant sub-terrain. The ""Movement"" column refers to speed on foot, some ground vehicles will find the more extreme slopes impassable and require a detour. (To detour ""travel"" 1 km at right angles to the intended path and then roll again.) To enter/leave a valley roll once on the slope table (re-rolling any 6s), the valley floor should be treated as Plateau. To enter/leave a canyon roll once on the slope table (re-rolling any 1s), the canyon floor should be treated as Plateau. (Scree slopes are covered by small rocks and debris, and thus are treacherous.)

Sub-terrain
1d6 Slope Movement
1 Gradual slope (15°) 100%
2 Gentle slope (30°) 75%
3 Gentle scree slope (30°) 20%
4 Moderate slope (45°) 50%
5 Moderate scree slope (45°) 10%
6 Steep slope (60°) 25%

A fault escarpment is a cliff produced by seismic activity. Roll 1d6, on 1-3 the PCs are at the foot of the cliff, on 4-6 the PCs are at the top of the cliff. It is 1d6 x 10 kilometers in length. If the PCs are on foot and are properly equipped they may climb the cliff.

Cliff
1d6 Fault escarpment
1 Sharp slope (75°)
2 Sheer cliff (90°)
3 Sheer cliff (90°)
4 Sheer cliff (90°)
5 Tiltback (105°)
6 Severe overhang (120°)


2a: Roll 1d6 every 9 hours for an event.

Events
Terrain No event Animal Rockfall Storm
Oasis (valley) 1-2 3-5 - 6
Oasis (canyon) 1 2-4 5 6
Oasis (badlands) 1-2 3-5 - 6
Valley 1-3 4-5 - 6
Canyon 1-2 3-4 5 6
Fault escarpment 1 2-3 4-5 6
Volcano 1-2 3-4 5 6
Plateau 1-3 4-5 - 6
Badlands 1-3 4-5 - 6

2b: Yori's volcanoes are ash type only (no lava). Roll 2d6 once a day, on a 12 there is some activity.

Events
1d6 Volcano Activity
1 Seismic quake (automatic rockfall event)
2 Minor eruption ... steam escapes from the crater (hopefully the PCs weren't in the crater at the time) visible as a tall white plume above the mountain
3 Minor eruption ... steam escapes and seismic quake (as above)
4 Moderate eruption ... a pillar of smoke extends into the sky, there are constant seismic quakes (automatic rockfall event), ash falls everywhere within a 10 km radius. Lasts for 2d6 x 30 minutes.
5 Major eruption ... a pillar of smoke extends into the sky, there are constant seismic quakes (automatic rockfall event), ash falls everywhere within a 2d6 x 10 km radius and burries everything under 2d6 x 2 meters of ash. Lasts for 2d6 x 2 hours.
6 Major eruption ... as above. In addition a cloud of poisonous gas will race down the side of the volcano at hurrican speeds in all directions (regardless of wind direction).


3a: If the event is an animal encounter roll 1d6 to determine what animal and resolve as normal. (Animal table near bottom of page)

Animal Encounters
1d6 Animal
1 Death Wings
2 Yorian Goat
3 Plated Racoon
4 Yorian Goatlings
5 Yorian Mongoose (aka ""Egg Thief"")
6 Little Devil (mountain variety)


3b: A rockfall or landslide event is dangerous. Roll 9+ on 2d6 for each character and/or vehicle to be hit by falling/rolling rocks. However ...

To dodge a rockfall while on foot:
Difficult, Dex, Fateful and hazardous

Referee: Task is harder if on a scree slope


3c: If the event is a storm then a violent wind will start. Movement rates may be reduced and climbing may be impossible. Roll 1d6+6 for the severity (Beaufort Scale number) and 1d6 for the duration in hours, but if a 6 is rolled then roll 1d6 for the duration in days!


3d: A volcanic ash fall is dangerous. Characters in the open without filter masks will take 1 point of damage every 5 minutes (from smothering). Improvised a filter mask from a piece of cloth will reduce this to 1 point of damage every 10 minutes. Characters in the open may take 2 point of damage from the burning action of cinders.


Animals

Animal Table
Qty Animal Mass Hits Armour Wounds Weapons Reactions
1 Black Darter 8 kg 3/1 none 1 teeth A6 F8 S2
 This mammalian animal is a hunter. It is very territorial and the largest Yorian animal. On a roll of 6 on 1d6 there are 2 Black Darters (a mated pair). Its bite is venomous and does 2 points of damage per day for 3 days (total 6 points of venom damage).

Qty Animal Mass Hits Armour Wounds Weapons Reactions
2d6 Death Wing 1 kg 1/0 none 1 beak A8 F4 S3
 This bird-like animal is a flying carrion-eater very similar to the Terran vulture. Treat its beak as teeth for combat purposes.

Qty Animal Mass Hits Armour Wounds Weapons Reactions
1d6 Gull 2 kg 1/1 none 2 claws A3 F8 S3
 This bird-like animal is a flying killer. Treat its beak as teeth for combat purposes. It usually nests in the faces of Scarland's cliff walls, and hunts like an eagle (but with more aggression once combat is joined). Although attacks on people are rare they are not unknown. Gull's behavior is often likened to that of Terran sharks.

Qty Animal Mass Hits Armour Wounds Weapons Reactions
1 Hog Dog 50 kg 5/5 none 2 claws & teeth A5 F7 S4
 This smart mammal is a chaser. It is a canine used as a "sheep dog" for the Sweating Hoglets. It is not natural to Yori.

Qty Animal Mass Hits Armour Wounds Weapons Reactions
1 Little Devil (desert) 3 kg 1/1 jack 1 stinger A0 F0 S1
 This arachnoid animal is a pouncer. It is sometimes called a "sand spider". It has an hard shell for defence, and a venomous stinger for attack. The stinger's venom does 1 point of damage per day for 3 days (total 3 points of venom damage).

Qty Animal Mass Hits Armour Wounds Weapons Reactions
1 Little Devil (mountain) 4 kg 2/1 jack 1 stinger A0 F0 S1
 This arachnoid animal is a pouncer. It is a slightly larger version of the sand spider. It has an hard shell for defence, and a venomous stinger for attack. The stinger's venom does 1 point of damage every 2 days for 4 days (total 2 points of venom damage).

Qty Animal Mass Hits Armour Wounds Weapons Reactions
1 Plated Racoon 6 kg 2/1 mesh 1 claws F0 A6 S1
 This mammalian animal is a intermittant. It looks like a Terran racoon inside a Terran tortoise shell.

Qty Animal Mass Hits Armour Wounds Weapons Reactions
1d6 Rat 1 kg 1/1 none 1 teeth A9 F3 S1
 This rodent is a carrion-eater.

Qty Animal Mass Hits Armour Wounds Weapons Reactions
1 Sand Snake 6 kg 4/1 jack 1 teeth F0 A8 S1
 This reptilian animal is a grazer. A herbivoreous snake!

Qty Animal Mass Hits Armour Wounds Weapons Reactions
6d6 Sweating Hoglet 15 kg 4/2 none 2 teeth F10 A4 S4
 This proto-mammal animal is a grazer. A cute piglet-like creature with big, mobile ears. It has brown and red stripes, a heavily-furred tail and belly, toed digitigrade feet, and a long prehensile nose. It is very fast. The sweating hoglet is not natural to Yori but was imported as a meat source.

Qty Animal Mass Hits Armour Wounds Weapons Reactions
1 Yorian Goat 6 kg 5/1 none 2 horns F5 A5 S2
 This marsupial is a grazer. It resembles a Terran goat, however it is egg laying. (See also: Yorian Goatling.)

Qty Animal Mass Hits Armour Wounds Weapons Reactions
1d6 Yorian Goatling 1 kg 1/0 none 1 horns F6 A4 S1
 A Yorian Goatling is an immature form of the Yorian Goat. Goat eggs are laid in clutches of upto 6, and when hatched the troop of goatlings stay together for defence until maturity.

Qty Animal Mass Hits Armour Wounds Weapons Reactions
1 Yorian Mongoose 6 kg 2/1 none 1 claws F0 A6 S1
 This mammalian animal is a gatherer. It is sometimes called an "Egg Thief". It is related to the Plated Racoon but without the hard shell (it looks like a hunch-back Terran racoon). In addition to eatting mountain grasses it also eats Goat eggs. It is not uncommon for the Mongoose to steal a Goat egg and take it back to its borrow, and wait for it to hatch before eatting the newborn goatling.


Desert Corel
One of the strangest creatures on Yori is Desert Coral. It is actually a fish, with three distinct stages in its lifecycle.

Desert Coral's first stage is as a 'sea snake' in the Undersea. When it reaches a length of about 1 meter in length it seeks out the highest point of the Undersea it can find. There it burrows into the roof until only its tail remains exposed.

In the second stage of its lifecycle the creature relies on its exposed tail to filter-feed neutrient from the water. It's outer skin becomes a hard tube and the creature continues to grow upward through the rock. Some specimens have been reported at over 250 meters in length!

If the creature reaches the surface it enters the third stage of it's lifecycle. When the head is exposed to daylight it dies and begins to rot ... however, the creature as a whole does not die. The revealed skull becomes colonised by algae. This algae relies on water pumped up from the Undersea by the Desert Coral. The Desert Coral receives neutrients from the algae in return.

When a Desert Coral fish successfully reaches the third stage of its lifecycle it releases chemicals into the water that attract other Desert Coral fish in the first stage of their lifecycle. Thus, when Desert Coral is found it is usually a large (but tight) mass of rotting fish heads. Such a mass gives off a powerful foul odor which draws animals from the surrounding areas.



Recommended reading:

  • The Desert Environment by William H. Keith, Jr
  • The Mountain Environment by J. Andrew Keith
  • 101 Lifeforms by BITS (the Sweating Hoglet is number 35)

 

     

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