Planet Creation for Skulls Without Number
I recently completed two sessions of (literal) worldbuilding for my upcoming 40k Rogue Trader campaign, Skulls Without Number.1 I've decided to publish the generation system I used to my blog, so others who might find it useful can use it.
If you want to get straight into the procedure, jump to this part of the post.
Background
A Rogue Trader game is nothing without a bunch of planets to roll up to and die on exploit. FFG's RT books have a whole bunch of wonderous, terrifying, and gothic planets, but I am eternally dissatisfied with published settings and have never used a published setting as-written.2 I set a goal for myself - twenty star systems and however many planets they contained, plus whatever published material I wanted to incorporate. Twenty original systems was, however, a daunting task.
Friend of the witch Sammy had a post on collaborative worldbuilding for Traveller-alike games, which could lead to more interest and investment for the players. I was intrigued by this idea since I first read it, and I thought the best time to try it out would be in a new campaign.3 Naturally, that meant I needed some sort of procedure for generating systems and planets that I could share with prospective players and interested worldbuilders.
Den of Inequity
FFG's Rogue Trader had one worldbuilding supplement, Stars of Inequity. I have the same feeling on it as I have for most of the Rogue Trader line: it's chockful of fantastic ideas, interesting prompts, and even some helpful GM advice, placed next to or inside of systems that are far too fiddly and untested.
I generated one star system with Stars of Inequity. It took two hours, and left me with a system that, while detailed, needed additional work in order to make interesting and playable. There were so many interlocking mechanisms, so much page flipping to check conditionals, and so many terms that went undefined, despite being used like they had strict definitions. It sailed past the details that mattered and jumped right into details that didn't. Some of this was resolved by automating the process into a spreadsheet, but it couldn't solve the heart of the problem. I knew it was time to grab the butcher's knife4 and hack.
Stars of Inequity had some things I liked. It struck a perfect balance between being physics-influenced (with different chances for temperature and atmosphere based on where a planet was, for instance), while still flying at a high enough level to avoid the scientifically-accurate rabbithole. I wasn't doing hard sci-fi; I needed this to be vaguely plausible not perfectly accurate. It added a lot of things to planets and systems that were immediately relevant to players in a Rogue Trader game - resources, orbitals, natives that might chase you off if you try to convert them. The names and categories evoked that proper gothic, unknown feeling I was seeking.
And I could cut out a lot of the modifiers, drop "no result" results, and condense some of the detailed procedures to optional sub-procedures. However, I'd need a good skeleton to hang it on.
But I asked myself, why not just use the system generators from the other RPGs I had, like Traveller or Stars Without Number?
Unnumbered Travellers
Traveller (as used in Sammy's post) has a very simple procedure for system generation. Unfortunately, it tends to come without a natural "interesting detail" step. Stars Without Number, the spot where the Traveller lineage meets D&D, adds Planet Tags, the natural complement to all the high level detail for a Traveller star system.
Still, I found Traveller and SWN unsuited to my needs as well. They didn't generate systems that worked for me. I liked that Stars of Inequity generated systems with an eye towards exploration and colonization, something I wanted to emphasize in this game. The systems I wanted were not pieces of a grand interstellar empire; well-developed systems of powerful starfaring civilizations should be rare. Traveller and SWN's generation results often in planets with tens or hundreds of millions of people, with enough technology for space fleets amd interstellar contact. Under default procedures, no thought is given to how to place it in a star system to be discovered - as stated in those games' assumptions, the players are likely working off of a fully explored map.
Still, I liked the simplified way SWN rolled through the atmosphere, climate, and biosphere of a planet. Of course, I loved the planet tags, though they would require some curation. It was the perfect skeleton to hang my design on.
Hybrid Vigor
I combined bits and pieces of Stars of Inequity with the generation of SWN to produce what I have here. I incorporated some of my original procedures as well. It worked exceptionally well for my purposes, generating interesting planets and prompting many cool ideas. Without further ado, here's my procedure.
Planet Generation for Skulls Without Number
Assumptions
This generator assumes you've generated a system, along with any system elements you may need, and one or more terrestrial planets in that system. It assumes you know the rough distance of that planet to the star (the zone.)5
This generator also assumes you are generating planets in the Koronus Expanse, or some other semi-explored, relatively shadowed part of space in the 41st Millennium. This could probably be hacked a bit to generate planets in the Calixis Sector or any more well-established sectors of space. If so, the main things to change would be the rolls for the Inhabitants, and eliminating some of the xenos- and colony-oriented tags from the Planet Tags lists. You might also want to change the probabilities of some less habitable atmospheres and such. Also, do not generate Resources. On worlds the Imperium has controlled for centuries, the resources that would be of interest to a Rogue Trader have already been fully exploited.
While this procedure will generate the physical characteristics, inhabitants, and resources for the planet, the user will need to put in some work to tie it all together. The results have been left mostly system-agnostic, except where noted.
Planet Generation Procedure
- Note the zone and lord (orbited object, either gas giant or star) for the planet.
- Roll for the planet's Size and Gravity.
- Roll twice for the planet's Planet Tags.
- Roll for the Atmosphere, based on the Gravity of the planet.
- Roll for the Temperature, modified based on the Zone of the planet.
- Roll for the Biosphere, changing the rolled dice based on the Atmosphere and Temperature.
- Roll to see if there is a notable Orbital Feature, modified by the planet's Gravity.
- Roll to determine if the planet has any intelligent Inhabitants. If so, roll to determine the type of inhabitants, Development Level, and Population size. Optionally, roll Sovereignty and Government for the population.
- Roll for the Resources present on the planet.
- Write up a description of the planet. Create at least 1 NPC or creature that would be friendly to the party, 1 that would be hostile, 1 location, and 1 complication that could arise on the planet. Use the tags as guidance and inspiration!
- If you prefer, roll up additional Optional Details to help flesh out the planet.
Planetary Data
Planetary information is organized as follows:
| Name | Zone | Lord | Size | Gravity | Atmosphere | Temperature | Biosphere | Orbital Features | Resources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exemplaria VII | Inner Cauldron | Exemplaria | Small | High | Thick | Freezing | Human-miscible | 3 Moons | Radioactives 36, Industrial Metals 72 |
Inhabitant data are organized as follows:
| Polity Name | Species | Government | Development | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governate of Exemplaria | Xenos (Minor) | Bureaucratic Monarchy | Voidfarers | 10,000,000 |
Planet Generation Notes
Unless otherwise indicated, the minimum and maximum results of all rolls are 2 and 12, respectively. If a modified roll would be lower than 2 or higher than 12, treat that as a result of 2 or 12, respectively.
Size and Gravity
Roll 2d6 for the planet's size and gravity. Do not roll separately, read the result straight across.
| 2d6 | Size | Gravity |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Small | Normal |
| 3-4 | Small | Low |
| 5 | Large | Low |
| 6-8 | Large | Normal |
| 9 | Large | High |
| 10-11 | Vast | High |
| 12 | Vast | Normal |
Planet Tags
Generate two Planet Tags.
Only one planet in a system, the mainworld, requires Planet Tags. Once a system has a mainworld, the others should be built as supplemental locations. However, if you want to use Planet Tags for these worlds as well, feel free to do so.
Use planet tags as guidance for the random results you later receive. Resist the urge to attempt to override the results or reroll the Planet Tags if they conflict - instead, do your best to reconcile the results. However, if a result seems impossible or unfun, feel free to adjust the results.
Alternatively, if you prefer, roll Planet Tags after rolling for Inhabitants (below).
Atmosphere
Roll 2d6 for the type of atmosphere on the planet, using the column corresponding to the Gravity of the planet.
| 2d6 | Low | Normal | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Corrosive | Corrosive | Corrosive |
| 3 | Inert gas | Inert gas | Inert gas |
| 4 | Airless | Airless | Thin |
| 5 | Airless | Breathable | Breathable |
| 6 | Airless | Breathable | Breathable |
| 7 | Airless | Breathable | Thick |
| 8 | Thin | Breathable | Thick |
| 9 | Breathable | Breathable | Thick |
| 10 | Breathable | Thick | Thick |
| 11 | Invasive | Invasive | Invasive |
| 12 | Invasive and Corrosive | Invasive and Corrosive | Invasive and Corrosive |
Temperature
Roll 2d6 for the general temperature of the planet. If the planet is in the Inner Cauldron zone, add +3. If it is in the Outer Reaches, add -3. These modifiers are doubled if the planet's atmosphere is Airless.
| 2d6 | Temperature |
|---|---|
| 2 | Frozen |
| 3 | Cold |
| 4-5 | Variable Cold |
| 6-8 | Temperate |
| 9-10 | Variable Warm |
| 11 | Warm |
| 12 | Burning |
Biosphere
Roll 2d6 for the Biosphere of the planet. If Atmosphere is "Breathable" and temperature is "Variable" or "Temperate", roll 3d4 instead of 2d6. If Atmosphere is "Airless", or temperature is "Frozen" or "Burning", roll 1d3+1 instead of 2d6.
| 2d6 | Biosphere |
|---|---|
| 2 | Remnant |
| 3 | Microbial |
| 4-5 | No native biosphere |
| 6-8 | Human-miscible |
| 9-10 | Immiscible |
| 11 | Corrupted |
| 12 | Engineered |
Orbital Feature
Roll a 2d6 to see if the planet has a notable orbital feature. Modify the roll by +1/-1 for High/Low Gravity.
| 2d6 | Orbital Feature |
|---|---|
| 2-6 | Nothing |
| 7 | Asteroid |
| 8 | Asteroid (Resource) |
| 9 | Moon |
| 10-11 | Moon (Resource) |
| 12 | Rings |
For Moon (Resource) and Asteroid (Resource) results, when generating Resources for the planet, generate 1 Mineral Resource for the orbital feature, with a -5 penalty to the Abundance roll. Note the Resource and the abundance with the Orbital Feature.
Inhabitants
Inhabitable planets are inhabited by an intelligent species on a roll of 9+ on 2d6. Uninhabitable plants are inhabited on an 11+. If the planet is the mainworld of the system, it is inhabited on a 7+ instead (regardless of its nominal habitability.)
For the purpose of this section, an uninhabitable planet is any planet with an Atmosphere besides "Breathable", "Thick", or "Thin", or has a Climate of Frozen or Burning.
Note that a planet does not need to be inhabitable or inhabited to have people (human or xenos) on it. There may be outposts, tiny resource collection sites, orbiting stations with dozens or hundreds of people, or scouting parties from distant polities.
Type of Inhabitants
If another world in the system is already inhabited, this world will only have different inhabitants on a 10+ on a 2d6. Otherwise, roll a 2d6 to determine which species inhabits this planet:
| 2d6 | Species |
|---|---|
| 2 | Eldar |
| 3 | Krootâ |
| 4-5 | Orksâ |
| 6-8 | Humans |
| 9-11 | Xenos (Minor) |
| 12 | Rak'Gol |
Entries with "â " should be rerolled for uninhabitable planets.
If the species is Human, decide whether or not the humans are active Imperial colonists or other settlers (arriving in the last 1,000 years and knowing of the Imperium), or lost civilizations (unaware of the Imperium and perhaps settled in the Age of Strife or Dark Age of Technology.) For "lore-accurate" results, roll a 1d4: on a 1, they are Imperial Humans; otherwise they are a lost civilization.
If the humans are a lost civilization, roll a 1d20 to see when it was established:
| 1d20 | Epoch | Establishment | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-3 | The Deluge | 500-1,000 Years Ago | This human civilization was established as a colony of the Imperium (or by Imperial dissidents) in the days after a stable route was discovered through the Maw. It may have been lost due to enemy action or through the vagaries of the Warp. The human civilization, regardless of how far it has fallen, will still bear the marks of Imperial architecture, technology, and perhaps even belief systems. Their knowledge of a greater human civilization in the stars may have dimmed, but is unlikely to have disappeared unless some planetary power willed it so. |
| 4 | Pre-Opening | 1,000-2,000 Years Ago | This human civilization is likely to be dissidents, recidivists, fanatics, or those who were otherwise forced to flee the Calixis Sector and the Imperium for the unknown. Most of them died to the perils of Warp travel, but the handful that made it through settled and perhaps prospered, if the planet was right. The civilizations may maintain some memory of the hated or fallen Imperium, it is inaccurate, perhaps extremely. While the mark of Imperial architecture and customs will still be upon them, the faith or ideology that drove them out of the Imperium will be central to their society, even as the culture drifts over the centuries. |
| 5-6 | Angevin Crusade | 3,000-4,000 Years Ago | This planet was settled by humans as part of the hypervanguard of the Crusade, or by the heathens fleeing the Crusade's cleansing flame. If the former, they may remember well their purpose and the glorious personages that set them to it, even if their watch has grown long. If the latter, they will have their own alien architecture, as well as a deep cultural hatred for the Imperium - no matter how long the embers have cooled. |
| 7 | Age of Apostasy | 5,000-6,000 Years Ago | Fleeing the upheavals of the age, humans settled this planet for safety and obscurity. They maintained many Imperial customs, but in the intervening millennia they curdled and evolved into strange, disgustingly novel things. Without the guiding rod of the Inquisition and Ecclesiarchy, their faith and devotion might even have turned to the darker powers of the Warp, who always whisper loudest in times of uncertainty and upheaval. |
| 8-10 | Great Crusade | 10,000-11,000 Years Ago | Humans settled this planet in the days of the Emperor's Great Crusade, that era of myth and legend. The civilization was lost during the dark days of the Horus Heresy. The civilization will bear architecture that will be familiar to modern Imperial humans, yet distinct, going down different lines of evolution. At this age it is unlikely that any knowledge or memory of a wider Imperium exists. Multiple cultures have risen and fallen in that time, enough to wash the memories of the glorious establishment of the Imperium into fanciful tales of far-off stars. |
| 11 | Age of Strife | 11,000-25,000 Years Ago | This human civilization was settled during or just before the Age of Strife, those dark days when the entire galaxy was beset by nightmares and madness. How this civilization was lost is obvious; how it persisted is mysterious. Inevitably the Dark Age technology of these civilizations will be poorly preserved, and the civilization will have degenerated into savagery at least once in its millennia-long existence. |
| 12-18 | Dark Age of Technology | 25,000-35,000 Years Ago | The most common form of lost civilization. Humanity colonized many worlds during this age, many of which have persisted happily and ignorantly as the galaxy burned in the grim darkness of the far future. This civilization may have voluntarily separated itself from greater humanity in the extreme ancient past, or it was lost like so many others during the Age of Strife. It likely had an STC, though twenty-five millennia of degradation has almost certainly rendered it non-functional. Still, STC blueprints may persist, and the civilization's architecture and technology will reflect STC designs. Dark Age colonies existed long enough for their inhabitants to have mutated and adapted to their planet, if they were not gengineered with adaptations at the founding. Dozens, maybe hundreds of cultures have risen and fallen on the planet in the long period it has been cut off. If it retained advanced technology, it may be aware there is something out there, in the stars, but specific knowledge of the Imperium is unlikely. |
| 19 | Ancient Age | 35,000-46,000 Years Ago | This lost civilization predates humanity's general spread among the stars. While not impossible, it is highly improbable. The cultures on this planet are totally alien not only to the Imperium, but even to whatever founding world or civilization established them. These worlds are marked by strangeness, for before the first great wave of human expansion, the only way to distant worlds was by dark sorcery, rare natural phenomena, or pure luck. The effects of these strange foundings show themselves in the civilization's impossible technologies, alien customs, or bizarre bodies. |
| 20 | Prehistory | 46,000+ Years Ago | By some dark miracle, human presence and civilization on this planet predates even the earliest record of human history on Holy Terra. All tests and experiments will confirm it. How is this possible? |
Development Level
Roll 2d6 to see what level of development the inhabitants are at. Entries with "â " should be rerolled for uninhabitable planets.
| 2d6 | Humans | Eldar | Krootâ | Orksâ | Rak'Gol | Xenos (Minor) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-3 | Colony | Primitive Clansâ | Primitive Clans | Colony | Colony | Colony |
| 4 | Basic Industryâ | Primitive Clansâ | Primitive Clans | Advanced Industry | Colony | Basic Industryâ |
| 5-6 | Pre-Industrialâ | Primitive Clansâ | Primitive Clans | Advanced Industry | Voidfarers | Pre-Industrialâ |
| 7 | Voidfarers | Orbital Habitation | Primitive Clans | Primitive Clans | Voidfarers | Voidfarers |
| 8 | Advanced Industry | Orbital Habitation | Primitive Clans | Primitive Clans | Voidfarers | Advanced Industry |
| 9 | Advanced Industry | Orbital Habitation | Colony | Voidfarers | Voidfarers | Primitive Clansâ |
| 10 | Primitive Clansâ | Voidfarers | Colony | Voidfarers | Orbital Habitation | Primitive Clansâ |
| 11 | Orbital Habitation | Voidfarers | Colony | Advanced Industry | Orbital Habitation | Orbital Habitation |
| 12 | Orbital Habitation | Voidfarers | Colony | Colony | Orbital Habitation | Orbital Habitation |
Population
Roll 2d6 for the order of magnitude of the population, then multiply the order of magnitude by 1d10.
| 2d6 | Population |
|---|---|
| 2 | Thousands |
| 3 | Tens of Thousands |
| 4-5 | Hundreds of Thousands |
| 6-8 | Millions |
| 9-10 | Tens of Millions |
| 11 | Hundreds of Millions |
| 12 | Billions |
If desired, the 2d6 population magnitude roll can be used unmodified. However, for a "lore-accurate" population magnitude, modify the roll with the following modifiers:
| Feature Type | Feature | Modifier |
|---|---|---|
| Development Level | Colony | -3 |
| Development Level | Basic Industry | -1 |
| Development Level | Pre-Industrial | -1 |
| Development Level | Voidfarers | +1 |
| Development Level | Advanced Industry | 0 |
| Development Level | Primitive Clans | -2 |
| Development Level | Orbital Habitation | -2 |
| Species | Eldar | -3 |
| Species | Rak'Gol | -2 |
| Species | Orks | +1 |
| Species | Human (Extreme World) | -1 |
| Biosphere | Remnant | -1 |
Human (Extreme Worlds) refers to human inhabitants on any world where the atmosphere is not Breathable, Thin, or Thick, or the Temperature is not Variable or Temperate.
Sovereignty (Optional)
Optionally, multiple independent polities can be generated for Humans and Xenos (Minor). For explanations and the number of polities to generate, see Sovereignty. However, roll on the following table for Sovereignty instead of the version found in that post:
| 2d6 Roll | Planetary Politics |
|---|---|
| 2-4 | Anarchy |
| 5 | Balkanization |
| 6-8 | Unified |
| 9-10 | Duopoly |
| 11 | Multipolar |
| 12+ | Tribalism |
If desired, additional polities can be of a different species, but should be of the same or equivalent development level.
Do not roll for Tech Level or Standard of Living.
Government (Optional)
Optionally, for Humans and Xenos (Minor) roll to determine the government, a combination of regime and administration:
| 1d10 | Regime | 1d6 | Administration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bureaucratic | 1 | City-State |
| 2 | Corporate | 2 | Democracy |
| 3 | Federal | 3 | Dictatorship |
| 4 | Feudal | 4 | Monarchy |
| 5 | Military | 5 | Oligarchy |
| 6 | Republican | 6 | Vestigal (reroll) |
| 7 | Revolutionary | ||
| 8 | Technocratic | ||
| 9 | Theocratic | ||
| 10 | Tribal |
For Kroot and Eldar Exodites (Primitive Clans), roll only for Administration. Kroot and Eldar Primitive Clans are always Tribal; Kroot Colonies are always Military.
Orks always have the government "Hooliganism." Rak'Gol always have the government "Despoiling Horde."
For descriptions, see the Government section of Sovereignty.
Resources
Generate the number of resource deposits on the planet, their type, and their Abundance. Note each deposit as a combination of type and abundance. For example, "Radioactives 27", or "Curative 55".
The number of Mineral Resource and Additional Resource deposits depends on a planet's size:
| Size | Mineral Resources | Additional Resources |
|---|---|---|
| Small | 1d5-2 (min 0) | 1d5-3 (min 0) |
| Large | 1d5 | 1d5-2 |
| Vast | 1d10 | 1d5-1 |
For each Mineral Resource, generate the type:
| 2d6 | Mineral Type |
|---|---|
| 2-3 | Petrochemicals |
| 4-5 | Radioactives |
| 6-8 | Industrial Metals |
| 9-10 | Ornamentals |
| 11-12 | Exotic Materials |
If you are worldbuilding collaboratively, do not roll to see which Additional Resources are found, just the number of deposits. Otherwise, roll to determine the type of Additional Resources:
| 2d6 | Additional Resource |
|---|---|
| 2-4 | Archeotech Cache |
| 5-9 | Organic Compound (reroll if uninhabitable) |
| 10-12 | Xenos Ruins |
For Organic Compounds, roll to determine which type:
| 2d6 | Organic Resources |
|---|---|
| 2-3 | Juvenat Compound |
| 4-5 | Curative |
| 6-8 | Vivid Accessory |
| 9-10 | Toxin |
| 11-12 | Exotic Compound |
Resource Abundance
Roll 1d100 for each Resource's Abundance.
Depending on the polities on a planet (if any), a certain number of resource deposits will be capped, representing the local population already taking them and using them to build their society. Cap the Resource's Abundance at the Max Deposit, according to the Development Level of the polity or Major Polities on the planet, for up to the No. of Resources. Depending on the Species and Population, the No. of Resources capped and the Max Deposit may be adjusted further.
| Feature Type | Feature | No. of Resources | Max Deposit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Development Level | Colony | N/A | N/A |
| Development Level | Basic Industry | 5 | 70 |
| Development Level | Pre-Industrial | 2 | 80 |
| Development Level | Voidfarers | 5 | 50 |
| Development Level | Advanced Industry | 3 | 60 |
| Development Level | Primitive Clans | 1 | 90 |
| Development Level | Orbital Habitation | 0 | 0 |
| Species | Eldar | All (Organic Compounds) | +10 |
| Species | Eldar Voidfarers | All | No Negative Mods |
| Species | Orks | +2 | -5 |
| Population | Tens of Millions | +1 | -5 |
| Population | Hundreds of Millions | +1 | -10 |
| Population | Bilions | +1 | -15 |
Optional Details
Territories
Territories are specific areas of the planet, with striking landscapes, unique flora, or major landmarks. They may be remnants of planetary formation, host unique species, bear the marks of some ancient race, or hide the resources of the planet from orbital observation. Regardless, they are important and they have defined boundaries. Most of the planet will be made up of "typical" terrain for a planet of its type; Territories are those notable enough to receive a label on a map. Examples of territories from Earth include the Himalayan Mountains, the Sahara Desert, the Black Forest prior to human arrival, the Great Lakes, or the Nile swamp floodplain. Examples of territories outside Earth include Cydonia on Mars.
Uninhabitable planets have no Territories or one Territory, depending on what would be logical for them. Otherwise, the number of territories is dependent on planet size. Small planets have 1d3 Territories, large planets have 1d6 territories, and Vast planets have 1d10 territories. Inhabitable worlds with ecosystems have +1 territory.
Territories can be described in any way you want. If the planet has Tags that indicate certain physical characteristics, they should inform the Territories created for the planet.
If you want inspiration for the type of territory, roll on the following table:
| 1d6 | Territory |
|---|---|
| 1 | Forest |
| 2 | Mountain |
| 3 | Plains |
| 4 | Swamp |
| 5 | Wasteland |
| 6 | Sea |
Territories should have some aspect to them that makes navigating them different or more difficult than the rest of the planet. This can be the pure harshness of the terrain, but can also be for other reasons. A swampy wasteland could be full of mud and impede any ground movement, or it could be a toxic cauldron of diseases and plagues. A forest might be composed not of trees or planets, but some more exotic organisms or materials, like chitinous limbs or sighing flesh. Plains might be riddled with a karst landscape. A wasteland might bear no relief at all, and simply be an unrelenting zone of death. Territories could feature extreme landscapes, unique species, or be placed in an unusual location.
Landmarks
A landmark is a major, singular feature of the planet, unlike the regions that are Territories. Landmarks, depending on what they are, can assist with navigation, make travel easier or harder, expose valuable resources, or present a physical challenge to explorers. These are features that could appear on any planet, so it generally does not include any city or megastructure currently used by the inhabitants.
If desired, each Territory can have one or more landmarks. Landmarks, like Territories, should be guided by the Planet Tags. If you need inspiration for a Landmark, roll on the table below:
| 1d10 | Landmark |
|---|---|
| 1 | Canyon |
| 2 | Cave Network |
| 3 | Crater |
| 4 | Mountain Peak |
| 5 | Volcano |
| 6 | Glacier |
| 7 | Great Lakes |
| 8 | Perpetual Storm |
| 9 | Reef |
| 10 | Whirlpool |
| 11 | Derelict Vessal |
| 12 | Death Zone |
| 13 | Lost City |
| 14 | Warren/Hollow |
| 15 | Xenoform Biome |
| 16 | Hidden Oasis |
| 17 | Warp-Tainted Region |
| 18 | Ancient Battlefield |
| 19 | Mighty River |
| 20 | Isthmus/Strait |
Write out the landmark with its territory, as "Territory (Landmark)."
Emblematic Beast
If there is a biosphere, feel free to roll a random signature animal found on the planet. Roll their Archetype and then their Nature.
| 1d6 | Archetype |
|---|---|
| 1 | Apex Predator |
| 2 | Behemoth |
| 3 | Ptera-Beast |
| 4 | Shadowed Stalker |
| 5 | Venomous Terror |
| 6 | Reroll |
| 1d10 | Apex Predator | Behemoth | Ptera-Beast | Shadowed Stalker | Venomous Terror |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adapted | Beyond Challenge | Aerial Impossibility | Adapted | Deadly Touch |
| 2 | Adapted | Beyond Challenge | Doom Diver | Adapted | Delirium Bringer |
| 3 | Brute | Impossible Grace | Doom Diver | Chameleonic | Toxic Hunter |
| 4 | Brute | Leviathan | Earth-Scorning | Chameleonic | Toxic Hunter |
| 5 | Cunning Stalker | Leviathan | Earth-Scorning | Deadly Ambusher | Hidden Death |
| 6 | Cunning Stalker | Megapredator | Skyless Flight | Deadly Ambusher | Hidden Death |
| 7 | Killing Machine | Megapredator | Swift Flyer | Lure | Poisonous Presence |
| 8 | Living Arsenal | Titanborn | Swift Flyer | Shadow Walking | Poisonous Presence |
| 9 | Natural Prowess | Unstoppable | Swift Flyer | Vanisher | Potent Toxins |
| 10 | Natural Prowess | Unstoppable | Wyrdwing | Vanisher | Potent Toxins |
Proper campaign title pending. It's the name of the system, so it serves well enough as a working title.↩
And I don't intend to start now or ever.↩
See this post for some further thoughts on collaborative worldbuilding.↩
As a wise man once said, "The greatest tool of Creation is the knife."↩
You can get as granular as you want with this, and rope in as much real physics as you can handle, but for my purposes, I decided to use the three zones of Stars of Inequity: Inner Cauldron (close), Primary Biosphere (medium), and Outer Reaches (far).↩