The Burnt World of Athas

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Taking inspiration from Level Up Advanced 5e’s Trials and Treasures book, I created a D100 table of social encounters in the wilds or roads of Athas.

Roll Encounter
1 A group of escaped slaves seeking refuge from their brutal templar overseer.
2 A lone, wandering psionicist seeking lost knowledge of the ancient past.
3 A patrol of half-giant guards who suspect the PCs of water theft.
4 A noble’s patrol demanding tribute to pass through their territory.
5 A desperate merchant whose caravan of kanks has been attacked by raiders.
6 A dying elven courier with a message that could shift the balance of power in the Tablelands.
7 Curious pack of thri-kreen, who wish to approach and inspect the PCs, as the kreen are unfamiliar with their kind.
8 An erdlu herder, blocking the path and seeking help against desert predators.
9 A defiler seeking subjects to experiment on with his forbidden magic.
10 A visionary predicting the return of a long-lost and verdant paradise.
11 A young gladiator dreaming of gold and glory, wishing to join the party.
12 A rancher accusing the adventurers of scaring away his precious crodlu.
13 A traveling arena troupe looking for new fighters and entertainers.
14 A trader in rare cactus wine, too drunk on his own wares to find his way back home.
15 A solemn procession carrying the remains of a renowned gladiator.
16 A ranger of the wastelands demanding proof of the party’s intentions.
17 A messenger from the Veiled Alliance with a secret mission for the party.
18 A child with a unique psionic talent, lost and afraid in the wilderness.
19 A bounty hunter tracking a notorious and wanted defiler across the desert.
20 An exuberant bard recounting tales of ancient Athas in exchange for protection.
21 A disgraced noble challenging anyone to duels to regain their honor.
22 A druid trying to recruit adventurers to protect an oasis from defilers.
23 A mad sorcerer proclaiming the discovery of a new source of magic.
24 A pair of elves on a daring heist against House Stel.
25 An aged sorcerer traveling to an obscure ruin, seeking arcane artifacts.
26 A villager desperate to find a lost heirloom in the sands.
27 A column of templar soldiers, off to enforce the will of their sorcerer-king.
28 A desperate adventurer selling maps to secret water sources.
29 A cursed artifact holder, looking to pass on their burden.
30 An old ally or foe from a past campaign, bearing news or a challenge.
31 A wanderer with no memory, carrying a mysterious artifact.
32 An archaeologist unearthing the secrets of a fallen civilization.
33 A group of nomads sharing tales and supplies around a fire.
34 Monks seeking the wisdom of the ancients in hidden sanctuaries.
35 A survivor of a raid, warning of a powerful warlord’s approach.
36 A rogue templar seeking redemption, or perhaps just a new master.
37 A beggar who knows the city’s secrets, trading them for sustenance.
38 Refugees from a village recently conquered by a sorcerer-king.
39 An abandoned mekillot, its cargo looted but valuable clues left behind.
40 A slave caravan, with a chance to free the captives or bargain with the slavers.
41 A zealot preaching the downfall of the sorcerer-kings.
42 A fruit seller with potion fruits made from rare desert plants.
43 A wanderer who believes one of the PCs is their lost kin.
44 The lone survivor of a bandit gang, offering loot for protection.
45 An alchemist seeking rare components that are guarded by desert creatures.
46 A beastmaster transporting a rare creature to the arena.
47 Bandits who mistake the party for an easy target, but quickly reconsider.
48 Dwarven miners singing of a legendary undiscovered vein of metal.
49 A festival in a small village, celebrating a rare, brief period of fertility.
50 Adventurers on a quest to free a city from its tyrannical ruler.
51 A warrior honoring a fallen comrade, offering a quest for vengeance.
52 A victim of a sorcerer-king’s experiment, seeking a cure or release.
53 A marketplace selling items from before the time of the sorcerer-kings.
54 A noble underestimating the dangers of the desert, in need of rescue.
55 A celestial event that augurs significant change, drawing many to observe.
56 A fortune-teller warning of a great sandstorm that will change the party’s fate.
57 A merchant dealing in ancient relics, each with a story and a curse.
58 A guide offering safe passage through a deadly area, for a price.
59 A telepathic call for help, leading to an obsidian orb containing the mind of a being, psionically trapped within for ages.
60 An elemental spirit manifesting before the party, offering a boon or a challenge.
61 A group of silt pirates ambushing travelers near a silt estuary.
62 A sage seeking escorts to ancient ruins, promising knowledge and power.
63 A pair of escaped arena beasts, now terrorizing a nearby settlement.
64 A group of children, descendants of a sorcerer-king, desperately trying to hide their powers.
65 A lone thri-kreen, challenging the party to a traditional hunting game.
66 A clandestine network of freedom fighters plotting to overthrow a minor noble.
67 A ghostly apparition of an ancient champion, seeking closure.
68 A caravan of exotic goods from a far-off land, surrounded by mysterious guards.
69 A mul gladiator and a member of a noble’s caravan, seeking freedom from his life of forced combat.
70 A quickly approaching psychic storm, threatening to overwhelm unshielded minds.
71 A recently reactivated ancient construct, lost and confused in the modern world.
72 A secret gathering of the Veiled Alliance, under threat of discovery.
73 A sentient plant creature, offering wisdom in exchange for protection from defilers.
74 A band of raiders, attacking with tactics hitherto unseen in the region.
75 A scholar possessed by the spirit of a long-dead sorcerer-king, seeking artifacts.
76 An elemental priest, seeking help to heal a corrupted oasis.
77 A group of halflings, curious and dangerous.
78 A bard singing forbidden songs of revolution and hope.
79 A merchant specializing in rare and dangerous magical artifacts.
80 A massive sandstorm uncovers the entrance to a previously hidden tomb, other adventurers are already there when the party arrives..
81 A group of adventurers turned bandits, grown desperate in the harsh desert wastes.
82 An ancient library and undying librarian, both hidden and protected by powerful illusions.
83 A dragon sighted in the far distance, stirring fear and awe in all who see it.
84 A psionic duel between two powerful mindbenders, threatening to ensnare bystanders.
85 A meeting of tribal chieftains, discussing a potential alliance.
86 A water priestess with the power to find water, pursued by many.
87 An escaped sorcerer-king’s experiment, still mutating and quickly losing control.
88 A trader, offering maps showing “safe” passages through the Crimson Savannah.
89 A group of clerics, attempting to bring rain to a region of the desert.
90 A wizard on the run, offering secrets in exchange for protection.
91 A group of adventurers from another world, struggling to survive or understand Athas.
92 A lone survivor of a caravan, with tales of a monstrous attack.
93 A tribe of gith, offering alliance against a common enemy.
94 A naive young noble from a city-state, lost while seeking adventure.
95 A pair of druids, in conflict over the best use of their powers in a dying world.
96 A psionic message from a distant place, begging for help.
97 An oasis that appears and disappears, rumored to be guarded by spirits.
98 A wandering spirit guide, offering to lead the party to a place of power.
99 A massive skeletal drake, awakened from its slumber and now threatening nearby lands.
100 An ancient arena, unearthing itself from the sands and replete with spectral gladiators demanding a final battle for release.

Raddu

Original creator of The Burnt World of Athas back in 1995 or so… Join me @Raddu76 Play Dark Sun with me on Patreon.