Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Gang Generator

In my 5E Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting, there is an area of wilderness overrun by bandits. Formerly prisoners in a series of mega-prisons in the area, the escaped convicts vary wildly. In an effort to ease the burden of creating numerous gangs of bandits, I created a set of three tables to expedite prep for sessions that would see my players venturing into lawless territory.



They require a bit of prep still, and some DM creativity to fully bring to life. These tables aren't level dependent and are suitable for outlaw groups, city gangs, insane raiders, nomadic tribes, and more.

Roll once one each table (1d20) and match the answers together to give you an idea of the gang.

Leadership: The band is led by-

  1. The strongest one.
  2. The smartest one.
  3. A pair of lovers.
  4. A mutant/freak.
  5. Everyone. Total democracy.
  6. Rotation. One leader per week according to strict list.
  7. A monster lording over them.
  8. A family of disgraced nobles.
  9. A former local hero.
  10. A possessed member.
  11. An awakened animal.
  12. A merchant with tenuous control.
  13. A seer who leads them to riches.
  14. A powerful arcane magic user.
  15. An inanimate object, possibly a text.
  16. An unintelligible blackleaf addict.
  17. A ghost or other spirit.
  18. An elderly, respected member on the verge of retirement.
  19. A foreign agent.
  20. Someone new decided weekly through contest/gambling.
Quirk: The members-
  1. Engage in terrifying provings and trials for members. High fatality rate.
  2. Are extremely patriotic.
  3. Have many, many tattoos. 
  4. Use toxic weapons and are physically deformed.
  5. All bear burns.
  6. Decorate with many skulls and spikes. 
  7. Are cannibals.
  8. Are all one race, and are extrememly racist against all others.
  9. Wear many animal pelts and take trophies from every kill.
  10. Are famed smiths.
  11. Are escaped slaves.
  12. Have many fantastic steeds.
  13. Are surprising music lovers.
  14. Are almost all magically talented.
  15. Are recent military deserters.
  16. Follow the tenets of a long-dead member.
  17. Worship something/someone in camp with cult-like reverence.
  18. Are Greedy mercenaries.
  19. Are completely insane and psychotically violent.
  20. Are totally decent people.
Livelihood: The band sustains itself by-
  1. Raiding other bands.
  2. Robbing passers by.
  3. Charging travelers for "protection" within their land.
  4. Growing blackleaf.
  5. Raiding nearby settlements.
  6. Working an illegal iron and coal mine.
  7. Illegally logging the area.
  8. Poaching the area.
  9. Smuggling.
  10. Being funded by politicians/nobles.
  11. Stealing livestock.
  12. Running a toll along a busy trade route. Operate a gate/ferry without license.
  13. Running a bar/distillery
  14. Running a gambling den.
  15. Operating a drug den.
  16. Running a pit fighting arena.
  17. Trading in slaves.
  18. Living off the last score. They're getting desperate.
  19. Selling sex. They run a brothel, or make money from prostitution elsewhere.
  20. Selling false goods. Snake-oil vendors. Anything from potions and scrolls to shoddy armor.