Review & Commentary On 100 Random Encounters for on the Road or in the Wilderness (C&C) By Neal Litherland For The Castles & Crusades Rpg

 "Characters will not be the only people, or beings, travelling along roads or through the wilderness, and both may also have various hazards, natural, constructed or creatures. Instead of quickly passing over journeys to and from different places, this is a list of 100 different random encounters for characters to have."

"Some of these encounters are beneficial and some are harmful. Some are just odd, and may cause confusion, muddy the waters or be a possible source of hooks for adventures or side quests, if a GameMaster wishes to develop them further. A number of results have the names of NPCs, groups and locations; these can be replaced with ones that are more appropriate to a campaign setting if desired."

100 Random Encounters for on the Road or in the Wilderness (C&C) By Neal Litherland is a really good set of encounter tables for one of the areas that players and DM's alike need to fill. And this is the roads & wilderness of a campaign.  100 Random Encounters for on the Road or in the Wilderness (C&C) clocks in at about fourteen pages and really hit the spot when it comes to populating the wilderness and road of C&C adventures. 

Examples from the pages of  100 Random Encounters for on the Road or in the Wilderness (C&C) are as follows: 

• The party sees a field full of deep holes. They're dug at random, though all of them appear to be at least six feet deep. If the party goes to a local inn or tavern and makes a CL 4 Charisma check, they find out there was a treasure buried around here fifty years ago by an infamous bandit, and every year there's a day where everyone goes out hunting. Thus far, no one has found the loot.
• The party walks past a pauper's field. There is a small group of people paying respects, and setting up a wooden marker. Those who stop find a widower, and his two children. His wife was killed by a sickness that has been running through the countryside, and they did not have the money to seek aid.
• The party sees several, strange talismans hanging from nearby trees. They're in the shape of poppets and wicker men, hung by the neck with hempen cord. A CL 8 Intelligence check reveals these are meant to ward away dangerous spirits.
• While walking down the road, the party finds large boulders with directions chiseled into them. There is a compass rose, along with mile markers, and which towns lie in what directions. These stones are far too big to be moved or shifted, making them ideal markers. They provide a +2 bonus on any checks to navigate the roads.
• The party comes across a group of five men making camp. They welcome the party to share their fire, and to camp with them if they wish. If the party has a reputation, or is clearly not an easy target (displays of magic, armed and armored, etc.), then the five bandits remain friendly and respectful. However, a CL 10 Intelligence check reveals the leader has a distinctive black raven tattoo just peeking out from beneath his clothes. That brand is worn by the Scavengers, a group of dangerous highwaymen. If confronted, the man attempts to proclaim his innocence, but a CL 8 Wisdom check sees through his lies. The bandits scatter if the party gets aggressive, and unless all of the men are killed or captured, they will come after the party to free their brethren and/or exact revenge.
  
  

And what's really nice about  100 Random Encounters for on the Road or in the Wilderness (C&C) is that this set of tools really lines up nicely with  Castles & Crusades Monsters & Treasure. Now while this might not seem like much this is really important for both the experienced DM and the budding newbie whose just getting started with C&C. Because of this line up the  100 Random Encounters for on the Road or in the Wilderness (C&C) also fits other books within the C&C line of products. Let's dive deeper. 

For our own Borderlands campaign  100 Random Encounters for on the Road or in the Wilderness (C&C) is going to come in very handy for detailing the wilderness and wilds. The only way across the terrain is by foot or horse. And if your really lucky these areas are crossable due to weather, conditions, bandits, or worse. The roads & wildernes are something we see time and again as minor but within our own campaigns these are major factors. And  100 Random Encounters for on the Road or in the Wilderness (C&C) lines right up with encounters, tables, etc. that we find in the Castle Keeper's Guide. Another fact is that the road & wilderness aspect of campaign construction is a major part of the Castle Keeper's Guide. So  100 Random Encounters for on the Road or in the Wilderness (C&C) offers up another great resource for the expanding tool box of the DM.