Witch Woods Microdungeon

Tread lightly. Credit Godserg

1d6+1 paths are known to thread these woods. This one:

1. Cuts roughly through the forest, ignorant and rude.
2. Loops in and out of the forest again.
3. Heads more or less directly to a point of interest and stops.
4. Crosses at least two other roads. Those ones are not for mortal feet.
5. Leads to a small hamlet, what kind of people would live here?
6. Do not follow this road. DO NOT FOLLOW.

Roll 1d6 every time you travel somewhere new. When backtracking, roll every three spaces but ignore 5-6:

1. Encounter
2. Glint (Roll 1d6 if you continue, 1. Ambush, 2. Surprised Encounter, 3. Event, 4. Hazard, 5. Nothing, 6. Loot)
3. Weather
4. Hazard
5. Event
6. Advantage

ENCOUNTER

1. 1d6 brigands with +3 HD between them. They’ll (1d4): 1. Take your money and go, 2. Cut your throat as soon as look at ya, 3. Make you dance for their pleasure, 4. Run at the first sign of danger. Roll only when pushed hard. If they retreat, this encounter might jump by +1d6 bandits
2. 3d6 wolves, three with +1 HD
3. Trolls
4. 5HD swarm of vermin, rats and beetles and centipedes, 1d4 attacks per round 
5. 6HD (1d8) - Wolf, Elk, Boar, Serpent, Green Man, Doppelganger
6. Servant of the Queen, 4HD human, never as they first appear. The mundane are magical, the sane are lunatics, the knights are knaves, always vice versa.
7. Nightmare of the Hunted. 5HD, invisible unless within 5 inches, flings nets and spears and arrows at an inhuman pace, only one target, will capture alive if possible
8. The Witch, 9HD in the woods, 6HD out of them, every spell you can think of, and then a few besides, two turns per round

WEATHER (starts at 1d6, min 0)

1. Hot and muggy, save vs. insects (1-in-6 chance of disease), -2 to Weather 
2. Clear, -1 to Weather
3. Fog, +1 to Weather
4. Light rain, +1 to Weather
5. Rain, +2 to Weather
6. Torrential, save vs. lost item
7. Hail, save vs. 1 damage if outside
8. Or more: Savage Storm, find decent shelter or save vs. 1d6 damage and lost item, then -3 to Weather

HAZARD (roll 1d4 on the path, 1d8 in the woods, 1d12 in the dark places)

1. Just a sprained ankle, 1 damage
2. Save or lose a random item
3. Sharp thorn from a odd plant, CON check or (1d8): 1. I am a tree, 2. My friends have been replaced by doubles, 3. The earth is delicious chocolate, 4. Whose arm is this? 5. Hidden enemies are everywhere, 6. Everyone can get along if we just hold hands and sing songs 7. I am the second incarnation of God 8. THE WITCH IS COMING
4. Lost your way, off the path or into the dark
5. Omen of Doom. Crows laugh, flowers wither, pointing corpse. Fail next save.
6. Trees drop limbs on you from above, suspiciously accurate
7. Vicious hunting trap, rusty metal spikes and springs. It wasn’t set by any ordinary hunter
8. Lost your way, into the dark, and something is following you, next Glint is an Ambush automatically 
9. Poison gasses reaching for your eyes and lungs
10. Stinking, oozing marshlands
11. Mobile and toxic plant attacks slowly, unstoppable and all surrounding, you’ve been walking on it for that last few minutes
12. Vanish. Make a save. If you pass, its 1d10 days. If you fail, its 1d10 months.

EVENT (roll 1d6 on the path, 1d12 off the path, 1d12+6 in the dark places)

1. Just a rustle of wind
2. A stream, winding across the path
3. A dropped teddy, wedding ring or scuffed letter
4. Crossroads, leading nowhere
5. A dog, whimpering in a hedge
6. An opulent carriage, crashed off the path
7. Tree with a face on it
8. Blue smoke trickling into the sky
9. Three nobles that have lost their way, rich, foolish, swords at their belts. Do they know how to use them?
10. Glowing stones embedded in the road
11. Vivisected animal, unrecognisable. If not buried will follow along.
12. The way down. Down into the dark. Immediately roll another event at 1d6+12
13. Faerie Ring, their motives are inscrutable, especially to themselves, their methods are dancing, blood, kisses and garrottes of flowers
14. Crossroads, leading everywhere
15. Night falls faster with every step, the moon rises but it isn’t yours
16. The path turns and turns and turns until you can just about see your own feet in front of you. Trapped until you do something unexpected, twice
17. Captives from the village in a tableau. Paralysed in positions of domesticity. Still alive. Eyes rolling, teeth fixed in a smile.
18. The Witches Lair. 1d4: 1. she’s out on business, 2. she’s home, 3. roll again in an hour, 4. she’s right behind you

LOOT

1. Poisoned Apple, glistening
2. Cursed Ring, glinting
3. Steps into the Tree, safe and stifling
4. Broken Blade, potent
5. Stolen Coins, enviable 
6. Blessed Flower, eternal
7. Broken Beehive, sticky and delicious
8. Scruffy Hat, half as witty as it thinks it is

SPARK TABLE

Table A

1. Muddy
2. Bloody
3. Enchanted
4. Poisoned
5. Venomous
6. Dying
7. Lost
8. Fae-touched
9. Fungal
10. Fleshy
11. Diseased
12. Ghostly
13. Dreaming
14. Pulsating
15. Verdant
16. Sinking
17. Floating
18. Innocent
19. Trapped
20. Burning

Table B

1. Scuttling things
2. Looming trees, blinking eyes
3. Children
4. The Old Ways
5. Invaders and their detritus
6. Lumberjacks
7. Pungent flowers
8. Deep dark pools
9. Clawing vines, roses and thorns
10. Metal things
11. Bones
12. Meat
13. A sacrifice
14. Standing stones
15. Time
16. Knowledge of the past / things to come / things that never were / things that cannot be
17. A way out, but at what cost?
18. The Reaper
19. The Druid
20. The Witch

Useful generators (to be expanded)

(credit Semiurge)

(credit Red Kangaroo)

Haunted Crypt Generator

There's nothing new under the sun, but that's just fine. Nothing I've posted below is really that original, you could come up with all of these ideas yourself, arrange them in a roughly applicable format, and away you go.

However, I've been inspired by a particular style that fully generates a tiny dungeon. And honestly? This one works pretty damn well. I've cribbed and mangled diseases and curses to add a bit of sting, and the wandering monster tables are short, pithy, potentially lethal.

I've been stuck on a boat with a handful of dice and scraps of paper for quite a few days, and I've been throwing piles of random characters down the maws of these insta-dungeons. It's basically solitaire with more rules, with a bit of Dungeon Robber thrown in for good measure. I thoroughly recommend it for a bored afternoon. Combine it with a GM Emulator (1d6: 1- No and, 2- No but, 3- No, 4- Yes, 5- Yes but, 6- Yes and) for those pesky hard-to-resolve questions, and go for your life. Or death. Whatever.

---

You might be tempted to bring nothing but Clerics down here, but each one immediately summons one Grue. You’ll be fine. Don’t turn out the light.


This crypt has 1d4+1 floors, each with 1d4+2 rooms

Shape of this floor (1d6):
1-2. Linear
3-4. Loop
5. T-junction
6. Cluster

Each room contains (roll 1d6+1d8):

1. Terrain
2. Travel
3. Obstacle
4. Trap
5. Monster
6. Sarcophagus

If no stairs are rolled on this floor, then the next random encounter emerges from a hidden set that you missed.


Roll a Wandering Monster check every 3 hallways you move down, once during lunch and twice overnight. On a 1, it’s a fight. On a 2, you see a Glint. Take the turn and roll d6. 1/2- Monster, 3- Trap, 4/5- Nothing, 6- Treasure (roll 1d12 over both tables)


Terrain -

1. Dust choked chambers, all alike, nooks and crannies abound
2. Ancient mosaic across the walls, defaced
3. Graffiti on the walls, 1d6: 1- don't bring wands in here, 2- speak softly, big stick, 3- Blocky/Princess/Xavier Whistleknife/Crunch-Crunch was here, 4- Always pack a fourth torch, 5- the cockatiel honks at the noonday moon, 6- [random obscenities]
4. A dry fountain
5. A skeleton in a gibbet writhes at your approach, but it's completely trapped
6. The floor tiles here have subsided into a mess of cracks and potholes
7. A second level up above/down below, the stairs have collapsed
8. Tall shaft, handholds aplenty but you'll still have to climb

Travel -

1. Stairs down
2. Stairs down, blocked by rubble
3. Stairs down, 1-in-4 chance of two levels
4. Hidden route up, 1-in-4 chance of all the way to the surface
5. Slide trap, Dex check or down one floor
6. Pit trap, Dex check or down one floor and 1d6 damage
7. Elevator trap, room descends 1d4 floors
8. Runic circle, teleport to random room, 4-in-6 chance of same room if used again

Obstacle -

1. Cave-in, 2d4 turns to clear, roll check for Wandering Monsters every three turns as normal
2. Stuck door, Strength check to open, 16-20 attracts a Wandering Monster
3. Chasm, Dex check to jump, fall down to a lower room and 2d6 damage
4. Floor littered with smashed skeletons, some still twitching and snapping. Walking through carefully is fine, running deals 1d6 damage, Dexterity check negates. If you fall into the pile, save or take 1d12 damage
5. Barricade, facing a random direction. Takes 3d4 turns to break from the front, 1d4 to deconstruct from the back
6. Flooded, 1d6 as you walk through: 1-grabbed, 2-spiked, 3-a hole, 4/5-nothing, 6-common treasure
7. Clawing darkness, drains 1d4 light levels and deals 1 Trauma
8. Unholy sigils, deals 1 Trauma to pass, 1d6 Trauma and a Wisdom check to break

Trap -

1. Darts, 1d4 attacks at +[floor], 1d6 damage, if only 1 dart, Con check vs. poison
2. Slashing blade, Dex check or 1d12, save vs. maiming
3. Foul miasma, all must save vs. disease
4. Pit trap, Dex check or down one floor and 1d6 damage
5. Acid spray, 1d6 damage per round, save ends, 6 damage destroys a random item
6. Flame trap, 1d6 for 1d4 rounds, save vs ignite
7. Lightning bolt, 2d6+[number of metal objects], save for half
8. Huge hammer, 2d6+[floor], shove someone to steal 4 save

Monster -

1. 2d6 zombies, 1d6 climbing from a hole. Zombies can save to be knocked prone instead of dying. While prone at 0, it takes them a full turn to stand.
2. Massive chained zombie (2HD+15, 2d4+grab), will break loose at half health
3. 10 zombies with a frail skeletal necromancer (2HD, 2MD). The necromancer can raise [sum] of these particular zombies, who will protect him with their unlives. Otherwise, hideous whispers inflict 1 Trauma
4. 1d4 skeletons with bows in a gallery above, 1d6 with weapons down below. Skeletons take half slashing, double bludgeoning
5. Skeleton sniper (4HD, +2 Attack, 1d12 loading) taking potshots with a crossbow. Will move while loading. Leading you to an ambush of 1d10 more skeletons
6. Skeleton Knight (4HD, 6 Def, sword 1d8) and Zombie Squire (1HD). Plate armour squeals like a pig
7. 1d6+3 Shades, 1d4 slashing, 1 strength damage. Take fire damage, but cannot attack in pitch darkness 
8. Hulking demon (7HD, 4 Def, wild flailing 1d4 attacks dealing 1d6) atop an altar. If anything dies touching the stone, the demon is freed. Skeletons will attempt to self-sacrifice if they see the altar. If you defeat the demon, it must grant a single wish before departing to Hell. You won’t like the results.

Sarcophagus -

1. Already looted. Frustrated Inhabitant nearby, only Common Treasure remains
2. Warded, 3-in-6 will inflict a curse on the opener
3. Strange thumping, Inhabited
4. You feel like you are being watched...
5. Blood drips to the floor, laced with corruption
6. On a raised altar
7. Locked, key on a lower floor. Takes 1d4-STR Random Encounter checks to break
8. Stuffed full of treasure, +1 Loot

Two of the following if disturbed:

1. Trapped! -1 Loot
2. Slightly ajar, Inhabitant surprises on 4-in-6
3. Inhabited, contains a stair leading down
4. +1 Loot, Inhabited
5. +1 Loot
6. +2 Loot

Sarcophagus Inhabitant, each extra indicator of inhabitation grants +5 HP or +1 special ability. Roll 1d6+[floor] -

1. ---
2. Slathering Ghoul, 4HD, 5 Def, claw 1d6 or lick, save vs. paralysis for 1d6 rounds. Summons two 1HD buddies with a piercing whistle at half health
3. Staggering Mummy, 4HD+10, 3 Def, smack 1d8 + save vs. mummy rot. Half speed except if on fire
4. Storm of Shades, 2HD, 4 Def, one additional Shade per round, 1-in-6 chance for three then end
5. Skeletal Dandy, 5HD, 7 Def if facing you, rapier 1d8, quip 1 Trauma, additional action at end of round
6. Rotting Berserker, 5HD+10, 0 Def, axe 1d10, easily aggroed
7. Runescarred Revenant, 6HD, 5 Def, pummel 1d6/1d6. +2HD if you have a spellcaster in the party. 50% chance to reflect/absorb spells. If you are respectful and help seal his tomb, might agree to give treasure. Might agree to help you fight any spellcasters.
8. The Triplets, 6HD, 2 Def, 3MD, struggle to move, know the spells Entangle, Acid Arrow, Stone to Sludge, Shocking Grasp, Inflict Curse
9. Ghost, 6HD, 0 Def, 2d6 cold, 1d4 Trauma, attacks entire party, immune to non-magical attacks, their former body-parts count (1d6 remain)
10. Vampire, 8HD, 6 Def, as weapon, bite attack heals 1d6 and gives target -1 to all rolls. Going below -[level] is instant death. Will become very reasonable after draining one target. Additional action at start of round.
11. Decrepit Lich, 10HD, 8 Def while flying, dagger 1d6+disease, 6MD, 3-in-6 chance to know any spell, otherwise spends turn mumbling for 1d6 Trauma. Lair action at start of round: teleport behind someone, extinguish a light-source, start flying.

Common Treasure

1. Wooden toy for child
2. Shiny bauble
3. Tattered fabric, 1-in-6 chance it's worth 2d6 gold
4. 1d4 - Shovel, torch, dagger, rope
5. Burial goods worth [floor]d8 copper (e.g. urns, big candles, plates, cutlery, preserved flowers, small statues)
6. Jewelry worth [floor]d6 silver

Sarcophagus Treasure

1. Piles of burial goods, 1d4+2, each [floor]d10 copper
2. Random armour piece, engraved, worth +1d6 silver
3. Random weapon, engraved, worth +1d8 silver
4. Two jewellery, [floor]d6 silver each (e.g. necklace, rings, armbands), 3/inv slot
5. Ancient artefact, [floor]d4 gold
6. Magic weapon or spell

Wandering Monsters (default to 1HD, 2 Def, 1d6 damage) -

1. 1d6 fellow tomb robbers, +3 HD amongst them. Have been stalking you, will bring a net and spear vs. melee, shields and slings vs. ranged
2. Insane Adventurer (4HD, 3 Def, 1d6+gambit), has rope, vial of acid, caltrops and Common Treasure
3. 1d6 zombies with 1d6 more nearby.
4. 2d4 skeletons, half bring bows, if a 4 is rolled, one is highly intelligent.
5. You are likely to be eaten by a Grue (5HD, unseen bash 1d6/1d6, if both hit, sudden pain 2d6), it can never enter an area of light, only attacks in pitch darkness. Will follow you until you reach sunlight.
6. 1d4 wights (4HD, claw 1d6/1d6) half of damage dealt is to experience as well. Burnt by sunlight.

Badass Undead (any 1HD skeleton or zombie with 8 hitpoints)

1. Explodes when killed (ribs creaking and pulsing)
2. Magical backlash, cast a spell when bloodied (glowing runes)
3. Enraged, two attacks per round when bloodied
4. Diseased, save if hit and once when killed
5. Duelist, surprisingly fast, +3 Attack and Defence, will challenge the first target to hit it.
6. Unholy Vigour, dazed when attacked at 0hp, but cannot be killed

If you would ever roll the exact same room on the same floor, replace it with a Point of Interest:

1. Mystical Pool. Drinking it, 1d6: 1- Minor Curse, 2- Nothing, 3- Supernatural mutation, 4- Cures a disease or heals 2d8, 5- Something that would be extremely beneficial for the player to the left, 6- Something extremely beneficial. If the same character drinks twice, they are poisoned instead. The third time, the water drains away leaving only toxic mud, 1-in-6 chance of a pissed off water elemental (3HD, immune to most weapons, save vs. curse when killed).
2. Gap in the base of the wall. A draft blows through it. Only 1d20 caves away are the Veins of the Earth
3. Blank-faced statue. If touched or talked about more than once (twitches whenever mentioned out-of-character) it 1d4: 1- Comes alive, 2- Devours a character, taking their form, 3- Copies the character exactly, if the original dies it cracks open, 4- Roll a new character, it takes their form.
4. Small alchemy lab
5. A wooden door, ill-fitting. It leads to 1d4: 1- The Veins, 2- A major city, 3- Gardens of Ynn, 4- Hell
6. A tremendously large hammer with gearing ripped from the bottom. Fills three inventory slots, and is found with three bottles of laudanum stacked nearby

Diseases

1. Grave Lung, 1d4 Strength, Con check or cough when sneaking
2. Spasms of the Liver, 1 Constitution, halve all healing
3. Stoneskin, 1d6 Movement, +1 Defence if you drop below half
4. Leprosy, 1d3 Dexterity, save or lose a random extremity if you take 3 damage
5. Corpus Beetles, 1d4 Intelligence, lose a rank in a skill on a 1
6. The Dithers, 1d4 Wisdom, regularly save vs short-term memory loss
7. Black Plague, 1d4 Constitution, -4 to saves vs. disease
8. Mangling Flesh, 1d4 random and save or mutate
9. Dungeon Slough, 1d4 Dexterity, take +1 damage from all sources
10. Shadow Pox, 1d6 Charisma, immune to positive spells as your shadow sickens and ages
11. Filth Fever, 1d6 Strength, 1-in-6 chance to lose action each round as you soil yourself
12. Aching Glass, 1d4 Strength, double bludgeoning and fall damage
13. The Dwindling, 1d6 Strength, if you’ve taken 7 damage you shrink to small size permanently
14. Shoulder-Angel, 1 Attack, use Goodness instead of Constitution, must save vs. charity
15. Shoulder-Demon, 1d4 Goodness, use Charisma instead of Constitution, must save vs. villainy
16. Rabies, 1d6 Charisma, -1 Attack, +1 Damage, cannot drink water
17. Brain Worms, 1d4 Wisdom, experience a full hallucination 1/day
18. Stitched Skin (Tetanus), 1d4 Strength, random limb is disabled each day
19. Dauntledregs, 1d6 Intelligence, fail all saves vs. fear and confusion
20. Wandering Heart, 1d3 Constitution, +1d6 damage when critically hit

Curses (roll 1d10 for Minor Curses)

1. Hollow Guts, tripled food requirements
2. Nightmares, 3-in-6 chance of restful sleep, +1 with alcohol
3. Nervous Wreck, roll 1d10 for Trauma checks
4. Unlucky, -2 save
5. Dog Hatred, all dogs will attack you
6. Spirit Home, small creature lives in your skull
7. Dreamless, 1 additional exp to level up
8. Purse Moths, lose 1d100% of your money when you enter a settlement
9. Fragile, take +1 damage
10. Mute
11. Cursed to Die in a Fire, double damage
12. The Clawing Stone, when you take fall damage, reroll 1s (if multiplicative, +1d6 otherwise)
13. Weak Blood, automatically fail the first save against poison
14. Blinded
15. Crippled
16. Magnetic Soul, all spells that travel within 20ft of you change their target
17. Endless Thirst, water, ale and bear do nothing
18. Screaming Teeth
19. Evil Twin
20. The Horseman Cometh, immediately contract 3 diseases