SWN - Sixteen Stars

1

Leader of the last degenerate clerics

2

Cryo-awakened temple guardian

3

Ruthless local taboo-keeper

4

Amoral relic-plunderer

5

Rival sect's zealous inquisitor-purgatist

6

Local determined to unearth the temple's "true faith"

7

Immortal AI-powered techno-priest

8

Politician seeking to plunder relics of legitimacy

1

Surviving priest eager to make converts

2

Avidly curious archaeologist

3

A local related to the priests, surviving or long-extinct

4

Priest desiring to escape the shrine

5

Heretic looking for outside help to advance their cause

6

Priest convinced the PCs are god-sent

7

Local wanting to "burn out" the danger in the temple

8

Erratic AI temple manager who's mistaken the PCs

1

Place of a potentially lethal divine trial

2

Sacred relic-vault

3

Altar circled by decayed splendor

4

Dangerously decrepit priest cells

5

Pen for a monstrous holy beast

6

Huge collapsed idol

7

Library filled with enigmatic holy texts

8

Ornate baths for ritual purifications

1

The temple collapses if the last priests die

2

The temple is surrounded by very unfriendly locals

3

Lethal traps kill those not versed in holy writ

4

The priests splintered into two or more angry sects

5

Locals think anyone who goes to the temple is a cultist

6

Temple relics and furnishings are technologically "cursed"

7

The real temple is hidden behind a false facade

8

The reality of the faith is nothing like what is said of it

1

Wondrous alien tech-relic

2

Original scripture of enormous cultural importance

3

Culturally-priceless item of priestly regalia

4

Rare product of dead priest-artisans

5

Prize a living or dead convert brought with him

6

Precious gift from a powerful believer

7

Charter proving a surviving heritor-faith's legal rights

8

Madness-inducing artifact that teaches holy paradoxes

1

It is dangerously violent toward itself or outsiders

2

Initiation into the priesthood involves parasitic aliens

3

Intruders can leave only after years of catechism

4

A major precept is directly opposed to current PC goals

5

The believers are slavishly loyal to an unworthy pontiff

6

It advocates a practice that is repugnant to the PCs

7

It's unwillingly allied with enemies of the PCs

8

It's a bitter enemy of a close ally of the PCs

1-2

A Friend (Roll on "TempleFriend") struggles to overcome an Antagonist (Roll on "TempleAntagonist") as they mutually search for a Thing (Roll on "TempleThing") reported to be located somewhere within the temple. If it's still held by living priests, a Complication (Roll on "TempleComplication") is keeping the priests from actively stopping them, but they're furious at the profanation of their home. If the temple is long-abandoned, then a Complication (Roll on "TempleComplication") threatens to bring down calamity soon.

What's wrong with the faith?: Roll on "TempleWrongWithFaith"

3-4

An Antagonist (Roll on "TempleAntagonist") has seized a Thing (Roll on "TempleThing") and hidden it away in a Place (Roll on "TemplePlace"). A Friend (Roll on "TempleFriend") has learned of the acquisition, and seeks to draw in help from outside to recover the Thing for their own purposes. A Complication (Roll on "TempleComplication") is preventing them from making a personal effort at reclaiming the Thing.

What's wrong with the faith?: Roll on "TempleWrongWithFaith"

5-6

Two Antagonists (Roll on "TempleAntagonist" and Roll on "TempleAntagonist") are clashing over a Friend (Roll on "TempleFriend") , both of them wishing to use them for some detestable end, but a Complication (Roll on "TempleComplication") is preventing either of them from concluding their feud just yet. The Friend is being imprisoned in a Place (Roll on "TemplePlace"), while at the same time the PCs learn of a precious Thing (Roll on "TempleThing") at a different Place (Roll on "TemplePlace"). After the Friend or Thing are recovered, a Complication (Roll on "TempleComplication") will kick in, making the second object very difficult or dangerous to retrieve.

What's wrong with the faith?: Roll on "TempleWrongWithFaith"

7-8

A Friend (Roll on "TempleFriend") knows the location of a Thing (Roll on "TempleThing") in a particular Place (Roll on "TemplePlace") within the temple, but dares not confront the Antagonist (Roll on "TempleAntagonist") who is dangerously close to the object, and who could seize it easily if they were aware of it. The Friend's last attempt at recovering the Thing was the genesis of a fresh Complication (Roll on "TempleComplication"), and they believe they need outside help if they're not to make things even worse.

What's wrong with the faith?: Roll on "TempleWrongWithFaith"

9-10

A Friend (Roll on "TempleFriend") is a guardian of a Thing (Roll on "TempleThing") that has been stolen or suborned by an Antagonist (Roll on "TempleAntagonist"), who will soon carry it of for their own sinister purposes. A Complication (Roll on "TempleComplication") is preventing them from doing so just yet, but as soon as they calm the situation, they'll be able to carry it of beyond reach. The Friend appeals to the PCs for aid, offering another Thing (Roll on "TempleThing") at a Place (Roll on "TemplePlace") known only to them.

What's wrong with the faith?: Roll on "TempleWrongWithFaith"

1

Hostile alien awoken from its asteroid slumber

2

Crazed space hermit

3

Insidious pirate chieftain

4

Cold-blooded corporate mining boss

5

Leader of a degenerate isolationist sect

6

Rapacious space-scavenger chief

7

Alien intruder from a hostile species

8

Government official seeking to seize the rock

1

Grizzled old space miner

2

Xenophilic young spacer

3

Hard-working far trader captain

4

Peaceful isolationist group leader

5

Stranded offworlder traveler

6

Fugitive from an unjust law

7

Space-hermit devoted to an odd creed

8

Friendly alien who requires the asteroid's environment

1

Radiation-blasted asteroid surface

2

Warren-like mining tunnel maze

3

Cramped spacer barracks with contraband stashes

4

Vacuum-vulnerable docking bay

5

Dangerous refinery zone with vast smelters

6

Active mining area full of huge machines

7

Fissure zone of cracked and dangerous rock

8

Glacier pocket of carved ice tunnels

1

The asteroid is tumbling into danger

2

The asteroid is starting to break up

3

A hostile government is seizing control

4

The locals have a delusional belief about outsiders

5

Only a local can cope with the environment

6

The locals mistake the PCs for illicit contractors

7

Pirates are about to invade the asteroid

8

The asteroid's basic infrastructure is failing

1

Critical chemical for mining

2

Vital life support component

3

Bomb sufficient to crack the asteroid

4

Cure for a lethal space plague

5

Luxury the locals would kill to have

6

Pay for vital merchants or workers

7

Stash of highly addictive but very useful drug

8

Stolen government prototype stashed somewhere here

1

Mines a very valuable, widely-illegal substance

2

Actually a secret military signal-monitoring site

3

A sealed lab asteroid for illegal research

4

A pirate base with amoral merchants

5

Stubbornly-held hab for an odd sect

6

Prison asteroid for very dangerous types

7

Near-abandoned launchpoint for a failed space colony

8

Vice den for unspeakable indulgences

1-2

An Antagonist (Roll on "AsteroidAntagonist") wants a Thing (Roll on "AsteroidThing") and is threatening to destroy the asteroid if they don't get it. A Friend (Roll on "AsteroidFriend") knows of the dangerous Place (Roll on "AsteroidPlace") where the Thing is hidden, but has a powerful reason not to cooperate with the Antagonist. If they can get the PCs to visibly carry the Thing away or nullify the Antagonist, their home may yet survive.

What are they using the base for?: Roll on "AsteroidUsing"

3-4

An Antagonist (Roll on "AsteroidAntagonist") is taking advantage of a Complication (Roll on "AsteroidComplications") to acquire a Thing (Roll on "AsteroidThing"), with only a Friend (Roll on "AsteroidFriend") currently in the way of their plans. The Friend is hiding in a Place (Roll on "AsteroidPlace"), and is willing to offer the Thing to the PCs in exchange for extraction from the asteroid or the neutralization of the Antagonist.

What are they using the base for?: Roll on "AsteroidUsing"

5-6

Two Antagonists (Roll on "AsteroidAntagonist" and Roll on "AsteroidAntagonist") are locked in a conflict that threatens to destroy the asteroid. Their struggles have already caused a Complication (Roll on "AsteroidComplications") that is scourging the locals. A Friend (Roll on "AsteroidFriend") seeks aid from the PCs, offering information on the two Places where these rival Antagonists are based (Roll on "AsteroidPlace" and Roll on "AsteroidPlace", respectively). The victory of one Antagonist over the other would be tolerable, but a sub-optimal outcome for the locals.

What are they using the base for?: Roll on "AsteroidUsing"

7-8

A Friend (Roll on "AsteroidFriend") has secret information about a Thing (Roll on "AsteroidThing") located in a dangerous Place (Roll on "AsteroidPlace"). Due to the asteroid's operations cycle, that Place is about to become critically dangerous, but there seems to be time to get in and out of the Place. Unfortunately, a Complication (Roll on "AsteroidComplications") throws the cycle off and induces the extra peril just as the PCs enter the Place.

What are they using the base for?: Roll on "AsteroidUsing"

9-10

The asteroid's ruling power is reluctantly negotiating to hand over a Thing (Roll on "AsteroidThing") to an Antagonist (Roll on "AsteroidAntagonist"), fearing the consequences of resistance. An upset Friend (Roll on "AsteroidFriend") seeks to sabotage the handover and is trying to set up a heist with the PCs as the active agents. A Complication (Roll on "AsteroidComplications") provides a hindrance to both the Antagonists and the PCs, but also offers opportunities to steal the Thing before it's turned over, or provides a distraction should it be stolen during the transfer.

What are they using the base for?: Roll on "AsteroidUsing"

1

Degenerate offworlder advisor

2

Badly delusional monarch

3

Scheming consort or queen

4

Suspicious warband leader

5

Zealous high priest

6

Paranoid heir to the throne

7

Ambassador from a rival barbarian power

8

Offworlder "aid worker" jealous of rival influences

1

Reformer in search of allies

2

Offworlder far trader

3

Figurehead ruler seeking real power

4

Local scholar wanting knowledge

5

Secret leader of a rebellion

6

Loser in a game of court intrigue

7

Leader of a socially-untouchable caste seeking allies

8

Religious leader convinced the PCs are divinely-sent

1

Barbarously splendid throne room

2

Private quarters lacking in amenities

3

Grand public spectacle

4

Site of savage ritual to the gods

5

Crudely primitive servant quarters

6

Massive tomb of a dead king

7

Repurposed structure of a more civilized age

8

Taboo site of extremely dangerous pretech ruins

1

They've got a rational reason for shunning tech

2

Use of tech trips lethal pretech suppression

3

The monarch is incompetent yet irreplaceable

4

New tech is causing riotous disruptions

5

The locals have badly misunderstood a new idea

6

An offworlder is trying to violently conquer them

7

The last offworlder here caused a terrible problem

8

It's impossible to blend casually into the local populace

1

Precious substance the locals produce

2

Ancient pretech relic of power

3

Regalia of the legitimate ruler

4

Treasure taken from dead foreigner

5

Treaty rights to a vital good or location

6

Cache of dangerously disruptive tech

7

Precious resource the natives don't realize is valuable

8

Microfactory with tech-bootstrap programming

1

Lust. Someone wants someone they shouldn't.

2

Rule. Heirs duel over who is to have the throne.

3

Money. The ruler is trying to loot someone important.

4

Revenge. Someone wants to repay an old slight.

5

Ideals. A dangerous new idea has relentless adherents.

6

Fear. The rulers think their rule is at risk.

7

Hate. The ruling class bitterly hates a major subgroup.

8

Vanity. The ruler wants a ruinously expensive folly.

1-2

An Antagonist (Roll on "BarbarianAntagonist") is privately scheming against the monarch due to the conflict, and has arranged for a Thing (Roll on "BarbarianThing") to be kept at a Place (Roll on "BarbarianPlace") in order to strengthen his eventual bid to overthrow the ruler. A Friend (Roll on "BarbarianFriend") knows the details, but has unintentionally been involved in the coup plot and would certainly be executed if their entanglement was revealed.

What is the crux of the conflict?: Roll on "BarbarianConflict"

3-4

The conflict pits two sympathetic Friends (Roll on "BarbarianFriend" and Roll on "BarbarianFriend") against each other, and an Antagonist (Roll on "BarbarianAntagonist") is taking advantage of their quarrel to stir up a helpful Complication (Roll on "BarbarianComplication"), in order to obtain control of a Thing (Roll on "BarbarianThing"). Both Friends are stubbornly convinced that giving way to the other would be a worse outcome than letting the Antagonist control the Thing. They are both very wrong.

What is the crux of the conflict?: Roll on "BarbarianConflict"

5-6

A Friend (Roll on "BarbarianFriend") smooths the PCs' path to the monarch, when a sudden eruption of the conflict causes a Complication (Roll on "BarbarianComplication") which makes the PCs' cooperation with the monarch requisite to their continuing good health. An Antagonist (Roll on "BarbarianAntagonist") then seeks to make sure they disappoint the ruler in order to seize their belongings, while a Thing (Roll on "BarbarianThing") is held out as a reward for successful service.

What is the crux of the conflict?: Roll on "BarbarianConflict"

7-8

An Antagonist (Roll on "BarbarianAntagonist") is profiting from the conflict and has every reason to goad it on, even though it's already started one Complication (Roll on "BarbarianComplication") and threatens the stability of the entire regime. A Friend (Roll on "BarbarianFriend") loyal to the monarch is desperate to find outside aid, and offers a Thing (Roll on "BarbarianThing") to the PCs as payment for success. Unfortunately, the monarch considers the Antagonist their best chance to win the conflict.

What is the crux of the conflict?: Roll on "BarbarianConflict"

9-10

After meeting the PCs and forming friendly ties, the Friend (Roll on "BarbarianFriend") finds himself forced to go to a dangerous Place (Roll on "BarbarianPlace") by the needs of the conflict, where an Antagonist (Roll on "BarbarianAntagonist") seeks to make sure the Friend dies there. The Antagonist has ignited a Complication (Roll on "BarbarianComplication") in order to seal the Friend's fate, though that disorder has brought to light a Thing (Roll on "BarbarianThing") at the same Place. The Antagonist's focus is now split between killing the Friend and claiming the Thing.

What is the crux of the conflict?: Roll on "BarbarianConflict"

1

Mob-owned mole in the agency

2

Profoundly xenophobic manager

3

Rapaciously corrupt official

4

Incompetent who blames the PCs for his trouble

5

Rival of the party in business or personal affairs

6

Political hack useful only to their party

7

Relentlessly upright official with unhelpful regulations

8

Bureaucratic dragoman with insatiable cupidity

1

Affable lobbyist looking to make a PC ally

2

Ex-employee of the agency

3

Former victim of the antagonist

4

Member of rival political group

5

Deeply frustrated local

6

Predecessor they forced out

7

Vexed bureaucratic reformer

8

Co-ethnic or co-religionist in the office

1

Department of Motor Vehicles, but in space

2

Tower full of featureless offices

3

Warehouse stuffed with old records

4

Private club for senior bureaucrats

5

Sleazy den for off-the-record meetings

6

Ultra-secure agency headquarters

7

Armory full of completely inappropriate agency weapons

8

Data processing depot crammed with computers

1

The agency really does have dirt on the PCs

2

It's a set-up to pressure PC cooperation

3

The PCs have been mistaken for someone else

4

The antagonist has been set up as a PC target

5

The PCs are accidentally given an ultra-restricted permit

6

Granting the PC permit will produce a horrible event

7

There's some kind of time limit on getting the permit

8

A criminal gang wants to suborn the PCs for the permit

1

Ruinous blackmail material

2

An already-signed permit to act

3

The secret department handbook with vital info

4

Addictive or vile substance craved by a bureaucrat

5

The ID of the person who can fix this

6

Backups of now-erased incriminating agency files

7

Account passcodes to get at the agency 's slush fund

8

Root encryption code for all the agency 's files

1

Quota overdrawn; an existing permitee must relinquish

2

The permit was issued, but to identity thieves

3

Issuing the permit requires tremendous work

4

Issuing the permit would reveal agency malfeasance

5

The PC's permit was actually sold of for a bribe

6

The ruling party hates people like the PCs

7

Too many clerks all want outrageous bribes from PCs

8

The agency is being audited and they don't dare move

1-2

The Antagonist (Roll on "BureauAntagonist") knows that a Thing (Roll on "BureauThing") is at a Place (Roll on "BureauPlace"), but is under surveillance and can't get it. He'll hand over the permit if the PCs go to retrieve the Thing, but to do so would bring ruinous consequences to a Friend (Roll on "BureauFriend"). To "encourage" the PCs, the Antagonist initiates a negative Complication (Roll on "BureauComplication") that will only end when the PCs bring him the Thing or somehow nullify him.

Why won't the bureaucracy cooperate?: Roll on "BureauCooperate"

3-4

A Friend (Roll on "BureauFriend") is outraged by the corruption exhibited when the Antagonist (Roll on "BureauAntagonist") refuses to issue the PCs the permit. The Friend asks to meet at a Place (Roll on "BureauPlace") to give them a solution; once there, the watchful Antagonist triggers some kind of physical or legal hazard appropriate to the Place, accidentally exposing a Thing (Roll on "BureauThing") to the PCs. The Friend can solve the problem if they survive unjailed.

Why won't the bureaucracy cooperate?: Roll on "BureauCooperate"

5-6

Two Antagonists (Roll on "BureauAntagonist" and Roll on "BureauAntagonist") are fighting over control of the agency, and both dangle the permit in front of the PCs as inducement to help them win the dispute, which is currently centered at a Place (Roll on "BureauPlace"). The confusion of their fighting is causing a Complication (Roll on "BureauComplication") to befall the PCs, and only a Friend (Roll on "BureauFriend") can clear it up, but the Friend doesn't want either of the Antagonists to win.

Why won't the bureaucracy cooperate?: Roll on "BureauCooperate"

7-8

No sooner does the Antagonist (Roll on "BureauAntagonist") deny the permit than one or more Complications (Roll on "BureauComplication") befall the PCs as they wage a bureaucratic war on the heroes. The Antagonist is convinced the PCs are agents of a Friend (Roll on "BureauFriend") who opposes the Antagonist, for the Friend knows about an illicit Thing (Roll on "BureauThing") the Antagonist is keeping at a well-guarded Place (Roll on "BureauPlace").

Why won't the bureaucracy cooperate?: Roll on "BureauCooperate"

9-10

The Antagonist (Roll on "BureauAntagonist") mistakes the PC permit request as a coded message from another corrupt Antagonist (Roll on "BureauAntagonist") he's working with. He does not issue the permit, but instead has a courier hand over a Thing (Roll on "BureauThing") which he assumes the PCs will take to the expectant second Antagonist. When that doesn't happen, the second Antagonist will move against the first and the first will try to get the Thing back, inflicting Complications (Roll on "BureauComplication") on the PCs until the Thing is delivered or both Antagonists are neutralized.

Why won't the bureaucracy cooperate?: Roll on "BureauCooperate"

1

Saboteur from a rival power

2

Crazed martinet administrator

3

Religious zealot seeking autonomy

4

Profit-obsessed colony manager

5

Ruthless, popular demagogue

6

Hostile native alien leader

7

Government viceroy with delusional expectations

8

Agent from a rebel front against the parent government

1

Sympathetic refugee seeking a new life

2

Friendly native alien

3

Harried sponsor representative

4

Far trader who deals with them

5

Peaceful isolationist sectarian

6

Unwilling exile stuck here

7

Bright-eyed explorer of a new world

8

Rich and friendly adventure tourist

1

Storehouse of irreplaceable goods

2

Rough-hewn defensive outpost

3

Prefab colony structure

4

Repurposed abandoned alien structure

5

Landing site for colony drop pod

6

Cramped comm and control nexus

7

Hidden zone outside colony government oversight

8

Concealed area for illicit meetings

1

The colony is totally illegal

2

Pirates regularly raid the colony for supplies and slaves

3

The colonists are disposable slave labor

4

They recently lost survival-critical outside backing

5

Their colonization plan is failing terribly

6

They've been suborned by another planetary power

7

Their leadership is lying to them to keep up morale

8

Old-world ethnic or religious strife has reignited here

1

Vital equipment for survival

2

Cache of alien treasure

3

Critical communications tech

4

Pretech terraforming engine parts

5

Precious substance the colony harvests

6

Large stock of illicit small arms and ammo

7

Cherished relic of a now-vanished cultural past

8

Pretech colony tools and insta-building kits

1

It was intended as a forward military base.

2

The site has a rare, hard-to-mine resource.

3

An ultra-wealthy lunatic's "fun" preserve

4

Merchant prince wanted to found a private world

5

Isolationists of political or religious bent came here

6

Refuge for a lost cause or fleeing castaways

7

Idealists wanted a new, totally unworkable society

8

The homeworld wanted a not-prison dumping ground

1-2

A completely unexpected peril has erupted, and an Antagonist (Roll on "ColonialAntagonist") is using the opportunity to stampede the frightened locals into compliance, using their control of a Thing (Roll on "ColonialThing") to do so. A Friend (Roll on "ColonialFriend") is trying to overcome the peril and put down the Antagonist, in that order, and is convinced the key to one or both ends can be found in a Place (Roll on "ColonialPlace"). The Antagonist knows this, and tries to stop them.

Why was this colony founded?: Roll on "ColonialFounded"

3-4

An Antagonist (Roll on "ColonialAntagonist") is taking advantage of a Complication (Roll on "ColonialComplication") in order to progress their plans to seize a Thing (Roll on "ColonialThing") being kept at a Place (Roll on "ColonialPlace"). A local Friend (Roll on "ColonialFriend") is aware of their scheme, but is unable to intervene directly. Instead, they try to induce the PCs to steal the Thing first and get it offworld before the Antagonist can grab it.

Why was this colony founded?: Roll on "ColonialFounded"

5-6

A Friend (Roll on "ColonialFriend") has been imprisoned in a Place (Roll on "ColonialPlace") by the machinations of an Antagonist (Roll on "ColonialAntagonist"). The Friend has some key or knows some fact critical to obtaining a missing Thing that the Antagonist requires, but is too fragile or important to torture into compliance. Meanwhile, a Complication (Roll on "ColonialComplication") is growing steadily worse and will do so until the Friend is freed and able to stop or mitigate it.

Why was this colony founded?: Roll on "ColonialFounded"

7-8

Two highly unsympathetic Antagonists (Roll on "ColonialAntagonist" and Roll on "ColonialAntagonist") both feel that they should have possession of a Thing (Roll on "ColonialThing") and are fomenting an effective civil war over who is to have it. Two separate Complications (Roll on "ColonialComplication" and Roll on "ColonialComplication") have already arisen due to their struggles, and a Friend's (Roll on "ColonialFriend") life or livelihood is facing destruction if the war between the Antagonists is not brought to a rapid conclusion.

Why was this colony founded?: Roll on "ColonialFounded"

9-10

An Antagonist (Roll on "ColonialAntagonist") is hunting relentlessly for a Friend (Roll on "ColonialFriend") who is currently hiding out in a dangerous-to-reach Place (Roll on "ColonialPlace"). The Friend is willing to trade their knowledge of the location of a valuable Thing (Roll on "ColonialThing") in exchange for rescue from the Place; their cooperation and continued life is necessary if the Thing is to be extracted from its current hiding place. Meanwhile, the Antagonist is using a current Complication (Roll on "ColonialComplication") to try to find and force out the hiding Friend.

Why was this colony founded?: Roll on "ColonialFounded"

1

Amoral ship-scavenger and their crew

2

Still-active internal defense bot with lethal programming

3

Degenerate chieftain of the heirs to the original crew

4

Malevolent control AI operating the infrastructure

5

Reawakened alien abomination

6

Crazed survivor of the disaster that killed the orbital

7

Vicious hermit who considers the orbital theirs

8

Brain-in-a-bot "ghost" of a long-dead resident

1

Curious asteroid prospector

2

Desperate cryo-awakened survivor

3

Struggling repair AI craving usable materials

4

Castaway trapped on the orbital

5

Survivor from the last salvagers

6

Treasure-hunter in need of help

7

Exile hiding out on the orbital

8

Baffled legal inheritor of the orbital

1

Crackling, radioactive engine core

2

 Hab area full of corpses

3

Command center with active defenses

4

Sealed-off docking bay

5

Heavily-protected data core

6

Dangerously functional work zone

7

Gunnery magazine full of unstable explosives

8

Emergency safe zone that failed catastrophically

1

The orbital will inevitably destruct very soon

2

The orbital somehow changes those trapped there

3

It's far harder to leave it than enter it

4

The orbital's loot is extravagantly illegal

5

Getting the orbital's best loot will destroy it rapidly

6

The orbital's real purpose is disguised

7

A government inspection team arrives soon after the PCs

8

The orbital is full of a space plague or dangerous miasma

1

Data showing what happened here

2

Keys to deactivate orbital anti-ship weapons

3

Internal security control keycode

4

Comm tech needed to call for help

5

 Priceless loot gathered by those now dead

6

Tech to prevent the orbital from collapsing

7

Bearer deed granting legal title to the orbital

8

Vital core component to ultra-illegal prototype weapon

1

Overrun by dangerous biological perils

2

On the losing end of a space attack

3

Torn up by lethal internal strife

4

Devastated by an experiment gone wrong

5

Ruined by an alien specimen or alien tech

6

Wrecked by an unknown cyclical space peril

7

Hit by a corporate or government cleaning squad

8

Were driven insane by something they worked on

1-2

A Friend (Roll on "DerelictFriend") alerts the PCs about a critical Thing (Roll on "DerelictThing") aboard the derelict shortly after they board, but an Antagonist (Roll on "DerelictAntagonist") is ahead of them in obtaining it. The Friend knows a shortcut to the Thing, but it requires passing through a dangerous Place (Roll on "DerelictPlace"), and a Complication (Roll on "DerelictComplication") underway is making the job even harder.

What kind of ruined is the orbital?: Roll on "DerelictRuined"

3-4

Two Antagonists (Roll on "DerelictAntagonist" and Roll on "DerelictAntagonist") both think the derelict and its salvage belong to them, and a Friend (Roll on "DerelictFriend") is caught in the crossfire. The Friend's stashed a precious Thing (Roll on "DerelictThing") and is willing to lead the PCs to it in exchange for a lift of the orbital. A Complication (Roll on "DerelictComplication") is making the process more difficult, but there's data or a key at a Place (Roll on "DerelictPlace") that can neutralize the difficulty at least temporarily.

What kind of ruined is the orbital?: Roll on "DerelictRuined"

5-6

A Friend (Roll on "DerelictFriend") is convinced they rightly own the orbital, but an Antagonist (Roll on "DerelictAntagonist") plans to take it from their rapidly-cooling corpse. The Friend's hidden with a precious Thing (Roll on "DerelictThing")  in a well-defended Place (Roll on "DerelictPlace"), and offers the treasure to the PCs in return for getting rid of the Antagonist. The Antagonist, however, is already halfway into the Place and the Friend can't shut of the defenses selectively.

What kind of ruined is the orbital?: Roll on "DerelictRuined"

7-8

A seemingly undefended orbital offers up a Thing (Roll on "DerelictThing") from a characteristic Place (Roll on "DerelictPlace") as soon as the PCs start investigating. Actually taking the Thing will set of local defenses, causing a Complication (Roll on "DerelictComplication") to become apparent and awakening or beckoning an Antagonist (Roll on "DerelictAntagonist") who will almost certainly arrive before the PCs can readily abscond with their loot.

What kind of ruined is the orbital?: Roll on "DerelictRuined"

9-10

A Friend (Roll on "DerelictFriend") needs the PCs to help find out the fate of another Friend (Roll on "DerelictFriend") they suspect is on the orbital, and holds out the prospect of a Thing (Roll on "DerelictThing") that the second Friend was searching for when communications were lost. Unbeknownst to the patron, an Antagonist (Roll on "DerelictAntagonist") has kidnapped the second Friend and is currently squeezing them for information about the Thing, which sadly is not within the second Friend's knowledge. A lieutenant of the Antagonist actually found it, and is looking for a chance to escape with it.

What kind of ruined is the orbital?: Roll on "DerelictRuined"

1

Far trader plundering the locale amid the chaos

2

Aspiring local warlord taking advantage

3

Demented prophet of doom

4

Agent of an opportunistic enemy power

5

Ethnic or religious gang boss

6

Revolutionary seizing their chance

7

Government official taking the chance for extortion

8

Oligarch who cares only for his own property

1

Desperate local with endangered kin

2

Hard-pressed local official

3

Grizzled survivalist Cassandra

4

Waif who lost everything in the disaster

5

Determined religious leader

6

Exhausted civil engineer

7

Hard-pressed government relief coordinator

8

Refugee driven out by the disaster

1

Habitation smashed by the disaster

2

Refugee camp with inadequate supplies

3

Site of a bloody massacre over vital stores

4

Temple full of desperate prayers

5

Ruins of a wrecked "safe place"

6

Zone where the disaster is still in full effect

7

Extremely unfriendly military forward base

8

Hospital overcrowded with the sick and wounded

1

Only the most societally-disposable are suffering

2

The disaster is very advantageous to a major power

3

Victims are blaming an unpopular group for it

4

Rival powers are moving on the weakened group

5

The disaster has revealed a priceless treasure

6

The victims include very unsympathetic types

7

Rebels are blaming the suffering on the government

8

A fanatical group is preaching to the dispossessed

1

Supplies critical to surviving the disaster

2

Data showing where the second wave will hit

3

Arms cache to oppress or defend survivors

4

Tech needed to repair vital infrastructure

5

Proof of official malfeasance in the disaster

6

Medical supplies needed for survivors

7

Cache of wealth hidden by a now-dead victim

8

Keys to open up a sealed pretech refuge structure

1

An exotic eruption of alien biology

2

Gigantic weather patterns of killing force

3

Floods which may include lethal liquids

4

Volcanic instability and lava flows

5

Hideous alien plague ravaging the locals

6

Remorselessly far-reaching famine

7

Tremendous wildfire marching unstoppably onward

8

Tsunami waves inundating the land

1-2

An Antagonist (Roll on "DisasterAntagonist") is the only one maintaining a functional refugee camp in the area, but is taking brutal advantage of the victims as slaves or subjects to be mulcted. A victimized Friend (Roll on "DisasterFriend") wants a Thing (Roll on "DisasterThing") which will be able to block the Antagonist or force the government to take notice, but it's kept at a Place (Roll on "DisasterPlace"), and the Antagonist will react savagely if they discover it exists.

What is the disaster?: Roll on "DisasterWhat"

3-4

An Antagonist (Roll on "DisasterAntagonist") is organizing refugees into bandit groups or looter swarms, potentially under the cover of governmentally-approved "citizen militias". A Friend (Roll on "DisasterFriend") and their kindred are in the way of one such swarm, but if they can get to a Place (Roll on "DisasterPlace") they think they can defend it sufficiently to force the swarm to bypass them. A Complication (Roll on "DisasterComplication") is making that harder, however.

What is the disaster?: Roll on "DisasterWhat"

5-6

The disaster was sufficiently recent that the government hasn't had time to act effectively and an Antagonist (Roll on "DisasterAntagonist") is taking advantage of the lull to loot and pillage. A Place (Roll on "DisasterPlace") is being set up as a governmental staging area, but in the confusion, the government actually thinks a Friend (Roll on "DisasterFriend") is responsible for the attacks, and a Complication (Roll on "DisasterComplication") is making it hard to refute that assumption.

What is the disaster?: Roll on "DisasterWhat"

7-8

A Friend (Roll on "DisasterFriend") has family or loved ones within the disaster zone, and is offering the location of a cached Thing (Roll on "DisasterThing") to the PCs if they help them get in and get their kindred out. Unfortunately, those kindred are hidden in a Place (Roll on "DisasterPlace") dangerously close to an Antagonist (Roll on "DisasterAntagonist"), who is digging in that same Place in order to get at the same Thing that the Friend has promised to the PCs.

What is the disaster?: Roll on "DisasterWhat"

9-10

Two different Complications (Roll on "DisasterComplication" and Roll on "DisasterComplication") are making relief work almost impossible in the disaster zone, and an Antagonist (Roll on "DisasterAntagonist") is actively working to keep those Complications in effect, the better to enjoy the freedom the absence of effective government allows. A Friend (Roll on "DisasterFriend") who has badly suffered from one of the Complications is offering the PCs knowledge of a Place (Roll on "DisasterPlace") which will provide a route past the Antagonist's usual swarm of minions, and give a chance at both the Antagonist's life and a Thing (Roll on "DisasterThing") they've just plundered.

What is the disaster?: Roll on "DisasterWhat"

1

Blandly deceitful government executive

2

Wildly hedonistic crime boss

3

Delusional security chief

4

Demagogue blaming an unpopular group

5

Agent of an enemy power

6

Ideologue who hates their own home

7

Corp exec who plans to profit by the doom

8

Obsessive scientist who helped catalyze the doom

1

Engineer struggling against doom

2

Far trader trying to extract friends

3

Civil defense officer keeping order

4

Scientist experimenting with solutions

5

Relief worker trying to help

6

Offworlder diplomat attempting to aid

7

Local religious leader trying to organize people

8

Wild-eyed but correct survivalist

1

Locus of the most recent doom activity

2

Plaza full of panicked locals

3

Bloody site where "the guilty " were lynched

4

Starport overrun by the desperate

5

Survivalist bunker for the elite

6

Civil engineering site overtaxed by the doom

7

Remote nook where frightened people are hiding

8

Infrastructure substation collapsing under the doom

1

The locals refuse to believe the doom is coming

2

Stopping the doom would depose the ruling group

3

People are using the doom to justify attacks on rivals

4

The initial stages of the doom are very helpful

5

Outsider rivals are encouraging the doom

6

Stopping the doom would cost a sub-group everything

7

The doom's certain conquest has been widely prophesied

8

The PCs are among a handful to know the doom exists

1

Evidence of who or what caused the doom

2

Tech that would fix the impending doom

3

Bribe sufficient to buy space transport for the populace

4

Key to refuge intended for the hab's rulers

5

Precious byproduct of the doom

6

Mothballed AI core that could solve the problem

7

Abandoned armory full of milspec hardware

8

Cold-sleep pod with a VIP occupant in it

1

Uncontrollable biological by-product of life support

2

Tectonic instability provoked by recent construction

3

Irreplaceable pretech life support is breaking down

4

Solar flares herald a life-scouring eruption

5

Self-replicating warbots are running amok

6

An innovative tech is catalyzing unexpected ruin

7

Blood-crazed and suicidal ideological sect

8

Unplanned activation of a military doomsday weapon

1-2

An Antagonist (Roll on "HabitatAntagonist") is moving to take advantage of the chaos to deal with a troublesome Friend (Roll on "HabitatFriend") before the Antagonist makes their planned escape from the dome. The Friend has a Thing (Roll on "HabitatThing") that would hinder that escape, and the PCs know it. Unfortunately, the Friend's secret location can only be learned at a Place (Roll on "HabitatPlace"), where a Complication (Roll on "HabitatComplication") makes investigation hazardous.

What's the nature of the doom?: Roll on "HabitatDoom"

3-4

An Antagonist (Roll on "HabitatAntagonist") disbelieves in the doom, and is making a play to take control of the habitat. Naturally, they 're trying to halt the outflow of locals, as they don't want to rule an empty hab. A Friend's (Roll on "HabitatFriend") family is stuck here because of that, and they're offering a Thing (Roll on "HabitatThing") if the PCs can somehow get their family out from their hidey-hole in a Place (Roll on "HabitatPlace"), despite the Antagonist's personal interest.

What's the nature of the doom?: Roll on "HabitatDoom"

5-6

A Friend's (Roll on "HabitatFriend") attempt to organize a coherent exodus is being stymied by an Antagonist (Roll on "HabitatAntagonist"), who doesn't want to let the people go until they've been stripped of their wealth and belongings. The Antagonist draws their strength from a Thing (Roll on "HabitatThing") they possess, kept at a well-defended Place (Roll on "HabitatPlace"), but a Complication (Roll on "HabitatComplication") is opening a hole in their defenses that the PCs might be able to exploit.

What's the nature of the doom?: Roll on "HabitatDoom"

7-8

Two Antagonists (Roll on "HabitatAntagonist" and Roll on "HabitatAntagonist") are struggling for control of transport out of the hab, and currently the only ones getting away are the nearest and dearest of these Antagonists. A Complication (Roll on "HabitatComplication") is causing further chaos. A Thing (Roll on "HabitatThing") exists that could end the struggle, but it's kept at a dangerous Place (Roll on "HabitatPlace"), and both Antagonists are sending people to try to seize it.

What's the nature of the doom?: Roll on "HabitatDoom"

9-10

An Antagonist (Roll on "HabitatAntagonist") is seriously hindered by a Complication (Roll on "HabitatComplication"), and they're trying to tamp it down with the authority or utility of a Thing (Roll on "HabitatThing") they possess. A Friend (Roll on "HabitatFriend") is being actively aided by the consequences of the Complication, and so wants to incite it yet further in order to stop the Antagonist from taking control of the hab. A particular Place (Roll on "HabitatPlace") contains a person or situation that could be used to either neutralize the Complication or aggravate it to a state that would destroy the Antagonist.

What's the nature of the doom?: Roll on "HabitatDoom"

1

Cannibal survivor chieftain

2

Utterly amoral group leader

3

Brutal local seeking escape offworld

4

Cult leader of a world-worshiping sect

5

Heartless corporate exploiter

6

Monstrous product of this world

7

Government warden-viceroy with a sadistic bent

8

Survival-obsessed xenophobe leader

1

Relative innocent seeking escape

2

Thrill-seeking offworlder tourist

3

Curious scientist exploring the world

4

Grim but upright local leader

5

Outworlder trying to rescue a friend

6

Engineer building an escape or refuge

7

Stoic religious leader

8

Zealous environmentalist seeking a modus vivendi

1

Locus of the world's horrible traits

2

Wretched habitat of locals

3

Work site for holding back the danger

4

Cemetery for the myriad unfortunates

5

Heavily-defended corp sponsor base

6

Shrine to a red-handed god of survival

7

Harshly summary courtroom and gallows

8

Cyst of hidden danger spawned by the world

1

The world's only hellish because of the local industry

2

The natives can't readily survive offworld any more

3

The natives think they're morally obliged to stay

4

Its sponsor uses it as a prison or dumping ground

5

The sponsor lies about the real nature of the world

6

The hellish trait of the world is going to get much worse

7

The hellish conditions spawn some precious substance

8

The locals live under prison-like police-state conditions

1

Vital supplies to survive the danger

2

Terraforming plans to pacify the world

3

The precious substance the locals extract

4

Weapons to overthrow overseers

5

Cure for a plague of this world

6

Tech necessary to escape the planet

7

Proof of the viceroy's malversations

8

Cache of precious luxury the locals desire desperately

1

Savage temperature extremes that overpower life support

2

Brutal radiation that induces many dire mutations

3

Frantic biosphere that throws of countless plagues

4

Murderous local fauna that infiltrate habitats

5

Near-intolerable high gravity that cripples natives

6

Psychic miasma that drives people insane

7

Maddening sonics throb through the atmosphere

8

Constant winds or rains hammer the surface

1-2

A Friend (Roll on "HellworldFriend") has come to where the PCs are in order to rescue a relative or loved one from an Antagonist (Roll on "HellworldAntagonist"), who is keeping them at a Place (Roll on "HellworldPlace"). At that same place, a Thing (Roll on "HellworldThing") is being kept, and the Friend offers to tell the PCs where to get the Thing if they can successfully extract the Friend's associate. A Complication (Roll on "HellworldComplication") is involved with the rescue.

What's so hellish about the world?: Roll on "HellworldHellish"

3-4

An Antagonist (Roll on "HellworldAntagonist") is providing safety or survival needs to the locals in exchange for their slavish obedience. They've successfully extracted a Thing (Roll on "HellworldThing") from their serfs, and enjoy it in the well-defended Place (Roll on "HellworldPlace") that is their lair. A Friend (Roll on "HellworldFriend") has been tormented by the Antagonist, and wants revenge; they have a key or other access to the Place and knowledge of the Thing.

What's so hellish about the world?: Roll on "HellworldHellish"

5-6

Anguished locals are being tormented by the Antagonist (Roll on "HellworldAntagonist") to benefit their own followers and serfs. A Friend (Roll on "HellworldFriend") has ignited a conflict between this Antagonist and a second Antagonist (Roll on "HellworldAntagonist") by playing up the consequences of a Complication (Roll on "HellworldComplication"). The fighting has revealed or knocked loose a Thing (Roll on "HellworldThing") at a Place (Roll on "HellworldPlace"), and now both combatants want to seize it in order to crush their opponent.

What's so hellish about the world?: Roll on "HellworldHellish"

7-8

A Friend (Roll on "HellworldFriend") has been dragged into a hopeless effort to overcome the peril of the world by a heartless Antagonist (Roll on "HellworldAntagonist"), but in the course of their work, they discovered a Thing (Roll on "HellworldThing") in a hidden Place (Roll on "HellworldPlace"). They want to get it out, but don't dare do it alone lest their find be discovered by the Antagonist. A Complication (Roll on "HellworldComplication") threatens to reveal their find to all if it's not abstracted quickly.

What's so hellish about the world?: Roll on "HellworldHellish"

9-10

An Antagonist (Roll on "HellworldAntagonist") is doing something that is very profitable for them but that amplifies the hellish qualities of the world nearby, thus causing calamities for a Friend (Roll on "HellworldFriend"). The focus of the Antagonist's activities are at a nearby Place (Roll on "HellworldPlace"), and only by disrupting them will the world's miserable qualities subside in the area. The Antagonist has used some of their ill-gotten gains to acquire a Thing (Roll on "HellworldThing"), which they're going to use to make things even worse if their plans aren't stopped soon.

What's so hellish about the world?: Roll on "HellworldHellish"

1

Ruthless raider chieftain

2

Deceitful desert guide

3

Ancient pretech guard bot

4

Desert-dwelling alien warlord

5

Avaricious slave trader

6

Crazed religious demagogue

7

Amoral offworlder mining boss

8

Foreign rebel leader using the desert as a base

1

Grimly-honorable tribal guide

2

Offworld engineer trying to dig wells

3

Far-seeing tribal sage or priest

4

Friendly if slightly-deranged desert hermit

5

Curious alien native

6

Avid offworld planetologist

7

Wealthy tourist in search of thrills

8

Anthropologist studying the local people

1

Plane of hard-fused, glassy sand

2

Perilous zone of shifting dunes

3

Ancient preserved pretech ruin

4

Hidden well within the rocks

5

Bustling oasis-village

6

Camp of desert nomads

7

Ancient dry river bed prone to flash foods

8

Structure long since buried beneath the sand

1

The desert's creation was relatively recent

2

Tremendous sandstorms make travel almost impossible

3

The desert becomes lethal at times; radiation, heat, etc.

4

The desert changes those who dwell in it very long

5

The desert's harshness is profitable to a powerful group

6

All the desert's inhabitants are biter refugees or exiles

7

The desert inhabitants survive by raiding outsiders

8

The desert gets killing rainstorms at random times

1

Water-finding or water-extracting tech

2

Cache of raider-stolen treasures

3

Key to unlock a pretech ruin in the sands

4

Offworld crop strain that requires almost no water

5

Religiously-important relic of the nomads

6

Weapons to crush a rival group

7

Plunder from an unfortunate caravan or cargo shuttle

8

Control codes to a forgotten pretech defense grid

1

The sand is mildly caustic; all habitats are underground

2

The desert sands cause mild hallucinations or mental tics

3

Local organisms actively destroy open water

4

Pretech effects confuse all tech navigation in the desert

5

The desert is mildly radioactive

6

Giant sandchinchillas or similar lethal abominations

7

The terrain often gives way into pits or toxic sumps

8

Ancient guardian bots attack "intruders" relentlessly

1-2

An Antagonist (Roll on "DesertAntagonist") has marshaled forces to overwhelm a Friend's (Roll on "DesertFriend") allies in order to obtain a Thing (Roll on "DesertThing") they recently found. The Friend has their associates forted up at a Place (Roll on "DesertPlace"), but a recent Complication (Roll on "DesertComplication") has cut of any easy escape. The Friend needs the PCs to get to the Place and fend of the Antagonist's minions long enough for their allies to escape to safety.

What's so harsh about the desert?: Roll on "DesertHarsh"

3-4

An Antagonist (Roll on "DesertAntagonist") has control of an important Place (Roll on "DesertPlace") that gives them tremendous spiritual or political legitimacy among the desert-dwellers. So long as they hold the Place, a Friend (Roll on "DesertFriend") can't hope to assemble resistance to their rule. A Complication (Roll on "DesertComplication") has opened up a route into the Place that is poorly-defended, and the Friend offers a Thing (Roll on "DesertThing") in payment if the PCs can depose the Antagonist.

What's so harsh about the desert?: Roll on "DesertHarsh"

5-6

Two Antagonists (Roll on "DesertAntagonist" and Roll on "DesertAntagonist") are locked in a struggle over control of a holy or economically valuable Place (Roll on "DesertPlace"). One of them has just come into control of a Thing (Roll on "DesertThing") and is going to use it to crush their opponent, allowing them to exert their tyranny unhindered. A Friend (Roll on "DesertFriend") has come into information on how to steal the Thing, and will give it to PCs who are willing to intervene.

What's so harsh about the desert?: Roll on "DesertHarsh"

7-8

A Complication (Roll on "DesertComplication") has intensified lately, whipping the locals into a frenzy that an Antagonist (Roll on "DesertAntagonist") is channeling into violence against a rival group. A Friend (Roll on "DesertFriend") belonging to that group thinks that there is a way to negate or mitigate the Complication, but it's located in a dangerous Place (Roll on "DesertPlace"), one that the Antagonist knows about and has dispatched minions to guard.

What's so harsh about the desert?: Roll on "DesertHarsh"

9-10

A Friend (Roll on "DesertFriend") is trying to use their control of a Thing (Roll on "DesertThing") to weld a fractious group into a coherent whole, the better to stand against a hostile Antagonist (Roll on "DesertAntagonist"). Unfortunately for the Friend, agents of the Antagonist recently stole the Thing and have it stashed at a Place (Roll on "DesertPlace") until the Antagonist can take possession of it. If its theft became proven, the Friend's backing would collapse, so they need the PCs to steal the Thing back before the Antagonist can display it as a trophy of their inevitable victory.

What's so harsh about the desert?: Roll on "DesertHarsh"

1

Hopelessly corrupt portmaster

2

Thieving local customs inspector

3

"Accident-prone" longshoreman boss

4

Chiseling ship maintenance tech chief

5

Xenophobic local official

6

Competition-averse offworlder far trader

7

Local religious leader who despises infidels

8

Crime boss who enjoys looting offworlders

1

Local innocent seeking offworld adventure

2

Native needing to get offworld fast

3

New hire with stubborn integrity

4

Local law enforcement looking for evidence

5

Stranded far trader seeking help

6

Tourist in trouble with the locals

7

Missionary trying to enlighten the natives

8

Offworlder engineer disappointed in local culture

1

Reeking starport bar

2

Shabby brothel for the spacers

3

Tense customs office

4

Isolated ship maintenance bay

5

Heavily-guarded starport gate

6

Warehouse full of bonded cargo

7

Cramped utility corridors around starport machines

8

Discreet military monitoring bunker

1

The locals have recently come to hate offworlders

2

The starport locks down just after the PCs arrive

3

Most locals won't publicly interact with the PCs

4

The repairs made here are extremely failure-prone

5

All dangerous or hard work is done by slave labor

6

The PCs are mistaken for a crime boss' partners

7

Nothing gets done without extortionate bribes

8

Offworld credits aren't legal tender here at the moment

1

Crates full of smuggled goods

2

Proof of starport corruption

3

Treasure confiscated from a dead offworlder

4

Codes to safely unlock a confiscated ship

5

Cache of incredibly illegal goods

6

Forbidden starship weapon or fitting

7

Info on secret stashes made by a dead far trader

8

Ship with ultra-concealed pretech smuggler hold

1

Locals are incompetent and have reasons not to improve

2

An outworlder agent foments rebellion here

3

Goods are regularly stolen by the starport personnel

4

Officials use legal threats to coerce services from PCs

5

An impending civil war has the locals coercing "allies"

6

A xenophobic local group tries hard to make trouble

7

A foreign space navy interferes with port operation

8

Everything takes ridiculously long amounts of time

1-2

An Antagonist (Roll on "StarportAntagonist") has engineered an accident or shutdown that threatens the PCs' ship or interests if they don't pay the Antagonist of or agree to perform an onerous favor. A Friend (Roll on "StarportFriend") has evidence of the Antagonist's malfeasance, and is willing to give it if the PCs recover a Thing (Roll on "StarportThing") that the Antagonist took from them and stored in a well-guarded Place (Roll on "StarportPlace").

What goes wrong here?: Roll on "StarportWrong"

3-4

An Antagonist (Roll on "StarportAntagonist") is masquerading as a friendly face who's willing to help the PCs bypass onerous regulations if they just go deliver a seemingly-innocent package to a Friend (Roll on "StarportFriend"). In reality, it's a trap to get incriminating evidence on the PCs and coerce them into getting a Thing (Roll on "StarportThing") from the Friend that the Antagonist knows they possess.

What goes wrong here?: Roll on "StarportWrong"

5-6

A Complication (Roll on "StarportComplication") has interfered with an Antagonist's (Roll on "StarportAntagonist") attempt to put the squeeze on the PCs. As soon as they sort it out, they'll cause trouble for the PCs, but a Friend (Roll on "StarportFriend") tips the players of that the distraction has made a Thing (Roll on "StarportThing") the Antagonist holds vulnerable to judicious extraction. The Antagonist won't dare move against them as long as the Thing is in the PCs' possession.

What goes wrong here?: Roll on "StarportWrong"

7-8

One Antagonist (Roll on "StarportAntagonist") is trying to muscle in to the operation being run by another Antagonist (Roll on "StarportAntagonist"), and a Complication (Roll on "StarportComplication") is getting much worse because of it. A Friend (Roll on "StarportFriend") looking for the main chance, and thinks that a recent Thing (Roll on "StarportThing") they've been fighting over could be stolen by the PCs. If they agree to split the take with the Friend, they'll get information on the Place (Roll on "StarportPlace") where it's being kept.

What goes wrong here?: Roll on "StarportWrong"

9-10

A Complication (Roll on "StarportComplication") impinges on the PCs as soon as they arrive, with a Friend (Roll on "StarportFriend") offering to help them out of the difficulty. Once it's resolved at least temporarily, they point out an Antagonist (Roll on "StarportAntagonist") who's causing trouble at the starport, albeit not to the PCs at the moment. If the PCs agree to plant an illicit Thing (Roll on "StarportThing") in a Place (Roll on "StarportPlace") controlled by the Antagonist, the Friend will make it worth their while. The Friend may or may not be an actual Friend or simply a rival Antagonist (Roll on "StarportAntagonist").

What goes wrong here?: Roll on "StarportWrong"

1

Sadistic prison warden

2

Scientist conducting vile experiments

3

Psychotic prison gang boss

4

Obsessed vigilante seeking revenge on prisoners

5

Monstrous criminal with inhuman genius

6

Coldly self-interested politician

7

Secret feral psychic prisoner with inhuman powers

8

Callous government official signing mass death warrants

1

Unjustly imprisoned innocent

2

Reforming local official

3

Redemption-seeking lifer

4

Relative of a prisoner

5

Political prisoner of an unjust polity

6

Amoral convict who sees profit in helping the PCs

7

Relative or old friend stuck in the prison

8

Investigative reporter

1

Convict-farmed crop fields

2

Dangerous convict-labor workshop

3

Grim solitary confinement block

4

Lethal wilderness that surrounds the colony

5

Hidden tunnels dug by convicts

6

Heavily-guarded staff complex

7

Infrastructure tunnels around dangerous power plants

8

Informal arena for prisoner fights

1

The convict population is almost entirely loathsome

2

Dangerous aliens are among the population

3

The prison is the safest place in society for some here

4

The prisoners are kept here by non-physical inducements

5

It's a black prison full of "unpersoned" prisoners

6

The prisoners are needed for vital work here

7

The prisoners include children born here

8

"Thought correction" tech is used to "help" prisoners

1

A pardon concealed by staff from its subject

2

Cache of convict-made weapons

3

Proof of the warden's malfeasance

4

Tech that allows escape from the prison

5

Bomb big enough to ruin the prison

6

Vast stash of illicit drugs

7

Object containing a concealed stasis-drugged prisoner

8

Written list of snitches or secret political revolutionaries

1

They are kept radically isolated from each other

2

Prison gangs run the population

3

Religious or ethnic sects divide the population

4

Castes of staff favorites stand above general cons

5

The population mimics the external society 's divisions

6

Castes based on the crime that got them imprisoned

7

Military organization, with staff as officers

8

Ever-shifting patterns based on silly reformatory fads

1-2

An Antagonist (Roll on "PrisonAntagonist") offers to get the PCs into or out of the prison in exchange for killing an annoying Friend (Roll on "PrisonFriend"), painting up a suitably plausible story about why they need to die. Once they've met the Friend, whether or not they kill them, the Antagonist leverages a Complication (Roll on "PrisonComplication") in an attempt to kill the PCs and the Friend as "intruders" or "escapees".

How are the prisoners organized?: Roll on "PrisonPrisoners"

3-4

A Friend (Roll on "PrisonFriend") desperately needs to get a Thing (Roll on "PrisonThing") into or out of a prison, and the only way to do so is through a dangerous Place (Roll on "PrisonPlace") during a flare-up of a local Complication (Roll on "PrisonComplication"). The Antagonist (Roll on "PrisonAntagonist") finds out about the transfer just as it's starting, and the PCs need to move rapidly to deliver or extract the Thing before the Antagonist can stop them.

How are the prisoners organized?: Roll on "PrisonPrisoners"

5-6

An Antagonist (Roll on "PrisonAntagonist") is on their best behavior as some outside oversight is examining the prison. A Friend (Roll on "PrisonFriend") needs to get proof of the wrongdoing here either into the prison to show the inspector or out of it to deliver to the media. The Antagonist does nothing overt to PC prisoners he suspects of being involved with the matter, but has tacitly farmed out enforcement to coerced convicts.

How are the prisoners organized?: Roll on "PrisonPrisoners"

7-8

Angry prisoners are forming up around Antagonist leaders (Roll on "PrisonAntagonist" and Roll on "PrisonAntagonist") in two different Places (Roll on "PrisonPlace" and Roll on "PrisonPlace", respectively), their rivalry sparked by a local Complication (Roll on "PrisonComplication"). A Friend (Roll on "PrisonFriend") desperately wants to calm down the situation without a massive bloodbath, and is willing to offer the secret location of a stashed Thing (Roll on "PrisonThing") if the PCs can neutralize the rival leaders without hurting too many of their followers.

How are the prisoners organized?: Roll on "PrisonPrisoners"

9-10

A luckless Friend (Roll on "PrisonFriend") is being kept in a Place (Roll on "PrisonPlace"), and is certainly doomed to an unfortunate fate at an Antagonist's (Roll on "PrisonAntagonist") hands within a relatively short period of time. Another Friend (Roll on "PrisonFriend") outside the prison reaches out to the PCs in hopes that they can extract the victim through an egress in a Place (Roll on "PrisonPlace"), one where the PCs will find a precious Thing (Roll on "PrisonThing") that is too bulky or cumbersome to easily extract without risking the failure of the rescue mission.

How are the prisoners organized?: Roll on "PrisonPrisoners"

1

Jungle-mad hermit

2

Ruthless industrial exploiter

3

Savage tribal chieftain

4

Violent fugitive from justice

5

Monstrous alien creature

6

Murderous isolationist sect chief

7

Jungle bandit leader

8

Corrupt government official

1

Friendly jungle tribal

2

Grizzled wilderness guide

3

Foolhardy tourist thrillseeker

4

Hard-bitten scientific researcher

5

Weathered jungle colonist

6

Determined government surveyor

7

Over-optimistic land developer

8

Gone-native anthropologist

1

Quicksand-infested riverside

2

River full of lethal creatures

3

Primitive jungle settlement

4

Ruins of a failed colony

5

Scarred industrial extraction zone

6

Paranoid colonist outpost

7

Hidden bandit encampment

8

Sinister shrine to a forbidden deity

1

The jungle is of inorganic but growing substance

2

The jungle covers a formerly-urban area

3

The natives have extremely high-tech resources

4

The jungle is holy to a violent sect

5

Humans can't survive the jungle atmosphere for too long

6

Multiple groups are fighting for control of the jungle

7

High-tech weapons are dangerous to use in the jungle

8

The jungle is semi-sentient and malevolent

1

Cure for a jungle poison or plague

2

Tech to survive a jungle peril

3

Deed to valuable jungle land

4

Priceless relic lost by a victim of the jungle

5

Treasure of the native inhabitants

6

Map to a hidden treasure cache

7

Key to unlock an ancient pretech jungle vault

8

Evidence of government malfeasance

1

The locals are murderously violent

2

A valuable substance here is ultra-toxic

3

The local flora and fauna are lethal

4

A hostile military is active in the jungle

5

It's full of plagues and poisons

6

The terrain erupts and shifts with regularity

7

It's full of dangerous exiles and rebels

8

The fauna is psychic and hostile

1-2

The jungle is spreading at an alarmingly unnatural rate, and an Antagonist (Roll on "JungleAntagonist") operating from within it is taking advantage of it to attack the friends and family of a Friend (Roll on "JungleFriend"). A Complication (Roll on "JungleComplication") is making government intervention difficult, and the desperate Friend is offering a Thing (Roll on "JungleThing") to the PCs if they do something about Antagonist and their sudden extension of influence.

What makes the jungle dangerous?: Roll on "JungleDanger"

3-4

An Antagonist (Roll on "JungleAntagonist") has kidnapped a Friend (Roll on "JungleFriend") and carried them to a Place (Roll on "JunglePlace") within the jungle. Relations of the Friend are trying to persuade the PCs to rescue the victim; evidently, the Antagonist thinks the Friend knows the location of a stolen Thing (Roll on "JungleThing"). In truth, a minion of the Antagonist stole it, and will try to use it to get the PCs to kill the Antagonist if they get a chance to negotiate.

What makes the jungle dangerous?: Roll on "JungleDanger"

5-6

A Place (Roll on "JunglePlace") is the locus of a Complication (Roll on "JungleComplication") that is causing severe problems for a Friend (Roll on "JungleFriend"). The Complication appears to be resting in large part on a Thing (Roll on "JungleThing") somewhere in that Place, and if the Thing were recovered, the Complication would be negated or lessened. An Antagonist (Roll on "JungleAntagonist") profits by the Complication, and can be expected to respond unkindly to attempts to alleviate it.

What makes the jungle dangerous?: Roll on "JungleDanger"

7-8

A completely unexpected Antagonist (Roll on "JungleAntagonist") has appeared in the jungle, causing great trouble for a pre-existing Antagonist (Roll on "JungleAntagonist") and igniting a struggle between the two. A Friend (Roll on "JungleFriend") wants to take advantage of the chaos to kill them both, and a Thing (Roll on "JungleThing") hidden in a particular Place (Roll on "JunglePlace") will make that a much easier feat for the PCs if they agree to help.

What makes the jungle dangerous?: Roll on "JungleDanger"

9-10

An Antagonist (Roll on "JungleAntagonist") has somehow acquired governmental power, obtaining law enforcement rights or similar legal authority. They are taking every advantage of their new status, using it on flimsy but not completely implausible grounds, making it difficult for a Friend (Roll on "JungleFriend") to resist their impositions. The Friend knows that the Antagonist has an illicit Thing (Roll on "JungleThing") in a Place (Roll on "JunglePlace") that would get them disqualified, but the Place is now guarded with the full panoply of a government-authorized facility.

What makes the jungle dangerous?: Roll on "JungleDanger"

1

Grief-stricken defensive AI

2

Leader of the degenerate city survivors

3

Piratical boss of a looter crew

4

Foreign military mission officer

5

Amoral research scientist

6

Half-mad paranoid hermit-exile

7

"Zombie" expert system defense bot

8

Transhuman abomination made from a survivor

1

Friendly survivor youth

2

Avid treasure-hunter

3

Cooperative remnant AI

4

Recolonization effort leader

5

Carelessly curious scholar

6

Non-sentient expert-system guide

7

Last survivor of the most recent looter group

8

Extremely foolish artist seeking inspiration

1

Empty plaza littered with relics of the dead

2

Hab complex bearing signs of the end

3

Incompletely-finished mass grave

4

Transit hub choked with dead refugees

5

Ruined governmental building

6

Overrun supply depot

7

Automated factory creating and destroying endlessly

8

Starport with ships wrecked by dead rioters

1

The city has been recolonized by dangerous things

2

The city 's defense grid is capriciously functional

3

Some group maintains the city as a taboo zone

4

The city is full of a lethal toxin or radiation

5

The city's plunder is somehow dangerous to use

6

Some power waits to rob those who come out

7

Broken medical nanites animate corpses to attack others

8

Travel through the city streets is extremely dangerous

1

Record of what exactly happened

2

Semi-mythical treasure said to be here

3

Cache of well-preserved ancient tech

4

Key to shut down anti-ship defenses

5

Fix for the thing that killed the city

6

Remains of an important victim here

7

Pretech disaster-rescue nanites that can heal amazingly

8

Code to open a survival bunker for the elite

1

Cut off from vital supplies by the Scream

2

Internal strife that led to city-ruining sabotage

3

Slaughter by some invading power that then left

4

Religious or ideological mania killed everyone here

5

Random cosmic mischance, radiation, or solar flares

6

Forced relocation by a great and indifferent power

7

Nanite malfunction or other tech failure

8

Exterminated by out-of-control machines or AIs

1-2

A Friend (Roll on "TombCityFriend") is racing to obtain a Thing (Roll on "TombCityThing") from a Place (Roll on "TombCityPlace") in the city before an Antagonist (Roll on "TombCityAntagonist") can seize it. Unfortunately, a Complication (Roll on "TombCityComplication") is providing problems for both of them, and the Friend appeals to the PCs to help get it before the nefarious Antagonist makes away with it.

How did the city die?: Roll on "TombCityDie"

3-4

A Friend (Roll on "TombCityFriend") desperately needs to retrieve a Thing (Roll on "TombCityThing") from the tomb city in order to prevent a disaster back home. An Antagonist (Roll on "TombCityAntagonist") got there first and has the Thing, and is willing to exchange it for a different Thing (Roll on "TombCityThing") kept in a Place (Roll on "TombCityPlace") in the city. The Antagonist may or may not keep their word if their desired plunder is offered.

How did the city die?: Roll on "TombCityDie"

5-6

A government expedition was recently annihilated in the tomb city, and the chance to plunder their remains has brought the Antagonist (Roll on "TombCityAntagonist") out. A Friend (Roll on "TombCityFriend") associated with the expedition is still alive, and the Antagonist wants them dead so as to avoid troublesome witnesses, as the PCs would be as well. A Complication (Roll on "TombCityComplication") is hindering the hunt right now.

How did the city die?: Roll on "TombCityDie"

7-8

A Friend (Roll on "TombCityFriend") has made a refuge of sorts in a Place (Roll on "TombCityPlace") in the city, one sheltered from a serious Complication (Roll on "TombCityComplication") that makes less protected havens unwise. An Antagonist (Roll on "TombCityAntagonist") has done something horrible to avoid the dangers of the Complication, and is getting dangerously close to the hiding location of a Thing (Roll on "TombCityThing") that's important to the Friend.

How did the city die?: Roll on "TombCityDie"

9-10

An Antagonist (Roll on "TombCityAntagonist") native to the city is fighting an Antagonist (Roll on "TombCityAntagonist") from outside the city, and a Friend (Roll on "TombCityFriend") has escaped from captivity in the chaos. They had to leave behind a Thing (Roll on "TombCityThing"), however, and while the Thing is well-disguised and its true value unapparent to the Antagonist who has it, it's only a matter of time before its worth is recognized. The Thing is being kept in the middle of a war zone between the Antagonists, in a Place (Roll on "TombCityPlace") currently under fire. Either Antagonist might be interested in enlisting PC help.

How did the city die?: Roll on "TombCityDie"

1

Corrupt police chief

2

"Social activist" gang leader

3

Amoral mob boss

4

Religious or ethnic demagogue

5

Oligarchic boss who effectively owns serfs

6

Monstrous brute who commits atrocities for fun

7

Celebrity-crazed criminal seeking fame

8

Malevolent slumlord with thug minions

1

Charmingly ebullient waif

2

Local desperately determined to get out

3

Reformed gang member

4

Naively idealistic social worker

5

World-weary police officer

6

Uncorrupted local leader

7

Prostitute with a heart of German silver

8

Crusading reporter

1

Riotous street market

2

Desolate industrial shell

3

Atrociously polluted riverbank

4

Hive-like hab complex

5

Gaudy gang headquarters

6

Time-worn religious structure

7

Secret sewer hideout

8

Burnt-out zone of recent law enforcement response

1

The locals are unjustly oppressed but unsympathetic

2

Local leadership has completely sold out their people

3

The slum's misery is under colorably legal justification

4

While miserable, the slum is somehow critical to the city

5

Locals can't leave the slum without papers

6

The slum somehow causes sinister changes in its inmates

7

Oligarchs go on sordid rampages through the slum

8

Slum structures tend to collapse without notice

1

Hidden cache of criminal spoils

2

Proof of official malfeasance

3

Stash of extremely illegal goods

4

Relic of prime importance to the locals

5

Money intended for local improvements

6

Armory of guns for an uprising

7

List of secret government collaborators

8

Bomb big enough to blow up the slum

1

A corrupt cabal of supposed community leaders

2

A coldly-indifferent official on the city payroll

3

A brutal gang warlord with an iron fist

4

An entrepreneurial mob boss indifferent to suffering

5

A half-delirious AI or expert system

6

A grasping religious leader who torments the unfaithful

7

A military official with a brutally heavy hand

8

A rotation of equally corrupt and useless elected officials

1-2

An Antagonist (Roll on "SlumAntagonist") is starring in a upcoming reality show, and an amoral producer is posing as a Friend (Roll on "SlumFriend") to encourage the PCs to get into conflict with the Antagonist, playing up their wickedness and offering evidence of a Thing (Roll on "SlumThing") they own that could use "liberating". The Friend will arrange a mutual surprise at the Place (Roll on "SlumPlace") it's located in so as to ensure telegenic conflict.

Who runs the slum?: Roll on "SlumRuns"

3-4

A Friend (Roll on "SlumFriend") is in desperate circumstances that can't be fixed with feasible amounts of money. An Antagonist's (Roll on "SlumAntagonist") influence is needed to solve the problem, but they want the Friend to recover a Thing (Roll on "SlumThing") from another Antagonist (Roll on "SlumAntagonist"), and the Friend doesn't think they can do it without PC help. Unfortunately, a Complication (Roll on "SlumComplication") makes the Place (Roll on "SlumPlace") where it is held all the more dangerous.

Who runs the slum?: Roll on "SlumRuns"

5-6

A Friend's (Roll on "SlumFriend") hopeful efforts have been crushed in desultory fashion by an Antagonist (Roll on "SlumAntagonist") so often that it's become an amusement for the latter. Seething with rage, the Friend wants to arrange a murderous surprise at a Place (Roll on "SlumPlace") the next time this is due to happen, and tells the PCs what Place (Roll on "SlumPlace") to go to in order to get a Thing (Roll on "SlumThing") critical to their plans.

Who runs the slum?: Roll on "SlumRuns"

7-8

An Antagonist (Roll on "SlumAntagonist") has set himself up as the only possible source of justice for the oppressed natives, using his control of a Thing (Roll on "SlumThing") to enforce his leadership on the resentful multitudes. A Friend (Roll on "SlumFriend") is convinced that the Antagonist's plans will only lead to ruin, and has aggravated a Complication (Roll on "SlumComplication") to try to depose the Antagonist. Unfortunately, it's backfiring, only making him stronger.

Who runs the slum?: Roll on "SlumRuns"

9-10

The government actually does have a positive plan for the slum, and an Antagonist (Roll on "SlumAntagonist") isn't willing to let it happen, as it would threaten his influence. He's fomenting a Complication (Roll on "SlumComplication") to discourage the plan, and a Friend (Roll on "SlumFriend") is trying to prevent the Antagonist from ruining the opportunity given to the rest of the slum's inhabitants. The Antagonist's latest provocation is in the theft of a Thing (Roll on "SlumThing"), currently being held at a Place (Roll on "SlumPlace"). If the government discovers it there it will utterly discredit the plan with the public.

Who runs the slum?: Roll on "SlumRuns"

1

Cold-blooded special ops leader

2

Deserter bandit chief

3

Bloodthirsty partisan organizer

4

Native looter boss

5

Indifferent infantry commander

6

Local crime boss making good

7

Agent of a hostile outside power

8

Ruthless war profiteer

1

Frightened war orphan

2

Idealistic young trooper

3

Agent of a cooperative power

4

Well-meaning military officer

5

Stubborn local cleric

6

Cynically cooperative survivor

7

Aid agency physician

8

Hard-bitten war reporter

1

Bombed-out apartment hab

2

Shell-cratered no man's land

3

Half-depleted minefield

4

Ruined bunker strongpoint

5

Urban avenue covered by snipers

6

Wilderness partisan base

7

Blasted military forward base

8

Plain littered with burning vehicles

1

The armies are treating all civilians as partisans

2

The whole battlefield will be nuked shortly

3

The civilians want to fight a hopeless battle

4

Partisans are convinced the PCs are enemies

5

A basic fact the PCs have is actually totally wrong

6

Artillery strikes hit randomly with only brief warnings

7

The battle fronts aren't where they're said to be

8

A particular critical supply is totally unavailable

1

Important fake military credentials

2

Large cache of military weaponry

3

Recon info about an army

4

Vital plans stolen by a spy

5

Supplies needed by desperate locals

6

Proof of a gruesome atrocity

7

Secret military prototype weapon

8

Loot seized by an unscrupulous officer

1

A major military base and staging ground

2

An active partisan band

3

A special forces commando

4

Tanks on the move

5

A pack of deserters and bandit looters

6

An artillery detachment

7

Combat engineers laying mines

8

A fast-moving recon group

1-2

An Antagonist (Roll on "WarZoneAntagonist") is using a Friend's (Roll on "WarZoneFriend") allies or kinsmen as living shields against a military force that will soon stop worrying about the consequences of opening free. The Antagonist is searching the Place (Roll on "WarZonePlace") for a Thing (Roll on "WarZoneThing") believed to be hidden there, and using the prisoners as temporary buffers to buy time for the search.

What combatants are nearest?: Roll on "WarZoneCombatant"

3-4

A Friend (Roll on "WarZoneFriend") has survived a confrontation with an Antagonist (Roll on "WarZoneAntagonist") at a Place (Roll on "WarZonePlace"), with the fight at least partly inspired by a Complication (Roll on "WarZoneComplication"). In the chaos, a Thing (Roll on "WarZoneThing") was left behind there that the Antagonist is likely to discover soon. The Friend asks the PCs to go recover it, despite the dangerous ubiquity of the Antagonist's allies there.

What combatants are nearest?: Roll on "WarZoneCombatant"

5-6

An Antagonist (Roll on "WarZoneAntagonist") has signed up with one of the military sides in order to help them "police" the local populace. They're using military authority to commit assorted depredations at a Place (Roll on "WarZonePlace"), and survivors are escaping to warn a Friend (Roll on "WarZoneFriend") of what's coming. A Thing (Roll on "WarZoneThing") that might be useful against them is being kept hidden at a second Place (Roll on "WarZonePlace"), but it's the next destination for the Antagonist.

What combatants are nearest?: Roll on "WarZoneCombatant"

7-8

A Complication (Roll on "WarZoneComplication") has imperiled a Friend (Roll on "WarZoneFriend") at a Place (Roll on "WarZonePlace") dangerously close to the front lines. An Antagonist (Roll on "WarZoneAntagonist") is making trouble along the most otherwise-secure way into the Place, but avoiding the Antagonist means running almost directly into the fighting. The Friend will be able to offer a Thing (Roll on "WarZoneThing") they salvaged to the PCs if they can successfully extract them.

What combatants are nearest?: Roll on "WarZoneCombatant"

9-10

An Antagonist (Roll on "WarZoneAntagonist") has positioned himself as a protector for a Friend (Roll on "WarZoneFriend") and their associates, but the Friend has reason to believe that the Antagonist is just waiting for a convenient opportunity to frame them for partisan activity or use them as some other bargaining chip with a local military. In particular, the Antagonist is keeping the civilians penned in a Place (Roll on "WarZonePlace") "for their safety ", while his men search another Place (Roll on "WarZonePlace") for a Thing (Roll on "WarZoneThing") that was lost in the fighting.

What combatants are nearest?: Roll on "WarZoneCombatant"