1d100 Things to Find in Buried Ruins

1d100 Things to Find in Buried Ruins

Version 1.0

Random city map I used as my guideline for
A subterranean ruin of an ancient city.
Made with Medieval Fantasy City Generator

In a recent adventure that I ran, my players discovered a city partially buried in volcanic glass and sandstone beneath their home city. Ancient streets and waterways became corridors, while houses, plazas, and marketplaces became dungeon rooms and chambers.  It was a survival story where light, edible fungus and water were the most important resources around.

I quickly discovered that my players were curious about what they could find in the various small houses and huts that could be broken into that were meant to be scenery more than locations. I had to think on the fly as my players explored the city map I was using block by block looking for lost lore and riches.

This table is the resource that I wished that I'd had. A table for finding things in sunken, buried, or long-overgrown ruins.  If your PCs ate nosing into houses that have not seen the sun for a thousand years, this is a great way to let their curiosity be satisfied, lead to paranoia, or kill the proverbial cat.

d100	What's in here?
00	An amphora of wine stoppered with wax that has turned to vinegar.
01	An elegant hookah containing hallucinogens.
02	A grove of glowing mushrooms.
03	Ancient bones - gnawed.
04	A bat colony.
05	A giant bat colony.
06	A campfire from 50-100 years ago, abandoned.
07	An ancient house shrine to a forgotten god with a taper that burns but is not consumed on the altar.
08	The bones of survivors of the initial cataclysm huddled together.
09	An ancient manuscript that turns out to be a diary detailing events just days before the cataclysm that ruined this place.
10	A petrified party of adventurers from centuries back.
11	A bronze strong box containing 2d100 electrum pieces.
12	A secret door hiding the altar of a forbidden ancient cult.
13	A hollowed out and crumbled statue of a Gorton, Medusa, or bassilisk, cast off  from a strange molting.
14	A hidden thicket vines with glowing blossoms and luminous ferns full of insects and blind salamanders.
15	An amphora of wine stoppered with wax that has been magically preserved, and is still drinkable.
16	A grove of giant hallucinogenic toadstools.
17	A campfire from 50-100 years ago, with blood stains and claw marks on the bedroll.
18	A house with still mostly intact furnishings haunted by an angry poltergeist.
19	Sealed cases full of papyrus scrolls containing useless trivia from daily life.  There is a 5% chance of a random magic scroll or treasure map mixed in.
20	A cursed idol in a stone case carved with warnings in a lost language.
21	A colony of giant venomous spiders. 1d4 unidentifiable humanoid corpses are suspended in their webs.
22	A flooded chamber full of pale, eyeless fish or crustaceans.
23	Petroglyphs carved into the walls by a mad hermit.
24	An ancient manuscript tainted  with dangerous plant life (i.e. yellow or brown mold.)
25	Behind a door stoppered with wax, a skeleton sits next to a copper tea service and holy symbol, with a dagger in its sternum. A scroll in a sealed case on the floor nearby details the cataclysm that destroyed the city as an eyewitness account before ending in a suicide note.
26	A moth-eaten wall hanging that was once a woven map of the lost civilisation that created the ruin.
27	The bleached bones and cast-off scales of a slain young dragon, 2d100 copper pieces and 2d50 silver pieces left behind by it's players in coinage from many different eras gather tarnish and veridian on the floor
28	A bad vibration greets the PCs as they enter this ruin, they feel a chill and hear indistinct whispers from the basement.
29	A dusty demonic skull sits on a stone pedestal with today's date and the name of the PCs carved into it. Inside the skull is a map to a lost infernal treasure.
30	An amphora of wine sealed in wax that still appears drinkable... but that is because it was preserved with a virulent poison.
31	A patch of toxic fungus that can be harvested and refined for 1d10 uses.
32	The campsite of a lost explorer with 2d3 randomly selected pieces of salvageable gear and a journal that contains three helpful observations... One of which is wrong and dangerous.
33	A spellbook detailing a bizarre forgotten spell.
34	A fat and extremely bored imp trapped in an advanced summoning circle. It has been trapped for millennia, and desperately wants to be free. It will offer a generous pact, possibly including the true name of an old rival to be set free. It has also learned to telepathically control the local lizards.
35	A tablet of laws and a bronze medallion celebrating the ascension of the last king of the original residents of the city. Possibly valuable to a scholar.
36	A lair full of vermin; roll 1d4: 1. Giant centipedes; 2. Giant spiders; 3. Giant rats; 4. Giant frogs.
37	Bronze craftsman's tools in nearly perfect condition, requiring only replacement leather bindings.
38	A rotted carcass of a six-eyed earless canid - infested with rot grubs.
39	A handful of bleached skulls tangled in yellowish waxy roots.
40	A 6m long shed snake skin.
41	A battered and dented copper coffee service.
42	A set of quartz dice with seven sides.
43	Glowing cracks in the floor from a magma flow offer illumination and warmth.
44	The skeletal corpse of an Alchemist with 1d4 pieces of salvageable equipment laying in a chamber full of strange, bloated fungus. A fungus-covered journal contains experimental notes towards using some nearby plants to make a potion of Infravision. If the PCs follow his recipe roll 1d6: 1-2. they create a foul-tasting emetic; 3-4. they create a hallucinogenic brew that induces a stupor for an hour; 5. they create a potion of Infravision;  6. They create a potentially deadly ingested poison. They will not know which one they have made unless they drink it.
45	A wax-sealed amphora with a mummified murder victim sealed within.
46	A patch of deadly monstrous fungus. (i.e. Violet Fungus or Gas Spores)
47	Corpses of the original residents encased in volcanic dust.
48	An enamel coffee cup with strange writing only readable through magic. It reads "World's Sexiest Time Traveler."
49	Dusty dry space with a few pottery shards and some battered bronze cutlery.
50	Spoor, shed hair or scales, and bones suggesting an animal has been lairing here.
51	A collection of rough clay figurines of farm animals, a broken and crumbling doll house, and ancient stone game pieces.
52	Corpses of the original residents encased in amber.
53	Glowing cracks in the floor from a magma flow fill the room with poison gas.
54	An eerie tableaux of skeletons wired to hold their form are posed with ancient cutlery, plates, and drinking vessels to suggest a cannibal feast. A disturbing image of a tentacled horror is painted on the wall.
55	If the PCs rest here, they will be woken by the sound of heavy knocking on an interior door. If they open the door, however, they find only rubble from a collapsed room beyond.
56	The floor of this ruin is unstable and will collapse dropping the PCs into a well below.
57	Corpses of the original residents and furnishings, perfectly preserved by harsh radiation.
58	An open secret door reveals a disarmed trap and empty treasure chest. Faded graffiti on the wall reads "Mulwyn was here."
59	A fine flint razor, wash bowl, and bronze comb can be extracted from a mess of fungus on melted soap in the water closet,
60	A sealed amphora of lamp oil. (52 flasks worth)
61	A patch of screaming fungus.
62	A flooded room  has a pool of parasite-infested water.
63	Corpses of the original residents preserved by a magical anomaly.
64	The remains of an explorer dead 50-100 years at with 1d4 pieces of randomly chosen salvageable gear.
65	An ornate cauldron with copper lining sits in the hearth.
66	Ancient skeletons still huddle in this almost completely buried structure in postures of prayer.
67	Pale giant solifugids lie in ambush in this room.
68	Harmless bio-luminescent slugs cover the walls of this damp, mossy oom.
69	This damp ruin is caked with nitre. When the door is opened, the PCs are exposed to a severe irritant as they break up a delicate sheet of it on the door. The characters must save or be irritated, having fits of coughing and sneezing as well as impaired vision. There is also a 1 in 3 chance that their torches flare up, then sputter out.
70	Fluorescent minerals cause this ruin to glow an eerie colour. A character who is a trained lapidary and has appropriate tools can extract 2d7 gems worth 50gp each.
71	Radioactive minerals cause this ruin to glow an eerie colour. Characters exposed to this chamber for long periods may become poisoned.
72	The roof here is unstable. Roll 3d7 to determine stability. Each time a character makes a loud noise, moves quickly, opens or closes a door, or drops an object, reduce the stability by 1d4. Each time the roof loses a total 4 stability describe plaster falling from the roof, creaking wood, or a similar warning, When stability reaches 0, the roof collapses in a rain of plaster, rotten timber, brick, and angry spiders, damaging and potentially burying all inside. The noise may also draw predators.
73	This structure is eerily empty and clean, with an acidic smell; possibly a sign  of nearby oozes.
74	A teleportation circle hidden under a decayed rug.
75	An ornately glazed broken amphora
76	A flooded chamber has a pool of spore-tainted water.
77	An ancient skeleton clinging to a crumbling prayer book.
78	Supernatural cold makes this room slippery and covered in frost. Some doors are frozen shut. The furniture is remarkably preserved, although the wood is warped.
79	Strange purple subterranean cacti grow in clumps here. Their needles are sharp enough to punch through leather.
80	Cave crickets shriek with eerily human sounds as they leap out of the darkness at anyone carrying a light sources.
81	This building was converted into a mass grave after the cataclysm; dozens of linen-wrapped bodies lay mummified by the dry conditions in the chamber. They are entombed under a cover of spiderwebs and a crust of nitre.
82	Strange decorations made of bone, sinew, and household objects are glued to the wall by a hard organic resin. Anyone within feels like they are being watched. Something lurks on a parallel plane...
83	The remains of an adventuring party, their possessions have been ransacked, and they appear to have been murdered in their sleep at least a decade ago.
84	A lone doll of crude material sits in the middle of the room.
85	A gelatinous cube that has been trapped by a closed door for some time.
86	An ancient bronze smith's workshop with 5d12 bronze ingots (5gp ea.), a full coal bin, and at least a few serviceable tools.
87	The door to a room in this structure is warded, magically sealed, and guarded by an alarm. Protective magical sigils and a circle of protection are marked within. This appears to be a relatively recent safe house for a magically skilled explorer, and is still relatively safe... assuming the PCs can get in.
88	A stockpile of salted meat, honey, dried fruit, and nuts has long gone past edibility in large pots in this home. Two amphorae of brackish water can be boiled to potability, however.
89	A fine brass lamp covered in artistic knotwork.
90	An amphora sealed in wax holding a hungry ooze.
91	A flooded chamber has a pool of safe, potable water.
92	A collection of lacquered plates bound by brass rings serve as an ancient bestiary.
93	An ancient magician's atellier holds a surprised looking mage and his exploding experiment trapped forever in amber.
94	A child in a magical stasis bubble. Roll 2d6 to determine the child's true nature: 3. Avatar of a forgotten god; 4-5. Illusory bait for a trap; 6-8. A sorceress that botched a time travel spell to escape the cataclysm; 9-12. A child protected from the cataclysm by a magician in the family; 13-15. A local hero reborn through the power of an artifact after they died trying to save the city; 16-17. An otherworldly entity hiding from its enemies on this plane; 18. A genie or demon in disguise.
95	Dust and bone fragments.
96	An ornate alabaster statue of a minor god with a gemstone in a hidden compartment.
97	A collection of lacquered plates bound by brass rings contains ancient elven erotica.
98	Scorch marks from some forgotten spell battle.
99	The walls of this ruin are pockmarked with holes. If a PC reaches in to one roll 2d6 to see what they discover: 2. A Cave Moray; 3-4 A fistful of nutritious mushrooms; 5-9. Insect castings, spider webs, and dust; 10-11. Poisonous toadstools; 12. A small ruby

 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. By Brian C. Rideout.