The Outlands: Planar Rules and Encounter Table

Encounters

Check for encounters three times a day by rolling a d100. For the first roll each day, there is a 35% chance of an encounter. If no encounter occurs, the chances of an encounter on the next roll increase by 30%. If an encounter does occur, the chance of an encounter on the next roll that day decreases by 30%, to a minimum of 35%. Check for encounters once a night, again with a 35% chance.

More information about the Planescape-specific monsters on these tables can be found in the AD&D book Monstrous Compendium: Planescape Appendix II. The below table is a modified version of an Outlands encounter table found on reddit.

Roll 2d10:

2. Earth-berg. Floating chunks of earth and a scarred landscape remain after a chunk of land from the Outlands recently slid into another plane. Echoes of the other plane may remain.

3. Lost Blood War Patrol. A ragtag group of demons (MM), devils (MM), or yugoloths (MM) that fought in the Blood War and was cut off from the rest of their company or turned renegade. They raid villages and towns in the Outlands, and may or may not seek to return home.

4. Will-o’-Wisps. 1d4 will-o’-wisps (MM) lure creatures toward an old battlefield or hazard.

5. Bariaur Tribe. 10d10 bariaur seek better weather, hunting, or watering holes, enjoying friendly competitions on their journey. They’ll usually provide aid to the injured or lost.

6. Hinterlands Bandits. 3d4 bandits (MM) riding horses (MM) waylay travelers, using terrain to their advantage, springing an ambush or demanding treasure.

7. Living Land. The rivers, trees, and stones themselves have vague faces which come to life with the expenditure of Inspiration or a 1st level spell slot. After conversing for a time, the Land makes a decision about the characters. If they seem mostly neutral (or at least amenable to a neutral philosophy), the Land acts as a commune with nature spell. If they seem of extreme alignments (or intolerant of neutrality), the Land attacks with awakened trees (MM), awakened shrubs (MM), and galeb duhr (MM).

8. Indep Village. A small secluded village following the credo of the Free League (also called “Indeps”) to seek independence above all else.

9. Animals 1. Roll 1d6: 1-3: Abrian: 4d10 Abrians appear. Black/red feathers. Axebeaks with 6 INT, 15HP, 1x Beak (1d4) and 1x Kick (1d8+2) damage. Swarm can shriek, CON DC12 or deafened 1d6 minutes, or 1d4 hours if swarm is 8 or more. They attack in two groups, hit and run.

4-5: Wastrels. I've fully statted Wastrels for 5e, which you can find here.

6: Demarax (Slow bipedal crocodile, diamond-studded skin, hunts spell crystals.)

10. Trade Caravan. A caravan of various humans, half-elves, tieflings, and other races conducting trade with places in the Outlands like Ironridge. Guards, pilgrims, and refugees may be attached to the caravan.

11. Petitioners. A humble village of Outlands petitioners lead agricultural lives, keeping a record of their good, evil, lawful, or chaotic acts, attempting to attain perfect moral balance.

12. Animals 2. Roll 1d6: 1-3: Vorr which can turn into living shadows and are extremely stealthy hunters.

4-5: Fhorge which have four tusks, ravenous hunger, and a fiendish glint in their eye.

 6: Leomarh: 2d4 Lions with 6 INT and fine scales. Long, snake-like tail with a spade-like tail. Can hide in plain sight with advantage if stationary. Immune to magic missile.

13. Rilmani Settlement. 4d6 plumach rilmani lead isolationist lives as craftsmen, teamsters, and merchants, and are reluctant to aid or even deal with outsiders. Their opinion of adventurers is quite low as unproductive layabouts.

14. Relative Terrain. Each character sees a terrain feature differently, and for each of them the terrain is as they perceive it. For example, a thicket. Evil characters see it as razorvine (DMG), while good characters see it as blackberry bushes; chaotic characters see it as a non-sensical jumble of difficult terrain, while lawful characters see it as a manicured hedge maze with a winding path thru; and true neutral characters see it as a bush with berries that act as the goodberry spell.

15. Mercane. A company of 1d4 mercane, 2d6 well-paid guards (MM), and attendants trading for rare commodities and magic items.

16. Modrons. A unit of 5d6 monodrones (MM), 2d6 duodrones (MM), 1d4 tridrones (MM), and a quadrone (MM) left behind on the Great Modron March, circumambulating the gatetowns of the Outlands. Several may have gone, or be on the cusp of going, rogue.

17. Slaad. A green slaad (MM) seeks out whatever esoteric knowledge it requires in order to transform into a gray slaad.

18. Spectator. Roll 1d6. A spectator (1-5) or Observer (6) (MM) guards a location or treasure, pursues an intelligence-gathering mission for Gzemnid, or governs a small village with strict alien rules.

19. Bloodthorn: Vines: DEX save DC 12, grappled. 1d6+1.  AC16, Reach 10ft, 10HP, immune to bld and pc, vulnerable to fire. Escape requires DC 12 STR check.

20. Spell Crystal Storm. A whirling storm of fractured spell crystals - remnants of divination and summoning spells reaching from the Prime to the Outer Planes - looms on the horizon. The storm functions like heavy rain, but for each minute (or portion thereof) a creature is exposed to storm, they must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or be struck by a spell crystal. A creature struck is effected in one of these ways (d6):

1-2. Blinded for an hour by images of another world.
3-4. Affected as per the confusion spell for an hour as a barrage of questions fills their mind; answering questions satisfactorily ends the confusion early.
5. Randomly wink out of existence onto the Ethereal as per the blink spell for the next hour. If located on the Outer Planes, randomly wink out to the Astral instead.
6. Transported to a Prime world by remnants of a summoning spell for an hour or until the terms of the summoning are fulfilled, after which they reappear in the Outlands.

 

Spell Keys and Magic Rules

Magic works pretty well on the Outlands. Its location at the centre of the Great Wheel means that anything from the Outer Planes can be summoned with ease. Remember that elementals can be conjured, but as they are made from the stuff of the Outlands, the elementals are neutral in alignment. Elemental spells of 1st level will only work with a spell key. Because the Outlands are neutral and demand balance, a spell key typically involves offering a small amount of the opposite element as an additional material component, which is consumed in the casting of the spell. This includes healing/radiant and necrotic spells, but only for arcane casters.

• Water and ice spells require the offering of some fire. Canny bashers will carry around a lit candelabra.
• Fire spells require the offering of some water.
• For air spells offer some dirt or stone, and for earth spells offer a breath.
• For healing and radiant spells offer a dead maggot.
• For necrotic spells offer a live maggot.

Also bear in mind that higher level magic only works in the outermost rings of the Outlands.