The village of Redtower, home city of the Scarlet Citadel megadungeon, is a modest community, boasting a handful of interesting locations for the adventuring crowd that the neighboring Scarlet Citadel sometimes attracts.

Nearby is the birch forest known as the White Woods. Feral animals, conniving bandits, and more prowl among the dense copses to lair in the many hideaways left by the Nordmansch dwarves and the scions of Holzanger. If you are to master the Scarlet Citadel, you would be wise to know the area in which it dwells.

You can also lift this downtime activity to use in any Tales of the Valiant roleplaying game or hexcrawl adventure you run! Downtime is an official part of Tales of the Valiant Player’s Guide, giving your PCs a way to interreact with the world between dungeon delves and combat encounters.

Scouting Downtime Activity

To scout part of a region requires a map of the area, navigator tools, at least one day of effort where you focus on observing and staying unseen. Follow the instructions below.

The Attempt. Choose a general area of the map and perform three different ability checks: DEX (Stealth), WIS (Perception or Survival), and INT (Nature). If desired, the character who has an appropriate proficiency can replace one of these skill checks with a DEX (Thieves’ Tools) or INT (Navigator Tools) check. The DCs for each check can be determined randomly or set according to local terrain and conditions.

Resolution. Once all checks are complete, tally the outcomes and consult the Scouting Outcome table.

Scouting Outcome

Check Results	Outcome
Three failures	You find nothing and are exhausted from the work. You must succeed on a CON save against the lowest DC assigned during the scouting attempt or gain one level of exhaustion.
One success	You find a notable location. Roll 3d20 on Location Name and Terrain Table to learn the location’s name and environmental appearance. Alternatively, you can check off one hex or a square mile’s worth of the regional map as having no notable locations.
Two successes	In addition to the One Success result, you find a notable occupant or feature. Roll 2d20 on Location Occupants and Features table to determine the “who” and “what” that occupy the location.
Three successes	In addition to the Two Successes result, you observe an encounter which you do not need to engage during scouting. Roll 1d12 on Location Encounter Type table to determine what you can expect.

Location Generator Tables

The following tables provide a quick method for generating and populating random cellars, dungeons, and other locations. Depending on the number of successes a player gets during the scouting downtime activity, they can potentially learn up to half of a location’s details before they even set foot at the location. However, determining the type of encounter and the type of treasure should, in most cases, be left to the GM to determine.

In the event that a player fails to determine any clear facts about a location through scouting, the GM can pick or randomly determine a location’s details, if any. If a result at any stage of generation doesn’t fit with the campaign setting or story of your game, feel free to pick from the options, call for a reroll, or make up your own.

Location Name and Terrain Table

Use this table to determine what your location is called and the terrain inside. Roll a d20 for each column on the table.

GM’s Note. Unless you want to make a full session of play focused on exploring a place, keep a generated location to just a single room in size.

Location Name and Terrain

3d20	Name I	Name II	Terrain Type and Environment
1	Scorched	Refuge	Frigid/Arctic. A mage’s lab, plagued by elemental ice.
2	Broken	Grave	Frigid/Arctic. A well-insulated meat locker, cold and contained.
3	Decrepit	Cellar	Coast. A seaside cavern, rippling with watery reflections.
4	Rancid	Burrow	Coast. A beached wreck, storm-wracked and hollow.
5	Burial	Pit	Desert. A sunbaked tomb, oppressive from the heat.
6	Sunken	Haunt	Desert. A quiet oasis, nestled amid sand-blown crags.
7	Befouled	Den	Forest. A hunting lodge cellar, packed with taxidermied trophies.
8	Forlorn	Hideout	Forest. A serene grove, open to the sky but locked in by brush.
9	Frigid	Cache	Grassland. A sinkhole, gradually widening with every passing hour.
10	Seething	Workshop	Grassland. A hilly overhang, the perfect spot for a quiet moment.
11	Swamped	Cavern	Mountain. A shallow ravine widened out from a landslide.
12	Festering	Redoubt	Mountain. A cliffside cavern, echoing with vertical chambers.
13	Crowded	Lair	Swamp. A sunken hut choked with vegetation and debris.
14	Blooming	Hovel	Swamp. A small island, walled in by reeds and deadfall.
15	Seeping	Site	Underground. A depleted mineshaft, devoid of industry.
16	Flooded	Lode	Underground. A stone forest, studded with stalagmites.
17	Hallowed	Hollow	Underground. A jagged fissure, solid stone cleaved apart.
18	Crumbling	Ruin	Urban. An unlocked basement, forgotten and free.
19	Abandoned	Tunnel	Urban. An old speakeasy, littered with relics of past vices.
20	Charnel	Storage	Urban. A makeshift workshop, rife with half-finished projects.

Location Occupants and Features Table

Use this generator to determine who and what (if any) PCs find at the location. Roll 2d20 and consult the table below to determine the type of creatures present and a notable environmental feature.

GM’s Note. If you’re unsure what creature to use after determining what creature type is found, you can use the Kobold Press Monsters Tool. With a variety of filters to narrow down your search, you’re sure to find some critter that fits the bill and inspires your story.

Location Occupants and Features

2d20	Who?	What?
1–6	No one.	Nothing.
7	Aberrations	Delicate mushrooms and fungus everywhere, ready to release spores at the slightest provocation.
8	Beasts	A complex puzzle of lit and unlit braziers, requiring teamwork and clever thinking to solve.
9	Celestials	A monument (AC 17, 30 HP damage resistance to most) to vile pursuits, celebrating hatred and strife. It pulses with dark power.
10	Constructs	Flooded water, waist deep and brackish, posing difficult terrain for most average-sized creatures.
11	Dragons	A stockpile of crates and equipment, perfect for cover in tense encounters.
12	Elementals	Mounds of plague-ridden corpses, festering with buzzing insects and opportunistic pests. Diseases run rampant here.
13	Fey	The desks, tools, and shelves of a hastily assembled study or workstation. Improvised weapons are always within reach.
14	Fiends	A maze of iron and steel beast cages, stashed away by absent poachers or game wardens. All too easy to find oneself behind bars.
15	Giants	A multistep puzzle of weighted gates and sluice tunnels, requiring coordination and precision timing to resolve.
16	Humanoids	A massive sigil painted on the ground, exhibiting the sacred geometry of some undefined magic spell. It pulses with wyrd power.
17	Monstrosities	An assortment of chairs and tables arrayed for some future gathering. Difficult terrain or useful cover?
18	Oozes	A spell scar, pulsing with unstable ley line energy. It thrums with primordial power.
19	Plants	A ransacked caravan vehicle, torn apart and in a state of partial reassembly.
20	Undead	A creature’s den or nest, littered with warm fuzzies and the bones of past meals.

Location Encounter Type Table

Roll a d12 and use this table to generate an objective for your location’s encounter, or choose from the list or make your own.

Location Encounter Type

d12	What is the encounter?
1–2	No encounter. Either no one is present or the occupants are nonviolent.
3–4	Straightforward encounter. Defeat all monsters.
5–6	Timed encounter. Protect an investigating NPC, guard a location against destruction, or destroy an environmental feature within the time limit. Lasts for 2, 3, or 6 rounds depending on the desired difficulty.
7–8	Rescue encounter. Protect a small group of wounded adventurers from their pursuers.
9	Defense encounter. Fend off waves of attackers with their boss or alpha arriving with the final wave. Lasts for 2, 3, or 6 rounds depending on the desired difficulty.
10	Goading encounter. Draw out an apex predator or jealous boss by defeating 4d6 + 6 minions or offspring (each CR 0 or 1/4) quickly within 2 rounds.
11	Disrupting encounter. A group of magic users attempts a dark ritual while their followers observe nearby. Stop them all within 3 rounds to prevent the ritual’s success.
12	Delayed encounter. Creatures attack only when an attempt to leave is made, ambushing with surprise.

Location Treasure Table

Roll a d10 on this table to determine the loot that shows up at the location.

Location Treasure

d10	What is the reward?
1–2	Bust. Nothing worth taking but the blood, sweat, and tears of the experience.
3–5	Simple. Coins and other expensive trinkets kept in a single chest.
6–7	Useful. 2 Chests. Contents include both gold to spend and 2d4 potions of healing for the trouble.
8	Worthy. 1d4 + 1 chests, containing an appropriate treasure hoard commensurate to the challenges.
9	Enigmatic. Amid Worthy treasure, a curious trinket of yet unknown origin and purpose.
10	Stolen. Despite the treasure’s Worthy quality, it is clearly stolen and offers a moral dilemma in the acquisition.