Wandering Between Worlds
Without a Trickster to describe the world, you become both explorer and cartographer. Domain Navigation gives you procedures to generate locations, determine paths, and discover what lies beyond the next threshold — all through dice and imagination. Keep a map (even a rough sketch) as you explore. Each domain is a world unto itself.
THE POINT-CRAWL METHOD
How Point-Crawls Work
Instead of mapping a hex grid, you track nodes (locations) connected bypaths. Each node is a place worth exploring; each path is a journey between them.
- 1. Start at a known node (your arrival point in the domain).
- 2. When you want to travel, determine the number of available paths (d4).
- 3. For each path, roll its direction, distance, and terrain.
- 4. Choose a path and travel. Roll for encounters along the way.
- 5. When you arrive, generate the new location.
- 6. Add the node to your map. Repeat.
LOCATION GENERATOR
When you arrive at a new node, roll d20 for Location Type and d12 forLocation Mood. Combine them to create the place:
Location Type (d20)
- 1. Settlement / village
- 2. Ruins / collapsed structure
- 3. Crossroads / junction
- 4. Natural landmark (waterfall, cliff, etc.)
- 5. Camp or shelter
- 6. Shrine or monument
- 7. Fortification / tower
- 8. Market or trading post
- 9. Underground passage or cave
- 10. Bridge or crossing
- 11. Library or archive
- 12. Workshop or forge
- 13. Garden or grove
- 14. Prison or cage
- 15. Observation point / lookout
- 16. Portal or gateway
- 17. Creature lair
- 18. Battlefield / arena
- 19. Anomaly (reality glitch)
- 20. Hidden sanctuary
Location Mood (d12)
- 1. Peaceful and quiet
- 2. Bustling with activity
- 3. Tense and watchful
- 4. Mysteriously empty
- 5. Decaying and forgotten
- 6. Beautiful but dangerous
- 7. Alien and disorienting
- 8. Oppressive and dark
- 9. Vibrant and strange
- 10. Sacred or reverent
- 11. Haunted by echoes
- 12. Shifting and unstable
PATH DETERMINATION
When you leave a node, roll to determine the path you take:
Direction (d8)
- 1. North
- 2. Northeast
- 3. East
- 4. Southeast
- 5. South
- 6. Southwest
- 7. West
- 8. Northwest
Distance (d6)
- 1. Very close (minutes)
- 2. Nearby (an hour)
- 3. Short walk (half day)
- 4. Journey (full day)
- 5. Long trek (2-3 days)
- 6. Distant (a week+)
Terrain (d10)
- 1. Open road
- 2. Dense forest
- 3. Rocky highlands
- 4. Swamp or marshland
- 5. Desert or wasteland
- 6. Coastal or riverbank
- 7. Urban sprawl
- 8. Underground
- 9. Aerial / floating
- 10. Dreamlike / surreal
TRAVEL ENCOUNTERS
Encounter Frequency
Roll d6 at each distance segment (every few hours of travel). On a 1-2, an encounter occurs. Adjust the threshold based on domain danger:
| Domain Safety | Encounter On... | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Safe / Settled | 1 | Trade roads, peaceful villages |
| Normal / Uncertain | 1-2 | Wilderness, abandoned regions |
| Dangerous / Hostile | 1-3 | War zones, corrupted domains |
| Deadly / Chaos | 1-4 | Near the Count's influence, anomalies |
Encounter Type (d12)
- 1. Hostile creature — roll for difficulty
- 2. Neutral traveler — may trade or share information
- 3. Natural hazard — weather, terrain, obstacle
- 4. Abandoned object — useful, cursed, or both
- 5. Faction patrol — react based on your standing
- 6. Environmental anomaly — domain instability
- 7. Hidden path — shortcut or detour revealed
- 8. Wounded NPC — needs help, has a story
- 9. Resource find — food, water, shelter, supplies
- 10. Sign or omen — foreshadows what's ahead
- 11. Memory fragment — echo of the domain's past
- 12. Portal shimmer — gateway to another domain (or deeper)
DOMAIN FEATURES
Roll d20 on any of these tables to add detail and flavor to your exploration:
Landmarks (d20)
- 1. Giant skeleton
- 2. Frozen waterfall
- 3. Singing stones
- 4. Upside-down tree
- 5. Crystal geode (house-sized)
- 6. Perpetual bonfire
- 7. Floating island
- 8. Mirror lake
- 9. Collapsed colossus statue
- 10. Hedge maze (sentient)
- 11. Clock tower (stuck in time)
- 12. Iron forest
- 13. Echo canyon
- 14. Painted cliffs
- 15. Lightning field
- 16. Bone bridge
- 17. Whispering well
- 18. Rusted automaton
- 19. Door standing alone
- 20. Living mural
Curiosities (d20)
- 1. Footprints that go nowhere
- 2. A ticking from underground
- 3. Flowers bloom in your wake
- 4. Old campfire, still warm
- 5. A letter addressed to you
- 6. Gravity shifts briefly
- 7. Animals behave strangely
- 8. A door in a tree
- 9. The sky changes color
- 10. Sound of distant music
- 11. Coins scattered on ground
- 12. Your reflection moves wrong
- 13. Writing on the wind
- 14. A child's toy, out of place
- 15. Temperature drops suddenly
- 16. Familiar scent from home
- 17. Stars visible in daylight
- 18. Echo of conversation
- 19. A freshly dug grave
- 20. Time feels different here
Hazards (d20)
- 1. Toxic spore cloud
- 2. Quicksand / sinkhole
- 3. Rockslide / collapse
- 4. Flash flood
- 5. Predator territory
- 6. Cursed ground
- 7. Extreme heat
- 8. Deep fog (visibility zero)
- 9. Unstable bridge
- 10. Thorned overgrowth
- 11. Reality rift (random teleport)
- 12. Magnetic anomaly
- 13. Infectious mold
- 14. Gravity well
- 15. Wild fire / lava flow
- 16. Trap (mechanical)
- 17. Hallucinogenic pollen
- 18. Brittle ground
- 19. Temporal loop
- 20. Count's corruption
DOMAIN DISCOVERY LOG
Logging Your Exploration
Keep a simple log for each domain you explore. Record the following for each node:
Node #: [number] Name: [your name for it]
Type: [from Location Type table] Mood: [from Location Mood table]
Connected To: [list node numbers]
NPCs: [who you met]
Resources: [what you found]
Threats: [dangers present]
Notes: [anything notable]
Explored: Partially Fully
“Every path in Nowhere Land leads somewhere you didn't expect. That's not a flaw — that's the whole point.”
— The Wanderer's Guide