The wind shrieks and it’s snowing in a harsh, driving storm. Beneath the temptest’s roar is a rhythmic crunch. Footsteps, perhaps. What hides in this grey?
This is the second article in a new series using tracks from the MGS library (now over 2,800 and counting!) to inspire encounter ideas. This approach takes inspiration from Ben Milton’s Knave 2e and Kevin Crawford’s Without Number series. The first article was for the ambience track Forest River. This time, I’m listening to the track Snowing while I type.
How It Works
Gamemasters (GMs) need six dice—a d20, d12, d10, d8, d6, and a d4—and roll them all at once. Then, check the rolltables below. Combine the results where it makes sense or creates a better story; there’s no pressure to connect everything—some ideas work better separate. The tables start with atmosphere (d4 weather, d6 area aspects) to scene details (d10 features, d20 creatures). Next, there are the narrative developments (d8 complications, d12 secrets).
GMs can roll on whichever tables they need, in whatever order feels best. Furthermore, feel free to roll more than once for extra complications or just pick the most fun sounding. Lastly, these encounter ideas are for GMs looking for something a bit different or a bit special. It’s not worth anyone’s time me listing 1d4 orcs and 5 gold pieces. Consequently, these prompts try to inspire interesting, complicated, or weird situations.
As mentioned, the inspiration for this article is the ambience track Snowing. It’s available on the MGS store here. Alternatively, it comes as part of the 50 track album RPG Ambiences Vol. 6 which you can find here.
Now, let’s get rolling!
d4 – The Weather
1. Whiteout – visibility drops to an arm’s length, sky and snow a smothering void. The wind devours sound. Every shadow could be salvation or death—impossible to tell until you’re too close.
2. Howling wind – The wind whips and exposed skin screams. Breathing feels like swallowing ice. Voices are on the wind; they’re almost human.
3. Sleet – Needle-sharp ice pelts down, creating a slush to wade through. Meltwater seeps into gloves and boots. Touching metal feels like fire. The cold takes a body piece by piece.
4. Celestial fog – ice crystals hang in the air, creating halos around light sources. Cold from the grave grips everything here. Every breath threatens to become a ghost.
d6 – The Area for Snowing
1. Footprints return – the party’s tracks circle back, but some are now too small, or too big, or facing the wrong way.
2. Crystalline clarity – PCs see every snowflake in perfect detail. Ice formations create impossible geometric shapes. Reflections show places that shouldn’t be here.
3. Gathering snow – as the snow falls on creatures, it builds as if getting stuck to them. Perhaps funny at first, the threat of crushing or smothering grows with every passing minute.
4. Water world – the snow blanketing the area ripples in the wind. Creatures “swimming” in the snow leave wakes behind them. They are hunting.
5. Too warm – despite the blizzard, steam rises from the ground. Ice melts in strange patterns, then refreezes.
6. Bells – they chime with no rhythm, and come from different directions each time. However, there is no tower in sight. They are getting closer.
d10 – Features for Snowing
1. An ice bridge – spans a chasm. Impossibly intricate; sings as the wind blows. Faces appear on it.
2. A burning tree – white flames, no heat. Wood untouched. Falling snow screams into steam.
3. A hollow – perfect sphere carved into a snowbank. Eerily warm. Bones arranged in the centre.
4. A derelict – avalanche has exposed an ancient entrance; its metal glows from beneath the snow.
5. Ice maze – walls of packed ice form an intricate maze. A throne is at the centre. It’s not empty.
6. A sled – abandoned, loaded with supplies. Harness is torn and huge claw marks are everywhere.
7. Standing stones – glass rock, in a spiral. Humming, pitch alternating. Snow won’t settle nearby.
8. Frozen waterfall – water still flows inside. Shadows move there, too. Something is trying to escape.
9. Ice sculptures – dozens of figures frozen mid-motion. Too lifelike. Collection grows each day.
10. Snow-buried cottage – only chimney visible; smoke is rising out. Incredible warmth radiates.
d20 – The Creature(s) for Snowing
1. Conductor – leading an unseen orchestra. Storm’s fury matches the tempo. Once brilliant. Eccentric.
2. Merchant – trying to recover upset cart. Claims attacked by bandits. Shadow is wrong. Nervous.
3. Knight – trapped in ice, still standing guard. Aware; able to move their eyes. Terrified.
4. Snow golem – searching for its creators. Leaves gifts at abandoned campsites. Lonely.
5. White stag – fleeing predators. Crystalline antlers. If it dies, winter will last here forever. Majestic.
6. The penitent – walking barefoot, chanting to the storm. Wounds don’t stop bleeding. Serene.
7. Ice elemental – attracted to heat. Doesn’t understand why warmth always escapes. Curious.
8. Hag – melting despite the cold; locked out of her domain. Must make it to a frozen lake. Dying.
9. Postman – delivering letters. Has one for each PC each dated from the future. Professional.
10. Children – busy making snowmen. Seem unaware they have already made hundreds. Dreamy.
11. Snow leopard – stalking an invisible prey. Has too many eyes. Terrified, but compelled.
12. Frost sprites – mimicking freezing people in a game. Making the storm worse. Childishly cruel.
13. Dire wolf pack – fleeing something big. Will accept humanoids; respect strength. Pragmatic.
14. Nomad couple – walking in circles. Hypothermic, pointing at things others can’t see. Insistent.
15. Frost giant – holding a frozen body. Crying and raving. Desperate.
16. Yuki onna – looking lost. Hauntingly beautiful. Thirsting for warm blood. Malicious.
17. Avalanche victims – resting. Dug themselves out, but look too pale, feel too cold. Confused.
18. Yeti – looking for a mate. They are starting to believe other yetis don’t exist. Irritable.
19. Warlock – performing a ritual to extend the storm. Needs three more days. Focused.
20. Sleigh Prince – collecting the lost. Bound spirits pull the sleigh. Believes himself merciful. Sympathetic.
d8 – The Complications
1. Temperatures plummet. Skin exposed to the snowing freezes in seconds. All fires struggle to stay lit.
2. Thaw. Despite the blizzard, there’s a massive melt. Below, something is creating heat. A flood is imminent.
3. Time is freezing. Outside, minutes feel like seconds. All the while, ice creeps over the body.
4. Avalanche. The ground trembles, and the mountains roar. The land will bury everything.
5. Cold Watcher. A winter spirit that offers power in exchange for service. Slow to forgive refusal.
6. Restless dead. They rise and wander, re-enacting fragments from life; they want the living to stay.
7. Blood trails towards [d20 result]. There’s so much blood, the cutting was either clumsy, or surgical.
8. Memory drifts. The snow drifts seem to shift when not observed. Paths warp, vanish, or entirely new tracks appear.
d12 – The Secrets for Snowing
1. Half buried, a lantern then burns with a cold, blue flame; shows things that shouldn’t be there.
2. Sticking out of a block of ice, a blade with a beating heart in its pommel. The ice is cracking.
3. Wrapped in frozen-stuff cloth, a hand mirror that shows events from tomorrow.
4. In a half-buried box, a compass that points to the person who will die next within the area.
5. In an abandoned pack, a bundle of love letters. The last one describes this exact moment.
6. Ice flowers that refract light. Eating them stops any bleeding; wounds get covered with frost.
7. Gripped by a frozen corpse, a music box; plays loud, enchanting music. Cannot stop once started.
8. Against a tree, a child’s sled with protective runes. If ridden, drifts towards an icy cave.
9. In a cave, a crate with two bottles. They hold summer extract which dispels the cold for an hour.
10. Preserved in permafrost, an ancient local map no longer accurate; shows a great city of gold.
11. In a snowman’s hand, two vials of liquid starlight; give temporary true sight, later terrifying visions.
12. Under a broken rainbow, an ancient horn lies in two pieces. One word is engraved: Ash.
Example Encounter for Snowing
Roll Results:
d4: 2 – Howling wind
d6: 3 – Gathering snow
d10: 7 – Standing stones
d20: 15 – Frost giant
d8: 6 – Restless dead
d12: 1 – Magic lantern
My idea for the Encounter:
The wind shrieks and the snow swirls. Beneath the storm’s roar is a rhythmic crunch. Footsteps, perhaps. What hides in this grey?
A roaring wail cuts through your thoughts. A frost giant sits in the snow, himself half-buried, clutching a rigid body. His face is raised to the sky and he howls at the sky, rocking backwards and forwards.
Nearby, huge glassy black rocks stand opposing the storm. No snow settles on them; as the giant draws in a sobbing breath, you become aware of a throbbing, humming noise coming from the monolithic stones.
The frost giant will speak more to themselves than the party, saying “Why?! Why did you do it? I told you not to touch it.” Additionally, half-buried in a drift, the party spy a lantern giving off a strange blue light. As it flickers, it’s possible to see figures—no, not figures—corpses in its light; they are attending to the stones in some kind of ritual. However, two priest-like figures break from the group and are getting closer and closer to the giant. They seem to be reaching for the rigid body.
Tips for Using These Tables
There are some extra tips from me on getting more out of roll tables here. However, I’ll repeat a couple of the most important ones just as a reminder:
– Don’t disregard strange results too quickly. Instead, consider ways to combine them before re-rolling. Sometimes, weird combinations get the best results.
– Change the tables as you like. Therefore, don’t be afraid to change anything. Add, combine, get rid of, do anything that makes them work better. Gamemasters are in the best position to know what works for their group.
