Hexploration: Mines
The latest in our series of Hexplorations is all about mines! These charts help detail many locations you may encounter in a hex crawl or while developing your world. To use this chart simply roll for each column (except the last two–for these roll a d6 to determine which column to use), look at the options for inspiration, or use a combination of the two approaches.
Here is an example based on 3-3-5-3-4-6:
We start with a mine that is a few decades old that is a slope mine with ample pillars. It has a main passage to a few veins of ore. It mines silver, gold, or gems, so we use roll again and get a 1 for silver. A typical threat there are bandits–maybe they raid the caravans from the mines, or if it fits the world the mine could connect to something else that is the source of the bandits. An unusual threat is a remorhaz! (More on this below.) Based on a 6 for which of the last two columns to use, there is a darker secret, so another roll is required. I get a 4–the mine is haunted by spirits of miners who died on the job.
That remorhaz is pretty powerful so let’s think about that a bit more. At first, I was going to say that the threat was so great the the miners caused a section of the mine to fall in on the remorhaz and they hope they killed it, but perhaps they just sealed it off. It could burrow through again any time it recovers or wants to go in the mine’s direction again. But the spirits of the miners is inspiring me to say that in fact, many miners were killed by the remorhaz and these spirits now protect the current miners. Their ghosts were able to eventually slay the remorhaz.
So hopefully you can see how the drop of a few dice on a chart can lead to a compelling location in your world!
| d6 | Age & Size | Construction | Material Mined | Typical Threat | Unusual Threat | Secret (1-4) | Darker Secret (5-6) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Just begun; Main entrance to the beginning of the ore vein | Drift mine (extends horizontally from entrance), ample safety pillars | Iron | Vermin (rats, snakes, giant insects, etc.) | Underground city of Duergar, Drow, etc., nearby | A miner has discovered a vein of a more precious material and is attempting to make it his own. | The mine’s owners give the miners a daily potion to increase the miners’ stamina and strength, but causes them to die a day faster. |
| 2 | Main passage, first couple of mined out rooms | Drift mine, barely adequate safety pillars | Copper | Burrowing Animals (Badgers, Wolverines, etc.) | Ankheg or Bulette or Umber Hulk | The mine’s owners are bribing safety inspectors to look the other way. | A tunnel is very close to a Great Evil. Workers there become corrupted over time. |
| 3 | A few decades old, main passage leads of a few different veins | Slope mine (traverse a downward underground corridor), ample safety pillars | Tin | Bandits | Earth or Fire Elementals | The mine uses prison labor. | Elements in the mines mess with magic. Spells are a little less powerful or may not have exactly the expected effect. |
| 4 | Several decades old, multiple entrances and passages, leading to many veins of ore | Slope mine, barely adequate safety pillars | Lead | Corrupt Miners | Remorhaz | One corridor connects to a cavern with a natural spring. | The mine is haunted by the spirits of miners who died on the job. |
| 5 | Many years old, still expanding, multiple entrances and passages to many veins, a couple sections caved in | Shaft mine (must be lowered in an elevator/lift), ample safety pillars | d6, 1-3 Silver, 4-5 gold, or 6 Gemstones | Gases, Lack of Oxygen | Piercers, Ropers, etc. | One section was closed off because it was flooded. | A series of mine carts are actually mimics, plucking a sole miner occasionally. The miners are thought to be lost or AWOL. |
| 6 | Many years old, abandoned, multiple entrances to multiple passages and many veins, but sections are caved in | Shaft mine, barely adequate safety pillars | d6, 1-3: Coal, 4-5 Mithril, 6 Adamantine | Strange Plants, & Fungi | Purple Worm | A group of miners is organizing a union. | A Demon in the pit of the mountain was released by the miners years ago. The section it is in is separated by a collapsed corridor. |
