X Marks the Spot - a Treasure Map Generator

          Who doesn't love a good treasure map? From Treasure Island to National Treasure and City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold, there's always room for a good treasure map in fiction. Buried on deserted islands, hidden within shadowy conspiracies or simply lost to the roll of years, the promise of treasure brings out the absolute worse in even the most virtuous of people. The rush to seize it can easily cost more to the winners than the prize itself, assuming of course, it's actually a prize in the first place. No matter what shape it takes, these buried secrets can drive folk mad.



          The goal of this generator is to give you a rough sense of a treasure map that you can use on the fly. The term treasure map is something of a misnomer, not all of the results here take the form of physical objects, nor do all of them lead to riches in any traditional sense. They are merely things (or occasionally creatures) which have been forgotten by the world at large. To use these tables, roll 4d8 and consult the sub tables.

d8	Who hid it? Why?
1	It was an accident, a shipment lost to random chance or calamity. For some reason it was never reclaimed.
2	A noble family, displaced by a revolt or disaster, hid their secret somewhere only they could find it.
3	A group of raiders or pirates, storing a score until it was safe to retrieve it.
4	Members of a religious minority, fleeing persecution.
5	An extremely powerful figure, such as a culture hero or particularly skilled spellcaster.
6	The treasure was part of a tontine or related to the retirement of the members. Everyone died before anyone could retrieve it.
7	The society surrounding the hidden treasure collapsed, and its location was forgotten.
8	The treasure was important in some way -- perhaps it was the site of votive offerings, or the location of a guild's vault -- and it was guarded. While most of it's sentinels have died or vanished, some may still be guarding it.

d8	Where does it lead to?
1	An isolated and deserted island.
2	Deep inside a cave or another subterranean region.
3	A religious site, such as a temple or a shrine.
4	The middle of nowhere, a barren place, far from any civilization.
5	Inside an urban area, currently inhabited or reduced to deserted ruins.
6	The bottom of the ocean or a lake.
7	A castle in the sky.
8	A celestial body, such as a planet or other plane of existence.

d8	And what's hidden there?
1-3	Riches! Glittering gold and prizes. The intrepid explorers receive (3d100 x 5) GP.
4	Pandora's Lament. An extremely powerful monster has been bound to this site. Opening where it is held releases it.
5-6	Cache of weapons - 50% chance to be magical, 50% chance to be make of an exotic material such as silver, obsidian or ivory.
7	Cultural artifacts and personal effects. Worthless to most, priceless to the right buyers.
8	Magical paraphernalia such as scrolls and potions, maybe even a spellbook.

d8	What form does the map take?
1	The classic treasure map. Made of vellum, inked, and showing off a simple guide to the terrain leading to and around the score. 50% chance that the map is in multiple parts
2	The map is relatively well-known regionally and it takes the form of a local legend such as a story, poem or song.
3	A strange and bizarre device, such as a potion which makes one recall the memories of one of the people who hid it.
4	A cipher, puzzle or some other form of riddle.
5	The map is hidden within the patterns of a natural feature, such as a set of holes within a hillside, or the shadows of a grove of trees.
6	One of the people (or a descendant of one) responsible for hiding the treasure is spilling the location to people. The party are certainly not the only ones who have caught wind of it.
7	The map is split between a number of people, no more than a half-dozen, all of whom have a piece of it.
8	There is no map - there are only the remaining notes (and possibly spirits) of those who hid it. They must be searched or interrogated for the location.