Voidrunner's Codex Social Encounters

Social encounters are a possible outcome on exploration tables, along with monster encounters, exploration challenges, and scenery. Individual names and heritages for people met during interstellar or planetary exploration can be chosen or rolled randomly. The Narrator should feel free to change or embellish the encounters as necessary (especially to make a result more clearly take place on a planet or in space), and to reject any that are not suitable for the current location or situation.

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Random NPC Heritage (1d20)

1-2 Android

3-4 Axon

5-6 Grey

7-8 Houseki

9-11 Human

12-13 Hurroc

14-15 Keridani

16-17 Naato

18-19 Sipher

20 Mixed heritage

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Random NPC Names (1d20)

1 Talli

2 W’Krena

3 Kreloc

4 Stokarn

5 Chulu

6 Annik

7 Asiyani

8 Taki

9 Jue

10 Hoa

11 Nobu

12 Aros

13 Niss

14 La’synda

15 Zhar’torthal

16 Iri

17 Tersis

18 Lobacc

19 Seska

20 Nasian

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Random Social Encounters (1d100)

1 A bounty hunter asking about their most recent quarry.

2 A distress call—something is strange about the signal.

3 A miner who insists the voidrunners are trespassing on their claim.

4 A group of children excited to share gossip.

5 A patrol of combat droids who warn of a nearby danger.

6 A column of refugees from a nearby conflict..

7 A group of local toughs throwing their weight around those they see as tourists.

8 A courier from a local elite

9 A karthog trader and their pets—two huge, wolfish creatures—ask to join the voidrunners for a meal.

10 An aspiring scientist asks the party if they would be willing to be subjects for an upcoming clinical test.

11 A psyknight is being escorted by a military patrol; their relationship is clearly hostile.

12 A religious devotee approaches one of the voidrunners, claiming to have seen their future.

13 A recruiting officer for the Fleet, aggressively handing out flyers.

14 A group of teenagers speeds recklessly by.

15 A small band has set up and is playing for tips.

16 A party barge, complete with flashing lights and music proclaiming someone’s birthday.

17 A psionic who claims to have been stripped of their powers by a strange force.

18 An old friend of one of the voidrunners who they haven’t seen in years.

19 A group of mob enforcers approaches the voidrunners, convinced one of them is behind on their protection payments.

20 An elderly person asks for protection on her way through a rough area.

21 A young officer of the Fleet loudly proclaims their innocence when approached by security.

22 A charming businessperson offers to let the voidrunners in on a deal that is too good to be true.

23 A badly injured soldier staggering away from the site of an ambush.

24 A troupe of psyknights escort a well-dressed person through the streets.

25 A musician approaches the party, asking about any regional songs they might record for an upcoming book.

26 A small child offers a voidrunner a strange object, saying they’ve been paid to deliver it.

27 A group of salvagers watch the party balefully from the remains of a crashed starship.

28 An excited fan mistakes (or recognizes) one of the voidrunners as a famous celebrity and asks for an autograph.

29 A child looking for their lost holo-pet.

30 A group of hopelessly lost travelers approach the party with only a local language guide book to aide them.

31 A member of a local cult attempts to woo one of the voidrunners into attending an upcoming meeting by being over-friendly and lavishly praising them.

32 A mechanic approaches one of the voidrunners, saying something has gotten into the ship’s vents.

33 A contract killer in disguise tries to gather information about a target from the voidrunners.

34 A smuggler subtly approaches the party, offering them quality wares at an even better price.

35 A young person fleeing local law enforcement via the rooftops.

36 A utility drone approaches the voidrunners, its screens proclaiming that it’s bringing a message.

37 An artist asks one or more of the voidrunners to pose for a new piece.

38 A karthog philosopher calmly debates morality with an increasingly irritable opponent on a stage.

39 An epidemiologist desperately searching for a rare plant, hoping to analyze its unique chemical makeup for a cure.

40 A traveling show setting up nearby, its signs advertising dangerous spectacles and rare creatures.

41 A writer hoping to interview the voidrunners as research. 41 A farmer moving a large herd of animals across the road.

42 A local hermit who has made a vow of silence attempts to warn the party of danger.

43 A podrace, featuring racers of all different heritages, and an excited crowd.

44 A researcher rushes from the forest, only able to mumble “hollows” over and over.

45 A big game hunter keen on getting trophies from the local wildlife.

46 A trader wanting to sell the party hibernating trubbies.

47 A grizzled veteran sharing stories of their encounter with a void leviathan and how it decimated the fleet sent against it.

48 A mysterious merchant is selling large eggs and is evasive on what they will hatch into.

49 Guests at a raucous party invite the voidrunners to come and join them for drinks or dancing.

50 An intelligence agent approaches the voidrunners dressed as a beggar.

51 A group of street children offer to be the voidrunners’ guides—for a price.

52 A parent and child being turned away from a grocery for lack of funds.

53 A stall advertizes protection charms meant to divert the eyes of deep space horrors.

54 A conservation specialist warns the party from a path, explaining that it leads to an endangered creature’s nesting grounds.

55 A politician gives a poorly-received speech to a group of space port workers.

56 A harried scientist who has managed to ‘lose’ a xenid strangler.

57 A group of ascetics trying to make their way to a holy site.

58 A friendly hailing signal comes from a planet that isn’t on any of the crew’s maps.

59 An unlicensed street doctor offering serums of dubious nature.

60 A snobbish celebrity and their entourage.

61 Delegates from a nearby colony argue about food prices with a city official.

62 A strangely colored small animal darts into the party’s path, clearly trying to lead them somewhere.

63 A luxurious vehicle drives slowly past.

64 A military parade of large mechs makes its way through town.

65 A wild-eyed man attempts to barter passage with the voidrunners and dodges any questions about why he wants to leave the planet so soon.

66 A famous celebrity, hiding their features with a hat and dark glasses.

67 A crew of seasoned voidrunners on their own job.

68 A jaunty energy anomaly hails the ship, claiming to come in peace.

69 A member of a void leviathan cult, drawing large symbols in an open area.

70 Professional trackers talking about the dangers of a gruhnka colony and their suspicions about one being nearby.

71 An old man asks the voidrunners to deliver a package to his child on a nearby mining asteroid.

72 A cadet frantically searches the streets for a lost piece of their uniform.

73 A scholar asks the voidrunners if they can escort her to a site of interest.

74 A self-aware utility drone is playing chess (or a similarly intellectual game) against itself.

75 A group of mercenaries looking for their next assignment.

76 The only survivor of a group of miners, their companions all slain by xenids.

77 A crying child frantically calling for a lost pet.

78 An untested voidrunner wants to sign on with the crew.

79 There has been a vehicular accident and both drivers are loudly accusing the other of being at fault.

80 A local firebrand speaks passionately of societal ills to a cheering crowd.

81 A bakery is offering treats to anyone who can speak a particular ancient language.

82 A stall is selling a variety of off-world creatures.

83 A group of salvagers has lined up to sell their finds to the same merchant.

84 A crowd of miners has formed a protest against dangerous working conditions.

85 A severe-looking older woman is leading a child by the ear.

86 A seemingly random passerby passes one of the party a note.

87 A fatally wounded scientist with a warning of what destroyed their expedition.

88 Someone is offering samples outside of a sweets store.

89 A trader offering their wares. Most of the goods are trash, but the voidrunners might be able to find something special.

90 A conservationist is in a heated argument with a miner over the habitat of local wildlife.

91 A survivor calls out from an overturned prison transport.

92 A local offers to show the party the best way through the area… but they have their own agenda!

93 An archeological camp is busily loading specimens into a transport.

94 An elderly fortune teller warns the party of a supposedly foreseen doom.

95 A member of the local police questions the voidrunners on their reason for being in town.

96 A local offers to show the party the best way through the area… for a fee.

97 A group of competitive gamers are training for an upcoming competition.

98 A storyteller is awing a group of children with a dramatic telling of a local legend.

99 A drunk is loudly bemoaning their troubles.

100 A street magician is looking for volunteers from the audience.