Duck Crawl 2023 – Bugs on a Duck

I’m running a collaborative jam over on Itch to create a point crawl set on a giant duck, and I’ve just finished my first contribution, a random encounter table of giant bugs living on the duck. Check out the bugs below, and check this link to find out more about the jam: https://itch.io/jam/duck-crawl-2023

BUGS ON A DUCK

This duck is crawling with giant bugs. Some are friendly. Some are real jerks. You never know where you’ll find them or what they’ll be doing, but you can always count on them for a fun time.

Bug Die

Each time players enter a new location, linger too long in one location, or make a lot of noise, roll the bug die (1d6):

• On a 1: A bug immediately approaches the players to talk to them. Roll on the bug table to find your bug.

• On a 2: A bug is visible in the area but does not immediately interact with the players. Roll on the bug table to find your bug and on the activities table to find out what they are doing.

• On a 3: A bug can be heard nearby but not seen. Roll on the bug table to find your bug and on the activities table to find out what they are doing.

• On a 4–6: There is no bug in the area. What a sad time.

Bug Table

Roll 1d12 to find your bug:

1. Chet

HD 2 HP 5 Armor 8 Morale 5

• Antenna Whip: (two attacks, +1, 1d4 damage per hit) A damage roll of 4 also knocks the target prone

• Fly: Can fly short distances, but is scared to fly too far from the surface of the duck

Type: Real Jerk

Personality: Pretentious, talkative, prone to stopping and staring off into space mid-sentence

Wants: Chet is an archaeologist here to learn about past bug civilizations on the duck. He wants any lore or artifacts he can get his hands on.

2. Fiona

HD 3 HP 9 Armor 9 Morale 9

• Chomp: (+2, 1d6 damage) A damage roll of 6 also bites off a piece of flesh

• Serenade: Fiona has a beautiful singing voice and can sing a song so beautiful it forces those in earshot to stop whatever they are doing to listen unless they can mentally resist the pull to the song.

Type: Friend

Personality: Airy, good-hearted, finds the beauty in everything

Wants: Fiona is an artist searching far and wide on the duck for beautiful things and composing songs about them. She will also fiercely defend those she sees attacked by the jerks.

3. Martin

HD 1 HP 4 Armor 6 Morale 7

• Flying kick: (+0, 1d4 damage)

• Fly: Can fly far and fast and is not afraid to fly high above the surface of the duck

Type: Friend

Personality: Small, timid, loyal to those he sees as friends.

Wants: Martin is the smallest of the bugs, a philosopher at heart, and mostly wants to be left alone to ponder the nature of the universe and his place in it.

4. Thurgood

HD 4 HP 15 Armor 12 Morale 10

• Head-butt: (+4, 2d6 damage)

• Charge: With enough distance, Thurgood can charge his opponents, tackling and pinning them to the ground on a successful attack

Type: Real Jerk

Personality: Angry, mean-spirited, wants off the duck but doesn’t know how to leave

Wants: Thurgood just wants to leave the duck, but in the meantime he is intent on making everyone else stuck here miserable too.

5. Penelope

HD 2 HP 6 Armor 8 Morale 10

• Wing slash: (+2 2d4 damage)

• Windstorm: Penelope flaps her wings furiously, creating a storm that knocks nearby creatures backwards.

Type: Real Jerk

Personality: Haughty, obsessed with class, makes nicknames for everyone she meets

Wants: Penelope is a model who wants everyone to think her colors are the most beautiful, and she fights anyone she thinks disagrees.

6. Basil

HD 1 HP 4 Armor 6 Morale 6

• Antenna tickle: (+1 1d4 damage) On a damage roll of 4 the target begins laughing uncontrollably

Type: Friend

Personality: Curious, overshares, swears he can communicate telepathically with the duck

Wants: Basil is an aspiring socialite, and he wants to curate a social circle of the most interesting individuals he can find.

7. Marceline

HD 2 HP 5 Armor 8 Morale 8

• Leg Stab: (+1 1d4 damage)

• Jump: Marceline can jump very high, gaining +2 to attacks made after jumping.

Type: Friend

Personality: Graceful, quiet, does not make friends easily, but does want them.

Wants: Marceline is a dancer who spends most of her time frolicking alone across the feathery wastes, but she wants nothing more than a partner to dance with her.

8. Anne

HD 5 HP 17 Armor 14 Morale 10

• Pincers: (two attacks, +3 1d6 damage per attack)

• Pincer Grab: May attack once with both pincers (+3 1d6 damage), holding the target tightly between them on a successful attack.

Type: Real Jerk

Personality: Overexcited, need for speed, dislikes slow movers

Wants: Anne is a daredevil. She wants to live fast and die young, and she gets angry quickly at anyone who thinks differently.

9. Langston

HD 3 HP 9 Armor 10 Morale 11

• Crushing Hug: (+1 1d6)

Type: Friend

Personality: Overly friendly to a fault, but loyal and helpful when he’s not too busy giving hugs.

Wants: To hug all of his new friends and make them feel safe.

10. Ruth

HD 6 HP 19 Armor 6 Morale 6

• Chomp: (+6 2d8) On a damage roll of 10 or higher the target is stuck inside her mouth

Type: Real Jerk

Personality: Hungry and doesn’t care what it is so long as it fits in her mouth.

Wants: To eat everything she comes across.

11. Jerome

HD 2 HP 9 Armor 7 Morale 6

• Bad Poetry: (+1 2d4) On a damage roll of 6 or higher the target becomes nauseous

Type: Real Jerk

Personality: Constantly trying out new lines of poetry he’s composed and cornering people to make them listen.

Wants: Wants to be a poet and is angry at the world that won’t accept his terrible verses.

12. Antigone

HD 1 HP 10 Armor 8 Morale 8

• Poke: (+1 1d4)

Type: Friend

Personality: Timid and slow to make friends, but will talk for hours about her collections once she is comfortable.

Wants: To collect and categorize all the interesting odds and ends she finds around the duck.

Bug Activities Table

Roll 1d8 to find what your bug is doing, or make something up appropriate to their personality and wants.

1. Stuck on its back and rolling around helplessly.
2. Eating smaller bugs from the feathers.
3. Chasing after another bug (roll a second time on the bug table to determine which one).
4. Playing chess with another bug (roll a second time on the bug table to determine which one).
5. Climbing the stalk of a feather.
6. Sleeping adorably.
7. Hiding from another bug (roll a second time on the bug table to determine which one).
8. Singing a song.