20 Types of Outer World Towns (Setting)

There is a vast variety of settlements throughout Outer World. The most common of these are the small towns and remote villages that dot the landscape. Naturally each is unique, but many can be loosely grouped together thanks to a shared region and set of circumstances.

This entry features a list of 20 different sorts of small settlements one can find in Outer World. You can go check a specific entry on the list for inspiration, roll on the table to help kick-start settlement generation, or just have fun reading through it. Each entry has an introduction and a few potential adventure notes to keep in mind when designing a town of that type.

Random Town Table (roll d20 or Choose) 

Wistful Dark Towns

1. Lantern Town (Shadowed Lands)

   • Built over the ruins of ancient Akenian structures, Lantern Towns are named for their various and often unorthodox methods of illumination as well as the order of knights that defend them. As rough as they are, they represent a mostly safe place in a very troubled land.
   • Notes: There is a loose network of Lantern Towns, all protected by the Knights of the Lantern. While they assist each other as best as their means allow, each must also work hard to protect and maintain their light-sources and may turn to adventurers for help with this task as the knights are stretched thin as it is.

2. Walled Outpost (Aiden)

   • The land of Aiden is crawling with dangerous creatures, meaning even the smallest villages there require barriers of some kind if they are going to last. The people are grateful for them as they huddle about the bonfires that are so often the source of warmth and light for these outposts, with the strange noises from beyond the wall as a constant reminder as to why they are there.
   • Notes: Every outpost must live in worry that their neighbors will be routed or wiped out, leaving them to be surrounded by foes and left to starve - or worse. As the guards are nearly always exhausted, travelers may be offered whatever reward can be mustered to check on another Outpost that they've not heard from in some time.  

3. Hidden Village (The Murk)

   • Folk who live in the Murk are rare (most are quite happy to leave it to the shapeless) and often crafty out of necessity. Their settlements are unobtrusive and out of the way, living around nature as opposed to on top of it. They have more idle time than one might expect, and usually dedicate it to learning a craft.
   • Notes: Many of those who live in the Murk have never been beyond the forest, but do have access to the Paw Post as many of its older couriers have permission from forest gods to pass from their domain into the Murk. They often have pen pals in far off places they may ask adventurers to help them visit. 

4. Dungeon Town (The Hollow Queen’s Kingdom)

   • The Hollow Queen’s kingdom is a place of two extremes; deathly quiet and chaos. A strange sort of peace can be found in the abandoned crypts, temples and dungeons of ancient Calian.
   • Notes: The residents of these settlements will often include both folk and what one might normally refer to as abominations living in relative harmony. There might be a very old, lucid monster tending to one of these towns that can help the adventure team with some other quest.

5. Night Wall Settlement (Kingdom of Shard)

   • While the Shard Cities are the core of the kingdom, they are supported by numerous villages that lay along the edge of a Star Shard’s light (colloquially referred to as “The Night Wall”). While these villagers tend to live happy, healthy lives, they are also constantly aware of the dangers that lurk just beyond the light.
   • Notes: A miscreant is using the perpetual fear of the darkness beyond the nightwall to deflect the blame for their misdeeds onto unseen beasts and demons. A group of newcomers might be just the people to finally flush out this ne'er-do-well.  

Twilight Meridian Towns

6. Fishing Town (Galvanus Archipelago)

   • It is said that the merchant families of the Archipelago make it splendid, but the fishers keep it well fed. Fishing towns are a common sight along the coasts and beaches of just about every island.
   • Notes: An enormous being known as the "wise shelled one" passes by all the islands in the Achipelago once a year before finally stopping at Portia for a festival in his honor. Sometimes a fisher gets it in their head that they can ask him for a favor if they catch up with him on his trip, and isn't above asking for help to accomplish the task.

7. Junker’s Whistle-Stop (Stahlfeld)

   • The numerous salvage yards and abandoned industrial centers in Stahlfeld are treasure troves to those with the right amount of skills and courage. It didn’t take long for groups of these folk to form communities nearby.
   • Notes:  A group of Junkers have unearthed an Armjoe and are now using it to boss around everyone in town. If only someone with a bit more muscle and magic was willing to stand up to those jerks...

8. Shrine Village (Seven Holy Isles)

   • While the Celestial Order has long been disbanded and the Divine Rulers banished, numerous small gods have remained diligently at their posts. Many of these have found their shrines surrounded by folk willing to live and work with them for mutual prosperity and have seen several mortal generations come and go.
   • Notes: The small god that the town hosts is aware of one residents desire to travel and see the world thanks to hearing her quiet prayers to herself. The god wonders if some experienced and trustworthy adventurers might be able to escort her to the nearest port city...

9. Crossroad Town (Night Haven) 

   • The sprawling manor cities of Night Haven are connected by Crossroad Towns, small settlements designed to allow for caravans to resupply and move through quickly. These are often bustling places, filled with hardworking and amiable people.
   • Notes: Black Glove Cavaliers have set up at the crossroads, inspecting every caravan extensively before letting anyone move along. Turns out, the youthful ward of one of Night Haven's lords is attempting to leave the island and the cavaliers are looking for them. Now will the adventure team turn them in or help them escape...?

10. Resort Village (Galvani Archipelago)

    • Even the industrious archipelago takes a break here and there. Galvanus is dotted with numerous beautiful beaches, many of which have communities dedicated to keeping them pristine while profiting off wealthy vacationers.
    • Notes: The resort here happens to be hosting a Magi-Race and it turns out a local team had to drop out. The organizers are desperately seeking anyone to take the place of the absentee drivers. 

Blazing Garden Towns

11. Dragon Tear Village (Taaga)

    • These settlements are founded by a wyrm, mostly so they have a peaceful home to return and rest at when their long journeys end. Young dragons and the wyrm blooded are trained at these villages, where they can hear wisdom from their ancient elders.
    • Notes: The village's wyrm progenitor has returned and fallen into a deep slumber. The residents grow worried as the days go on, and end up looking for outside help to see if the dragon can be roused.  

12. Icon Town (Thunda Sands)

    • The Thunda Sands is not an overly hospitable place, though there are a fair amount of waterholes and springs where beasts and folk make their homes. Some of these were created thanks to 3rd Aeon weapons or other ancient creations piercing the ground in years past, which make for impressive, if potentially dangerous centerpieces for a settlement.
    • Notes:  A village built around an enormous Gleysian device is concerned when said contraption begins some sort of weeklong countdown. Those living there have no idea of what to do, so they'll take help from anywhere - even from travelers who just happen to be passing through.

13. River Settlement (Sol Alliance)

    • Many towns in the Sol Alliance are built around the Deyanli - an expansive river protected by the ancient fish god Belugosh. Its water is incredibly potent, allowing these villages to flourish in an otherwise difficult region.
    • Notes: Tikuto is one such village! Check out the linked entry for more.

14. Pride Coast Ranchero (Pride Coast)

    • The opportunistic folk of the Pride Coast have made the abundance of large creatures roaming the Blazing Garden into a resource by corralling and raising them as livestock. Small ranching towns are a fairly common sight in the area.
    • Notes: Shucks! Some Rokko-do's escaped the ranch and the farmhands have gotten injured trying to catch them. Certainly some clever adventurers can help round them up for a proper reward.

15. Rural Burg (No-Folk’s Land)

    • The dangerous forests and monster filled landscape of No-Folk’s Land is broken up by independent communities that seem to rise (and too often, fall) with unnerving regularity.
    • Notes:  A local group of monster slayers has gone missing after tracking down a particularly dangerous colossal beast that has been seen near the town. The villagers will reach out to anyone who seems like they might be able to help find them due to their concern for their fellows (and worry that monster is still wandering around out there).

Buried Kingdom Towns

16. Industry Settlement (Old Iron)

    • The enormous, ever growing capital of Old Iron is supported by numerous surrounding communities dedicated to the manufacture of various indistinguishable mechanical parts.
    • Notes: Some of the workers have discovered a valuable relic in one of the village's workstations. Not wanting it to be confiscated by the foreman, they might sell to the adventure team for a relatively cheap (but not insignificant) price. Though this does mean the player characters will have to be careful smuggling it out!

17. Paradigm Commune (New Ore)

    • New Ore often endorses small experimental communities that focus on one aspect of the Great Paradigm, such as art, underland agriculture, or repurposed industry. This is in hopes that the commune will one day grow or combine with others like it to form large cities.
    • Notes: An ancient structure unrelated to the commune's purpose has been discovered underneath the town. As no one there is prepared to deal with what secrets (and dangers) it might hold, it's decided that outsiders should be consulted for assistance. Preferable well armed, magically inclined ones.

18. Tunnel Alcove (The Tunnels)

    • The Tunnels are filled with twists and turns and more than a few spacious dead ends. These places end up as homes for those with nowhere left to go. Deserters, refugees, and other outcasts carve homes in the walls and life from debris.
    • Notes: A burrowing monster has been menacing the town, thanks to being able to freely move in the cramped tunnels and strike without warning. The town can't offer much for outside assistance, but they would be very grateful. 

19. Rusty Rail Town (The Tunnels)

    • While Old Iron, New Ore, and numerous other factions and odd creatures are constantly fighting over control of the few functioning railways, abandoned ones make for good hideouts for those willing to live their live by the sword or wrench.
    • Notes: A former solider staying here wishes to get to the surface in search of a fresh start. They can assist the party as a Custrel for as long as it takes for them to get out of the Buried Kingdoms (and perhaps longer, if they are recruited).

20. Scrap Pit (Machine Labyrinth)

    • Most people of Outer World don’t know the Machine Labyrinth even exists. It is a hostile place, bristling with odd technologies and berserk drones. How anyone else end up living here is a mystery, but those trapped here make do, finding a safe place among the junk to live.
    • Notes: It's not likely the adventure team entered the Machine Labyrinth on purpose, instead braving its dangers and finding this place as a rare spot of relative safety and quiet. Those living here know of a quick, but very dangerous way out of the terrible maze they live in.