Mission Generation Tables
Procedural Encounters for Campaign & Random Missions • Infinite Replayability
Overview: When to Generate Missions
Use these tables to generate enemy compositions and encounter difficulty for:
- Random Campaign Missions - Between story missions, generate side quests and patrols
- Settlement Defense Events - When your settlement comes under attack (see Settlement Phase)
- Wilderness Encounters - Random battles during travel, scavenging runs, resource gathering
- Custom Scenarios - Build your own balanced encounters using these tables
Step 1: Determine Mission Difficulty
Roll 1d6 or choose based on your pilot strength and campaign progression:
Introductory
Budget: 30-40 HP total
Composition: Mostly Swarm units (3-5 HP each). Maximum 1 Elite.
Best For: New pilots, solo campaigns, warming up.
Standard
Budget: 50-70 HP total
Composition: Mix of Swarm and Elite (15-25 HP) enemies.
Best For: Regular campaign missions, balanced challenges.
Dangerous
Budget: 80-100 HP total
Composition: 2-3 Elites + Swarm support, or 1 Boss (30-60 HP) with adds.
Best For: Seasoned pilots, story climaxes, desperate struggles.
Campaign Climax
Budget: 120+ HP total
Composition: 1 Boss + 2 Elites + Swarm, or Anomalous entity.
Best For: Final missions, faction wars, apocalyptic encounters.
Step 2: Determine Enemy Faction
Roll 1d12 to determine which faction, enemy type, or threat you're facing. Each has distinct tactics:
| 1d12 | FACTION / ENEMY TYPE | TACTICAL STYLE |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Church of Absolution | Self-harm for burst damage. Martyrdom mechanics. Aggressive push. |
| 2 | Dwarven Forge-Guilds | Rune stacking. Defensive tank. Slow but nearly unkillable. |
| 3 | Elven Verdant Covenant | Bleed stacking. Hit-and-run tactics. Damage-over-time specialists. |
| 4 | The Exchange | Resource drain economy. Economic warfare. Anti-healing strategies. |
| 5 | Nomad Collective | Extreme mobility (7+ Move). Scavengers. Hit-and-fade evasion. |
| 6 | Vestige Bloodlines | Taint damage infliction. Disease spreading. Suicide bombers. |
| 7 | Crucible Pacts | Escalating damage when wounded. Berserker fury. Honorable duels. |
| 8 | Tainted Creatures | Corrupted wildlife. Swarm tactics. Taint infliction and disease. |
| 9 | Bandits / Raiders | Human enemies. Standard tactics. Salvage-focused looting. |
| 10 | Rogue Caskets | Rival pilots. Mirror your faction abilities. Tactical equals. |
| 11 | Automata / Constructs | Scrap Golems and Drones. Immune to Taint. Predictable patterns. |
| 12 | Anomalous Entity | Reality-warping horrors. Roll on Anomalous Bestiary. |
Step 3: Generate Enemy Composition
Based on difficulty and faction, roll 1d6 on the appropriate table below. Select enemies from your chosen faction's pool to match the HP budget:
EASY Missions (30-40 HP Budget)
| 1d6 | COMPOSITION | TOTAL HP |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | 10× Swarm (3 HP each) | 30 HP |
| 3-4 | 8× Swarm (3-5 HP) + 1× Elite (15 HP) | ~35 HP |
| 5-6 | 6× Swarm (5 HP each) | 30 HP |
8× Tainted Rats (3 HP each) = 24 HP
1× Church Zealot (18 HP) = 18 HP
Total: 42 HP, Slightly over budget but manageable for 2-3 pilots.
MEDIUM Missions (50-70 HP Budget)
| 1d6 | COMPOSITION | TOTAL HP |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | 6× Swarm + 2× Elite | ~50 HP |
| 3-4 | 10× Swarm + 1× Elite | ~60 HP |
| 5-6 | 3× Elite (faction-specific) | ~60 HP |
3× Nomad Outrider (15 HP each, Move 7) = 45 HP
Total: 45 HP, Three highly mobile enemies. Extreme hit-and-run nightmare. Chase combat.
HARD Missions (80-100 HP Budget)
| 1d6 | COMPOSITION | TOTAL HP |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | 1× Boss + 6× Swarm | ~60 HP |
| 3-4 | 2× Elite + 8× Swarm | ~70 HP |
| 5-6 | 1× Boss + 2× Elite | ~80 HP |
1× Tainted Leviathan (60 HP Boss) = 60 HP
2× Blighted Plague Bearer (18 HP each) = 36 HP
Total: 96 HP, Boss with suicide bombers. AoE Taint nightmare. Keep your distance or burn.
DEADLY Missions (120+ HP Budget)
| 1d6 | COMPOSITION | TOTAL HP |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | 1× Boss + 3× Elite + 6× Swarm | ~120 HP |
| 3-4 | 2× Boss + 10× Swarm | ~140 HP |
| 5 | 4× Elite + 12× Swarm | ~120 HP |
| 6 | 1× Anomalous Entity (Damnatio/Absolutio class) | Special |
1× The Void Shepherd (60 HP Damnatio-class)
Total: 60 HP, BUT HP is misleading. Reality-eroding aura. Dimension-stepping. Cannot be permanently killed. This is a SURVIVAL mission, not a kill mission.
Step 4: Mission Modifiers (Optional)
Roll 1d6. On a 6, add one modifier to spice up your encounter. Choose which modifier fits your narrative or roll randomly:
Enemy waves spawn over time. 1d3 additional Swarm units arrive on Turn 3, 6, and 9. Attrition warfare.
One enemy gains +1 to hit and morale bonuses. All allies gain +1 Defense while Commander lives. Kill the commander first.
Taint zones, lava pits, Void rifts scatter the battlefield. Restricted movement. Environmental damage each turn.
Enemies deploy first. They get a surprise round (enemies act, you don't). Tactical disadvantage...turn it around.
Enemies from 2+ different factions (roll Faction table twice). Unpredictable synergies and conflicting tactics.
Killing enemies isn't enough. Rescue a civilian, hold a position for 5 turns, destroy a specific objective. Secondary goals.
Faction-Specific Enemy Pools
Once you know the faction, select enemies from these pools to match your HP budget:
Church of Absolution
Dwarven Forge-Guilds
Elven Verdant Covenant
The Exchange
Nomad Collective
Vestige Bloodlines
Crucible Pacts
Tainted Creatures
Bandits / Raiders
Automata / Constructs
Anomalous Entities
Quick Reference: Mission Generation Flowchart
- Roll 1d6 → Determine Difficulty (Easy = 1-2, Medium = 3-4, Hard = 5, Deadly = 6)
- Roll 1d12 → Determine Enemy Faction
- Roll 1d6 on appropriate Composition Table for your chosen Difficulty
- Select enemies from that Faction's Pool to match your HP budget
- Roll 1d6 → On a 6, add one Mission Modifier
- Deploy Caskets and prepare for battle!
💡 Pro Tips for Mission Masters
- Budget flexibility: Don't need to hit budgets exactly. ±5 HP is acceptable.
- Faction synergies: Mix factions that have complementary tactics (Church + Blighted = aggression + taint).
- Narrative weight: Use modifiers to tell stories (Ambush = enemies expected you; Special Objective = rescue missions).
- Player scaling: Seasoned pilots? Go Hard. New players? Start Easy and escalate. No shame in adjusting.
- Anomalous rarity: Reserve the "Anomalous" roll (1d12 = 12) for climactic moments and campaign turning points.
"No plan survives contact with the enemy. But having a plan helps you survive contact."