When you’re creating a hexcrawl, one of the central tenets of the exercise is to put a landmark in each hex. It’s something PCs don’t have to hunt for, and they can come across it pretty easily. When players talk about a hex later, they’ll probably remember it by whatever landmark is in it, and they’ll orient themselves on the map by them.
Thinking up an interesting, appropriate landmark for even a 10×10 hexcrawl still requires you to come up with 100 landmarks! Many of them will be cities or other havens that you wanted on the map anyway. But that still leaves a lot of blanks.
You’ll have a bunch of your own ideas. But if you run out of steam, consult the Fifty Landmarks table here for new ideas or inspiration. Pick one you like or roll a d50 to let fate decide (roll percentile dice and divide by 2 if you don’t have a d50).
Hexcrawls are an awesome way to play D&D or Tales of the Valiant RPG. Check out Book of Hexcrawl, Part 1 to learn all the basics for starting your own hexcrawl!
Fifty Landmarks
d50Landmark1Abandoned temple to a good god2Abandoned temple to an evil god3Colossus statue of some creature on the encounter list for this hex4Massively tall tree, sticking far above the canopy5Floating palace in the sky6Obelisk with strange carvings on it7Earthworks in the shape of an arcane symbol8Inn operated by fey9Extensive barrows10An elephant graveyard of a monster type besides elephants11Dwarven fort, occupied by a skeleton crew of dwarves12Gorge or deep ravine13Burning cenotaph14Tall iron spire, rusting15Overgrown mansion16Desertified section of land17Crystalline growths18Ancient arena19Decorative grotto20Ranger lodge21Shrine to a forgotten god22Enormous gauntlet23Lake with half-sunken buildings in it24Lost city25Thick webbing between large items and objects26Volcano caldera27Ancient stone bridge (troll guardian optional)28Inactive magical portal frame29Burned out village30Hidden valley31Sacred grove32Ghost town33Hanging gardens on a cliffside34Abandoned mine35Sphinx statue36Goblin camp37Treetop village38Topiary garden39Line of megaliths pointing in a direction40Large cold spot, snows occasionally41Remains of a battle42Wizard’s tower43Roosting site for giant birds44Headwaters for a hidden spring45Monk monastery and training grounds46Remains of a golem workshop47Large crater48Petrified giant49Curiously well developed path across the hex50Majestic waterfall