Just a quick post sharing a generator I needed to build out for Perchance: Marvelous Mushrooms & Tantalizing Toadstools. Since this one can requires a few rolls, I like to make those a little faster with a generator that can collate content in a click.
An interesting conversation on Twitter about ways to make Magic weilded by Magic-Users a little less reliable for a more distinctive and wonderous feel (somewhat like the Taboo System I use for Clerics) got me thinking, and before I knew it I had the makings of a Table. I had some semi-similar things (like my recent Flaws & Foibles or perhaps my Magical Mishaps & Calamitous Curses), but nothing that quite fit the bill.
Personifying the Magic made it a little easier to produce some of these entries, feel free to season that bit to taste. I’m not quite sure how I’d use them (Maybe in exchange for more Casting Ability? Perhaps every Magic User specializes or has their own personal connections?) but I’d probably try to make them meaningful in terms of interpretation.
Sure seems like several of the recent tables have been a bit Caster-centric. I really need to polish up a few more of my Fighter-friendly tables at some point 😊.
Sometimes one finds oneself in a situation where there is an immediate need to Introduce a new PC to a Party whilst the adventure is currently in progress. Their character falls, and after the comforting clatter of dice, they have made a new one: But by what means do they get ushered into play?
Here is a table that might supply a skosh of inspiration or at least some “starting points” for these sticky situations where there’s need for a Sudden Entrance, Stage Left. Like most of my tables, it might need a bit of strategic tailoring to the specific situation and taste. Remember the Trick behind all those seemingly stray Capital Letters: Capitalized Words can always be freely substituted/specified/adjusted to fit.
I’m afraid that most of these might impinge on Player Agency a bit, but I’ve always felt that a player character’s Prologue was fairer game for such things, and it’s a small price to pay for being able to leap back into the action I suppose. I’ve tried to shy away from some of the ones I’ve seen used that put the Character or Player in some of the more uncomfortable spots, and leaning into a bit of mystery and unanswered questions to flesh out in play is never a bad thing in my book. One could even just have them roll (or even select!) an entry that strikes them as that final step of creating their new character. A bit of brief, hopefully actionable backstory never hurt anyone, and who knows where it could lead? 😊
Several of these entries are ones I’ve found myself having to use in the past, some even served as Session/Campaign Starters in their own right or Premises for One-Shot Games, so I’m sure there might be a bit of additional hidden utility in this table if one approaches it from other angles.
Those Scrolls of Protection are a type of Magic Item that fills me with fond memories. Being usable by anyone (provided they can read them aloud), they really scratch a particular itch for me: They provide the ability to put Magic and Wonder in the hands of Classes that don’t normally have the capability to tangibly access this aspect of play. An athaumic Fighter, unfurling that fluttering page of parchment to have that chance to harness some Magic occasionally is a very fun thing. I also enjoy how they generally serve as timely “bacon-savers” of the highest degree: They are an excellent example of a specific Tool, that when used in the proper circumstances, can really make a world of difference.
Sadly, the standard safeguards provided, while eminently useful, are still somewhat limited in scope in terms of what they protect against: enigmatic Elementals, leering Lycanthropes, the ubiquitous Undead, and of course the extremely handy Protection from Magic. I’ve always enjoyed sprinkling in a few more interesting and somewhat more situationally convenient ones in Hoards here and there.
Along with a Hundred new and novel circumstances, substances, or adversaries to ward against, I’ve included some Scroll Descriptions that could easily be used with other, more conventional Spell Scrolls. Given the accessible nature of Scrolls of Protection, I suppose that quite a few of my Scroll Substitutions could also be just as applicable for these as well since they are generally “single-use” items and might invoke a more “Protective Talisman” feel.
The general Rules for employment, area, and effect for them still apply (though some of these might require a bit of creative interpretation from time to time...that’s part of the fun!). These Magic Items are an excellent example of one of the few occasions I find things like “Usage Die” to be more suitable than the standard method. Rather than the Referee rolling to establish a “set” Duration in Secret, the tension of rolling every Turn to witness that defensive “Forcefield” flicker and fade is much more unpredictable and fun. The d8 or d6 is probably as high as I’d go most of the time, but for some of the things these protect against I’d potentially consider a Check taking place every Hour, or even every Day to occasionally make them truly marvelous and memorable.
Drawbacks and Complications for Magic are something I’m fairly fond of using in my games. A useful item, with an inconvenient defect is more memorable, just as a Cursed item with just enough usefulness to hang onto can also be more fun than metagame conceits that keep it in player hands.
It is always appealing to me when one of these snags ends up being a boon with the proper creative application. Just like how my Unconventional Potions and some of my other Magic Item posts end up embellishing these creations with features that might just be a perfect key for a lock yet unknown, some of these entries might end up working in a similar fashion.
Here is a list of a hundred of these sorts of impediments and imperfections. You could even use them to garb Spells themselves, Familiars, Magic Item Creation, or other wonderous things with a little bit of creative adjustment.
Padding out a Party with Hired Help to assist with Treasure Schlepping or having some additional Free Hands to help Light your way can be an incredibly fun addition to these games. Here’s a Hundred Reasons why someone would potentially risk life and limb to join up with a band of Adventurers on what may just be a very temporary/terminal basis.
My preference is always to avoid portraying my Hirelings as automatons, and they aren’t really intended to be used by the Players as fodder or trap springers. That’s a sure-fire way to earn a very bad reputation back in Town and definitely will dry up the pool of prospects. That is, if it doesn’t anger their kin/friends, or engender an additional complication...hmm...that reminds me of another small table I put together recently:
These are people, sometimes with Families, and generally with a keen sense of self-preservation. More importantly, there’s usually a motivation for participating in these dangerous endeavors. They usually find themselves allying with the PCs because they see it as a way to stack the deck in their favor, but making it home safe is still important to them. If you don’t survive, how are you going to regale your friends with those tales of adventure and spend any hopefully hard-earned shares?
Most Referees do not relish the thought of spending table time “Talking to themselves” so these NPCs can sometimes justifiably fade into the background a bit. To remind myself to portray them, I like to assign them a number (from 1-20, chattier ones get a lower number, and I might assign a second/third number on subsequent delves should they decide to accompany the PCs again). Whenever this number comes up on a die roll, I’m reminded to comment/quip/contribute briefly (this also works for those making those Sentient Swords that are capable of Speech a little less mute). This keeps them a little more present and often provides just enough decoration to make them more memorable should they decide to “stick around” for future forays.
Since they often can serve as a pool for replacement PCs in the event of one succumbs to some of the more horrible fates that await, I suppose you could even consider this a little bit of “Backstory” for the new Character. Giving them a little more motivation or a complication that may just lead to more adventure down the road 😊.
Nearly necessary for the necks of dashing Heroes or concealing nefarious Ne’er-do-wells, the ubiquitous Cloak receives some specific attention in the Magic Item tables of most versions of these games. Some of these garments quite interesting and intriguing (those fashioned from what I assume to be Displacing Beast Hide, the one “Of The Bat”, etc.) but the most common seem to just simply possess only protective properties or were woven by delicate Elfin hands to predictable effect.
Since my Magic Item posts appear to be pretty popular, I decided to give these accessories a little more attention.
See also: Magic Blades, Magic Shields, Magic Bows, Magic Footwear for more Random Tables along these lines.