Thursday, February 13, 2025

d100 - Faction Features

Usually as I’m stocking a Dungeon or a Hex with a particular group of Humanoids, I want to attempt to associate them with a specific Faction or Group. Giving them this distinction makes for more useful Rumors, Hooks, and far more interesting interactions down the road when an encounter occurs in Play. Giving these groups Names makes it easier to refer to them, and I often like to try and add something Distinctive that might set them apart from other societies or similar Encounters.

The first two columns of this Table are to assist with generating a Name or even Iconography for the Faction, while the third contains ideas for that “special feature” that might make them a bit more unique.

I have included a quick Perchance generator below for easy output:

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

d100 – Vaunted Votives & Religious Relics

Another Magic Item table, but this one is focused a bit more on those objects of a more Sacred Significance. Some of these are said to grant powerful boons when venerated or carried by the faithful and each one is likely to be associated with extraordinary. Many of these consist of portions of the physical remains of Saints or other personages important to a given faith. It’s possible that a few of these might have made the pilgrimage to a position on this table from Characters that were present in campaigns and games ages ago.

Since I’m always a bit pressed for real estate in these tables (because I like to keep them on a single page when I can), these entries are a little terse. Some elaborations might need to remain up to the Referee or tied more closely to a given Setting’s Cosmological implications. I have at least endeavored to provide some potentially useful Names for Saints and such to save a bit of time, and where I could manage I did sneak in a skosh of descriptive text.

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

d100 – What Weird Weapon & What Atypical Armor

Managed to squeeze a pair of d100 Tables into this one. Occasionally, I find myself at a loss for a way to distinguish a specific Foe or NPC from another, and I find that embellishing their Armaments or Armor is sometimes enough to help this resonate with the Players. Particularly in Theatre of the Mind Combat Situations, having a distinctive feature for each participant can really help keep everyone on the same page and close some of those gaps that can develop.

These Two Tables are divided into sections of Ten as well, so this provides a little bit of granularity should more specificity be needed, or even a way to “Overload” a single d100: Roll one for the Weapon, then use the 1s/10s place or “reverse” it for the Armor Table.

I could not resist including some less onventional Weapons here, and some of the Armor is a bit more on the fanciful side rather than cleaving to Historical Accuracy, but hopefully it at least provides a bit of inspiration!

Friday, February 7, 2025

d100 - Fairy Tale Tells for the Subtly Supernatural

Just in time for Fairy Tale Friday again! Here’s a table containing more than a few Clues or Suspicious Signs that one might be dealing with someone who isn’t quite as they seem. Some are certainly more subtle than others, and a few might require creative engineering of the situation to provide the revelation. I feel that no Fairy’s Glamours should be flawless or perfect, however.

With a little bit of cherry-picking, some of these might be inspiring or useful for subtle hints concerning other shapeshifters or deceivers that cloak their True Forms, such as those more Folkloric Hags and Witches. I have previusly trod similar ground for Lycanthropes in my Encounter Activities, but I strongly feel that a breadcrumb trail of Clues for these deceptions makes for a much more satisfying reveal than simply springing it suddenly upon unsuspecting Players.

Should you wish, you could also apply these to Elf Characters for a more Fairy Tale Feel, in a similar fashion to my Infernal Features & Tiefling Traits.

Thursday, February 6, 2025

d100 - While You Were Out — “Dungeon Meanwhiles”

Once the Characters retreat back to the safety of a Settlement from the depths of those Dismal Dungeons (hopefully laden with Treasure for their troubles) they will often find themselves wanting to engage in a bit of Downtime. Those “Rs” are common: Rest & Recuperation, Research, Re-supplying, Retainers, Rumormongering, or perhaps even some Revelry to Celebrate a successful Forray. But an additional “R” awaits the Referee: for with this passage of Time, it becomes necessary to Restock.

Here's a Hundred Entries that might help a little bit with this process. Whenever possible, I do like to try and tailor some of the more major changes in a Dungeon to reflect the actions of the Player Characters: It’s always more compelling when they can witness the consequences of their actions and the marks they leave on a Place or the Setting, but sometimes I like having a few additional ideas and options to sprinkle within. I find that these can help convey the Dungeon as a more Dynamic “Living” place, rather than having it just “Pause” in Time as it patiently waits for another set of hapless Intruders.

Wednesday, February 5, 2025

d100 – What’s The Story Behind This Blade?

More Fodder for Fighters, here’s a table I tapped away to provide some Details and Deeds that might speak to the History of any Swords they might come across in their Adventures. Sometimes embellishing a Blade with a few particulars in this way makes it much more Memorable and can even create a bit of intrigue or speak to the larger Setting. A Referee might decide to only add these to Swords of the Enchanted variety, but sometimes a little decoration like this goes a long way to differentiate even more standard treasures and takings.

Tuesday, February 4, 2025

d100- Somewhat Sinister Settlement Secrets

Quick Table today with some “Rumors” or “Hooks” to provide a little more unsettling depth to some of those Settlements. I’ve endeavored to use the portion prior to the sainted em dash as a bit of a cue or clue, with the second half hopefully providing hints to the mysterious intrigue behind it. Spicing up some of those isolated Villages or Hamlets with a little strangeness or mystery can sometimes have the side effect of centering Adventure or the Player Focus within them, but that can be a nice change of pace sometimes.

Search

Labels

random tables (283) d100 (281) tables (163) encounters (140) OSE Encounters (133) OSE (132) magic items (36) dungeons (23) equipment (19) monsters (18) dnd (17) wilderness tier (17) character generation (16) magic (16) spells (15) rumors (14) wilderness (14) clerics (13) magical items (12) treasure (12) NPCs (11) gear (11) generators (11) house rules (11) spell features (11) hex crawls (10) hexes (10) BECMI (9) RC hacks and house rules (8) ideas (8) plants (8) advancement (7) dnd hacks (7) magic users (7) names (7) resources (7) adventure hooks (6) characters (6) cities (6) dressing (6) events (6) settlements (6) weapons (6) animals (5) backgrounds (5) classes (5) clues (5) curses (5) dolmenwood (5) domain tier (5) dungeon stocking (5) religion (5) set dressing (5) shrines (5) treasures (5) yoon-suin (5) character sheets (4) current campaign (4) dragons (4) fairy tales (4) hooks (4) mountains (4) reviews (4) stocking (4) team tuesday (4) villages (4) what tables (4) why tables (4) 4e (3) Elfs (3) TROIKA! (3) WHITEHACK (3) armor (3) cantrips (3) carousing (3) character classes (3) decoration (3) dm (3) domain (3) doors (3) dungeon dressing (3) fair folk (3) food (3) foraging (3) foreground growth (3) fourth edition (3) fungi (3) goblin project (3) hirelings (3) landmarks (3) locks (3) mentzer (3) mushrooms (3) potions (3) procedures (3) quests (3) religions (3) rules cyclopedia (3) spellbooks (3) swords (3) tells (3) tools (3) traits (3) transcripts (3) traps (3) world building (3) Cairn (2) Dwarfs (2) abilities (2) ability scores (2) abstract combat (2) adventures (2) backstories (2) books (2) bows (2) castles (2) city crawls (2) community projects (2) d&d (2) deities (2) deity disfavor (2) downtime (2) experience (2) factions (2) fairy tale friday (2) fighters (2) flaws (2) flora (2) followers (2) forests (2) furniture (2) gods (2) gorgon trail (2) habits (2) harry clarke (2) hazard system (2) herbs (2) hex crawling (2) hex-describe (2) how tables (2) identification (2) identifying (2) jewelry (2) knacks (2) lore (2) magic systems (2) magic-users (2) magical research (2) omens (2) portals (2) projects (2) puzzles (2) reagents (2) rituals (2) rooms (2) saving throws (2) scrolls (2) shields (2) single-use items (2) skills (2) smells (2) special abilities (2) spoor (2) staffs (2) stocking tables (2) strongholds (2) superstitions (2) tex-crawl (2) thieves (2) toadstools (2) traces (2) tracks (2) wizards (2) wonders (2) 20 minute dungeons (1) 5e (1) DR (1) GLOG (1) KtA (1) NPC Party (1) OSR (1) PCs (1) Rival Adventuring Parties (1) VEINS (1) activities (1) adventure seeds (1) alcohol (1) altars (1) ammo (1) ammunition (1) arduin (1) arrows (1) artifacts (1) axes (1) backpacks (1) bags (1) balms (1) bards (1) beans (1) berries (1) birds (1) blessings (1) body art (1) bookshelves (1) boots (1) bounties (1) breath weapons (1) buildings (1) calendars (1) campaign starters (1) camping (1) candace (1) candles (1) cards (1) cartography (1) ceremonies (1) character death (1) clergy (1) cloaks (1) clothing (1) clubs (1) coins (1) cold iron (1) combat (1) complications (1) consumables (1) containers (1) corridors (1) cosmology (1) couplets (1) crossbows (1) crowdsourcing (1) customs (1) d12 (1) d36 (1) d66 (1) dances (1) death (1) deception (1) deeds (1) defenses (1) dimensions (1) discoveries (1) diseases (1) dogs (1) donkeys (1) downloads (1) drinks (1) encounter activities (1) encumbrance (1) energy drain (1) fairies (1) familiars (1) fauna (1) festivals (1) fey (1) fish (1) fishing (1) flow charts (1) foibles (1) folklore (1) foodways (1) fountains (1) fruits (1) future campaigns (1) galmours (1) game jams (1) garlic (1) garments (1) gary gygax (1) gauntlets (1) gloves (1) grimoires (1) groups (1) gullets (1) hacks (1) hallways (1) hats (1) healing (1) helmets (1) hexagons (1) hints (1) history (1) hobbies (1) holiday (1) holidays (1) horses (1) humanoids (1) illusions (1) in medias res (1) incense (1) ingredients (1) initiative (1) insects (1) itch.io (1) keys (1) lairs (1) legends (1) limited-use items (1) lockpicks (1) maces (1) magic research (1) magic words (1) mapping (1) maps (1) meanwhiles (1) meetings (1) memes (1) mentors (1) mercenaries (1) miens (1) miniatures (1) mishaps (1) modern (1) money (1) monster motivations (1) motivations (1) mules (1) mutations (1) mysteries (1) new spells (1) obituaries (1) ointments (1) overland travel (1) overloaded encounter die (1) percepts (1) perchance (1) perdition (1) pets (1) pits (1) places (1) planes (1) player characters (1) poisons (1) pools (1) pouches (1) pranks (1) priests (1) procedural flow charts (1) process (1) protection scrolls (1) purses (1) quarrels (1) raise dead (1) reaction rolls (1) referee aids (1) relics (1) reputation (1) restocking (1) rests (1) resurrection (1) retainers (1) rewards (1) rings (1) roads (1) robes (1) rolemaster (1) ropes (1) rules (1) ruminations (1) saints (1) salves (1) scenery (1) seafood (1) secret doors (1) senses (1) sentient swords (1) session starters (1) shoes (1) shopping (1) side effects (1) software (1) soirées (1) song tables (1) songs (1) sounds (1) spears (1) special attacks (1) special results (1) specials (1) spell casting (1) springs (1) statues (1) stomachs (1) stories (1) streets (1) strict time keeping (1) subsystems (1) surprise (1) table talk (1) task resolution (1) tattoos (1) terrain (1) the middle road (1) thief (1) tieflings (1) timekeeping (1) tinkering (1) tomes (1) trees (1) turn undead (1) urban crawls (1) venoms (1) vermin (1) vignettes (1) voronoi (1) wands (1) waterskins (1) weather (1) whence tables (1) where tables (1) xp (1) ynn (1)

Blog Archive