d100 - Collective Nouns for Numbers Appearing

For as long as I can remember, I have always been fascinated by the sometimes-weird words we use for Groups of Things. In my youth, I came across the book An Exultation of Larks or, The Venereal Game by James Lipton and was smitten with the terms therein, both real and imagined, that provided me with terms for those gaggles, mobs, pods, murders, drays, unkindnesses, and so forth.

My interest in these terms was recently rekindled by a conversation on bluesky, and while I’m far from the first to try and provide some Collective Nouns for some of the Monsters and Encounters that appear in these games, I decided to give it a go. I am very certain that some of the terms that I spied elsewhere over the years have become so internalized that they ended up here as well. Please bear in mind that some of the denizens presented below do have pesky pluralization!

d100 - Magical Belts, Girdles, or Cinctures

Another Table of Magical Wonders (to be dutifully added to the Generator eventually!) This one focuses on Belts, Girdles, Sashes, or other Straps like Baldrics and Bandoliers. I’m sure I’ll eventually get to other articles and accessories as time and inspiration permits.

d100 – Absent Adventurer: Where Have You Been?

Sometimes we encounter situations where a specific Character isn’t available for a given Game Session due to the vagaries of scheduling or life interfering with a Player’s Plans for leisure. Having that Character “Fade into the Background” temporarily isn’t always a satisfactory experience. This can sometimes present a conundrum: What was the Character “up to” during that span of time they were unavailable to participate in Adventure? Although I’m usually amenable to just “handwaving” these situations in the interest of getting back into Play as soon as possible, often it can be useful to have a few “Excuses” or “Reasons” available for embellishment should the table desire a little more detail.

Most of these might be considered to intrude a bit on Player Agency if you leave them up to a roll (though allowing the Player to choose something appropriate or fitting is another option) but I’ve tried to include some “Leading Questions” with them that provide the Player an opportunity to expand a little bit from their perspective to assuage these situations a skosh. Occasionally, I like to remind myself that these circumstances “outside of Play” can be considered somewhat fairer game for the world to interfere with a Character in unforeseen ways: It shouldn’t always remain static and lifeless.

d100 - Magical Toys & Trinkets

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himsical Wonders needn’t always be intended for those who’ve Grown Up. Here are one Hundred Magical Toys & Trinkets aimed at a younger audience, though I’m certain the average Adult Adventurer might find some ways to use a few of these creatively! I will definitely need to remember to add these into the Magic Item Generator eventually.

Magic Item Generator

With a little bit of digital elbow grease, I’ve finally managed to create a Generator that produces Magical Items from the dozens of d100 Tables I’ve created on this topic. It’s embedded below, give it a click to generate additional Wonders and Enchanted Treasures:

d100 - So You've Spent Too Long At Sea...

Just as there is a Mythic Underworld and Mythic Wilds, why not also cultivate Mythic Oceans? Perhaps when one spends a bit too long aship, or adrift and lost, the Sea begins to change them. Should you find yourself in need of some rather Misfortunate Fates to befall those Adventurers who have spent far too long afloat and away from safer shores, here is a table with a Hundred Ideas. These might also serve as suitable Callous Curses from fickle Kelp Dryads, territorial Sea Hags/Whitecap Wizards, or even something spouted by swindled Cyclopes. They could also be useful as novel Nautical Drawbacks for certain Sea-Themed Magical Items.

For other tables with this sort of Ill-Fated Foreground Growth please see:

• So You Didn’t Make It Out Of The Dungeon...
• So You Didn’t Make it Out Of The Wilds...
• So You’ve Been Brought Back from the Dead...

d100 – Treasure Map Minutia & Cartograph Complications

Representing a full fourth of the Random Results when Scrolls are generated as Magical Treasure in most of the earlier presentations, Treasure Maps can sometimes end up making quite frequent appearances. B/X even recommends that the Referee prepare several in advance for this reason. I always endeavored to have a few handy, tucked away in the binder, just in case.

In world artifacts that get used in Play like this are wonderful things, and I know over the decades I’ve made many a Map replete with those slightly scorched edges, strategic tears, and even the requisite tea-staining in order to pass them out to the Players. I try not to get too precious with them these days, mostly because I want to encourage Players to write on them and make them “their own.” But these kinds of “In World” Maps will always serve as a wonderful way to Telegraph Dangers, Disseminate Rumors, and foster interest in other areas in a Setting. I’ve compiled some ideas for dressing them up a bit or making them a bit more memorable below. Hopefully some of these can serve as a springboard when the need arises to try your hand at making a few Pre-Prepared Treasure Maps for your game, even if some prove a bit impractical for “physical props!”

If you tire of typical Parchment, Paper, or Vellum, see the Form column of my Atypical Scrolls of Protection & Assorted Aegides post for some other ideas for surfaces they may be scrawled upon.