Update (05/2019): Formatting on the table below leaves a lot to be desired for direct usability. Here are some PDF versions:
Slowly returning to blogging life, I’ve been making an effort to catch up on a few things. Over on Trollsmyth’s I mentioned a d100 table that I’ve been finding very useful during my recent games. Jeff requested that I share the chart. I believe he uses a similar method of distributing random items to characters (but with the added benefit of incorporating Index Cards). So without further ado, here’s the d100 chart of Random Impedimenta to foist upon foolhardy adventurers:
| 1. Apple Core | 51. Mummified Finger or Toe |
| 2. Small Ball of Wax | 52. Nails or Tacks (d12) |
| 3. Berries (Dried or Fresh) (Blackberry, Blueberry, Cranberry, or Mulberry) (d12) | 53. Nuts (Acorns, Cashews, Pecans, Walnuts) |
| 4. Bones (Bird, Mammal, Reptile, Humanoid) | 54. Palm Fronds, Pine Needles, or Cedar Shavings |
| 5. Bottle or Flask (Empty) | 55. Patch (Fabric, Hide, Leather, or Skin) |
| 6. Broken Buckle, Brooch, Clasp or Fibula | 56. Pebbles or Small Rocks (2d12) |
| 7. Broken Glass or Beads (Colored or Clear) (d12) | 57. Petals or Dried Flowers |
| 8. Butter Knife (Bone, Pewter, Silver or Wood) | 58. Piece of Antler or Small Horn |
| 9. Buttons (d12) | 59. Piece Of Charcoal |
| 10. Chess Piece (Bone or Wood) | 60. Piece Of Fruit (Apple, Melon, Orange, or Pear) |
| 11. Chipped Cup or Mug (Bone, Clay, Tin, or Wood) | 61. Piece of Tree Bark (Birch, Oak, Pine, Yew) |
| 12. Chunk of Algae, Fungus, Moss, or Lichen | 62. Pieces of Candy or Sweets (d6) |
| 13. Claws, Fingernails or Toenails (d10) | 63. Pinch of Salt |
| 14. Clump of Brimstone | 64. Plum Pits, Pine Cones, Coconut Shell, or Cherry Stones (d6) |
| 15. Clump of Sand | 65. Metal Shavings or Powdered Rock |
| 16. Corks (d4) | 66. Reed Flute or Harmonica |
| 17. Crude Bowl (Bone, Clay, Tin or Wood) | 67. Roots or Bulbs (d4) |
| 18. Crude Pipe (Bone, Clay, Corncob or Wood) | 68. Scrap of Cloth (Linen or Wool) |
| 19. Cubit of Wire (Copper or Tin) | 69. Scrap of Lace or Silk |
| 20. Dead Amphibian (Frog, Toad, Newt or Salamander) | 70. Seven Dried Herbs or Spices |
| 21. Dead Arthropod (Crab, Insect, Scorpion or Spider) | 71. Sewing Needle or Pin (Bone, Copper, Silver, Wood) |
| 22. Dead Mammal (Bat, Mouse, Shrew, or Vole) | 72. Shards of a Broken Mirror |
| 23. Dead Reptile (Lizard, Snake, Tortoise or Turtle) | 73. Simple Hairbrush or Comb (Brass, Bone, Tin or Wood) |
| 24. Ear (Elf, Human, Gnoll, Other) | 74. Single Cloth or Leather Glove or Mitten |
| 25. Ear (Ox, Rabbit, Pig or Wolf) | 75. Single Stocking or Sock |
| 26. Edible Shoots or Leaves (d12) | 76. Skeleton Key |
| 27. Eggshells or Egg (Bird or Reptile) | 77. Skin (Mouse, Rabbit, Rat or Snake) |
| 28. Feathers, Hair or Scraps of Fur | 78. Small Ball of Tar or Resin |
| 29. Few Feet of Thread (d4) | 79. Small Chunk of Cheese |
| 30. Fish or Reptile scales | 80. Small Fossil or Shell |
| 31. Fishing Hooks (d4) | 81. Small Knife (Skinning or Whittling) |
| 32. Greenstone, Flint, Shale or Chert Shard | 82. Small Pumice Stone |
| 33. Foot of String, Twine or Yarn | 83. Small Shard of Petrified Wood |
| 34. Fork (Bone, Pewter, Tin, or Wood) | 84. Soiled Handkerchief, Bandanna, Rag or Scarf |
| 35. Glass Vial (Empty) | 85. Some Fruit Peels or Rinds |
| 36. Handful of Barley, Couscous, Oats, or Rice | 86. Spool (Bone, Clay or Wood) |
| 37. Handful of Dried Peppers or Peppercorns | 87. Spoon (Bone, Wood or Pewter) |
| 38. Handful of Flour, Grain, Meal or Spelt | 88. Stale Heel of Bread, Biscuts, or Crackers (d4) |
| 39. Handful of Seeds (Flower, Fruit, Tree or Vegetable) | 89. Stamp, Quill, Nib Pen or Chalk |
| 40. Incense Cones, Herbs or Sticks (d4) | 90. Stub of a Candle or Wicks (d4) |
| 41. Iron Arrow or Spear Head | 91. Teeth (d12) |
| 42. Jermlaine, Pixie or Sprite Skull | 92. Thimble (Bone, Clay, Silver, Tin, Wood) |
| 43. Ladle (Bone, Tin or Wood) | 93. Tiny Bell (Brass, Tin or Silver) |
| 44. Leather or Hide Cord | 94. Tiny Ingot Of Metal (Iron, Pewter, Steel, Tin) |
| 45. Length of Ribbon | 95. Tiny Lead Figurine |
| 46. Little Box (Bone or Wood) | 96. Torn Vellum, Papyrus, or Parchment with Notes or Drawings |
| 47. Lock Pick (Elfnose, Faeriefork, Spiderlimb or Wyverntail) | 97. Twigs, Kindling or Slivers of Wood |
| 48. Lump of Tree Sap | 98. Two Dice (Bone or Wood) |
| 49. Morel Mushroom, Vanilla Bean or Cinnamon Stick | 99. Un-worked Strap or Belt of Leather or ide |
| 50. Morsel of Meat, Strip of Jerky | 100. Whistle (Bone, Tin or Wood) |
Many of the items are only as useful as the adventurer chooses to make them and some even become mini-McGuffins in their own right. Maybe my players are just suspicious of “free stuff,” but I’ve found that frequently, they make a concentrated effort to incorporate these tiny, inconsequential things into the adventure, attempting to distract a spider with a dead insect, using a piece of string to monitor activity on a dungeon door, et cetera.
Naturally, I’m sure a list like this could have other uses (Spell Components, Dungeon Dressings, maybe even Gullet Contents), so let me know if and how you end up using it!