Random Impedimenta (d100)

Update (05/2019): Formatting on the table below leaves a lot to be desired for direct usability. Here are some PDF versions:

Landscape| Single Page Vertical (includes an online generator)

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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)

The Parenthetical Materials and Serving-Size Suggestions are by no means exhaustive, just brain food. I usually give each player a few rolls on the chart at the end of character creations (post equipment) and maybe a bonus roll or two for high Wisdom scores. I’d imagine the average value for items from this chart weighs in at around half a copper piece, and I’ve tried to keep encumbrance negligible.
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!