d100 - How Do Those Wizards Know Each Other?

Recently when re-watching The Last Unicorn for the umpteenth time, I noticed something interesting in a scene I know I had seen so many times before:

In King Haggard’s Court, when Schmendrick seeks the role of King Haggard’s Royal Magician, Mabruk is summoned and seems to already *know of* Schmendrick, greeting him with a “My Dear Boy!” and everything. It started me thinking about the implications of a Setting where each and every practitioner of the Arcane Arts knew each other in some way.

So here are a hundred potential ideas for those Magical Meetings or serendipitous situations where Sorcerous Paths may have crossed prior. There are obvious interactions one could exploit with the Mentor/Apprentice Relationships, but some of these get a little more specific. Seems like it might work a little better in those Worlds where Magic is a bit more Wonderous and Rare, but the opportunity for those kinds of interesting NPC and PC interactions seems just far too tempting not to try out once in a while.

d100 - Where Does That Lamp Oil Come From?

Sometimes, I like to confront a few of the curious questions that occasionally come up in various Settings. This time I decided to tackle that ubiquitous Lamp Oil, filling up all those Flasks flung over the years or reliably illuminating the way via Lanterns. Where does it come from? Who makes the stuff? Why is it so ubiquitous? This table contains a hundred less-conventional notions on how it’s derived to make a given Game World a little more interesting.

d100 - Magical Masks

Earlier today I was tagged in by Eldritch Fields for a blog bandwagon concerning Masks, so I decided to whip up a quick d100 Table with some ideas for Magic Items that fit that theme. These sorts of Wearable Wonders are rather rare in my games, so hopefully now that I’ve ruminated on them for a bit that will change!

I hereby tag in Cascade Fault to make a Mask and keep them coming!

d100 - Magic Bracers & Bracelets

Here we have another hundred Magical Items, this time focusing on those Bracers and Bracelets that might be masquerading among the Jewelry in a hard-earned Hoard. My hope is that you find something interesting to adorn those Characters wrists with a little more Wonder!

The Magical Item Generator has also been updated with these entries.

Variegated Vocabularies for Limited Languages

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ecently I was seized with the idea that what if some of the “Languages” the Players gain access to in these games had a more Limited Vocabulary of Words than a full-fledged tongue. The “Common” Language is often characterized as a type of Trade Talk after all, so might not be as adept at communicating certain concepts without a bit of creativity. This led me down a rabbit hole of constructing “Vocabularies” for some of these more Limited Languages.

In this document, you will find Ten Vocabularies, each featuring one hundred Words. The Common Tongue is present (and may also be useful for things like “Dungeon Graffiti”) and once I had finished this, I immediately began thinking of what other types of communication might “benefit” from this kind of terser treatment.

Speak with the Dead is often maligned as a “Murder Mystery” Shortcut, so perhaps using this rather restrictive Vocabulary might help make it more puzzling. The words here could be used either by the respondent, or by the Players themselves to construct their queries.

It’s often said that Spells like Speak with Plants and Speak with Animals might only provide a kind of curtailed conversation: Seeing as how these organisms may perceive the world much differently than us. I’ve included two lists (one for each) to help invoke this sensation for those kinds of contacts.

Many games have a “Thieves Cant” or coded means of communication shared among ne-er do-wells. I found it really fun to try and focus on what they would be able to speak with each other about using this method.

Though often maligned, I personally adore Alignment Languages, and I think I like them even more when they’re limited by the lists I’ve made for each (one for Lawful, one for Chaotic, and one for Neutral.) Once more it might prove challenging to discuss granular topics with them, but I think this turns them into a bit of a mini-game or puzzle to solve sometimes.

Another tricky thing to tackle sometimes are those Spells that allow a Cleric to Commune with their Deities, Contact other Planes, or perform Divinations/Prophesies. It’s usually best to keep these somewhat cryptic sometimes, so the Vocabulary I put together tries to emphasize that somewhat.

Rounding out these, the final Vocabulary can be used in conjunction with Psionics or Telepathic Communication. While Psionics might not show up in every setting, there’s still plenty of Sentient Swords that might communicate with this method, or Magical Items and Spells that allow Minds to Speak directly to each other, even if it is sometimes stilted.

I will have to see how these end up working out In Play, but my gut feeling is that I probably wouldn’t want to use them for every conversation. More as the occasional brain-teaser or quandary. Perhaps the Speaker isn’t very fluent, a text is fragmented or fractured in some way, or the mysteriously pulsing Gemstone only murmurs the occasional word into the minds of those who approach it.

But due to the constraints, I wanted them to encourage some creativity: I view these Languages as relying on a lot of combinations and compounds: Trees have no word for Lightning, so instead they might call it “Sky FIRE.” Another inspiration was Kennings: There’s no word in Common for River, because everyone just says “Boat Road” and so forth. It can be surprising just how much this opens up the Lists in interesting ways, and finding those ways to “work around” their seemingly restrictive nature would be part of the fun for me.

d100 - Some More Specific Concealed or Secret Doors

Another Random Table Resource to assist Referees with those often-under-specified Secret Doors. Some Dungeon Maps neglect to describe them in their Keys, so all one has to work with is just the S marked on the Map. Unlike my previous table, which mostly features the Triggers/Methods of Opening that might lean more to the *Magical* side, this one tends to focus a little more on Concealed or Hidden Routes of a more Mundane Nature, often leaning on Furnishings and other Fixtures that might be found. Though as you will see, I couldn’t quite contain the urge to add in a few of those useful Clues/Tells and Operating Instructions into some entries.

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.

d100 - Where is that Treasure Hidden?

As another elaboration to assist with Dungeon Stocking duties, here is a Table I’ve put together of some potential locations to secrete the occasional “Hidden Treasure” that can show up during the process. Many of the entries here also include a bit of “Dungeon Dressing” as well that might help provide ideas for rendering the space in addition to any other contents placed.

Usually when I am stocking this sort of thing, I may include a few subtle Clues or other Tells, but sometimes it has been secreted so skillfully that it might take more thorough investigation of the environment to reveal it. For this reason, I usually don’t factor in these rewards for the purposes of determining whether or not a Dungeon has “enough” Treasure: Those hidden Troves are just a bit of a bonus to reward diligent exploration.

d100 - Lair Locations

When Stocking Hexes, I occasionally find myself at a loss when it comes to all those “Lairs” that can get generated in the Process. Those Encounters/Monsters need to shelter or sleep somewhere after all! But this can lead to leaning on the same stock results, slightly re-skinned, for multiple locations. I decided it might be useful to have a List/Table with a few more ideas that I could refer to or remix during this process.

Here are one Hundred micro-vignettes for those Monster Locations with just a dab of detail to start the process rolling should it need to turn into something more “Site-Based” later. Not necessarily full-fledged “Dungeons” but just a succinct starting point for embellishment mostly. Having a few “features” to elaborate upon is sometimes enough to render the place more fully in my mind’s eye.

d100 - Heavenly Hallmarks or Gifts for the God-Touched

Many months ago, I completed a table for Tiefling Traits and Infernal Features in which I promised a Post pertaining to their more Angelic/Aasimaric Counterparts. I plinked away at a smattering of entries and then promptly misplaced the Table, only to serendipitously sumble upon it the other day.

Should you not use those beings of Divine or Celestial Heritage in your games, I suppose some of these Blessed Boons could easily be more akin to some of my Fighter Features for Variegated Veterans for the Cleric Class or even proudly pinned on a Paladin. But I think there’s also some utility in using them as a bit of Foreground Growth/Alternative Advancement though: What sort of holy handouts might one receive for tidying a Timeworn Temple, sprucing up a Sacred Shrine, sipping from a Sanctified Spring, or even inadvertently engaging with a mercurial Godling? Some could even serve as a more auspicious bequest, granted after being Brought Back from the Dead.

d100 - Brainfood for Burgeoning Blogs

Recently, some impressive work Mapping the RPG blogosphere by elmcat had me thinking about the recent surge in new Blogs about these games. It is very exciting to see more and more people deciding to use these once more to capture their thoughts and ideas. Blogs are a bit less ephemeral than some of the other spaces that we use to discuss these things (such as Social Media/Discord Communities) and so much is often lost or goes unacknowledged in those spaces. With a Blog Entry, it is somewhat more preserved for others to read, reference, and riff on. I began mine (with the usual fits and starts) way, way back in 2007 and it’s still going!

In the early days, at the genesis of the OSR, blogs were wonderful for starting conversations and discussions between different authors. If someone posted something thought-provoking, innovative, or interesting, other bloggers could link to their post and contribute their own ideas and elaborations. From this, those wonderful communities you see in elmcat’s fascinating graph formed, and spider-webbed throughout the internet.

So as a way to welcome all these new Bloggers, I put together a d100 Table of Topics to Blog About. Just as with the empty page of a brand-new blank notebook, it can sometimes be intimidating or difficult to know where to start. This list gives you something to roll or choose from should you find yourself without any inspiration about what to post. Many of these skew a bit toward Fantasy (which is generally more common) but feel free to re-skin them to apply to your situation and Setting!

Should you end up deciding to tackle one of these, let me know! I’d love to read your results!

Wilderness Stocking - Expanded

Here is the Outdoor Companion for my Dungeon Stocking – Expanded Resource that provides similar Links and Prompts to assist with Overland Hex Stocking. As I’ve mentioned before, I often utilize the traditional B/X Stocking Table (slightly reskinned) for inspiration when I’m working on Hex Features:

But I wanted to try and leverage the same “wasted” Treasure/Resource Roll for this as well to come up with 36 potential combinations that might be used for a bit of Inspiration when placing them.

Under normal circumstances, I prefer placing a handful of these in each Hex (some Obvious, but others might be Hidden or require Exploration/Rumor to uncover.) The goal is genereally to interject more decision points and choices within Travel, because those are usually what makes those Journeys through Wild Places more memorable.

I still have a few more ideas for some additional Resources I might add to this in the future (probably in the form of more d100 Tables, though I was surprised at just how many I found under that [wilderness tier] label already!), but the current version is below:

d100 - Treasure Transformations or Trusty Trade Goods

While wool-gathering today, I wondered if there could be a quick and convenient way to add a little more variety to Treasure Hoards generated via the typical Hoard Treasure Types we find in these games. While Gems, Jewelry, and Magic Items are definitely exciting to the Players, sometimes the huge heaps of coins are less immediately compelling. So, I began to speculate: What if there were some ways to supplement or substitute some of those for other interesting items of value.

My initial idea was that upon rolling doubles when Generating Treasure Chances with the d100, one could assign a percentage (10%, 20%, etc.) or even a full “pip’s worth” of the value rolled to certain Goods/Commodities that might be present among the gleaming and glittering piles. Or in certain Settings, these types of more mundane items might be even more common or economically important. This could add some variety to those hauls, as well as lead to some potentially interesting choices and decisions in terms of appraising, transporting, and flogging off these wares. Some results could even potentially replenish crucial supplies, augment the creature comforts in a Party’s living conditions, or even potentially make transporting the rest a little less onerous.

As I began populating tables (by Coin type, with more intrinsically precious items corresponding to their respective metals) it hit on me that this might also be pretty useful as a Resource for generating Trade Goods should the Party stumble across a Merchant or Trader in their Travels, so I suppose it can do a bit of double duty, or serve that purpose if tweaking the Treasure in this way is not to your liking.

d100 - Wilderness Fauna

As part of my Preparation for a new Wilderness Stocking Resource (an Overland version of my Dungeon Stocking – Expanded) I’ve identified a few potential d100 Tables that I would like to add to the pile. Although I have plenty of tables concerning Trees, Flora, and even Fruit/Berries, I noticed that the ones that I have made in the past for Wildlife are generally pretty specific (Fantastic Fish, Remarkable Birds, etc.) I wanted to something a little more generally applicable: A kind of Outdoor Companion to my Dungeon Fauna table.

So here are a hundred ideas to add some more Critters to those Wildernesses. I don’t view these strictly as Encounters per se: More akin to a bit of decoration or embellishment when portraying an area as we Journey through it. These can serve as a source of small vignettes, just to make those places feel a little more alive. Of course, that doesn’t mean that they won’t sometimes spur choices or interaction by more inquisitive Players, or even potentially serve as some entries to sprinkle in a Hunting or Regional Rumor Table. I have some more fully-fledged ideas for Hunting/Foraging in my Forest Farragoes.