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 - Hireling Hobbies or PC Pastimes

For a little diversion, here’s a table that contains a hundred ideas for Hobbies/Pastimes that might be useful for adding to Characters. Whether we’re decorating downtime descriptions, or coloring a Camping situation, I find that these can sometimes add a bit of fun details to Retainers and Hirelings, but I thought why not open this up to Player Characters as well? This might make a good Player Facing “roll or choose” type table for any Player looking to add a little more detail or embellishment to help elaborate on what their Character might find amusing or rewarding in that little bit of “spare time” they might get before, during, and after Adventuring.

Whether or not any of these passive pursuits merit tangible or mechanical impacts on the Game and its assorted Challenges however is something I’d rather leave as an exercise for the Table. I can see a few coming up in certain specialized situations, but it’s always more fun to Play in order to find things out!

d100 – Sentient Swords

Random Rolls on the Treasure Tables often produce Magical Swords. This is especially common with the Flat Distribution in some of the earlier presentations. Sometimes they might even result in the temptation to place a Sword with a Special Purpose or Intelligence. These Swords often have a slew of additional abilities and some can even communicate via various Languages. I usually assign a Sentient Sword a number from 1-20 (more talkative ones receive a lower number) when this number is rolled on a die in Play, it can serve as a reminder to me to make a comment or quip if appropriate.

The same rules for making NPCs Memorable generally apply to these Treasures. Should a Sword be Sentient, I do like to dress them up a little further by applying a Personality and it is often hard for me to resist adding a few pertinent Powers. They do say that all Magic Swords deserve Names, but I feel that the ones that the Players can communicate with deserve this doubly so at least.

Here's a table of a hundred Swordbound Souls. While lately I’ve been cleaving a little closer to only applying this quality to Magic Swords exclusively, it is often nice to graft them onto other Weapons as well (a Snarky Dagger or Belligerent Battle Axe can be a nice change of pace!)

d100 - Encounter Activities: Rival Adventuring Parties

A little while back now, I completed some Random Tables that were focused on each of the Monsters listed in B/X and OSE. When I was working on these, I made a quick list of Monsters that appeared in their section, and used this as my baseline, but I had neglected to give a generous gander to those Encounter Tables, leading to a glaring omission: The Rival NPC Adventuring Party.

When these show up in your Dungeons/Adventures it can often lead to surprising situations. On their own they work a little bit like an Opposed or Neutral Faction: Players know that they’re in direct competition for any Glory or Gold that might be found nearby. Sometimes those lovely Rivalries develop, but they can also serve as a way to swell Ranks as erstwhile Allies, or even as a pool of replacement Player Characters if necessary. So here are a Hundred Activities that those Rival Adventuring Parties might find themselves getting up to. As always, strategic substitutions of a few Nouns can make a given entry a bit more bespoken to the given situation.

d100 - Mercenary Minutiae & Sellsword Specifics

Eventually, games might reach a point at which the Players will seek out Mercenaries to assist them with achieving certain goals/aspirations. For when this occurs, I wanted to provide a few Resources for generating those Mercenary Companies, so I set about alloying a few existing tables, and even ended up hammering out a new one.

These will all eventually make their way into a “Mercenary Company Generator” I’m working on, but for the time being the newly minted Table is below. I have many thoughts on how to use Mercenaries in these games, but I’ll likely save those for a separate and more dedicated post.

d100 - Retainer Refusals & Hireling Hang-Ups

Although I do have a few prior Tables that are focused on fleshing out those “Followers” in compelling ways, for this one I decided to focus on traits and temperaments that might have the potential to create some real conflicts or discretely limit options in order to generate what might be “interesting” situations in Play.

This dovetails a bit with my overall philosophy that Hirelings/Retainers should not be thought of as robotic automatons or trap-springers: Often their sense of self-preservation should be just as strong (if not stronger sometimes!) as that of the Player Characters. Whilst risking life and limb might be par for the course to wrest those Rewards from Dangerous Places, there are lines that some simply won’t cross. This table should provide a bit of fun fodder for defining those, with the idle hope that over time, some of these “Retainer Restrictions” might even make those “Meatshields” at least a little more memorable. This could also work quite well if a Party has worn out their good-will with a local Settlement’s potential applicants, and when only the unqualified or unsuited respond to their Call to Adventure!

Naturally, I leave it as an exercise to the Referee whether or not these might come up during the Hiring Process. For some entries, the inhibition might be more obvious than others or there might be Clues. Others might work a bit better as a rather rude revelation once the Adventure has begun!

d100 - Boastworthy Bounties & Intriguing Enticements

Bounty Hunting and Monster-Slaying For Hire are sometimes useful ways for Players to augment their coffers as a periodic change of pace from those unplundered Dungeons. Particularly during the Wilderness Tier, where Treasure can sometimes be a little trickier to track down, these avenues are sometimes more appealing than other lucrative options like turning to Banditry.

There is usually a Reward in the form of Treasure, sometimes pre-arranged, other times negotiated. For these, I often select a Treasure Type (usually based on the Average Values) that seems appropriate, but I do like to often include an occasional “pot-sweetener” that might make a particular job a bit more attractive.

This table includes a hundred Sample Bounties, issued by anachronistic “Wanted Poster,” Proclamation, or even as Rumors/Hooks. I have also included a hundred sometimes less tangible Treasures that might tempt in addition to the more Monetary Rewards. Whether a Bounty is paid when the target is returned “Dead” or “Alive” is up to you, but I think “Alive” does add an intriguing wrinkle sometimes 😊

d100 - Rumored Renown for when Reputation Precedes

Frequently, it might be useful to festoon an NPC with Fame or Infamy to create a more compelling Character. Whether it’s a Denizen’s Deeds or Distinguishing Traits, when the Players have heard “of” someone prior to encountering them, it can often make for more interesting interactions. Here are a hundred ideas for what the Gossip Mongers and Rumor Mill might have to offer about a particular personage.

d100 - Henchperson Habits & Follower Foibles

Sometimes those Hirelings and Henchmen receive little more than their measly helping of Hit Points and an Armor Class. If we are lucky, we might assign them an appellation. Here are one hundred little eccentricities and affectations that might make them a little bit more memorable should they stick around for more than a session or so. Just as I sometimes do for sentient Magic Swords, I enjoy assigning each companion a number from one to twenty (lower numbers increase the frequency), and should this number come up on a die roll, I endeavor to remember to quip or mention the habit.

d100 - Mercurial Mentors & Weird Wizards

There is a rather lovely bit of implied world building secreted away in the Spell Acquisition process for Magic Users in B/X and OSE. Whilst I also permit transcription from Scrolls and captured Spell Books as an alternative arcane augmentation avenue, by default the only two options for expanding a Medium’s occult repertoire are Research (touched on previous posts here and here) and a mention of Mentors.

Sadly, these Thaumatological Tutors do not really receive any substantial detail, so this table aims to address this oversight. The Sorcerous Instructor can be determined alongside the Starting Spell the Magic-User begins play with, or one can simply combine results to mint new Mentors. Starting with a Name and a distinguishing Trait provides a little bit of background, may raise interesting questions, and depending on how you treat this relationship in your games might even result in an interesting NPC, Patron, Ally, or Rival through play.

If one is to rigidly interpret the Rules, I suppose each of these Spellcasters has earned the rank and title of Wizard and is at least 11th Level (the point at which Magic-Users can build Strongholds/Towers and attract 1d3 Apprentices: Another potential opportunity for NPCs if the player wasn't alone in their education and toil). I always found it amusing that unlike those earned by Thieves, these poor students are replaceable.

These individuals are responsible for imparting that single, initial Spell to their protégé, prior to the start of play. Many Referees insist on defaulting to Read Magic for this initial outlay, others roll randomly, and still others permit the player to select. My common House Rule for ages has been to grant Read Magic gratis and let them roll a d12 on the conveniently dozenal list for their second First Level spell. Should the result land on Read Magic, they may choose a Spell. It has always been my preference to make Memorization feature a choice out of the gate.

There are twelve sections of eight in this list (so I suppose one could even just roll a d12 and a d8), leaving a remainder to round out the hundred. These come with a little lagniappe should one of these fortuitous four rolls occur.

[Yoon-Suin][NPC] The Putri Coldheart

The Putri Coldheart

You guessed it, more awful art by me.

The Putri Coldheart is Nāga, but tantamount to a rebellious adolescent. About seven months ago, she slithered away from the spoiled coils of the splendid Coldheart Sister-Knot after being teased one-time-too-many, and decided to strike out on her own.

Although still very young, The Putri had little trouble claiming a ramshackle ruin in the Old Town. The Putri is in the process of surreptitiously pawning some of her valuables through Charmed go-betweens in the Yellow City. She would dearly love to furnish her new palace and properly provision it in accordance with the ostentatious appetites she believes all Nāga require and deserve.

The Putri has a problem. She is due to molt again very soon and will need to obtain another torso and set of arms, slightly larger than this one.

In terms of Appearance: She is very slight of frame, with pale skin and scales that are only just beginning to crowd. These scales register as emerald green to Humans, a teal-ish blue in the eyes of Slug-Men, and like shifting sea-foam to Crab-Men. Dwarf-vision tends to render her natural form entirely in negative*. Most would place her age at somewhere between 13 and 15 rains.

In accordance with the fashions of the time, The Putri’s nose was magically flesh-wiped from her face on her tenth birthday. The Putri’s misses it wistfully sometimes.

In terms of the Voice that your Players hear in their heads (The Putri’s mouth is mostly decorative): Ssssolely telepathic (speak into cupped hands or a teacup), The Putri isss ssssoft sssspoken. The Putri ssstrives for ssssentances ssstuffed with ssssibilencccceee and sssslang. The Putri ssssytematically disssorientsss othersss by usssing her name inssstead of firssst-persssson pronounsss. The Putri isss unaccussstomed to and flussssstered by impudencccce. The Putri’sss ssssoundtrack is Siouxsie and the Banshees.

If this proves a pain, then just attempt your best teenage girl. Valley Girl dialect is also a possible candidate.

In terms of Influence: Only a recent addition to this area of Yoon-Suin, The Putri is uncharacteristically cautious for her age, and other than a handful of attendants that she has ensorcelled into service, she is still very suspicious of the bustle and hustle of the Yellow City. Her last visit was positively disastrous, as she inadvertently spoiled the salty and solemn sky-funeral of an upper-caste relative of Vèlô, with a rather provocative outfit and a naive lack of familiarity with the concept of death, dying, and mourning.

In terms of Foibles & Flaws: The Putri bites her fingernails incessantly and twirls and twitches her tail in a state of perpetual fidgetiness. She is less than graceful and exceedingly self-conscious about this fact. Pathologically unable to accept compliments or flattery, any panegyrics are mentally translated into a foreign/unintelligible language in her head.  

In terms of Motive: The Putri would like to wear two pairs of arms this molt. The Putri needs help decorating. The Putri cannot bear to part with any more of her finery, and is enacting an elaborate ransom scheme. A charmed servant misinterpreted one of The Putri’s many errands, and fetched the wrong two things. Twist: The Putri was one/both of them all along.

In terms of Trappings & Capabilities:

• Confirmed Spells: Disguise; Charm Person; Defensive Orbs; Orbs of Enfeeblement; Render Invisible; Rope Trick; Searing Ray; Call Monster III
• Suspected Spells: Blur; Animate Furniture; Call Monster II; Musical Accompaniment; Nāga Fireballs; Humanform; Duplicate Self; Strangling Tresses

HD: 5, AC: 5 [15], #ATT 2, Dmg: 1d4/d6+2, Move 150 (Swim 180), ML 7, Save As: MU5.

* Has Natural ESP/Telepathy extending 90’

*Sting inflicts 2d4 rounds of extreme grogginess on a failed save versus poison.

Jewelry that The Putri plans on Pawning: A fine filigreed peacock medallion, her older sister’s favorite electrum collar, a platinum ring set with amethyst (a gift from a Bui Prince she was betrothed to at birth), a fine silk headband with teardrop shaped pearls, her Nāga Orb.

She also stole: a Karambit of the Planes [Unusual Abilities: Int: 12, Alignment: Chaotic Good, Communication: empathy, Powers/Abilities: detect elevator/shifting rooms/walls in a 1" radius]. The Karambit takes great pleasure in filling The Putri with guilty feelings, so she rarely unsheathes it.

A yak leather quiver of 11 Arrows +1, A Philter of Heroic Resilience, Spell Scroll (Neutralize Poison, Animate Dead)

She wears a Ring of Clumsiness and Warmth on her left hand. She is not aware of its cursed nature, but luxuriates in the warmth. It is her most prized possession.

Hidden among her numerous sketchbooks (she is an incredibly gifted artist) is a Map to Monetary Treasure: Lamarakh, miles distant, the guarded lair of her sister-knot. [16,000 gold, 7,000 copper, 4,000 silver].

* Something like this:

[Yoon-Suin][NPC] Vèlô the Slug-Man Merchant Prince

Vèlô the Slug-Man Merchant Prince

The corpulent scion of one of the wealthier Monograph Mogul families within the Yellow City, Vèlô fancies himself a bit of a playboy and hedonist. Prone to opulent binging, wanton whinging, and unnecessarily expensive excess; there is rarely a delicacy or asalubrious gratification that remains un-sampled for long in his slimy, chortling presence.

Atrocious Art by Yours Truly

In terms of Appearance: He is quite portly and very tall (towering at seven-feet, almost as wide in places). Rumors of a scandalous dalliance with a Slug Giant somewhere in the verdant branches of his family’s tree are oft whispered and rarely refuted. His Muculence (as he prefers to be addressed) usually shifts his clammy skin tone to match his mood, becoming the color of pale lead when content, but dramatically darkening to a deep crimson when flustered or angry. When confronted with a sublime histrionic performance: bright glistening chartreuse. Dark bands appear on his arms and legs when he hungry, which is most of the time. He smells strongly of sweaty wine or peaty scotch, but frequently masks this with cloying arcane perfumery.

In terms of Voice: Suck loudly on your teeth before speaking deep-ish and slow. The more irritating this becomes, the better. Avoid a mess, but an un-swallowed and smallish mouthful of water goes a long way when burbled in this fashion (pointedly gulp it down before soliloquizing, if this makes you burp: that would be brilliantly appropriate). Practice makes perfect with this technique. For something more decorous, delicately crumple cellophane. The various sodden and hollow sounds associated with phlegm and mucus are also quite apt, and a thicker, more phlegm-forming, beverage or food can assist with this. Bananas always seem to work well for me*.

In terms of Influence: His family is well-respected, deeply-conservative, and the very definitions of the words bookish and cautious. This has not rubbed-off on Vèlô, who is currently in the process of squandering the majority of his substantial inheritance on banana wine, banal women, and banausic dramaturgy. He spends money desperately and is uncharacteristically (for Yoon-Suin) abysmal at haggling. He will very soon be bankrupt.

His penchants for the extravagant have made him quite the popular figure in certain affluent Yellow City social circles. His snooty factotum, Knjo, can often be found ceaselessly scrambling to settle his numerous domino debts (Vèlô is an unimaginative and incautious player who is easily bested by any opponent with an Intelligence of 11 or higher; he's lost to Crab-Men!) before there are any more unsavory consequences.

In terms of Foibles & Flaws: He idly blows slime bubbles when wool-gathering. This is quite disgusting. He has an enduring and vociferous fondness for mime. This is also quite disgusting. He eats frequently and noisily (he will consume the combined weight of all players at your table in bananas during the course of a single conversation), and it’s said the sound of his scraping radula can be heard for several city-blocks. He is weak and quickly winded, and sighs sonorously upon seeing stairs. His compliance with accepted table manners is decidedly recalcitrant.

In terms of Motive: His moist and immense love for all things theatre. The sumptuous luxury of staging a private performance. To aggravate and antagonize Putri Coldheart. Remittance for an unsavory wager. As a token of esteem, intended to inveigle Jàla to lower the bulk price of bananas.

In terms of Trappings & Capabilities: Vèlô is a mawkish and mediocre Magician who has only really bothered with the basics, despite the rather robust resources he could easily persuade his family to provide. His spell book consists of dozens of dusty labels affixed to expensive imported vintages within his banana wine-cellar, and although he often goes down there to “study” he seldom forestalls the temptation to indulge and rarely remains sober enough to fully fill up his arcane allotment.

• Confirmed Spells: Stairclimb, Odoriferous Retreat, Faithful Chaise-Lounge, Overindulge, Muculent Mists
• Suspected Spells: Shield, Read Magic, Silence, Slimeless Step, Acidic Darts, Protection from Salt, Globe of Darkness

HD: 3-3, AC: 7 [13], #ATT 1, Dmg: d6-1 by Teak Danda (staff), Move 90, ML 4, Save As: MU3.

He is never without his bracelet. It pinches his clammy wrist folds and is a garish blue-metal adornment set with seven small spherical garnets. Each of these can be gingerly removed and swallowed. Very shortly after this is done: as Teleport Self with no chance of error to where the corresponding bracelet is located. The counterpart bracelet is currently near his nearly-full wand stand, within his fortified wine-cellar and has no garnets remaining.

* For added affectation, urge for it to be peeled languidly by a Crab-Man player if possible; Bananas are his favorite food. 
Vèlô hates to touch food and is often hand-fed by his attendants. I heartily recommend extending every effort to make him as odious and unpleasant as possible for if/when he perishes at the hands of your players.

[Yoon-Suin][NPC] “Snappy” Jàla Khan

“Snappy” Jàla Khan

Jàla Khan is the reigning megalomaniacal monarch of all bivalves within the Gulf of Morays. He is also the democratically elected regent over all shelled subjects who inhabit the various deltas and tributaries of the God River that extend into the Yellow City. Through a series of strategic assassinations, his mandate has recently been extended to include all limpets and barnacles. He is also a ponderous pain in the rear.

In terms of Appearance: Jàla is a surprisingly symmetrical Oyster, exactly the size of the Yoon-Master’s hand (with fingers outstretched).  His shell is heavily decorated with extensive pearl bead-work and precious stones. His flesh is ashtray gray and he occasionally sports a fu manchu moustache-merkin made from glossy black sea-camel hair. He has two, olive-sized-and-shaped pink rose-quartz “eyes” that he infrequently remembers to wear whenever addressing non-mollusks. He looks and smells delicious.

In terms of Voice: If available, punctuate with castanets (clacking a few resonant dice together betwixt thumb and forefinger works in a pinch). Shoot for semi-sniveling, preferably high-pitched, and avoid large words. Your second best Southern Drawl works as well. When bored (which is interminably often when hearing bootless pleas from air-breathers), expect tuneless whistling.

In terms of Influence: The Oyster King is a remarkably savvy twerp, and has clamped down on most unlicensed commerce involving pearls and nacre. He also holds a monopoly on some of the key reagents for Sovereign Glue. Representatives of his kingdom travel far and wide on the hulls of ships and skiffs, and this foreknowledge of trade goods is often used advantageously to short the markets. 

If pressed into defense of his interests or territory, he can easily muster a troop of a thousand Barnaclids and could potentially raid his coffers to procure at least a legion of Locathah irregulars with a dozen Giant Starfish Siege Engines. He often entertains ecstatic fantasies of razing the Yellow City with such a mighty army, but is far too miserly to expend the resources (it would very likely fail hilariously). He’d rather play the waiting game and stake his claim after the cephalopods make their move.

Fortunately, thus far, negotiations with the Squid-Men and the Kraken have been as disastrous as to be expected; and although he would be loathe to admit it, relations with the Topaz Dragon have cooled (the result of a disastrous surprise birthday party).

In terms of Foibles & Flaws: Utterly incapable of tolerating alcohol, but when soused is effectively immortal. This is a consistent source of consternation for him. He possesses a carefully curated and opulent undersea harem, but isn’t quite sure why, other than “It must be so.” He has a standing bounty of three chestnut-sized pearls on all woodworkers and walrus (and under no-circumstances will discuss his childhood in Voivodja). Overtly fond of puffery and due-deference, his treatment of air-breathers is typically rude at best and coldly aloof at worst. He detests being referred to as "Snappy," and has ordered Giant Flesh-Eating Oyster mass-executions for less.   

In terms of Motive*: Vengeance on Vèlô for a slight (possibly perceived). To stock his vestigial Harem. To unite the Crab-Men under his banner (he’s perceptively noticed the girls’ sway over his monstrous bodyguard, Tǃchk). To deprive air-breathers of art and culture. To mend fences with the Topaz Dragon.

In terms of Trappings and Capabilities: Irritatingly engulfed in his fleshy folds is his symbol of office and most trusted adviser. A pea-sized black pearl known as We Speak The Will Of Kings. The pearl is an intelligent artefact of commensurate ego to that of the bearer, and allows the anointed monarch to speak all languages and cast several useful high-order spells from the schools of beguiling and enchantment.

• Confirmed: Mass Charm Monster, Mass Charm Person, Dominate Person, Enthrall, Modify Memory, Zone of Truth, Irresistible Dance, Mass Suggestion, Undersea Animal Messenger, Feeblemind, Power Word: Grovel
• Suspected: Enlarge, Nacreous Color Spray, Displacement, Hallucinatory Undersea Terrain

In addition, he often wears a dweomer-woven tangerine-colored ascot that allows him to Fly and operate comfortably on the surface.

He is also in the possession of a gaudy green Kwalishi Submersible that he has been known to infrequently hire out (at exorbitant rates) to adequately deferential air-breathers in need of such things.

HD: 8+3, AC: 0 [20], #ATT 2, Dmg: d4+3/ d4+3, Move 30 (90 fly), ML 7, Save As: F8.

• Seldom encountered alone, usually has a retinue of at least 5d12 max-HP Barnaclids, or a praetorian guard of elite Crab-Men (at least a score, HD: 6+6). When taking in a show in the Yellow City however, it may be possible to encounter the pragmatically frugal Jàla atop a black velvet and ermine-edged pillow, with only a single bodyguard (the titanic Tǃchk).

*This section is for the adventure I'm currently tapping away on in idle moments. Until it is finished, I intend to tease out a bit of content here and there. Hopefully, my fellow Yoon-Masters will find some use in it.