d100 - Alliterative Alehouses & Tavern Traits

Perhaps we have the venerable “Prancing Pony” to thank for it, but for some reason it seems that most Taverns seem to be a bit more memorable when given Names, and I often see those Names sharing those starting sounds. So, for an amusing distraction, I slapped together some samples to speed up the generation of these alliterating appellations. Finding the results a little thin for a d100 Table, I decided to pad it out with a hundred little “Features” or “Vignette” style elements that could be used to embellish a given drinking establishment.

Starting things off in a Tavern is a timeless tradition after all, even if I have Tables To The Contrary, but should you still need one to kick things off, or as another Building for those Starting Settlements, or even wish to decorate a City Street with a few, this table might be useful. If you find yourself in need of a bit of Flavor for Local Libations, I have another Table to assist with that as well.

d100- Somewhat Sinister Settlement Secrets

Quick Table today with some “Rumors” or “Hooks” to provide a little more unsettling depth to some of those Settlements. I’ve endeavored to use the portion prior to the sainted em dash as a bit of a cue or clue, with the second half hopefully providing hints to the mysterious intrigue behind it. Spicing up some of those isolated Villages or Hamlets with a little strangeness or mystery can sometimes have the side effect of centering Adventure or the Player Focus within them, but that can be a nice change of pace sometimes.

d100 - Holiday Happenings & Festival Features

Below is a d100 table that might be useful for sprucing up Holidays, local Festivals, or other unconventional Customs. I am always eager to pepper the Calendar with various Special Occasions throughout the year, as these can lend a lot of character to a place and time. Naturally, some might end up with the Player Character’s hopelessly embroiled in these customs or situations, but sometimes that kind of distraction is an entertaining one.

d100 - Some Cities & Settlements

When painstakingly placing a happy Haven or convenient Village somewhere in a World, I often find myself needing a few things. Names are nearly always necessary, but I also like to think a little bit about what sorts of Resources might have informed the establishment of the place. Especially as a Campaign might shift more toward the Domain Tier, it becomes pretty handy to have some ready ideas for the useful Imports/Exports or other features that might be present and play a larger role. Some entries are obvious Natural Resources, but I like to sprinkle in some less tangible Cultural Resources as well from time to time to keep things interesting. These can inform Rumors, serve as a source of Adventure, and answer those pesky Player questions that crop up from time to time: Where can we find the best quality Falcons? Where is a Sage that has made this obscure topic their life’s work? Where can we sell all these ingots of Tin for a tidy profit?

I’ve also included a handy-dandy generator that I spun up to test out the Naming Stems as well below!

d100 - Haven Happenstances

Here are one Hundred Haven Happenings or Settlement Events for dressing up any downtime in towns and villages (or even decorating Domain Play, which could certainly use a little more love).

Some are good, others bad, and still others in-between. These might eventually get a more rigorous treatment as a series of d36 tables to interface with my normal way of handling such things (Reaction Roll), but capturing the ideas immediately is always vital so they don’t get whisked away 😊.

See also: These Village-Folk Are... and These City Dwellers Are... as well as One Hundred Buildings and Business.

d100 - Why is Garlic so Stinking Expensive?

Here is a somewhat tongue-in-cheek diversion from what might be considered slightly more useful Random Tables. It has always been extremely interesting to me how the standard Equipment lists in these games do so much heavy lifting to telegraph Setting, and I often tend to see players new to the game gravitate to a few of the same things.

Allium sativum on the list alongside other, perhaps more practical, purchases for Dungeon Delving is one of these. Its mere presence seems to scream to some that the possibility of Vampires is not only very real, but something they ought to prepare for. The same way those lovely Saving Throw Categories, so starkly listed on their sheet, stoically advertise other dangers.

But what may have gone unnoticed is just how pricey that lovely little Bulb can be. A little casual research reveals that it tends to stay remarkably stable pricewise in these older games. Naturally, this led me to wonder Why?

So, here is a table of a Hundred ways to address this burning question (admittedly over-contemplated on my part) and these weird implications. It just goes to show that there are all sorts of lovely little nuances living in those lists that are hiding and waiting to be revealed by Referee’s with perhaps too much time on their hands.😂

d100 - Buildings & Businesses

You’ve respectfully installed your mandatory Tavern and Temple, as well as the ubiquitous Blacksmith/Bloodbath & Beyonde, but what are all those other buildings that make up the rest of the Village? Here’s a handy d100 table for this kind of pastoral planning. I couldn’t resist the urge to sneak in a few Village Vignettes while I was at it 😊.