d100 - Fighter Features for Variegated Veterans

It is often said in circles that discuss these older presentations, that two Characters that choose the Fighter Class often lack distinction from each other outside of their Scores, Equipment/Gear, and perhaps how generous that Hit Point roll was during Character Generation. In order to set them apart somewhat, I’ve created this table of One Hundred Traits that augment those Warriors ever-so-slightly, creating a little more distinction between them. Some of these might inform a Character’s Background a bit: Speaking of past exploits or professions (q.v. Prior Vocations for more of this nature) whilst others might just be intrinsic knacks or specialized training they’ve picked up prior to Play.

Some of these Abilities could even serve as inspiration for new knowledges or capabilities that could be earned in Play. While I’m not a fervent fan of “Feats” gained through just XP Advancement, I suppose they could serve that purpose as well with a new one being dribbled out every few levels. They seem a bit more interesting to me if they’re acquired as the result of intentional choices, or as Rewards for tasks, trials, or training undertaken at the Table, perhaps like a bit more mundane version of my Benevolent Blessings & Gainful Growth. One could even repurpose those Magical Research Rules or something similar to have this occupy some Downtime.

Fighters do already possess a Super Secret Special Ability in B/X that’s often overlooked: The ability to create Strongholds that influence the Surrounding Lands at any level. While sadly, this seldom shows up in Contemporary Play, it’s a very important Feature when you contrast this with how this is handled by the other Classes. I often find myself bringing this up when I hear other Referees lamenting the lack of Domain Play these days (you don’t have to wait until Name after all!), or when there’s a bit of grousing about how Fighters don’t feel very powerful or interesting. Hopefully a few of these ideas might prove useful or fun for the Fighters at your Tables!

d100 - Infernal Features & Tiefling Traits

The following table contains a Hundred Ideas for unusual features that might be possessed by Tieflings or those of uniquely Fantastic Bloodlines. Though it may be a bit skewed toward those Cambion Characters, if you are a fan of making your Elfs “Weird” or in need of a quick Mutation Table, I suppose this might work in a pinch for those purposes as well. Some are mostly cosmetic, others might be a bit of a drawback or introduce challenges, a few lucky ones are beneficial, but most will probably lend a bit of an uncanny air to these Characters. I’ve always been a little bit bitter about that “false d100” table in Planescape (you know the ones: they use the two d10s...but consolidate the entries and lack a healthy hundred!) so I finally decided to rectify this. Do not fear, for a more Angelic Counterpart has already been added to the pile for a future post at some point.

d100 (x 4) - Bynames, Sobriquets, and Epithets

We’ve all been there: in dire need of a memorable Name during play to hastily christen an NPC to make them more meaningful, or requiring one as we make our preparations for the next session. Spontaneous Namecraft is a tad tricky though. When Naming things, should I have the luxury, I do tend to try to speak it aloud a few times, just to ensure that it flows off the tongue without too much stumbling and can’t be inadvertently mispronounced into something silly or humorous (a very common conundrum in my games that can be a bit derailing). While onomastics are intensely interesting to me, I’m usually a little more concerned with having something immediately accessible to solve the problem.

Specifically, I find myself often in need of Names for Gods/Deities/Tutelary Spirits and such for How I Handle Clerics (every Spell gets its own Source, so having at least eight on hand by Second Level is useful). This led me to start assembling a list of interesting Bynames/Nicknames because those are just more evocative to me when referencing such things. These have also been extremely useful for Formidable Wizards (and the line between the two does blur a bit) and even Infamous Monsters.

I know it is often bandied about that one should never “Name” the Monster (i.e., endeavor to refrain from referring to them by their Statblock Names in play) and this is excellent advice to preserve some of that mystery, but I do heartily recommend Bewtowing a Name on your Monsters. Especially any with say...a Fairy Tale Weakness.

Referees needn’t have all the fun namesmithing, however. They may be suitable or appealing for some Player Characters as well 😊. These nicknames can serve a bit of a double-duty with their implications of characteristics/personalities sometimes (and therefore this Table might have other uses as a source of distinguishing Traits or Cues), but they also are occasionally used to humorously contrast things (think of “Little John” as a good example of this).

I didn’t want to run out right away, so technically we’re sitting on Four Hundred here. Combine with a d4, read across and select, or simply cross them out as you use them. I’ve also provided a convenient perchance generator below to showcase how these can be applied to generate some occasionally compelling Names in a pinch.