d100 - What Do Those Rations Consist of Anyway?

Adventurers often find themselves with loudly growling bellies. The clever ones make sure that they’ve brought along some Rations for this occasion, but we rarely really delve into what those portable foodstuffs might actually be. Other than vague acknowledgements nodding in the directions of Pemmican and Hard Tack, it seldom gets the detail it’s due.

Foodways can convey a lot about a Culture or Place, and it struck me that a bundle of provisions might sometimes come with a little something extra. Something that could serve as a potential problem-solving Tool or give those Rations a little extra utility behind munching or Monster bribing.

So here are a Hundred ideas to make those Meals more Meaningful. Most are representative of the “Standard” Ration variety, as Iron Rations might deserve separate ministrations. Until then, I’m sure some of these could be re-skinned with a focus on how they’re stored and the preservation methods used.

d100 - While You Were Out — “Dungeon Meanwhiles”

Once the Characters retreat back to the safety of a Settlement from the depths of those Dismal Dungeons (hopefully laden with Treasure for their troubles) they will often find themselves wanting to engage in a bit of Downtime. Those “Rs” are common: Rest & Recuperation, Research, Re-supplying, Retainers, Rumormongering, or perhaps even some Revelry to Celebrate a successful Forray. But an additional “R” awaits the Referee: for with this passage of Time, it becomes necessary to Restock.

Here's a Hundred Entries that might help a little bit with this process. Whenever possible, I do like to try and tailor some of the more major changes in a Dungeon to reflect the actions of the Player Characters: It’s always more compelling when they can witness the consequences of their actions and the marks they leave on a Place or the Setting, but sometimes I like having a few additional ideas and options to sprinkle within. I find that these can help convey the Dungeon as a more Dynamic “Living” place, rather than having it just “Pause” in Time as it patiently waits for another set of hapless Intruders.

d100 – What’s The Story Behind This Blade?

More Fodder for Fighters, here’s a table I tapped away to provide some Details and Deeds that might speak to the History of any Swords they might come across in their Adventures. Sometimes embellishing a Blade with a few particulars in this way makes it much more Memorable and can even create a bit of intrigue or speak to the larger Setting. A Referee might decide to only add these to Swords of the Enchanted variety, but sometimes a little decoration like this goes a long way to differentiate even more standard treasures and takings.

d100 – What Does This Healing Magic Look Like?

It is often quite interesting to think about how some of the more frequently encountered Magics in these games might actually appear or manifest in one’s mind’s eye. Although it’s often swifter to simply throw the necessary dice and update various records, I find it far more flavorful to give some of them a bit more compelling seasoning from time to time.

As I have done in the past with the venerable Magic Missile and the stalwart Shield Spell, this Table endeavors to explore some additional ideas for rendering those commonly seen “Curative” Magics a bit above and beyond what may be a more generic “bathed in Holy/Un-Holy light” depiction. Yes, the Hit Point damage from the Wounds of a Light or Serious nature is addressed, but what is it like to witness that magical act as an outside observer, the Healer, or the unfortunate Subject of such Spells? Since most of these seem to rely on Touch to deliver, that’s been encoded in the majority of these to a degree, and several might even serve to hint at or allude to specific Domains or Deities that could be behind the granting of such Miracles. As with all my Tables, these can be tailored to taste, but I hope at least it makes some of those medicinal ministrations a bit more interesting!

d100 – Gullet Gleanings & Crop Contents

When I was much younger, we dissected a smallish Shark as part of a very educational Science Class. Imagine our Surprise when our careful cuttings revealed another, even smaller Shark inside of it! We dutifully dissected that one too, and found a Fish, which was then also carefully quartered, but sadly the marine Matryoshka Marveling ended there.

Although it doesn’t seem as common these days, I do recall a big part of Play in the Past involved finding some of the Treasure inside of certain Monsters after slaying them. This grisly task would be perfunctorily performed, just in case, to make sure absolutely nothing was missed or overlooked. It usually came with a Cost (taking a few extra Turns was a common one, and this Risks Wandering Monsters), but I also recall often calling for various Saving Throws or other Tests since I envisioned the process as quite smelly and stomach churning.

When this would come up more recently, I would sometimes quickly roll on my Random Impedimenta table for a starting point, sprucing the results up a bit as necessary and sprinkling in a smattering of coins or such. I decided a dedicated Table might be a little more useful though.

Many Monsters may not carry Treasure on their Person, or have a Happy Hoard to hole up with, so this table might inspire some ideas for what to reveal in those bulging bellies after diligent dissection. Since there are a few weird and wonderous things in these (especially in the bigger beasts, but those likely would have had a lot more Hit Dice to whittle down!), I’d likely ascribe a small chance, prior to rolling, or potentially tweak any extant Treasure Awards accordingly.

q.v. One Hundred Uses for a (Dead) Dragon