I know Pundit said there would be a lot of random tables in D&D 5e, and I really hope they are as good as this one. Basically its a table for randomly generating a bit of odd kit a character can start with.
It is absolutely loaded with plot hooks, like:
- 04 A diary written in a language you don’t know
- 57 An indecipherable treasure map
- 84 A receipt of deposit at a bank in a far-flung city
And really weird stuff, like:
- 08 A small idol depicting a nightmarish creature that gives you unsettling dreams when you sleep near it
- 40 A gemstone that looks like a lump of coal when examined by anyone but you
- 98 A glass jar containing lard with a label that reads, “Griffon Grease”
I think this is going to generate a ton of play! I am well happy.
Not that it's a big deal, because it is a neat list full of potential, but it reminds me of Numenera's list of oddities.
Wasn't Pundit saying a while back that had Mike Mearls got his way more with the 5E design process, it'd have ended up looking a lot more like Numenera?
Looks like the treasure list i did for WFRP v2 back in the day. ;)
It actually reminds me of a fan-made list of random items for Dark Heresy.
I love me some random tables like this. I've been using Kevin Crawford's tables for all sorts of games. Actually, it might be cool to run Spears of Dawn using 5e and just re-skinning the classes to better suit the setting's culture and mythology. If that's not too hard...
Quote from: One Horse Town;764303Looks like the treasure list i did for WFRP v2 back in the day. ;)
Well to be fair, Rob at least seemed to be trying to get a lot of WFRP into the game, it even had a Drive Cart skill at one iteration. ;o)
101) A single pubic hair from a nymph.
102) A string of firecrackers.
103) An ancient bronze coin (1/2 CP ). The tyrant on it looks exactly like you.
104) A deck of dirty playing cards.
105) A link of chain from a Valkyrie's chain mail bikini.
106) A horseshoe once worn by a unicorn.
107) A pinch of lich dust in a tiny batskin pouch.
108) A genie's veil.
109) 1d20 noxious drow cigarettes in a little tin coffin.
110) The holy book of a dead god.
111) An apple from a dryad's garden.
112) Gold from a dragon's horde, fused into a blob by his heat & weight (1d6 GP).
113) Chunk of amber, 1" tall prehistoric proto-faerie trapped inside.
114) Bookmark made from the skin of an infamous assassin.
115) A hen's tooth.
116) A single scale from a mermaid's tail.
117) Flask of liquid: Vinegar by day, turns into goblin wine by night.
118) 25mm lead figure of yourself.
119) White crayon and 1d6 weird dice.
120) Piece of goblin chalk -markings last one week & can only be seen by those w/ darkvision.
121) Little plastic toy rust monster.
122) Vial of unicorn's milk.
123) Feather from a pegasus.
124) A failed adventurer's suicide note. "I should have died down there with the others..."
125) Exquisite flute made from a human thigh bone.
126) Little plastic toy bullette.
127) Little plastic toy owlbear (With "Moe" haircut).
128) Piece of weird fruit from a sunless goblin orchard deep underground.
I missed the point, though. Do they DO anything? Or are they just more colorful pocket lint?
Quote from: mcbobbo;764419I missed the point, though. Do they DO anything? Or are they just more colorful pocket lint?
A character with his or her Good Luck Charm on their person can, once per day, roll a single save with a d24 instead of a d20. Or they can roll a d30, but this permanently burns all the good luck out of the charm until they find a new one the next time they raise a level*.
*I just pulled this out of my ass. It's not an actual D&DV rule.
Quote from: jadrax;764318Well to be fair, Rob at least seemed to be trying to get a lot of WFRP into the game, it even had a Drive Cart skill at one iteration. ;o)
There's still a Tool Proficiency : land vehicle.
Quote from: mcbobbo;764419I missed the point, though. Do they DO anything? Or are they just more colorful pocket lint?
It's whatever the GM wants it to be. From harmless curio, to valuable knick knack, to adventure hook.
It's pure potential.
Quote from: Just Another Snake Cult;764352101) A single pubic hair from a nymph.
102) A string of firecrackers.
103) An ancient bronze coin (1/2 CP ). The tyrant on it looks exactly like you.
104) A deck of dirty playing cards.
105) A link of chain from a Valkyrie's chain mail bikini.
106) A horseshoe once worn by a unicorn.
107) A pinch of lich dust in a tiny batskin pouch.
108) A genie's veil.
109) 1d20 noxious drow cigarettes in a little tin coffin.
110) The holy book of a dead god.
111) An apple from a dryad's garden.
112) Gold from a dragon's horde, fused into a blob by his heat & weight (1d6 GP).
113) Chunk of amber, 1" tall prehistoric proto-faerie trapped inside.
114) Bookmark made from the skin of an infamous assassin.
115) A hen's tooth.
116) A single scale from a mermaid's tail.
117) Flask of liquid: Vinegar by day, turns into goblin wine by night.
118) 25mm lead figure of yourself.
119) White crayon and 1d6 weird dice.
120) Piece of goblin chalk -markings last one week & can only be seen by those w/ darkvision.
121) Little plastic toy rust monster.
122) Vial of unicorn's milk.
123) Feather from a pegasus.
124) A failed adventurer's suicide note. "I should have died down there with the others..."
125) Exquisite flute made from a human thigh bone.
126) Little plastic toy bullette.
127) Little plastic toy owlbear (With "Moe" haircut).
128) Piece of weird fruit from a sunless goblin orchard deep underground.
You, I like.
129) A page of hastily-scribbled mathematical formulas no one has been able to explain to you yet
130) A shrunken head
131) A rag doll dressed in clothes from another time
132) A metal tube about 6 inches long. When you press a button, a narrowly-focused beam of colored light shoots out from it
133) The rowel (the little wheel part) from a spur
134) A silver spoon with a handle shaped like a medusa
135) An exotic dried fruit
136) A lump of heavy, grey metal that is always warm to the touch
137) A scrap from your childhood blanket
138) An ivory miniature of a duck
139) A lump of coal that appears to be burning but sheds no heat and is never consumed
140) A spare reed from a wind instrument
141) A small sphere, about palm-sized, top half red and bottom half white, with a black band running between the two halves and a seal on the band. If you listen carefully something can be heard scratching and muttering to itself inside it.
142) A partially burnt family tree
143) A jar of jam, half eaten
144) A ticket to a dwarvern opera, to be performed a tenday hence
145) A small black cube that projects the image of a spider driven saucer when placed on a level surface
146) The ace of tears from a card deck
147) A crystal containing a trapped stirge. Emits a faint glow at night.
148) A broken sword-hilt made of black metal. On it is written "Whoever recovers my blade..."
149) A tiny, mummified beholder.
150) A severed hand: human-sized, scaly and perfectly preserved (still warm).
151) A triangular silver coin of unknown origin. Always finds its way back into your pocket.
Quote from: Just Another Snake Cult;764428A character with his or her Good Luck Charm on their person can, once per day, roll a single save with a d24 instead of a d20. Or they can roll a d30, but this permanently burns all the good luck out of the charm until they find a new one the next time they raise a level*.
*I just pulled this out of my ass. It's not an actual D&DV rule.
Yeah I think your ass got closer too the truth that you think...
The list reminds me a lot of the starting list of random stuff in DCC. Throw in the funky dice and think you may have discovered the secret inspiration for this table. Hmmmm... who plays DCC that we know worked as a consultant on this project?
Anyhow I like it. As I stated elsewhere I'm glad they were willing to include some of the developments in fantasy RPG gaming that have come along. It's a whole full circle thing.
And random lists are fun.
49: A Silver Spoon with an M engraved on it...
Coincidence Im sure...
Quote from: Warthur;764300Wasn't Pundit saying a while back that had Mike Mearls got his way more with the 5E design process, it'd have ended up looking a lot more like Numenera?
Nope, I certainly didn't say that.
RPGPundit
When Mearls talked about the trinket thing I thought that's just stupid. But now that I saw the actual table. ...it makes everyone a walking plot/adventure/quest hook. Not even counting the homebrew stuff in this thread. And it's just FUN!
The devs have said there will be plenty of random tables in Next. Expect the DMG to be full of them.
152) Fashionable top hat of fine molehide.
153) A glass eye. Hourglass pupil like a goat.
154) 1d100 GP in Hobgoblin paper money.
155) A monocle.
156) Big gaudy silver belt buckle. Rot grub encased in glass at center, "'CRAWLER" written in cheap gems at bottom.
157) Pocket-sized Orc-to-Common phrase book.
158) Vial holds a single tear from a nymph, seduced and abandoned by a heartless adventurer.
159) Ancient flint arrowhead.
160) Black iron spur from a devil's scourge.
161) Single scale from a demon's ass.
162) The creepiest old doll anyone has ever seen.
163) "Broken" compass. Only accurate underground.
164) Key. Intended to wind up some unknown clockwork machine.
165) Vial of the Elf Queen's bathwater. Armpit hair floating in it.
166) Airtight vial holds the hot breath of a nymph, captured in the throes of passion.
167) Single Dwarf dragonlard candle. Burns with a low red light that won't disrupt darkvision.
168) Single fishwood torch. As normal torch but needs no oxygen, can even burn underwater.
168) The hilt from a great hero's broken sword.
Quote from: Just Another Snake Cult;765183153) A glass eye.
Mearls beat you to it. #60. Glass Eye...
Quote from: RPGPundit;765121Nope, I certainly didn't say that.
RPGPundit
Huh, I'm fairly sure someone said something along those lines. Maybe Mearls himself?
They remind me a lot of the random items tables from Gamma World 1e.
Quote from: Omega;765233Mearls beat you to it. #60. Glass Eye...
Make it a glass eye that always stares toward the south.
Edit: or it is the "other" glass eye. They're a pair...
I actually did a similar list for Castles & Crusades. Well, somewhat similar. Mine isn't quite as quirky--I rather like the 5e one, though!
http://www.rpgblog2.com/2014/07/additional-random-starting-items.html (http://www.rpgblog2.com/2014/07/additional-random-starting-items.html)
Quote from: Just Another Snake Cult;765183152) Fashionable top hat of fine molehide.
153) A glass eye.
154) 1d100 GP in Hobgoblin paper money.
155) A monocle.
156) Big gaudy silver belt buckle. Rot grub encased in glass at center, "'CRAWLER" written in cheap gems at bottom.
157) Pocket-sized Orc-to-Common phrase book.
158) Vial holds a single tear from a nymph, seduced and abandoned by a heartless adventurer.
159) Ancient flint arrowhead.
160) Black iron spur from a devil's scourge.
161) Single scale from a demon's ass.
162) The creepiest old doll anyone has ever seen.
163) "Broken" compass. Onlny accurate underground.
164) Key. Intended to wind up some unknown clockwork machine.
165) Vial of the Elf Queen's bathwater. Armpit hair floating in it.
166) Airtight vial holds the hot breath of a nymph, captured in the throes of passion.
167) Single Dwarf dragonlard candle. Burns with a low red light that won't disrupt darkvision.
168) Single fishwood torch. As normal torch but needs no oxygen, can even burn underwater.
168) The hilt from a great hero's broken sword.
4-5 of these are obvious magic items but I love the effort and imagination. Carry on sir.
Quote from: Necrozius;765342Make it a glass eye that always stares toward the south.
Edit: or it is the "other" glass eye. They're a pair...
169) Glass eye #six of a set of 8. Stamped "Lolth Post-Adventurer Recovery Kit..."
Quote from: Omega;765487169) Glass eye #six of a set of 8. Stamped "Lolth Post-Adventurer Recovery Kit..."
HAHA that's awesome!
The Dungeon Dozen's random tables are great for this sort of thing. Someone did an Index to all of the tables (http://blessingsofthedicegods.blogspot.ca/p/dungeon-dozen-fan-index.html).
My favorites:
Cheap Dungeon Gross-Outs (http://roll1d12.blogspot.ca/2012/01/cheap-dungeon-gross-outs.html)
Choice Items in a Garbage Pit (http://roll1d12.blogspot.ca/2012/09/choice-items-in-dungeon-garbage-pit.html)
Unexpected Sarcophagus Contents (http://roll1d12.blogspot.ca/2012/01/unexpected-sarcophagus-contents.html)
Quote from: Omega;765233Mearls beat you to it. #60. Glass Eye...
Fixed.
170) A scold's bridle.
171) Tiny two-minute hourglass.
172) Twenty-sided dice (Glass, Roman-style).
173) Pocket mirror that reflects men as women and vice-versa.
174) Astrolabe.
175) One of the Vampire Queen's long black satin gloves (Left hand).
176) The Book of Common Prayer. Pocket-sized. Wedding, funeral, and baptismal rites shared by all Lawful religions.
177) Opera glasses.
178) 1d100' of high-strength fishing line.
179) Vial of a hag's bile.
180) A Witch's thimble.
181) Swank leather dice cup.
182) Stolen communion wafer from the Church of Violence.
183) Single piece of goblin candy. Hard as a rock & tastes like paint thinner drunk from a dirty ashtray.
184) Single gold piece with no monarch profiled on it. Dated seven years in the future.
185) A tooth from a megalodon.
186) Bronze coin. Grey-market shadow currency. Bears the profile of the King of Beggars.
187) Bronze coin. Grey-market shadow currency. Bears the profile of the Queen of Whores.
188) Bronze coin. Grey-market shadow currency. Bears the black spade symbol of the Prince of Murderers.
189) Single playing card stolen from the private game room of the King of Gamblers.
190) A matchbook with 1d10 modern-style matches. "Compliments of the Knave & Badger Social Club".
Jump in, people, only 810 to go.
It is cool stuff. :)
You could also combine two for more weirdness...
6048 - A glass eye filled with water in which a clockwork goldfish swims.
3676 - A vest with 100 pockets, one of which holds a four leaf clover.
2991 - A pair of old socks pinned together with a needle that never bends.
I figured this would turn out to be very popular.
191: A pocket watch with a strange design of interlinked circles on it. Sometimes it whispers to you about time and space.
192: A cane made from an exotic mummified snake.
193: A manuscript of a dwarven poem about a couple who debate whether to go against the will of their clans for love. Ultimately they decide not to.
194: A book of pressed flowers.
195: A small vial containing pure dirt from the elemental plane of Earth.
196: An copper piece with a bearded king that no one recognizes on one side and a columned temple on the other.
197: The fishhook-sized barb from the stinger of a giant bee
198: Two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid, a salt shaker half full of cocaine, and a whole galaxy of multi-colored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers and also a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of Budweiser, a pint of raw ether and two dozen amyls.
199: A kobold tooth with a rune etched into it.
200: A gilded robin's egg.
201: A childrens book with a pressed faerie between the pages...
Quote from: Omega;768332201: A childrens book with a pressed faerie between the pages...
A "pressed faerie"? Hmm...;)
Quote from: Marleycat;768352A "pressed faerie"? Hmm...;)
My youngest sister had one of the Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy books way back when they first came out.
I think random tables are really useful, and the ones seen so far in 5e all look really good (I like the personality and background tables in Basic as well). I'm playing Basic next week and the first thing I'm going to do is roll openly on each of the tables and RP whatever I end up with.
202) Tin box containing the toenail clippings of a forgotten saint.
203) Single nail from the gallows of the most infamous killer who ever lived.
204) A single 1980's arcade token from our world.
205) Cog from one of the goblin machines on the lowest level of the megadungeon that pump down air & pump out water. Heavy as lead, tough as mithril, floats in water.
206) Small card marked "Get out of jail FREE" in Common. King's official stamp or good forgery thereof on back.
207) Steel washer on a string.
208) "Magic 8-Ball". Answers are "YES", "NO", "MAYBE" and "FIND A WOMAN AND GET A REAL JOB".
209) Bronze coin. Grey-market shadow currency. Bears the profile of the Prince of Spies.
210) Bronze coin. Grey-market shadow currency. Bears the profile of the Duke of Blackmail.
211) Bronze coin. Grey-market shadow currency. Bears the profile of the Baroness of Kidnappers.
212) Crossbow built for a small child, an artifact of the shameful Virgin's Crusade. 1d4 damage. Disadvantage vs. metal armor.
213) A once-awesome wizard's wand. All the charges have been used up, no longer magical.
214) Single cheap chrome shuriken. 1d3 damage. Disadvantage vs. metal armor.
215) Tarnished old dog whistle. Can only be heard by mad or rabid dogs.
216) Pamphlet announcing upcoming show by Brusker & Piemoore, a controversial comedy duo that consists of a fat elf and a bald dwarf.
217) Single link of a chain from the torture garden of a demon prince.
218) Origami dragon made from a (used, blank) spell scroll.
219) Tiny model ship built inside an empty potion bottle.
220) Cigar box. Empty except for an auction receipt for 162.5 GP.
221) A leaf from a treent.
222) A bolt from the neck of a flesh golem.
223) Knife made from the tooth of a purple worm.
224) Cheap hoop earring. Can be bent into a professional-grade lockpick.
Quote from: Just Another Snake Cult;768472208) "Magic 8-Ball". Answers are "YES", "NO", "MAYBE" and "FIND A WOMAN AND GET A REAL JOB".
My favorite was: "Outlook Not So Good."
(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8aTxuiZuM4g/Tr7nBgfVLdI/AAAAAAAAAoM/xkTTEozIn98/s1600/outlook-not-so-good.jpg)
Quote from: Omega;768373My youngest sister had one of the Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy books way back when they first came out.
I get you now, my mind went to pressed butterflies when you said that.
Quote from: dragoner;768476My favorite was: "Outlook Not So Good."
(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8aTxuiZuM4g/Tr7nBgfVLdI/AAAAAAAAAoM/xkTTEozIn98/s1600/outlook-not-so-good.jpg)
One was an NPC in a Gamma World campaign I ran. The Infinity Sphere.
QuoteA black ceramic sphere cm in diameter with a white circle at the
"top" inside which is a black infinity symbol. The "bottom" side is
flat and set into this is a circular window within which is seen a
murky blue fluid and darkness. When turned over and the window looked
into a small blueish angular object can be seen floating up and one
triangular face will press against the window, displaying a cryptic
message. (Preferrabbly right after the person handling the artifact
or someone nearby asks a question.)
The Oracle it was said lived inside the sphere and the little icosahedron was believed a supercomputer crafted by the Ancients... Though the true meaning of its answers were now lost.
225) Vial with a single scarlet tear from a vampire.
226) Black leather domino mask once worn by the Queen of Thieves,
227) Ancient, acid-pitted doubloon from the guts of a kraken.
228) Sailor's cap worn on a voyage to a land found on no map.
229) Bell from the cap of the King of Fools.
230) A succubi's soiled panties. Reek of sulfur.
231) Cigarette lighter. FUCK COMMUNISM inscribed on side. 1d100 "Charges".
232) Dainty ladies wrist-length glove. Scaled to the size of a storm giant. Usable as a sack.
233) Pocket-size magnet. Attracts wood instead of steel.
234) Big noxious cigar. Orc "Tobacco" (Fungus, really) wrapped in a suicide note.
235) Chess piece taken from the war room of the demon general Zhaegor, Secretary of Offence for the Pitiless Kingdom of Razors and Knight of the Demon Warp.
One of my favorite game books ever was 2nd edition DMG, entirely because of all the random tables of stuff and descriptive fluff (like the associations of various herbs and substances, if I remember right).
That's one nostalgia gaming element I'm happy about!
1E Gamma world has an AMAZING trinket chart for stuff you might scrounge up in a post apocalyptic setting.
236) Matchbox with a live cricket in it.
237) Silk scarf once used to gag a captive siren.
238) Scale from a sea serpent- feels like heavy iron, floats like cork.
239) Nail from the crucifixion of a prophet.
240) Ear trumpet.
241) Cigar box containing a complete suit of plate, a shield, a lance, a flail, and a sword- all scaled for someone 3.75" tall.
242) A piece of hard bubblegum and 2d4 printed cardboard cards featuring woodcuts of famous adventurers and promising rookie heroes.
Just Another Snake Cult is having far too much fun with this.;)
243) A glass jar containing a live goldfish
244) A velvet pouch full of troll hair clippings
245) A nearly-empty tube labeled "flying ointment" with a single solitary glob left in it. Rubbed into any mucous membrane, it will cause the sensation of weightlessness for 1d4x10 minutes.
246) A glass jar containing a live Quipper
247) A wizard's lucky ball bearing
248) A book of half finished dungeon maps that gently weeps when left unattended
249) A gnomes traveling journal. All pages are taken up by lewd drawings.
250) A halflings traveling journal. Most pages unused, what little is written makes fun of people having tatoos in halfling that don't say what they think.
251) Shabby hand-crafted coffeemug, "Wurldz gratest Worelord" engraved.
252) Ripped apart piece of a leather cap, "For Dad" sewn on the inside.
253) Painted metal figurine of a frost giant, missing one arm.
254) Pink apron with "Seasoned adventurers have better taste!" written on it.
255) Funky hat, made out of Kobold tails.
256) Rubber elf ears.
257) A jar of live bees.
258) Music box. Plays a tinny version of Basil Poledouris' Conan theme.