A simple chart to generate a name or title for a random book or tome which might be found.
The language in which it is written is DM option.
Tag: D&D
NPC Appearance
NPCs are people, too.
I know most NPCs are simply background for the PCs, large groups and organizations, and the local baddies. But they all have their own personal dreams and stories.
And appearances.
This list can help with the latter.
Give your NPC an appearance quirk, and make them just a little bit more memorable, and maybe even personal.
For the DM, as well as the PCs!
Insults
Etiquette and proper protocol are all fine, and they have their place. But sometimes you simply gotta be honest, and lay some truth-filled frustrations on someone.
Or maybe you find yourself in a contest to see who can out “crude” the other.
Or perhaps you want to describe someone who isn’t present, but you want to ensure that those who are listening have no doubt in their minds how you really feel.
This may help.
Or at least it may inspire a new combination of words which can display a general contempt for the current bane of your existence.
Be creative! Have fun!
Just be ready for an equally vitriolic response…, or worse.
Inheritance
Not everyone in the D&D multiverse will inherit something from previous generations.
In fact, it will generally be because of this lack of inheritance that people will “go adventuring” in the first place.
But everyone once in a while , a character will receive something from the past.
(In my milieux, 20% of PCs receive an inheritance, and it usually occurs while the player character is being generated.)
Much of the time, it’s simply a bit more cash.
Sometimes it’s a token remembrance of the exploits of a notable ancestor (at least notable to the family in question).
And every once in a while, it’s something wonderful and strange, like a boat, or a tapestry, or a chest full of wood working tools.
Not necessarily something you would take on a dungeon crawl!
But it sure introduces some interesting roll playing possibilities.
Do you sell the family heirloom just to get a bit more coin? Do you cling to it for sentimental reason? Might it be useful at a later date? Where in the world do you store it? And is that a hidden compartment….?
So many possibilities.
Landmarks
Instructions for moving about almost always include landmarks, especially in societies which have not developed major roadway systems.
In the D&D multiverse, this usually takes the following form:
“Go to the ____________ just outside of town, march toward the sunrise (itself a landmark of sorts) for three days until you come across a ____________. Turn left, and march one day until you see a ____________ in the distance. Look for a ____________, follow it underground till it turns into a ____________.”
You know the drill.
The listing below will provide some ideas of filling in the blank lines above. They may even inspire some further ideas for side quests, diversions or distractions.
Just make sure you keep your eyes open….
Hauntings
Something inexplicable is going on, and people are nervous.
Or is it inexplicable?
Maybe it’s a naturally occurring coincidence.
Maybe someone is doing something intentionally to keep others away.
Or maybe it is inexplicable, and needs exploration and dealing with.
Use the following to determine a location for something weird, and possible causes.
But don’t. Ever. Assume….
Dungeon Walls
Dungeon explorers/raiders are generally not going to be interested in the architecture of the place.
At least initially.
But once they realize that there may be clues about what’s actually around them in the structure itself, that may change.
The attached listing will give some suggestions for random details about the walls past which the party are walking.
Granted, most of these details will mean nothing to their particular quest.
But every once in a while, one will be critical.
This list will help keep them guessing.
Innkeepers
Everyone goes to the pub.
Eventually.
And the centre of the operation, for good or ill, is the innkeeper.
The keeper will set the tone for the inn, tavern, pub or bar.
And they will probably know a few things, too.
But whether they would be willing to share it with perfect strangers or random murder hobos is another question.
Tip well….
Ominous Locations
What would The Princess Bride be without “The Cliffs of Insanity,” or “The Pit of Despair“?
Or Monty Python and the Holy Grail be without “The Bridge of Death” or “The Gorge of Eternal Peril”?
For a bit of silly fun (or to play with your player’s minds a bit), you might consider using this little tool to give a location a menacing name, or to spark your own ideas.
Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Cults
Much of religious history (in our dimension, at least) has revolved around arguments over who is “right,” and who is not; who is “in,” and who is “out.” And much of who is “right” and who is “in” has not been determined by holy writings or pristine theology, but by proximity to Power.
And I say this as a clergy person!
Sigh…
However, there have always been those who have no proximity to power, who nevertheless hold on to a version of “truth” which the Power People find convenient to ignore, or even persecute.
But since Moses, Siddhartha Gautama, Jesus, Muhammad, Guru Nanak, and a host of others all fall into this category, I’m not talking about those who have legitimate arguments with their various traditions and their various abuses.
I’m talking about the nuts, those who use the insecurities of others to pad their own wallets or boost their own egos; who damage relationships and cause destruction in the name of their own powerlessness.
Manson and Jones come to mind….
Since there have always been a few of these types around, it seems logical to include something similar in the various dimensions in which we play.
The attached will give you some starting points to develop a group or two (or more) of these fringe groups who use religious language to cover for their nefarious and/or self-serving enterprises.
Stay on the straight and narrow!
Dungeons and Dragons Colour 