Alternatives to Treasure: A Random Table of Adventure Seeds

     Giant spider carcasses litter the mossy floor of a small copse of evergreen trees. The PCs mill about poking and prodding their former adversaries. Soon, they hope, a few copper coins or a rusted blade will turn up. Instead, the DM may roll on this table of seeds for future adventures. Items in parentheses are intended for the DM only.

Table 1: Less Hordes, More Rewards! (d12)

1. Nothing happens. (The PCs have unknowingly completed a contract for the deaths of the fallen creatures. There's an 80% chance the PCs learn of the contract in the next heavily populated area. In the same locale, there's also a 40% chance a group of bounty hunters will be enraged to learn that the PCs have stolen the contract. The contract pays 3d% GP and a lesser magical item. Roll once on Table 2 to determine item type.)

2. (One round of searching reveals a treasure map tattooed on the flesh of a fallen creature. Roll twice on Table 2 to determine item type and location.)

3. One of the fallen creatures has a hidden hitchhiker! An intelligent, long-eared hedgehog squirms from beneath a corpse. (Name: Vule Great-Ear, AL: NG, STR: 1, DEX: 16, CON: 1, INT: 12, WIS: 9, CHA: 15, HP 1/4, THAC0: 20 DMG by bite: 1/4. Vule will only associate with parties of a good alignment. Otherwise he flees immediately. If queried for three consecutive rounds, Vule will reveal he is traveling to the home of Quix Millwater, a renowned professor of illusions.)

4. The blood of the fallen causes the germination of a seed buried at the site.A sentient plant springs forth! (Grek's Omnivorous Rose. AL: NE, INT: 17, SIZE: 1d6+8' tall, HP: 2d10, THAC0: 19, DMG by thornwhip: 1d4. The plant grows rapidly and will mature in 1d4+1 rounds. Unless attacked, the plant will ultimately give precise directions to Grek's Wonderful Gardens and Fruit Stand.)

5. A severed limb attempts to communicate via crude sign language. (If the PCs cast a successful Speak With Dead spell AND pass an INT check -4, the limb will give vague instructions on how to locate a lesser magic item. Roll twice on Table 2 to determine item type and location.)

6. 2d4 rounds after the the encounter ends, a solitary giant worker ant marches into the area of the encounter and begins to harvest the dead for its colony. (Unless attacked, the ant ignores the PCs and eventually leaves with the dead in tow. Giant worker ant. AL: N,  INT: 0, AC:5, HP 18, ATT: 1d6+3, SIZE: 6'. If followed from a reasonable distance behind, the ant leads the PCs to its colony.)

7. (A Detect Magic spell indicates one of the dead has recently swallowed a lesser magic item. Roll once on Table 2 to determine item type. )

8. The dead bodies immediately attract 2d6 common turkey buzzards.

9. The last of the opposing party falls and a crushing silence fills the area. (A hex has been triggered. . A globe of silence comes into effect as per the 2nd Level Priest spell Silence, 15' cast at 9th level.)

10. At some point during the battle one of the creatures dropped a calfskin backpack. Inside rests a black box measuring 1' x 6" x 6". The box contains small tubs of black, brown, white, and green paint; as well as a handful (d6) of differently-hued wigs. (A DEX check and two rounds of searching will reveal a false wall inside the box. The chamber behind the false wall contains a stubbed ticket to a live performance of 'The Baron's Follies' at the Mute Eunuch, a tavern in a nearby village.)

11. The chests of the dead burst forth with a swarm of gnat-like insects. (If the PCs follow, the swarm leads the party to a hidden magic item. Roll twice on Table 2 for item type and location)

12. The spirits of the dead rise and sprout the necessary appendages to create a magical item. (At the DM's discretion, the spirits work diligently for a period of time necessary to create a lesser magic item. Once their task is completed, the spirits fade slowly from sight. PCs must save versus death magic or panic and flee in terror for 1d4 rounds. The spirits are harmless and invincible. Roll once on Table 2 to determine item type.)

Table 2: Lesser Magic Items (a) and Location Prompts (b) (d6) 

1a. Ring of Bear Strength and Undue Burden (Cursed). Strength +1. Encumbrance +100%. 

1b. A mossy log on the inside bank of a slow eastward turn on a softly babbling brook.

2a. Potion of Puppeteering. +2 to Charisma and +2 to all Charisma related checks for 1d6 rounds. Enough for three doses. 

2b. A loose baseboard in the SW corner of an abandoned fishery in the warehouse district.

3a. Locks of Lenathor. Usable only by Clerics of good alignment as protection/prayer items. One of a set of three locks of beard hair formerly of Lenathor the Paladin. After straying from the Lawful and Good path, Lenathor successfully regained the favor of Ukko. To do so, Lenathor sheared his beard, entered the clergy and began a series of harrowing trials . The Locks of Lenathor represent the paladin relinquishing agency and undergoing the aforementioned trials. (d6) 1-2. Lock of Superior Law, Goodwill, and Agency. All Evil creatures in a 10' radius receive -1 to ATT and DMG. 3-4. Lock of Undying Trust, Fealty, and Fidelity. +15% chance to gain henchman. 5-6. Lock of Greater Devotion, Penitence, and Prostration. Clerics actively using this prayer item during a request for spells receive an extra spell/day at 1st-3rd levels and two extra spells/day at 4th-6th levels. 

3b. The second of the three groves of ash that lie in a line NW of the Hills of Mong. 

4a. +1 Gloves of Insubordination. Leather. +1 to AC. +20% resistance to Charm spells.

4b. A caravan of itinerant merchants encamped East of the Gaul road South of Rorx.

5a. Strong's Deck of Minstrels. A deck of 2d12 brightly illustrated cards. When a card is tossed on the ground, an illusion of a bard appears. The bard will proceed to perform 'The Will and Works of Daemon Strong in the Last Days of Ardmoor' for 1d8 rounds. For the duration, the performance confers +1 to all morale checks for friendly characters and +1 to all saves vs. magic for all friendly characters within a 15' radius.

5b. A small room off the main corridor in the Hall of Glenmanning.

6a. Bowl of Blessings. A 6" silver bowl. When filled with water or some other fluid the bowl allows any non-Cleric PC to cast Bless as a 6th level Cleric. Requires: 1 round of preparation and 1 round to cast. The bowl must be undisturbed for the spell to remain in effect the full duration. All spell effects of the Bowl of Blessings are nullified if the bowl is disturbed.

6b. A dilapidated hut on the eastern shore of the Sea of Celts.

C. Aaron Aldridge 2013

Junk Piles!

Junk Piles! Not Always What They Seem -- A Set of Random Tables.

    

     The party enters a former dining room. Light pours in from a large, partially absent window on the west wall. Rays of swirling dust fall heavily upon a grand dining table complete with an ornamental dining set arranged for use. A few tattered tapestries still hang limply from the walls. Junk is scattered all around the North East corner of the room. Exits lead to the north and south. 

     Initially, players may ignore piles of junk in OSR adventures. If the DM begins to notice this, he may want to add details to the pile in the opening description of a room.

Table 1: The Initial Impression (d6)

1. The surface is littered with toy figurines.

2. Used and shattered clay dishes lay in fragments cluttering up the area.

3. Battered and bruised, multiple sets of artists tools stand awaiting their former master.

4. A rusted pile of machined metal restricts the path leading to the rear of the room.

5. An assortment of finely painted glass baubles are arranged in a neat looking pile.

6. Formerly elegant, now rotting with age, exquisitely carved religious implements lean against a nearby wall.

     
    With a detailed enough level of description players should eventually become interested in junk piles. This will lead to Table 2. Junk piles are also a great place to hide and reveal plot props such as magic items and keys. Items in parentheses are intended for the DM only.

Table 2: What Lies Beneath (2d10)

Partially obscured by the competing rubble the PC finds:

2. a small model of a nearby village. The craftsmanship is impressive. Etched gold leaf has been used to illuminate the very detailed features of the larger, more impressive buildings. Weight: 1.5#. Value: 2d6 GP

3. plans for an immense airship. Unfurling a 2'x4' vellum scroll reveals the designs for a draftsman's dream conveyance. The language and flourished script suggest the scroll may be of great age. (Gnomish tinkerers and magicians with a fetish for ancient apparatuses may well pay serious coin for such an unusual and interesting item.) Weight: 0.2#. Value: DM's discretion

4. a goblinoid finger. The once-dextrous appendage has been cleanly sheared from it's former owner's hand.

5. a small leather-bound book with hammered iron hinges. A rusted-through iron lock hangs ineffectually from the leading edge of the book. Written in a variant, possibly coded form of common, this surprisingly heavy book is a detailed listing of the regional sub-groups of an esoteric brotherhood. (Members of the brotherhood may be enraged to learn the party has come into possession of the book.) Librarians and other book collectors may be excited to learn of the existence of an equally odd and useful reference item. Weight: 4#. Value: 1d4 SP

6. a 2', crooked, oaken stick bearing a 6" multi-colored feather for decoration. (The stick itself has little or no value except for fuel. The feather, however, is imbued with a certain magic. If boiled and ingested as a tea, PCs will gain a bonus to defense (1d4-1) for 1 day owing to the high dexterity of the magical avian species the feather is derived from. Brewing the feather yields one dose.) Weight of feather: 0#. Value: 3d12 GP

7. 16 copper bars. Weight: 1# ea. Value: 40 GP ea.

8. a 1'x1' charcoal portrait of a very cherubic and joyous child.

9.  a set of unmatched copper keys.

10. a child's doll in the shape of a horse. A 6", brown, doll formed of cloth-stuffed leather projects from the surrounding refuse. Inside, hidden in an expertly sewn secret pocket, are 1d4 silver nuggets. Weight of silver nuggets: 0.1# ea. Value 1d4-1 SP ea.

11. 1d6 common lizards. The back of the lizard is adorned with a peculiar red and green diamond pattern. Diamond-backed lizards are prized as pets in more populated areas. Weight: 0.1# ea. Value live: 3d4 CP ea.

12. a curious finger-sized hole in the stone floor. (Trap! Anything placed inside and pushed to the bottom of the hole will become trapped. No physical force can remove the object once it's trapped. Wood will splinter and break. Fingers will stretch and ultimately tear off. At the DM's discretion, certain spells, such as Transmute Stone to Mud, may render the trap harmless.)

13. an ornate chess set depicting local heroes of legend and mythical creatures. Each expertly crafted statuette consists of hand-etched silver and gold. (Set is 1d100% complete.)  Weight: 0.2-50#.
Value: 4-400GP.

14. a crystal vial of noxious gas! Upon breakage a thick blue-green fog fills the area. (80% chance of breakage. Halved if players are specifically being cautious. If a PC fails a CON check, he or she will fall to the floor retching for 2d4 rounds and suffer 1d4 hp damage. Save vs. Poison for half damage.)

15. Random Encounter! Roll on Table 3.

16. a simple brown wooden box measuring 1'L x 1'D x 1'W. (See Boat, Folding in the DM's Guide. A pictogram of tidal pools plainly etched on the inside bottom of the box will reveal, upon a successful intelligence check, the command word -- POOLS. The second and more powerful command word, revealed on an INT check -4, is an anagram of the first -- SLOOP) Weight: 1#. Value 5,000GP if one command word is known. 10,000 GP if both command words are known.

17. a jewel-encrusted Scarab Broach. (The pinning mechanism on the rear of the broach is damaged so that it no longer properly holds weight for long periods of time. 10% chance per day of loss if pinned on a PC. 20% chance PC will notice broach has fallen.) Weight: 0.1#. Value: 1d6 x 10GP.

18. a 3' brass horn. The horn has been crushed by foot traffic through this area. It no longer plays due to a 2" hole in the tuning chamber. (A journeyman metalsmith can repair the damage for 2d6 SP returning it to its former glory.) Weight: 15#. Value: 30SP upon repair.

19. 3d20 common roaches skittering away.

20. a 4' x4' metal trapdoor. Locked. The trapdoor, if opened, reveals a 24' deep hole bored into cold stone.  (5% chance the vault contains a Dirk +1 Weight: 1#. Value: 500gp)



     Occasionally, creatures will be disturbed when PCs go sorting through piles of junk. For a random assortment of tiny, diminutive, and small creatures roll on Table 3. For a more detailed description of creatures see Monstrous Manuals.

Table 3: Denizens of the Junk Pile (2d6)

2. Badger, Dire (+1 ATT, -2 AC, Solitary)

3. Ants, Giant

4. Lamprey, Land

5. Obliviax (Memory Moss)

6. Killmoulis

7. Osquip

8. Mouse

9. Rot Grubs

10. Opposum

11. Cat, Wild

12. DM's choice of the above.


     Once the PCs are wary of the junk pile, change it up! Try boxes, chests, buckets, pools of standing water, or anything that could possibly conceal items, treasure, or creatures.







C. Aaron Aldridge 2013