Keep it Under Wraps - D30 Mummies

Mummies. Classically depicted as foot dragging, dry-throated mutes with a grudge against the living, these creatures have undergone some very interesting changed in the last couple of decades. Where as a quick step and a sharp eyes would have been enough to escape the mummy of the past, today's mummy is fast, dynamic and often not just a guy in bandages with a serious mobility impairment. In movies and TV, the mummy has become a force to be reckoned with. Possessed of immense power of magic, items of power or even innate natural abilities, the modern mummy sometimes bears little resemblance to his silver screen ancestors.

As a solute to this new breed of mummy, I thought it would be fun to do a D30 chart for it. This chart is designed to provide various abilities and modifiers that can be overlayed onto the classic mummy write-up found in most D&D and similar systems from the OSR era.

1. Bestial. The mummy possesses physical characteristics of some sort of animal giving it appropriate natural attacks for that type of animal.
2. Humanoid. The mummy is not human or demi-human but some form of humanoid (orc, bugbear, goblin).
3. Giant. This mummy was created from some sort of giant humanoid and had physical modifiers and abilities consistent with that sort of creature. Regardless of special abilities, all giant mummies are +3 damage to all physical attacks.
4. Multi-limbed. Possessing an additional set of limbs, this mummy gains +1 attack.
5. Tauric. The lower body of this mummy is that of some sort of animal giving it appropriate abilities and movement for that that animal (burrowing, flying, swimming) as well as +1 attack.
6. Internal swarm. Nestled within the body of the mummy is a swarm of insects, arachnids, worms or other vermin. These creatures can be controlled by the mummy over great distances, functioning as spies and messengers as well as being used to attack opponents.
7. Built-in weapons. Those who made the mummy intended it as a guardian and as such bestowed upon it weapons made part of its body. All attacks made by the mummy now count as weapon attacks doing damage appropriate for the type of weapon.
8. Independent body parts. This mummy can detach its body parts and still use them.
9. Shapechanger. The mummy has the ability to change its shape at will as per the polymorph self spell.
10. Warrior. The mummy was a warrior in life and counts as a fighter of a level equal to his hit dice.
11. Wizard. The mummy is possessed of arcane skills giving him magic-user levels equal to his hit dice.
12. Demonic/Diabolic. The mummy's body is also a prison for a creature from the lower planes. In addition to the mummy's normal powers, it also possesses the powers and spell-like abilities of the demonic/diabolic creature trapped within.
13. Visage of vitality. Despite being a mummified corpse, the mummy has the appearance of life. This appearance is only skin deep however and wounds inflicted upon the mummy will reveal it's true nature.
14. Hypnotic effect. Something about the mummy has a hypnotic effect. Whether it is its gaze, voice, perhaps the sparkle of a jewel in its attire it can mesmerize those it comes in close contact with.
15. Animal control. The mummy has the natural ability to control the animals found in its environment.
16. Weather control. The power of the elements is are at the command of the mummy. Wind, rain, freezing cold, roasting heat, etc all may be summoned up in the home region of the mummy.
17. Life drain. This mummy possesses the same life level drain ability as a Wight.
18. Shadow walk. The mummy may move between any two shadows as if using a dimension door spell.
19. Mirror walk. The mummy may use mirrors and reflective surfaces to travel as if using a dimension door spell.
20. Dust form. The mummy can change to dust and fly through the air at will.
21. Arcane prison. The mummy's powers come from a supernatural being trapped within it. When the mummy is destroyed, the being is released.
22. Slime or fungus infested. In addition to the mummy's usual abilities, it's physical form has also become home to some form of slime, jelly, ooze, or other form of dungeon fungus.
23. Soul devourer. The mummy has the ability to pull the very soul from another being, trapping it within itself. This power works similar to a magic jar spell but the victim has no control over the fate of their soul. Destroying the mummy frees any trapped souls.
24. Elemental. The mummy possess natural control over a particular element with spell-like abilities to match.
25. Tomb control. The very walls and passages that entomb the mummy are at its command. The mummy may freely manipulate the structure that confines it, shifting passages, opening and closing doors, etc..
26. Regeneration. The curse that binds the mummy is so powerful that it will not even allow the physical form to be destroyed. The mummy heals 1d6 hit points of damage every round.
27. Toxic breath. The mummy may belch forth a cloud of poisonous gases that are lethal to the living.
28. Warded mummification. Those who mummified the creature imbued its wrappings, body markings or other mummification treatments with spell wards and protections. 
29. Eldritch ally. The mummy is the thrall of some ancient, otherworldly, cthonic force and may manifest powers appropriate for that alien intelligence. 
30. God corpse. This mummy is no mere mummy. It is the entombed avatar of a god.

A Haunting We Will Go - D30 Haunted House Effects

In the last post I offered up a random chart for characterizing those odd abodes that you find in the world. This post is more along the lines of traditional hauntings and ghostly apparitions one might encounter in a haunted house. Some are minor atmospheric effects while others might constitute an encounter, hazard, or trap of some sort. Still others might be couple with an encounter to complicate matters for the characters unfortunate enough to find themselves in the house.

1. Disembodied whispers.
2. The giggling of small children fluttering through the air
3. Recitation of a poem, nursery rhyme or song emanating from beyond.
4. A sudden shuddering quake withing the floor and walls around you.
5. A phantom procession playing out some event.
6. Your path is crossed by a phantasm of a person.
7. A toy comes to life.
8. A toy or other personal item appears where it had not been before.
9. Paintings, tapestries, photos etc come to life, animating the events they portray in haunting or horrifying ways.
10. The rattling of chains.
11. The squeaking of a door or gate.
12. Lights dim and/or flicker.
13. Sudden drop in temperature to a bone-biting chill.
14. Phantom writing on the walls.
15. Blood, slime, mold, or some other disgusting stuff seeps from walls and/or ceilings.
16. Doors or windows disappear.
17. Door or windows appear where there were none before.
18. Sudden vertigo.
19. Hallways seems to lengthen on their own making it impossible to reach their end.
20. The sounds of something horrible coming toward you through the house.
21. Floors warp and wobble, making footing difficult.
22. A swarm of some sort of vermin spews forth from a door, cupboard, or out of the very floors and walls.
23. Body parts appear from the walls, floors, and/or ceiling with appropriate hazards (hands grab, mouths bite, eyes see).
24. Items attack.
25. A sucking wind pulls you toward a door or other opening.
26. A blowing wind forces against you, making movement difficult.
27. An item possesses you with the memories of its former owner.
28. A sudden, uncontrollable dread washes over you associated with some place or item in the house.
29. Food, flowers, or other perishables spoil and putrefy before your eyes.
30. Roll twice.

This is just what I was able to fit into a D30 table and is by no means intended to be an exhaustive

30 Random Things to Find When The Party is Lost.

Many times in a game the party will wander off the beaten trail or perhaps even into that place the DM never planned for them to go. Often the party gets itself lost and there is a need for some sort of encounter to make all the digression worthwhile. To this end, I present the following tables.

Roll a D30 on the following chart.

1. Weeping knight
2. Golden statue. Roll on Table A.
3. Sparkling pool. Roll on table A.
4. Quaint cottage home of a hermit. Roll 1d6: 1-3 Neutral, 4-5 Good, 6 Evil.
5. Huge oak with a face in the trunk. There is a 10% chance it is an ancient Treant.
6. Ring of toad stools. There is a 15% chance of faeries being encountered. Roll 1d6: 1-3 pixies, 4-5 sprites, 6 brownie.
7. Abandoned hovel. There is a 10% chance that the hovel is inhabited. Roll on the appropriate Wandering Monster table for the terrain where it is located.
8. Dancing lights, beckoning the party deeper into the wilderness.
9. Grave. There is a 15% chance of encountering an undead here. Roll 1d6: 1-2 ghost, 3-4 ghouls (1d3), 5 wight, or 6 wraith.
10. Tree shaped like a person. Roll on Table A.
11. A large comfortable looking home. Roll on Table B for its inhabitants.
12. Disembodied voices that seem to whisper doom.
13. Circle of stones. Roll on Table A.
14. Ancient temple to some forgotten deity. 25% chance it is still active and populated by 1d4 clerics. Roll d6 for alignment of deity – 1-3 Evil, 4-5 Neutral, 6 Good.
15. The sight of a recent battle. Bodies and debris a strewn all over. There is a 15% chance that 1d6 ghouls will be encountered here. There is a 25% chance that there are valuable items of treasure here.
16. Another lost party.
17. 1d6 pilgrims.
18. A well. There is a 5% chance that it will grant a single Wish, otherwise roll on Table A.
19. Ruins of some ancient civilization. There is a 10% chance it is haunted. Roll 1d6 for inhabitants: 1-2 skeletons (2d6), 3-4 ghouls (1d6), 5 wights (1d4), wraith. There is also a 15% chance that the ruins contain 1d4-1 items of treasure.
20. Gypsy camp. 2d6 gypsies, their animals and caravans.
21. A shackled but still living person. Roll 1d6 to determine there nature: 1. A sacrifice 2. A crimimal, justly accused. 3. A criminal wrongly accused. 4. Enemy of a local church. 5. Human-looking creature, captured and left to perish. 6. Bandit who only appears to be shackled and had 2d6 friends nearby.
22. A set of huge foot prints.
23. A single human skull sitting in the middle of the path. There is a 10% chance to roll on Table A.
24. A weapon or item overgrown and seemingly abandoned. There is a 10% chance that it is a randomly generated magic weapon or item.
25. Adventurer who challenges the party before he will let them pass. The blocking adventurer has a number of class level equal to that of the party + 1d6.
26. Dying hero.
27. A single white horse.
28. A mysterious glowing doorway that hangs in the very air itself. Looking through the door shows another place on the other side. There is a 10% chance that the other place is not of the same world.
29. Dark ritual being performed by 1d8 evil priests. There is a 50% chance that this ritual involves 1d4-1 innocent victims.
30. A minor deity in some mundane form who will interact with the party as if he were simply that form (animal, traveler, etc).

TABLE A - EFFECTS
Roll 1d10 on the following table.

1. Will answer one question truthfully.
2. Heals 1d6 hp damage to those places at its base.
3. Curses those who touch it as per the spell.
4. Can teleport those who touch it to a destination of their choosing within 100 miles.
5. Opens a portal to another plane.
6. Drains 1 life level if touched.
7. Imbues any who touch it with the effects of a Bless spell.
8. Animates as a monster and attacks the party (use appropriate monster type).
9. Screams a haunting, terrifying scream for no apparent reason.
10. Removes curses.

TABLE B - INABITANTS
Roll 1d10 on the following table.

1. A kind wizard willing to aid the party with his magic (1d6 levels)
2. A family of cannibals. They are clean and polite and give no clue to their true natures.
3. 1d10 demi-humans who are who are involved in a local prospect of their own.
4. The hidden child of an evil noble/leader placed with a kindly old couple until it is time.
5. 1d6 anthropomorphic animals. They dress, live, and act like regular folk, but are animals.
6. A gnarled and twisted old crone. Roll 1d6: 1-3 an ordinary woman. 4-5 a wicked witch. 6 a benign lady in disguise.
7. Woodsmen willing to share their knowledge of the region in trade for labors around their home.
8. A knight and his squire.
9. A master craftsman.
10. A famous hero, hiding from the world he knew.

30 Crazy Kingdom Conundrums

Back in the day, when I got to play as much as I wanted, our games tended to take on a depth of plot where political stories wound their way around the characters and wove their way into the fabric of the stories that occured between adventures. This made for a rich tapestry of kingdoms, principalities and various lands that was frought with issues both realistic and fantastic. We had betraying spouses, religious strife, ancient claims and destabilizing monsters all over the place.

The D30 table below gives a list of possible unfortunate events that can befall a land. thoug hthe term kingdom is used extensively in the chart, this is just a simplification and these issues could befall any political body regardless of governmental style. Though the chart's results are written from the perspective of the land the players are in at the time, they could easily be reversed or otherwise reversed to refer to some neighboring land close enough to draw the party to it.

Have fun!

-Eli

1. The lord of the realm has only one possible heir, but he cannot be found.
2. A neighboring land has built a fortress on the border separating it from its neighbor.
3. Religious tensions threaten to fracture the kingdom into two or more factions.
4. A stranger enters the kingdom claiming to be the true heir to the throne.
5. The heir to the throne is a villain and plots to overthrow the current ruler.
6. A general in the king's army plots a military overthrow.
7. Worrisome rumbling circulate throughout the land of a coming doom.
8. A neighboring land claims to have the avatar of the local deity imprisoned.
9. The local wizard's council has decided that they should rule instead of the local lord.
10. The king has declared that demi-humans are the root of all evil in his land.
11. A particular article of clothing has been banned from the land.
12. A magical creature has cursed a member of the ruling family.
13. All water supplies have dried up throughout the land.
14. A powerful monster has appeared and demands the blood of the ruling family to stop his rampage.
15. An artifact, sacred to the kingdom has gone missing.
16. Any new buildings constructed in the land toppled to the ground within a fortnight.
17. Hordes of normally harmless creatures have infested the land (mice, pixies, sheep, etc)
18. A god appears in the skies above the kingdom proclaiming the land unclean and in need of cleansing.
19. A far away land has declared  a religious war on the kingdom.
20. Refugees from a conflict in a neighboring land are putting a strain on local resources.
21. The local prince has slain the prince of a neighboring, normally friendly kingdom at tournament.
22. Bandits from a neighboring land are retreating into the kingdom to hide.
23. A neighboring land has angered a powerful creature whose rampage has spilled over into the kingdom.
24. The princess of a neighboring land has run away and fled to the kingdom.
25. An animal sacred to the kingdom has been born in a neighboring land.
26. Visiting dignitaries are killed during an accident in the kingdom.
27. An ancient map is discovered showing that the kingdom and its neighbor are actually one kingdom.
28. The guilds of the land go on strike.
29. Roll twice.
30. Roll three times.

30 Mysterious Animals

Myths, legends and fantasy literature are full of many magical beasts and mysterious creatures. Not all of these are vicious monsters set to menace the heroes. Many of them are actually used as plot hooks, red herrings, or portents of things to come. Presented here are a few possible angles for creatures encountered in the course of play that could be used as either adventure hooks or perhaps as random encounters.

1. Beckons the party to follow it.
2. Eating its flesh imparts a temporary level boost.
3. Blood of the animal functions as a blessing, removing curses and spell effects.
4. Sings songs of ancient lore.
5. Leaves human footprints as it passes.
6. Offers to train the party members.
7. Appears out of nowhere to battle the party's foes.
8. Leaves golden footprints wherever it steps.
9. Scratches out a new spell in the ground.
10. Wearing the skin of this animal imparts some magical effect (invisibility, healing, protection, shape-shange, etc)
11. Appears when one of the party is going to die
12. Glows with a blinding light, holding evil at bay.
13. Offers to transport the party to a single destination by some means (flight, teleportation, rabid movement, plane shift, etc).
14. Offers to stand guard over the party while they rest.
15. Appears as the ghostly form of somebody familiar to a party member and then changes into an animal form.
16. Is a powerful druid, now permanently in animal form.
17. Offers its own flesh to sustain the party only to rise anew the next day and depart.
18. Shelters the party in it's own home (den, burrow, nest).
19. Walks and speaks as a man. 50% chance that it possess 1d4 class levels.
20. Has been sent to mislead the party.
21. Offers 1d3 wishes in return for its freedom.
22. Has been sent to kill one of the party members.
23. Is the earthly representation of a powerful deity.
24. Is the parent to seemingly (demi)human young.
25. Is the prison for some more powerful being. Slaying the creature frees this being.
26. The blood of the creature functions as a healing potion.
27. Natural weapons of this creature can function as magical weapons.
28. Skin of the creature functions as magical armor.
29. Forms a bond with a party member functioning as a familiar or animal companion even if that character does not have that ability.
30. Is Death in animal form.

30 Flawed Females

We all know that fantasy is full of various female characters. Be they protagonist, antagonist, foil or gal friday, they all play a role in the story someplace. In RPGs, still a decidedly male hobby, these ladies often take the form of NPCs in need of rescue, plot hooks, or random encounters set to either aid or mislead the party. I offer here a number of possible flaws that these encounters might possess. This table is not meant to be exhaustive nor do I mean any sort of slight to the female gender with any of these entries. These are intended to provide some interesting fantasy genre flaws, complications, and affectations for ladies encountered in the course of adventuring.

[Design Note: It has been brought to my attention that it might be right to change the name of the post to 30 Flaws. While I will not do this, I will acknowledge and agree with the reason for the suggestion. It was suggested that these flaws would work for either gender and this is true. Feel free to adjust the genders suggested in the chart into any combination you like. The chart is, like all of them, just a suggested set of possibilities.]

Take a roll and beware...

-Eli

1. Charms men into doing her dirty work for her.
2. Secretly the priestess of a wicked god/goddess and plans to use a member of the party as a sacrifice.
3. Bound by a dark pact to kill the men she falls in love with.
4. Transforms into a dangerous monster when she becomes amorous.
5. A dragon or some other powerful creature in (demi)human form.
6. Daughter of a demon.
7. Wicked queen of an entire kingdom travelling in disguise.
8. The avatar of a goddess.
9. The chosen of a particular god or goddess and jealously protected by them.
10. Poisonous to the touch.
11. Her gaze has some magical effect such as petrification, charm person, feeble mind, etc.
12. Remains harmless as long as she is a virgin but transforms into something dangerous if that should change.
13. The princess of a powerful ruler who would rather his daughter not be involved with the party.
14. The beloved of a local hero.
15. Cursed to transform into some immobile form by day/night (tree, stone, ice, furniture, jewelry, etc).
16. Must do the exact opposite of anything she is told to do.
17. Her words always become reality.
18. Cannot disobey a direct order.
19. Harmed by direct sunlight.
20. Possesses a particularly foul dietary requirement (blood, raw meat, garbage, etc)
21. Can only wear clothing blessed by a particular deity.
22. Harmed by the touch of a particular material (iron, stone, non-silk fibers, tofu, etc).
23. Has a habit of falling insanely in love at first sight.
24. Has horrible dreams that create living nightmares.
25. Bound to the land she lives in sharing its fate as it shares her own.
26. Cannot set foot on a particular type of ground (holy, land, water, agricultural, etc)
27. Cannot speak
28. Cannot stop talking and constantly prattles on about anything that crosses her mind.
29. Attracts monsters.
30. Is Death in human form.

30 Odd Halflings

Following my post on the difficulties in placing halflings and gnomes, I felt a slight pang of guilt. They say that if you are part of the solution then you are part of the problem. So, in the interest of possibly becoming part of the solution, I present to you a d30 approach to creating some oddball and possibly interesting types of halflings.

Enjoy!

-Eli

1. Have devolved into a race of inbred, xenophobic cannibals.
2. Made a pact with an obscure demigod and now live by the tenants of his beliefs.
3. There are no men among them though there are children everywhere.
4. Live in stilted homes and takes great measures to avoid setting foot on the ground.
5. Are nomads and travel about in large wheeled yurts pulled by stout ponies.
6. Are taller than usual halflings and speak in a lilting sylvan language resembling elfish.
7. Live in fortified warrens of tunnels instead of the typical hilly shire.
8. Travel in bands, using stilts to appear as regular folk. They seem to be up to nothing suspicious, other          than their mode of travel.
9. Are heavily scarred, speak in gruff tones, file their teeth, wear armor festooned with spikes and points and carry wicked swords.
10. A pungent odor surrounds these halflings who dress in colorful clothing, long hair and travel around in garishly painted caravans.
11. Screams when a certain number, word, or phrase is spoken.
12. Speak in riddles and rhymes.
13. Live in dark, wet caverns and whisper secrets among themselves.
14. Are musical and break into song at nearly any occasion.
15. Strut proudly and live in a village built around the statue of a mighty halfling standing atop the slain body of an overly impressive bullete.
16. Rise from their slumber at night and wander into the countryside returning by daybreak.
17. Fall to their knees at the site of the party’s least powerful member addressing him as “Great One”
18. Claim to be caretakers to the body of a fallen god whos tomb rests beneath an unnamed hill.
19. Brew a potion capable of taming some type of monster.
20. Keep the surrounding non-halfling populations living in fear of them and doing their bidding.
21. Live in trees and are master bakers.
22. Live in a monastic order or of monster slayers, riding forth on their noble war dogs.
23. Form a cabal of assassins disguised as a modest farming community.
24. Flee in terror at the sight of one of the party members.
25. Have the gift of prophecy and speak the futures of the party members.
26. Have been enslaved by some powerful creature who they must serve as a god king.
27. Possess the answer to an ancient riddle or secret.
28. Possess strange powers connected to one of the prime elements (fire, water, earth, air).
29. Run a ring of local smugglers, wreckers and pirates.
30. Roll Twice.