The why of retainers

Who's holding that torch for you, and why?

This retainer was a (1d6):

1. soldier
2. sailor
3. farmer
4. trader
5. crafter
6. criminal

who dabbled in:

1. cooking.
2. brewing.
3. animal training.
4. foraging.
5. household repair.
6. music.

They're handy with:

1. a hatchet.
2. a rope.
3. fire-making.
4. navigation.
5. leatherwork.
6. herbal remedies.

They need money:

1. to pay a gambling debt
2. to set up in business
3. to retire from their trade
4. to buy a trinket for a loved one
5. to support a family member
6. to marry and settle down

And decided to try adventuring because:

1. it's high-reward.
2. of the excitement.
3. they can't get other work with their reputation.
4. of the chance of fame.
5. they always wanted to travel.
6. farm work looks exhausting.

They hope:

1. to see a unicorn, a mermaid and a fairy.
2. to earn a reputation.
3. to prove someone wrong about them.
4. to build influence.
5. to become skilled and powerful.
6. to learn lost and forgotten lore.

Awaiting them is:

1. a lover or spouse.
2. a child.
3. a younger sibling.
4. their aged parents.
5. an ill grandparent.
6. a group of friends who feel trapped in their small lives.

Their favourite party member is:

1. the fighter.
2. the wizard.
3. the cleric.
4. the thief.
5. the goblin torchbearer they picked up.
6. their horse, because screw these guys.

In a pinch they:

1. drop their gear and run. Retaining isn't for them.
2. act with reckless bravery.
3. keep a cool head and act with discipline.
4. wait for someone to tell them what to do.
5. stick to the plan until it looks like their side is losing.
6. look for ways to personally benefit while everyone's distracted.

(Thanks to Spwack of the Slight Adjustments blog for the generator code.)

The why of bounties

Inexplicably, you find yourself with no tombs to rob, no castles to storm and no towns to liberate. Money's tight. You've had nothing to eat for three days except dwarf bread - or possibly rocks a dwarf baker has painted like loaves? Worse yet, soon you'll be down to the rations you raided from that goblin camp. You're not sure what goblins eat, but it smells like something else ate it first.

Might as well see what the bounty board has to offer.

The amount is (1d6):

1. a pittance, but it'll put food on the table.
2. modest. There won't be much competition.
3. average. The meat and drink of the bounty hunter's trade.
4. good. You'd pass up other opportunities to take this one.
5. significant. Enough to live comfortably for a year.
6. astonishing. This could be the capstone of a bounty hunter's career.

You'll be hunting a:

1. bandit
2. merchant
3. noble
4. mercenary
5. priest
6. adventurer

for:

1. treason.
2. murder.
3. brigandage.
4. spying.
5. passing tainted goods.
6. heresy.

Their punishment will be:

1. imprisonment.
2. exile.
3. religious penance.
4. execution.
5. repudiation/disinheritance.
6. severe... but secret.

The bounty was posted:

1. by the kingdom
2. by a church organisation
3. by a merchant house
4. by a trade guild
5. by a wealthy individual
6. anonymously

But they didn't mention:

1. separately hiring assassins to hunt the same bounty.
2. exonerating circumstances surrounding the crime.
3. what they plan to do if the hunt takes too long.
4. their own part in the crime.
5. someone who will suffer if the target is captured.
6. someone powerful knows their plans will be disrupted if the target is captured.

Hunting this target is dangerous because:

1. they have criminal allies
2. they've tamed a dangerous creature
3. they have a powerful magic weapon they barely know how to use
4. they're under a curse that transfers to their attackers
5. they carry alchemical tinctures in fragile containers
6. they surround themselves with innocents

and:

1. have a cache of money.
2. have a coded letter of introduction to a thieves guild.
3. have an infectious disease.
4. posted their own bounty on anyone who captures or kills them.
5. transform into a monster on significant calendrical days.
6. are on their way to pay a debt to a powerful entity.

If cornered, they:

1. fight desperately.
2. try to bargain.
3. submit, but plan to escape.
4. plead with bystanders to help.
5. use a magic item.
6. attempt a trick.

If they're arrested:

1. a clandestine power struggle will become public.
2. a family secret will be exposed.
3. a respected person will be disgraced.
4. someone hated will be redeemed.
5. a convincing lie will come undone.
6 an ally will continue their plans.

(Thanks to Spwack of the Slight Adjustments blog for the generator code.)

Minor godly curses, how to attract them and how to lift them

I played Zork Nemesis back in the day. It's a point-and-click adventure game, very atmospheric. There's a section of the game where you explore a series of alchemy labs, one of which is in a deserted church. The poor box is interactable, but all it contains is a curse on anyone who would steal from the church.

We know that historically the clergy have felt they had the authority to dabble in mysticism, because there are records of tersely-worded missives from church leaders ordering monks to stop trying to summon demons to perform their labour for them! 

It got me thinking about the kind of curses priests would set as traps for people breaking the rules of conduct. Mild ones in this case, intended to teach rather than punish excessively. I imagine they'd be posted discretely near the entrance, where you'd spot them if you were paying attention.

He who, within these walls...

1. Mocks or raises his voice in derision,
2. Steals from the church,
3. Games or gambles,
4. Practices arcane magic,
5. Utters falsehoods,
6. Calls upon gods who are not venerated here,

May it be that...

1. He is unable to strike a light and let cookfires gutter when he comes close enough to feel the warmth,  (-2 HP healed per overnight rest)
2. Precious metals tarnish to his touch, (coins become worthless)
3. Any ale, wine or liquor that touch his lips turn foul, (CON save or spend a turn vomiting)
4. Birds cast stones upon him, (DEX save or 1d4 damage)
5. he is visited with fatigue and aching at the joints, (-1 DEX)
6. The stones beneath his feet cry his shame, (stealth impossible)

Until he...

1. Performs an act of contrition such as a week-long bread-and-water fast. (-2 HP healed per overnight rest)
2. Performs an act of service such as cleaning and repairing a shrine.
3. Performs an act of atonement such as contributing money or some kind of material support to the Church's good works. (10% of gold carried)
4. Makes a barefoot pilgrimage to the closest allied chapel. (-1d4 HP)
5. Repents his wrongs in a public square. (Permanent -1 CHA in this town)
6. Sacrifices a valued possession, (worth at least 50 gold).

(Thanks to Spwack of the Slight Adjustments blog for the generator code.)