The why of Big Bad Evil Guys

Good villains are like a spice you can add to an already-tasty meal.

This villain is a: (1d6)

1. priestly
2. wild
3. criminal
4. soldierly
5. mystical
6. monstrous

but:

1. efficient
2. brutal
3. bantering
4. sneering
5. charming
6. dispassionate

1. conqueror
2. corruptor
3. deceiver
4. oath-breaker
5. sadist
6. lunatic

who wants to:

1. get rich.
2. take revenge.
3. seize power.
4. eliminate a people.
5. control a precious resource.
6. serve a dark god.

Their allies are:

1. a fighting legion.
2. monstrous races.
3. malicious spirits.
4. high-level magic-users.
5. evil dragons.
6. servants of a chaotic god.

Their methods are:

1. treachery
2. force of arms
3. profane magic
4. bribery and blackmail
5. thievery
6. spies and assassins

But also:

1. bounty hunters.
2. spreading plague.
3. hauntings and evil omens.
4. traps and false trails.
5. innocent dupes.
6. fierce beasts.

Their secret lair is in:

1. an active volcano.
2. a tumbledown keep.
3. a cursed temple.
4. a malignant forest.
5. a stern tyrant's ruling city.
6. a haunted wasteland.

They've lived a life of:

1. harsh discipline and self-denial.
2. betrayal by loved ones.
3. visions and nightmares.
4. slowly accumulating of power.
5. unwillingly hearing whispers from dark spirits in the night.
6. cruel acts from a young age.

They're vulnerable to:

1. a double-cross by an ambitious lieutenant.
2. a specific magical item.
3. their own hubris.
4. the conditions of an ancient prophecy.
5. an imprisoned former ally who knows their secrets.
6. an exploitable flaw in their plan.

The why of mcguffins

The macguffin. The prime motivator of a million campaigns. It doesn't matter what it is, everyone wants it, or wants someone else to not get their hands on it.

But you need something to tell the players. They can't chase halfway across the world after a mysterious, unnamed stand-in item. What if they find the wrong one? You can use this table to cook up an instant mcguffin.

This item resembles a (1d6):

1. sword
2. shield
3. staff
4. crown
5. book
6. statue

decorated with:

1. inlaid jewels.
2. eldritch runes.
3. an embossed holy symbol.
4. the personal sigil of a mythical figure.
5. a stylised devil's face.
6. a rare lacquer.

It's contained in a:

1. stained and discoloured chest.
2. velvet bag sewn with pegasus hair.
3. form-fitting container crafted from a single chunk of granite.
4. box with brightly-polished fittings and inlaid precious metals.
5. living creature's belly.
6. building's hidden alcove.

Its current holder is:

1. a wealthy merchant
2. a warlord
3. a wizard
4. a priest
5. a devil
6. a lich

and they obtained it through:

1. spoils of war.
2. trickery.
3. a game of skill.
4. a reward for a service.
5. a ransom.
6. a patron's gift.

It's said to have the power to:

1. heal any wound
2. crush any army
3. force any mortal being to obey the wielder
4. point the way to a great treasure
5. grant immortality
6. convey rulership of a kingdom

at the cost of:

1. corruption of the will.
2. a monstrous transformation.
3. the user's soul.
4. accepting a painful burden.
5. a loved one's life.
6. eternal servitude.

It's sought by:

1. a cult
2. a dying king
3. a dragon
4. a minor god
5. a general
6. a monster

using:

1. spies and assassins
2. mercenaries
3. monstrous servants
4. amoral adventurers
5. diplomats and agents
6. oracles and seers

for:

1. a war of conquest
2. a token of love
3. payment of a vast debt
4. a gift to impress a superior
5. the sake of denying it to an enemy
6. sheer greed

but secretly:

1. it's a powerless replica.
2. it has the opposite effect.
3. someone unexpected pays the cost.
4. it destroys the value of its gift, monkey's paw-style.
5. it has a second, hidden effect.
6. it fulfils its purpose in an unexpected way.

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

The why of travelling carnivals

Life in a small fantasy town is pretty dull when you're not being menaced by monsters. Harvest the turnips, tend the sheep, laugh at Old Hob getting drunk and falling off a stump... but when the travelling carnival comes to town, there's some relief from all that.

The carnival offers spectacle and regrettable snacks, but peer behind the tent flaps and there's also intrigue, danger, mysticism and adventure to be found. (By PCs, that is. Those turnips won't wait.)

The first thing you notice is (1d6):

1. colourful silk bunting.
2. a tall tent.
3. whimsical music.
4. strolling performers.
5. big animals.
6. garish pasteboard signs.

Wandering the grounds you might bump into a:

1. clown performing pratfalls.
2. stilt walker.
3. juggler tossing pins.
4. fire eater blowing fireballs above his head.
5. barker calling customers to an attraction.
6. roustabout carrying armloads of equipment.

On the stage you could see:

1. acrobats.
2. knife throwers.
3. sharpshooters.
4. strongmen.
5. a stage magician.
6. dancers in risqué costumes. 

You could pay to ride:

1. a mechanical bull operated with pulleys and cranks.
2. ponies.
3. camels or other exotic animals.
4. well-fed (but muzzled) monstrous creatures.
5. a horse cart with seats that go up and down as the wheels turn.
6. a wooden ferris wheel powered by a donkey.

If you're hungry, there are:

1. honeyed apples.
2. sausages.
3. spiced buns.
4. salted pease with pepper and vinegar.
5. fried pickles.
6. dried fruit and nuts.

This carnival's pride is its:

1. menagerie.
2. calliope.
3. retired adventurer who tells the tale of his greatest venture with help from actors in monster costumes.
4. alchemical fireworks.
5. trapeze artists.
6. dwarven-made mechanical dragon.

Prepare to get cheated at a contest of:

1. arm-wrestling.
2. pitching axes.
3. target-shooting.
4. ducking a fool.
5. ring-tossing.
6. jousting with padded lances on wobbly carts.

inside this tent is a:

1. fortune teller.
2. freak show starring exotic humanoids pretending to be savage.
3. magical item rare enough to impress the yokels.
4. wizard's apprentice earning money for their studies.
5. burlesque performance.
6. medicine show.

The carnival's misfortune is:

1. a crowd-pulling act that quit recently
2. an apprentice that died in a training accident
3. a big booking that fell through
4. a new law that restricts travelling entertainments
5. illness among the draft animals
6. a debt they can't pay

and their secret is:

1. the ringmaster and other managers are doppelgangers.
2. one of the trapeze artists is the runaway child of nobility.
3. they're spies.
4. their monstrous humanoids are polymorphed people they kidnapped along the way.
5. they're revolutionaries against a tyrannical authority.
6. they're retired adventurers, but a good enough score might tempt them to take up arms and race the PCs to the prize.

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

The why of festivals

You're approaching a town and you can hear music and laughter coming from around the bend. You've had the good luck of stumbling onto a local festival in progress.

Your pockets are jingling with coins - or else maybe you're broke and need to check the notice board for tavern keepers who want someone to kill the rats in their cellar. Either way, everyone's having a good time so you may as well join in.

It's a (1d6):

1. harvest festival.
2. commemoration of a famous historical event.
3. religious holiday.
4. trade fair.
5. guild day.
6. seasonal celebration.

You can smell the:

1. pork pies
2. sausages
3. pastries
4. raisin buns
5. candied fruits
6. peaches in sweet syrup

and there's flowing:

1. beer.
2. mulled ale.
3. black stout.
4. wine.
5. cider.
6. applejack.

The crowd are being entertained by:

1. wandering stilt-walkers
2. capering clowns
3. jugglers
4. performing minstrels
5. story-tellers
6. tumblers
   

and:

1. a game of ring-toss.
2. a wife-carrying race.
3. wrestling.
4. bobbing for apples.
5. a gurning contest (pulling grotesque faces).
6. a slippery pole race.

Beyond that is a stage where:

1. the mayor or headman is giving a speech
2. a priest is offering a blessing for all present
3. a history is being recited
4. a traditional song is being sung
5. children are reciting a teaching poem
6. an ancestral hero's armour and weapons are on display

but afterwards:

1. contest winners will be announced.
2. play actors will put on a performance.
3. a band will set up.
4. an effigy will be burned on a bonfire.
5. there will be dancing.
6. there's a scavenger hunt.

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

The Why of Armed Companies

Wander a fantasy landscape long enough and you're bound to come across an armed force on their way to or from inflicting violence. They may be a scrappy but brave force of irregulars defending their homeland. They may be raiders and slavers out to enrich themselves. They may be hideous monsters who want sacrifices for their dark gods.

The only thing all armies have in common is that they're probably not at all nervous about bumping into the PCs.

This company of soldiers is formed of:

1. a single folk, common in this area
2. several races, all local
3. a range of folks, including some flyers and some that don't speak Common
4. a mix of uncommon races from far countries
5. creatures unrecognised by locals
6. monstrous races and magical constructs

For the purpose of:

1. waging war.
2. patrolling a contested border.
3. suppressing a rebellious population.
4. suppressing banditry and putting down hostile monsters.
5. raiding neighbouring settlements and capturing slaves.
6. confiscating civilian property.

They're:

1. a ragtag militia
2. green recruits
3. experienced troops
4. veteran fighters
5. an elite force
6. trained to fight exotic threats like monsters or magic

And their equipment:

1. is a hasty assemblage of shoddy and mismatched armour and weapons.
2. is cheap and poor quality.
3. is serviceable and well-maintained.
4. is good quality and carefully looked after.
5. is expensively decorated with gems and company badges, and includes magic items.
6. includes esoteric weapons and defences for fighting unconventional enemies.

They're here because:

1. they're marching to battle.
2. they're making an orderly retreat.
3. they're returning from battle laden with loot and prisoners.
4. they mutinied against joining a hopeless battle.
5. they're pursuing a fleeing enemy.
6. they deserted to form a mercenary company.

They want:

1. good foraging opportunities
2. a guide to show them a shortcut
3. advance knowledge of the settlements they'll pass through
4. to conscript new recruits
5. to recruit spies
6. a hot meal and somewhere safe to rest

But they don't want:

1. witnesses to report on their travels.
2. to stop for civilian problems.
3. their supply train to lag behind.
4. to split into smaller bands.
5. dissent in the ranks.
6. to offend the local religion.

Their main problem is:

1. shortage of supplies
2. delay caused by weather
3. navigating unfamiliar terrain
4. misguided orders that place them in unnecessary danger
5. their planned route is cut off
6. intelligence on the enemy is completely wrong

and their hidden problem is:

1. disease spreading in the ranks.
2. a spy among the officers.
3. a host of enraged undead following them.
4. their leader is cursed.
5. they've made an enemy of a powerful third party.
6. they died in battle and they don't know it.

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

The why of encounter tables

Orc by Rafiico Creative Studio
on IconScout

Most encounter tables include two extreme results - the creature(s) attack immediately and the creature(s) are friendly and helpful. 

If the encountered creature is a beast of some sort, you can assume that instant hostility is because it sees you as food, a threat or intruding on its territory. An intelligent creature's basic motivation might be the same, but there should be something more complex going in the background.

To roll a D66, roll two D6s and take one result as the tens column.

D66 reasons to attack

11. This creature robs to support itself (carousing ain't cheap).
12. This creature robs to buy manufactured goods from a trader.

13. This creature robs to pay tribute to a warboss/feudal lord/necromancer/etc.

14. This creature robs to buy a family member out of slavery.

15. This creature robs for money to impress a potential spouse's family.

16. This creature robs because it's getting older and wants to retire.

21. This creature wants to eat you because its crops are blighted.

22. This creature wants to eat you to gain your spiritual power.

23. This creature wants to eat you because that gains it status in its culture.

24. This creature wants to eat you because it's lost and supplies have run out.

25. This creature wants to eat you because it's tried every other local meat.

26. This creature wants to eat you because it believes your flesh is medicinal.

31. This creature kills intruders because that's the law of its people.

32. This creature kills intruders because this is its home.

33. This creature kills intruders because it will lose its territory if it seems weak.

34. This creature kills intruders because others of its kind here can't defend themselves.

35. This creature kills intruders because this is its holy place.

36. This creature kills intruders because it has a secret here to protect.

41. This creature fights to prove itself.

42. This creature fights to win your respect.

43. This creature fights because it's fun!

44. This creature fights because it hates your kind.

45. This creature fights to please its gods.

46. This creature fights because those are its orders.

51. This creature attacks because there's another fighting force nearby and it doesn't want to be flanked.

52. This creature attacks because it's afraid you'll draw the attention of a much bigger threat.

53. This creature attacks because other encounters with your kind have always turned violent.

54. This creature attacks to prevent you from telling others that it's here.

55. This creature attacks because it believes you carry disease.

56. This creature attacks because you seem like a rival for its goal.

61. This creature wants to capture you to claim a bounty.

62. This creature wants to capture you as a slave.

63. This creature wants to capture hostages to extort local rulers.

64. This creature wants to capture you as a living shield in another fight.

65. This creature wants to capture you to ransom you to your family.

66. This creature wants to capture you to be a sacrifice for its gods.

The why of towers

Image by HBKerr

A tower is like the landscape's way of saying 'I have a quest for you'. Or 'someone with a beard down to his navel and purple robes lives here'. Sometimes you need a tower and you need a better reason for it than simply 'wandering tribes of architects and engineers'. Hopefully these tables can help.

This tower is

1. a square wooden structure with a stone ground floor.
2. a circular building of mortared fieldstone.
3. a reinforced stronghold with arrow slits and ramparts.
4. built up in layers of different construction.
5. a ruin repaired with a ramshackle conglomeration of branches, sticks and animal hides.
6. built from an odd material like obsidian, hardened lava, a giant tree trunk, etc.

It was built to

1. be a toll house on a travel route
2. be part of a signal network
3. house an order of holy knights
4. keep a watch for fires
5. defend a nation's borders
6. house a wizard's lab

and it overlooks

1. a forest.
2. a trade coast.
3. hills and pastures.
4. cliffs and ravines.
5. a village.
6. a marsh.

Nearby you can find

1. a ruined smithy.
2. a small cottage.
3. livestock pens.
4. extensive stables.
5. a graveyard.
6. an old battleground.

It has been used by

1. an astrologer studying the stars
2. a druid studying the winds
3. a bandit gang watching a trade road
4. generations of shepherds sheltering from the weather
5. tanners practising their smelly trade away from settlement
6. smugglers storing their contraband

and it's currently

1. unoccupied.
2. a den for wild beasts.
3. home to a hermit.
4. visited by travelling rangers to leave secret messages for each other.
5. abandoned and accursed.
6. used as a campsite by travellers.

Rumour says

1. at sunset on the Summer solstice its shadow points towards a buried treasure
2. an evil noble was imprisoned in it and went mad
3. a gang of robbers walled up one of their own alive inside
4. if you make an evil wish at the highest point it will be granted
5. the ruler's spies meet there under the new moon to discuss what they've learned
6. it was built on the site of a structure from an older civilisation

and an odd thing about it is

1. the tiny airship moored to the roof.
2. sometimes there's an extra window.
3. its image reflected in water shows it in its early years.
4. eerie lights visible in the windows at night.
5. sometimes there's a fine black horse hitched at its door.
6. unknown plants growing around its base.

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

The why of the beast in the woods

The beast in the woods is a trope I'm fond of. The town is haunted by a beast that kills man and livestock indiscriminately. It lurks in the woods during the day and only emerges when it can cause the most fear — during night or thick fog. Swords don't hurt it, arrows seem to pass harmlessly through it. Worse yet, if you somehow do kill it, it comes back. Because the beast is just a manifestation of the curse afflicting the town. A curse one or more of them brought down on the whole community by committing a crime so vile that the gods turn their faces away and nature itself rebels.

The only way to dismiss it for good is to reveal the crime and punish the transgressors.

The beast is a huge 

1. shadowy
2. skeletal
3. smoking
4. bloody-coated
5. grave-smelling
6. glowing

1. stag
2. ram
3. boar
4. wolf
5. bull
6. chimera

with

1. human qualities.
2. burning eyes.
3. a crown of flames.
4. dripping poison.
5. iron fangs.
6. twisted horns.

You know it's near when 

1. a fog rolls in.
2. a frost forms.
3. a storm begins.
4. a cloud of locusts forms.
5. animals panic.
6. dogs howl and babies cry.

It brings

1. pestilence
2. madness
3. ghosts
4. insidious whispers
5. a flock of enraged crows
6. souring and rot

and

1. the sound of women lamenting.
2. blight to crops.
3. disturbing shapes in torch and hearth flames.
4. the buzzing of flies.
5. causes lights to darken.
6. rumbling in the earth.

Worse yet,

1. metal weapons strike sparks from it.
2. it leaves burning paw/hoof prints.
3. the earth turns barren where it walks.
4. chains shatter on it.
5. holy symbols grow hot in its presence.
6. corpses twist and contort when it's near.

It's here because

1. someone starved a dependent elder.
2. a parent abandoned a child to die.
3. a host broke the laws of hospitality and murdered a guest, or vice versa.
4. someone broke a sacred vow and won't make amends.
5. a believer defiled a holy place.
6. someone completed a deal with a ruinous power.

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

The why of inns

This inn is (1d6):

1. a tidy building at a crossroads
2. a rundown building on a trade road
3. a rebuilt ruin at a river crossing
4. the remains of a demolished larger building on the outskirts of a city
5. a grounded boat
6. a rich man's house, now converted to trade
   

with (1d6):

1. a decorative weather vane.
2. a brightly painted sign.
3. a fresh coat of whitewash.
4. a mildly scandalous name.
5. an outside fire pit and roasting spit.
6. a crane for loading and unloading carts.
   

Outside there is (1d6):

1. a farrier working in the courtyard.
2. a barber-surgeon using a shed as a surgery.
3. a wheelwright repairing carts.
4. a carpenter making barrels.
5. a blacksmith repairing a horse harness.
6. a group of tiny stalls selling to passers-by.
   

 The proprietor is (1d6):

1. an ex-soldier who bought the place with his pension.
2. a no-nonsense alewife from a brewing family.
3. a young gambler, well out of their depth, who won the inn in a card game.
4. a fat and bustling cook.
5. a dour man who says little.
6. a cheerful gossip, who sells rumours to law enforcement.
   

It offers (1d6):

1. ale flavoured with local herbs*
   
2. strong beer brought by cart from a township miles away
3. dark beer from a nearby monastery
4. spirits brought by sea
5. wine, sort of
6. an alcoholic concoction of the owner's, which locals seem to like
   

and (1d6):

1. a stew of nameless meat, with black bread.
2. mutton stew with brown bread. 
3. pickled pork with bread and cheese.
4. a selection of pies with dried fruit for dessert.
5. grilled river fish.
6. barley soup with cabbage. So much cabbage.
   

Entertainment is provided by (1d6):

1. a girl who sings folk songs.
2. a bard who plays lute.
3. an old man who can whistle any tune.
4. a juggler.
5. an arm-wrestling contest.
6. a skittles game in the courtyard.

Tired customers can (1d6):

1. sleep under their cloaks near the common room fire.
2. pay for a straw pallet in a sleeping hall.
3. pay for a cot in a dormitory.
4. pay for a bed in a shared room.
5. pay for a good bed in a shared room with a few amenities.
   
6. hire a private room with its own fireplace and a maid to empty the chamber pot.**
   

An unusual feature is (1d6):

1. a high stockade wall, in good repair
2. boards across windows facing the sunrise
3. an obscure holy symbol over the door
4. a cellar bigger than the building
   
5. a bricked up room
6. 'decorative' weapons mounted on every wall
   

and an unusual quality is (1d6):

1. a ghost. It wails in the common room at midnight. 
2. a writ from the local lord. It empowers the proprietor to keep customers inside after dark on the night of the new moon.
3. a forest spirit who comes in for a drink every summer solstice.
4. a fireplace that won't light unless everyone present asks it to. Politely.
5. the rent. The proprietor leaves a beer barrel in a nearby stand of trees once a month. It's empty by morning.
6. that several times each year, a party of riders leaves with one riderless horse. No-one seems to notice.

Click here to randomly generate: 

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

* Modern beers are usually flavoured with hops. Earlier beers were flavoured with whatever the brewer thought would make a good addition.

** Beds in medieval times were a Big Deal. If you had one, it meant you could afford the material and labour for someone to build and decorate one for you. In fact, if you had one, it was probably on display where guests could see it. Not something you slept in! Want realism in your game? Shorten this list to "you share a pile of straw and a blanket with two strangers. Make a saving roll vs fleas."

The why of noble families

A set of tables for figuring out the local rulers and what their deal is.

These nobles are (1d6):

1. the last scions of a fading dynasty.
2. a small and tight-knit crew.
3. an extended clan of half-siblings, cousins and adoptees.
4. multiple branches at odds over the family money and land.
5. an obscure distant cousin and blood relatives who inherited from the main line.
6. a recently-elevated fighter & family, trying to act respectable.

Their family head is (1d6):

1. a stolid warrior, experienced in war and administration.
2. a second son who inherited when his brother died. Possibly mad.
3. a disciplinarian grandmother who rules her descendants with an iron fist.
4. a scheming uncle, always looking for ways to increase his family's fortunes, and therefore, his.
5. a weak-willed figurehead with a cunning spouse whispering evil plans to them.
6. a brash and impatient hunter who prefers entertainment over business.
   

Their realm is mostly (1d6):

1. farmland.
2. riverland.
3. forest. 
4. rocky.
5. marshy.
   
6. mixed (roll twice).

It sometimes suffers from (1d6):

1. drought.
2. flooding.
3. heatwaves.
4. freezing winters.
5. crop blight.
6. plague.
   

Their income is from (1d6):

1. collecting rent.
2. investment and moneylending.
3. mining on family land.
4. timber and sawyering.
5. charging tolls on a trade route.
6. sources they don't talk about.

A notable family accomplishment is (1d6):

1. victory in a historic battle.
2. victory in an honour duel.
3. ridding the district of a dangerous monster.
4. cultivating a new wine grape.
5. pacifying a warlike people.
6. draining a swamp to create arable land.

A family misfortune is (1d6):

1. madness in the bloodline.
2. no suitable heirs.
   
3. a rivalry with another noble family.
   
4. a debt to a supernatural creature.
5. declining finances.
6. a generational curse.

An advantage they have is (1d6):

1. an alliance by marriage to a more powerful family.
2. a sturdy and well-provisioned keep.
3. a busy trade route through their land.
4. a local religion which venerates their ancestors.
5. a powerful knight sworn to them.
6. a wise and loyal advisor.
   

Their current biggest problem is (1d6):

1. unrest among the peasants.
2. evil cults gaining a foothold in their territory.
3. monsters killing people at night.
4. banditry.
5. a dismal prophecy.
6. omens and portents.
   

In their lands, adventurers are (1d6):

1. expelled.
2. barely tolerated.
3. watched, but allowed to work.
   
4. ignored for the most part.
5. encouraged.
6. celebrated.

Click here to randomly generate:

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

The why of Witches

A set of tables for rolling up a witch's situation and motives. She could be ally or antagonist. 

This witch is (1d6):

1. A girl barely in her teens
2. A young woman
3. A middle-aged woman
4. A crone
5. An ageless creature cloaked in illusion
6. Just a voice from a shadowed corner
   

Who specialises in (1d6):

1. Potions
2. Protective charms
3. Reading the future in a glass
4. Curses
5. Spells to soften the heart and lull the will
6. Controlling animals
   

And lives in (1d6):

1. A hut
2. A tidy cottage
3. A ruined castle
4. A tree
5. A swamp hovel
6. A cave
   

She turned to witchcraft because (1d6):

1. Every woman in her line passes the knowledge to a daughter
2. She wanted to harm an enemy
3. Her community needed a wise woman
4. It gave her the power to control her fate
5. She had the gift from birth
6. A family member needed supernatural healing
   

Her customers are (1d6):

1. Followers of a suppressed religion
2. Local town-folk
3. Criminals
4. Adventurers
5. A high-born family
6. Unseen things of the forest and field
   

And they want: (1d6):

1. Visions of the future
2. Protection for a hidden enterprise
3. Revenge on a third party
4. Advice on personal problems
5. Health tonics and herbal remedies
6. Spells to ease their way to a goal
   

Her biggest problem is (1d6):

1. A demon suitor
2. A paranoid official
3. A zealous priest
4. A rival magic-user
   
5. A corrupted spell
6. An evil fate
   

Her biggest advantage is (1d6):

1. A protective amulet
2. A hidden sanctuary
3. A rich customer's secrets
4. A way of travelling that can't be followed
5. The good will of the land itself
6. A chest of gold
   

Her ally is (1d6):

1. A forest spirit
2. A fierce familiar
3. A grateful community
4. A minor demon
5. A skilled criminal
6. A fellow witch
   

Her interest in adventurers is (1d6):

1. Obtaining magical components
2. Delivering magical items
3. Protection
4. Acquiring 'servants' who won't be missed
5. Cleaning up a magical accident
6. Because sometimes a stab wound is the best curse there is

Click here to randomly generate:

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

The Why of Wizards

Tables for generating NPC wizards.

It's a hazardous occupation, wizarding. Searching the constellations for meaning, summoning and binding hostile spirits, effing with the ineffable. You wouldn't expect a wizard to be average.

This wizard is a(n) (3d6):

1. Irritable
2. Morose
3. Excitable
4. Cryptic
5. Arrogant
6. Forgetful
   
   
   1. Young
   2. Old
   3. Ancient
   4. Ageless
   5. Mutated
   6. Hidden

1. Summoner
2. Enchanter
3. Alchemist
4. Elementalist
5. Necromancer
6. Diviner
   

Their laboratory is in/on a (1d6):

1. Tower
2. Castle
3. Manor house
4. Hut
5. Ship
6. Cart

Their magic is tinged with (1d6):

1. Fire
2. Darkness
3. Motion
4. Colour
5. Music 
6. Crystals
   

Locals treat them with (1d6):

1. Fear
2. Reverence
3. Amused contempt
4. Resentment
5. Indifference
6. Bemusement
   

Rumour says they (1d6):

1. Have a pact with demons
2. Won a game with a god
3. Advised a ruler
4. Travel by night in owl form
5. Turned a bandit gang into pigs
6. Eat and drink only poison

And want to (1d6):

1. Conquer the kingdom
2. Return a loved one to life
3. Understand the gods' true nature
4. Answer an ancient riddle
5. Usurp a demon lord
6. Dispel a curse that affects them
   

Their actual goal is (1d6)

1. Personal spiritual development
2. Unlimited knowledge
3. A rival's destruction
4. Immortality
5. Protect a political ally
6. Fulfil a supernatural bargain and be free 

Click here to randomly generate:

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

The Why of Bandit Chiefs

Tables for generating an NPC bandit chief.

This chief hides among the (1d6):

1. Forests
2. Mountains
3. Islands
4. Friendly clans
5. Ruins
6. Swamps

And attacks (1d6): 

1. Isolated farmsteads
2. Merchant caravans
3. Travellers in their claimed lands
4. Rival clans 
5. Townships of another race
6. Temples
   

The chief is (1d6):

1. An ex-soldier
2. An exiled clan chief
3. A city criminal
4. A former poacher
5. A farmer whose lands were confiscated for unpaid taxes
6. A renegade priest

They recruit (1d6):

1. Mercenary fighters
2. Unemployed farm labourers
3. Enslaved convicts
4. Hunters
5. Social outcasts
6. An uneasy mix of two of the above

Their secret advantage is (1d6):

1. A magic item
2. A monstrous or supernatural ally
3. A hidden route only they know about
4. A cache of supplies
5. An informant in a nearby settlement
6. An elite assassin follower
   

Their secret danger is (1d6):

1. A wasting illness
2. A lover among the enemy
3. A debt to someone powerful
4. Blackmailed by one of their band
5. They're not who they say they are
6. Haunted by the ghost of their first victim
   

The chief has sworn not to harm (1d6):

1. Unarmed women or children
2. Their own extended family
3. Followers of the same religion
4. Anyone who swears allegiance
5. Scholars
6. Anyone who fought in a specific military battle

Their biggest problem is (1d6):

1. A price on their head
2. Disease among their followers
3. Their  hidden camp has been burned out by soldiers
4. A curse
5. A brewing mutiny in their crew
6. A rival band of thieves

But they have a plan to (1d6):

1. Take over a township before winter comes
2. Make a massive score and retire
3. Send their followers into a hopeless battle and escape with all the loot
4. Sign on with a nearby kingdom as forest rangers
5. Bribe a local ruler for amnesty
6. Go out in a blaze of glory
   

The Why of Strongholds

It's a hazardous undertaking for civilisation to expand into wilderness. There are wild animals, monsters to contend with, hostile people who were there ahead of you, and other expanding kingdoms closing in. Everyone feels better knowing there are thick stone or wooden walls nearby they can shelter behind when they need to.

This stronghold protects a:

1. A ferry or bridge
2. A forest
3. A trade road
4. A border route
5. A mountain pass
6. A temple
   

An advantage is:

1. An underground stream below the castle.
2. Extensive cellars, cool and dry. 
3. Good farming land nearby.
4. Vantage points overseeing all approaches.
5. Old-growth trees for timber.
6. Protected from weather by a rock outcropping.
   

A problem is: 

1. Crumbling masonry.
2. Too small for the numbers it needs to shelter during a siege.
3. Top floors of the keep were destroyed by fire.
4. An infestation of vermin.
5. The building is cursed.
6. The lord is deathly ill.
   

Money raised by: 

1.  Charging a fee to passing merchants.
2. Taxing the local community.
   
3. Operating a silver mine.
4. A provision of the king.
5. Contributions from wealthy landowners.
6. Pillaging locals and kidnapping for ransom.
   

A historical fact is:

1. A previous lord was killed in a mutiny.
2. A previous siege was broken by attackers catapulting diseased corpses over the walls. 
3. Troops here won a famous victory against enemy forces.
4. The current lord's family were murdered by a witch he insulted.
5. A demon was imprisoned in the dungeon for many years.
6. The stronghold was used to test a new magical weapon. It failed.
   

An outside threat is:

1. Bandits making hit-and-run raids on locals.
2. Monsters preying on isolated people.
3. Enemy forces just across the border.
4. Seasonal weather will soon make the terrain impassable.
5. A plague is spreading through the area.
6. Raging fires.
   

An inside threat is:

1. A tunnel from the outside has been dug into the cellars. 
2. The priest is a secret member of a heretical sect.
3. The farrier is an enemy agent prepared to poison the horses.
4. Most of the stored grain has been stolen.
5. The guards' discipline is lax.
6. The lord is mad.
   

The Why of Ghosts

Is no-one making horror movies about ghosts at the moment? We've had a glut of vampires, zombies and demonic nuns, but I can't remember the last time I watched a good ghost movie. Or a bad one for that matter.

This ghost appears as (1d6):

1. A soldier
2. A bride
3. A child
4. An old woman
   
5. A knight
6. A hooded figure
   

It haunts (1d6):

1. A family home 
2. A castle or stronghold
3. A manor house
4. A market
5. A crossroads
6. A bridge

It died of (1d6):

1. War
2. Disease
3. Murder
4. An accident
5. A curse
6. Neglect
   

A sign of its presence is (1d6):

1. An eerie cold
2. Animals show fear
3. All present feel the same intense emotion
4. Insects and all manner of vermin appear
5. Blood or water dripping
6. Faint sounds of conflict
   

It has the power to (1d6):

1. Hurl objects
2.  Snuff out light sources
3. Steal warmth
4. Curse items to break
5. Start fires
6. Walk through walls
   

And also the power to (1d6):

1. Confuse the mind 
2. Appear as a living being
3. Make friends appear to be enemies
4. Possess people
5. Read minds
6. make people see their fears
   

Its unfinished business is (1d6):

1. Revenge
2. A message to a loved one
3. An unfulfilled promise
4. Atonement for a crime
5. Guarding something that was important in life
6. Proper funeral rites