Author: Jon

Rolling Word Play – 11

Creating Roleplay ideas based on randomly generated words.  Here’s today’s selection.  Discover more about Penny Swans, Zealous Unity and Spine Frock.

Penny Swans
Three city-bound travellers find shiny pennies from unknown origin.  These curiously pretty objects have a signet carved into the coins and appear to be lucky when the travellers are able to avoid immediate dangers and make uncanny decisions.  The more time goes on, the stronger the bond between the traveller and their penny. The truth is the pennies are magical entities that cannot walk to the city themselves but using their disguised form, can manipulate other creatures to aid them on their mission.  What is the origin of this species?  What mission are they on?

Zealous Unity
The clans of Caldrin, Zarrow and Nercannel form a strained township called Clan-Arrol (Arrol is the river beside which the town is based), which ties the clans together.  If the clans were left to their own devices, they would likely form separate towns or find a semblance of peace, but their unity remains in place thanks to the conniving mind of the town mayor Wezsel Caldrin.  The incoming tax money that forms the treasury is used to run the town and to keep the peace.. at least on the surface.  The rules of ‘spreading unity and harmony’ are strict.  To get around these rules, there are many gangs in operation, all vying for a greater share of the gold and land available. However, many of the gangs are simply agencies of Wezsel Caldrin, spreading disharmony and squabbling among the clans and stopping any outright rebellions.  Will Wezsel continue to reign unchallenged?  And if not, what would the outcome be?

Spine Frock
A dress that attaches itself to the wearer. It is an attractive silk dress that feels smooth to the touch.  However, once worn it’s curse becomes apparent for it cannot be removed.  Instead it bonds with the wearer, attaching itself to them almost like an outer skin.  Once the wearer becomes attuned to the garment, they can use it to safely stretch their spine up to 6 feet and shrink by up to 2.5 feet (if the wearer is less than 5 feet tall, than the distances are halved).  

Rolling Word Play – 10

Creating Roleplay ideas based on randomly generated words.  Here’s today’s selection.  Discover more about Herbs Learn, Aura Jolly and Number Audit.

Herbs Learn
A wooden bridge between the village of Orrow and the market town of Flerin has become unsafe, keeping the villagers from trading for supplies.  Something was using the vegetation beside the bridge to whip those travelling across. It almost got old Snor the peddler, but his donkey wasn’t so lucky and fell out of sight into the dense swampy ground below.

The vegetation itself is carnivorous and is attacking those that cross the bridge. When the adventurer’s pass by, roll 1d6 for the plant’s new tactic:

1-2: Disguises themselves as beautiful flowers and fruits ready for picking. 3-4: Aggressive ambush 5-6: Low growl trap as if something lurks underneath the bridge.

Aura Jolly
A magnificent garden produces an effect part illusion-part drug, inducing the visitors to seeing happy, vivid colours when in fact it is nothing of the kind. Faeries and other fey folk wait till the visiting creatures are intoxicated, and then pounce on their prey.  But what is their end-game?  And who is the ring leader?

Number Audit
Those who know it, call it the Valley of the Five.  Whenever a group passing through number more than five or have more than five of an item (for example, five swords), one of the creatures/items disappears. If there are still more than five items or creatures, the effect will repeat.  The only way to stop this effect from recurring is to split the party and the items between them.  Why does this effect occur and where do those who have disappeared end up?

Rolling Word Play – 9

Creating Roleplay ideas based on randomly generated words.  Here’s today’s selection.  Discover more about Detect Cattle, Trap Brains and Snake Tilt.

Detect Cattle
A farmer’s cattle have all disappeared from his ranch/farmstead.  A few individuals have been found wondering outside the area, and seem completely bewildered.  A plant known as Cow Slip was used to entice the cows towards Tipper’s Dyke.  This local patch of wilderness looks oddly darker than the surroundings and objects that have fallen into the dyke have disappeared from view.

The dyke contains a wild portal going to another plane.  But where does it lead, and who deliberately enticed the cows there?

Trap Brains
A trap that contains a pit full of detached brains.  They are able to survive on a liquid solution and have grown large root-like cords to continue to drink and circulate this life-giving brine.  The living body of a creature that falls into the pit will be attacked by the other brains who will attempt to squeeze into an hole they can find and usurp the creature’s own brain.

Snake Tilt
A bridge not only provides a way across difficult terrain, it also provides a singular point of travel, which is useful if you want to stop others trespassing. The Snake Tilt Bridge connects two rocky ledges that sit above a stream of magma and is designed in a colourful, attractive way to look like a snake.  For those who understand its meaning, it is a deterrent.  A perceptive creature will see a slit in the far side of the bridge that indicates it is not connected to the far ledge.  Only the first half of the bridge is supported underneath.  A party that goes across will get to the centre without any trouble, but as soon as enough of them move past the middle, the bridge will become unbalanced and tilt into the magma stream below.

Rolling Word Play – 8

Creating Roleplay ideas based on randomly generated words.  Here’s today’s selection.  Discover more about the Rescue Basis, Earth Dream and Slug View.

Rescue Basis
An emergency state where all the constructs (be it future sci-fi or golum-type creatures) will attempt to save all creatures from threats.  This can be helpful if characters are in real peril, but it’s also difficult for them to do anything new if the constructs believe this presents a risk.  The interesting part here is why was the Rescue Basis was triggered in the first place and how it can be stopped.

Earth Dream
In an ancient woodland, or where one once stood, the ancient trees and fungi created a complex organic highway of energy underneath the ground, becoming an unconscious super-structure. In this vast area, the soil itself imagines creatures or an altered landscape and this in turn creates changes in the land.

But why is the land dreaming so?  Is there in fact a parasite that is causing it to slumber and manipulating its superhighway?  To bring peace to this infected, toxic environment the adventurers will have travel into its heart and wake it up.

Slug View
The town of Chilwen wishes to send adventurers into the nearby woodland to investigate why a barron mound of earth the size of a hill has risen at its centre and decimated the trees.  Anyone investigating will discover a massive migration of slugs rising to the top of the hill and into a dank, smelly hole. Within are many organisms that thrive on decay such as worms and other insects.  These particular worms are blind and viscous and follow the slug trails to find what they can devour.  In the centre of this mess is the source of this disturbance.  A magical artefact discarded by their owners and left to rot in the ground. What is it and why was it abandoned?

The Magic of Nature

Inspired by the natural world, this book contains the discoveries made by Glitzz; a ‘gnomadic’ druid on his many journeys and wonderings.  His documented findings are a highly-useful guide for every scholar of nature, especially those who routinely interact with nature such as druids and rangers.Included in this tome are 50 magical botanicals.  These are potent enough, but if mixed correctly with other ingredients, their magical properties can create up to 35 different potions or floral amulets.

It is available and can be downloaded from DrivethruRPG.

Rolling Word Play – 7

Creating Roleplay ideas based on randomly generated words.  Here’s today’s selection.  Discover more about the Nearly Liability, Adopt Honey and Ended Ledge.

Nearly Liability
A punishment, usually a fine, given to executioners who fail to kill their criminal subjects satisfactorily.  A public hanging or beheading is thought of as the kingdom’s ultimate punishment and a simple but effective deterrent to other would-be criminals out there.  A miscalculated blunder by the punisher is seen as diluting the deterrent at best, and an embarrassment to the kingdom at worst.

Adopt Honey
A forest guardian who takes on the form of a cute, smiley little girl.  Its actions are polar-opposite to the Will ‘O Wisp, which tries to lure travellers to their doom.  In direct contrast, Honey guides travellers through the forest as quickly as possible (as much for the sake of the forest as for the travellers).

Ended Ledge
This strange ledge sticks out on top of a high cliff and is said to be un-walkable by locals and experienced travellers alike.  And yet, something glistens curiously on the end point of the cliff.  Those that have tried to investigate have never succeed in discovering more about the mysterious object and have suffered injuries and even death as a consequence.

Roll 1d6 to see what happens to the player attempting to get to the cliff’s edge: 1-2: The player dimension jumps over the edge of the cliff. 3-4: The player dimension jumps 10ft past the edge of the cliff. 5-6: The player is on the underside of the cliff.  So long as they can maintain concentration (DC 12 Constitution Save) they can remain in their strange upside down state and discover items there.  Otherwise, they fall.

The way to get to the object is to react once the magic protection has been rolled, using athletics or Acrobatics check.  What is the glistening object?  Why is it on the cliff edge?  The GM will decide.

Rolling Word Play – 6

Creating Roleplay ideas based on randomly generated words.  Here’s today’s selection.  Discover more about the Silver Rams, Mason Club and Clever Pinch.

Silver Rams
Mysterious silver coins have been appearing in the forest glade beside the village or Barol.  The coin’s design is not one used by the kingdom, and simply contains the outline of a ram’s head.  The villagers have been very cautious of the objects and have not dared touch them, but just two days ago a child went missing from this area, further fuelling the villagers’ panic.

What could be dropping the coins and were they responsible for kidnapping a child?  A story begins here…

Mason Club
A magical club used to shape large rocks as if they were putty.  Wooden in appearance, it acts as a normal bludgeoning weapon except when making contact with the properties in stone.  Then, it can mould the stone.  Very useful against stone constructs such as golems and especially useful if caught in a cave-in.

Clever Pinch
There is a term, to pinch yourself to make sure you’re not dreaming.  In the case of the gnomes who dwell in hovels about the Creln Hills, they have a different saying;  A ‘clever pinch’ is a way of checking that a gnome is still in control of themselves and to prove to others that they are who they claim to be. There are creatures in the Creln Hills who like to imitate and even control the minds of simple folk who are just getting on with living.  If a gnome says something particularly clever or out-of-character, they will be expected to pinch themselves to confirm their identity.  Before now, when there has been no ‘clever pinch’, conversations have stopped abruptly and the gnome or gnome imposter attacked.

Rolling Word Play – 5

Creating Roleplay ideas based on randomly generated words.  Here’s today’s selection.  Discover more about the Scalding Regret, Flimsy Bite and Hissing Health.

Scalding Regret
A natural ingredient placed in a stew to deter or punish deal breakers.  A powerful shaman needs adventurers to complete a quest, is happy to pay and give them provisions, but asks them to drink a stew with him to honour this task.  The drink is partly made of swamp weed only found in that area.  It dries and grows hot outside of its own environment. When eaten, it remains in the body for 3 days.  If the party venture out of the swamp area within those 3 days they will suffer horrific burns internally.  They will need clerical or shamanic healing to prevent further damage.

Flimsy Bite
A potential quest. A giant eel has been sighted in the lake where the natives of the area like to fish.  There hasn’t been one seen for many generations and they are afraid to go back into the waters.  Any adventurers who take on this task will find the eel is harmless to the beings as it only eating small plankton-like creatures.  If they follow it down into the waters, they will discover a clutch of eel eggs.  If they attempt to harm or move it or its eggs, it will attempt to defend itself.  The party must make the moral decision how to bring peace in the lake.

Hissing Health
There are ways to survive the jungle of Barvu but they have consequences.  Plenty of animals want to attack others or protect themselves with toxic skin and venomous fangs.  There is a type of snake called the Vulena that if placed on the body will heal them and protect the user from venom.  But it is also a parasite.  Take it off and the host creature will bleed profusely.  The more wounds a player gets and turns to Vulena for help, the more the snakes will assimilate into the host’s body.  There is a tribe in the jungle called the Vulens that is made up of humanoid Vulena.  This is the impact of those who forget themselves and give in to the jungle.

Rolling Word Play – 4

Creating RPG ideas based on randomly generated words.  Here’s today’s selection.  Discover more about the Lying Spoon, Slim Treasure and Motionless Snow.

Lying Spoon
Anything a person eats with this piece of cutlery will disguise the taste and deceive the taster. A delicious dessert will taste fowl whilst rotting meats will taste fresh and divine.  The spoon doesn’t however protect the user from poisons or disease, so consuming dangerous products will taste healthy but will still cause harm.

Slim Treasure
The Harp of Aratras has strings made of pure gold.  They are so finely made that they act as if they are hairs from the strongest horse or silk from the largest spider.  The wooden shell of the harp is beautifully decorated but the real value in in each golden string.  When plucked by a musician proficient in playing the harp, the sound is both earthy and warm, and is so unique that there is no sound quite like it.

Motionless Snow
In the Tarpa Seas is a mist that has been created by the Tarpa Waterfalls.  Some say that the source of the spring that created these falls is magically because it cures weapons of rust when placed in its waterways.  By the time the water gets to the falls it creates a mist that stays in the air and forms a dense, unmoving cloud.  The cloud is so dense and so magical that when the weather turns cold, the ice and snow crystals appears in the air, motionless. In such weather, it becomes impregnable for sea vessels and in some instances, 10 foot diamond shapes have formed, standing impossibly on one edge.  Only direct sunlight destroys the clouds, but they reform quickly as the mist ascends again.