Tag: ideas

Rolling Word Play – 52

Creating Roleplay ideas based on randomly generated words.  Here’s today’s selection:  Discover more about Revolts Focus Muffle, Wells Sesame Defend, and Disagrees Invested Stage.

Revolts Focus Muffle
A city on the edge of rebellion due to the trade taxes which are forcing many businesses to go elsewhere.  There is a roaring black market trade outside of the city walls are additional costs to increase guard duties both inside and out.  On the other side of the spectrum is a woman called Wenbinata who has been protesting about the greed and lack of vision of the current rulers.  Her power and influence is growing in terms of working class citizens joining her in protesting.

In such scenes, the governors must act.  The players will find themselves caught up in the political turmoil.  Will they be employed as additional guards or to do the dirty work for the governers and silence the Wenbinata? Perhaps they will side with the downtrodden people and force change through, or will they take advantage of the black market and risk mixing with criminals?

Wells Sesame Defend
Fort Dronis is an independent city in the dry hill lands.  It has rich neighbours and there are also marauding nomadic tribes that would love to conquer Dronis.  Fortunately, its riches are deeply rooted, for they grow sesame plants underneath the city floor and using a series of light shafts give the plants just enough light and energy to thrive.  This well system has enabled them to survive despite some long battles in the past.  However, rumour has it that a group has successfully tunnelled into the well system, avoid the natural rocky defences.

Will the players be in a position to support the people of Fort Dronis, or are they part of the raiding party, attempting to do what so many have failed at and lay siege to Fort Dronis?

Disagrees Invested Stage
The King’s birthday is being and there is a royal play due to take place in a few days.  It will have a very privileged audience including the king himself.  Internally, there has been some arguments regarding the final script. The one presented to the king was an ‘adaptation’ of the famous Horseback Heroes of Getin.  However, it seems that some in the acting troupe wish to adapt it further than others…

This is an opportunity in so many ways.  If actors fall ill, they will require stand-ins and this is where charismatic (or merely brave) players can help.  But which version of the script will be played out?  How ‘realist’ will the props be?

Rolling Word Play – 49

Creating Roleplay ideas based on randomly generated words.  Here’s today’s selection:  Discover more about Populations Lettuce Paragraphs, Arming Survived Move, and Sanitation Egging Taller.

Populations Lettuce Paragraphs
The ancient population of Semaran spread far and wide when the seeds of the wild were stifled from a particularly savage and brutal stretch of land.  The royal family encouraged their subjects to migrate and maintain these lands to stop them getting out of control ever again.  With this goal in mind, the King gave each group weaponry to arm themselves, a pot of berry ink and a quill with which to write and a single King’s Lettuce.  This may seem like a poultry gift, but the King’s Lettuce is a very sturdy plant.  It will survive without soil for up to 3 weeks and the leaves are strong enough when dried to be used as parchment.  The experiment worked.  The lands were tamed and the King received word from his very own subjects.

Will the player’s find the wilds growing out of control once more?  Or will they be bewildered as to why a theft of a lettuce is so meaningful to a village?

Arming Survived Move
Through Filogel Wastes is the only way to travel between two fertile and populous lands on either side.  The mountains that surround the wastes are both crumbly and jagged, and so only a bird would contemplate travelling over such a route.  The difficulty with the Filogel Wastes is that it preys on the minds and bodies of those that cross it.  The legends say that brutal magical wars were fought on these grounds and now powerful spirits seek vessels in which to ‘live’ again.
A civil war in the Eastern lands has made many people desperate enough to attempt the journey west on foot or on horseback.  Word through flying messengers has gotten through to the western lands.  Now, the city of Terussa in the West and the city of Valinrey to the East prepare for an undead army of all the fallen, desperate souls that tried to escape war.
If the players are caught in this, will they be trying to escape the war and travelling through the wastes, or will they try to defend the cities from the undead armies?

Sanitation Egging Taller
A way to be considered ‘cool’ and increase your standing in the young street gangs of Teruul is to ‘fly down the stench’; this refers to the sewers beneath the city.  The ‘stench’ as it is un-affectionately known, covers an area of 2 miles or 3.1km.  If the person who is daring or foolish enough to surf this brown wave times their entrance well they may be able to sail down to the river at the other end.  But there are many twists, grates to dodge and the occasional creature to avoid.  As parts of the sewers are open-air, it makes for quite an entertaining spectacle!  Any that survive will be respected by some and begrudgingly accepted by others.
Why might the players get involved in this?  Are they trying to infiltrate a gang for coin or are they attempting to discover the identity of their leaders and what they are up to?  Or perhaps they have been caught and the gang want them to die in an entertaining way?

Rolling Word Play – 48

Creating Roleplay ideas based on randomly generated words.  Today, it’s Sci-fi!  Discover more about Permitting Afternoon Someone, Blinked Enzymes Resold, and Microwaves Chickens Mounds.

Permitting Afternoon Someone
In the big city the ever-increasing use of technology and working from home gave one entrepreneur the idea to create Afternoon Tea with Someone.  This fashionable restaurant (that spawned a new culture of tea dates) takes bookings for individuals and pairs them up with other individuals, so each trip is a new social experience.  They say that many lonely souls grow a little after each trip.

What chance encounter might a player have in such a place?  Or could there be a murder or blackmail plot based around fixing the meeting between two people?

Blinked Enzymes Resold
In this futuristic world, enzymes are provided to clients seeking to lose weight fast.  It reacts with the digestive system, speeding up the breakdown of foods by up to 10 times.  There are also rogue sellers and one such enzyme manufacturer created enzymes that can hide their true intentions and look and act like any dietary aid.  When they blink back into their main programme however, they can mutate the host by unwinding the DNA coils and changing the information before copying them.

What is the rogue manufacturer’s intentions?  How severe are the mutations?

Microwaves Chickens Mounds
Habishabi is a land owner, but the land he owns has been severally polluted with waste, which is why he was able to buy it for next to nothing!  In the piles of debris and old produce, he has created a unique garden of his own.  Behind a wall of masonry and metal pots is a tranquil amphitheatre with potted plants and animals.  Sitting in the middle is a fountain made of bicycle parts, his living quarters is a shelter made of metal sheets and cupboards but is quite cosy inside.  At the other end of the amphitheatre is a large pile of carefully arranged microwaves inhabited by a colony of chickens.  Each microwave sits a little back from the one below and the ramps Habishabi installed allow the chickens to meander between each level all the way to the ground floor.

Habishabi is a very amenable sort, but he is also a man of trade.  He can mend, custom design and provide information.  In return, he often takes other items if he thinks they might come in handy.  A very useful guy to know.

Rolling Word Play – 46

Creating Roleplay ideas based on randomly generated words.  Here’s today’s selection.  Discover more about Resolve Transcript Proceeds, Glosses Gratitude Shimmered, and Prune Ogre Fluffy.

Resolve Transcript Proceeds
The Arch Fey Andruin has the ability create creatures by writing them into the world with his feathered quill and silky parchment.  Not just happy simply to create, he often writes a script for his subjects.  The latest episode has him unsure of what to do however, as some of his creations have encountered each other.  Should he side with the two-headed troll, the 9 foot dryad or the giant snake with the bear’s head?

If the players enter this scene, how will Andruin react?  Will his creations gang up on them?  He has been known to give his favoured creatures advantages, such as finding useful items or gaining extra muscles they didn’t have before.  Will he take a liking to the PCs, or erase them from his story?

Glosses Gratitude Shimmered
The source of all glamour comes from Eirlattan Falls.  It flows into an underground cave where each water droplet’s brief appearance is dazzling!  The water here is remarkably powerful and any Arch Fey that has fallen on hard times or any foolhardy and ambitious fey creature craves a visit to boost their powers of manipulation and influence.  However, the water also hides many dangerous and evil entities that are disguised by the glamour they wear.  Super-charged sprites, giant insects and other even greater dangers lurk in the caverns surrounding the Eirlattan Falls.

What reason might the players have to visit the falls?  Do they seek power, treasure, or are they helping to revive a fey who claims they will reward them?  Tread carefully, for many in the fey wilds cannot be trusted.

Prune Ogre Fluffy
Old Ravvak is a solitary creature who dwells in his hilltop cave.  With the winds the way they are, his hair is useful.  As he has aged, his hair became white until he began looking more and more like a yeti.  Unfortunately for Ravvak, a myth has developed that underneath all his hair, he has a tattoo of the map where he vanquished and buried his old foe, Gurlich the Fierce.  The myth goes that he hated but respected the eight-foot tall war boss, so buried him with all his possessions.  It is this last part that has spread through the towns and taverns nearby.

Will the adventurers attempt to shave Ravvak’s white fur in the hopes of uncovering the burial ground of Gurlich the Fierce?  Will Ravvak be communicative or uncooperative?  If they succeed, will the myth of the map be true, or just another far-fetched tail in the bardic song repertoire?

Rolling Word Play – 45

Creating Roleplay ideas based on randomly generated
words.  Here’s today’s selection.  Discover more about Upwardly Nippy Charmingly Involvement,
Imported Sonic Budgeted Goodbye, and Craved Unruly Westerner.

Upwardly Nippy
Charmingly Involvement
The rage in rich neighbourhoods of the city is to own a set of Pillar
Plants.  Placed on balconies, below
chimneys or on window sills they are ideal for getting rid of unwanted house
guests.  Not only flies but the criminal
fraternity will have their fingers bitten and if something brushes past their
upward openings they will produce a gooey substance that will stick to the
would-be visitor, who will be dealing with the smell and mess for days
afterwards.

Imported Sonic
Budgeted Goodbye
One of the cheapest spells to create for mages is the ‘Message’ spell, which is capable of delivering audible messages to
a particular person even if they are many miles away.  Certain arcane entrepreneurial spirits
thought of a way of creating a Blossom’s Message Pack.  ‘Send your loved one a thoughtful
greeting’.  It just requires them to open
the pack, attach a part of the creature they are sending in to – such as a hair
or the end of a finger nail – and speaking the 6 second message into the
box.  The idea quickly caught on and made
magic not only accessible to many people but affordable!  It was particularly popular for families of merchants
and those travelling into dangerous situations such as war or into piratical
waters.

Craved Unruly
Westerner
Fortune of all sorts is craved by most folk, but one in particular seems to
collect and distribute it.  It is said
she is like a sorting machine for the currency of chance.  Although she goes by many names and many
faces, most of the time she frequents herself in the taverns and brothels of
the city, awaiting chance encounters to come to her.  Once she is found, the crowds gather and the
evening is never dull.  Is she a god or
does she just have a unique talent?  No
one knows for sure.

Only fools play her at cards and so she often changes her
face to make sure she gets her game before they can change their minds.  She very rarely deals with direct requests
preferring fortunes to be won or lost in a genuine way.  One such example is if an unfortunate man is
trampled to death by a horse in her sight, then two long lost brothers may
happen to meet moments later.  At the
same time, if two lovers meet for the first time then a cart driver may lose
his sight.  The world works in such ways
around her.

For what purpose might adventurers go looking for
her?  Or will a chance meeting mean she
gives them a banana peel of fortune?

Rolling Word Play – 44

Creating Roleplay ideas based on randomly generated words.  Here’s today’s selection.  Discover more about Poems Hospitality Safety, Showing Committed Dating, and Prevented Intrigued Resurfaced.

Poems Hospitality Safety
The Cirono Monks are specialists when it comes to creating wards and passwords to access areas such as rooms.  These are normally used to prevent animals and greedy creatures from entering a sacred space but word started getting out that the monks could provide this service for donations to the upkeep of their abbeys. Under the stewardship of Bishop Taliso and then Bishop Frigi, creating protective wards and passwords became a lucrative business venture for the Cirono Monks and clients were encouraged to pay higher sums for their time and expertise.

By the time the adventurers have heard of the monks, they are approached by a client who is keen to get their hands on the riches gained by the Cirono Monks.  Such a mission would not be easy however, as their magics will have blocked the known passageways.  How will the party consider approaching this treasure raid?

Showing Committed Dating
Prince Ordin is the second in line to the throne of his kingdom.  He is powerful but does not have the same responsibilities as his older brother.  Still a bachelor at the age of 30, his father is tired of his son’s ‘casual’ dalliances and lack of commitment.  He has decreed that the prince must get married by the year’s end, and that anyone who can manage to tolerate him long enough to go on five dates over five consecutive days will have earned his son’s hand in marriage.

Is there one among the adventuring party who would want to try to gain this young man’s hand? His many irritabilities include getting bored easily, going to the boar races, spending time in the brothel houses of the poor part of town and storming the stage at plays.  He is like a moth in front of many bright lights, but a moth that is very rich.

Prevented Intrigued Resurfaced
The rocky dwarven kingdom of Trolwind was built on solid foundations, in a gorge and out of the direct sunlight and wind blasts above.  There were difficulties in the beginning with rat men and goblins gaining access through tunnels, but these were blocked off and the area cleansed and maintained.  Much later, after a long period of peace and relative prosperity, the rulers grew lethargic and the rules and regulations the kingdom was built on were carried out less often and in some cases, not at all.  The rat folk have again burrowed into the warm, sheltered tunnels of Trolwind…

There is scope here for the adventurers to either discover the rat folk’s expansion into Trolwind tunnels or be called in to exterminate the problem.  How savvy are these rat folk and has anything else burrowed in with them?

Rolling Word Play – 43

Creating Roleplay ideas based on randomly generated words.  Here’s today’s selection.  Discover more about Homecoming Decent Elect, Leap Blubber Amuse and Firework Underworld Legends.

Homecoming Decent Elect
The Truth Seer of Almoth has been reported to be travelling to the city.  For lawful folk and incorrupt rulers this is very good news, for the Truth Seer has an irresistible power to get anyone to confess their crimes with minimal effort. Many are understandably not keen for his arrival, but at this moment, anyone making excuses to leave the area is immediately under suspicion.  Most criminals are keeping a very low profile already, hoping they’ll be forgotten for the duration of his stay.

There are many who would like to terminate the Truth Seer’s visit, but knowing word gets out, will be very happy to hire a travelling band of adventurers for such a task. There are also those who would seek to protect the Seer in the name of justice.  Which side will the adventurers end up on, and how many enemies will they make in the process?

Leap Blubber Amuse
Faeries and other fey creatures are generally undetectable and like to remain so in order to be mischievous out of sight, only appearing when it suits their interests.  But once a year the usually graceful lake sprites come out of the waters for the meadow harvest to devour the ripe and gleaming juicy berries. Most young sprites have no idea how to contain their appetite and devour the red berries until there is red streams oozing down their faces and arms.  As they finally return to the lake as the sun rises on a new day, many attempt to leap back into the lake but find that their usually ‘spritely’ bodies cannot support their plans.  Many waddle back into the waters in an ungainly way, whilst those who have really eaten too much can be heard moaning as a friend helps to roll them back into the waters.

Firework Underworld Legends
In the caverns and tunnels of the underworld, bright light and echoing noises are said to be the final actions of a living being.  But when in a bind, it has helped adventurers out of the jaws of a giant insect or to get away from a cave troll.  The most famous such instance was Felis the Halfing conjurer and his small band of companions.  In avoiding the desert overhead, they found themselves cut off from their path by an army of savage goblins.  Felis ignited his wand and sent several blasts towards the cavern ceiling.  There were so many bangs and bright lights that the goblins fell about trying to get away from the chaos.  Then one firework went off too close to the cavern roof, causing a massive cave-in.  The companions fled down the path and away.  But the story got out, and the large column of rubble is still known as the Felis Firework to this day.

Rolling Word Play – 42

Creating Roleplay ideas based on randomly generated words.  Here’s today’s selection.  Discover more about Lotion Reserving Flustered, Tasted Proclaimed Titles and Cork Jots Padlock.

Lotion Reserving Flustered
Dr. Losu’s Ointment had been a staple of good health in the city for three generations.  The grandson of the original Dr. Losu is called Pejo and he’s getting on in years.  He has between 5-10 regular customers, which is just enough to get by and continue renting the shop in a quiet street near to the main square.  Then suddenly, more and more people began asking for Dr. Losu’s Ointment.  Crowds gathered forming disorderly queues.  The surprised Pejo found himself going back and forth to the store cupboard for more supplies.  On the third day of this happening, he had to hire muscle to stand by the door after one unruly youth broke a window and stole three bottles for himself.

What rumour has gotten out?  Is the Ointment a clue to uncovering treasure, or was it discovered that an idolised celebrity was seen using it?  Another possible scenario for adventurers is if the Ointment is being used to smuggle illegal substances or treasure.  Once this rumour got out, everyone who heard wanted their chance at claiming the riches for themselves.

Tasted Proclaimed Titles
The most famous food taster belongs to King Spora.  This finely dressed dwarf known as The Right Honorable Vonis is said to be immune to poisons but has tastebuds so sensitive that he can detect any trace of strange substances including the amount of spices and herbs used in a dish.  So far he successfully caught five attempts to poison the king, and even discovered that his wife had been trying to give him a potency potion, for some reason.

The king continues to divide his subjects into liking or hating him, and the adventurers may be called in for two potential scenarios.  The first is to bribe the dwarven superstar on behalf of a gang and failing that, keep him out of the picture long enough to poison the king. In the second scenario, the king has already died, and Vonis claims to be aghast that such a delicate potion could be undetectable.  Who is capable of producing such a potion, or was Vonis bribed?

Corks Jots Padlock
Lisithias Corks is a notorious pest catcher.  He has been known to catch rats, cats, even owls and cockerels if their noises disturb him. He gets a basic pay from the city, but many think he derives most of his pleasure from locking away these undesirables. No one pays him much notice and prefers him to keep to himself, which seems to work best for all parties.

The adventurers will start to see a few notices up about a missing street urchin know as Caper. They’ll also be a few willing to talk about a sweet little kid called Jeren who would get free soup from the back of the Rumbles restaurant. Enquiries will lead the adventurers to speak to Lisithias, to see what he knows.  The question is, where does he keep his catches? The answer is in a hidden basement, only accessible through a portal.  He keeps a golden padlock with him which is used to whisk animals and street children alike into the dungeon dimension.  Luckily, if they get their hands on Lisithias’ padlock, they will see a word etched onto it.  This is the word used to open the portal.  If they go through however, they will need to make sure someone remains who can let them out again!

Rolling Word Play – 40

Creating Roleplay ideas based on randomly generated words.  Here’s today’s selection.  Discover more about Wriggled Remembers Salvage, Slippery Dearly Muddle and Whisper Crafted Meatball.

Wriggled Remembers Salvage
Perhaps the strangest partnership in the known worlds if of Grelven and his wriggly, giant animal companion.  Grelven once rescued a giant purple worm as it was still growing from a mine cave-in. It had been abandoned by its mother, and grew attached to Grelven.  Since then, it has more than paid back the life debt it owed him.  They are inseparable and together they roam the plains and desert landscapes.  Their ability to dig up gold is unparalleled.

Slippery Dearly Muddle
A witch known of Geldred was once conned out of her finest potions when a knight said he would pay her handsomely for them.  He gave her fake coins however, worthless to anyone less naïve.  Furious, she gathered all the real gold coins she had and set a trap for the knight, planting the coins in various places in the forest and beside the bridal pathways.   She cursed each coin with a potent spell of her own, and was delighted when she spyed the knight picking one up and dying in the attempt.  The curse for the coins sends the creature that picks them up into the ground where a boggy, suffocating death awaits.  She decided to leave the other coins for others who might be as greedy and conniving as the knight was.

Whisper Crafted Meatball
Perhaps the most disturbing food on offer is the Whispering Meatballs of Mef. No-one but the chefs know how they are made or what they contain, but the original tale doesn’t inspire confidence.  Mef was a priest whose piety knew no bounds.  The story goes that he warned a greedy baron to share the crops of his land lest they go to waste.  When the baron continued to ignore his warnings, Mef confronted him and rather than imprisoning him or running him through, kept him alive as he crafted and skinned him into tiny pieces.  With these, he created a large pot of meatball stew, which he served to the villagers on the baron’s land.

Mef’s Whispering Meatballs are still served today in a few special locations. The meatballs seem to whisper incoherently as if talking with their last breath. Sometimes the diners swear they can hear what they are saying.  Are these creatures skinned alive by the cook, or a culinary trick using trapped air?  No-one knows for certain.

Rolling Word Play – 36

Creating Roleplay ideas based on randomly generated words.  Here’s today’s selection.  Discover more about Upholds Stints, Currently Advise Visit and Radioactive Topics Hottest.

Upholds Stints
A bounty hunter’s guild called the Vine was formed to deal with the city’s problems with the wilds and with some of its own inhabitants.  They keep their rates low by keeping the jobs simple and small, whilst the guild itself makes a healthy sum for the big jobs that come in.  To find a gang, a team of bounty hunters will each be working on capturing one individual.  If the job is to catch or kill an individual prey, then there will be a bounty hunter team, keeping their unit costs down.  In this way, no individual is ever rich enough to independently create a possible competition for the guild.  What individuals might the adventurer’s meet, or will they be the bounty that is being hunted down by this guild?

Currently Advise Visit
The platinum mines of Rehorab are being constantly battered by ferocious winds and merciless rains which make travelling very risky.  On the rare occasions when the route is clear, the news spreads fast and many make the journey at hasty speeds hoping to fill their vaults.  Minors are well paid, and act like banking clerks when the public arrive.  First, the contracts are fulfilled, unless they are void due to time penalties or if the minors they employed did not stay on.  After that a bidding war is had to buy the remaining stock.  Then, the ‘picks’ or short-term minors, are allowed in. There is an entrance fee however, and a percentage of their finds goes to the royal treasury.  Then, after a few frantic days, almost all make haste to return to safe lands before the wind and rains begin again.  A new shift begins for the minors, who will continue for as long as they can in the hope that another break in the weather comes. Death from floods and starvation are very real threats for the minors and many die on the job.  Will the adventurers be called there to collect a fee, or will they be seeking something else in the platinum mines?

Radioactive Topics Hottest
A new craze has spread throughout the land.  There is a plant that has been growing in the fertile but volatile upper slopes of Mionevir, a volcano that is so active, it continuously flows both under and over the coastal provinces leaving the area baron for all but the hottest creatures. The closest parts of the Mionevir volcano are sacred to the lizard folk who consider it new land and not part of any kingdom.  The plants that grow nearby are bright yellow and add a luminosity to all liquids they come into contact with.  Their flavour is very bright and it causes mild hallucinations.  However, if someone has enough of it, the drink can also cause mutations.  Perhaps a swirl mark on the skin, but sometimes a small semi-useless flap of skin or even a limb.  It is no coincidence that masks and cloaks are back in fashion!