The Inspiration of Chance and Improvisation – Word Play
I’m starting a series where I generate Roleplay ideas based on random words. Let’s see what words I get to play with today:
Massive Analyst
This is a pill taken by a creature that is desperate for an answer that they cannot yet grasp. Many of those that have taken the pill take a long time to re-emerge from their semi-comatose state. Some never return, lost in the midst of a mental or spiritual maze. For most, they have returned profoundly shaken and many are never the same again. The epiphanies they bring with them are often not simple and take events in a completely different direction.
Here is a way of playing out the effects of a Massive Analyst on a d10 die roll:
1 – Utterly lost. Re-roll again the following day to see what happens next. Add a mental quirk to your character sheet from this life-altering experience.
2-3 – Confused in the unconscious realm. You re-emerge 1d10 days later, but have lost some of your mental sharpness. Add a condition to your character sheet to reflect this.
4-5 – You return quickly but altered by the experience. Add a mental quirk to your character.
6-7 – You were unaffected by the experience and were able to return quickly. You will gain +1 to the die roll if you ever decide to retake this pill.
8-9 – You found an answer to the question. Check with the GM to see what wisdom you gained.
10 – You had a profound epiphany. It is greater than you could have possibly imagined! Check with the GM for details.
Activate Understanding
A scene of devastation. Zombie roam across an area known as the Death Zone. They are surprisingly fast and aggressive, attacking living organisms, which either bleed out or become animated undead husks like themselves.
The source of the trouble is in a grave. A powerful magical ring was left with the corpse of an elderly lady who died a few years ago. She carved it and used her magics to prolong her life. As her own energy drained away, the ring’s stored energy was still working. As the flimsy wooden coffin in which she was buried deteriorated, the ring’s influence tainted the soil and cause an un-life in the corpses of those in the graveyard.
The town records and library will have information on an old woman who dodged death for so long (she was over 140 years old) and where she was buried. There is also information about how to use witchcraft to change the energy flow in an item. Using a ritual and a few key ingredients, the ring’s energy can be changed to generate a flow of peace and rest. This is a way to finally end the reign of un-life.
Sorry Accept Patience
A society run by a zealous religious faction expects their citizens to report their own sins and the sins of others. For those who are brought to receive their punishments, they must first ask for repentance (Sorry), accept they are wrong and sign a confession (Accept). Having signed, they must then await punishment, which will be delivered when the religious faction deem it appropriate (Patience). This can sometimes take several years and can even be provided in smaller installments. The faction controls the populous in this way, with fear of punishment and of being reported for sins.