Wherein your humble scribe, drawing on the “All The Dice” random generator concept (tip of the hat to Grim), presents a random table-fueled scenario for your nerdly needs. This stuff is built for Labyrinth Lord + Advanced Edition Companion, but you should be able to tweak it to suit your needs for just about any other old school fantasy RPG.
The party has been invited to attend the Duke’s Grand Masquerade in honor of the New Year. A number of other NPC adventurers are present as well, but just who is behind those masks? Roll up a few encounters ahead of time (or fly by the seat of your pants), stir in some intrigue (a devil in disguise? a challenger to the throne?) – et voilà! – instant role-play heavy adventure. And if you need some less-random characters, there’s always the Strange Stones Rogues Gallery.
Character Class, 1d4 (roll again for subclass, if desired)
- Fighter (1-2 Fighter, 3 Ranger, 4 Paladin)
- Cleric (1-2 Cleric, 3 Druid, 4 Monk)
- Magic-User (1-3 Magic-User, 4 Illusionist)
- Thief (1-2 Thief, 3-4 Assassin)
Character Level, 1d6
- Average Party Level −1
- Average Party Level
- Average Party Level
- Average Party Level +1
- Average Party Level +2
- Average Party Level +3
Character Race, 1d8
- Human
- Dwarf
- Elf
- Gnome
- Halfling
- Half-Elf
- Half-Orc
- Human
Alignment, 1d10
- Lawful Good
- Lawful Neutral
- Lawful Evil
- Neutral Good
- True Neutral
- Neutral Evil
- Chaotic Good
- Chaotic Neutral
- Chaotic Evil
- Roll Again
Ulterior Motive?, 1d12
- None, just having fun
- Here to steal something from another guest
- Here to steal something from the Duke or one of his entourage
- Here to kidnap a wealthy target
- None, dragged along by family/friend (bored!)
- Here to assassinate another guest
- Here to assassinate the Duke of one of his entourage
- Here to curry favor with the Duke
- None, just having fun
- Here to deliver a secret message to another guest
- Here to deliver a secret message to the Duke of one of his entourage
- Here to win the heart of a lady/gentleman
Mask, 1d20
- Cat (Black or White)
- Cassanova
- Bird (Lark/Raven/etc.)
- Jester
- Three-faced
- Long-nosed, ornate (Gran Naso)
- Long-nosed, pain (Peste, Plague Mask)
- Venetian, feathered
- Venetian, jewelled
- Venetian, plain
- Butterfly
- Wolf
- Tragedia
- Comedia
- Peacock
- Leopard
- Bat
- Horned Devil
- Rat/Mouse
- Crowned
Great stuff, put it together with a castle/mansion, guards/servants/Duke stats and possibly a rumours or events table, and you’d have playable module !
Thanks, Geordie! I hadn’t thought of fleshing it out into a full module, but I can see how that would work. Maybe if I wind up bored over the impending holidays I’ll try to knock something together. Then again, given my propensity for procrastination, probably not 🙂 It’s a mighty fine idea, though!
If not, you could always send it to Fight On!
or..delegate..you must have at least one follower who could knock up a map of the Duke’s residence or dubious cocktail table ?
Hmm. Fight On! is certainly a tempting option. I had a thing I was looking to run in Knockspell, but I don’t see that happening soon, so maybe I’ll see if I can get the rights back on that as well and submit both things to FO!
I’m terrible at delegation, and I think I’m down to precious few followers after my last stretch of silence. Still, if there’s anyone out there who’s inclined to put together a map or two, I’m interested in talking. I like to talk, after all 🙂
Very inspiring – I love the ‘all the dice’ idea!
I’m glad you dig it, elfl23! I only wish I’d invented the “all the dice” concept. But I’m sure glad Grim came up with it, because it’s mighty fun to play with.
Cheers, and welcome to Strange Stones, amigo!