ktrey
@ktrey.bsky.social
1.3K followers 880 following 1.8K posts
I like Random Tables: https://blog.d4caltrops.com/
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ktrey.bsky.social
I'll have to add this one to my list! 😂

They are a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine!
ktrey.bsky.social
Highly recommended read if you stumble across it! It's always one I keep a couple extra copies of for lending out 😅
ktrey.bsky.social
I'm a sucker for Footnotes, but I know that my tendency for digression would probably result in things looking like Nicholson Baker's The Mezzanine:
Spread from Nicholson Baker's 1988 Book The Mezzanine, showing how Footnotes can end up serving as more than just brief clarifications/digressions.
ktrey.bsky.social
Whenever I see phrases with a certain number of syllables/cadence that matches the Smith's "Girlfriend In A Coma" I can't stop singing the phrase to that song. This happens to be one of the funnier ones.
ktrey.bsky.social
Only just started putting them out Yesterday, but the Halloween Flamingos are starting to forage in the yard for Spooky Land-Shrimps:
Halloween Yard Flamingos: Black and Orange. This is a Mother flamingo with 4 little younglings following her.
ktrey.bsky.social
Semi-Related, but I've been meaning to give this a read: The Green Children of Woolpit: Chronicles, Fairies and Facts in Medieval England by John Clark. I think it digs into the primary sources for the tales behind them.
ktrey.bsky.social
I tend to save the "Rumors" for last as well, but I usually *start off* with Stocking the Encounter Tables for a Region/Set of Hexes, because those can inform subsequent Stocking Steps (Lairs, etc.)
But I will definitely draw from the Encounter Table for *Rumors* as well:
Encounter Table for an Overland Region known as the "Howling Hills" with 12 entries, d8 for Day, d4 for Night in case specifically themed Encounters are needed. Rumor Table for the Howling Hills (this tends to grow over time with more Hexes Stocked) but some of the Rumors speak to Encounters from the previously stocked table.
ktrey.bsky.social
Grab a d6 for one of the often *overlooked* little "Skill Rules" in the earlier presentations:
Tinderbox 2-in-6 Check per round from B/X.
ktrey.bsky.social
It's sometimes *confusing* for the other side of the coin in my games. When we use our "Seasonal Elfs" you might meet the same Elf twice and not recognize them if they've decided to change their Season on you!

blog.d4caltrops.com/2015/01/the-...
The Elf
Rules Cyclopedia: Page 25, The Elf Class Here's an alternative implementation of the Elf Class that shifts the focus from the traditional...
blog.d4caltrops.com
ktrey.bsky.social
Heh, I have a few little Leonard Cohen Easter eggs that show up in some of my tables, and even named a "Barbed Wire Ley-Line" technique after one for my Fantasy Weird West "Gorgon Trail" Setting:
Pages from the Gorgon Trail Gazetteer concerning Barbed Wire Ley Lines of the Range Wizard's Way.
ktrey.bsky.social
File Under: Maybe/Someday
I *might* eventually expand this out into a full-fledged d100 Table 😅
ktrey.bsky.social
Heh, Gnarly Undead and Wergild both show up in my little "Consequences for Hireling Death" table:
d12 Table featuring ideas for Consequences of Hireling Death, including a hit to Reputation, Price Increases, the family requesting a Deodand, the Body, Wergild...or even some more exotic situations like haunting by Poltergeists/Revenants.
ktrey.bsky.social
Imagining a Transparent, Hollow Gavel with a d20 inside!
ktrey.bsky.social
Oh yeah! Those "Star Powered" dudes with a Gem in their Forehead that *explodes* if they overcharge it! So many wacky ideas in those little yellow books!
Copy of this Table still lives in my binder after all these years:
Arduin Optional Character Appearance Chart to generate Hair/Eye Color, Birthmarks, Scars, etc.
ktrey.bsky.social
We threw Arduin stuff into all kinds of things over the years, so many great and "out there" ideas!
ktrey.bsky.social
Party Marches in with the Goblin King's Head on a Spear...I might roll with a negative modifier for Goblins they meet...but who knows? Maybe they didn't like that King very much after all!
ktrey.bsky.social
Yep: They're a *Tool* and sometimes can produce surprises, but randomizers can also create dissonance. I still like to *consult* them though, as they can create more interesting situations than I might be able to come up with via fiat, and eliminate *some* bias...
ktrey.bsky.social
Can't get over the word Florilegium for this, even though it's a tad snooty 😅
ktrey.bsky.social
Spells prize novelty: Traipsing through the same texts day after day while awaiting a Welcoming Mind is rather dull. This is why Wizards all have their own Languages, and why part of Preparation is scribing new Stories to keep them content.
When Spells grow Bored with monotony, bad things follow.