A Red Letter Day - a holiday & festival generator

         Everyone needs a day off. While not all holidays can be as good as Halloween, they're usually a good time, at least if they're supposed to be about celebration in the first place. Many holidays or festivals are more about honoring the gods, commemorating an event, or simply bringing the community together in difficult times. In many settings these rituals or festivals could be of huge import, even vital to the survival of a community or people. Or they could just simply fun events largely divorced from their once dire underpinnings.

          These sets of tables seek to give you a large number of Holidays, Festivals, Carnivals, Galas and Fetes for use in your setting. To use this generator roll 4d8 and then consult the relevant results.

d8	What sort of holiday?
1	Religious, explicitly performing rituals and celebrations in regards to a faith.
2	Civic, sponsored by or in celebration of the prevailing government or society.
3	Cultural. A sort of blend of Civic and Religious holidays, cultural celebrations tend towards jovial atmospheres and often draw upon local folklore or legend.
4	Commemoration, set aside for mourning or celebrating some grand event.
5	Celestial, celebrating or noting something like an eclipse, lunar cycle, comet or similarly sidereal event.
6	Seasonal, focusing on the passage of one set of weather patterns for another.
7	Environmental, coinciding with the return of some plant or animal to the area.
8	Mixed. This day draws upon several sources, roll twice on this table and weld the results together.

d8	How widespread is observance?
1-3	A particular faith, sect or culture.
4	A small region such as a few villages or towns, perhaps even a city.
5	A large region such as a kingdom or an empire.
6	Members of a certain profession or guild.
7-8	Members of a certain race or ethnicity.

d8	What form do the proceedings take?
1-2	Public feasting, drinking and celebrations.
3-4	People are gathered for stories, speeches, songs and other forms of public performance.
5	A procession, from a civilized area to a ritual site.
6	Somber rituals, observances and sacrifices (whether they be living creatures or otherwise)
7	A ritualized competition or combat that could range from bloodless sport to free-for-alls which result in the deaths of one or more participants.
8	Certain norms and taboos are meant to be challenged during this festival; perhaps folk dress opposite to their normal gender expression, act in strange or transgressive ways, or debts may be forced to be forgiven.

d8	How long does it last?
1	Only a few hours, such as during the daylight hours or through the night.
2-5	An entire day.
6	Several days.
7	An entire week.
8	A month.

A Sword on the Mantle, Cherished & Storied

"If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired. Otherwise don't put it there" - Anton Chekhov

          Weapons have a mystique in society for obvious reasons. They're a lever by which one can exert their will on others. That mystique is reflected in the legends surrounding many real life mythological weapons; Sharur can fly and communicate with it's wielder, Tyrfing never misses a strike but always kills when unsheathed, Gae Bulg has seven heads with seven bars a head. The weapons are characters in the story themselves, not simply a statistical bonus meant to represent an enchantment. To move to fiction, one of the best moments in The Hobbit was when Gandalf just randomly finds Glamdring in a cave, only to be told later in Fellowship by Elrond that he'd found an ancient elven king's sword.

          This generator seeks to give you interesting weapons to use as macguffins, equipment for characters, or simply interesting flavor to sprinkle around the world. To use the generator simply roll 4d8 (or however many tables underneath you wish to use) and consult the results.

d8	What kind of weapon is it? It's a(n)...
1	Sword, one or two-handed
2	Axe, one or two-handed
3	Piercing pole-arm such as lance or spear.
4	Simple and stout club, perhaps banded with iron or just a heavy hunk of wood.
5	Sledge, pick or war-hammer.
6	Firearm or Crossbow, with bullets or bolts.
7	Bow; short, compound or long, with arrows.
8	Edged pole-arm, such as a halberd, naginata or glaive.

d8	What does it look like?
1	Notched or dented from heavy use, but still serviceable and of quality make.
2	Like it was not cleaned after it's last use. There's still blood caked onto it or the ammunition.
3	It is unremarkable, but it is tied with something like ribbons, a banner or other prominent hanging ornaments.
4	Lovingly cared for, and embellished with carvings or other forms of inlaid art.
5	Decorated with precious metals or gems, but still just as deadly as any other weapon.
6	Crude, being made of improvised or otherwise scavenged materials. It is startlingly effective.
7	A display piece. It could be made out of valuable but useless materials such as gold or silver, or it could be simply be dull or lack the necessary balance to be used.
8	Strange and bewildering, such as being crafted of glass, coral, wood or marble. It is likely magical in some way, given that it is still useable.

d8	Is there anything special about it?
1	Weapon must be appeased with violence if taken out with the intent of being used. If this is not is done, the next 1d4 attacks with the weapon are with Disadvantage.
2	The weapon glow or hums within the presence of a certain kind of foe.
3	The owner of this weapon always knows where it is.
4	Weapon refuses to harm it's owner.
5	A certain Outsider, Elemental or other powerful being has a link to this item. It can offer aid, in return for service.
6-8	This weapon is average for its kind.

d8	What is it's history? Was it involved in any famous events?
1	It was wielded by a culture hero, and was handed down to the current owner through familial or personal connections
2	The weapon is or was wielded by members of an organization that is or was famous. They may want it back or to know how it came into the current owner's hands.
3	The weapon itself is not notable, but it was produced by a well-known maker during a major and terrible war. Possessing it marks out someone as a veteran or descendant of a veteran.
4	This weapon is a deodand responsible for someone famous' death.
5-6	The weapon has been passed down for generations, while it has not been responsible for anything momentous it has been cherished.
7-8	It is a mystery. Anyone who knew is dead or lost

A Disaster, Pitiless & Indiscriminate

     For all the pretensions that we have at controlling our environment, we are still slaves to it. Why would a fantasy setting be any different? Short of having the direct ear of a nature god (which isn't out of the realm of possibility) there's no way for most folk to forestall disaster any more than we can. Unfortunately for those in fantasy settings, they have to contend with even more than we do. From plagues which make one rise as a member of the undead, to magical songs which cause you to go blind, the possibilities are as endless as the cruelty of the gods.

     Part of my series on rolling up interesting backgrounds events for your campaign, this tables focuses on disasters, calamities and catastrophes large and small. To use this table simply select which ones are relevant to the type of event you wish to simulate, roll the appropriate number of d8s and then consult the results.

d8	What caused this?
1-4	Random accident has conspired against the community. No one in particular is responsible.
5	The Gods themselves have been offended. A Sacrifice was not made, a sacred animal or a priest was murdered, or someone has committed some other terrible transgression. Further recompense may be necessary.
6	A dark ritual or curse is targeting the community. The calamity may the goal or merely a side-effect. This may only be a prelude.
7	A prophecy has come to pass. It was written in the ancient scrolls, and you were fools to have ignored them.
8	This is a knock-on effect, of another disaster. Roll again, adding another catastrophe on top of the first.

d8	What kind of catastrophe is it?
1	An invasion, whether in the form of bandits, a foreign foe or even something as pedestrian as locusts or weevils.
2	Plague, deadly enough that healing magic has no means to arrest it.
3	A natural disaster, such as an earthquake, tsunami or volcanic eruption.
4	Climate related disaster, such as an unusually long and intense rainy season, or a parching drought.
5	A weather related event, such as a tornado, hurricane or wild fire.
6	An explicitly magical event, such as a sourceless tune which forces listeners to dance or the dead beginning to rise from their graves.
7	Blight and pestilence. It leads to the the death of any crops and livestock which are afflicted.
8	A bizarre and fortean event, such as a rain of frogs or the waters within a river or lake turning to blood.

d8	What is the scale of the devastation?
1	Only a few families, or perhaps a couple of buildings.
2-3	The equivalent of a small town or village.
4-5	A city, or several villages or towns.
6-7	An entire region or province.
8	The entirety of a country, empire or kingdom.

d8	How is the community dealing with this?
1	Nonchalance. This event is a regular occurrence, to the point where most folk pay it no mind.
2	A doomsayer has appeared, promising to solve what vexes the community if they merely commit a few unspeakable acts. People are listening.
3-4	Mild panic. There are runs on stores, hoarding and small bouts of interpersonal violence, but no breakdown in law and order.
5	Severe panic. Looting, burning, combat in the streets.
6	Open revolution. The followers are blaming the leaders, and are planning on holding them responsible through violent means.
7	Mass exodus. Everyone flees the area as fear seizes them.
8	Resignation and apathy have overtaken them. The disaster seems inevitable, so they no longer see the point in struggling.

X Marks the Spot - a Treasure Map Generator

          Who doesn't love a good treasure map? From Treasure Island to National Treasure and City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold, there's always room for a good treasure map in fiction. Buried on deserted islands, hidden within shadowy conspiracies or simply lost to the roll of years, the promise of treasure brings out the absolute worse in even the most virtuous of people. The rush to seize it can easily cost more to the winners than the prize itself, assuming of course, it's actually a prize in the first place. No matter what shape it takes, these buried secrets can drive folk mad.



          The goal of this generator is to give you a rough sense of a treasure map that you can use on the fly. The term treasure map is something of a misnomer, not all of the results here take the form of physical objects, nor do all of them lead to riches in any traditional sense. They are merely things (or occasionally creatures) which have been forgotten by the world at large. To use these tables, roll 4d8 and consult the sub tables.

d8	Who hid it? Why?
1	It was an accident, a shipment lost to random chance or calamity. For some reason it was never reclaimed.
2	A noble family, displaced by a revolt or disaster, hid their secret somewhere only they could find it.
3	A group of raiders or pirates, storing a score until it was safe to retrieve it.
4	Members of a religious minority, fleeing persecution.
5	An extremely powerful figure, such as a culture hero or particularly skilled spellcaster.
6	The treasure was part of a tontine or related to the retirement of the members. Everyone died before anyone could retrieve it.
7	The society surrounding the hidden treasure collapsed, and its location was forgotten.
8	The treasure was important in some way -- perhaps it was the site of votive offerings, or the location of a guild's vault -- and it was guarded. While most of it's sentinels have died or vanished, some may still be guarding it.

d8	Where does it lead to?
1	An isolated and deserted island.
2	Deep inside a cave or another subterranean region.
3	A religious site, such as a temple or a shrine.
4	The middle of nowhere, a barren place, far from any civilization.
5	Inside an urban area, currently inhabited or reduced to deserted ruins.
6	The bottom of the ocean or a lake.
7	A castle in the sky.
8	A celestial body, such as a planet or other plane of existence.

d8	And what's hidden there?
1-3	Riches! Glittering gold and prizes. The intrepid explorers receive (3d100 x 5) GP.
4	Pandora's Lament. An extremely powerful monster has been bound to this site. Opening where it is held releases it.
5-6	Cache of weapons - 50% chance to be magical, 50% chance to be make of an exotic material such as silver, obsidian or ivory.
7	Cultural artifacts and personal effects. Worthless to most, priceless to the right buyers.
8	Magical paraphernalia such as scrolls and potions, maybe even a spellbook.

d8	What form does the map take?
1	The classic treasure map. Made of vellum, inked, and showing off a simple guide to the terrain leading to and around the score. 50% chance that the map is in multiple parts
2	The map is relatively well-known regionally and it takes the form of a local legend such as a story, poem or song.
3	A strange and bizarre device, such as a potion which makes one recall the memories of one of the people who hid it.
4	A cipher, puzzle or some other form of riddle.
5	The map is hidden within the patterns of a natural feature, such as a set of holes within a hillside, or the shadows of a grove of trees.
6	One of the people (or a descendant of one) responsible for hiding the treasure is spilling the location to people. The party are certainly not the only ones who have caught wind of it.
7	The map is split between a number of people, no more than a half-dozen, all of whom have a piece of it.
8	There is no map - there are only the remaining notes (and possibly spirits) of those who hid it. They must be searched or interrogated for the location.