Step on a crack and you'll break an Elf's back! -- A superstition and myth generator

 

        Welcome to another post in my generator series; we've covered such various topics as romance, holidays and games of chance. Today I'm presenting a superstitions generator, perfect for telegraphing ancient threats, or just being spooky around a camp fire.

        Who doesn't love a good myth? From oral traditions and fairy tales, to urban legends and creepypasta, these tales are with us throughout all levels of our storytelling and fiction. Remixed and rewritten endlessly, they form the basis for D&D, and table-top gaming as a whole. Unlike real life, D&D has a far, far greater chance of these rumors being quite true.

        To use this generator, simply roll 4d8 and consult the relevant tables below. The results have been left purposely generic to give room for setting specific flavoring.

d8	What happened in the past that inspired the belief?
1	A battle caused the deaths of many on both sides, including a local hero.
2	A great king or leader disappeared or died, and are promised to return someday.
3	Star-crossed lovers died in a suitably melodramatic way.
4	A serial killer, or mass-murderer made their mark on history.
5	An experiment gone wrong, magical or othwise that resulted in mass deaths or destruction.
6	A mysterious event caused the supposed enlightenment or rise of a historical figure of faith.
7	The observation of some strange, or otherwise uncommon, or seemingly magical event.
8	The entry, exit, or proclimation of some powerful being into the world, such as a Fiend, Celestial, or Spellcaster.

d8	How has it changed by the present?
1	Grossly warped from it's original telling. Details have been omitted, or lost entirely.
2	It has devolved into a song, poem, or game.
3	Appropriated by the believers into a moral or ethical tale and modified for those purposes.
4	It has been updated repeatedly to resonate with a changing status quo.
5	It was rewritten to be better suited for performance.
6	Repackaged as an advertisement, or some other cynical means to sell a product.
7	Entirely unchanged.
8	Conflated with another belief, roll on the table above and combine both results.

d8	How seriously is it taken?
1	Seen as an amusement, like a children's song or game.
2-5	Widely held, but unquestioned or otherwise seen as banal.
6	As a token of faith, or community identification.
7	Suppressed as being potentially dangerous, or otherwise disruptive to the status quo.
8	Held close to the heart, to the point of it being taboo to speak against it.

d8	How widespread is it?
1	Members of a single family or lineage
2	The children of a neighborhood or town.
3	A specific region like a city-state, or several villages.
4	A guild, military order, or some other secular organization.
5	Held as true by a certain ethnicity or species.
6	Believed by a specific faith.
7	An entire culture.
8	The entire world.

        Howdy there folks! I had to take a short break from the "Magic, Madness, & Sadness" series for a little while. I was getting a bit burned out, but I'll be back to it next week. As always, thanks for reading, and please remember to comment or follow!