Far Afield in Search of Riches -- A Merchant Generator

 

     Trade is the lifeblood of civilization. Almost no community is capable of being fully self-sufficient. Aside from mere survival, even the most mean and severe of peoples have desires beyond those which can be found in their immediate surroundings. The solution to this conundrum has been the same the world over: the Merchant. Risking life, limb, and their own prosperity, merchants and other traders set out across the world to find a need and fill it. Profit demands no less of them, and penury is the fate who fail

     Who doesn’t need to come up with occasional merchant on the fly? From weird player interactions and desires, to a need to sell something important in a pinch to fill a particular need, the tables below can help give a framework to build off of quickly. Simply roll 4d8 and consult the tables below.

1d8	Where are they from?
1	Far, far away. So far that you may not have even heard of it.
2-4	From across the continent.
5-7	From a neighboring kingdom or state.
8	Your own homeland.

1d8	What are they selling?
1	Raw materials like timber, ores, or unworked stone.
2	Something illegal or heinous in nature such as slaves, harmful drugs, or stolen goods.
3	Weapons, armor, and other accouterments of war.
4	Cattle such as cows, horses, or something even more exotic.
5	Fine goods such as carpets, jewels, or silks.
6	Exotic raw goods such as medicinal plants, rare preserved fruits, or ivory.
7	Information. This could take the form of rumors and hearsay, but more likely books, maps, or scrolls.
8	Services. They could be actors, tinkers, or traveling laborers.

1d8	What is their demeanor, along with the bargains they strike?
1	Honest and forthright.
2	Misleading and exploitative.
3	Harsh and stand-offish. Fair.
4	Kind but ultimately unyielding.
5	Eccentric, impressed by strange or otherwise unique goods.
6	Criminal, actively seeking to fleece.
7	Quibbling and endlessly desiring to haggle.
8	Easily fooled and equally easily agitated.

1d8	How do they defend themselves?
1-3	Mercenary guards. Heavily armed and armored.
4-5	The prestige of their tradehouse or guild. Being blacklisted by them would be ruinous.
6	Great, ferocious beasts trained to kill on a word from their handlers
7	Mystical wards or shields which can be activated to keep attackers at bay.
8	Magically animated wagons which roll and smash attackers by their own accord.

Hi! I’m alive! I know it has been a few years. Life got in the way for me for a bit, but I’m hoping to start providing you all with content again. Thanks for reading.

A Rusted, Ruined Crowd -- A Hero Generator.

“No more terrible disaster could befall your people than for them to fall into the hands of a Hero.” - Pardot Kynes, Dune.

        Great men and women may not make history, but they can occasionally shape it. Whether for good or ill, heroes often define the culture around them, even if only as an inspirational myth. From those who forge empires, to those who crush them under heel, their actions are all around us.

        D&D is all about heroes, or at least heroics. While the default assumption of most campaigns is that the PCs will be the heroes, there’s always a need to come up with historical figures on the fly. To use this table, simply roll 4d8 and consult the table below.

1d8	What sort of life did they live before their rise?
1	The humdrum, average life of a commoner.
2	They were a member of the noble class, perhaps even royalty.
3	Surviving a lifetime of privation and poverty, they grew up on the edges of society.
4	They hail from a primitive culture. The ways of civilization were foreign to them.
5	Sequestered from the world in an abbey, temple, or other religious order.
6	One touched by destiny from the very beginning. Their birth was foretold in the stars.
7	A violent one. They were a soldier, bandit, or assassin.
8	No one knows.

1d8	What was their quest?
1	Bring about the death of some important figure.
2	Conquer or undo a nation or kingdom
3	Retrieve an item or artifact of great power to forestall some doom.
4	Destroy a cursed item or artifact.
5	Found a new dynasty.
6	Win a conflict.
7	Learn or identify a piece of world-shattering information.
8	A personal vendetta or mission which spins into one of great import.

1d8	What skills or abilities were they known for?
1	An uncanny ability to make friends and influence people.
2	Dexterous hands coupled with a cunning mind.
3	Truly awe-inspiring skill with various deadly implements.
4	Some special or deep secret of occult learning.
5	The favor of a divine or fell being, whether that be a demon lord or a god.
6	A seeming inability to be killed or deterred from their goals.
7	Knowledge of things to come. An unnerving prescience.
8	Pure dumb luck.

1d8	What happened to them?
1	No one knows. Some say they were just a myth.
2	Passed away from old age. They may even be a tomb or memorial.
3	Died in a great battle, surrounded by the bodies of their foes.
4	Their wounds from their quest caught up with them, and they expired while still young.
5	Captured by their enemies, they were executed publicly.
6	Suffering under a curse, they went mad in their search for a cure. They failed to find one.
7	Assassinated a few years after their adventures.
8	Disappeared one day, only stopping to promise they'd return when needed most.

The Bearer - LotFP & OSE Custom Class

 

"There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the ring, you were also meant to have it...and that is an encouraging thought." - Gandalf, The Fellowship of the Ring

     Some heroes do not gain the title through bravery, skill, or cunning. These (un)lucky few have found that their destinies intertwined with a Relic of grand and terrible power. Magic rings which grant limitless arcane potential; lamps which can summon and bind Jinn; peerless blades with soul-stealing spirits lurking within them. Both blessed and accursed, those who come to possess these items find themselves pulled into dramatic events beyond their control. Until the artifact's destiny is achieved, these Bearers, otherwise known as Keepers, cannot part with their Relic.

     In spite of their nature as fate's chewtoys, Bearers never lack for companions. Circumstances conspire to draw others to them, and the relic in their possession allows them audiences and favors far beyond their often humble beginnings. Keepers bring no shortage of strange powers and dangerous risks to their companions, and while it is not uncommon for destiny to be a partner to tragedy, they often become the heart of their fellowship. Regardless of what their future holds, Keepers seem to inevitably find themselves at the center of world-shaking events.

The Bearer
Level	Experience	HP	Paralyze	Poison	Breath	Device	Magic	Beseech
1	0	1d6	14	15	16	14	15	1/week
2	1,500	1d6	14	15	16	14	15
3	3,000	1d6	14	15	16	14	15
4	6,000	1d6	12	13	15	12	13
5	12,000	1d6	12	13	15	12	13
6	24,000	1d6	12	13	15	12	13	2/week
7	48,000	1d6	10	11	13	10	11
8	96,000	1d6	10	11	13	10	11
9	192,000	1d6	10	11	13	10	11
10	288,000	+2*	8	9	11	8	9
11	384,000	+2*	8	9	11	8	9	3/week
12	480,000	+2*	8	9	11	8	9
13	576,000	+2*	6	7	8	6	7
14+	+96,000/lvl	+2*/lvl	6	7	8	6	7

B/X & OSE Rules
Requirements	WIS 9
Prime Requisite	WIS
Hit Dice	d6
Thac0 Table	As Magic-User
Maximum Level	14
Armor	Any, including shields
Weapons	Any
Languages	Alignment, Common

     The defining feature of a Keeper is their Relic. This item is an object of uncanny power that has bound itself to the Bearer's soul. While bound to a soul, no one else may use it, even if they were to kill the owner and take it from them. A relic is useful for it's intended purpose, a sword can be used to deadly effect, and a lantern can be filled with oil and used to cast light. Relics register as magical items to aura sight or other sensory-enhancing effects.

     Each Relic has three aspects to it; a Power, Blessing, and Curse. A relic's Power is generally something which either resembles a spell, and can be used a discrete number of times per day or per week. The relic's Blessing is in effect whenever the object is openly carried by the Keeper. Finally, the relic's Curse afflicts the character so long as their destiny is intertwined with the object's. A relic must be openly brandished or shown in order for a Keeper to gain the benefits of it's Power, but the Blessing and Curse are always in effect.

Relic Details
4d6	Tales tell of the...	...which grants the owner the power to...	...blesses them with...	...and curses them with...
1	Ring	Bind primal spirits such as Elementals or Minor Jinn to their service. They may call these beings to them by bathing their relic in blood.	Immunity to non-magical diseases or poisons. Saves to resist magical versions of these maladies are made with Advantage.	Blindness in the presence of divine or semi-divine beings. This includes gods, their direct servants, and high-level clerics.
2	Weapon	Ensorcell the minds of the week and pliable. May cast Suggestion, Mass 1/week, as well as Charm Person 1/day & Suggestion 3/day.	Freedom from sleep, exhaustion, fatigue, thirst, and hunger.	An extremely interesting life. The GM secretly rolls a d10 at the start of each session. On an 9 or higher, some strange setback presents itself.
3	Lamp	Bolster the hearts of the many, and drive them to glory. 4/day the Bearer may cast Bless. They may also cast Remove Fear at will.	The courage to resist all fear, magical or otherwise.	The unending enmity of some religion, faction, or terrifyingly powerful being within the campaign world. They will hunt the Keeper relentlessly.
4	Armor	Put a thumb on the scales of fate. 3/day, whenever a roll is performed within the Character's presence, they may call for a re-roll, choosing which result applies afterwards.	Immunity to natural environmental effects like drowning, being blown away by a storm, or burning to death in a volcano.	Terrifying visions of things to come or things that have already happened. These visions come at times of great stress, and you must save vs magic, or be overcome with their power during the first round of combat.
5	Mask	See the truth of all things. Lies and misdirection will not work on them; Illusion magic of any sort fails to convince them. 1/day they may extend this effect to another person.	Immunity to instant death effects such as Disintegrate, Power Word: Kill, or Vorpal weapons. They are also immune to blood loss or other similar effects. They may still die to violence or other causes.	The relic afficts you with a lunacy which waxes with the phases of the moon. Each waxing phase (New, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4) finds you taking a cumulative -1 penalty for all rolls to notice fine details.
6	Belt	Raise the bodies of the dead as mindless undead servants. 3/day, the character may touch a corpse the size of a human or smaller. For the 1d4 days, this corpse obeys their will and then collapses into dust.	Freedom from any magical effect which could hold or otherwise bind them.	Anytime an NPC learns of the relic and know of it's power, they will immediately grow covetous. They may resist effect this with a successful save against magic.

     The only ability which Bearers possess beyond those of their relic is that of their uncanny capacity to enlist aid from others to aid them on their quests. Known as Beseech, this ability may only be used a number of times per week as indicated upon the Bearer's class table above.

     In essence, Beseech may be used to convince someone to aid the Keeper in some tangible, material sense. This can take many forms, but as a general rule it should be something that an individual NPC could provide without necessarily plunging themselves into poverty or trouble. This can range from asking for a set of horses without cost at a livery, to three hairs from the elf queen's head. Especially costly or otherwise wide-ranging requests may be denied, but the Bearer is still entitled to help in some meaningful sense.