Games have had many random tables that have fascinated players and gamesmasters alike.
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Fascinating Tables
Random tables have the power to fascinate and give wonder to character creation or gameplay. The trinket of a starting character in 5th edition D&D, the wild magic of a miscast spell from WFRP or wild sorcerer of D&D, dungeon creation tables for some gamesmasters.
My groups have been fascinated by particular tables over the years. WFRP Pies, magical beans, chaos mutations, the character tables of Ultimate Toolbox.
And The Dooms table of WFRP Second Edition.
Creeping Dooms
Dooms were something each character had, given to a character at birth or in early childhood. Here are Doom Generator examples from a WFRP table.
Characters would roll on the Dooms table, to predict the probably cause of their end. In lore this was given by a doomsayer or other oracle.
Often the players lived in fear of any situation which might be appropriate to their doom. It also helped immerse players into the game setting.
It was an example of the fascination a random table can bring to the game.
d20 Dooms
I'm trying to learn from influential and fascinating random tables from RPGs that have gone before.
So here is a first version of a system-neutral d20 table of dooms. I intend to use it in an upcoming RPG.
| d20 | Character Dooms |
|---|---|
| 1 | You shall die in bed, but not alone |
| 2 | Beware the bear, in all its forms |
| 3 | The light shall abandon you |
| 4 | A loose wheel shall be you undoing |
| 5 | Your last words will be those of love |
| 6 | Your doom awaits in an arrangement of three |
| 7 | You will hold your doom close until the final moment |
| 8 | The trees love you not |
| 9 | Death sends a crooked smile |
| 10 | A rope will fail you |
| 11 | Kind words hide a bitter poison |
| 12 | A song you know well will be on your lips at the last |
| 13 | The waters shall not be kind to you |
| 14 | Knowledge is a dangerous thing for you |
| 15 | Follow not the path laid out for you |
| 16 | The sea watches for you |
| 17 | Beware the monster that walks as one of you |
| 18 | Mud and blood await you |
| 19 | Coins of gold will weigh you down |
| 20 | The dragon marks you |
I will probably do an expanded table in the future.
Finishing Up
What random tables have enhanced your gaming experiences the most?
