These people all seem nice enough, but there might be something suspicious happening under the surface. Taken individually, these details might not seem that odd, but in the aggregate they create a sense of unease. Think The Wicker Man, Shadows over Innsmouth, or Against the Cult of the Reptile God.

1. The chapel to Pelor/Apollo/whoever has been converted into a tannery.
2. There aren't any elderly people in town - everyone seems to be under the age of 50 or so.
3. You hear the sounds of building and see people going about with tools, wagonloads of timber, and carts of cut stone, but you don't actually see any new construction anywhere.
4. All the representatives of larger institutions - the tax collector, the guildmaster of the Mage's Guild, the Royal Forester - are related to each other.
5. Everyone you talk to seem to already know who you are and what your business in town is.
6. Wherever you go, the same group of 3-5 burly young lads always happen to be there as well.
7. The harvest/catch has been been extremely bountiful this season, even though the settlements nearby are struggling.
8. Somebody is clearly in serious distress, but nobody will assist or even acknowledge them.
9. Children sing nursery rhymes which have refer directly to gruesome death in a careless and playful way.
10. In your room at the inn, you hear people in the rooms next to yours even though there aren't any other travelers in town.
11. Seeing usage of a language uncommon to the area, without the usual demographics, or even a known history that would explain the language quirk. (u/TgagHammerstrike)
12. Electrum coins. They're actually used. By locals. Exclusively. No other metal coins are accepted as currency. (u/TgagHammerstrike)
13. You are given a small token when you arrive. Conversing with others seems futile unless you have the token worn somehow. (u/AltDelete5045)
14. A crowd watches the work of a painter with rapt attention. Perhaps they are drawing pillared cities in the stars or fractal visions of the deep, but no matter what the onlookers are dazed in their focus. (u/AltDelete5045)
15. A symbol appears to be painted over many thresholds. On careful inspection of a map, the town and even the surrounding landscape geology reflects the shape. (u/AltDelete5045)
16. You never see the same face twice. Someone new is running the inn and peddling weapons each day, but no one seems to notice. (u/AltDelete5045)
17. There are strict neighborhoods and boundaries that many are reluctant to cross, despite no legal consequences being in place. (u/AltDelete5045)
18. An illness has swept the town, but the townspeople revere it as a gift and wish to share it with others. (u/AltDelete5045)
19. Out-of-place pieces of astronomical equipment found on the roofs or balconies of mundane buildings and residences. (u/Dolono)
20. Everywhere you go you notice small stones and pebbles seem to be arranged in a straight line, north to south. (u/Barkhardt)
21. At sunrise and sundown, every community member walks one round around the village. Those that fail to do so or fail to keep up with the group, are forced to stay outside village boundaries until the next march. (u/Graxemno)
22. There is a pile of discarded juiced oranges that is disproportionately large for the size of the village. No orange juice, oranges, or orange trees can be found. (u/Dependent_Occasion65)
23. A mirror shows the reflection of one of the latest human sacrifices. (u/Agent_Ne0n)
24. The flower petals the people throw during the frequent festivals fall into elaborate yet strange markings. (u/Agent_Ne0n)
25. All of the goats have three eyes. (u/Agent_Ne0n)
26. Someone is running from town shouting about nonsensical but horrible things while the locals chase them down. (u/Agent_Ne0n)
27. The tea has tapeworm eggs in it. (u/Agent_Ne0n)
28. The store has an inordinate number of Robes, Candles & Goats on sale! (u/Either-Skirt6031)
29. A crowd begins following the party, whispering, and then shouting, "Interloper". (u/MaxSizeIs)
30. There are literally no signs of cult activity. Like the entire town is nothing but sweet, mild-mannered civilians doing cute-townsfolky stuff. Definite red-flag there. (u/MaxSizeIs)
31. The people here always seem to forget meeting you, or anything that you've told them. It could just be amnesia... (u/Hawksteinman)
32. Whenever you talk to someone, everyone in the settlement seems to know what was said, even if they weren't there. Perhaps word just spreads quickly... (u/Hawksteinman)
33. Few metal tools except the knives everyone seems to have. (u/Sanguinusshiboleth)
34. Children ask weird theological questions to the pcs ("how can you be good if you don't sacrifice bad people?"). (u/Sanguinusshiboleth)
35. People have forced sounding scripts when dealing with outsiders. (u/Sanguinusshiboleth)
36. People sleeping the town have weird dreams, and the locals are always curious about them. (u/Sanguinusshiboleth)
37. The water tastes funny. (u/Sanguinusshiboleth)
38. All the townspeople seem more tired than usual. Like they aren't getting enough sleep. (u/World_of_Ideas)
39. At a particular time of day a large number of people vanish for several hours. (u/World_of_Ideas)
40. Several cult members (from a different cult) are in prison or have been driven out of town. They tried to set up their cult in the town and were caught and dealt with almost immediately. (u/World_of_Ideas)
41. There are no animals in the village. If the PC have any animals (animal companions, draft animals, mounts, pets, etc) with them, they become skittish. (u/World_of_Ideas)
42. There are too few people in town. If asked about it, they claim that this is what's left after the (plague, mining accident, monster attack, war, etc). (u/World_of_Ideas)
43. Whenever you ask "difficult" questions, people seem.to be scared and try to end the conversation or refer you to someone who is higher up in the cult. (Example: uh I need to go, you can ask father Martin. Father Martin blessed be he. And they scurry away.) (u/TheMammothKing)
44. Everytime the party seems to leave something happens that requires their attention. Afterwards they are love bombed by the town folk. (They actually staged it so the party stays longer and longer). (u/TheMammothKing)
45. The people around seem to be poor and starving etc. But always give a large amount of their money to the "church". Tithing without fail. (They are zealous beyond reason.) (u/TheMammothKing)

1. Never practice blood magic without a registered healer nearby
2. Do not travel back in time to retake a failed exam
3. No casting of fire spells in the library
4. No transfiguring someone into an animal they are allergic to
5. Do not pay for lunch with illusory coins
6. The student council is expressly forbidden from casting any variant of the 'Charm' spell. Penalties triple during council election season.
7. Do not dispose of alchemical products upstream from drinking water sources
8. No casting of Create Water or Create Food within dorms or other confined spaces (10x10 or smaller).
9. To avoid unanticipated transmutation, students must fill out a Spell Usage Request Form for any cast of Misty Step, clearly specifying the precise time and exact destination.
10. Always secure flying objects, including brooms and carpets, when not in use
11. Experimental magic is strictly forbidden in dormatories. Incidentally, if you or any other student starts speaking backwards, get the attention of a professor ASAP.
12. Familiars must be housebroken.
13. Do not the cat. Doing the cat is strictly forbidden
14. Josh is banned from the greenhouse unattended.
15. Scrying is not an alternative to attending lectures.
16. Incomplete homunculi must remain in the lab. No taking them home to work on after-hours. Addendum: Incomplete homunculi may not be taken for "walkies."
17. Awakening rituals are not to be performed on any student's familiar except your own.
18. Uniform policies continue to apply when invisible.
19. All expended magical wands, staves, and rods are to be deposited in a Long Implements Disposal container marked with an official school crest. When the last charge of a magical wand, staff, or rod is used, under NO circumstances should there be any attempt to recharge or restore the capacity of such devices by students or unauthorized faculty, via arcane, mundane, eldritch, or other methods, and explicitly not by inserting such a device into an electrical socket, regardless of the origin or ingenuity of any magical circles inscribed around the socket. Regarding the nature of other rechargeable or limited-capacity magical devices, please see Student Rules and Guidelines Codex, Chapter 4, §104.A16 "Enchanted and Bound Implements - Use and Handling"
20. You must prepare gust of wind before working with fuming potions or components
21. Necromancy students animating the dead for household chores may only use properly cleaned and sanitized skeletons. Animating zombies of rotting corpses will spread disease and is strictly prohibited.
22. Your familiar may not take exams for you
23. Do not thank the lunch staff.
24. If you see a window that shouldn’t be there immediately report it to the nearest staff member.
25. Granting intelligence to any animals on the grounds outside of a lesson is strictly prohibited.
26. Students may not meet for extended periods of time in groups of 3, 7 or 13.
27. Memory alteration is strictly prohibited in any situation.
28. Do not use spell work to improve your sex life.
29. Do not make limericks featuring other students.
30. If the trees are animate report them to the nearest member of staff and prepare fire extinguishers.
31. Make sure to wash your hands thoroughly before and after coming into contact with any potion ingredients.
32. Attempting to use illusory spell components is strongly advised against.
33. All pranks must first be submitted to, and approved by, the council of responsible hilarity.
34. The "Under the Sea" dance is not to be taken literally.
35. Usage of illusions in the dormitories is prohibited in common areas.
36. Remember that Fey agreements are not an excuse for missing assignments. I've heard that one before.
37. Invisibility spells are strictly prohibited on campus.
38. Do not re-shelve texts or scrolls on your own. Place materials which are no longer needed on the cart. If you need help in the library, please ask a librarian or archivist.
39. Use of unusual or unsanctioned geometries outside of the anthropology/religious studies labs is strictly prohibited. Any gibberish should be reported to Dr. Armitage immediately.
40. Constructs are to be parked only in the conductor lot. All other zones will result in towing and fines.
41. Divinations, scrying, and auguries of any kind are not permitted without express consent. Lets make a culture of care.
42. Mandrake and Madragoras must be respected. Keep off the grass.
43. Under no circumstances shall a student insert a bag of holding into a portable hole or vice versa. It has been 17 days since the last incident.
44. Necromantic study should not be conducted in the cafeteria.
45. Do not ignore Gerald.
46. Be certain to ignore Fiddlyfingers.
47. Ensure a supervisor with water spells is around before casting fly on the school fish
48. No using substitutes to take test for you. No: accomplices using illusion or shape shift, animated pens, clones, familiars, golems, possessing entities, summoned entities, etc.
49. Summoning magic is strictly prohibited without an instructor present. You must also have a approved contingency plan detailing what actions will be taken when something goes wrong.
50. Using illusion magic to impersonate school staff is strictly prohibited outside of lessons and school plays.
51. All sawdust from theatre scenery construction must be banished to the plane of trees at the end of each day. Failure to do so can accidentally cause an incursion of the plane of fire into the shop.
52. The last person in the theatre must cast ghost light midstage. The ghost is afraid of the dark and has been known to damage scenery blundering across stage.
53. Do not whistle on stage. The rigging elves have very sensitive hearing.
54. If someone says the name of the cursed Scottish King onstage, immediately perform the counter curse. Haul the speaker outside, regardless of weather, spin them around three times and throw salt over them.
55. Growing mushrooms in the dorm room carpet is strictly forbidden

Contributors: u/AlephAndTentacles u/van-theman u/mr_impastabowl u/RohmanOnTwitch u/gnurdette u/TanPogranicza u/badashwolf u/kyew u/Billazilla u/Inevitable-Leave1266 u/Adiin-Red u/Broad-Breakfast8194 u/Normal-Pianist4131 u/World_Of_Ideas u/ColourSchemer u/manofredearth

1. The text is written in an unstudied dialect
2. The text uses slang which the spell doesn’t recognise
3. The text contains too many spelling and grammatical errors
4. The text is filled with double entendres and words with multiple meanings, so the intention of the text is unclear
5. The text is a cipher
6. The language is too modern/new, and the spell hasn’t been updated to include it
7. The text is written in runes
8. The text has a magical encryption that blocks attempts to read it
9. The text has Illusory Script cast on it
10. The text is actually meaningless. It was written to look real as a distraction (u/Hymneth)
11. Your subscription expired (u/HelmetHeadBlue)
12. The ink is made from a magically inert material which defies any magical attempt to understand or read it. (u/iamfanboytoo)
13. The ink is made from a material that bursts into flame when magic is used on it. (u/iamfanboytoo)
14. The handwriting is terrible (u/gnurdette)
15. The text is faded (u/gnurdette)
16. The meaning is expressed entirely in references to stories the reader doesn't know (u/gnurdette)
17. The text is partial, and the portion that remains is too incomplete to be meaningful (u/gnurdette)
18. The text expresses mathematics, not language as such (u/gnurdette)
19. The text is actually a complex mnemonic device meant to help the reader remember some other bit of information. (u/Equal-Poetry-331)
20. The text contains a deadly psychic trap specifically engineered to stun and kill the invisible translation spirits which the spell conjures to produce the effect. (u/Equal-Poetry-331)
21. The space where the text is has been erased and re-written over multiple times and the spell keeps pulling in "junk" data from the overwritten and erased sections. (u/Equal-Poetry-331)
22. The text was copied out character-by-character by a scribe who didn't understand the language they were transcribing, and so the words are spiritually "dead" and the spell cannot recover their meaning. (u/Equal-Poetry-331)
23. The text contains profanity that cannot be translated, as per the spell's TOS. (u/Equal-Poetry-331)
24. The text contains the true name of a powerful and malign supernatural being, and the spell has built-in safety features to prevent accidental summonings. (u/Equal-Poetry-331)
25. The text is a shorthand known only to author. (u/Mr_Fahrenheit89)
26. The writer was utterly insane, and as such the gibberish being read makes no sense. (u/snakebite262)
27. The writers speaks purely in idiom, and as such the translation requires an understanding of a nonsensical phrase. (u/snakebite262)
28. The language describes words that cannot be defined by the reader (akin to saying the color red to a blind man.) (u/snakebite262)
29. The text is a transliteration of another language (you can cast Comprehend Languages again to get the message) (u/HBorel)
30. The text is a series of code phrases known only to members of a secret society (u/HBorel)
31. The text is poetry that relies on cultural associations and allusions that the caster doesn't know (u/HBorel)
32. It's the newer version of the spell and can't read cursive. (u/Gringo-Dingo)
33. A child wrote it so its incomprehensible jargon (u/fakeangle)
34. The writing is different based on the creature viewing it, thus the spell cannot translate it into a set message or language. (u/comedianmasta)
35. It is not a language, simply an ancient decorative design that appears to have birthed writing later on. (u/comedianmasta)
36. The text is backwards and needs to be viewed through a mirror. (u/comedianmasta)
37. There is an antimagic effect that is nullifying the spell. (u/comedianmasta)
38. This isn't writing, it is a form of "sheet music" for music notes. (u/comedianmasta)
39. The written form of the language is in a poetic, non direct style. You need a PhD in the culture of the language to interpret the meaning of text. (u/Graxemno)
40. The writing was just someone practicing the drawing shape of various letters. (u/will3025)
    1. The text is onomatopoeia. Someone was writing down a sound they heard. (u/will3025)
    2. The words aren't words, they are patterns left upon the surface where old plants once grew.
    3. You are reading it backwards. (u/will3025)
    4. The first letter of each word was written or carved with gold fill that had been stolen by looters. Or used a different colour ink that has faded. (u/will3025)
41. “I am sorry to say but your contract will not allow me to translate this text for you, you must contact me in the astral plane directly and renegotiate before I can explain the problem.” (u/Adiin-Red)
42. The text is written in verse, but in a way literally uninterpretable in any single-planar language because meanings shift based on spacial environmental context. You’d need to convince something that can shift planes without effort to translate for you. (u/Adiin-Red)
43. What you’re trying to translate is effectively a zip file rather than actual text. (u/Adiin-Red)
44. There are multiple passages stacked on top of each other using polarized light, find the correct lighting conditions and you can translate each then collate the results. (u/Adiin-Red)
45. The author didn't bother to write down features that seem obvious to them (u/OkStrength5245)
46. It is allegory to an unknown culture or reference. (NB : rock paintings in sahara could show people swimming, dying, or be symbols for an undocumented idea. but the hippopotamus nearby clearly indicated that the desert was a fresh water lake).
47. The pedant author loved to use big words. If you have the mental strengh to read the whole text three times without stoppung because it is not understandable, you will discover the fourth time that only one on three words in useful, and that complexity in fact talk about simple concepts. (u/OkStrength5245)
48. The book is a reply to another book, mostly a critic and discussion of the other book's contents. The fact is that the previous book is lost and unknown, and this author didn't bother to comment on concepts that they considered favourably. (u/OkStrength5245)
49. It is the retro ingenering of a previous concept or realisation. Since you never heard of a Boeing 747, the clue of what an altimeter is counter doesn't jump to mind. (u/OkStrength5245)
50. The concept that the text embodies is not one the mortal mind can comprehend. (u/psmylie)
51. Many of the words or concepts don't exist in the caster's language. Ex: medieval person trying to read a modern science or engineering book. (u/World_of_Ideas)
52. The surface where the text is written is covered by a transparent layer of some other material, so you cannot touch the actual surface in order for the spell to work. (u/Yakodym)
53. The text is a hologram, so there is no surface to touch (also applies to stuff like Skywrite) (u/Yakodym)

Sometimes you just need to fill a room with things. But you're just one person with limited taste.

Choose something in your room that you think is pretty unique to you. Maybe you have a full box of ramen noodles under your bed, you sleep in a Chuck Norris sleeping bag, a drawer full of your best friends cats. You never know what hobbies or skeletons people have, sometimes literally.

1. A rare collectors lamp.

2. An emergency box of ramen packs for the midnight hangry.

3. A Chuck Norris Sleeping bag.

4. A terrarium.

5. A specific favorite comic series.

Hey everyone!

EDIT: u/SneakingCat came up with the wonderful idea to call it "d100 Community Projects" instead of "Official d100 Lists"!

As we get ready for the grand relaunch of this subreddit, we're trying to get a pulse on how the community feels about something that used to regularly be a part of this subreddit: "official" r/d100 lists, called "d100 Community Projects".

Basically, this would be a group of five d100 lists that are run by myself and the other mods. They would be stickied to the top of the subreddit and would be maintained by the mods. Once one fills up, it will be checked for spelling and errors, and archived on the Dndspeak website. As always, the list will be completely free forever and will include a JavaScript button at the top of the page that will randomly select one of the options for you.

Here is an example of what this process looked like before:

https://www.reddit.com/r/d100/s/O28SYJtm6S

I used to do this in the past, and they were a great way to add d100 lists to our growing archive/wiki, and seemed to set a good example for other people building their lists on what a properly maintained d100 list should look like.

Let me know what you think, and if the majority of people like this idea, we'll get started on them ASAP!

Thank you so much for your contributions, and I'm really excited to be back!

Dndspeak

You're at a prestigious university where mages go to study. What are some subjects the university could offer?

1. Arcano-botany—the study of magical flora
2. Arcano-zoology—the study of magical fauna
3. Numeromancy—the study of how magic can be described with mathematical formulae and equations
4. Magic Field Theory—the study of how magic works on a quantum level
5. Arcano-psychology—The study of how magic affects the mind, including such topics as mind reading and mind control
6. Politics of Magic—the study of how magic is used and represented in politics
7. History of Magic—the study of how magic was discovered, implemented, and studied
8. Arcano-cosmology—the study of how magic affects the universe
9. Alchemy—the study of magical chemistry and potions
10. Chronomancy—the study of time manipulation magic (u/SonOfSofaman)
11. Graviturgy—the study of gravity based magic and relativistic effects
12. Phonaturgy—the study of voice magic (u/SonOfSofaman)
13. Rhythmancy—the study of magic derived from rhythmic sounds and motion (u/SonOfSofaman)
14. Arcano-cryptology—the study of magical cyphers and how to break them
15. Nodomancy—the study of the effects of knots and loops on magical energies (u/SonOfSofaman)
16. Chromaturgy—the study of light and colour magic (u/SonOfSofaman)
17. Magic Forensics—the study of investigative science, spellcraft, and supernatural law enforcement used to analyse crime scenes where magic or paranormal activity occurred (u/D4rc4Nyl)
18. Civicurgy—The application of the arcane in conjunction with civil engineering to create buildings, waterways, infrastructure, and so forth. (u/MythicTierKobold)
19. Magical Device Maintenance—Coursework involving the proper care and maintenance of staves, wands, and other equivalent items.(u/MythicTierKobold)
20. Exology—The study of the various planes of existence beyond the material plane, as well as their denizens and cultures. (u/MythicTierKobold)
21. Aeromancy—wind/air magics (u/Ti_Fatality)
22. Terramancy/Geomancy—earth (u/Ti_Fatality)
23. Aquamancy—water (u/Ti_Fatality)
24. Pyromancy—fire (u/Ti_Fatality)
25. Electromancy—lightning (u/Ti_Fatality)
26. Cryomancy—ice
27. Geotia—The study of "lesser magic". (u/Bawafafa)
28. Theurgy—The study of ritual intercession with deities. (u/Bawafafa)
29. Spectrology—The study of spectres. (u/Bawafafa)
30. Acultomancy—The study of magical needlework (u/Bawafafa)
31. Biotheoria—A daring and controversial new field of study exploring the connection of magic to life-force (it's just necromancy). (u/Bawafafa)
32. Lybbcraft—The study of enchantments. (u/Bawafafa)
33. Numerology—The study of the occult nature of numbers. (u/Bawafafa)
34. Gematria—The study of curses and names. (u/Bawafafa)
35. AP (Artificial Paranormality)—A recently discovered phenomenon produced by arcane machinery housed in mysterious windowless structures consuming massive amounts of magical energy and is poorly understood by its inventors (who consequently have little actual control of its effects) that produces paranormal effects merely by speaking them into existance and will either solve all the world's problems ... or destroy it. (u/SonOfSofaman)
36. Battlefield Magic—practical applications of magic into wartime strategies (u/Joshthedruid2)
37. Runic Design and Theory—the study of crafting glyphs and magic circles for the amplification of spell craft (u/Joshthedruid2)
38. Vertical Integration of Quadrimagical Volatiles—an advanced level course delving into highly theoretical aspects of magic that might completely revolutionize magic in 1,000 years or so (u/Joshthedruid2)
39. Advanced Vertical Integration of Quadrimagical Volatiles—not a real course, but the senior students snuck it onto the syllabus ages ago so they had a room to drink on campus and no one's noticed yet (u/Joshthedruid2)
40. Arcanography—the study of secret writings (u/HopBewg)
41. Prestidiginomics—The study of the inaccessibility of arcane arts education in underprivileged socioeconomic groups. (u/SonOfSofaman)
42. Chirurgery—Necromantic & Golemic surgeries and anatomical modifications. (u/HopBewg)
43. Arcane Pathology—the study of the Weave itself, down to its core. Specializes in the study of unknown magics too (u/Nevvie)
44. Arcano-Numismatics—How Gold Powers Magic. (u/MaxSizels)
45. Retro-Effectuality—Why that Bruise You Discovered Today Actually Requires You to Fight A Dragon Tommorow. (u/MaxSizels)
46. Thaumodynamics—Pertaining to qualifying and quantifying the efficiency of magic, improving efficiency, and utilizing it. (u/MaxSizels)
47. Science—It's just so mysterious. (u/MaxSizels)
48. Arcano-thermodynamics—the study of entropy and magical energy
49. Velcro and Zippers—the mystical forces that govern their operation and crafting. (u/Dependent_Occasion65)
50. Mundanity and its uses—Looking towards non-magical solutions to magical problems. (u/snakebite262)
51. Anti-Magic—The creation and nullification of anti-magic fields, anti-magic spells, and anti-magic monsters. (u/snakebite262)
52. Black Magic—A look at the morality of magic in other cultures, and the forbidden magics associated with them. (u/snakebite262)
53. Artificing and Computer Sciences—The creation of magical devices using small, magical runes. (u/snakebite262)
54. Blood Magic—A look at blood magics, bloatmages and how to use different bloods and ichors to enhance one's magics. (u/snakebite262)
55. Patronology—A study of magical creatures, gods, and other powerful individuals who can lend magic powers to others. (u/snakebite262)
56. Magical Musicology—A study of bards, and magically-enhanced musics. (u/snakebite262)
57. Blue Magic—The history and usage of erotic magics. (u/snakebite262)
58. Fetish Creation and Procurement—A look at the various items used by spellcasters to more easily cast spells, such as wands, instruments, divine items and the like. Unrelated to Blue Magic...for the most part. (u/snakebite262)
59. Arcane Intelligence Studies—A look into AI created and assisted spells. Includes studies into the spells Fabricate, Magnificent Mansion, and Hero's Feast. Likewise additional discussions into Golem making, and the creation of Arcane-created creatures. (u/snakebite262)
60. Eldritch-Psychology—A look into the minds of Eldritch beings, and how to avoid falling into insanity while doing so. (u/snakebite262)
61. Components and Tradition—A look into the various magical movements, components and traditions used to cast spells. (u/snakebite262)
62. Arcane Refinement and R&D—Looking at how to change or better refine spells to get the same, or better, effects. An extremely dangerous field of study. (u/snakebite262)
63. Magical Interconnectedness—Looking to see how Divine, Arcane, Eldritch and Natural magics all intermingle, and how to integrate them together. (u/snakebite262)
64. Demonology—A look into the various evil creatures of magic and how to deal with (and summon) them. (u/snakebite262)
65. Mad Science—A horrid mixture of magic and science, and how to use it to benefit you. Includes information on how to taunt your nemesis, and how to deal with incompetent minions. (u/snakebite262)
66. Magical Mutagenesis—The study of magical mutations, fleshcrafting, and transformations. (u/snakebite262)
67. Abjuration Specialist—Keeping things safe. (u/snakebite262)
68. Conjuration Specialist—How to summon cool and deadly creatures. (u/snakebite262)
69. Illusion Specialist—How to trick your friends and the various VARIOUS laws surrounding tricking your friends. (u/snakebite262)
70. Enchantment Specialist—How to make things magically better. (u/snakebite262)
71. Divination Specialist—How to divine and locate things that don't want to be found. (u/snakebite262)
72. Evocation Specialist—Keeping things not safe (u/snakebite262)
73. Necromancy Specialist—Understand death, and how to twist the natural order of things. (u/snakebite262)
74. Transmutation Specialist—Figuring out how to create something out of nothing, and the art of equivalent exchange (u/snakebite262)
75. Magic and Ethics—studying the ethical implications of magic i.e is summoning morally acceptable if the subject is unwilling (u/Gold_Writer_8039)
76. Pseudo-magic—the study of various fields which are alleged to be magical, and have practitioners, but no proven magical power (water dowsing, homeopathy, etc) (u/chrismamo1)
77. Ethics and Magic—the study of how to convince ethics boards and furious peasants that your work is above board. Often confused with Magic and Ethics (u/chrismamo1)
78. Extinct magic—forms of magic that are historically attested, but unable to be reproduced today because the knowledge is lost, or something about the nature of the universe has changed such that the methods simply no longer work (u/chrismamo1)
79. Casting in Adverse Conditions—Learning to cast spells and maintain them in less than ideal conditions. (u/World_of_Ideas)
80. Famous and Infamous Mages—Magical history focused on the more well known historical mages (u/World_of_Ideas)
81. Magical Disasters—Study of notable magical disasters (u/World_of_Ideas)
82. Magical Law—Magical crimes and punishment (u/World_of_Ideas)
83. Photomancy—Study of light magic (u/World_of_Ideas)
84. Wards—How to create, maintain, modify, and repair wards (u/World_of_Ideas)
85. Gignesomancy—the study of how new types of magic are created (u/Foolish_Phantom)
86. Umbromancy—the study and manipulation of shadows
87. Soulweaving—the controversial study of souls and harnessing/manipulating them
88. Dreamwalking—the study of entering and manipulating people's dreams
89. Somnology—the study of magical sleep
90. Hypnomancy—the study of hypnosis
91. Meteorology—the study of magical weather
92. Meteoromancy—the manipulation and creation of magical weather
93. Illusion-actualisation—the study of making illusions real
94. Emotion-shaping—the study of emotions and how to control and manipulate them
95. Mountain-shaping—the study of mountains, volcanoes, and other geological features, and how to create new ones
96. Mirrormancy—the study and creation of magical mirrors (u/RedwoodRhiadra)
97. Golemancy—the study of how to create Golems, magically animated constructs with varying abilities and intelligence. (u/Radiant-Ad-1976)
98. Automancy—the study of how to create automatons which are magically enhanced, mechanical constructs and considered superior to Golems. (u/Radiant-Ad-1976)
99. Animancy—the study of how to create sentient and intelligent life such as homunculi, mandrakes and etc. (u/Radiant-Ad-1976)
100. Arcano-taxonomy—the study of how magical creatures evolved and the classification of them

Not all magic items are made for murderhobos. In fact, I would imagine in a high fantasy world, many artificers are employed to craft not arms and armor, but the accoutrement worn by courtiers, emissaries, fops, dandies, and other noble folk who would never deign to visit a dungeon... at least, not willingly!

01 - Tie of the Taipan (requires attunement). This elegant necktie appears to be made of fine silk dyed olive green with a subtle scale pattern. You can use an action to remove it, throw it to the ground, and speak a command word, transforming it into a Venomous Snake as per the Monster Manual. The beast is under your control and acts on its own initiative count. On your turn, if not incapacitated, you can mentally command the snake if it is within 60 feet of you. You can give it a specific command, such as to move to a location or attack a specific enemy, or a general command, such to guard a person or area. By using a bonus action to speak the command word again, you return it to tie form. If the snake is reduced to 0 hit points, it dies and loses its enchantment, reverting to a pile of shredded silk. If the snake reverts to tie form before losing all its hit points, it regains all of them.

02 - Pin of Poking. This steel pin can be used as a hatpin, to fasten a cloak, or just as a decoration. It is about six inches long and has an ivory head embossed with an image of a fencer. If held like a sword and a command word spoken as a bonus action, it elongates to become a +1 Rapier. It reverts to a pin if no longer held or if the command word is spoken again.

03 - Veil of the Vixen. A silk veil of the sort worn by harem girls and exotic dancers. While this veil is worn across the face, any items worn or carried by the person, including the veil, become invisible... but not the person.

04 - Coin Purse of the Miser (requires attunement). This tiny silk purse is just large enough to hold at most five coins. Any coin that is given from the purse teleports back to the purse upon the owner's next Short Rest.

05 - Uncufflinks. Tasteful, understated gold cufflinks with a subtle engraving of a bird flying out of its cage. The wrist that has the cufflink on it (and they are always found in pairs) has the Houdini-like ability to wriggle free, when the wearer desires, of any handcuff, shackle, rope, or other physical restraint, no matter how tightly secured.

06 - Monocle of Seeing (requires attunement). A small round lens with a golden rim attached to a thin golden rod. The delicate lens is made of a frosted crystal, making it difficult to see through it. However, the person who is attuned to it can speak a command word to gain Truesight out to 120 feet for 10 minutes. The Monocle can be reused after the owner takes a Long Rest.

07 - Sweetbag of Salvation. This small embroidered pouch is stuffed with pleasant smelling herbs. If held to the nose, it gives advantage on saving throws against smell-based attacks such as the Stinking Cloud spell, a Green Dragon's breath attack, or when dealing with the commonfolk.

08 - Plumed Hat (requires attunement). This fancy felt hat is festooned with an enormous plume from a rare bird. Once placed upon the head of the person attuned to it, only the owner can remove it, no matter how fierce the gale or strong the would-be hat thief. If you fall while wearing this hat, you descend 60 feet per round and take no damage from falling.

09 - Herald's Handkerchief. This linen kerchief is edged with fine lace. If held to the mouth, as a nobleman or noblewoman is apt to do, it can be whispered into and the message delivered to a creature within 120 feet and the creature can respond, as per the Message cantrip.

10 - Silk Gloves of Slapping (requires attunement). These silk gloves remain impeccably white and unsoiled no matter what they touch. Once per Long Rest, the wearer may use an action to slowly remove a glove and then theatrically strike a creature across the face. (To hit roll required.) If successful, the attack does no damage, but functions as the Compelled Duel spell combined with the Vicious Mockery cantrip.

11 - Boots of the Equestrian. These calf-high black leather riding boots always gleam as if newly polished. The wearer gains the Animal Handling skill; if the wearer already has this skill, all checks are made at advantage.

12 - Iron Neckerchief. This appears to be an elegant neckerchief made of delicate fabric, but it is stout as a steel gorget and protects the wearer from any attempts at garroting, hanging, or other attempts at strangulation.

13 - Spoon of Safeguarding. If placed upon a table with other silverware, this spoon transforms to match the appearance of those around it. If dipped into a liquid that is poisonous, spoiled, or otherwise dangerous, the spoon turns black. It gradually returns to its normal color when removed from the liquid.

14 - Soldier's Sash. This flamboyant red sash can either be worn over one shoulder or as a cummerbund. While worn, the wearer has advantage to resist the Frightened condition, such as the Fear spell or as an opponent's ability such as Frightful Presence or Menacing Attack, or to resist Intimidation.

15 - Prehensile Shawl of Embrace (requires attunement). An elegant shawl of finely woven silk. While attuned the wearer can move and manipulate the fabric as if of their own flesh. As such, the shawl can cling tightly or wrap around parts of the body. This can be used to apply pressure to a bleeding wound (acting as aid in medicine checks) and will even perform chest compressions if the wearer falls unconscious(once per day, acting as Spare the Dying cantrip). /u/Dependent_Occasion65

16 - Nargile of Nebulous Form (requires attunement). A long, finely crafted water-pipe carved from monster horn, its bowl enclosed in elaborate silverwork. The metal is chased with tiny birds, flowers, and curling clouds of smoke. The pipe is always faintly lit. Even when empty, a thin ribbon of sweet, narcotic smoke curls lazily from its bowl. So long as you are attuned to it, it never needs to be packed or relit. The pipe holds 1d3 charges, and regains 1 charge per 24 hours at midnight. While attuned to the pipe, you gain the following properties: Become Smoke. Spend a charge, you can draw deeply from the pipe to gain the effects of Gaseous Form, with concentration, for up to 10 minutes. Come to Hand. Once per day, you can summon the pipe to your empty hand, provided it is on the same plane of existence. The pipe can't be used this way again until the next dawn. /u/MaxSizeIs

17 - Chapeau of Flying. An extravagantly impractical enchanted hat combining a distinguished black top hat with an oversized newsboy cap, crowned by a tiny spinning propeller and festooned with an improbable network of polished leather straps, brass buckles, and flight harnesses out of the most risque of brothels. It holds 1d4 charges, and regains 1 charge per 24 hours at noon. Spend a charge, and with concentration, gain the effects of the Fly spell. /u/MaxSizeIs

18 - Courtesan's Compact of Covert Clairvoyance (requires attunement). A small fashion mirror. It is ornately decorated with a motif of a romantic tryst between multiple lovers. This item holds 1d3 charges, it regains 1 charge per 24 hours at midnight. If the last charge is expended, roll a 1d6, on a 1 the item shatters and is destroyed. Expend a charge, and with concentration up to 10 minutes, you may cast the spell Clairvoyance to a location within 30 feet of the compact, which displays what the eye sees. The eye generated by the spell must remain within 30 feet of the caster, and the caster must remain within 30 feet of the compact. /u/MaxSizeIs

19 - Lord's Lettermark (requires attunement). This hefty paperweight doubles as a Noble's Seal, allowing the attuned user to magically etch their personal seal upon cloth, parchment, paper, or similar materials without harm to the material upon which it is placed. The symbol may be either visible or invisible, as determined upon imprinting. If an invisible mark is made, a Detect Magic spell causes it to glow and be visible, though not necessarily understandable. See Invisibility, and similar effects may be able to see the rune. The attuned user knows the general state of the document marked (damaged, etc), and if on the same plane as the user: a vague sense of rough distance, direction, and whether or not the item is in the possession of a small number of approved individuals (this number is equal to your proficiency bonus, and the list is determined at time of marking). A mark may remain active for up to 30 days. You may keep a number of active marks equal to twice your proficiency bonus, and may dismiss an active mark at any time as a bonus action. /u/MaxSizeIs

20 - Gentlelady's Gracious Gamp. “For a lady of refinement, even the weather must observe proper etiquette.” This stylish, over-sized parasol fits two medium-sized or smaller creatures, and has 1d6 charges; allowing the user to cast Tiny Hut (except the effect is much smaller, fits no more than 2 creatures, and only lasts 1 hour per charge.) The parasol regains 1d3 charges each day at dawn, if the last charge is expended, roll a 1d6; on a 1, the parasol is permanently destroyed. /u/MaxSizeIs

21 - Enchanted Snuff Box of [Potion]. This ornate snuff box is full of enchanted snuff that gives the effects of a [Potion] Potion. The Snuff Box has 1D12 uses, and regains 1D4 at Midnight every night. It can hold a total of 25 uses. Taking multiple doses at a time does not stack the effects, but causes an overdose. When overdosed in this manner, you lose the effects of the potion and gain the Poisoned condition for 1D8 Hours. /u/comedianmasta

22 - Sash of Skills. This sash manifests badges associated with the achievements of the creature attuned to it. Along with the skills the creature is proficient in, it also shows lifelong achievements of note. For every 20 badges on the sash, the attuned creature may, once a day, choose 2 skills in which they are proficient to have Expertise in. They may choose tools, and weapons (for attack rolls) but only a single tool or a single weapon at a time. /u/comedianmasta

23 - Insightful Glass. This Monocle has two charges every eight (8) hours. At the cost of a single charge, a creature wearing the Monocle may add +3 to any insight check they make. /u/comedianmasta

24 - Bribe Purse / Clip / Etc. This [Purse/Clip/Bag] allows for advantage on persuasion checks when you bribe a creature with money from it amounting to 1 GP plus a number of GP equal to the creature's Wisdom Score. This is still a bribe, and the creature is not magically manipulated to ignore or go along with said bribe. /u/comedianmasta

25 - Sword Cane. A well-made rapier concealed within a cane. If not attuned, this functions as a normal rapier; it has no bonuses to hit or damage, but it is considered a magical weapon for resistance / immunity purposes. While it is concealed as a cane, a creature must make an Arcana check of DC 15 + any Arcana bonus to reveal the nature of the cane. You may add your melee attack bonus to Charisma checks on a creature while said creature is unaware that the cane is a sword. If you are attuned to the Cane, you get to decide (at time of attunement) a type of sword this cane can transform into. You are now proficient with this sword cane as far as weapon proficiencies are concerned. /u/comedianmasta

26 - Arcane Briefcase. Although this briefcase is still a briefcase, only the creature attuned to it can open it. It is a DC 25 Lockpicking AND a DC 15 Arcana check to force it open while the attuned creature is still alive. To the attuned creature, this briefcase only weighs 3 LBs regardless of what is stored in it. This briefcase has space inside it similar to a Bag of Holding, only it only holds paper, notes, scrolls, books, writings, letters, etc. as well as writing utensils. /u/comedianmasta

27 - Wing Tipped Shoes. These shnazzy shoes have 1 charge every 48 hours that can be used to cast Fly on the wearer. /u/comedianmasta

28 - Spats of Defense. These magical spats use a small prestidigitation to keep your footwear and pants clear if dirt gets on them. They also add +1 to the wearer's AC. /u/comedianmasta

29 - Parapet Parasol. This Parasol can act as a +2 shield. It also acts as a crossbow, allowing a user to fire a bolt while using it as a shield. /u/comedianmasta

30 - Sharp Suit. This elaborate suit is fancy and shows off your wealth. It is worn in place of your armor and counts as light armor. Although it does not offer an AC bonus, when you are hit by a melee attack the attacker takes 1D8 Slashing damage in response. Your unarmed strikes also add 1D4 Slashing damage to your hits. /u/comedianmasta

31 - Ever-Smoking Opera Cigarette Holder. This 2 foot (.6 meter) long cigarette holder is ornate and leaves a smoke trail behind the lit cigarette within. When you use an action to activate it, a cloud of thick smoke pours out in a 60-foot radius from the lit cigarette. The cloud's area is heavily obscured. Each minute the item is active and within the cloud, the radius increases by 10 feet until it reaches its maximum radius of 120 feet. The cloud persists as long as the item is active (can be deactivate at will) or as long as the cigarette stays lit. Once the effect is ended, the cloud disperses after 10 minutes. A moderate wind (11 to 20 miles per hour) can also disperse the smoke after 1 minute, and a strong wind (21 or more miles per hour) can do so after 1 round. /u/comedianmasta

32 - Perfect Perfume (x number of uses). Range 15 feet from self for 1 hour. An exceptionally rare fragrance that smells different to every person and reminds them of a place they have a deep fondness for. It could be their dearly departed grandmother’s kitchen. Or the smell of the forest of their childhood. Warning, should only be applied or worn indoors as it will attract animals from miles away. /u/BanjoChick

33 - Appraisal Tooth (requires attunement). This magical golden molar allows you to gauge the approximate value of an item by biting down on it. Can be used 3 times per long rest. /u/BanjoChick

34 - Purifying Pearl Ring. An elegant ring with a large shimmering pearl. Acts as an emergency greater restoration spell if the wearer is affected by any conditions that greater restoration would cure. The pearl breaking as the spell activates. Recharging the ring requires a new pearl be installed on the ring by a competent jeweler. Many pearls have been broken by a single level of exhaustion. /u/BanjoChick

35 - Travel Ring. A non-magical ring worn on the left fourth finger. Prevents unwanted flirtatious attention. In an emergency may be used to fake a proposal to 1 humanoid within 5 feet and (pending a dc 16 intelligence save) obtain a free dessert or drink at a tavern. /u/BanjoChick

36 - Emergency Backup Carriage. This appears to be an elegant golden broach in the shape of a horse-drawn carriage. If a sufficiently expensive carriage is wrecked, use an action to summon a spectral, but fully working copy, complete with horses that will last long enough to get to your previously selected location. Cart summoning only works if a non-operational carriage is within 30 feet. /u/BanjoChick

37 - Flaw-Finder-Champaign-Flute. Reveals one random flaw about a humanoid of your choice within sight. (Charisma save of 16.) This consumes a flute-full of champagne as a spell component. Only reveals one flaw per victim per day. It could be a skin blemish that is suddenly no longer covered with makeup, or a secret dwarvish toe hair collection that is awkwardly shared with others. /u/BanjoChick

38 - Derby Hat. Causes a single animal to run slightly faster than its normal speed as long as you are staring right at it (+5 feet per turn) /u/BanjoChick

39 - Gloves of Glowing Prints. Touch any surface and say the command world. The glove leaves a glowing hand print. The hand print is a light source equivalent to a candle and will continue to glow for 1 hour. Wearer can make up to 20 active prints at one time. If wearer tries to make more than 20 print, the oldest print fades and goes dark. Wearer can also touch any print, say a command word, and cause that print to go dark. May also be used to leave signs for others depending on how you shape your hand when you leave the print. /u/World_of_Ideas

40 - Gloves of the Manservant. One only has to snap their fingers to summon a well dressed ghostly manservant. It has average human stats and a 14 in relevant skills. The servant can act as a butler, coachman, cook, footman, porter, or valet. The servant will last for 10 minutes or until its current task has been completed. /u/World_of_Ideas

41 - Melv's Multifarious Merriments. “For the discerning peer who desires agreeable company without the inconvenience of guests.” A (somewhat) animated, enchanted collection of tabletop games, cards, and other genteel parlor diversions, capable of furnishing the necessary playing pieces and implements for a remarkable variety of amusements; all of which fits within a small but ornately apportioned cabinet or traveling sea-chest. Upon request, the artifact can (tersely) explain the rules of any game it knows, arrange the playing surface, and serve as an opponent of average ability (DC 12). It is unfailingly courteous, scrupulously observes the rules, and possesses neither the cunning to be a formidable adversary nor the vanity to resent defeat. /u/MaxSizeIs

42 - Otto's Otto-scribe. An enchanted brass clockwork automaton resembling a small-sized humanoid wearing a briefcase on their back. The Otto-scribe is capable of taking dictation in most languages known by its owner. It is also capable of simple calculations, reading back what it just wrote, fetching and storing any document which can fit within its case, & drafting basic legal documents following a template, but must be directed by its owner (DC 13) as to specific particulars. The device is not capable of advanced analysis, nor of actual thought or creativity. /u/MaxSizeIs

43 - Confidant’s Cornet. This curious gentleman’s powdering cone, fashioned from stiffened silk, lacquered wood, and fine brass fittings was originally intended to preserve a gentleman’s complexion from the indignities of powdered wigs; the device has found a rather more discreet application in the preservation of personal confidences. The device captures a wearer’s secrets in tiny vials of (expensive) fine crystal glass, leaving behind a magical mnemonic wall that renders the wearer utterly incapable of recalling or revealing the concealed information, even under magical compulsion. The wearer retains only sufficient mnemonic handles to recognize the omission and identify its general subject. A stored memory may be sampled and restored in its entirety; however, another creature (besides the original user) attempting to sample the secret must succeed on a DC 16 Intelligence saving throw or take 6d6 psychic damage. If a vial is destroyed before its secret is restored, the memory is lost forever. The cornet has 1d6 charges, regains 1d3 expended charges daily at midnight, and expends one charge to store or retrieve a secret. /u/MaxSizeIs

44 - Tendent’s Tincture of Taciturnity. A pale violet tincture traditionally administered to domestic servants entrusted with the private affairs of distinguished households. It must be imbibed willingly to take effect. For 30 days, the imbiber is magically prohibited from knowingly divulging information designated as confidential by the administrator (and known as such to the imbiber), whether through speech, writing, gesture, or magical means. Willfully attempting to reveal such information requires a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw; on a failure, the imbiber becomes mute for 3d6 hours, suffering 1d6 psychic damage each hour until their voice returns. Due to a peculiar quirk of the tincture’s meta-alchemical preparation, the fact that the imbiber has consumed it can never itself be designated confidential. The effect ends upon the administrator’s express permission or the casting of Remove Curse or similar spell. /u/MaxSizeIs

45 - Perjurer’s Peruke (requires attunement). This extravagantly powdered gentleman’s wig protects its wearer against magical attempts to compel honesty or discern falsehoods. While wearing the peruke, the wearer grants Advantage and +5 on saving throws against Zone of Truth and similar magic, and may deliberately provide false answers without revealing their deception through magical means. On a success, any magic that would otherwise determine whether the wearer is lying instead registers their statements as truthful. /u/MaxSizeIs

46 - Barrister’s Babbling Bobwig (requires attunement). An elegantly crafted judicial wig that whispers legal precedents, procedural objections, obscure statutes, and unsolicited counsel directly into its wearer’s ear (DC 15 vs Those nearby hearing the whispers). While wearing it, the creature gains proficiency in History checks concerning laws, contracts, and legal proceedings, and may add 1d4 to Charisma or Wisdom based checks made when arguing a legal case or negotiating a contract. Unfortunately, the wig is notoriously pedantic and occasionally cites laws from jurisdictions that no longer exist. /u/MaxSizeIs

47 - Earrings of the Bat. A pair of ornate earrings. The wearer gains 60ft echolocation. This ability is ineffective while deafened. Areas of silence act as magical darkness to this ability. /u/World_of_Ideas

48 - Fisticuffs. A pair of ornate cufflinks. Upon command creates large glowing fist around the wearer's hands. Adds +2 damage to unarmed strikes and unarmed strikes count as magical attacks for purposes of bypassing resistance to non-magical damage. /u/World_of_Ideas

49 - Parasol of the Dandelion. While holding this parasol the wielder us under the effect of the feather fall spell. The wielder may also choose to drift with the wind. Acts as levitation plus movement based on wind speed and direction (10ft for light breeze, 30ft for moderate wind, 60ft for strong gale). /u/World_of_Ideas

50 - Veil of Disguise. A silk veil of the sort worn by harem girls and exotic dancers. While this veil is worn across the face, the wearer can appear to be a different person or race. /u/World_of_Ideas

51 - Abstruse Armilla. A jeweled circular armlet completely studded with small stones of alexandrite, hiddenite, and a subtle assortment of rare, finely cut mind-crystals. Its true enchantment lies in the ingenious arrangement of the mind-crystals, whose intricate magical array is nearly impossible to discern. The armilla has a maximum of 2d6 charges and regains 1 expended charge each night of darkness during the new moon, to a maximum of 3 charges per month. When the wearer casts a spell, they may use their reaction and expend 1 charge to apply the Subtle Spell Metamagic to that casting. After each charge is expended, roll 1d6; on a 1, the armilla's maximum number of charges is permanently reduced by 1. /u/MaxSizeIs

52 - Eustachian Eavesdropper (requires attunement). "An attentive gentle hears what is said; the discerning hears what is meant." An ornate, gilded ear-trumpet that secretly allows its wearer to overhear the surface thoughts of creatures engaged in conversation; it is otherwise indistinguishable from a standard ear-trumpet. The Eustachian has 1d6 charges and expends 1 charge to cast a modified form of Read Surface Thoughts, lasting 1 minute. It regains 1 charge per day at midnight. Choose any number of creatures you can see within 30 feet that are speaking or otherwise attempting to communicate with one another, all of whom must be within 30 feet of each other and you. You learn what is foremost in their minds, provided they possess language or telepathy. Their thoughts are transmitted as audible whispers through the Eustachian, which nearby creatures may overhear with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check. Creatures whose thoughts are being read may detect the intrusion with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Insight) check. You can safely listen to a number of creatures equal to your proficiency bonus; for each additional creature, you take 1d4 psychic damage per round while the effect remains active, halved on a successful DC 15 Intelligence saving throw.

53 - Palatine Fan. "An Empress never whispers secrets; she merely ensures they are heard by the proper company." Usually taking the form of an elegant folding fan, fashioned from rare, shimmering golden Phoebe zhennan wood, with delicately carved ribs and a fine silk leaf bearing an intricate motif of Kenku. When held open before the mouth, the fan magically prevents speech uttered behind it from being overheard by anyone other than its intended recipients, provided each recipient is visible to the speaker and within 30 feet. The protection extends to both mundane and magical eavesdropping, though the suppression may be overcome (at Disadvantage) with a successful DC 16 Wisdom (Perception) check. The effect persists only while the fan remains open and the speaker's mouth is concealed behind it. /u/MaxSizeIs

54 - Vicomte’s Virge (requires attunement). An elegant ministerial staff, symbolizing the authority of a high-ranking court official fashioned from polished Malacca wood and crowned with a finely faceted crystal knob. At its attuned owner's command, the crystal projects an elaborate illusory dossier, visible only to the owner, concerning any individual they have personally encountered at any point in their life, from birth to the present. The dossier contains only information the owner knows, once knew, or could reasonably have learned from their encounters, including names, likenesses, titles, occupations, mannerisms, and other superficial details. An Intelligence (Investigation or History) check (DC 10-20, depending on the obscurity or complexity of the information) may reveal additional deductions, connections, or insights drawn from these observations, but never information that could not reasonably be inferred from them. /u/MaxSizeIs

55 - Taskmaster’s Timekeeper. "Time is money, and His Infernal Majesty extends credit on the most accommodating terms." An oversized watch and chain just slightly too large to fit comfortably in a pocket, and of gaudy extravagance: gilded filigree, crimson enamel, garnets, and bearing the visage of a crowned, long-legged owl. Thirteen independently moving hands track obscure astronomical and astrological phenomena, occasionally ticking backward. The clock has a maximum of 2d12 charges and regains 1d4 expended charges daily at midnight. By expending 1 charge, the owner grants a number of creatures within 30 feet (equal to their Proficiency bonus plus their Will bonus) a noncombat form of Haste for 1d4 hours, doubling their movement speed and productivity. (If the targetted creature is unwilling, they may attempt a contested save of Constitution vs the Caster's Will, each minute, on a success the effect ends early.) The effect ends early for any creature entering combat or casting a harmful spell. When a charge is expended, every hour thereafter while the effect remains active, and once more when the effect ends; each affected creature must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or gain one level of Exhaustion. /u/MaxSizeIs

56 - Scent of Subtle Suggestion. This exquisitely expensive, alluring fragrance grants one of two effects, chosen upon application: cast Suggestion once (save DC 11 + your Charisma modifier), or, if you can already cast Suggestion, apply the Subtle Spell Metamagic to 1d3 castings without expending Sorcery Points, even if you lack the Metamagic feature. All benefits expire 1 hour after application. /u/MaxSizeIs

57 - Watchful Weft (requires attunement). “Fine garments should always tell their owner when someone is getting too close.” This thread of phase spider silk, steeped in esoteric alchemical compounds and a serum derived from phase spider egg yolk, then dusted with orichalcum, may be woven into exquisite clothing by a master tailor, rendering the garment vulnerable to fire damage (although a severely damaged thread may be repaired with a sufficient application of expensive compounds, equal to half the value of the original thread). The attuned creature gains a sixth sense of the garment's approximate direction and distance, up to 100 miles away, blocked by 10 feet of soil, 1 foot of stone, or 1 inch of lead, unless even a tiny opening permits passage. If the garment remains stationary for at least 1 hour, it extends an invisible, intangible web 30 feet around itself, granting the attuned creature Web Sense (Passive Perception DC 15) within that area while within 60 feet of the garment. These webs are visible through See Invisibility (or similar spell/ability), and creatures aware of them may avoid detection with a successful DC 15 Dexterity (Stealth) check. A similarly talented tailor may attempt to extract the thread with a DC 18 Dexterity (Weaver's Tools) check, but a failure destroys the thread. /u/MaxSizeIs

58 - Fontange of Flocking Familiars. "Neither thy countenance, nor thy smile, nor the fashion of thy coiffure stirs my heart; yet perchance ’tis the perfume..." An improbable arrangement of towering curls, sweeping wings, ribbons, and feathered flourishes of this extravagantly coiffed aristocratic headdress is styled to resemble the heraldic beasts of its patron's noble house. The fontange has 2d6 charges and regains 1d3 expended charges daily at dawn. By expending 1 charge, the wearer may cast Flock of Familiars, summoning three luminous, Small or smaller creatures resembling the animals depicted on the noble family's coat of arms. These creatures otherwise obey the spell's normal rules, including its concentration requirement and 1-hour duration. Additionally, while the spell is active, the fontange produces an audible musical and lyrical accompaniment that mysteriously harmonizes with the mood, action, and circumstances of its surroundings, as if performed by a bard of moderate skill (up to DC13). /u/MaxSizeIs

u/List100 posted this 5 years ago: https://www.reddit.com/r/d100/comments/s7uqf1/lets_build_100_reasons_why_the_villain_is_hated/

Since then, there have been lots more comments, and we're in reach!

OOPS! Actually, we're not "in reach", we're way over. So maybe what we need is to split these 162 out into a 100 serious reasons, plus a 62-reason silly supplemental?

Because "[serious]" was specified, I edited some to make them, well, more serious.

1. Treats "lesser folk" (commoners, maids/butlers, etc.) like scum/tools. (u/List100)
2. Uses servants/minions as foot/leg rests, stepping stools, tables, etc. (u/List100)
3. Steals people's pets. (u/List100)
4. Incarcerates people under false/made up charges because they can. (u/List100)
5. Adopts orphans only to incarcerate them. (u/List100)
6. Kidnaps children from underprivileged homes just to sell them to families who can't have their own children. (u/Durien9)
7. Makes use of revolutionaries and insurgent movements while playing all sides and undermining both sides for profit. (u/Th3R3493r)
8. Dogmatically Philistinish. They don't care about any form of culture, aesthetics or sentimental cost and only cares about the intrinsic worth of any action or item. (u/Th3R3493r)
9. Edit: inspiration from a memory of a player's actions at my table. They slaughtered a field hospital and killed a friendly cleric that healed a opponent who appealed to their humanity. deleted one that was on the list already. (u/Th3R3493r)
10. Ruthless Heal Denier. Counter-spells healing actions and revive spells or targets downed enemies with magic missile or cheap attacks. A defenseless enemy who can not attack is still an enemy to them. (u/Th3R3493r)
11. Confidently Incorrect. They will confidently state false information as the truth and not back down from their understanding of their "truth". (u/Th3R3493r)
12. Wasteful. Will overorder from any establishment that serves food or drink then after they and their company at the time take their fill, poison the rest of it quietly, and instruct staff to toss it. They may even demand to be compensated for not eating more than a quarter of what was ordered. (u/Th3R3493r)
13. Does not care about names. Everyone is called by a nickname as they truthfully don't care about learning their real name. (u/Th3R3493r)
14. Cowardly and connected. They never fight and will always have several escape plans for when things go south. They will actively avoid being in the presence of anyone who would harm them and has money to use proxies for almost everything. (u/Th3R3493r)
15. Completely clueless as a public speaker. Will always spew inflammatory, scandalous statements/make horrible faux-pas. (u/[gelöscht])
16. Their unsavory activities are known far and wide, but the locals live in misery and depend on them as a benefactor. (u/[gelöscht])
17. Has an out-of-wedlock child they adamantly refuse to acknowledge, even in the face of overwhelming evidence. (u/[gelöscht])
18. Grossly incompetent for their position, they only got it through nepotism or intrigue. (u/[gelöscht])
19. They are from common birth, and are seen as "greedy social climbers" in a deeply-aristocratic society. (u/[gelöscht])
20. Is a paranoid tyrant who sees sedition in every corner. (u/[gelöscht])
21. Uses the word 'absatively'. (u/[gelöscht])
22. Is a foreign conqueror. (u/[gelöscht])
23. Is seen as weak-willed, relying on advisors to make any decisions for them. (u/[gelöscht])
24. Is known to be wrapped around their lover's finger, indulging their every whim. (u/[gelöscht])
25. Slandered for a crime they never committed. (u/[gelöscht])
26. Their once praised tough-but-fair stance increasingly emphasizes the "tough" part to the near exclusion of the "fair" part. (u/[gelöscht])
27. Clings parasitically to a figure of authority. (u/[gelöscht])
28. Threw a close ally under the bus to save themselves following a huge blunder. (u/[gelöscht])
29. Taken a step further: dependent on setting/villain's background, children born of certain features (gender/attributes/etc) are automatically slain in front of parents or left to die in woods. (u/nadabethyname)
30. Makes sure they are the best looking of their gender, and anyone else who might be more attractive has to disfigure themselves. (u/axcrms)
31. Makes everyone dress the same color as them which not everyone can afford and are put into stockade. (u/axcrms)
32. Diverts town water source to fill a pool. (u/axcrms)
33. Owns the stores in town and upcharges everything. (u/axcrms)
34. Creates rumors and conspiracies against good people so they are mistrusted. (u/axcrms)
35. Lies about what goes on in outside world. Ie saying it's a war torn world and no one can leave and all traders go through him. (u/axcrms)
36. Is tired of the color green and makes it a faux pas so all green is removed plants are dyed or painted possibly killing all crops and the town. (u/axcrms)
37. Immortal that does not eat, steals livestock from nearby villages causing starvation because he doesn’t understand why they’re killing animals. (u/JohnJack19)
38. Commissions heros to slay terrible monsters. As the deed is done the villain appears with a large entourage of knights, magic users and a bard (to make a ballad about the occasion) before ceremonially sticking a sword into the corpse and taking credit for the deed. (u/Obviously-Lies)
39. They pay 1/20 of the agreed reward “for the small assistance” rendered by the hero. (u/Obviously-Lies)
40. Later they hear a popular ballad about how great the villain is and how they saved a bunch of “stupid weaklings that thought they were adventurers ” from the beast. (u/Obviously-Lies)
41. Local play writers and bards must have their works approved by his censorship bureau. (u/[gelöscht])
42. Opens a shop and Starts rumors about other shops that drive their business away. (u/kmisterk)
43. Initially an ally and higher status then the party. Will only reluctantly help them out of duty, completely ignore their advice or input, and will constantly show a disregard for their subordinates lives. (u/[gelöscht])
44. Commissions the frequent performance of a song honoring him. The song sucks. (u/gnurdette)
45. Forbid town festivals, except a new one to their evil god (u/CthuluSuarus)
46. Conscripts children to work in the villains mine, keeps them there as slaves (u/CthuluSuarus)
47. For mythos reasons like drought or famine and generally being cursed by God's and for things they had no control over. (u/Ajaxiss)
48. Is mad, like actually insane (u/Ajaxiss)
49. Destroys a priceless artifact/cultural icon because the owner wouldn't sell it to them (u/CharlesDickensABox)
50. Belittles others to make themself look better (u/CharlesDickensABox)
51. Embezzles/steals money meant for charity (u/CharlesDickensABox)
52. Hides behind someone else's power/authority to protect them from consequences (u/CharlesDickensABox)
53. Flatters and supplicates to anyone who seems more powerful in order to raise their social standing (u/CharlesDickensABox)
54. edit: Playing up power dynamics is a really good way to make players hate a character. Feckless bootlicking up, cruel indifference down, and make the players utterly powerless to do anything about it until the final confrontation. Really build up that rage for maximum catharsis at the denouement. (u/CharlesDickensABox)
55. Sends out violent monsters at night to maintain curfew (u/SirCoalBear)
56. Has terrible, horrible children and defends them no matter the crime they commit. (u/Clovis69)
57. Their parent was a tyrant, and they can’t escape that legacy no matter how hard they try (u/Reddit-Guess)
58. They are prophesized to destroy the world or do some other Big Evil Thing (u/Reddit-Guess)
59. Is a warmongering wizard who only uses excessively painful or brutal spells Ie heat metal, power word pain, any acid spell etc (u/DemonFire75)
60. Uses their magic as a bard/ warlock and a position of nobility to manipulate those around them ie casting friends, glibness, suggestion etc (u/DemonFire75)
61. Requires everyone under their rule to sign away the rights to their corpse so it can be experimented on or raised as an undead (u/DemonFire75)
62. A changeling, doppleganger or illusion wizard who enjoys causing chaos through transforming into others and committing crimes (u/DemonFire75)
63. Wants to end all suffering by ending all life. No life, no suffering. (u/Beneficial_Cloud5481)
64. Is stealing people's souls to stay alive. (u/Beneficial_Cloud5481)
65. His Air Force of Hippogriffs constantly "releases droppings" on villages they patrol over, pigeon style. (u/ZachPruckowski)
66. As above, but it's a Griffon Taxi Service. (u/ZachPruckowski)
67. Built a colossal 250' high Tower that literally overshadows (whatever). (u/ZachPruckowski)
68. His servants just sort of throw his chamberpot out the window of his Tower, and it keeps hitting people. (u/ZachPruckowski)
69. Runs the Firefighters Brigade, and extorts people whose houses catch on fire. (u/ZachPruckowski)
70. Runs the Firefighters Brigade, and also is rumored to be the guy setting the fires. (u/ZachPruckowski)
71. Uses his position as abbot or bishop to give sanctuary to some other villain. (u/ZachPruckowski)
72. Constantly appoints incompetent friends/relatives to important jobs. (u/ZachPruckowski)
73. Local populace also knows his family extensively hires out mercenaries to do dirty work through various guilds. Essentially runs a shadow government through bribery etc and is even more totalitarian indirectly than most other nobles. Gets away with it due to being on an important border with hostiles near by and has a steady stream of support due to holding other forces at bay. (u/JaceJarak)
74. Doesn’t like bards. (u/OldChairmanMiao)
75. Is an elitist a-hole. (u/OldChairmanMiao)
76. Makes themselves king, queen, lord protector, etc. (u/OldChairmanMiao)
77. Eliminates political rivals. (u/OldChairmanMiao)
78. Has own police force. (u/OldChairmanMiao)
79. Erects monuments honoring fictional events in order to glorify their properties on or near those monuments (u/SeattleWilliam)
80. Opposes construction of public works, civic buildings, religious temples, and other desirable buildings on the basis that they are “eye sores.” (u/SeattleWilliam)
81. Consumes far too much. Whether it be food, drink, or luxuries. (u/snakebite262)
82. Becomes very destructive to their surrounding environment. (u/snakebite262)
83. Is a terrible flirt. Sleeps with the husband/wives of their vassals. (u/snakebite262)
84. Is a bored slob. They hardly getup before noon on a good day, and expect everyone else to do the heavy lifting. (u/snakebite262)
85. Is known to over-react to the slightest insult. (u/snakebite262)
86. They hire thieves and assassins to collect things they desire. (u/snakebite262)
87. They mope around in a constant depression. (u/snakebite262)
88. They hoard a valuable resources, despite not needing it. (u/snakebite262)
89. Attempts to adjust people to their own liking. Physically. Mentally. Spiritually. (u/snakebite262)
90. They are of a nationality/ethnicity/race not common to the area, and constantly flaunt the superiority of their aspect. (u/snakebite262)
91. They covert with devils/monsters/otherworldly creatures. (u/snakebite262)
92. They practice dark arts, which corrupt the surrounding area. (u/snakebite262)
93. They practice mad experiments which harm the surrounding populous. (u/snakebite262)
94. Disgusting food habits. (Was: Demands cilantro on everything he eats.) (u/glindabunny)
95. Including the food in random inns he visits in a secret disguise to make sure they’re all using the evil herb in every dish. As a result, nobody is safe from the cilantro. (u/glindabunny)
96. Polymorphs people who cross them, and true polymorphs their rivals. (u/RuneLFox)
97. Gained a use of Wish and used it to become a tyrant ruler (u/RuneLFox)
98. Their magical inventions cause untold ecological havok. (u/RuneLFox)
99. They just have a really evil aura, even if they've done nothing wrong. (u/RuneLFox)
100. Rounds up the destitute and forces them into prisons they own for free labour. (u/RuneLFox)
101. Owns the courts, and always rules in their own favour. (u/RuneLFox)
102. Banned a popular delicacy. (u/RuneLFox)
103. Imposes their extremely weird personal views on the majority. (u/RuneLFox)
104. Is a known conspirator behind the forces of evil. (u/RuneLFox)
105. Cooks up strange potions and spikes drinks with them, only to watch the hilarity that ensues. (u/RuneLFox)
106. Rumour has it that they're secretly a draconic shapeshifter. (u/RuneLFox)
107. Believes all humanoid races to be beneath him, often referring to them as 'timber' or 'logs' to be cut and stacked. (u/atomicDaikaiju)
108. Is both incredibly wealthy and deeply solipsistic; they believe they are the only truly conscious entity in existence and treat all others like curious playthings. When called out on this behavior, they react with confusion or frustration. (u/atomicDaikaiju)
109. Practices poor hygeine, has no respect for personal boundaries and has an army of enablers along for the amusement of it all. (u/atomicDaikaiju)
110. Is an albino with telekinesis who uses his power to harass and bully people. (u/[gelöscht])
111. Runs a parchment business that takes sex workers and the shelterless off the streets to skin them for scrolls. (u/atomicDaikaiju)
112. Flooded half a town because he wanted a waterside house without moving his house. They can't prove it was him. (u/Sarctoth)
113. He refuses to wear clothes. It's not a pretty sight. (u/Sarctoth)
114. Destroys knowledge and the pursuit thereof by burning books and or libraries to subjugate, being very narrow-minded and single-focused about their own teachings (u/ottersintuxedos)
115. They own almost all rental properties in the city and have an agreement with the other landlords to keep rent high so renters have nowhere else to go when they hike up the prices. (u/sanorace)
116. They pay off the guards to look away from their human rights violations. (u/sanorace)
117. Charges high rent for wretched conditions (despite protections in the law) (u/boredgenz)
118. Bribes the justice system to avoid persecution and intimidate enemies (u/boredgenz)
119. Scapegoating a group for society's ills, especially if the villain is the real reason behind these issues (u/boredgenz)
120. Enforces high taxes on the poor but little on the wealthy (u/boredgenz)
121. Manipulates the laws to seize assets from others (u/boredgenz)
122. Loan shark (u/boredgenz)
123. Runs a private prison (u/boredgenz)
124. Demands to be hosted and bankrupts hosts. Ex: demanding food host can't afford, being demanding and taking up time, stabling animals in people's homes and expecting them to be fed and cared for. (u/boredgenz)
125. Hunts in excess to get trophies and throws out the meat. Meanwhile, villagers starve, either not allowed to hunt or not able to find animals with their meager resources. (u/boredgenz)
126. Demands the utmost attention from others and takes advantage of others' generosity/fear. (u/boredgenz)
127. The trophy hunting one is a perfect edition. I cannot stand when people just hunt for the trophy, it really gets on my nerves. (u/List100)
128. Buys all of the nice clothes in town and keeps them in storage, just so no one else can have them. (u/Evadson)
129. Walks out onto a balcony with a bow and shoots at random passers-by for target practice. (u/Evadson)
130. Refuses to allow any sporting event to be held unless he is guaranteed to win. (u/Evadson)
131. Constantly claims to be a shrewd businessman but really just evades taxes and never pays his bills. (u/Evadson)
132. The villain has the stinkiest farts of the village/town/city that smell like rotten eggs and corpses (u/applepiehobbit)
133. Forcefully eliminates rivals by assassination (u/HitlersPenisPump)
134. Invaded a peaceful kingdom (u/HitlersPenisPump)
135. Kidnaps villagers to experiment on them (u/HitlersPenisPump)
136. Unleashes dangerous magical creatures into the wild (u/HitlersPenisPump)
137. Consumes supplies meant for starving villages (u/HitlersPenisPump)
138. Encourages wanton murder (u/HitlersPenisPump)
139. Racketeering. Makes business owners pay for protection against other criminals (u/Best-friend-Brad)
140. Has a team of smugglers to get contraband into the city. (u/Best-friend-Brad)
141. Quelled a workers union that was advocating for fair pay. (u/Best-friend-Brad)
142. Doesnt give pets to dogs or cats (u/ImmaRaptor)
143. He foreclosed on an old lady for being a few pennies short. (u/Custard_Tart_Addict)
144. Gifts money/favours to desperate people as an act of generosity, only to later demand repayment with interest. (u/Drosslemeyer)
145. Clear cuts an ancient forest for its timber. (u/Drosslemeyer)
146. Refused to use their power/resources to help people in danger (u/Pipkp)
147. Holds (a) certain god(s) in higher honor than another (e.g. minor or evil god above a major benevolent god) (u/Elunerazim)
148. Disgusting personal habits. (was: Shaves in public restroom sinks and doesn’t clean them out.) (u/EdZeppelin94)
149. Holds a monopoly over a key supply, and exploits it ruthlessly. (u/gnurdette)
150. Subjects everyone to omnipresent scrying/surveillance (u/gnurdette)
151. Provides sanctuary for ruthless bandits (u/gnurdette)
152. Took possession of a key community resource like a well or spring (u/gnurdette)
153. Slew a beloved hero (u/gnurdette)
154. Blasphemously claims divine origin (u/gnurdette)
155. Carelessly tramples fields and gardens (u/gnurdette)
156. Confiscates domestic animals (u/gnurdette)
157. Fills the land with statues and monuments to themselves (u/gnurdette)
158. Took over and desecrated the local temple (stabled animals inside) (u/gnurdette)
159. Conscripts local youth for their army (u/gnurdette)
160. Blocks an important travel route (u/gnurdette)
161. Wrote a book expressing contempt for the locals (u/gnurdette)
162. Demands labor on sacred holiday (u/gnurdette)

In the last two adventures I wrote, I had a bit of fun coming up with weather events that could change the environment in a significant way, and it seemed to me there must be so many more, so I made a post a couple of days ago, and people have been contributing some great ideas for a d100 table. Let’s keep building it!

Not all events have to be fantasy in and of themselves. The only requirement is that they have an effect beyond aesthetics. For example, here's what I have so far:

1. Rain from the Ground. Water rises slowly from the ground. Clothes and items get wet very easily unless held upright or covered from below. Items that rely on combustion may not work.
2. Touchy Fog. A strange mist envelops the area. While in it, at times creatures feel as if something was poking them or brushing against them.
3. Blizzard. Visibility is greatly reduced; temperatures drop significantly.
4. Hail. For every round a creature spends in it, roll two attacks against them with no bonus. On hit: 1d4-1 damage (minimum of 1).
5. Will o' the Wisps. Will o' the Wisps appear in random locations nearby. They float 15' above the ground and shed bright light in a 20' radius.
6. Scented Gale. A relatively strong wind rises from a cardinal direction (roll 1d4 or pick one). While walking in that direction, Save or move at half speed. To each creature in it, the wind smells like a specific food from home.
7. Hurricane. A dangerously strong wind rises from a cardinal direction (roll 1d4 or pick one). Any creature hit by it must Save or be pushed 20' in the direction the wind is blowing. Objects that are not fixed in place are moved automatically and may hit creatures as they fly.
8. Extreme Heat. It's much easier to become exhausted. This effect can be ignored for 10 minutes upon drinking water.
9. Heavy Rain. Visibility is reduced; items and clothing get wet unless covered or water-resistant; vehicles are harder to maneuver.
10. Dry Thunderstorm. Every round, a bolt of lightning hits a random spot in the area, setting flammable ground and objects on fire.
11. Thunderstorm. Heavy Rain and Dry Thunderstorm combined.
12. Elven Aurora. Mesmerizing lights fill the sky. Any creature who can see them must Save or be compelled to attack their allies. If no allies are nearby, they must instead use all their movement to flee from their enemies. They repeat the Save at the start of each of their turns. If successful, they must still repeat it as long as they can see the Elven Aurora.
13. Toxic plant growth. As rain falls, toxic plants sprout out of the ground fully grown in seconds. They have a 10’ poison/acid/lightning/etc. aura. (u/Starfury_42)
14. Quicksand. As rain falls, random spots in the ground turn into quicksand. (u/Starfury_42)
15. Heavy Rain - Alternate. Actually heavy as in weight. Not damaging, but will feel uncomfortable and those soaked in this Heavy Rain are noticeably encumbered. All terrain is difficult terrain while soaked. Characters with immunity to difficult terrain may be less impacted or not at all (PC "I don't get why you guys are so slow, it's just a bit of rain..." While the rest of the party glares at them and moves in slow motion.) (u/BloodSoakedMoose)
16. Soundstorm. They say if you are able to listen during a Soundstorm, without going deaf, or mad, you may hear the very Words of Creation as spoken by the Gods long ago at the birth of this World. 180 dB white noise, the THX theater intro, Death Whistles, Rocks in the Clothes Dryer, etc. These storms could go for days, hours, or merely minutes. (u/MaxSizeIs)
17. Reverse Thunderstorm. Bright white clouds that cause flashes of darkness followed by oppressive silence. (u/balunstormhands)
18. The Desiccating Fog. The Fog: Don't get lost. Don't be driven mad with confusion, or race after the sound of voices shouting for help, drifting on the wind. You can't help them. It is said that sometimes those that become lost in the fogs elsewhere in the world find themselves here without travelling more than a few steps. It may be those poor souls you can hear, shouting into the foggy wind. Dryness: Liquids can only be stored for 1d3 days at most, and larger quantities paradoxically go first. Better the water is in your tummy or bladder than evaporated without a trace. The Undying: Something grabbed the horses back there when the fog was thickest! Living horses don't suddenly dry to dust and collapse! (u/MaxSizeIs)
19. Rain of Frogs. Frogs and Toads and Crawly Hoppy Things suddenly fall from the sky. (u/MaxSizeIs)
20. Temporal Storm. A weather event so magically charged it's affecting the spacetime in the area. Any non-magical items might start corroding, food either visibly spoiling by the second or being unable to spoil while you are inside of the area. Any conditions creatures are affected by change their values randomly - what might have been a curse that lasts a decade ends in a week, and a buff that should have lasted a round now lasts for a month (Or the other way around). (u/Arugall)
21. Lightning Fields. Less of an active weather event and more of a consequence of one. Could be that the fabric between worlds is weak enough that the plane of air is peeking through, could be that some lightning god of some ages past spent a bit too much time here. Whatever the reason, the whole area is statically charged. Power sources that rely on electricity charge passively, attacks do extra damage, metallic pieces of gear might get magnetized as you leave. (u/Arugall)
22. Inverted Liquid Gravity. An area where gravity for specifically water is inverted. All liquids in the area flow upwards, leading to players being unable to drink potions without spending a full action on focusing on it, water and ice spells would also roll with disadvantage, and encasing someone in a ball of water will end up rapidly propelling them upwards. Where does the water flow to? Don't think about it, and don't look up. (u/Arugall)
23. Zone of Radiance. A section of the sky has been magically stripped of a large part of the magnetic field protecting us against solar radiation, and it seems to be moving around randomly. Like a magnifying glass over ants, it rapidly burns everything it shines over, dealing pure damage every round. Also cancers but as adventurers you likely weren't gonna live long enough for those to be a concern. During night time the moonlight is extremely potent, and while it doesn't do damage, all lycanthropic creatures have their stats boosted, and are mindless while under the pallid light. (u/Arugall)
24. The Dead Sun. Once a year, every year, the sun closes its eye. While it still emits enough light for plants to grow and people to see clearly, the sickly light breathes life into any corpse it shines upon, raising it as a mindless undead. The older the corpse, the more powerful the undead. Now you know why we bury our dead deep beneath the earth. Now you know what happens when a god blinks. (u/Arugall)
25. Heart of Frost. An eye of the storm where the temperature drops to dozens of degrees below (Yes, I saw the Day after Tomorrow, how could you tell?). Introduce a stacking frost debuff - every round without an active heat source adds a stack, every round heating up removes one, cold damage adds a stack, fire damage removes it. Every stack lowers move speed by 5ft, at 5 stacks remove bonus actions, at 10 stacks remove reactions, at 15 stacks you become stunned and frozen, at 20 you are dead. (u/Arugall)
26. Windstorm. Unpredictable strong winds gust constantly. Ranged attacks have a debuff, maybe a minus dice roll to hit or higher AC for the target. Or just a dice roll random chance to miss. Give those melee builds a time to shine! (u/swiftcrayon502)
27. Blossoms rain. A downpour full of rich nutrients causes extremely quick growth for plants. Traveled paths become increasingly hard to follow, and survival checks for tracking and navigating are made at disadvantage. (u/swiftcrayon502)
28. Frozen Fog. A low cloud moves into an area of cold temperatures freezing the cloud. The water droplets turn to ice/ snow and fall immediately covering the terrain with a slushy mix. You could also say the cloud is semi solid creating an environment that is very difficult to move through. (u/swiftcrayon502)
29. Whispering Wind. As a gentle zephyr blows, the environment moans and groans. Was that a sound of footfall snapping a stick or just the breeze? Was that a voice whispering a call to attack or leaves rustling? Distinguishing what is natural and unnatural sounds becomes very difficult, leading to easier ambushes and a more on edge party. (u/swiftcrayon502)
30. Fungal Spore Cloud. Every minute a creature spends in it, they must save vs poison or suffer a poison or drug effect. The effect may be mitigated with a filter mask or anti-fungal spore medicine. (u/World_of_Ideas)
31. Sandstorm. Inflicts blinded condition. Every minute a creature spends in it, they take 1d4 -1 choking damage. Damage can be mitigated with a filter mask. (u/World_of_Ideas)
32. Thick Fog. Reduce all vision to 20ft. May upgrade to Very Thick Fog. Reduce all vision to 10ft. (u/World_of_Ideas)
33. Acid Rain. Plants and plant-adjacent creatures gain one level of exhaustion unless they are completely covered until they can wash themselves in clean water for 1 minute. (u/Freidhelm)
34. Drought. Water spells consume a spell slot at least one level higher (to cast a level 2 spell, you need to use a level 3 slot, but it still works as if a level 2 slot had been used). Flammable objects catch fire from flames up to 5 feet away. (u/Freidhelm)
35. Flash Flood. Heavy rainfall followed by a surge of floodwater along the valley the PCs are travelling through. (u/agentkayne 
36. Relentless Rainfall & Widespread Flooding. Several days of rainfall, resulting in deep pools and rising river levels, creating vast areas between high ground completely cut off by deep water. (u/agentkayne)
37. Ashen Rain. grey flakes of papery ash fall from the sky like snow. Possibly forming layers like snowfall on the ground. (u/agentkayne)
38. Forest Fire. A dangerous, fast-moving forest fire begins nearby and moves in the direction of the wind. The air becomes smokey and sunlight dims. (u/agentkayne)
39. Ember Rain: A 'rain' of tiny glowing embers from a red-tinged cloud. Most go out upon contact with the ground or objects. 1 in 10 chance of starting a Forest Fire, increasing by 1 after every hour this weather event continues. (u/agentkayne)
40. Fire Tornado. Forest Fire + High Winds make for a swirling vortex of flame that whips across the landscape like a dervish. (u/agentkayne)
41. Red Skies. Thick smoke or dust in the air from a distant windstorm, forest fire or volcano turns the sky crimson and the sun only half as bright. (u/agentkayne)

Thanks to all who contributed so far! This is really going swimmingly.

1. A lich has risen in the east.

2. Demons are gathering forces and planning to break out of the Abyss.

3. Undead have begun to rise in great numbers and the NPC must investigate why.

4. A devil tricked them into a deal that keeps them from deliberately intervening in the PCs' actions.

5. Their god has forbidden them from taking part in X event.

6. A fey lord has revenge in mind for the NPC insulting them and has fey assassins on their tail.

In the last two adventures I wrote, I had a but of fun coming up with weather events that could change the environment in a significant way, and it seems to me there must be so many more, so let's build a table!

Not all events have to be fantasy in and of themselves. The only requirement is that they have an effect beyond aesthetics. For example, here's what I have so far:

1. Rain from the Ground. Water rises slowly from the ground. Clothes and items get wet very easily unless held upright or covered from below. Items that rely on combustion may not work.

2. Touchy Fog. A strange mist envelops the area. While in it, at times creatures feel as if something was poking them or brushing against them.

3. Blizzard. Visibility is greatly reduced; temperatures drop significantly.

4. Hail. For every round a creature spends in it, roll two attacks against them without no bonus. On hit: 1d4-1 damage (minimum of 1).

5. Will o' the Wisps. Will o' the Wisps appear in random locations nearby. They float 15' above the ground and shed bright light in a 20' radius.

6. Scented Gale. A relatively strong wind rises from a cardinal direction (roll 1d4 or pick one). While walking in that direction, Save or move at half speed. To each creature in it, the wind smells like a specific food from home.

7. Hurricane. A dangerously strong wind rises from a cardinal direction (roll 1d4 or pick one). Any creature hit by it must Save or be pushed 20' in the direction the wind is blowing. Objects that are not fixed in place are moved automatically and may hit creatures as they fly.

8. Extreme Heat. It's much easier to become Exhausted. This effect can be ignored for 10 minutes upon drinking water.

9. Heavy Rain. Visibility is reduced; items and clothing get wet unless covered or water-resistant; vehicles are harder to maneuver.

10. Dry Thunderstorm. Every round, a bolt of lightning hits a random spot in the area, setting flammable ground and objects on fire.

11. Thunderstorm. Heavy Rain and Thunderstorm combined.

12. Elven Aurora. Mesmerizing lights fill the sky. Any creature who can see them must Save or be compelled to attack their allies. If no allies are nearby, they must instead use all their movement to flee from their enemies. They repeat the Save at the start of each of their turns. If successful, they must still repeat it as long as they can see the Elven Aurora.

Advantages and weaknesses of a people (city, province, culture, etc)

Based on this post: strengths and weaknesses of different civilizations by i_dont_know_why-

Advantages:

1. Access to Advanced Technology - They have access to but can't manufacture technology that is more advanced than normal. Origin: (alien, artificer lab or cache, mad scientist lab or cache, pre-apocalypse, precursor civilization, spacefaring ancestors, spaceship wreckage).

2. Access to a Magical Terrain Feature - They have access to a magical (cave, cenote, grotto, grove, hot springs, lake, pool, spring, tree, etc) that grants some benefit to the community.

3. Access to a Place of Power - They have access to a place of magical power. Benefits: (boost certain types of magic, higher mana levels than normal).

4. Access to a Resource Dungeon - They have a dungeon in their (city, territory). The dungeon magically respawns resources and monsters within the dungeon. They regularly harvest resources from the dungeon / They charge adventurers, that want to go into the dungeon.

5. Air Power - They have the power of flight. Type: (airships, flying mounts, flying machines, etc).

6. Amphibious Citizens - Some or all of the citizens are amphibious. They can harvest underwater resources from (lakes, rivers, the sea) / When under attack they can retreat underwater.

7. Animal Breeding (farming animals) - They have (domesticated, engineered, selectively breed) a type of farm animal that produces (higher quality, larger quantities) of a resource (bone, feathers, fur, hide, honey, honey dew, ink, ivory, meat, nectar, oil, silk, wax, wool).

8. Animal Breeding (work animals) - They have (domesticated, engineered, selectively breed) a type of animal that is (stronger, faster, more enduring) than others of its kind. Ex: camels, dogs, elephants, elk, horses, oxen, reindeer, wolves, yaks, (fantasy creature).

9. Arboreal People - Their towns are built in large trees. Most of them have better balance and climbing skills than normal / Most non-arboreal enemies are at a disadvantage trying to fight them in the trees.

10. Arctic People - They live and thrive in harsh arctic conditions. Bonus to: (arctic survival / arctic travel / cold resistance / non-arctic cultures are at a disadvantage when fighting in the arctic).

11. Avatar Protector - This place is protected by an extremely strong entity or monster.

12. Blessing (land) - A powerful entity or god has blessed the land.

13. Blessing (people) - A powerful entity or god has blessed the people. Ex: Blessings.

14. Body Enhancement - A large number of people have been enhanced by (bioware, bio-engineering, cyberware, magical enhancement). These enhancements help them to survive and prosper.

15. Bond with a Creature - Many of the citizens have a bond with a creature companion. Ex: (dire boar, dire wolf, dragon, etc). Creatures act as (guardians, magic amplifiers, mounts, source of magic, etc).

16. Bond with Spirits - Many of the citizens have a bond with (ancestral, guardian, knowledge, nature) spirits. Spirits act as (guardians, magic amplifiers, source of magic, teachers, etc).

17. Bond with The Land - They have a mystical bond with their homeland. While within their territory, they gain boost to (attributes, magical abilities, senses, skills, etc). They may also gain access to powers and abilities while within their territory.

18. Byzantine Bureaucracy - Everything in this place is cataloged, noted, and written down. Finding information is a breeze, as the government works like a clock.

19. Clean - They have fairly high standards of cleanliness. May be the result of (culture, laws, medical knowledge, religion, etc). Reduced disease within (city, culture).

20. Concealment (camouflage) - Their communities are hidden via (camouflage, natural terrain). Its very difficult to find their communities unless you know where it is or they want to be found. Average citizen gains bonuses to camouflage and stealth.

21. Concealment (invisibility) - Their communities are cloaked via magical or technological (disinterest, illusions, invisibility, subtle misdirection or repulsion). It's nearly impossible to find their communities unless you know where they are or they want to be found.

22. Communications - They possess communication (magic, technology). This allows for nearly instant communication over long distances.

23. Constructs - They possess constructs (automatons, clockwork, golems, robots, skeletons) that they use as workers or soldiers.

24. Cosmopolitan - Visitors and merchants are common, so the people are knowledgeable about other cultures and regions. If native expertise is needed for hire, it's easy to find.

25. Cultural Chameleons - The average citizen can effortlessly adapt to, blend in with, and assimilate into other cultures. Bonus on all social rolls when dealing with outsiders. Bonus to conceal themselves within another culture.

26. Cultural Diversity - This place has a large number of different cultures, who seem to all get along with each other. Mostly.

27. Cultural Powerhouse - Something about this place's culture entices people. The music, the food, the people, the art. The culture is so intoxicating, other cultures desperately try to emulate it.

28. Defensible Location - The natural terrain makes their city easy to defend.

29. Desert People - They live and thrive in harsh desert conditions. Bonus to: (Desert survival / Desert travel / Heat resistance / Craftsmen are better at making glass / non-desert cultures are at a disadvantage when fighting in the desert).

30. Diplomacy - They are highly trained in diplomacy.

31. Diverse Population - This place has a significantly large population of strange and unusual races. Winged humanoids fly through the sky as monstrosities walk and talk amongst the population as normal citizens. Human, Monster, Devil, Angel, so long as you behave, you have a place in this city.

32. Egalitarian - This place treats everyone as equals. Even high-ranking officials have a desire to be seen as an everyday Joe.

33. Entrance / Exit to the Underworld - They control an entrance or exit to a giant cavern system. Ex: Blackreach (Skyrim) / Hollow Earth / Journey to the Center of the Earth / The Gloom (The Bad Guy series) / The Sunless Sea / The Underdark (D&D).

34. Everyone has Military Training - At a certain age everyone goes into the military for "x" years. Every citizen knows the basics of how to use a weapon and work together as a group.

35. Fertile Soil - The land is good for agriculture. Crops are easier to grow and typically produce a (larger, higher quality) harvest.

36. Gossip's Paradise - This place is swarming with the latest news, gossip, and other titillating information. Gossip rags, info boards, and even the average bartender are all eager to share.

37. Historians - These people are well versed in local and world history, and they have extensive archives kept for generations. The average citizen gets advantage on history checks and all successes to research a historical topic (History, Religion, Nature, or Arcana Checks) count as a critical success to gain the maximum amount of information.

38. Hive Mind - A large portion of the population is part of a hive mind or that have the ability to join with a hive mind in times of need. While a part of the hive mind, they gain perfect coordination when working as a team.

39. Honor Code - (Anti-social, illicit) behavior is rare due to intense indoctrination.

40. Hyper Vigilant - The average citizen is hyper vigilant. Bonus to detect illicit actions or behavior. Bonus to save vs the Surprised or Flat-footed condition.

41. Indoor or Underground Farming - They have the ability to grow crops or raise animals indoors or underground. Crops are no longer weather or season dependent and can be grown year round. Farm animals are sheltered from predators and the weather.

42. Law Enforcement (magic) - They have a division of law enforcement dedicated to stopping criminal use of magic.

43. Law Enforcement (robust) - They have enough (police, guards) to keep crime to a minimum. Their (police, guards) are well equipped and have enough training to deal with most problems.

44. Laws (tough but fair) - The laws of the civilization are tough on criminals but most people would consider them to be fair and just.

45. Less Baggage - They are a new (colony, settlement). They are far enough away from their progenitors, that they are no longer beholden to the restrictive (cultural, legal, religious) practices that stifle innovation.

46. Long Lived - The average person's lifespan is longer than normal. This may be due to diet or (cultural, medical, religious, sanitation) practices.

47. Magic (general) - They have more mages than normal / They have stronger mages than normal.

48. Magic (specialty) - Their mages are stronger at a particular type of magic. Ex: divination, elemental, healing, summoning, etc.

49. Major Trade Hub - The average citizen is more wealthy. Bonus to skills of appraisal, haggling / Locating merchants that deal in exotic goods / Average merchant knows more languages.

50. Martial Artist - Most of the citizens are practitioners of a type of martial arts. They are more physically fit than normal and know how to defend themselves. Their military and militia tend to be stronger than average.

51. Master Craftsmen (general) - They have a higher standard of craftsmanship that most civilizations.

52. Master Craftsmen (specialty) - They are better at making "x", than any other civilization.

53. Medicine - They have a higher degree of medical knowledge than other (cities, civilizations).

54. Memory Recording - They have a (magical, technological) way to record their memories. The memories of citizens with worthy skills and knowledge are preserved in a type of library. Ex: Bob the Skull from the Dresdin Files / Cyberpunk: Uploading memories to a computer / The Pensieve from Harry Potter.

55. Mental Fortified - The practices of their culture means the average citizen has above average mental defenses. The average citizen is resistant to Psychic Damage and attempts to read their minds ,hear their thoughts, or control their minds have disadvantage.

56. Metallurgy - They know how to make metals that are (stronger, tougher, lighter) than normal.

57. Military Might - They have a very strong military.

58. Mobile City - Their (settlement, town, city) is mobile. Ex: A flotilla town / On a floating island / On a moving island. It can move through the sea like a ship / On the back of a giant creature or construct / Teleports from one place to another.

59. Monster Hunters - Bonus to attack, defense, tracking, lore roles vs various types of monsters, harvesting monster parts, crafting with monster parts.

60. Mountain People - They live in the mountains. They can breath normally in thinner air. Most of them have better balance and climbing skills than normal / Their towns tend to have terrain that makes them easier to defend / Most non-mountain people are at a disadvantage trying to fight them in mountainous terrain.

61. Mutations - The citizens have one or more mutations that aid in their (prosperity, survival). Ex: Mutations.

62. Nautical People - They live by the sea or in flotilla towns. They have better: (fishermen / ships / sailors / a stronger navy / knowledge of the sea / May have a higher number of people that know how to swim).

63. Noblesse oblige - This place has a strong aristocratic tradition. Fortunately, the rules and traditions have led to them being mostly tame and well-mannered. They even believe in acting charitable, and will actively fight for their country.

64. Nomads - They are always on the move. Bonus to: (faster long distance travel times / more efficient packing / wilderness survival / average citizen knows more languages from dealing with other civilizations.

65. Open-Minded - Might be a weakness to some, but new ideas can easily enter and spread through this community.

66. Pass / Tunnel Through a Barrier - They control a pass or tunnel though an impassable natural barrier. They can tax anyone wanting to use their pass. Going around would cost travelers hundreds of miles. Ex: bridge across a grand canyon / canyon, pass, or tunnel through a mountain range / tunnel from the main land to an island.

67. Patriotic - It's easy to rouse the populace into shared or altruistic effort by appealing to their love of country.

68. Physical Prowess - People are just (bigger, stronger, tougher, etc) than other civilizations. Could be a result of (culling the weak, cultural training regimen, diet, divine blessing, mutation, selective breeding, etc).

69. Portal Network - They have access to a portal network that grants nearly instant travel to various locations.

70. Power of Cuteness - Their race is considered adorable by many sapient beings. They have learned to weaponize their cuteness to get what they want and lull their opponents into a false sense of security.

71. Printing Press - This society has a robust news-system. Several news organizations rush to get the truth out to the people (or the latest slander to the yellow rags).

72. Protected by God - Their (city, people) are protected by a powerful entity (celestial, lich, god, old one, outsider, primordial, etc). This "god" takes a very active role in defending them or getting revenge on those who would harm them.

73. Protected by Nature - Some naturally occurring thing drives away the (monsters, supernatural creatures, undead, etc) / Some naturally occurring thing blocks the (corruption, fungal spores, radiation, toxic winds, etc).

74. Rare Resource - They have access to a rare and valuable resource, as well as the ability to make use of it.

75. Recycling - They are very good at repurposing items and recycling materials. They can get by on less raw materials and produce less waste materials than other societies.

76. Resistance to Corrosives - The average citizen has resistance to Acid Damage.

77. Resistance to Disease - There are a lot of diseases in their region. They have adapted a resistance in order to survive.

78. Resistance to Magic Type - The people are resistant to a particular type of magic.

79. Resistance to Petrification - The culture is used to [petrifying element] and so the average citizen is immune to petrification caused by [petrifying element].

80. Resistance to Poison - There are a lot of toxins in their region. They have adapted a resistance in order to survive.

81. Robust Courier / Mail System - They can rapidly send mail or packages to anywhere in their (city, civilization).

82. Scholarly - Average citizen has a higher level of education.

83. Shape Changers - The average citizen can transform into one or more other forms. These other forms give them distinct advantages when performing certain tasks. Ex: Transforming into a: (dog or wolf to track prey by scent / dolphin or squid to work underwater / horse or donkey when muscle power is needed.

84. Significant Landmark - A beautiful statue/building/natural feature draws people to this place. Tourists commonly talk about the beauty and wonder of this place.

85. Skilled Traders -

86. Spirits of their Ancestors - They have a way to contact the spirits of their ancestors. Their ancestors can provide useful advice and knowledge.

87. Strong Allies - They have strong allies that they can call on in times of need.

88. Strong Currency - The local currency is typically worth more than other types of currency / The local currency is almost always (accepted, exchangeable) in other (cities, countries, kingdoms). Economically they are stable, reliable, and trusted.

89. Talking Beasts - For better or worse, this place has a large population of sentient and speaking animals.

90. Technology - They can produce one or more technologies that the rest of the world doesn't know how to make yet.

91. Trained for Emergencies - The average citizen knows what to do and where to go during various types of emergencies. Ex: (earthquake, fire, flood, invasion, monster attack, raider attack, tsunami, etc). Bonus: Higher survival rates and reduced panic during emergencies.

92. Unique Product - They have access to a unique resource / They produce a product that no one knows how to make or no one has the appropriate resources to make.

93. Unpalatable Food Source - Their primary food source is unpalatable to (outsiders, animals). (Outsiders, animals) have no interest in stealing their food.

94. Well Planned Cities - The cities are planned out to take into consideration: (bad weather, crime prevention, defense, needs of different races, pollution, population growth, trade, traffic flow, waste disposal, etc).

95. Zen - The average citizen is considered pretty calm and zen. They have advantage on wisdom saving throws.

Weaknesses:

1. Accent / Dialect - They speak with an accent or dialect that makes them difficult to understand.

2. Agoraphobia (fear of open spaces) - An underground civilization. They have a crippling fear of the outside world / If force onto the surface, most of them suffer from panic attacks and dizziness.

3. AI-Assisted - This culture has a large Arcane/Artificial Intelligence network. The population has become reliant on it, and seem to have difficulties without its assistance.

4. Bad God(s) - Their god, gods, or entities that they worship are real but they are (apathetic, controlling, cruel, demanding, incompetent, insane, etc). While they are unlikely to wipe out their worshipers, they are detrimental to them in some way.

5. Bad Reputation - They have a (true, exaggerated, false) reputation, that makes other (people, societies) dislike or distrust them.

6. Belief in a False God - Someone has conned the people into worshiping them as a god or they worship a god or entity that doesn't exist. The people do things that are detrimental to (outsiders, their society) in order to appease this god.

7. Besieged Stronghold - They live in walled towns or cities that are surrounded by dangerous monsters. They are constantly fighting off monster attacks. Going outside the city or traveling to other cities is very dangerous.

8. Bound to the Land - They are mystically bound to their homeland. If they leave their territory they become weaker. This weakness may become worse the longer they spend away from their territory and may eventually cause incapacitation or death. Environmental damage to their homeland may cause direct (harm, debuffs) to the people.

9. Can't Speak Common - They can speak their own language. They may be able to speak a few esoteric languages. They might be able to understand common, unfortunately their mouth parts or vocal cords aren't capable of producing the sounds needed to speak many common languages.

10. Can't Look Away - The average citizen has disadvantage on any checks to not see something or avoid a sight-based attack, debuff, or trap.

11. Clashing Cultures - The civilization is made up of several different cultures. Each culture wants its own set of customs, rules, and regulations. This causes a lot of friction between the different cultures.

12. Company Town - This place is owned by a particularly strong corporation/merchant's guild. People are paid in company script and must follow the rules put forth by the company.

13. Compromised Defenses - Someone knows how to bypass or shutdown the city's defenses. Ex: Method to shutdown (automatons, force dome, golems, robots, turrets, wards, etc) / Secret passage that avoids the walls and security forces.

14. Conspicuous Consumption - Wasteful spending in pursuit of status.

15. Corrupt Aristocracy - The aristocratic tradition of this place has rotted. Over-consumption, gaudy fashions, and kangaroo courts are normal, everyday occurrences here, as well as the occasional assassination.

16. Cowards - The average citizen is easily frightened, startled, or intimidated. Bonus to All Intimidation checks against the average citizen. Citizen have disadvantage on all fear based saves.

17. Cursed (land) - The land itself has been cursed. The nature of the curse makes it difficult to survive there.

18. Cursed (people) - The people have been cursed. The curse: (makes interacting with outsiders difficult, makes survival difficult, reduces birth rates, reduces lifespan, etc).

19. Cut-Throat Competition - Every stratum of this society seems to be fighting against each other. Even the lowest servants look to backstab each other to gain power.

20. Deal With the Devil - The people have made a deal with some sort of powerful entity or monster. The deal allows them to survive or prosper, however the price is very high. If the price is not paid each (week, month, year, full moon, harvest, season, etc), their prosperity ends or turns to ruin.

21. Dependency - Their people are dependent on "x" for their survival. It is a critical point of failure for their civilization. Ex: (They all require a special medicine / They can only eat "x" / A failing power source is powering their civilization).

22. Dependency (trade partner) - The civilization is dependent on a trade partner for some resource. The resource is critical to their (industry, survival). They have to maintain a good relationship with the trade partner and open trade routes or they can't get the resources they need. At times they may have to defend their trade partner.

23. Detrimental Practice - Some of their (cultural, religious, work) practices are detrimental to their civilization. Effect: (hazardous, ostracizes potential allies and trade partners, reducing the quality of products or work, slows or stifles innovation, slows work).

24. Drug Problem - Many of the people are addicted to a type of drug. Symptoms may vary, but they are always detrimental.

25. Dueling - Jockeying for status via combat continually bleeds off a portion of society.

26. Egotistical - Every person here believes they are the gods' gift to the world. Even the lowest of the low think it's a matter of time before they reach the top.

27. Enemy - Their (culture, race) has a grudge with another (culture, race). Their will be hostilities when members of the two (cultures, races) encounter each other.

28. Failing Resource - Their primary resource is starting to dry up. Ex: (animals scarce from over hunting / forest over forested / mine nearly depleted / soil depleted by over farming / etc).

29. Friend Computer - This place has an immortal ruler. Sadly, it's not a SANE immortal ruler, as they constantly issue new rules and punishments.

30. Grand Mikado - Strange and ironic punishments are commonly used to punish criminals in this place. Worse yet, the victims of such punishments are commonly paraded around. This can be as violent or funny as you wish.

31. Harsh Environment - The surrounding environment can easily be lethal to those aren't prepared for it. Even those with knowledge and preparation may find it difficult. Ex: (arctic, desert, wasteland).

32. Harsh Laws - The laws are very strict and punishment for breaking the law is very severe.

33. High Crime - They have a higher number of criminal in their population.

34. Hive Mind - A large portion of this population is part of a hive mind. Their presence is off-putting, and harming one of them harms them all.

35. Hive Mind (Brain) - A large portion of the population is part of a hive mind. They are controlled by one brain (entity, construct). If the "brain" is killed or incapacitated all members of the hive mind become (apathetic, confused, incapacitated, mindless). If an individual is separated from the hive mind they also suffer these effects.

36. Hostile Neighbors - A neighboring (country, kingdom, tribe, horde) raids or invaded often.

37. Inbred - Resulting medical problems abound.

38. Internal Strife - A large and diverse population can have its downsides, and in this case seem to result in constant bickering and fights between different groups and cliques.

39. Illiterate - The majority of the population is illiterate / The entire population is illiterate.

40. Infiltrated - Their (government, military, society) has been infiltrated by (enemy, foreign) agents. These agents (create descent, sabotage the society, spy on them, steal their tech).

41. Isolationists - They do not have an abundance of allies and distrust strangers. The surrounding cultures may be eager to aid anyone but them.

42. Knuckle Draggers - Their society is obsessed with physical strength. They look down on and discourage intellectual pursuits. The average citizen will be very strong and tough but they will be lacking in intelligence. Their tactics tend to very straightforward.

43. Lacking a Skill - They never developed "x" skill or the skill was somehow lost (everyone that knew it died). Characters from this (city, civilization) cannot start with this skill.

44. Last of Their Kind - The (village, town, city) is the last remnants of a particular (culture, race). The loss of any of their people is a major blow.

45. Lawlessness - There is a high crime rate due to: (criminals have become too powerful for local government to deal with / lackadaisical enforcement / poorly written laws / the lack the resources and manpower to deal with the problem / too much corruption).

46. Live in the Now - They do not keep records, and the average citizen has disadvantage on all History Checks.

47. Makeshift Crafters - Their (architecture, furniture, tools, weapons) are constructed by cobbling together whatever they could find. Everything they build has a post-apocalyptic, improvised, or jury-rigged look. Things they build have: (defects, lower durability, higher rate of failure).

48. Mayfly Leadership - A particularly turbulent time period has led to the constant death/resignation of it's leadership. It's lucky to have a leader last longer than a few years, if not a few months.

49. Minion Mentality - They exist to serve a strong master. They will serve their master even if mistreated. If their master is defeated, they will change allegiances to whoever or whatever defeated them.

50. Monstrous Aristocracy - The aristocrats of this place can hardly be called human....mostly because they're not. A group of powerful monstrosities rules this land.

51. Mutants - A large population of people in this area has a variety of positive and negative mutations. The cause of the mutations is unknown, but could be technological, spiritual, or magical. The mutations are unnerving to the average traveler, though not necessarily disgusting.

52. Nationalistic - People of this place are heavily invested in it and refuse to believe in any flaw it might have.

53. No Written Language - Their society either never developed a written language or somehow lost it. The average citizen cant read or write.

54. One Lore Keeper - There is only one keeper of knowledge and possibly their apprentice. If the lore keeper is lost (abduction, death, lost, mental deterioration, etc), the people lose access to most of their history and other important knowledge.

55. One Male or Female - There is a single (female, male) that produces offspring. All other members of the population are sterile or can only breed with the single (female, male). A new (female, male) is only produced every "x" (years, decades). Upon adulthood, the new (female, male) replaces the current one or leaves to form a new colony. If the (female, male) is lost (abduction, death, lost, rendered sterile), then the society can't reproduce and will eventually die off.

56. Paris Syndrome - While this place may be spectacular, the rumors are even more grandiose. People who are excited to come here are commonly heartbroken by their disappointment.

57. Peasant-Minded - What's the point of eking out a better life when you'll still be on the bottom? Best to appease your masters and not question any rule or law that they put forward. These individuals make wonderful servants and yes-men, though they lack the creativity or ambition for other crafts.

58. Photosensitivity - An underground civilization. They find normal daylight blinding. They are more vulnerable to sunburn than normal.

59. Poor - The (city, culture) is economically poor. The average citizen has less money. It's more difficult to find certain products.

60. Poorly Planned Cities - The cities were constructed in a way that fails to take into consideration: (bad weather, crime prevention, defense, needs of different races, pollution, population growth, trade, traffic flow, waste disposal, etc). Everything would need to be demolished and rebuilt to fix the problem.

61. Prejudice Against Empowered - They fear and discriminate against (magic users, mutants, psychics, supers, etc). They likely have a group dedicated hunting them down. Ex: inquisitors, mage hunters, witch hunters, etc.

62. Primitive - Their society is more primitive than other societies.

63. Protection Racket - The (city, civilization) is paying a (money, resources, sacrifices) to (a foreign power, bandits, a powerful monster, cultist, hostile neighbors, monsters, pirates, raiders, etc) so they don't attack.

64. Recently Assimilated - The (city, civilization) has recently been (annexed, conquered). The people are still not familiar with the new (currency, customs, laws, rules) / There may be some animosity or friction between the people and their new rulers.

65. Recovering from a Disaster - The (city, civilization) has been through some kind of disaster (magical disaster, natural disaster, war). It's slowly recovering.

66. Red-Tape Wonderland - The bureaucracy in this land made sense....at one point in time. However, rule after rule has turned any simple task into an administrative quagmire.

67. Required Garb - Citizens must wear a specific form of clothing to survive here. It might be a gas mask against smog, or it might be a king's ruling to identify outsiders.

68. Required Protective Gear - The environment is hazardous in some way. People have to wear protective gear whenever they are outside. Shelters have mostly keep the hazard out, but some shelters protection may be failing. Ex: (life draining magic, radiation, toxic atmosphere, toxic fungal spores, etc).

69. Ruler is an Evil Overlord - The current ruler is unnecessarily cruel and harsh.

70. Ruler is Incompetent - The current ruler makes very bad decisions.

71. Ruler is Insane - The current ruler is insane.

72. Ruler is a Warlord - The current ruler is constantly trying to conquer other civilizations and expand their territory.

73. Single Sex - Their population is all (male, female). They have to (interact with, capture) outsiders in order to reproduce. Ex: Amazons from Greek mythology.

74. Sinner's Paradise - This place is particularly thick with gambling, vice, and pleasures. If you're not careful, you might get sucked in.

75. Sitting on a Gold Mine - They have access to a resource that they can't use. Other civilizations consider this resource to be extremely valuable, and would likely invade if they find out about it.

76. Slaver's Guild - This place has a particularly strong slaver's guild, where people are treated as property. Travelers regularly go missing, only to show up later on the market.

77. Slow Birth Rate - They have a very slow birth rate compared to other civilizations.

78. Spy Network - Those in power have a particularly strong spy network in this place, and commonly overhear and react to any gossip.

79. State Controlled Information - Nearly all information is heavily filtered and regulated by the governing body. All the average citizens know is the propaganda they have been fed by their rulers. All information that contradicts the government is (covertly, ruthlessly) eliminated.

80. Strange Customs - This country has a number of strange and uncomfortable customs which are done regularly and out in the open.

81. Stressful - This location and it's people are just....stressful to be around. Hairs grow white, tempers flair, and health conditions seems questionable.

82. Strict Caste System - People are born into a social caste. This affects (what jobs they can get, what they are allowed to own, where they can live, who they can interact with, who they can marry). The (culture, laws, religion) makes it nearly impossible to rise above your station.

83. Strict Gender Roles - Each half of the population deliberately cultivates incompetence in the realms assigned to the other gender / The (culture, laws, religion) punishes or ridicules people, who try to do jobs outside of their gender roles.

84. Superstitious - Most of them believe in something that isn't true. Other people can easily use this belief against them.

85. Thalassophobia (fear of deep water) - They have a crippling fear of the sea. They don't craft or travel on boats or ships / If forced on a ship, most of them suffer panic attacks / No one starts out knowing how to swim.

86. The Curse of Cuteness - Their race is considered adorable by many sapient beings. It's often difficult to get other races to take them seriously or not treat them like small children.

87. Tied to Tradition - They are determined to follow their customs and traditions, even if it (is proven to be detrimental, puts them at a disadvantage, works against them).

88. Top-heavy Control: Leaders of this society have the magic/tech to create what they need. As such, they find no need whatsoever to bend to the needs of the few.

89. Trusting - The average citizen is too trusting or gullible. Bonus to all Persuasion or Deception checks made against the average citizen.

90. Unsanitary Practices - Some of their (cultural, religious, work) practices are very unsanitary resulting in a higher disease rate.

91. Vulnerability to a Disease - Their people are particularly vulnerable to a particular disease.

92. Vulnerability to a Toxin - Their people are particularly vulnerable to a poison.

93. Weak - They are smaller or weaker than other civilization. Could be a result of (disease, divine exposure to toxin, curse, inbreeding, mutation, poor diet, etc).

94. Weak Currency - The local currency is worth less than other types of currency / The local currency may not be (accepted, exchangeable) in other (cities, countries, kingdoms).

95. Weak to Cold - They are used to hotter climates and don't do well in the cold.

96. Weak to Dryness - Their skin must be moist at all times or they suffer. In arid environments they have to constantly wet their skin or wear an encounter suit.

97. Weak to Heat - They are used to colder climates and don't do well in the heat.

98. Xenophobic (fear of strangers) - The people just dislike or distrust (different races, outsiders)

Contributors, Sources, Inspiration:

comedianmasta

gnurdette

Paranoia RPG

snakebite262

World_of_Ideas/

Studies of: (anthropology, political science, world history)

Various fantasy and scifi (anime, books, comics, films, games, manga, TV shows)

Links to first and second attempts at this list.

You're exploring an underwater dungeon on the ocean floor at the bottom of the sea (or maybe it's floating in a massive whirlpool, or in the Elemental Plane of Water, or you've been shrunk down and trapped in a wizard's fishbowl). What kinds of aquatic obstacles, environmental hazards, traps, or things could block your forward progress? (Preferably non-combat entries, or things that could make combat more tricky.)

1. The thick vegetation here hides several 5 to 20 foot long plant tendrils reaching up from the floor. They will grab and restrain anyone passing over, though they lack the strength to kill any fish larger than your hand. They also shriek loudly when cut.

2. Same as above, but this variant is strong enough to strangle people

3. A swift current passes through this passage at a rate of 20 feet per round

4. A strong current passes through this passage at a rate of 50 feet per round. Being pulled by it will cause damage as you collide with the rough sides of the passage.

5. This chamber has a strong whirlpool current around its perimeter, along with lots of pillars and sharp rocks to get smashed into

6. A narrow passage is lined with razor-sharp molluscs, they have long proboscises that suck up blood

7. This opening is clogged with gelatinous vegetation that secretes acid on contact

8. This opening is clogged with gelatinous vegetation that secretes an extremely sticky glue. The plants are barely attached to the wall and come free easily. It takes 1d4 minutes to cut one off without injuring yourself.

9. Bright blue runes glow on a pillar. Their light feels cold to your skin. Anything that moves past the pillar faster than 25 feet per round is encased in bouyant ice.

10. The turbulent water here is choked with silt, reducing visibility to 10 feet

11. Hundreds of blood-sucking parasitic worms lie buried under the silt. They will emerge and swarm anything that disturbs them. The wounds they inflict bleed freely and do not close without medical attention.

12. Did you know there is an aquatic variant of shrieker mushrooms?

13. Did you know there is an aquatic variant of gas spores? They still look like beholders, weirdly... Still explosive.

14. A volcanic vent fills a small area with harmful boiling water

15. A section of floor has a strange arcane sigil inscribed on it, and water and silt flow over it in a hexagonal pattern. Any object or creature moving into it is shot out at high speed in a random direction.

16. This passage is lined with necrotic arcane runes that glow purple. The water is stagnant, devoid of oxygen, and completely unbreathable.

17. This passage is lined with yellow arcane runes that dampen sound. Speech, echolocation, and verbal spellcasting are impossible.

18. Seismic activity suddenly knocks loose a torrent of mud and sand that threatens to sweep you away or bury you!

19. Seismic activity suddenly opens glowing red cracks in the floor. The water is quickly heating to boiling temperatures!

20. Anemone ferns emit a small electric field around them. Deals lightning damage and can stun. /u/comedianmasta

21. Hermit shrooms are large, shelf-like mushrooms that grow in heavy currents (usually on ledges and cliffs). Can be climbed to fight against the heavy currents, but too much weight will make them retract into their shells. /u/comedianmasta

22. A typical smasher trap, but it moves slowly in an enclosed space because of water pressure. The pressure causes severe nausea for about 20 seconds before it finally closes shut and crushes the victim. /u/comedianmasta

23. A wall of magically high-pressure water that blocks passage through. Can be deactivated by changing the pressure differential in another part of the room/dungeon. /u/comedianmasta

24. A dense tangle of weeds blocks a door. /u/comedianmasta

25. Dense lumps of calcified coral block a door. /u/comedianmasta

26. Grasping weeds that sense body heat to reach out and grab prey. Ice and magical cold keep them docile. /u/comedianmasta

27. Mage hand barnacles (a misnomer, they're not telekinetic) create water currents to strongly thrust creatures away from themselves. Often cultivated in conjunction with spike traps or other hazards. /u/comedianmasta

28. A spear trap that shoots a heavy harpoon. If you survive it hinders movement and you must be careful when removing it. /u/comedianmasta

29. Ghost coral are bleached white growths that reach out with ghostly hands to impale prey on necrotic growths. Holy powers and radiant magic, like undead turning, shatter the growths and banish the spirits within. /u/comedianmasta

30. A cloud of blood and viscera has been trapped here by currents, likely something a predator got recently. Swimming through it risks exposure to disease. /u/comedianmasta

31. A tangle of net algae is easy to pass through slowly, but likely to snare anyone in a hurry. Removing it could cost you a few crucial seconds needed to escape danger. /u/comedianmasta

32. A school of fish is attracted to light sources, creating a severe distraction. /u/comedianmasta

33. A school of cute colorful fish that follow predators (and adventurers) so they can feed on the things they kill. They snap up their food at an alarming rate. /u/ProfBumblefingers

34. A giant flounder is disturbed by the noise and bursts from the silty floor. It's not hostile, it's just big, in the way, and not sure where to go. /u/ProfBumblefingers

35. A magical relic produces a constant stream of bubbles, creating air pockets on the ceiling or in chambers above. It's splitting the seawater into its elemental components. One stream is pure oxygen. The other stream is pure hydrogen. /u/ProfBumblefingers

36. A school of snapping shrimp is in the area--you can't hear a thing over all that racket! /u/ProfBumblefingers

37. The carcass of a large whale or other creature has fallen to the ocean bottom. It might have scavengable food, oil, or weapons from whatever killed it. It may also attract dangerous scavengers or whatever ate it in the first place. /u/ProfBumblefingers

38. An entangling fishing net is being dragged across the seabed by a fishing vessel, some clever aquatic raiders, or just the ocean currents. /u/ProfBumblefingers

39. Methane hydrate deposits on the seafloor. If you use fire or lightning magic, you might get a much bigger bang than you bargained for! (One cubic meter of methane hydrate expands to 160 cubic meters of gas if ignited.) /u/ProfBumblefingers

40. Crab migration. Hundreds of thousands of large crabs swarm across the ocean floor. Run? Fight? Hunker down? Will they bite? Will you have crab legs for dinner? /u/ProfBumblefingers

41. A large stationary sand sucker has buried itself in sand except for its mouth, which has a 5’ diameter opening. it appears to be a normal sea floor or hollow until someone draws near, at which point the victim will be sucked in and sprayed with acid. /u/oliviajoon

42. Hypnotic mollusks are oyster-like creatures with a shiny pearlescent shell worth its weight in gold. They hypnotize anything that comes within 10 feet and then patiently wait for it to starve to death. /u/oliviajoon

43. A sunken boat has a cursed mirror inside. Anyone looking into it is given the mental compulsion: "kill all your friends." /u/oliviajoon

44. A species of squid sprays a cloud of smelly ink. Touching it stains clothing and leaves a potent stench that lasts for hours and can attract predators. /u/oliviajoon

45. Giant barnacles stick to cave walls. If you come too close they will spray you with sticky glue that can suffocate if it gets on your gills or face. /u/oliviajoon

46. Cursed seaweed appears to be full of screaming faces. Paying attention to their cries deals psychic damage. /u/oliviajoon

47. A shipwreck creaks and groans in the ocean currents. While exploring a mast collapses, crushing and spraying splintered wood everywhere. /u/oliviajoon

Personal claim to fame or infamy

The person if famous. What are they known for?

The person is infamous. What are they known for?

Personal Fame

1. Accidentally killed the (disguised, shapeshifted) villain or monster / Hit and killed a NPC with a unlucky shot. Later the NPC turns out to be a villain or monster that was plaguing the town / Gave the villain (food, drink, an item) that they turned out to be (allergic, vulnerable) to

2. Aided in the capture of an infamous (criminal, gang, monster)

3. Aided in foiling a crime (abduction, murder, protection racket, robbery, rustling, etc)

4. Apprenticed to someone notable

5. Architect - They (designed, built) notable buildings and structures / They are the reason architecture in "x" region has a certain look, is made of a certain material, has certain design elements, etc

6. Barfly. This person is a renowned drunk, known for paying for others drinks, countless gossip, and good times. People always bring up adventurers that the drunk can't recall.

7. Bested someone notable in a duel

8. Bested (someone notable, a supernatural entity) in a game or contest

9. Bested (someone notable, a supernatural entity) in a game or contest + Used the prize to benefit (a good cause, the people, the town)

10. Broke a Record. Something similar to the Guinness world records. (local, state, kingdom, country, world) record

11. Captured a (city, fortress, stronghold, strategic target) that was said to be impregnable

12. Captured / Defeated / Killed a infamous criminal

13. Captured / Defeated / Killed a infamous monster

14. Caught a prize winning fish or sea creature

15. Changed the environment for the better. Ex: Transformed a wasteland into bountiful (fields, wetlands, woodlands, etc)

16. Chosen - (Champion, chosen one) of a non-evil (angel, celestial, god, outsider, primordial, spirit)

17. Clearing pest from the (fields, granaries, important structure, town, water source, etc)

18. Convinced a powerful entity (demigod, fae lord, god, old one, outsider, primordial, spirit, etc) to lend its aid to your (cause, clan, faction, town, tribe)

19. Crafted something that no one has been able to replicate

20. Created a popular recipe

21. Defeated a local (champion, undefeated team) at a (contest, sport)

22. Defeated a (monster, villain) through sheer luck

23. Defeated a (monster, villain) with smarts and tactics instead of brawn. Ex: (burying via avalanche, causing a cave-in to seal them in, thin ice on a frozen lake, tricking them into a trap, etc)

24. Defeated the champion(s) of an evil (demon, devil, fae lord, god, old one, outsider, primordial, etc)

25. Discovered a cure for a notable (curse, disease, poison), which was afflicting (a person, a group of people, livestock, crops)

26. Discovered a resource that allowed your (clan, town, tribe) to flourish or grow wealthy

27. Discovered a treasure or lost relic (family heirloom, historical treasure, national treasure, pirate's treasure, religious relic, town heirloom, working pre-apocalypse or precursor tech, etc)

28. Discovered or engineered a new crop, that can be used for (brewed drinks, dyes, medicine, spices, textiles, etc)

29. Discovered or engineered a new crop, that can survive in the (apocalypse, cursed lands, new world, waste lands, etc) / Discovered or engineered a new crop that can survive the coming changes in climate

30. Discovered or engineered a new crop, that kept the locals feed during hard times

31. Discovered something notable (aliens, cause of “x”, cure for “x”, historically important document or artifact, lost civilization, lost relic, lost technology, lost treasure of “x”, magic, new dimension, new land, new race, new technology, new world, resource, ruins, scientific principle, etc)

32. Dispelled a notable curse

33. Domesticated creatures, that have become incredibly (popular, useful)

34. Domesticated creatures, that were believed to be impossible to domesticate

35. Escaped from some place that was thought to be inescapable

36. Explored a (dangerous, mysterious) region

37. Fashion - They have designed style of clothing that has become very popular / They designed a style of clothing that was popular, but its popularity is declining / Their fame in has caused their outfits to become popular

38. First in generations to be able to (activate, awaken, touch, use) a magical heirloom that the town is known for.

39. Foiled a (coup, insurrection, mutiny, rebellion, revolt, etc) where the end result would have been worse for the people

40. Foiled an infamous crime

41. Found and returned the lost (bride, groom) to their betrothed

42. Found and returned the lost heir to their family

43. Fount of Knowledge - The person knows a great deal about a great many subjects. People often seek them out, when they have questions.

44. Fulfilled the conditions of a prophesy, where the end result was good

45. Greatly reduced crime in an area

46. Grew a prize winning large vegetable

47. Helped peacefully end a (riot, mutiny)

48. Heroic deed

49. Highly skilled. They may not be a master but they are the best at "x" skill within the region. Ex: (archery, bushcraft, fighting style, game, painting, profession, sport, weaving, etc)

50. Holds one of the top ranks in a specific (game, sport)

51. Honorable to a fault. They always act honorably even when they know their opponents will not / They always keep their word / They always make fair deals / They stick to a strict code of honor

52. Hunted or a prize winning creature

53. Introduced a notable person to their (betrothed, significant other)

54. Invented something of power. An extremely powerful (artifact, ritual, spell, technology)

55. Invented something that has become popular / Invented something that was extremely popular but has declined in it's popularity

56. Invented something that changed the (country, kingdom, world / culture, society)

57. Johnny Appleseed - Planted a certain type of plant everywhere they have traveled. The plant is now common throughout "x" region. The plant may be a harvestable resource

58. Provided food for a (colony, outpost, town, tribe) during a (crop failure, harsh winter, long drought, poor harvest)

59. Lead a (notable person, group of people) to safety through foul weather or a harsh environment

60. Lead a successful (campaign, raid) against (criminal, evil, invading, occupying, oppressive) forces

61. Lead the militia vs (a gang, bandits, invading forces, monster attack, occupying forces, raiders)

62. Managed to rally the (militia, troops), allowing them to win a battle

63. Master craftsman

64. Master or grand master of a (fighting style, game, profession, sport)

65. Mistaken Identity - You look like someone famous and often get mistaken for them

66. Non-Combatant who picked up a weapon to help defend their (clan, outpost, town, tribe)

67. Performed an Amazing Stunt - People have witnessed you performing an amazing stunt. Ex: Evil Knievel jumping the Grand Canyon

68. Pillar of the community. You perform an important function for the community / You set an example for others to live by

69. Popular Artist (artist, bard, performer, playwright, poet, singer, storyteller, troubadour, writer)

70. Popular Entertainer (actor, comedian, dancer, musician, poet, puppeteer, singer, sports star, storyteller, etc)

71. Prophesy. You fit the description of a character in a prophesy that is going to bring about something really good.

72. Offered yourself as tribute for (military conscription, slavers, the arena, the hunt) to protect others

73. Raised the alarm. Saving the (town, outpost) from a (raiding force, group of monsters)

74. Related to someone famous. (Child of, married to, mother or father of, sibling of, student of) “x”

75. Rescued someone (famous / important / notable)

76. Rose above their station. The commoner becoming nobility or royalty

77. Saved a group of people from "x" (accident, bandits, dangerous animals, monsters, natural disaster, pirates, raiders, slavers, starvation, etc)

78. Saved a notable person / Saved a notable person’s (betrothed, family member, friend, lover)

79. Saved a town from (a curse, disease, economic ruin, monsters, natural disaster, raiders, starvation). The person's actions were considered to be integral to the process

80. Smuggling in much needed (food, medicine, supplies) past the (blockade, invaders, monster hordes, oppressors)

81. Sniper. Witnessed hitting a difficult target at the weapon's maximum range

82. Solved a notable crime

83. Solved a notable riddle or puzzle

84. Started or lead a (coup, insurrection, mutiny, rebellion, revolt, etc) where the end result was better for the people than before

85. Stealing much needed (food, medicine, supplies) from the evil (invaders, occupying force, oppressors)

86. Stopped a plague before it could spread

87. Stopped a war

88. Survivor. You were (the only survivor, one of very few survivors) of a (accident, assassin, cave-in, curse, dangerous mission, disaster, disease, god's wrath, invasion, long fall, monster attack, monster surge, natural disaster, poisoning, purge, serial killer, raid, shipwreck, etc)

89. Tamed a creature that was thought to be untamable

90. The Gift. You are the first person from this (clan, faction, kingdom, tribe, region) to develop (a connection to the spirits, a special ability, a special power, magic) in (decades, centuries)

91. Their (apprentice, student) became (a notable hero, the arch mage, the leader, the general, the king, the master of "x" craft, the master of "x" skill, the savior)

92. The Sidekick, This person is known for being a minor actor in another significant adventuring party. Perhaps they were the group mascot, or a hireling. They may have helped with a major quest, but they were hardly more than a minor help.

93. True Predictions. On more than one occasion they have accurately predicted something notable

94. United two or more groups of rival (clans, factions, guilds, schools. sects, tribes)

95. United two or more neighboring (countries, kingdoms, regions)

96. Used diplomacy to solve a notable dispute

97. Winner of a notable contest

98. Wrote a book or series of books, that has become popular

99. Wrote a book or series of books, that has become the recognized standard of (alchemy, artificers, engineering, farming, history, laws, magic, monster hunting, science, etc)

100. Wrote a famous document (abolition of "x", bill or rights, constitution, declaration if independence, peace treaty, treaty of "x", etc)

Personal Infamy

1. Abducted someone notable

2. Abducted the (animal companion, familiar, pet, prized animal) of someone notable

3. Accident Prone (disaster level) - You often have accidents. All accidents seem to scale up, spill over, or trigger other accidents to become much worse than they should be

4. Accidents. All of their (enemies, rivals) end up having unfortunate accidents. No one can prove anything but everyone thinks they are behind it

5. Assassinated notable targets

6. Associated with or related to an infamous group (assassins, bandits, barbarians, cannibals, cult, dark lords army, evil mages, gang members, marauders, pirates, raiders, savages, sect, thieves, etc)

7. Atrocities. They are known for committing atrocities or war crimes

8. Awakened a great evil (AI, demon, devil, god, kaiju, lich, monster, monster horde, old one, outsider, primordial, spirit) from its slumber

9. Bad Luck. This person is known as a Jinx. They may not have caused an incident, but they've been around enough catastrophes that people willfully avoid them.

10. Bears the Mark - Bears the mark of a convicted criminal / Bears the mark of a criminal group (bandit gang, criminal organization, cult, gang, pirate group) / Bears the mark of an evil entity (demon, devil, god, old one, outsider, primordial, spirit, etc)

11. Betrayed their (clan, country, faction, king, people, tribe)

12. Braggart - This person is known for boasting of (their deeds, the deed of their faction)

13. Brainwashing. They are known for brainwashing their (captives, victims)

14. Calling Card (dismemberment of victims, item left at scene, symbol)

15. Cannibalism. Known for eating their own kind / Known for eating sapient races

16. Captured and ransomed someone notable

17. Caused an accident that harmed or killed many people

18. Caused a magical disaster. A (city, state, kingdom, empire, continent, world) wide magical disaster

19. Caused a rampage. Did something to send a (clan, cult, faction, monster, tribe) on a killing spree. The (creatures, people) in question were non-aggressive or had no interest in leaving their territory before the incident.

20. Caused a notable (person, faction) great embarrassment

21. Caused the apocalypse

22. Changed the environment for the worse - Ex: Turned a bountiful (grassland, forest, lake) into a (desert, garbage dump, pool of toxic waste, wasteland, etc)

23. Chosen - (Champion, chosen one) of an evil or forsaken (demon, devil, fallen, god, old one, outsider, primordial, spirit, etc)

24. Collateral Damage - In your past exploits, you have cause a lot of collateral damage when (trying to help, on a mission or quest). Many would say you caused more damage than the original problem. (Ex: Lina Inverse from Slayers)

25. Conquered a (kingdom, region)

26. Cooking so bad that people fear it / Cooking regularly takes the prize for most (disgusting looking, foul smelling, foul tasting, etc) in competitions / Cooking used in eating competitions for most difficult to eat and keep down

27. Created a monster that ravages the (land, realm, roads, sea)

28. Created or took over a criminal organization

29. Created or unleashed a curse that has caused mass (devastation, misery, inconvenience)

30. Created or unleashed a curse that has yet to be broken

31. Created or unleashed a (spell, weapon) of mass destruction

32. Created the drug that everyone is addicted to

33. Dangerously insane. They are a dangerously insane and hold a position of authority or they are a notorious criminal. Ex (authority figure): DC Comics: Two-Face (Harvey Dent). Ex (notorious criminal): DC Comics: The Joker

34. Deal with the Devil. It's known, that they have made (a deal, deals) with an evil (devil, demon, god, old one, outsider, primordial, spirit)

35. Defeated an army

36. Defeated a notable (champion of justice, hero, law officer, mage, rival, warrior)

37. Defeated a notable (hero, rival) through sheer luck

38. Defeated every (adventurer, assassin, bounty hunter, hero, law enforcer, mercenary, vigilante) that has come after them

39. Defeated the champion(s) of a good (fae lord, god, outsider, primordial, etc)

40. Destroyed everyone who (insulted, opposed) them via (assassination, battle, duels, false evidence) or by (economic, legal, magical, social, etc) means

41. Destroyed a famous structure

42. Destroyed a major resource

43. Destroyed a priceless artifact / Destroyed an important (historical, religious) artifact

44. Deviant. This person has done something that is...frowned upon, but not technically illegal? Perhaps they engage in odd hobbies or habits, practice strange and unnecessary spell craft, perhaps they write strange and wicked fanart, or perhaps they have peculiar costumes that they occasionally wear.

45. El'General. This person was previously a dictator, whose rule resulted in MANY deaths and executions.

46. Escape Artist - Broke out of a prison that was supposed to be inescapable / Escaped from every prison that they have been in

47. Excessive Force. They are know for using excessive force when meting out (justice, punishment)

48. Exploitive deals / Predatory deals. They make deals. They even uphold their end of the bargain, but the price always turns out to be more than its worth

49. Exiled. It's known that, they were exiled from their (clan, homeland, tripe) for crimes

50. Exterminated or nearly exterminated an entire people

51. Failed Regent. This person was appointed to administer a state, until the next ruler comes of age. They were supposed to take care of this child, and failed / They were supposed to teach the child to rule and failed / They ran the country into the ground before the child could take office.

52. Family Linage. This person hasn't done anything infamous. They are related to a (clan, family) that did something vile. Guilt by association.

53. Force of Nature / Natural Disaster / Walking Calamity - Trying to stop this person is like trying to stop a hurricane or tsunami / This (person's, entity's) mere presence is damaging to (reality, sanity, sapient beings, the environment, the living, etc)

54. Former Evil Ruler - This person ruled a (city, state, kingdom, empire) cruelly and unjustly until they were deposed

55. Framed for a crime they didn’t commit. People still believe that they are guilty

56. Freed an evil (alien, demon, devil, god, kaiju, lich, monster horde, old one, outsider, primordial, spirit) from its imprisonment

57. Herald of Disaster - Wherever this person goes disaster is soon to follow. This person is not responsible for the disaster, but they always seem to be there when it hits. Ex: The dark overlord chooses that moment to invade / The great evil awakens / The monsters migrate into the area / The natural disaster hits / etc.

58. Horrific brutality

59. Invented something that would later have disastrous consequences

60. Inventing the (automatons, golems, robots), that would later rise up and (conquer, enslave, exterminate) everyone

61. Killed many people

62. Killed someone notable

63. Killed the (animal companion, familiar, pet, prized animal) of someone notable

64. Killed their way through an army of opponents just to get revenge on one person

65. No Prisoners. Everyone you defeat ends up dead

66. Notorious criminal (assassin, bandit, cat burglar, pirate, rebel, serial killer, thief, etc)

67. Outed or labeled as a charlatan, con-artist, or scam artist

68. Patient zero / Being the first (cursed, infected)

69. Performed horrible experiments on (animals, captives, homeless, people, prisoners, refugees, slaves)

70. Plaything - This person is known to be the plaything of some god, devil, or other powerful creature

71. Prophesy. You fit the description of a character in a prophesy that is going to bring about something really bad.

72. Publicly humiliated someone notable

73. Pulled off an infamous crime

74. Puppeteer. In a cruel and unjust (city, state, kingdom, empire), this person (is believed to be, was discovered to be) the one running things from the shadows. Most of the other leaders and officials were just their pawns

75. Puppet Monarch. This person, as a child or adult, was the face of a cruel kingdom before (they were deposed or their kingdom was defeated). It was later discovered they were just a puppet for someone running things behind the scenes

76. Related to someone infamous. (Child of, married to, mother or father of, sibling of, student of) “x”

77. Returned from the dead to continue doing (evil, infamous) deeds / Returned from the dead as a monster

78. Revenge. They are known for going to extreme lengths to get revenge

79. Ruined a deal - They ruined a major (deal, trade agreement, treaty, etc)

80. Sabotage. There were witnessed or found guilty of sabotaging something notable

81. Saved someone who would later (become, turn out to be) an infamous villain

82. Scandal. They behave in a scandalous manner / They are involved in a scandal / Their family is involved in a scandal / Their (business, corporation, guild) is involved in a scandal

83. Seduction. They have seduced (a notable person, many people, everyone they encounter)

84. Started or lead a (coup, insurrection, mutiny, rebellion, revolt, etc) where the end result was worse than before

85. Started an evil cult / Became (high priest, leader) of an evil cult

86. Started a social movement that unintentionally made things worse for everyone

87. Started a war

88. Stole from many people

89. Stole from a notable (clan, guild, person, group)

90. Stole from a powerful monster. Ex: (dragon, giant, hydra, etc)

91. Stole from a powerful monster, causing said monster to go on a rampage

92. Taboo. This person has done something utterly horrid, that goes against the society's rules and laws. Anyone who follows the rules and laws of the locale are utterly disgusted, and will attack if they feel they can win.

93. The Bastard-Maker. This person has seduced a remarkably LARGE number of people, producing a large number of children, all of whom they have dumped onto the other parent.

94. The Black Sheep. At a major noble's event, this person committed an act so horrid, so embarrassing that NO NOBLE will have anything to do with them. No one wants to talk about it either.

95. The FREAK. This person has been cursed, and is considered a freak by society at large. They may be feared, or they may be a laughing stock. The curse can be anything, but can't be cured by anything short of a Ninth Level Spell or the will of the gods. They may or may not have a special power due to this trait.

96. Their apprentice became a major villain

97. Turned a (champion of good, hero) to the dark side

98. Weird. This person is just....disliked? Some say it's how they look, how they act, how they dress. Everyone gives a different reason, but they stand by that reason.

99. What haven't they done. This is the person, where the list of their crimes takes up several (feet, yards) of scroll. Just reading the list of their crimes takes more than 10 minutes / This person looks at a list of crimes and does them just so they can check them off the list

100. Wrote a infamous book or series, that has been banned

Fame Area:

1. Local / Village / Town / Specific groups

2. City

3. Regional / County or province

4. Large County or province / State

5. Country or kingdom

6. Multiple countries or kingdoms

7. World wide

8. Multiple worlds / Multiple dimensions

Related Links:

Things a folk hero could be known for by Roll3d6

Contributors, Sources, Inspiration:

Apex_Hunter20 - Deleted Acct

bad1aj

BloonBuster15

BrandonC41

crimebiscuit

DaFonze

DM_lvl_1

Ed209_v2

Enigma_Protocol

Evil Knievel (stuntman)

fuckingchris

Guinness World Records

GMXIX

How to Train Your Dragon (2010 film)

imitation-gatewalker

insert_title_here

John Wick (2014 film)

LemongrassKid

MJspringer

Mulan (1998 film)

NormanFetus - Deleted Acct

OriginalOhPeh

pretzelbomber

PutridMeatPuppet - Deleted Acct

Raefeodane

Redpoh

remixologist

Roll3d6

SauceMemer

Slayers (1995 anime series)

snakebite262

spiritcrusher77 - Deleted Acct

StanDaMan1

supersnes1

Tangled (2010 film)

Thecaninestesticles

TheGentlemanK

the_kinseti

thomar

UkeBard

Yodaboys

Valjss-Dunbar - Deleted Acct

Various fantasy and SciFi books, TV, films, and video games

So I have this massive fight coming in dnd. City guards against massive bandit group that has taken shelter in abandoned town. The fight is gonna be big and I want fun list of d100 list of things that could happen on the field. Party's objective is to reach bandit captain so these are meant to either slow them down, have a small laugh or maybe even help the city guards and party

So what I have

1. Friendly Fire! A city guard fires at a bandit, misses, and the shot nearly hits a PC

2. Oil Slick. Someone has dumped oil across the ground. Running creatures risk falling.

3. Supply Drop. Air unit drops a crate containing healing supplies and ammunition.

4. Not So Surrendering. The "surrendering" bandit suddenly pulls a hidden dagger if party tries to talk to them.

5. Free Weapon. A fallen soldier has a perfectly usable weapon beside them.

6. A soldier runs past carrying three chickens and refuses to explain.

7. hidden soliders manage to snipe perfectly some bandits, clearing the way for the party

8. Oh noh, dust flies into your eyes

9. Party finds small chest containing some gold

10. bandits bring out self made wooden construct

If anyone has any more fun or creative ideas please feel free to suggest

Fantasy and sci-fi settings love Proud Warrior Societies, whether they are Orcs or Klingons (or Spartans or Vikings). The entire society is structured around war, and warriors are glorified above all others. Farmers, poets, merchants, scientists, and others are treated with disdain.

But of course such a society needs those farmers, poets, merchants, scientists, and others. And while we have lots of great examples from fiction of warriors from Proud Warrior Societies, let's meet a few of those non-warriors.

I'm not including names so you could fit these people into any Proud Warrior Society regardless of race/species, and trying to be fairly vague so this list could work either in a fantasy setting or a sci-fi setting.

1 - The Proud Farmer. He grew up idolizing warriors and wanting to be one, but he was always the weakest and slowest, and eventually consigned to the shameful profession of farmer. It turns out he is pretty good at it, and not afraid to say it. Some say it is shameful to take pride in growing things rather than killing them, but he knows he is contributing to the war effort in his own way.
2 - The Mediocre Veteran. He was not a famous warrior, or even a particularly good one. He was not a coward -- he always did what he was asked to do, no less and no more. One of the many grunts who did his job, competently if not notably, until age slowed him to the point he is no longer deemed useful. No chestful of medals, no honorable scars, no intimidating nickname. Others know he served but without distinction, and treat him accordingly. He yearns for one last chance at glory... but how will he get it?
3 - The Angry Scientist. At an early age she was identified as too brilliant to be risked on the battlefield. There can be some honor in designing weapons, but she wishes she could wield those weapons herself. She delights in testing them on prisoners of war.
4 - The Disgraced Poet. He was a warrior, but failed: His wounds were too severe to honorably continue fighting, but not severe enough that he could honorably die. He wrote a long note lamenting his fate before taking the final step those in his position are expected to take. At this, too, he failed, and the note was found. It turned out to be wildly popular, and when he recovered enough, he was told to keep writing poetry to inspire others to do what he could not.
5 - The Foreign Merchant. She is an outsider. She was born elsewhere and is not of the Proud Warrior Society, and therefore can participate in that distasteful but necessary practice of buying and selling.
6 - The Proud Parolee. A Captured Warrior from "Proud Warrior Society 2". They wear the "peace-bond", going so far as being trusted enough to wear a weapon, and given some free-rein or even trusted with limited tasks, even if it means likely death if they were to draw it for any purpose, or fail in that task. It is perhaps even a mark of "bragging rights" within the Proud Warrior Society #1 for the bond-holder of the Parolee to "show no fear" and publicly, openly trust them, even as far as publicly and openly using them for various trusted tasks, or returning them for ransom or reparations, provided they maintain their peace-bond for some period should the two societies war again.
7 - The Eager Blacksmith. Someone has to make all the weapons and armor. While technically not a warrior, is more than happy to go into battle swinging his favorite hammer. /u/disturbednadir
8 - The Maimed. Was a warrior, which is exactly how they got this way. Society honors their sacrifice, but depending on the society, may or may not back that verbal honor up with any tangible support. Might even shun them as an unwelcome reminder of the cost of war. /u/gnurdette
9 - The Deserter. Just because you're supposed to face death without flinching doesn't mean you actually did. Lives now under a false identity as a supposed successful veteran, while haunted by the possibility that the truth will come out. /u/gnurdette
10 - The Disgraced. Fought honestly, yet was part of a humiliating defeat - whether because of a personal failure, a commander's failure, or a cause that was doomed in the first place. Consciously or unconsciously, society attaches its frustration at the failure to those who were involved. /u/gnurdette
11 - The Pacifist. Sees through the ideology. Believes - and says - that there's nothing wonderful about killing. Ironically, is one of the bravest people in their society, since they meet the contempt focused on them without flinching. /u/gnurdette
12 - The Very Model of a Modern Major-General. Need we say more? /u/gnurdette
13 - The Paper Tiger. Reached a position of high rank without corresponding merit (luck, nepotism, corruption, etc.) Enjoys honor and respect, and unfortunately believes that they actually deserve it. Furthermore, believes that their "brilliant strategic mind" is equally applicable to civilian life.
14 - The Protected From On High. Despite being a relatively peaceful or otherwise incapable individual they are somehow able to walk through the worst battlefields completely unscathed. /u/Own-Night5526
15 - The Part-Timer. In their day-to-day life this one is a farmer, a shopkeeper, a crafter. But when the war-horns blow and storm clouds gather they take up their weapons and don their armour as any other of their kind would. /u/IAmTheOutsider
16 - The Ice-Cold Bastard. The pride and honour that binds the Proud Warrior Race does not touch this one. Victory, by any means available, is the only thing that matters. /u/IAmTheOutsider
17 - The Constantly Pissed-Off Doctor. "If these morons would stop swinging around their laser swords and blaster rifles like they're idiot children going after a pinata, I wouldn't have to sew so many arms back on and could have freakin' day off now and again!!!!" /u/WSHIII
18 - The Healer. She's never fought in battle, but birthed six strong warriors in her youth. She spends her time crafting poultice, potion and other ways of getting those who make war back in the fight. /u/spinningdice
19 - The Drunk. He fought, he saw what lay beneath the glory, the blood the death the horror of it all. Now he's lost, drinking, trying to summon the courage to back and face his final battle. /u/spinningdice
20 - The Prospector. No metals means no weapons or armour. The prospector spends months in the wilds around the area scouting places for new mines. Respected and trusted, without them the warriors would have nothing. /u/Pqrxz
21 - The Beleaguered Logistics Guy. Yeah, I got it the first time you screamed it at me - The Legions of Blood need to be at Plains of Fury before the end of the solar eclipse. Do you know how many mule trains I'm going to have to conscript just to carry their weapons and ammo, not to mention the rations, medical supply, fodder for the mules, tents....whaddya mean "Have them sleep on the ground!"? Is that really how you want to face the Charnel Horde? Falling asleep on your feet from a week of trying to take a nap on a lave chasm, with half our men still picking the acid sand out of their eyes and the other half dead from scorpion-bat bites?! /u/WSHIII
22 - The Apprentice. Not considered a warrior quite yet, he is the brawny but inexperienced understudy of a famous warrior now well past her physical prime. His strength and her wisdom make them a formidable pair. /u/Thegofurr and /u/sonofabutch
23 - The Guy Who Cleans the Leather. He hates every damn one of the warriors and can tell who is who just by the unique unwashed stench of their gear. /u/chenobble
24 - The Crouching Tiger. Someone who belongs to a non-warrior caste (say, a servant, or any boring profession) but who actually received extensive combat training (maybe through illicit channels). Now they simply live their boring life, content with it, but the moment anyone fucks with them or with their home, they will use their skills to full effect. /u/edoardos_hurdygurdy
25 - The Holy Person. A spiritual authority who professes, through the teachings of the common religion, what forms honour actually takes in this society. If you want to make them a hypocrite, lean on the fact that they have never even tried to achieve said violent honour, staying safe in their temple. /u/edoardos_hurdygurdy
26 - The Mulan. A member of a demographic who is excluded from combat training and war due to seemingly unrelated, usually backwards societal beliefs, but wants to find original or bold ways to overcome this limitation and prove their worth as a warrior. /u/edoardos_hurdygurdy
27 - The Diplomat. In a society that bases most of one's value on their war exploits, someone must make sure said society doesn't drown in wars. The Diplomat is there to propose and sign peace treaties before the economy collapses and maintain pacts of non-aggression when one more front would mean too many. /u/edoardos_hurdygurdy
28 - The Loved Paraplegic. It was clear from birth that they were too sickly to fight, but brutal as this society is, it does have grace. They have been lovingly cared for and learned to contribute to society in other ways. /u/LemmePet
29 - The Teenage Rebel. Having been hounded from a young age about the importance of warrior-like traits, this teen rebels against the demands of society in their own way. Their parent(s) are at their wits end. /u/LemmePet
30 - The Pampered Politician. Coming from a wealthy family, this person had their dad use their family influence and wealth to put them into safe and cushy jobs. They always met the absolute minimum required responsibilities and used their parent(s) connections to climb the social and political ladder. /u/LemmePet
31 - The Single Parent. Their kids cannot rely on anyone else, and they are often the "village" for other parents. It could be their spouse died fighting, or are still alive and constantly out on campaigns away from home. /u/LemmePet
32 - The Sword Maker. Because how can you be a warrior with out a flashy weapon? /u/Far_Abbreviations936
33 - The Hat Maker. How can you have warrior society without a funny hat to mark everyone as a warrior? /u/Far_Abbreviations936
34 - Warrior Bureaucrats. Amateurs talk tactics, professionals talk logistics, and these are the warriors who make sure everyone gets feed and equipped. /u/Far_Abbreviations936
35 - The Loved Paraplegic. It was clear from birth that they were too sickly to fight, but brutal as this society is, it does have grace. They have been lovingly cared for and learned to contribute to society in other ways. /u/LemmePet
36 - The Teenage Rebel. Having been hounded from a young age about the importance of warrior-like traits, this teen rebels against the demands of society in their own way. Their parent(s) are at their wits end. /u/LemmePet
37 - The Pampered Politician. Coming from a wealthy family, this person had their dad use their family influence and wealth to put them into safe and cushy jobs. They always met the absolute minimum required responsibilities and used their parent(s) connections to climb the social and political ladder. /u/LemmePet
38 - The Single Parent. Their kids cannot rely on anyone else, and they are often the "village" for other parents. It could be their spouse died fighting, or are still alive and constantly out on campaigns away from home. /u/LemmePet
39 - The Sword Maker. Because how can you be a warrior with out a flashy weapon? /u/Far_Abbreviations936
40 - The Hat Maker. How can you have warrior society without a funny hat to mark everyone as a warrior? /u/Far_Abbreviations936
41 - Warrior Bureaucrats. Amateurs talk tactics, professionals talk logistics, and these are the warriors who make sure everyone gets feed and equipped. /u/Far_Abbreviations936
42 - The Cowardly Corporal. Has been wisely faking it the whole time: "Oh yeah! Um... dishonor to those who die in cowardice!! Blood for the blood deity, etc. Now here's the plan, all you new guys go ahead and charge that pillbox. I'll provide covering fire again." /u/WSHIII
43 - The Spy. Shunned for their dishonorable deeds in public, but secretly appreciated behind closed doors. u/Actual_Temp
44 - The Eager Gatekeeper. Too young or unskilled to join the army, they have been relegated to guard duty. A task they execute zealously. u/Actual_Temp
45 - The Weary Constable. Dismissed by the warrior caste and burnt out from the impossible task of policing their "betters". u/Actual_Temp
46 - Gong Farmer. Although outsiders don't understand the reverence for someone who empties the cess pits, they don't know about the terrible creatures that are attracted to the pits. Mostly thanks to the Gong Farmer. /u/comedianmasta
47 - Fletcher. Maker of the many arrows needed. /u/comedianmasta
48 - Engineer. Although considered odd in town, they are responsible for everything from the defenses, to seige equipment, to simple bridges of the land. /u/comedianmasta
49 - Blood Sorcerer. Nobody laughs at their spells and incantations anymore. /u/comedianmasta
50 - The Butcher. Putting those blade skills to good use to feed their community. /u/comedianmasta
51 - The War Priest. Blessing the troops and glorifying the war god in battle. /u/comedianmasta
52 - Chaplin. Helping the dying transition to the afterlife. /u/comedianmasta
53 - The Undertaker. Guardian of the dead, digger of the graves. /u/comedianmasta
54 - The Blunt Merchant. In a warrior society, a person cannot show weakness. Blunt Merchants are fairly common, typically ordering their customers to "hurry up and buy something," and offering little chance to bargain. That being said, an equally blunt customer will typically find themselves at home, if they aren't at each other's throats. /u/snakebite262
55 - The Escort. Those who came back from war typically desire a lover. Of course, a large swath of the population can't earn one, as stronger mates exist. Sometimes, a few coins will buy what a warrior lacks in spirit. /u/snakebite262
56 - The Adventurous Antiquarian. Sometimes, when a person can't fight, they'll put their energies into equally vigorous endeavors. This scientist wishes to expand the minds of his fellows, and does so through tales of antiquities, adventures, and spoils. /u/snakebite262
57 - The Brash Braggart. Some warriors are more trouble than they're worth. This individual thinks themselves a fighter to end all fighters, but they're nothing more than a muscle-bound thug. /u/snakebite262
58 - The Powerful Princess. Some powerful parents wish to protect their children. However, their children are more than powerful enough to protect themselves. /u/snakebite262
59 - War-Hungry Guard. Some warriors are forced to act as guards, unable to go to war, unless war comes to them. /u/snakebite262
60 - The Glutton. A rich warrior who manages a fairly robust estate. They commonly hold any number of feasts to show off their prowess. Despite their oversized appearance, they can easily defeat any idiot who thinks that fat = unhealthy. /u/snakebite262
61 - The Retired Farmer/Teacher. Some warriors grow wealthy enough that they can handle larger estates. They then have a choice: die in battle, or ensure that the next generation can grow for tomorrow. /u/snakebite262
62 - The Cheater. Some warriors understand that they'll never be the heroes of legend. They also realize that there are any number of magical entities/mutating liquids/ otherworldly rituals that could MAKE them strong. Of course, if anyone were to find out their secret, they'd be disowned. /u/snakebite262
63 - The Dishonorable. Everybody hates a heel, but they love to cheer them on. /u/snakebite262
64 - The Merc. Not every warrior's clan survives, and those without a basis must find work somewhere. They find work for the highest bidder. /u/snakebite262
65 - The Outcast. These people are despised by society. For their weakness? For their corruption? For something or another. They are barely tolerated. Typically, they're marked with a foul sigil. /u/snakebite262
66 - The Immigrant. This person clearly was not born here, but they belong here. Others treat them as an equal, and their strength is comparable to that of their kin. /u/snakebite262

I have a standard set of tables that are kept general, so they work everywhere (think mythic gme). Exhaustive tables (or what feels exhaustive) are my favourite. That being said, their advantage (being general) is also their disadvantage (not being specific).

With some things it depends. In a detective story you'd rather have a random event like murder instead of party, but party isn't totally wrong. And you can have an explosion in a romance story, but a confession is better.

General is good if you want to shake things up, but not if you're trying to establish or move towards a genre.

So, my question to you: what tables do you think are essential for any setting/genre?

So maybe something like this:

General (actions, descriptors, conversation, reactions, ...)

Genre (events, key objects (bomb/gun/poison vs wedding ring/dress/bouquet), twists, consequences)

Setting (factions, locations, creatures, valuables)

The idea is that if I know what tables a genre needs, I can use that as a template when creating them. I can still add a 'clues' table to the detective genre or 'space ship type' to a scifi setting, but having a few must haves could help bootstrap the process.

What are your thoughts? Can you recommend a good setting-template?

Continue till 200:

1. The Noun Replacement! (Corpses as Props)

Hey everyone! For this contest, I want to see tropes where the narrative treats a dead body exactly like a completely mundane object! I don't mean hiding it—I mean tropes where the body physically replaces a tool, a piece of furniture, a vehicle, a weapon, etc. Submit your best "Corpse as a [Blank]" tropes! 3 weeks, 5 winners, new tropes only!

Hosted by Tropesmith 88 14

1. Fictional Corpse Physics

Let's talk about how media gets death wrong on purpose! Submit your best meta-tropes that explain the weird, unspoken RULES of how dead bodies act in movies and games for convenience. Do they magically stop bleeding to keep the PG-13 rating? Do they vanish to save memory space? Show me those meta-rules! 14 days!

Hosted by Meta Nerd 102 22

1. The Genre Whiplash Corpse

Show me your best tropes where the introduction or treatment of the dead body instantly changes the GENRE of the scene! Like, tropes where a body turns a rom-com into a thriller, or turns a gritty horror into a slapstick comedy. The trope MUST be about the tone shift! 3 sets limit. Have fun!

Hosted by MoodWhiplash 76 19

1. Name That Corpse! (Naming Conventions)

This week we're doing a naming convention mashup! Take a famous meta-trope (like Chekhov's Gun, MacGuffin, Rule of Cool, etc.) and give me your best dead body equivalent! "Chekhov's Corpse", "The Dead MacGuffin", "Rule of Rigor Mortis". Must be a structural trope disguised as a classic! 10 winners!

Hosted by Trope Namer 210 45

1. The Escalator Domino

I want to see tropes where the dead body ISN'T the main problem, it's just the catalyst for a totally unrelated disaster! The body is just a domino. Like, the body falls and hits the self-destruct button, or drops the only keys down a grate. Tropes about the body causing non-death-related chaos! 2 weeks, unlimited entries.

Hosted by Chaos Theory 95 12

1. Corpse Math (The Magic Number)

Let's do some weird logic! Submit tropes where the exact NUMBER or QUANTITY of dead bodies is the entire point of the trope. Not just "a lot of bodies," but tropes like "One Body Too Many" or "The N+1 Corpse". If the narrative relies on the math of the remains, I want to see it!

Hosted by Calculator 64 8

1. The Spiteful Subversion

For this contest, think of an overused, annoying dead body cliché (like the chalk outline or the eyes popping open) and submit a trope that exists ONLY to subvert, avert, or make fun of it! The trope you submit must be a direct counter-attack on an older corpse trope. Let's get petty! Ends Friday!

Hosted by Trope Buster 134 30

1. The "We Know But They Don't" Disconnect

Submit tropes based entirely on Dramatic Irony regarding the body! Tropes where the audience knows exactly where the body is, but the cast doesn't—OR the cast knows all about the body, and the audience is kept in the dark. The trope must be about the missing information gap!

Hosted by Fourth Wall 81 21

1. The "Nothing to do with Murder" Corpse

I want to see tropes where a dead body is absolutely central to the scene or plot, but literally nobody cares how they died. No whodunnits allowed! Tropes where the death is irrelevant, but the physical remains are super important. 3 weeks, 8 winners!

Hosted by Plot Holes 115 33

1. Corpse as a Measuring Stick

Show me tropes where the dead body is used purely as a metric to measure something else! Like tropes where the condition of the body proves how evil the villain is, how sharp the new sword is, or how toxic the environment is. The body is just the thermometer! Old and new allowed!

Hosted by Power Scaler 90 18

1. The Network Censorship Corpse

How do writers get away with showing bodies on daytime TV? Submit your best tropes about the creative (and usually stupid) ways creators hide, alter, or censor dead bodies to keep their age rating. No blood, turning into dust, weird camera angles—show me the censorship tropes!

Hosted by TV Exec 140 27

1. Wait... That's a Body?!

For this contest, I want tropes where the identity of the object IS the twist! Tropes where characters (or the audience) spend half the story thinking something is a statue, a mannequin, a piece of meat, or a prop, only to realize later it's a corpse. 2 weeks, 15 winners!

Hosted by Plot Twister 188 41

1. The Inappropriate Reaction

Let's look at the living! Submit tropes defined entirely by a character having a bizarre, codified, totally inappropriate psychological reaction to finding a body. Tropes about laughing, getting hungry, falling in love, or being bored by a corpse! Have fun everyone!

Hosted by Psycho Analyst 122 25

1. The "Bring Your Own Setting" Corpse

Template time! Give me tropes that follow the formula: "A dead body found in a [Specific Type of Location]". But the trope must explain how that specific location changes the ENTIRE meaning of the death. A body in a locked room vs a body in a clown car. Show me your best location-based corpse templates!

Hosted by Setting The Scene 205 50

1. The Inconvenient Prop

I don't want tragedy, I want annoyance! Submit tropes where a dead body is treated as a frustrating physical roadblock. Tropes where the body is just heavy, smelly, in the way of the TV, or blocking the door. It's not scary, it's just really annoying! 7 days contest!

Hosted by Slapstick 156 38

Here is page 2! 15 more contest prompts, keeping that enthusiastic, community-run forum energy, focusing on high-level, structural meta-categories for dead body tropes!

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1. Loot Drops and Grave Robbing! 💰

Hey everyone! For this contest, I’m looking for tropes where a dead body instantly undergoes a genre-shift from "former person" to "inventory source." Show me your best tropes where a corpse is treated as a piñata of loot, clues, weapons, or plot coupons. Stealing the dead guy's boots, taking the boss's keycard, etc. 4 WEEKS, 10 winners, 3 trope limit. Have fun!

Hosted by RPG_Nerd 92 14

1. The Tier List of the Dead

Let's talk about narrative privilege! Submit tropes explaining the structural hierarchy of how different corpses are treated by the plot. Why does the mentor's body get a 10-minute slow-mo crying scene, but the 50 dead henchmen are just stepped over? Show me your best meta-tropes about the "value" of different bodies! New tropes only!

Hosted by Redshirt Survivor 115 28

1. Framing the Deceased 📸

This one is all about the CAMERA, not the characters! Submit meta-tropes about how the director/artist chooses to visually present a dead body to the audience. Are they perfectly posed like a painting? Is it just a foot sticking out from under a sheet? Only tropes about the visual aesthetic/cinematography of a corpse! 7 days contest! 8 winners.

Hosted by Cinema Snob 81 30

1. The Paperwork of Death 📑

Death is a bureaucratic nightmare. I want to see your best tropes focused entirely on the red tape, legal rules, and institutional procedures triggered by a corpse. Autopsy rules, reading the will, space-burial regulations, or cops groaning about having to file a report. Make it boring in-universe, but fun for us!

Hosted by Lore Builder 76 20

1. Now You See It, Now You Don't (Continuity Corpses)

Show me your best tropes about dead bodies defying object permanence! Video game corpses despawning to save memory, bodies vanishing between camera cuts in a movie, or chalk outlines moving. If the trope is about the technical or continuity errors of a corpse, put it here! Contest ends Friday, I choose 15 winners. Old and new tropes are wel ...

Hosted by Glitch In The Matrix 110 28

1. Read the Corpse Like a Book 📖

hello everyone! For this contest I would love to see tropes where a dead body is used as literal language or syntax. Bodies arranged into symbols, mafia warning messages, or leaving a trail of bodies pointing like an arrow. The body MUST be the medium for communication! 2 weeks, unlimited entries!

Hosted by Mafia Boss 76 6

1. Are They Or Aren't They? (Schrödinger's Corpse)

Please choose your favourite tropes based entirely on the ambiguity of a body's status! Tropes where characters waste time checking for a pulse, poking it with a stick, or assuming someone is just "sleeping." If the narrative tension comes from confirming the corpse is a corpse, I want it!

Hosted by Paranoia Group 137 18

1. Hazardous Materials ☣️

For this contest, I would love to see tropes where the dead body changes the genre to survival horror because the corpse itself is an environmental threat. Not zombies! I mean the body is highly infectious, leaking acid, rigged to explode, or cursed. Tropes about passive corpse hazards! As usual, 2 weeks to enter!

Hosted by Biohazard Crew! 98 12

1. Adding Insult to Injury

Please read carefully! I want tropes about the universe absolutely disrespecting a body AFTER the person is already dead. Tropes where the body falls out of the coffin, gets dropped in the mud, or the villain keeps monologuing to it. Post-mortem slapstick and disrespect!

Hosted by Dark Humor 100 17

1. Decoy Corpses!

This week we're doing a contest based upon identity theft! Show me tropes where a dead body is used specifically to fake someone else's death. Switching dental records, putting your own clothes on a random corpse, throwing a body in a volcano to fake your own demise. Three winners. Good luck ...

Hosted by Faking It 45 2

1. We Just Don't Care Anymore 🥱

For this contest you will have to submit tropes about body-count desensitization. When the movie has killed so many people that a pile of dead bodies is literally just background scenery and the heroes don't even blink. Tropes about narrative empathy completely breaking down! (1 entry per user) 3 weeks!

Hosted by Action Movie Fan 50 11

1. Tetris with Dead Bodies

Hi Everyone, I hope you are all doing well. For this contest, show us tropes focused purely on the bizarre spatial geometry of fitting a body into a container. Cramming them in a trunk, folding them into a suitcase, melting them to fit in a jar. If the trope is about the physics/space of the body, drop it here!

Hosted by Cleanup Crew 165 28

1. ༒☬☠ Even Evil Has Standards (Corpse Edition) ☠︎☬༒

Hello! Enter tropes where a bad guy, a monster, or a ruthless killer suddenly shows intense respect or specific rules regarding a dead body! Closing their eyes, burying them, refusing to fight near them. Tropes where the corpse brings out the humanity in the villain! 10 winners, 3 trope limit!

Hosted by Sympathetic Villain 166 72

1. You Forgot Something!

Enter a trope where the characters successfully deal with the body... except for ONE tiny piece. A tooth, a severed finger, a drop of blood that unravels the whole perfect crime. Tropes about incomplete cleanup! 2 weeks/ 8 winners/ new and old

Hosted by The Detective 116 41

1. High Score Body Counts 🎮

Submit tropes where characters treat the accumulation of dead bodies as a literal game or competition! Tropes about characters yelling "That only counts as one!", keeping tallies on the wall, or betting on who kills more. The gamification of corpses! 7 DAYS I 15 WINNERS I UNLIMITED ENTRIES

Hosted by Player One 214 73

1. The Demonstration Dummy 💥

Let's talk about narrative shortcuts! For this contest, I want tropes where a dead body's absolute only structural purpose is to visually demonstrate the rules of the world to the audience. Tropes where a body is used to show how a trap works, how strong the monster is, or what happens if you step off the path. The body as a pure tutorial mechanic! 2 weeks!

Hosted by World_Builder 188 42

1. The "SFX & Props Department" Meta-Tropes 🎬

Hey everyone! This contest isn't about the story; it's about the production! Submit meta-tropes that focus on how real-world filmmakers and game devs handle the physical reality of making a fake dead body. I want tropes about obvious mannequins, actors who accidentally blink on camera, visible breathing, or bad CGI ragdolls. Tropes where the illusion of death fails! 3 weeks, 5 winners.

Hosted by Fourth_Wall 88 14

1. Requesting: Tropes About Cause of Death Being Embarrassing

My friend group has been collecting examples of characters whose cause of death is deeply undignified and I want to make it a proper trope page. Not played for laughs necessarily, just... the universe being cruel. Tripped on own cape, choked on a grape, got startled by a mouse. Submit what you have! No limit on entries, forever open until I get bored

Hosted by Mortifying 445 89

1. the things they left behind

4 days left | Hosted by void_gazing

Views: 1,029 | Submissions: 45

im looking for tropes that focus on the contrast between the dead body and a living, active object still attached to them. it’s not about the murder. it’s about the ringing cell phone in the dead guy's pocket. the half-eaten apple next to them. the video game still unpaused on the tv. tropes where the tragedy is amplified by an object that doesn't know its owner is dead yet. lower case tropes preferred but i wont police it... just make it hurt.

1. The Etiquette of the Dead 🪙

Every culture and genre has unwritten rules of respect! I want to see tropes about the codified, mandatory rituals characters perform on a fresh dead body to show respect. Closing their eyes, crossing their arms over their chest, putting coins on their eyes, or leaving a weapon with them. Submit tropes about the structural rules of corpse etiquette! 2 weeks, 5 winners!

Hosted by HonorGuard 114 26

1. The Paranoia of the Hidden Body 👁️

Let's talk psychology! Submit tropes based entirely on how a hidden dead body structurally rots the minds of the characters who hid it! Tropes about hallucinating the corpse sitting in the room, constantly over-explaining why that patch of dirt is disturbed, or hearing its heartbeat. Tropes about the psychological gravity a hidden body exerts!

Hosted by Poe_Fanatic 255 61

1. The Autopsy Anomaly 🔬

Submit tropes focused on the structural "twist" that is only revealed when a dead body is cut open! The narrative relies on the internal examination breaking the rules of the world. Tropes about finding gears instead of organs, green blood, a swallowed key, or an empty chest cavity. Tropes about the inside of the body changing the plot! 3 trope limit!

Hosted by TheCoroner 198 56

1. Playing Possum Mechanics 🦝

How do the living pretend to be the dead? Submit tropes about the strict narrative rules of a living character camouflaging themselves as a corpse! Tropes about holding their breath while the villain pokes them, smearing blood on their face to blend into a pile, or pretending to be limp when carried. Show me the rules of faking it! Ends Sunday!

Hosted by Survivalist 133 31

1. The Duplicate Corpse Dilemma 👯‍♂️

This is pure mystery fuel! Submit tropes about the mind-bending structural problem of finding a dead body that belongs to someone who is currently, verifiably ALIVE in the next room. Clones, alternate timelines, shapeshifters, or evil twins. Tropes about the existential crisis of the impossible duplicate body!

Hosted by GlitchInTheMatrix 175 33

1. The Posthumous Logistical Nightmare 📋

Forget the emotional tragedy—let's talk practical headaches! Submit tropes where a dead body creates massive, annoying logistical roadblocks for the heroes. Tropes where the hero needs the dead guy's thumbprint for a biometric scanner, the dead guy was the only one who knew the password, or their sheer dead weight is trapping the heroes. Logistical hurdles only!

Hosted by IT_Support 166 40

1. The "Oops" Corpse (Accidental Escalation) 😬

Submit tropes where a dead body is created by total accident, causing the narrative to instantly pivot from "we are having fun/doing a heist" to "we are covering up a crime." Tropes about the prank gone wrong, the accidental push down the stairs, or the slapstick manslaughter. Tropes about the structural panic of an unplanned body!

Hosted by DarkComedyNerd 145 22

1. The Forced Abandonment 🏃‍♂️

This one is all about dramatic tension! Submit tropes about the narrative mechanics of being forced to leave a dead body behind. Tropes about the collapsing cave, the approaching zombie horde, or the sinking ship forcing the heroes to drop their fallen comrade. Tropes about the guilt and structural weight of leaving remains unrecovered! Unlimited entries.

Hosted by RearGuard 188 35

1. The Psychological Weapon Corpse 🗡️

Submit tropes where a villain uses a dead body purely as an emotional attack vector against the heroes! They don't just kill someone; they use the body to send a message. Tropes about leaving the body in the hero's bed, mailing a piece of it in a box, or throwing it over the castle walls. The corpse as a psychological siege weapon! 2 weeks to enter!

Hosted by SympatheticVillain 104 18

1. The Indestructible Remains 🔥

Let's talk about the bodies that refuse to go away! Submit tropes where characters actively try to dispose of a dead body, but structurally, the universe won't let them. Tropes where the body won't burn, the woodchipper breaks, the acid doesn't work, or the ocean washes it right back onto their lawn. Tropes about the hilarious/terrifying stubbornness of a corpse! 5 winners.

Hosted by CleanupCrew 130 40

1. The Dying Declaration Rules 🗣️

Submit tropes about the sacred narrative weight of the very last thing a person does in the transition moment between "living" and "corpse." Tropes about writing a clue in their own blood, whispering a final name, or passing the magic sword. Tropes about how the universe bends to give a dying character their final action!

Hosted by FinalWords 142 37

1. The Lingering Stain 🩸

Submit tropes about the permanent environmental or social scar a dead body leaves on a location long after the body is gone! Tropes about the bloodstain on the floor that can never be scrubbed out, the cursed room at the inn nobody will sleep in, or the property value dropping. Tropes about the ghost-less haunting of a death site! 7 days, new tropes only!

Hosted by RealEstateAgent 155 24

1. The Somber Delivery 📦

This contest is all about duty! Submit tropes about the ritual, journey, or narrative weight of bringing a dead body back to their home or loved ones. Tropes about returning the knight's broken shield to the king, the somber doorstep delivery in the rain, or carrying the body out of the dungeon. Tropes about the solemn transit of remains!

Hosted by HonorBound 191 49

1. The Inheritance Trigger 📜

Death sets things in motion! Submit tropes where the exact moment a body hits the floor, it triggers a massive legal, magical, or technological cascade. Tropes about the reading of the will trapping everyone in a mansion, a magic spell breaking because the caster died, or a "dead man's switch" blowing up the base. The corpse as a literal switch!

Hosted by TheExecutor 177 38

mate just continue this list, these were creative

1. Confirming the Kill (Verification Rules) 🩺

Hey everyone! Media has highly specific, codified rituals for how a character checks to make sure a body is actually a body. I want to see tropes about those exact verification methods! Submit tropes like "The Double Tap," "Kicking the Leg," "Checking the Pulse With Two Fingers," or "Holding a Mirror to the Mouth." Show me the rules of confirmation! 3 weeks, 10 winners!

Hosted by Survival_Rule_DoubleTap 144 29

1. Shielding the Innocent 🫣

"Don't look, Timmy!" Submit tropes based entirely around the frantic, classic media habit of trying to prevent a specific character (usually a kid, a civilian, or a loved one) from seeing the corpse! Submit tropes like "The Hand Over the Eyes," "Turning the Wheelchair Around," or "Throwing a Jacket Over the Face." Tropes about the visual censorship of a body by the characters themselves!

Hosted by Heroic_Censorship 201 55

1. The Flypaper Body

I want to see tropes where a dead body physically snags, hooks, or drags other things into its situation purely through proximity! Not intentionally. Just the passive gravitational pull of existing. The body falls and takes the tablecloth with it. The hand catches the doorframe on the way down. The corpse in the river nets itself on the fisherman's line. Tropes about the passive, physical entanglement radius of a dead body!

Hosted by Bystander 176 39

1. The Corpse-Eye View 👁️

Hey everyone! For this contest, I want tropes where the camera or narrative POV is anchored to the dead body itself! Submit tropes about the camera looking up from the grave as dirt is thrown on it, the screen fading to black as the character's eyes close, or a ghost narrating while looking down at their own autopsy. If the corpse is our literal window into the scene, I want to see the trope for it! 2 weeks, 5 winners.

Hosted by Director_Cut 104 22

1. The "Officially Dead" Threshold

How do we know they're gone? Submit tropes that define the exact visual or narrative criteria for death in different genres. The shoes flying off in a comedy, enemies turning into sparkling dust in an RPG, or the dramatic flatline sound in a medical drama. Tropes about the media shorthand that confirms to the audience that a flatline has occurred! 3 trope limit!

Hosted by TheGrimReaper 305 60

1. The Runaway Corpse 🛝

Tropes focused entirely on the comedic, unstoppable momentum of a dead body! Rolling down a hill, falling out of a closet at the worst possible moment, sliding across a freshly waxed floor. The body is an unstoppable physical object in motion and the characters just have to catch it. 2 weeks, 8 winners!

Hosted by SlapstickFan 166 38

1. The Ghostly Overlay 👻

Submit tropes where a living character interacts with a space by visually mimicking or referencing a dead body that used to be there. Lying down in the chalk outline, standing exactly where the body fell, mirroring the pose to figure out what happened. The physical echo of the corpse! 3 weeks, 10 winners!

Hosted by ParanormalSleuth 119 26

1. The Dignified vs. The Ridiculous ⚖️

I want tropes that exist purely to contrast two bodies in the same scene: one that is treated with absolute reverence and one that is treated like garbage. The fallen hero gets a slow-motion funeral; the henchman next to them gets stepped on. Tropes about the side-by-side inequality of death! 2 weeks, 8 winners!

Hosted by Class_Warfare 176 44

1. The Untranslatable Death 🌍

Let's go cross-cultural! Submit tropes about how different fictional cultures, alien species, or fantasy races treat dead bodies in ways that are completely incomprehensible to the human characters/audience. Eating the body as honor, leaving it for the sky birds, turning it into a balloon. Tropes where the corpse-handling ritual is pure worldbuilding! 10 winners, 2 weeks!

Hosted by Anthropology_Nerd 221 58

1. The Face

Tropes about the expression on a dead body's face. Peaceful, terrified, smiling, eyes open, eyes closed. The face as the message. The face as the lie. The face that tells you everything or tells you nothing. 14 days, 6 winners.

Hosted by portraitist 201 38

1. The Body as a Receipt 🧾

Submit tropes where a dead body serves as proof that a transaction, promise, or deal actually happened. The body proves the hitman did the job, the corpse confirms the potion worked, the body is the "proof of kill" for the bounty. Tropes where the corpse is the paperwork! 2 weeks, 6 winners!

Hosted by Bookkeeper_99 131 28

1. Deaths That Are A Relief

When someone dies and it's genuinely a good thing. Not just villains—I mean the terminally ill, the suffering, the ones who wanted to go. The death that's a kindness. The death that makes the living feel guilty for feeling relieved. 3 weeks, 5 winners.

Hosted by pacemaker 44 11

1. What They Died Holding

Tropes about objects found in the hands or on the body. The letter, the locket, the weapon, the phone. The thing they were holding when they died. What does the object say about them? What does it say about what they were thinking in the last moment? New tropes only, 2 weeks.

Hosted by pacemaker 44 9

1. Deaths That Are An Inconvenience

Not played for comedy necessarily. Just deaths that make everyone's life harder. The driver dies and now you're stranded. The only engineer dies. The only person who knew the password dies. The death that's a logistical problem before it's a grief problem. 2 weeks, 8 winners.

Hosted by pacemaker 44 6

1. The Body Someone Covers

Tropes about the act of covering a body. The jacket over the face. The sheet. The blanket. The newspaper. The moment someone decides "no one should see this." The covering as care. The covering as protection. 2 weeks, 10 winners.

Hosted by pacemaker 44 13

1. The Body Someone Uncovers

The opposite. Pulling the sheet back. Opening the coffin. Turning the body over to see the face. The choice to look. The moment someone decides they need to see. 2 weeks, 10 winners.

Hosted by pacemaker 44 11

1. The Undignified Pose 🤸

Submit tropes about the exact posture a body lands in. Not just “sprawled” — tropes where the specific cartoonish, athletic, or embarrassing position IS the trope. Doing the splits. Sitting upright like they’re waiting for a bus. Perfect swan dive into a flower bed. The pose as characterization! 10 winners!

Hosted by Yoga_For_The_Departed 156 33

1. Dying Surrounded

Tropes about characters who die in a crowd or with loved ones. The deathbed farewell, dying in someone's arms, the circle of mourners watching.

1. The Drawn Out Goodbye

Tropes about deaths that take far too long. The character who keeps almost dying and rallying, the slow walk to the inevitable, the farewell speech that goes on for three scenes.

1. Deaths by Mistake

Tropes about accidental killings. Friendly fire, slipping on the stairs, the misfiring weapon, the wrong dosage.

1. The Peaceful Corpse

Tropes about bodies that look completely at peace. Eyes closed, hands folded, looking like they're just sleeping, no visible wounds.

1. The Gruesome Corpse

Tropes about bodies that are violently disfigured. Mangled, burned, dissolved, completely beyond recognition.

1. Deaths That Save

Tropes where a character's death directly prevents another death. Taking the poison meant for someone else, jumping on the grenade, blocking the fatal blow.

1. Deaths That Doom

Tropes where a character's death directly causes the downfall of others. The leader falling in battle causing a route, the pilot dying mid-flight, the only mechanic getting killed.

1. The Dropped Object

Tropes about the item that slips from a character's hand as they die. The shattered glass, the dropped sword, the locket hitting the floor, the cigarette burning out.

1. Death at the Finish Line

Tropes about characters dying just before they achieve their goal. Inches from safety, right before the rescue, dying right after winning the war.

1. The Death Threshold

Tropes about the exact, universally understood moment a character crosses from "dying" to "dead." The flatline beep, the shoes flying off, the eyes rolling back, the hands going limp, the dropping of the held object.

1. "Don't Bump Her Head" (The Phantom Comfort) 🛏️

Hey everyone! I’ve been noticing a really specific, weird thing characters do in movies and books, and I want to make it a category. For this contest, I’m looking for tropes where the living treat a dead body as if it can still physically feel things. I’m not talking about religious rituals or last rites—I mean the instinctive, physical projection of comfort onto a corpse. Tropes like putting a pillow under their head so they’re "comfortable," apologizing before breaking a rigid arm to fit them in a coffin, making sure their eyes are closed so the sun "isn't in their eyes," or whispering "sorry, this might hurt" before moving them. Show me your best tropes where the biology of death is completely ignored because the living can't stop treating the body like it still has nerve endings! 3 weeks, 6 winners, new tropes only!

Hosted by Comfort_Care 112 18

1. "Just A Prop Now" (The Biological Disregard) 🧱

Hey everyone! I’ve been noticing a really specific, brutal thing characters do in movies and books, and I want it to be a category. I’m looking for tropes where the living treat a dead body with absolute, jarring physical pragmatism—as if it's nothing but an object, an obstacle, or a tool. I’m not talking about deliberate desecration for horror or villainy—I mean the casual, instinctive acknowledgment that the body is just meat and physics now. Tropes like using the corpse as a table to rest a drink on, tossing the body aside to get to the door, or complaining about the weight instead of the loss. Show me your best tropes where the reverence of death is completely ignored because the living can't stop treating the body like an inanimate piece of furniture! 3 weeks, 6 winners, new tropes only!

Hosted by Pragmatic_Payload 88 24

1. The Compulsive Timeline Repair 🔧

Hey everyone! For this contest, I want tropes about the living doing absolutely useless things to a dead body—not out of denial, not out of ritual, but out of sheer, uncontrollable compulsion to undo the moment. Tropes like frantically re-tying the tie that got pulled loose during the struggle. Buttoning the shirt back up that was torn open during CPR. Smoothly brushing the hair back off the face so they look "like themselves again." Wiping the mud off their shoes. Pulling their coat back over their shoulders so the blood doesn't show. Tropes where the character is not preparing the body for a funeral—they're rewinding. They are physically trying to restore the corpse to the exact state it was in thirty seconds before death, as if completing the surface-level restoration will somehow also reverse the cause underneath. The character knows it's dead. They are not in denial. But their hands keep fussing, adjusting, fixing, smoothing, as though the disorder on the outside is the thing that actually killed them. Show me your best tropes about living hands trying to neat-freak a body back into the person it used to be! 3 weeks, 7 winners, new tropes only!

Hosted by Loose_Thread 161

1. The Corpse as an Audience (Performing for the Dead) 🎭

Hey everyone! I’ve been thinking about how characters talk to dead bodies. Not in a crazy "hearing voices" way, but in that weird, universal way the living keep treating a corpse like it's still taking notes. For this contest, I want tropes where characters continue to perform a social dynamic with the deceased! Tropes like continuing an argument with the body, confessing a secret to it because "they can't tell anyone now," asking the corpse for permission to do something, or trying to explain yourself to them so they "understand" why this happened. I don't want ghosts or magic—I want tropes about the purely one-sided performance where the living just cannot stop treating the body like an active participant in the room! 3 weeks, 6 winners, new tropes only!

Hosted by Audience_Of_One 155 32

1. "She Can Keep The Ring" (What The Body Keeps) 💍

Hey everyone. I've been thinking about something that happens in almost every death scene that nobody ever names. For this contest, I want tropes about the specific, awful decisions the living make about what a dead body gets to keep and what gets taken back. I'm not talking about grave robbery or looting—I mean the tender, conflicted, sometimes argued-over choices about personal effects that are still on the corpse. The wedding ring that stays because "she'd want to be buried with it." The watch that's removed because "he'd want you to have it." The glasses that someone takes off because "he wouldn't want to be seen like that" versus the glasses someone leaves on because "he can't see without them." The soldier's boots taken by a surviving comrade who needs them. The child's stuffed animal placed in the casket. The argument between siblings about whether Mom's necklace stays or goes. Show me your best tropes about the property line between the living and the dead—and the decisions about what crosses it! 3 weeks, 7 winners, new tropes only!

Hosted by Estate_Manager 119 24

1. "Come On, Wake Up" (Commanding the Corpse) ⏰

Hey everyone! I've been thinking about something every single death scene has but nobody ever names as a category. For this contest, I want tropes about the specific, codified act of the living COMMANDING a dead body to reverse its own death. I'm not talking about grief or denial as emotional states—I mean the literal, physical, verbal act of trying to ORDER the body back to life. Tropes like shaking the shoulders and screaming "WAKE UP!", slapping the face, pounding the chest, calling their name with increasing desperation ("John? John?! JOHN!"), or the classic "Don't you do this to me!" The body is being treated like it's just being stubborn. Like death is a decision it made, and if you yell loud enough, it'll change its mind. Show me your best tropes about the living treating a corpse like a sleeping roommate who just needs to be yelled at! 3 weeks, 7 winners, new tropes only!

Hosted by Alarm_Clock 188 41

1. "Don't Let His License Expire" (The Afterlife Admin) 📁

Hey everyone! I’ve been noticing a really specific, bittersweet thing characters do in stories, and I want to make it a category. For this contest, I’m looking for tropes where the living continue to manage the dead person's mundane, trivial affairs as if they're still going to face consequences for them. I’m not talking about executing a will, settling an estate, or paying off the mortgage—I mean the instinctive, almost superstitious handling of the deceased's pointless daily logistics. Tropes like unsubscribing from their emails so their "inbox doesn't overflow," paying their overdue library fines so they "don't get banned," canceling their dentist appointment because "they'd hate to be a no-show," deleting their browser history so "they don't get embarrassed," [...] Show me your best tropes where the living handle the mundane bureaucracy of the dead because they simply cannot accept that the deceased is officially exempt from late fees! 3 weeks, 6 winners, new tropes only!

Hosted by Inbox_Zero_44 87 12

1. "The Last Curator" (Futile First Aid) 🩹

Hey everyone! I've been thinking about something that happens in almost every single death scene but nobody has ever isolated as its own named trope category. For this contest, I want tropes about the instinctive, reflexive act of the living performing first aid on a body that is already dead. Not CPR in a genuine emergency—those final, doomed, irrational moments where a character instinctively applies care to a body that no longer needs it, as if the muscle memory of caring will override the biology of being gone. Tropes like pressing a towel to a wound that already has no blood pressure, fetching a glass of water for someone whose throat stopped working three minutes ago, grabbing a blanket to "keep the warmth in" when the warmth left hours ago, cupping their face and asking "are you okay? hey, are you okay?" when they are visibly not okay in the most permanent way possible, tearing open a first aid kit and fumbling through bandages for a body that stopped absorbing treatment, fetching aspirin, opening a window for "fresh air," holding a mirror under the nose to check for breath even though you watched them stop, grabbing a pillow to elevate the wound, running to get ice, calling out for a doctor into an empty room, grabbing their hair and tilting their head back to clear the airway they no longer need, reaching for the phone to call someone, anyone, while pressing their hand to the wound because "pressure stops bleeding" even though nothing is pumping anymore. I want tropes about the body's memory of caregiving refusing to accept the finished product. The hands that know how to heal keep trying to heal. The mouth that knows how to say "you're going to be fine" keeps saying it. The mind that knows where the bandages are still goes and gets them. Show me your best tropes about the care reflex that outlives the thing it was trying to protect! 3 weeks, 7 winners, new tropes only!

Hosted by On_Call_911 176 38

1. "Dead Weight" (The Physics of the Fallen) 🪨

Hey everyone! I've been noticing something about how stories handle the physical reality of a dead body, and it deserves its own category. The moment someone dies, they go from a person who balances, tenses, and cooperates, to a completely uncooperative mass of gravity. For this contest, I want tropes about the specific, awkward, physical struggles of moving, carrying, or holding a body that has suddenly lost all its structural integrity. I'm not talking about the emotional weight of grief—I mean the literal, mechanical physics of a corpse. Tropes like the head lolling back when you try to lift them by the armpits, the arms dragging limply across the floor, the legs folding completely the wrong way when you try to stand them up, the realization that you can't carry them the way you used to because nothing is holding itself together anymore, [...] Show me your best tropes about the exact moment a person becomes a physics problem! No ghosts, no magic—just the brutal, awkward gravity of a body that has stopped helping you move it! 3 weeks, 5 winners, new tropes only!

Hosted by Gravity_Check 204 57

1. "So THIS Is How We're Doing Death" (The Tonal Tell) 🎭

Hey everyone. I've been thinking about something that happens in literally every piece of fiction but nobody ever names. For this contest, I want tropes about the single, specific, early moment where the narrative reveals its UNWRITTEN RULE for how bodies work in THIS particular story—and the audience immediately knows the emotional contract they just signed. I'm not talking about genre or rating—I mean the exact INSTANT where the viewer clocks the treatment. The first body in a Tarantino movie versus the first body in a Studio Ghibli film versus the first body in an Adam Sandler comedy versus the first body in a prestige HBO drama. The characters react. The camera lingers or cuts away. The blood comes or doesn't. And in that one beat, every person watching knows: "Okay. So THAT'S how death works here." Submit your best tropes about the NARRATIVE TEA LEAF—the single, early, almost subliminal signal that tells the audience what kind of story they're watching by how it treats its first dead body! 3 weeks, 7 winners, new tropes only!

Hosted by Opening_Note 157 33

Combat Objectives:

You are about to confront the enemy / You have engaged the enemy / You have entered the enemy (encampment, hive, lair, stronghold, territory, warren, etc) or vice versa / You are in a situation that could easily devolve into a fight / You are in a situation that is devolving into a fight.

What is your objective?

Based on this post Combat Objectives by Packman150

1. Alter Course - Your opponent is too (big, powerful, numerous) to defeat. You opponent is headed towards a (camp, town, city, place, structure, resource, etc) that will be destroyed if it continues on its current path. Find a way to alter its course. Ex: giant construct, giant kaiju, migrating (herd, horde), stampede

2. Avoid or Stop the Big Attack - Every "x" rounds the enemy or an object releases a big attack. There is some kind of sign that it's about to go off. Find a way to prevent the attack / Find a way to avoid getting hit by the attack, when its about to go off. Ex: (get behind cover, get out of its arc of fire, get out of its range)

3. Break a Contract (granted power) - Anger, trick, or force an enemy into violating the terms of a contract that grants them power. This afflicts the enemy with (a curse, power backlash, weakness, etc)

4. Break a Contract (summoned entity) - Anger, trick or force an enemy into violating the terms of a contract or destroy the physical contract itself. This will allow the summoned entity to act against the summoner

5. Break Their Spirit / Demoralize Them - Make your opponents lose their will to fight / Stop a hotheaded (opponent, group) from trying to fight a far superior (foe, force) / Try not to kill anyone while showing how outmatched they are

6. Capture a Position - Capture a position and hold it for "x" amount of time

7. Capture a Skilled Enemy - Capture an enemy with (information, specific skills) that you need. Then (escape with them, interrogate them, force them to work for you, read their mind)

8. Capture a Specific Enemy - Capture the enemy's (chief, general, healer, high priest, leader, mage, romantic interest, sacrifice, shaman, tactician, etc) and (escape with them, hold them hostage)

9. Capture or Steal the Sacred Object - Capture or steal an object that your opponents consider sacred, then (desecrate it, destroy it, escape with it, hold it hostage, keep it away from the enemy, threaten to destroy it)

10. Capture or Steal the Enemy's Objective - Capture or steal the (creature, person, object) that the enemy is trying to obtain and (destroy it, escape with it, hold it hostage, keep it away from the enemy, threaten to destroy it, use it against the enemy)

11. Capture the Enemy - Capture the enemy (all of them, "x" percent of them)

12. Cat and Mouse - One of you is the cat and one of you is the mouse. The "cat" is too big and powerful to for the mouse to fight. The mouse tries to (escape, reach an objective) by using a series of terrain or obstacles to avoid the "cat". Ex: (climbing points [trees, walls] / narrow bridges, crevasses, passageways or ledges / swing points / thin ice frozen waterways / waterways)

13. Challenge - Challenge and defeat the enemy (champion, leader) in one on one combat / Use your opponent's (beliefs, culture, moral code) to challenge them to a fight with strict rules or outcomes

14. Clear the Path - A (caravan, coach, wagon, ship, train, mining cart, rail cart) needs to travel down this path. Something heavy is blocking the (canal, road, train tracks). Fend off enemies while trying to clear the obstacle out of the path / Protect the people trying to move the obstacles from (enemies, monsters)

15. Collect Samples - The enemy or the environment is (corrupted, infected, mutated). Collect samples for study / The enemy or something in the environment is resistant to the (corruption, infection, mutagen). Collect samples for study.

16. Don't Wake the Dragon - There is a (dormant, sleeping) very powerful (entity, creature). Defeat or get past your foes without waking the powerful creature.

17. Draw Attention - Draw attention away from a (NPC, group), so they can perform some task / Draw attention from a device that is powering-up or counting down.

18. Defeat a Specific Enemy - Kill, incapacitate a specific enemy. The (champion, chief, general, healer, high priest, leader, mage, messenger, sacrifice, shaman, tactician, tracker, VIP, etc)

19. Defeat the Enemy - Defeat the enemy by (killing, incapacitating, or forcing retreat) + (all of them, "x" percentage of them)

20. Defend an NPC - The NPC must not be (captured, incapacitated, killed)

21. Defend an Object - The object must not be destroyed or stolen

22. Defend the Ritual - The ritual must not be disrupted

23. Delay the Enemy - Delay the enemy, so that one or more NPCs can escape / Delay the enemy, so that one or more NPCs can finish their objective

24. Destroy a Defensive Item - Destroy an object that protects the enemies in some way. Ex: (anti-magic generator, fear generator, life drain generator, shield generator, resurrection machine, etc)

25. Destroy Construct Bodies or Corpses - Destroy constructs or corpses to prevent the enemy from (animating, possessing, resurrecting) them

26. Destroy a Location - Destroy a location important to the enemy / Destroy an allied location to prevent its capture / Destroy a allied hidden location within enemy territory to remove evidence / Frame a person or group for destroying the location to give them bad PR

27. Destroy a Weapon - Destroy a (artillery piece, siege engine, WMD, etc)

28. Diplomacy - Trying to make a deal with an enemy or enemy faction

29. Don't Reveal Your Hand - Your fight is being observed. You don't want to reveal what you can do to your (enemies, future opponents). Fight while deliberately avoiding using certain (abilities, feats, magic weapons, powers, skills, special gear, spells, etc) / Fight without taking into account your opponents weak points and vulnerabilities

30. Escape (area destruction) - The area is being destroyed by "x" (cave-in, earthquake, flood, lava flow, etc). Escape before the destruction overtakes you or destroys your escape routes

31. Escape (enemies) - Escape before you get overwhelmed / Escape before the enemy can cut off your escape routes

32. Escort a NPC - Escort a NPC through hostiles or hostile territory

33. Exorcise a Possessing Entity - Enemy is possessing someone that you want alive. Find a way to exorcise the enemy without killing the host. Ex: (Exorcism ritual / Make it think the host is dying / Offer a better host / Torture it until it flees the host / Use possessing entity's phobias against it / Etc)

34. Evaluation - Get in a fight to determine the enemies capabilities, then escape / Get in a fight to determine troop movements. Where are the enemy drawing forces from to deal with your forces?

35. Fight with Honor - Defeat an enemy without breaking any (contest, cultural, moral) rules

36. Find an Object - Find an item in the combat zone and (activate it, deactivate it, destroy it, escape with it, power it up, realign it, sanctify it, use it against enemy, etc)

37. Fool the Observers - Your fight is being watched by (observers, spies, scrying). Make it look like you are losing until the observer stops watching.

38. Frame a 3rd Party - Frame a 3rd party for the attack on the enemy. Leave something behind that will incriminate the 3rd party / Disguise yourselves as the 3rd party and make sure at least one enemy (survives, escapes) to tell others

39. Free Captives / Prisoners - Free captives or prisoners who are (being carried in a sack or net, caged, chained, cocooned, in prison cells, in a prison wagon, tied up, ensorcelled, etc)

40. Free a Monster - Free a monster that will rampage through the enemy. Flee or do some other objective while the enemy is busy with the monster

41. Gain Intel and Escape - Simply gain any kind of useful information on the enemy and escape to report back to your (leaders, forces, handlers). Ex: (architectural designs of [stronghold, super weapon], capabilities, goals, numbers of forces, powers, resistances, weaknesses, superstitious beliefs, troop movements, etc)

42. Get Captured - Make it look like a fight, but allow yourselves to be captured

43. Get Someone (Captured, Killed) - Get in a fight with the enemy and let one of your (allies, companions, soldiers) get (captured, killed). Reasons: (Ally is a spy, being captured is part of the infiltration / Ally is a mole or enemy spy. Eliminate them without arousing suspicion / Ally is a mole or enemy spy. Get them captured to pass on disinformation / Ally is so bad they are detrimental to your team / Ally is so beloved by your team, it will motivate your [faction, forces] to fight the enemy)

44. Give Intel to Enemy / Leak Intel to the Enemy - Give intel to an enemy or enemy faction (as a bargaining chip, to get them to deal with a mutual problem).

45. Harvest - Harvest some resource that the creature produces (eggs, egg shells, honey, plant or fungi that grows on it, plant or fungi that grows in its excrement, shed carapace, shed scales, silk, substance that it excretes, wax, wool, etc). You must leave enough of the creatures alive to continue producing the resource.

46. Hold a Position - Hold a position until (a event triggers, reinforcements arrive, sun up, the airship begins to lift off, the train starts moving, etc)

47. Impress the Spectators - Impress or entertain the people watching the fight

48. Learn a Skill - Learn a (ability, skill, feat, power), that requires you to fight this type of enemy to learn it / Learn a (ability, skill, feat, power) that the enemy uses in combat

49. Let the Enemy Break It - Stand in front of something important. The something is nearly invulnerable to you but not the enemy. When the enemy (attacks, charges at you), dodge out of the way. Ex: (alter / idol / force field protecting "x" / monster summing device / power up device / resurrection device / super weapon / support pillar / undead re-animator / ward [obelisk, pillar, stone], etc)

50. Limit Collateral Damage - Keep the collateral damage to a minimum. Ex: Avoid damaging the (draft animals, innocent bystanders, mounts, natural resources, property, valuables, etc) and keep the enemy from damaging them as well

51. Lure Enemy into a Trap - Lure the enemy into a trap that is located nearby. Ex: Physical trap / Magical trap / Terrain hazards / Ambush predators / Wake the Sleeping Dragon*

52. Lure Enemy onto Forbidden Ground - Force or trick the enemy into setting foot on (forbidden, restricted) ground. This will allow a 3rd party who is restricted by (laws, magic) to deal with the enemy.

53. Lure in a 3rd Party - Lure in a 3rd party by fighting (allies disguised as enemies, allies of 3rd party, real enemies). 3rd party reasoning: (attack while you are at a disadvantage, defend their allies, kill two birds with one stone, pick off the winner while they are weak)

54. Lure in an Elusive Enemy - Make it look like your losing, to draw out a hidden enemy. Elusive enemy normally hides in the shadows and never shows their face.

55. Make it a Challenge - Deliberately make the fight more difficult for yourself. May effect (experience gains, magical puzzle, reputation, rewards). Ex: Not using certain (abilities, feats, spells, etc) / Using (cheaper, shoddy, unfamiliar) equipment

56. Manipulate Controls - There is a big machine that does "x". There may be one set of controls or multiple sets of controls in different locations. If multiple controls, then they may have to be operated in stages. Someone has to man the controls while others fend off the (enemy, creatures). Letting go of the controls early causes the machine to (go out of control, reset, reverse). The enemy may just be attacking or they may be actively trying to stop the person at the controls

57. Move a heavy object past a group of enemies

58. Movement Denial - Find a way to restrict the enemy's movement. Block or collapse a passageway / Close a (door, draw bridge, gate, portcullis) / Destroy a (bridge, catwalk, elevator, ladder, lift, portal) / Flood a pathway / Make terrain hazardous (burning oil, caltrops, toxic waste, etc)

59. Non-Lethal - You don't want to kill your opponents. You need to (capture, incapacitate, restrain) your opponents or trap them in an area where they can't escape

60. Open the Gates - Open the gates for allies or reinforcements / Open the gates so that others may escape

61. PR (public relations) - Have someone (ally, 3rd party, enemy) witness the fight. Reason: (Impress a potential [client, employer] / Improve PR by defeating the enemy / Improve PR by fighting honorably / Demonstrate that the enemy can be defeated / Show how [dishonorable, vile] the enemy is / Worsen the enemy's PR)

62. Prevent an Enemy from Sounding the Alarm - Prevent an enemy from: (blowing a horn / escaping to alert others / lighting a signal fire / ringing a [bell, gong] / shooting a signal flare)

63. Prevent the Enemy from (opening, closing) the Gates - The enemy is making their way for the gate controls. They must not be allowed to (open, close) the gates.

64. Prevent an Execution - Rescue the NPC who is about to be executed

65. Prevent Enemy's Escape - Prevent (all, specific) enemies from escaping

66. Prisoner Exchange - Exchange (captives, prisoners). Watch for betrayal

67. Reach a Specific Area - Reach a specific area before the enemy can (block, capture, overwhelm, stop) you. Ex: (a place where something can be held hostage / area in the sunlight / area the enemy [can not, fears to] enter / choke point / get through the (draw bridge, gate, portcullis, portal) before it closes / sanctified ground / within bowshot of a friendly [army, stronghold, town wall] / etc)

68. Repel Enemies Until Event Triggers - Ex: (airship lifts off, elevator activates, portal opens, ritual finishes, ship reaches open waters, sun rise, wards activate, etc)

69. Sabotage - Sabotage the enemy's "x" (communications, equipment, food, medicine, mounts, ritual, siege equipment, supplies, vehicles, wagons, water supply, etc) and then escape

70. Search the Giant - Search the town sized (construct, giant, kaiju) for a weak point / Search the town sized construct for a way to get inside it.

71. Separate Two Targets - Two target are too powerful when together, find a way to separate them / Two target are fighting each other. You need them alive. Find a way to separate them

72. Silent Take-down - Capture, incapacitate, or kill specific enemies without alerting any other enemies

73. Solve the Puzzle (Creature) - Some part of combat is a puzzle. You need to solve the puzzle to (defeat, get past) the enemies or the enemies keep coming until the puzzle is solved. Ex: Defeat opponents in the correct order / Defeat opponents using the correct method / Get through the maze by outmaneuvering your opponents / Lure opponents into the correct traps

74. Solve the Puzzle (Under Pressure) - You must solve the puzzle while fending off (enemies, creatures). The enemy will not stop appearing, re-spawning until the puzzle is solved

75. Sound the Alarm - Alert the rest of your (people, forces) of the enemy's presence. Ex: (blowing a horn / escaping to alert others / lighting a signal fire / ringing a [bell, gong] / shooting a signal flare)

76. Sow Discord (Apostasy, Disillusionment) - Convince the enemy that their causes goes against what they (believe, stand for) / Convince the enemy that their cause will eventually be detrimental to themselves or the things they care about / Push and enemy, who has become disillusioned with their group, to take that final step and turn against their group

77. Sow Discord (Bribery) - Bribe one (enemy, group) to turn on another (enemy, group)

78. Sow Discord (Evidence, Trickery) - Convince one (enemy, group) that another (enemy, group) has wronged them or plans to wrong them. Ex: (betrayal, theft, harmed someone or something they care about, just using them, traitor, unfair treatment, etc)

79. Sow Discord (Ladder Climber) - Convince an enemy that you will help them take out their boss (thereby making them the boss), if they will (aid you, be more open to negotiations, let you escape, let you pass through their territory, stop hostilities, etc) afterwards

80. Stay on Task - Avoid distractions. Stay on the primary task until it is completed. There may be a time limit or other factors that will make the primary task impossible. If the primary objective isn't completed the mission is a failure. Distractions will appear along the way. Ex: Opportunities to: (capture or slay a priority target, get rare or valuable treasure, save someone, etc).

81. Steal an Item - Steal an item from the enemy and (destroy it, escape with it, plant it at a crime scene, use it against the enemy)

82. Steal Supplies - You need supplies. Your enemy has supplies.

83. Steal the Show (control) - The enemy is using some (device, ritual) to (awaken, free, power-up, resurrect, summon, unseal) a powerful (entity, creature, construct) and control it. Disrupt their actions in a way that allows you to contest their control over it.

84. Steal the Show (power-up) - The enemy is using some (device, ritual) to become more powerful. Enter the target zone at the last second and steal the power for yourself / Enter the target zone at the last second and fight with the intended target to see who gets the power.

85. Stop Power-up (consumption) - A powerful enemy is becoming more powerful by (absorbing, consuming) other (creatures, enemies). Prevent it from becoming more powerful. Keep it from reaching other creatures / Keep other creatures from reaching it / Destroy corpses / Do something that makes creatures (unabsorbable, unpalatable, toxic)

86. Stop Power-up (device) - A device or structure it powering up the enemy, (destroy it, shut it down) before it can finish.

87. Stop a Ritual - Find a way to disrupt or stop a ritual, before the enemy can finish it

88. Stop the Activation - The enemy or a device is powering-up "x". Prevent "x" from (being activated, fully powering-up)

89. Stop the Buffs - Eliminate the (person, entity, creature, device) that keeps buffing the enemy: Ex: Buffs (magic resistance, regeneration, resistance to damage, speed, strength, toughness, etc)

90. Stop the Fight - 2 groups are about to fight or are already fighting. Find a way to stop the fight.

91. Stop the Mind Control - Eliminate the (person, entity, creature, device) that is mind controlling your opponents. Breaking the mind control should end the fight.

92. Stop the Reviving - Eliminate the (person, entity, creature, device) that keeps (reviving, reanimating) your opponents

93. Stop the Spawns - Eliminate the thing that keeps creating more (enemies, monsters). Ex: (cloning machine, construct assembly line, egg sacks or mounds, enchanted piles of [bone, corpses, flesh], monster generator, monster queen, undead animator, etc) / Block the (passageways, tunnels) that the (enemies, monsters) keep coming from

94. Stop the Summoning - These mobs (or something worse) are coming from somewhere. Stop the ritual, close the portal, disable the teleporter, seal the cave, etc.

95. Storm several important locations all at once, forcing both the sides to think how to use/divide their forces.

96. Survive - Survive until (reinforcements arrive / rescued / the enemy is called to another location by their (general, master) / the enemy runs out of "x" resource / the sun comes up / the true heroes arrive)

97. The Enemy of My Enemy - Lead 1st group of enemies into a 2nd group of (enemies, monsters) that are hostile to the 1st group of enemies. Let them wreck each other and then pick off the winners / Try to accomplish some other objective while they are busy with each other / Try to escape while they fight each other.

98. Tracking Device - Plant a tracking device on an enemy / Tag an enemy with a tracking device

99. Wake the Dragon - There is a (dormant, sleeping) very powerful (entity, creature). Lure the enemy to the dragon. Wake the "dragon" and make sure it sees the enemy first, then sneak away

100. Win a Game - Win a game that involves fighting or combat. Ex: (capture the flag, gladiator, king of the hill) / Win a game that involves not being caught by your opponent(s). Ex: (tag, hide & seek)

Extra:

101. Throw a Fight - Convince others that you are trying to win. Eventually lose the fight. Reasons: (Allow opponent to save face / An ally has bet against you / An enemy has leverage on you and wants you to throw the fight / Boost your opponent's reputation / Get opponent [hired, promoted] to a position / Get thrown in the cells with the other losers / Have your opponent owe you a favor / Wear down your opponent, so your ally or the campion that you want can win a later fight)

Contributors, Sources, or Inspiration:

AwkwardOwl17

DeeDeeEx

DiggingInGarbage

Environmental_Sell34

Firefly (2002 TV series and 2005 film)

Infinite_Duck

ishmadrad

Jimsocks499

klok_kaos for Environmental Hazards

man0rmachine

Packman150

parad0xchild

SeasonPresent

tta5

World_of_Ideas

Zealousideal_Leg213

Zombie_Alpaca_Lips

Various fantasy and SciFi (books, films, tv series, and CRPGs)

Similar Post:

Alternative Combat Objectives by Environmental_Sell34

Alternate Victory Conditions by MasterDungeon

Combat Objectives by Packman150

For raw: 00 & 0 represents 100. The remaining are added as normal.

Homebrew: zero = 10 on the "0-9" die.

Note: both systems work & are uniform i.e. 1% chance for each value from 1 to 100.

Which system do you prefer?

You and your fantasy party group have been shrunk down to the size of a TTRPG miniature, and must travel through a home that is now many times larger than normal. What household items might you be able to use as gear, magical items, and/or fight as enemies?
Anything that seems fantasy-like when enlarged to 50-70x its normal size. Realism and exact sizing do NOT have to apply, so go ahead and stretch any definitions to make them fit!

1. Toothpicks - use as spears, javelins or battlestaves
2. Coffee/energy drinks - bottle to use for speed potions
3. Fishhooks - use as grappling hooks
4. Batteries - throw as lightning grenades
5. Toy soldiers - golems that must be fought
6. A parrot - a giant Roc
7. A fridge/freezer - cold, icy area
8. Vinegar - use as acid
9. Blender - a bladestorm golem
10. Button or bottlecap as a shield (u/Asleep_Collar_3667)
11. Spiders, ants, mice, frogs, snakes - Giant spiders (which have very deadly venom!), giant ants, etc. (u/Likes2_Lllllurk),
12. Plates & bowls - used as water vessels (u/Likes2_Lllllurk)
13. Deodorant - scent masking material (u/Likes2_Lllllurk)
14. Kleenex or plastic grocery bags - use as parachutes (u/Likes2_Lllllurk)(u/World_of_Ideas)
15. Threads and strings - used as ropes (u/Likes2_Lllllurk)(u/gnomeannisanisland)
16. Washers - throws like a discus (u/gnomeannisanisland)
17. Zipper - used as a ladder (u/gnomeannisanisland)
18. Mouse traps - hazard/trap to avoid or use, or used as a catapult (u/gnomeannisanisland)
19. Fly paper - very sticky hazardous terrain (u/gnomeannisanisland)
20. Sink/bathtub spigot - giant waterfall
21. Shaving (straight) razor - used as a halberd (u/Hymenth)
22. Steak knife - use as a greatsword (u/Hymenth)
23. Empty ballpoint pen - use as a digeridoo (u/MaxSizels)
24. Toy cannons (and other army tools) - use as real cannons (u/MaxSizels)
25. Ball bearings, crumbs and gravel - Falling boulders and terrain ((u/Arkenstihl)
26. Rings & earrings - use as enchanted belts and cuffs (u/AwkwardOwl17)
27. Jewelry box - a dragon's lair (u/AwkwardOwl17)
28. Hair bands/hair ties - use for slingshots (u/AwkwardOwl17)
29. Fridge magnets - shield of metal attraction (u/AwkwardOwl17)
30. Thimbles - use as helmets
31. Comb, or staples punched into a vertical surface - use as a ladder

You are sitting outside on a clean night looking at the stars. You know nothing about modern science of how stars are formed. You can name every constellation and their story relating to the gods. Tonight you see something strange, what do you see

1. Aurora Borealis
2. ten thousand falling stars
3. a Meteor falling from the sky
4. The stars being blocked out by a passing cloud
5. shooting stars
6. A new moon appearing in the sky
7. Solar Eclipse
8. full moon (or any moon phrase)
9. lunar eclipse
10. A star burning twice as bright, so bright it can be seen during the day
11. ...