NPC Quirks  

Posted by Conor

From Roleplaying Tips.

Take the 40 quirks below, all of them submitted by Tips readers, paste them into a new Notepad page and print them out. Whenever you need a quirk while planning or during play, choose a quirk from the list, put a checkmark by it and try to give it a different angle before using it. When all the quirks have been checkmarked, make a new list or cycle through the old list again, constantly putting new aspects on the quirks as you use them.

40 Quirks

  1. Absent minded.
  2. Obsessive about being perfectly clean and neat.
  3. If what's happening isn't about their interests or what they need, they slowly fade off into some unknown train of thought.
  4. Smooths out wrinkles in their clothing during conversations.
  5. Wrings their hands.
  6. Fears strangers.
  7. Keeps looking over their shoulder.
  8. Keeps shifting their weapon from hand to hand.
  9. Has mood swings.
  10. Gets angered at strange, specific things.
  11. Paranoid with EXTREMELY wide eyes.
  12. Uses the same hand gestures in conversation as they do when casting spells.
  13. Actively starts pacing whenever still for a period of time.
  14. Obsessed with a specific weapon, item, person, place or monster, often telling long, boring stories about it.
  15. Rolls their eyes when talking about other people.
  16. Is easily cowed.
  17. Gossips about other people and makes things up about others.
  18. Cannot make decisions. Asks others what to do several times before deciding.
  19. Bad flatulence.
  20. Speaks slow and deliberately.
  21. Flips hair out of the way arrogantly.
  22. Chews lips and flip-flops over decisions.
  23. Snooty. Talks with their nose up and looks down on people.
  24. Uses a dismissive hand wave (fingers pointing down with a sweeping motion).
  25. Gives belly laughs and rocks back and forth in their seat.
  26. Very nervous. Darting eyes, wringing hands, quavering voice.
  27. Speaks in a low, deep voice, pausing after every sentence to carefully choose their words.
  28. Constantly changes their gaze, making eye-contact with everyone around them again and again, in rapid succession.
  29. Near-sighted. Squints at whoever is talking to them.
  30. Is well-bred and waves their hand around in the air all the time, as though to fan away the unpleasant odor of the PCs.
  31. Has a nasal voice.
  32. Has a whiny voice.
  33. Has a breathy voice, like Marilyn Monroe.
  34. Uses a "signature phrase" (i.e. "Jinkies!" "By the Sons of Warvan, you shall be avenged!" "Holy rusted metal, Batman!" "Tubular!" "Make it so!" "Shards and Shells!" "By your command.").
  35. Uses a few words of gibberish that represents phrases from their native language. Works especially well for swear words and exclamations.
  36. Uses the same vocal pause repeatedly (i.e. ummmm, er, like, and so, uh).
  37. Speaks very quickly.
  38. Speaks very slowly like they are not intelligent.
  39. Speaks very slowly as if it isn't their native tongue and they are translating things in their head.
  40. Looks boldly at the PCs with tight lips and narrowed eyes.

NPC Names  

Posted by Conor

Bladeling
?

Bugbear

Male Names: Brinjin, Drulyut, Hellyug, Lorzod, Melgar, Memgum, Nattumung, Rugulron, Shriggaloy, Ukret, Wengaloy
Female Names: Culgecka, Gultegga, Hane, Hrugga, Sungammem, Vurvon

Bullywug
?

Changeling
Characteristics: Adaptable, compellng, cunning, devious, evasive, furtive, insightful, mysterious, prudent, sly, subtle
Male and Female Names: Bin, Dox, Fie, Hars, Jin, Lam, Nit, Ot, Paik, Ruz, Sim, Toox, Yog

Deva
Characteristics: Dedicated, devout, elegant, enlightened, introspective, mystical, refined, righteous, spiritual, thoughtful
Male Names: Adiah, Ansis, Ayab, Bavak, Beriah, Eben, Elyas, Galad, Gamal, Hiyal, Iannes, Kerem, Mahar, Marach, Mathas, Natan, Nehem, Oris, Raham, Ronen, Samel, Sered, Tavar, Vered, Zachar
Female Names: Abea, Adara, Asha, Chana, Danel, Darah, Davi, Elka, Eranah, Hania, Hava, Idria, Isa, Jael, Kana, Kayah, Lihi, Mahel, Marek, Noma, Navah, Paziah, Ravah, Riya, Sada, Shara, Tirah

Dragonborn
Characteristics: Driven, honor-bound, noble, perfectionist, proud, reliable, reserved, rooted in ancient history
Male Names: Arjhan, Balasar, Bharash, Donaar, Ghesh, Heskan, Kriv, Medrash, Nadarr, Patrin, Rhogar, Shamash, Shedinn, Torinn
Female Names: Akra, Biri, Daar, Harann, Kava, Korinn, Mishann, Nala, Perra, Raiann, Sora, Surina, Thava

Drow
Characteristics: Arrogant, cold, haunted, pragmatic, rebellious, ruthless, skeptical, sophisticated, urbane
Male Drow Names: Adinimys, Baridl, Belgos, Bhintel, Drisdhaun, Elkantar, Haelirin, Houndaer, Kelnozz, Malaggar, Nalklyr, Orkallael, Pelloth, Phaeqel, Quarfein, Ryltar, Ulvein, Vorgyrn, Xulgos, Zebith
Female Drow Names: Akneth, Alauniira, Briesril, Chali, Charinida, Diviir, Drisiml, Faeremma, Fillith, Ilivarra, Myrymma, Pellanistra, Quewaun, Shivra, Viergar, Waeren, Xune, Yasesril, Zaketrin, Zarra

Duergar
Male Names: Murkelmor

Dwarf
Characteristics: Acquisitive, brave, hardworking, loyal, organized, stern, stubborn, tenacious, vengeful
Male Names: Adrik, Baern, Berend, Darrak, Eberk, Fargrim, Gardain, Harbek, Kildrak, Morgran, Orsik, Rangrim, Thoradin, Thorfin, Tordek, Travok, Vondal
Female Names: Artin, Bardryn, Diesa, Eldeth, Falkrunn, Gurdis, Helja, Kathra, Kristryd, Mardred, Riswynn, Torbera, Vistra

Eladrin
Characteristics: Aesthetic, deliberative, detached, free, graceful, magical, otherworldly, patient, perceptive
Male Names: Aramil, Arannis, Berrian, Dayereth, Erevan, Galinndan, Hadarai, Immeral, Mindartis, Paelias, Quarion, Riardon, Soveliss
Female Names: Althaea, Anastrianna, Andraste, Bethrynna, Caelynna, Jelenneth, Leshanna, Meriele, Naivara, Quelenna, Sariel, Shanairra, Theirastra, Valenae

Elf
Characteristics: Agile, friendly, intuitive, joyful, perceptive, quick, tempestuous, wild
Male Names: Adran, Aelar, Beiro, Carric, Erdan, Gennal, Heian, Lucan, Peren, Rolen, Theren, Varis
Female Names: Adrie, Birel, Chaedi, Dara, Enna, Faral, Irann, Keyleth, Lia, Mialee, Shava, Thia, Valna

Genasi
Characteristics: Capricious, exotic, free-spirited, haughty, headstrong, impulsive, independent, passionate, quick-tempered, quixotic
Male Genasi Names: Emere, Garel-kai, Jett, Kaddim-sul, Ki-amar, Mariz, Sardis, Sha-karn, Yuriel, Zan-kyri
Female Genasi Names: Ashar, Gwind, Len-jes, Jenda-shan, Jerra, Mai-sal, Mara-kai, Nari-lana, Sonliin, Valandra, Vanri

Githyanki
Male Names: Dhenirigan, Gerzenit, Izzussan, Nezethet, Ovyrgunget, Therigan, Vallo, Yahayta
Female Names: Ahayzo, Ezethyr, Ishather, Kesskogan, Verilesh, Zeryaltiss

Gnome
Characteristics: Affable, clever, crafty, curious, funny, guarded, inconspicuous, inventive, secretive, sly, tricky
Male Names: Alston, Alvyn, Brocc, Eldon, Frug, Kellen, Ku, Nim, Orryn, Pock, Sindri, Warryn, Wrenn
Female Names: Breena, Carlin, Donella, Ella, Lilli, Lorilla, Nissa, Nyx, Oda, Orla, Roswyn, Tana, Zanna

Goliath
Characteristics: Competitive, daring, driven, inquisitive, powerful, reliable, restless, trusting
Male Names: Aukan, Eglath, Gauthak, Ilikan, Kavaki, Keothi, Lo-Kag, Maveith, Meavoi, Thotham, Vimak
Female Names: Gae-Al, Kuori, Manneo, Nalla, Orilo, Paavu, Pethani, Thalai, Uthal, Vaunea

Half-Elf
Characteristics: Accommodating, adaptable, charming, confident, gregarious, open-minded
Half-Elf Names: Typically elf or human names, though some half-elves have names more typical of other races

Half-Orc
Characteristics: Brash, ferocious, hedonistic, impulsive, short-tempered, tough, uninhibited
Male Names: Brug, Dorn, Druuk, Gnarsh, Grumbar, Hogar, Karash, Korgul, Krusk, Lubash, Mord, Ohr, Rendar, Sark, Scrag, Tanglar, Tarak, Thar, Ugarth, Yurk
Female Names: Augh, Bree, Ekk, Gaaki, Grai, Grigri, Gynk, Huru, Lagazi, Murook, Nogu, Ootah, Puyet, Tawar, Tomph, Ubada, Vanchu

Halfling
Characteristics: Brave, curious, determined, down-to-earth, friendly, good-natured, lucky, nimble, optimistic, practical, resourceful, warm
Male Names: Ander, Corrin, Dannad, Errich, Finnan, Garret, Lazam, Lindal, Merric, Nebin, Ostran, Perrin, Reed, Shardon, Ulmo, Wenner
Female Names: Andrey, Bree, Callie, Chenna, Eida, Kithri, Lidda, Nedda, Paela, Shaena, Tryn, Vani, Verna, Wella

Human
Characteristics: Adaptable, ambitious, bold, corruptible, creative, driven, hardy, pragmatic, resourceful, territorial, tolerant
Male Names: Alain, Alek, Benn, Brandis, Donn, Drew, Erik, Gregg, Jonn, Kris, Marc, Mikal, Pieter, Regdar, Quinn, Samm, Thom, Wil
Female Names: Ana, Cassi, Eliza, Gwenn, Jenn, Kat, Keira, Luusi, Mari, Mika, Miri, Stasi, Shawna, Zanne

Kalashtar
Characteristics: Balanced, commanding, compassionate, contemplative, disciplined, graceful, insightful, intellectual, spiritual, thoughtful
Male Names: Halkhad, Havrakhad, Kanatash, Lanamelk, Lanharath, Malharath, Minharath, Nevitash, Parmelk, Thakakhad, Thinharath
Female Names: Ganitari, Khashana, Lakashtari, Mevakri, Novakri, Panitari, Sorashana, Thakashtai, Thatari

Shifter
Characteristics: Active, alert, fierce, freespirited, intuitive, perceptive, predatory, self-reliant, unrestrained, wild
Male Names: Ash, Brook, Claw, Cliff, Flint, Frost, River, Rock, Storm, Thorn, Tor
Female Names: Aurora, Autumn, Dawn, Hazel, Iris, Lily, Rain, Rose, Summer

Tiefling
Characteristics: Cunning, disquieting, imposing, mysterious, proud, rebellious, self-reliant, sinister, sly, unconventional
Male Names: Akmenos, Amnon, Barakas, Damakos, Ekemon, Iados, Kairon, Leucis, Melech, Morthos, Pelaios, Skamos, Therai
Female Names: Akta, Bryseis, Damaia, Ea, Kallista, Lerissa, Makaria, Nemeia, Orianna, Phelaia, Rieta

Warforged
Characteristics: Aggressive, alert, brave, curious, forthright, industrious, loyal, methodical, naive, practical, reserved, simple
Names: Azm, Book, Bulwark, Cart, Cutter, Falchion, Graven, Hammer, Mark, Morg, Nameless, Pierce, Pious, Relic, Rune, Steeple, Three, Titan, Unsung, Victor, Watcher, Zealot



NPC physical appearances:




NPC personalities:




Monsters:

Inns and Taverns  

Posted by Conor

From the Wizards forums.


1) The Gnome's Lair
2) The Expeditious Retreat
3) The Broken Rule
4) The Lusty Minion
5) The Old Hoe
The Witches Eye Inn.
6) The Wander Inn (haha)
7) [Location]'s Rest (ex. Silverymoon's Rest, Shadowfell's Rest)
8) The Smoldering Cauldron
9) The Broken Signpost
10) The Welcome Stop (hehe)
11) The Adventurer's Den (can also work with other names like The Druid's Den)
12) The Slaughtered Prince
13) Luckless Palace
14) Fenris's Bar and Grill
15) The Six Legged Toad
16) The Barbarian Boast
17) The Palace of Paupers
18) The Drunken Sailor.
19) The Old Dun Cow.
20) The Upended Tankard.
21) The Lost Spot
22) The Mermaid's Revenge (we used it once in a port town, the DM of the adventure thinks the scariest movie ever is 'The Little Mermaid')
23) The Badger and the Jackel
24) The Harlot's Roar
25) Hobgoblin's Fork House
1. Gold Dragon Inn (secretly owned by a sub-adult gold dragon shapeshifts into human form)
2. Boar's Nest (a nod to the Dukes of Hazzard's Boss Hogg - & the guy who runs it is a no good S.o.B. named "Boss Hogg" in Mythal)
3. Jack O' the Green (run by an old Druid)
4. Toad's Inn (tends to be the one where Half-Anythings's hang out)
5. Toadstool Inn (for Halflings & Gnomes - kind of a small tavern)
6. The Lion's Pride (Private Club only for members of the local Fighters Guilds)
7. Restful Willow Inn (very high class 5 star place)
8. Mad Hatter's Prize (place for Bards & Rogues to perform)
9. Dagger's Hall (Rogue owned, operated and used as a base for thieves)
10. The Blasted Tower (Private Club only for members of the local Wizard's Guild)
11. Lucky Jack's (gambling casino - run by the local Mob)
12. Travellers Keep (just a simple place for non-adventurers to get food, drink and sleep - run by a retired 14th level Ranger/Druid)
13. Pater Noster (run by a retired cleric/mage)
Blasted Tower
43 - The Sticky Wicket (No ideas for this one, I just like it.)
44 - The Faerie Ring (Specializes in elven wine... a more "genteel" environment.)
45 - The Hoop and Barrel (Clean and well-run, but the floor is three inches deep in discarded peanut shells. Good beer, fairly cheap.)
46 - The Cork and Bung (Wine and ale in a dank, tense environment)
47 - Booze (Ideally run by a half-orc or very straightforward dwarf... "Why bother with prettying it up? Just say what you sell." Actually quite popular.)
48 - The Last Gasp (Renowned as the last bar before entering a duchy where alcohol is outlawed. Tiny place, only visited by travelers.)
50. The Knotty Pony (this one was so popular that the whole campaign took on the moniker "The Company of the Knotty Pony.") - Complete with a knotted piece of wood fashioned to look like a pony out front.
51. The Couped Boar (I don't know why I like this one so much, but it's been a fixture in every campaign that I've run...)
52. The Merry Mermaid
53. The Crown and Pickle
54. The Red Lion
55. Blackjack's Gaming House
56. The Hungry Hippo
57. The Bouncing Bugbear
58. Crate and Barrel
59. The Boar's Head
60. The White Rook
61. The Sleeping Red Dragon (which is, ironically, the official D&D Tavern/Inn)
62. The Green Dragon Tavern (from 1E)
63. The Welcome Wench (from Homlett)
64. The Prancing Pony (from LotR)
65. The Rampant Lion
66. Trembling Wings Tavern
67. Red Taft Plume Tavern
68. The Dafty Alesman
69. Sans Sinister Inn/Tavern ("No Left Hand" inn/tavern)
70. The Starknight Tavern
71. Ring of Blades Tavern (with dueling ring)
72. Bertram's Tavern (run by a troll who used to be a former wrester [ if know the reference])
73. The Spilled Grog Tavern
74. The Rusty Nail Tavern
75. Gibbering Mouther Inn (Innsmouth? )
79.)The Spitted Goblin: multiple "Wanted: Adventurers" posters, a' la Belkar's solution to the kobold's son.
80.)The Laughing Elf: only the finest wines.
81.)Callahan's Place: run by the merriest redheaded barbarian of all time (sorry, I just had to...).
82.)The Last Inn and Tavern: on the Dwarfroad, just before the mountains (great ale, for those of you looking...).
83.)Streams of Whiskey: nothing but ye olde folke muzik, played by the roughest of bards.
84.)Rogue's Gallery: oddly enough, this is where the paladins hang out .
85.)Dragonsfoot Tavern: a small, ramshackle, open-air bar with the bar proper set into a fossilized dragon's footprint.
86.)Blades & Barter: the house rule: "Everything is for sale."
87.)That Tavern: everyone knows where it is.
88.)Slainte: where "Everyone knows your name."
90) the Flaming Dwarf (I know what your thinking, it's actually run by an azer
91) the Bustee Wench (has a large, broken wrench above the door, run by a gnome with a speech impediment)
92) the Green Dragon, Inn (actually a dragon disguised by an illusion, walking through the door, is walking into it's mouth)
93) Foam and Froth Tavern (the beer is served with lots of head, the barkeep has a "spraying" problem)
90) The Rusty Chumbucket - Every campaign I run has this tavern popping up somewhere and the party always seems to burn it down.
91) The Drunken Dragon
96) The Mermaid's Cups.
97: The Rendered Otyugh - orcs, goblinoids, etc place, not very high quality food and boozes...
98 - The Friar's Bowl. The only tavern in the temple district, heavily visited by clergy of all stripes after services.
99 - The Hog's Wattle. If you can get past the horrible, reeking stench of decay and the constant haze of smoke, you'll find... a humid pit of disease and cheap, watery booze.
100 - The Adamant Dwarf. Dead center in the main room is an adamantine "statue" of a dwarf raising his mug in a pointing gesture, his expression defiant. Seems that he was a regular there before he ran afoul of a hung-over archmage.
101 - The Divine Mount. Renowned for being the only combination tavern/taxidermist's shop in existence. Oddly enough, the "house special" rotgut is served from the same bottle as the preservative...
105. The Steely Tankard (dwarf bar)
106. The Drunken Spider
107. The Dangling Demon (Sign with a lynched demon on it)
108. The Vomitting Toad (Best not to ask)
109. The Frisky Fairy
110. The Bent Nail
111. The Butchered Horse
112. The Gnoll's Woes
113. The Leaning Lampblack
114. Blue Bird Inn
115. Green Goat Tavern
116. The Golden Lamb
117. Yellow Bear Pub
118. The Red Fish
132. The Tarnished Harp- Owned by a retired bard who used his favorite instrument as the signpost
133. The Golden Scroll- Local Wizard Hangout
134. Eight Arms to Serve You- Local paladin hangout where the owner's pet octopus acts as the barkeep
135. The Stony Dwarf- Owned by a dwarf, who keeps a Dwarf Ancestor in his basement in case of trouble
136. Teh Bluudie Aks- owned by a half-orc barbarian who has no idea how to spell "bloody" or "axe"
137. The Surly Mermaid- Seaside bar that speaks for itself
138. The Shadowed Cavern- Bar built inside a cave, local hangout for rouges and assassins
139; The Keg of Sharn - rowdy cantina-tavern of Sharn's seedier side....
140: The Red Tankard - post-Spellplague place owned by a dwarf and a thayan refugee, of all person
150. "Arcana Kate's"
151. "Molly's Chamber"
152. "The Road House"
153. "The Nixie's Kiss"
154. "Hap's Place"
155. "The Hang Ogre"
156. "The North Star"
157. "Noem's Place"
158. The Pink Cherub Inn - Leave your inhibitions at the door.
159. Dark Malt's Inn - The darkest ale in the Empire.
160. The Laughing Gargoyle Inn - For rent. See my campaign tread.




Black Scabbard Tavern
Inn at the Edge of the World
Sweet Liberty
Delialah's Wine Den
Flirty Sprite
Laughing Goblin
Belching Ogre
Frothy Skullsplitters Jug and Bed
Fox Manor
Bull and Maiden
Ye Merry Ball and Chain
Thirsty Lute
Three-legged Lion
Grinning Goblin
Own and Horton
Tiger's Tail
Sputtering Fireball
Hog in Armor
Rusty Blade
River's End
Dashing Dryad
Red Dog Inn
Goose and Feathers
Weeping Willow
Thunar's Trough
Broken Arrow
Purple Dragon
Knotty Pine
Quick Horse Inn
Black Dragon
Snorting Bull
River Rat
Broken Staff
Thumb and Hammer
Wagon Wheel
Copper Armoury
One-eyed Troll
Gunnar's Ale Trove
Yeoman's Inn
Cowherder's Arms
SureLock's Home
Pink Boar Tavern
Weary Squire Inn
Wolf Pack
Ragnar's Staple and Horn
Lion's Maw
Pink Charger
Mage's Staff
Singing Pixies
Black and Blue Goblin
Frog and Frigate
Remiran's Well
Iron Cauldron
Barbarian's Hall
Smelly Friar
Dull Longsword
Scabbard Tavern
Traveler's Haven
Chipped Flagon
Winder's Way
Painted Lady
Call of Therassor
Draught 'o th' Crossroads
Chariots of Firewater
Dark Horse Inn
Striking Asp
Mage's Slippers Inn
Clanking Chain
Gleaming Breastplate
Cracked Mug
Three Billed Duck
Scarlet Griffon
Dragon's Layer
Annoyed Cockatrice
Swamp Water
Rusty Axe
Blue Lagoon
Wanton Nymph
Grinning Idol
Dented Mug
Firkin and Phantom
Tipsy Harper
Grinning Troll
Hairy Giant
Belching Bull
Drunken Bakloran
Wyvern's Sting
Buttery Inn
Golden Carriage
Serf's Hut
Babe's Roost
Fallen Staff
Diablo's Bar
Scarlet Queen
Coal Hole
Bill's Resting Place
Nothing's FreeHouse
Singing Pixies
Umbergrow and Waigh's
Two Moons Tavern
Broken-down Nag
Prancing Elf
Devil's Washboard
Angry Eunuch
Haven
Trowel and Hammer
Lecherous Priest
Black Unicorn
Rusty Horseshoe
Dancing Dog
One-eyed Dragon
Weeping Willow
Crystal Water

Gems  

Posted by Conor

Not my work.


Ornamental Stones
Azurite: Opaque, mottled deep blue
Banded Agate: Brown, blue, red, and white stripes
Blue Quartz: Transparent pale blue
Eye Agate: Gray, white, brown, blue, and green circles
Hematite: Gray-black
Lapis Lazuli: Light or dark blue with yellow flecks
Malachite: Striated light and dark green
Moss Agate: Pink, yellow-white with gray-green moss-like markings
Obsidian: Jet black
Rhodochrosite: Light pink
Tiger Eye Agate: Rich golden brown with dark striping
Turquoise: Aqua with darker mottling

Semi-Precious Stones
Bloodstone: Dark gray with red flecks
Carnelian: Orange to red-brown
Chalcedony: White
Chrysoprase: Translucent apple to emerald green
Citrine: Pale yellow brown
Jasper: Blue, black to brown
Moonstone: White with pale blue hue
Onyx: Black, white, or bands of both
Rock Crystal: Clear, transparent
Sardonyx: Bands of red and white
Smoky Quartz: light gray, yellow, brown or blue
Star Rose Quartz: Smoky rose with white star center
Zircon: Clear pale aqua

Fancy to Precious
Amber: Transparent golden (100 gp)
Alexandrite: Dark green (100 gp)
Amethyst: Purple crystal (100 gp)
Aquamarine: pale blue green (500 gp)
Chrysoberyl: green or yellow green (100 gp)
Coral: Pink to crimson (100 gp)
Garnet: Deep red to violet crystal (100-500 gp)
Jade: Light to dark green or white (100 gp)
Jet: Deep black (100 gp)
Pearl: Pure white, rose, to black (100-500 gp)
Peridot: Olive green (500 gp)
Spinel: Red, red-brown, green, or deep blue (100-500 gp)
Topaz: Golden yellow (500 gp)
Tourmaline: Pale green, blue, brown, or red (100 gp)

Gems and Jewels
Black Opal: Dark green with black mottling and golden flecks (1,000 gp)
Black Sapphire: Rich black with highlights (5,000 gp)
Diamond: Clear blue-white, rich blue, yellow, or pink (5,000 gp)
Emerald: Brilliant green (5,000 gp)
Fire Opal: Fiery red (1,000 gp)
Jacinth: Fiery orange (5,000 gp)
Opal: Pale blue with green and gold mottling (1,000 gp)
Oriental Amethyst: Deep purple (1,000 gp)
Oriental Emerald: Bright green (5,000 gp)
Oriental Topaz: Fiery yellow (1,000 gp)
Ruby: Clear to deep crimson red (5,000 gp)
Sapphire: Clear to medium blue (1,000 gp)
Star Ruby: Translucent ruby with white star highlights (5,000 gp)
Star Sapphire: Translucent blue with white star highlights (5,000 gp)

Dungeon Room Descriptions  

Posted by Conor

From the Wizards forums

1. A crack in the ceiling above the middle of the north wall allows a trickle of water to flow down to the floor. The water pools near the base of the wall, and a rivulet runs along the wall an out into the hall. The water smells fresh.

2. Thick cobwebs fill the corners of the room, and wisps of webbing hang from the ceiling and waver in a wind you can barely feel. One corner of the ceiling has a particularly large clot of webbing within which a goblin's bones are tangled.

3. Tapestries decorate the walls of this room. Although they may once have been brilliant in hue, they now hang in graying tatters. Despite the damage of time and neglect, you can perceive once-grand images of wizards' towers, magical beasts, and symbols of spellcasting. The tapestry that is in the best condition bulges out weirdly, as though someone stands behind it (an armless statue of a female human spellcaster).

4. Rats inside the room shriek when they hear the door open, then they run in all directions from a putrid corpse lying in the center of the floor. As these creatures crowd around the edges of the room, seeking to crawl through a hole in one corner, they fight one another. The stinking corpse in the middle of the room looks human, but the damage both time and the rats have wrought are enough to make determining its race by appearance an extremely difficult task at best.

5. Neither light nor darkvision can penetrate the gloom in this chamber. An unnatural shade fills it, and the room's farthest reaches are barely visible. Near the room's center, you can just barely perceive a lump about the size of a human lying on the floor. (It might be a dead body, a pile of rags, or a sleeping monster that can take advantage of the room's darkness.)

DM Note: The darkness can come from a deeper darkness spell effect.

6. Burning torches in iron sconces line the walls of this room, lighting it brilliantly. At the room's center lies a squat stone altar, its top covered in recently spilled blood. A channel in the altar funnels the blood down its side to the floor where it fills grooves in the floor that trace some kind of pattern or symbol around the altar. Unfortunately, you can't tell what it is from your vantage point.

7. A liquid-filled pit extends to every wall of this chamber. The liquid lies about 10 feet below your feet and is so murky that you can't see its bottom. The room smells sour. A rope bridge extends from your door to the room's other exit.

8. Fire crackles and pops in a small cooking fire set in the center of the room. The smoke from a burning rat on a spit curls up through a hole in the ceiling. Around the fire lie several fur blankets and a bag. It looks like someone camped here until not long ago, but then left in a hurry.

9. A flurry of bats suddenly flaps through the doorway, their screeching barely audible as they careen past your heads. They flap past you into the rooms and halls beyond. The room from which they came seems barren at first glance.

10. Rusting spikes line the walls and ceiling of this chamber. The dusty floor shows no sign that the walls move over it, but you can see the skeleton of some humanoid impaled on some wall spikes nearby.

11. You open the door, and the reek of garbage assaults your nose. Looking inside, you see a pile of refuse and offal that nearly reaches the ceiling. In the ceiling above it is a small hole that is roughly as wide as two human hands. No doubt some city dweller high above disposes of his rubbish without ever thinking about where it goes.

12. You open the door, and the room comes alive with light and music. A sourceless, warm glow suffuses the chamber, and a harp you cannot see plays soothing sounds. Unfortunately, the rest of the chamber isn't so inviting. The floor is strewn with the smashed remains of rotting furniture. It looks like the room once held a bed, a desk, a chest, and a chair.

13. A skeleton dressed in moth-eaten garb lies before a large open chest in the rear of this chamber. The chest is empty, but you note two needles projecting from the now-open lock. Dust coats something sticky on the needles' points.

14. Rounded green stones set in the floor form a snake's head that points in the direction of the doorway you stand in. The body of the snake flows back and toward the wall to go round about the room in ever smaller circles, creating a spiral pattern on the floor. Similar green-stone snakes wend along the walls, seemingly at random heights, and their long bodies make wave shapes.

15. The manacles set into the walls of this room give you the distinct impression that it was used as a prison and torture chamber, although you can see no evidence of torture devices. One particularly large set of manacles -- big enough for an ogre -- have been broken open.

16. You gaze into the room and hundreds of skulls gaze coldly back at you. They're set in niches in the walls in a checkerboard pattern, each skull bearing a half-melted candle on its head. The grinning bones stare vacantly into the room, which otherwise seems empty.

17. Unlike the flagstone common throughout the dungeon, this room is walled and floored with black marble veined with white. The ceiling is similarly marbled, but the thick pillars that hold it up are white. A brown stain drips down one side of a nearby pillar.

DM Note: The stain could be old blood.

18. A huge iron cage lies on its side in this room, and its gate rests open on the floor. A broken chain lies under the door, and the cage is on a rotting corpse that looks to be a hobgoblin. Another corpse lies a short distance away from the cage. It lacks a head.

19. This room is a tomb. Stone sarcophagi stand in five rows of three, each carved with the visage of a warrior lying in state. In their center, one sarcophagus stands taller than the rest. Held up by six squat pillars, its stone bears the carving of a beautiful woman who seems more asleep than dead. The carving of the warriors is skillful but seems perfunctory compared to the love a sculptor must have lavished upon the lifelike carving of the woman.

20. A dim bluish light suffuses this chamber, its source obvious at a glance. Blue-glowing lichen and violet-glowing moss cling to the ceiling and spread across the floor. It even creeps down and up each wall, as if the colonies on the floor and ceiling are growing to meet each other. Their source seems to be a glowing, narrow crack in the ceiling, the extent of which you cannot gauge from your position. The air in the room smells fresh and damp.

21. You open the door to confront a room of odd pillars. Water rushes down from several holes in the ceiling, and each hole is roughly a foot wide. The water pours in columns that fall through similar holes in the floor, flowing down to some unknown depth. Each of the eight pillars of water drops as much liquid as a stream in winter thaw. The floor is damp and looks slippery.

22. This room smells strange, no doubt due to the weird sheets of black slime that drip from cracks in the ceiling and spread across the floor. The slime seeps from the shattered stone of the ceiling at a snails crawl, forming a mess of dangling walls of gook. As you watch, a bit of the stuff separates from a sheet and drops to the ground with a wet plop.

23. This room is hung with hundreds of dusty tapestries. All show signs of wear: moth holes, scorch marks, dark stains, and the damage of years of neglect. They hang on all the walls and hang from the ceiling to brush against the floor, blocking your view of the rest of the room.

24. You catch a whiff of the unmistakable metallic tang of blood as you open the door. The floor is covered with it, and splashes of blood spatter the walls. Some drops even reach the ceiling. It looks fresh, but you don't see any bodies or footprints leaving the chamber.

25. Three low, oblong piles of rubble lie near the center of this small room. Each has a weapon jutting upright from one end -- a longsword, a spear, and a quarterstaff. The piles resemble cairns used to bury dead adventurers.

26. Huge rusted metal blades jut out of cracks in the walls, and rusting spikes project down from the ceiling almost to the floor. This room may have once been trapped heavily, but someone triggered them, apparently without getting killed. The traps were never reset and now seem rusted in place.

27. Several round pits lie in the floor of the room before you. Spaced roughly equally apart, each is about 15 feet in diameter and appears about 20 feet deep. A lattice of thick iron bars covers the top of each pit, and each lattice has a door of iron bars that can be lifted open. The pits smell of sweat and offal, but the room seems unoccupied.

28. Many doors fill the room ahead. Doors of varied shape, size, and design are set in every wall and even the ceiling and floor. Barely a hand's width lies between one door and the next. All the doors but the one you entered by are shut, and many have obvious locks.

29. A strange ceiling is the focal point of the room before you. It's honeycombed with hundreds of holes about as wide as your head. They seem to penetrate the ceiling to some height beyond a couple feet, but you can't be sure from your vantage point.

30. This chamber was clearly smaller at one time, but something knocked down the wall that separated it from an adjacent room. Looking into that space, you see signs of another wall knocked over. It doesn't appear that anyone made an effort to clean up the rubble, but some paths through see more usage than others.

31. A chill wind blows against you as you open the door. Beyond it, you see that the floor and ceiling are nothing but iron grates. Above and below the grates the walls extend up and down with no true ceiling or floor within your range of vision. It's as though the chamber is a bridge through the shaft of a great well. Standing on the edge of this shaft, you feel a chill wind pass down it and over your shoulder into the hall beyond.

32. This room is shattered. A huge crevasse shears the chamber in half, and the ground and ceilings are tilted away from it. It's as though the room was gripped in two enormous hands and broken like a loaf of bread. Someone has torn a tall stone door from its hinges somewhere else in the dungeon and used it to bridge the 15-foot gap of the chasm between the two sides of the room. Whatever did that must have possessed tremendous strength because the door is huge, and the enormous hinges look bent and mangled.

33. A pit yawns open before you just on the other side of the door's threshold. The entire floor of the room has fallen into a second room beneath it. Across the way you can spy a door in the wall now 15 feet off the rubble-strewn floor, and near the center of the room stands a thick column of mortared stone that appears to hold the spiral staircase that leads down to what was the lower level.

34. As the door opens, it scrapes up frost from a floor covered in ice. The room before you looks like an ice cave. A tunnel wends its way through solid ice, and huge icicles and pillars of frozen water block your vision of its farthest reaches.

35. A 30-foot-tall demonic idol dominates this room of black stone. The potbellied statue is made of red stone, and its grinning face holds what looks to be two large rubies in place of eyes. A fire burns merrily in a wide brazier the idol holds in its lap.

36. Several exits lead from this room, but only one is within the mouth of a man. The door opposite you stands within an intricate stone carving of a man's wide-open mouth. The man's nose and eyes loom over the door while his sculpted hair splays out across the wall on either side.

37. The door creaks open, which somewhat overshadows the sound of bubbling liquid. Before you is a room about which alchemists dream. Three tables bend beneath a clutter of bottles of liquid and connected glass piping. Several bookshelves stand nearby stuffed to overfilling with a jumble of books, jars, bottles, bags, and boxes. The alchemist who set this all up doesn't seem to be present, but a beaker of green fluid boils over a burner on one of the tables.

38. The scent of earthy decay assaults your nose upon peering through the open door to this room. Smashed bookcases and their sundered contents litter the floor. Paper rots in mold-spotted heaps, and shattered wood grows white fungus.

39. Several white marble busts that rest on white pillars dominate this room. Most appear to be male or female humans of middle age, but one clearly bears small horns projecting from its forehead and another is spread across the floor in a thousand pieces, leaving one pillar empty.

40. A dozen statues stand or kneel in this room, and each one lacks a head and stands in a posture of action or defense. All are garbed for battle. It's difficult to tell for sure without their heads, but two appear to be dwarves, one might be an elf, six appear human, and the rest look like they might be orcs.

41. A rusted portcullis stands just beyond the door. Looking into the room, you see three other exits, similarly blocked by portcullises. Four skeletons dressed in aged clothing and rusting armor lie on the floor in the room against the walls. They seem in poses of repose rather than violence.

42. This tiny room holds a curious array of machinery. Winches and levers project from every wall, and chains with handles dangle from the ceiling. On a nearby wall, you note a pictogram of what looks like a scythe on a chain.

DM Note: This room may be a control center for traps elsewhere in the dungeon.

43. This narrow room at first appears to be a dead-end corridor, but then you note several metal plates on the walls set at about eye height. Looking more closely, you see that one of these plates is slid aside to reveal a peephole.

44. You open the door to a scene of carnage. Two male humans, a male elf, and a female dwarf lie in drying pools of their blood. It seems that they might once have been wearing armor, except for the elf, who remains dressed in a blue robe. Clearly they lost some battle and victors stripped them of their valuables.

45. The door in front of you seems to be stuck.

DM Note: If the PCs yank it open, it comes open. Read the following:

A furious rumble resounds in the area as stones come clattering through the doorway, along with a thick cloud of rock dust. The room beyond is filled with rubble.

46. This chamber served as an armory for some group of creatures. Armor and weapon racks line the walls and rusty and broken weapons litter the floor. It hasn't been used in a long time, and all the useful weapons have been taken but for a single sword. Unlike the other weapons in the room, this one gleams untarnished in the light.

47. There's a hiss as you open this door, and you smell a sour odor, like something rotten or fermented. Inside you see a small room lined with dusty shelves, crates, and barrels. It looks like someone once used this place as a larder, but it has been a long time since anyone came to retrieve food from it.

48. A horrendous, overwhelming stench wafts from the room before you. Small cages containing small animals and large insects line the walls. Some of the creatures look sickly and alive but most are clearly dead. Their rotting corpses and the unclean cages no doubt result in the zoo's foul odor. A cat mews weakly from its cage, but the other creatures just silently shrink back into their filthy prisons.

49. A cluster of low crates surrounds a barrel in the center of this chamber. Atop the barrel lies a stack of copper coins and two stacks of cards, one face up. Meanwhile, atop each crate rests a fan of five face-down playing cards. A thin layer of dust covers everything. Clearly someone meant to return to their game of cards.

50. This chamber of well-laid stones holds a wide bas-relief of a pastoral scene. In it you see a mountain like Mount Waterdeep, except that Castle Waterdeep and the city are missing. Instead, a small fishing village is a short way from a walled complex with several tall towers.

51. A stone throne stands on a foot-high circular dais in the center of this cold chamber. The throne and dais bear the simple adornments of patterns of crossed lines -- a pattern also employed around each door to the room.

52. A wall that holds a seat with a hole in it is in this chamber. It's a privy! The noisome stench from the hole leads you to believe that the privy sees regular use.

53. The burble of water reaches your ears after you open the door to this room. You see the source of the noise in the far wall: a large fountain artfully carved to look like a seashell with the figure of a seacat spewing clear water into its basin.

54. This room holds six dry circular basins large enough to hold a man and a dry fountain at its center. All possess chipped carvings of merfolk and other sea creatures. It looks like this room once served some group of people as a bath.

55. A glow escapes this room through its open doorways. The masonry between every stone emanates an unnatural orange radiance. Glancing quickly about the room, you note that each stone bears the carving of someone's name.

DM Note: Consider putting the name of one of your party's characters on the wall.

56. A huge stewpot hangs from a thick iron tripod over a crackling fire in the center of this chamber. A hole in the ceiling allows some of the smoke from the fire to escape, but much of it expands across the ceiling and rolls down to fill the room in a dark fog. Other details are difficult to make out, but some creature must be nearby, because it smells like a good soup is cooking.

57. You've opened the door to a torture chamber. Several devices of degradation, pain, and death stand about the room, all of them showing signs of regular use. The wood of the rack is worn smooth by struggling bodies, and the iron maiden appears to be occupied by a corpse.

58. This short hall leads to another door. On either side of the hall, niches are set into the wall within which stand clay urns. One of the urns has been shattered, and its contents have spilled onto its shelf and the floor. Amid the ash it held, you see blackened chunks of something that might be bone.

59. Corpses and pieces of corpses hang from hooks that dangle from chains attached to thick iron rings. Most appear humanoid but a few of the body parts appear more monstrous. You don't see any heads, hands, or feet -- all seem to have been chopped or torn off. Neither do you see any guts in the horrible array, but several thick leather sacks hang from hooks in the walls, and they are suspiciously wet and the leather looks extremely taut -- as if it' under great strain.

60. This small chamber seems divided into three parts. The first has several hooks on the walls from which hang dusty robes. An open curtain separates that space from the next, which has a dry basin set in the floor. Beyond that lies another parted curtain behind which you can see several straw mats in a semicircle pointing toward a statue of a dog-headed man.

DM Note: The first part of the room may have been used for changing and cleaning feet before entering the room with the statue.

61. When looking into this chamber, you're confronted by a thousand reflections of yourself looking back. Mirrored walls set at different angles fill the room. A path seems to wind through the mirrors, although you can't tell where it leads.

62. A large forge squats against the far wall of this room, and coals glow dimly inside. Before the forge stands a wide block of iron with a heavy-looking hammer lying atop it, no doubt for use in pounding out shapes in hot metal. Other forge tools hang in racks nearby, and a barrel of water and bellows rest on the floor nearby.

63. This chamber is clearly a prison. Small barred cells line the walls, leaving a 15-foot-wide pathway for a guard to walk. Channels run down either side of the path next to the cages, probably to allow the prisoners' waste to flow through the grates on the other side of the room. The cells appear empty but your vantage point doesn't allow you to see the full extent of them all.

64. You push open the stone door to this room and note that the only other exit is a door made of wood. It and the table shoved against it are warped and swollen. Indeed, the table only barely deserves that description. Its surface is rippled into waves and one leg doesn't even touch the floor. The door shows signs of someone trying to chop through from the other side, but it looks like they gave up.

65. This otherwise bare room has one distinguishing feature. The stone around one of the other doors has been pulled over its edges, as though the rock were as soft as clay and could be moved with fingers. The stone of the door and wall seems hastily molded together.

66. You enter a small room and your steps echo. Looking about, you're uncertain why, but then a wall vanishes and reveals an enormous chamber. The wall was an illusion and whoever cast it must be nearby!

67. You feel a sense of foreboding upon peering into this cavernous chamber. At its center lies a low heap of refuse, rubble, and bones atop which sit several huge broken eggshells. Judging by their shattered remains, the eggs were big enough to hold a crouching man, making you wonder how large -- and where -- the mother is.

68. This small chamber is a bloody mess. The corpse of a minotaur lies on the floor, its belly carved out. The creature's innards are largely missing, and yet you detect no other wounds. Bloody, froglike footprints track away from the corpse and out an open door.

69. A chill crawls up your spine and out over your skin as you look upon this room. The carvings on the wall are magnificent, a symphony in stonework -- but given the themes represented, it might be better described as a requiem. Scenes of death, both violent and peaceful, appear on every wall framed by grinning skeletons and ghoulish forms in ragged cloaks.

70. A pungent, earthy odor greets you as you pull open the door and peer into this room. Mushrooms grow in clusters of hundreds all over the floor. Looking into the room is like looking down on a forest. Tall tangles of fungus resemble forested hills, the barren floor looks like a plain between the woods, and even a trickle of water and a puddle of water that pools in a low spot bears a resemblance to a river and lake, respectively.

71. You pull open the door and hear the scrape of its opening echo throughout what must be a massive room. Peering inside, you see a vast cavern. Stalactites drip down from the ceiling in sharp points while flowstone makes strange shapes on the floor.

72. You find this chamber lit dimly by guttering candles that squat in small hills of melted wax. The smell of their smoke hits your nose along with an odor that is reminiscent of the sea. Someone has taken a large amount of salt and drawn a broad circular symbol on the floor with the candles situated equidistantly around it. Atop the salt, someone traced the symbol with a black powder that glints a dull silver in the candlelight.

73. This chamber holds one occupant: the statue of a male figure with elven features but the broad, muscular body of a hale human. It kneels on the floor as though fallen to that posture. Both its arms reach upward in supplication, and its face is a mask of grief. Two great feathered wings droop from its back, both sculpted to look broken. The statue is skillfully crafted.

74. The door to this room swings open easily on well-oiled hinges. Beyond it you see that the chamber walls have been disguised by wood paneling, and the stone ceiling and floor are hidden by bright marble tiles. Several large and well-stuffed chairs are arranged about the room along with some small reading tables.

75. Many small desks with high-backed chairs stand in three long rows in this room. Each desk has an inkwell, book stand, and a partially melted candle in a rusting tin candleholder. Everything is covered with dust.

DM Note: The room could have been a scriptorium at some point.

76. You round the corner to see a ghastly scene. A semitranslucent figure hangs in the air, studded with crossbow bolts and with blood pouring from every wound. It reaches toward you in a pleading gesture, points to the walls on either side of the room, and then vanishes. Once it has gone, you notice small holes in the walls, each just large enough for a bolt to pass through.

77. You open the door and before you is a dragon's hoard of treasure. Coins cover every inch of the room, and jeweled objects of precious metal jut up from the money like glittering islands in a sea of gold.

DM Note: Taking one step in the room alerts the PCs to the disappointing truth. Their feet pass silently through the illusion of the coins to strike the solid floor beneath.

78. You open the door to reveal a 10-foot-by-10-foot room with a floor studded with spikes. The bones of some creature lie among the spikes and some insects scuttle away from the desiccated remains. No other doors are in the room, and it appears the door you opened was created to blend in with the walls. Additionally, you see no ceiling. You must be at the bottom of a very deep spiked pit.

79. You open the door to a long narrow room with a high ceiling. Three thick circles of wood rest on wooden stands. You're not certain what they are because you came into the room behind them.

DM Note: If the PCs step in the room to get a better look, they see that each is painted with concentric circles marred by dozens of cuts into its surface. They're targets, and the PCs are on the wrong end of an archery range.

80. You open the door to what must be a combat training room. Rough fighting circles are scratched into the surface of the floor. Wooden fighting dummies stand waiting for someone to attack them. A few punching bags hang from the ceiling. There's something peculiar about it all though. Every dummy is stocky and each has a bedraggled piece of leather hanging from its head that could be a long mask or a beard.

81. This small room contains several pieces of well-polished wood furniture. Eight ornate, high-backed chairs surround a long oval table, and a side table stands next to the far exit. All bear delicate carvings of various shapes. One bears carvings of skulls and bones, another is carved with shields and magic circles, and a third is carved with shapes like flames and lightning strokes.

DM Note: The eight chairs represent the eight schools of magic.

82. The strong, sour-sweet scent of vinegar assaults your nose as you enter this room. Sundered casks and broken bottle glass line the walls of this room. Clearly this was someone's wine cellar for a time. The shards of glass are somewhat dusty, and the spilled wine is nothing more than a sticky residue in some places. Only one small barrel remains unbroken amid the rubbish.

83. Looking into this room, you note four pits in the floor. A wide square is nearest you, a triangular pit beyond it, and a little farther than both lie two circular pits. The room is rectangular nearest you but it widens into a larger rounded chamber starting just beyond the rectangular pit. You note that many flagstones, ceiling tiles, and wall blocks are carved with a skull emblem of some kind, whose dark openings emulate the layout of the pits. You've opened a door in the "chin" and are looking up at the face.

84. This room looks like it was designed by drow. Rusted metal tiles create a huge mosaic of a spider in the floor, and someone set up rusted gratings like draperies of webs. At the far end of the chamber, the carving of a spider squats on the floor. It's about 3 feet tall and seems molded into the floor. Beyond it stands tall double doors of stone, their surface covered in a glittering web of gold.

85. You peer through the open doorway into a broad, pillared hall. The columns of stone are carved as tree trunks and seem placed at random like trees in a forest. Stone root systems crawl out into the floor and marble branches expand across the ceiling. You even note a few carvings of small birds and squirrels. Beautiful as they are, the sculpting doesn't appear elven, and it's nothing dwarves would carve.

86. This small room is lined with benchlike seats on all the walls. The seats all have holes in their top, like a privy. Facing stones on the front of the benches prevent you from seeing how deep the holes go. It looks like a communal bathroom.

DM Note: The PCs may have heard that these are common in Chessenta, but that country is hundreds of miles to the east and south.

87. In the center of this large room lies a 30-foot-wide round pit, its edges lined with rusting iron spikes. About 5 feet away from the pit's edge stand several stone semicircular benches. The scent of sweat and blood lingers, which makes the pit's resemblance to a fighting pit or gladiatorial arena even stronger.

88. This room is a small antechamber before two titanic bronze doors. Each stands 20 feet tall and is about 7 feet wide. The double doors are peaked at their centers, but unlike many sets of double doors, their division isn't in the center. Instead, the crack between the doors resembles a crooked bolt of lightning, which a figure in a cloud carved in the stone above the door appears to be hurling. The lightning bolt strikes down roughly 2 feet to the right of center. The figure in the clouds is deliberately indistinct, but it appears male, having a beard and male proportions. The stroke of bronze electricity hits a tower that seems small compared to the figure. This tower cracks down the center, continuing the gap between the doors until it reaches the ground. To either side of the tower lie pastoral scenes of hillsides dotted with sheep. There doesn't appear to be a lock or handles.

89. You poke your head through the break in the wall and look upon a room of titanic size. It is clearly an enormous mausoleum built to the proportions of giants. Huge niches are set into the walls within which you can discern giant bones. Stern-looking statues of stone giants stand 20 feet tall against the walls, and in the center of the room lies a 15-foot-long sarcophagus.

90. This chamber holds an odd contraption of metal and wood. It's a 20-foot-diameter circular platform that is tilted heavily to one side. Beneath it you can discern mechanisms that seem to attach to a large crank not far away. Above the platform hang metal weights on thin chains, which in turn are attached to discs and belts that are attached to other winches. It seems as though turning the winches turns and tilts the platform and sets the weights to moving.

DM Note: This could be a training room for combat, but the PCs don't see any weapons inside. Certainly it would take a great deal of concentration to fight on the platform; perhaps it's a training room for monks or spellcasters.

91. You inhale a briny smell like the sea as you crack open the door to this chamber. Within you spy the source of the scent: a dark and still pool of brackish water within a low circular wall. Above it stands a strange statue of a lobster-headed and clawed woman. The statue is nearly 15 feet tall and holds the lobster claws crossed over its naked breasts.

92. Stinking smoke wafts up from braziers made of skulls set around the edges of this room. The walls bear scratch marks and lines of soot that form crude pictures and what looks like words in some language [Goblin]. To the left lies a pile of rubbish and rubble heaped into a crude dais. The dais has upon it an ironbound chest that has been painted with a goblinlike face. Furs and skins of unknown origin are strewn haphazardly about the floor before the dais.

93. This small bare chamber holds nothing but a large ironbound chest, which is big enough for a man to fit in and bears a heavy iron lock. The floor has a layer of undisturbed dust upon it.

94. This hall is choked with corpses. The bodies of orcs and ogres lie in tangled heaps where they died, and the floor is sticky with dried blood. It looks like the orcs and ogres were fighting. Some side was the victor but you're not sure which one. The bodies are largely stripped of valuables, but a few broken weapons jut from the slain or lie discarded on the floor.

95. You round the corner of the hall to confront a passage nearly blocked with crates, barrels, and chests. It seems someone set them up to barricade the hall. Three barrels are set up as seats near gaps in the barricade, no doubt the place where archers waited for foes. A rusting and torn breastplate hangs from a rope near the wall.

DM Note: Perhaps the breastplate served as a warning gong.

96. You smelled smoke as you moved down the hall, and rounding the corner into this room you see why. Every surface bears scorch marks and ash piles on the floor. The room reeks of fire and burnt flesh. Either a great battle happened here or the room bears some fire danger you cannot see for no flames light the room anymore.

97. This hall stinks with the wet, pungent scent of mildew. Black mold grows in tangled veins across the walls and parts of the floor. Despite the smell, it looks like it might be safe to travel through. A path of stone clean of mold wends its way through the hallway.

98. You open the door and a gout of flame rushes at your face. A wave of heat strikes you at the same time and light fills the hall. The room beyond the door is ablaze! An inferno engulfs the place, clinging to bare rock and burning without fuel.

99. You peer into this room and spot the white orb of a skull lying on the floor. Suddenly a stone falls from the ceiling and smashes the skull to pieces. An instant later, another stone from the ceiling drops to strike the floor and shatter. You hear a low rumbling and cracking noise.

DM Note: The ceiling caves in during the next round.

100. Dozens of dead, winged beings lie scattered about the floor, each about the size of a cat. Their broken bodies are batlike and buglike at the same time. Each had two sets of bat wings, a long nose like a mosquito, and six legs, but many were split in half or had limbs or wings lopped off. Their forms are little more than dried husks now, and there's no sign of what killed them.

Business Names  

Posted by Conor

From the Hackslash Generator

Bronze Fox Barns
The Platinum Court
From Flute to Fowl
The Laughing Gnome Shop
The Crafty Wizard
The Mithril Grove
The Bear's Bazaar
The Lad's Market
Five Crown Adamantine Monger
Script & Mole
Wet Acorn Orchards
Mails & Helms
Ales & Rods
The Honest Wizard
Gold Phoenix Barns
The Fireside Sword
The Mystic Text
The Blade & Book
Crafty Monster Farms
Grumpy Pegasus Farms
Candle & Wand Smithy
Soups & Roses
The Jester's Market
Ash Cleaver & Staff
The Cabbage Ford
The Scholar's Library
The Knight's Market
Sorcerer's Guild
The Old Woodsman's Air & Milk
The Sorcerous Board
The Folio & Nail
Bucklers & Spears
The Wolf's Shield
The Flying Archer Shop
Gold Eagle Barns
The Fair Wizard's Arms & Mushroom
Gray Cobblestone Dry Goods
Hearty Bee Farms
Trader's Forest
The Lucky Blacksmiths
Merry Harpy Farms
Skulls & Potions
Eagle Square
Nail & Horn Smithy
Anchor Lily & Horn
The Keep of Books
Red Lady's Forge
The Stout Wizard
The Cheese Moor
Bull Square
The Crafty Blacksmiths
The Nest of Scrolls
The Pike Meadow
The Brigand's Barley Bridge
The Drake's Flail
Book & Pegasus
The Bridge of Books
The Silver Buckler
The Honored Quill
The Dragon's Bazaar
The Dragon's Hole
The Beggar's Library
The Elf's Rye & Cream
The Old Blacksmiths
The Runic Wand
The Platinum Bolt
Good Beholder Farms
The Sister's Library
The Cat's Lair
The Prancing Hero's Lamp & Pastry
Nail & Crown Smithy
The Runic Boot
The Prancing Blacksmiths
Ashen Fire Orchards
The Frog's Bazaar
The Divine Manual
Wet Tun Copper Monger
The Spur & Manual
The Dancing Priest's Boot & Mead
The Harpy's Burrow
The Wolf's Burrow
Soups & Elms
Mariner's Mystic Bailey
The Lucky Corsair Shop
Trader's Bridge
The Old Merchant Shop
Cock Square
Rusty Lord's Forge
The Guild of Folios
Fireside Lily Orchards

Benign Wilderness Encounters  

Posted by Conor

From Roleplaying Tips

Try using this list a few different ways:

  1. To help with impromptu descriptions.
  2. An injection of scenery when designing wilderness encounters and locations.
  3. Encounter hooks. These items are perfect micro-situations on which to layer a larger conflict, clue, or circumstance. For example, pick an item from the list and use it as a distraction while the real encounter triggers. Your players will enjoy the one-two punch.

Inspiration. If you've got writer's block, these items are perfect for getting the ideas flowing.

THE LIST

  1. Large patch or hill of flowers
  2. Squirrels chasing each other
  3. Something stirs below the water's surface
  4. Birds of prey circling overhead
  5. An earsplitting squawk
  6. A shadow passes across the ground
  7. Smoke rises in distance
  8. Deja vu
  9. Many thousands of ants crawl
  10. Howling/barking in the distance
  11. Patch of vines strangling a tree
  12. Skeleton of an animal
  13. Skeleton of a humanoid
  14. Writing carved into tree
  15. Large patch of brightly colored mushrooms
  16. Few scattered and broken arrows or bolts
  17. Snake slithers away
  18. 1' hole penetrates the ground
  19. Rainbow in the distance
  20. Group of bats rise in the distance
  21. Tree falls in the distance
  22. Broken, rotted wagon wheel
  23. Bear tracks
  24. Deer tracks
  25. Wolf/dog tracks
  26. Unusual patch of very lush growth
  27. Sudden sun shower
  28. Wind kicks up
  29. Dead, rotted, burnt, headless troll body
  30. Giant mushroom grove
  31. Discarded, tattered cloak
  32. Rusty weapon
  33. Dark storm cloud approaches
  34. Large beetle buzzes around head
  35. Large boot tracks in mud
  36. Dug, shallow hole
  37. Remnants of old campfire
  38. Sandstorm
  39. Small dust whirlwind
  40. Puddle/nearly dry watering hole
  41. Few sun bleached papers
  42. Large bird (heron) seems to follow you
  43. Stack of rocks piled high
  44. Giant feather
  45. Sweet smell of honeysuckle
  46. Small pond
  47. Bog
  48. Stand of birch trees
  49. Stench of feces
  50. Ray of sun light hits tree or bush
  51. An unusually cool breeze
  52. Couple of rats are following you
  53. You get a dull, throbbing headache
  54. Injured woodland creature lies helpless
  55. Skunk smell
  56. Eerily quiet
  57. Field of dead trees
  58. Humanoid statue (flesh to stone)
  59. Stung by a bee
  60. Arid dust coats your mouth
  61. Odd crystalline growth
  62. Ogre skull
  63. Abandoned shack
  64. Very friendly skunk
  65. Wild boar
  66. Wild horses
  67. Find a copper piece
  68. Caterpillar or grub-infested tree
  69. Coyotes fighting over a kill
  70. Mother bear protecting cubs
  71. Hatched eggs below abandoned nest
  72. Large insect moult
  73. Something scurries away (chipmunk)
  74. Patch of berried bushes
  75. Large splatter of bird droppings
  76. Old, rotted horse carcass
  77. Large tree with face image in bark
  78. An oasis
  79. A rusty suit of armor
  80. Active bees nest
  81. Howling gust of wind
  82. Approaching lightning storm
  83. Crow squawks repeatedly on approach
  84. Disabled wagon with nearby dead campfire
  85. Disheveled shrine or grave marker
  86. Rats are rummaging through PCs' food
  87. Cloud of insects moves across path
  88. Rocks falling in the distance
  89. Pair of small birds harass PCs
  90. Feral cat trails the party
  91. Large animal crashes through the brush
  92. Cloud shaped like a holy symbol scuds out of sight
  93. Shopping list for potion is found
  94. Old ring sticks out of the dirt
  95. One person's ears begin to ring
  96. One person has an intense itch
  97. Hawk takes mole/mouse near party
  98. Stick-figure voodoo doll(s) found
  99. Tornado
  100. Earthquake (mild, moderate, or severe)
  101. Great toppled tree, roots outstretched
  102. Creek bars path
  103. Fern-filled clearing
  104. Beaver pond/dam
  105. Rocky outcropping
  106. Ancient snag filled with tiny holes
  107. Carpet Of spongy moss over large area
  108. Cave or large den
  109. Groundhog colony: big holes, mounds of dirt
  110. Tree with bark chewed or clawed off the bottom
  111. Picked mushrooms laying on stump to dry
  112. Sentry animal (probably bird or rodent) raises alarm
  113. Burned area (trees standing, no undergrowth, all black)
  114. Fool's gold sparkles in the dirt
  115. Huge spider's web
  116. Huge stick insect or mantis moves into the foliage
  117. Pleasant voice seems to chant on the breeze
  118. Fish bones
  119. Punctured waterskin or flask on path
  120. Forgotten dagger jammed into stump or earth