Endless Summer

This concept is named after the final chapter of Rockstar's Bully, which is the freedom chapter with no story missions where the player is allowed to explore the entire world and complete all of the side content they didn't finish during the main campaign. But I first felt it strongest during the post-game of Neversoft's GUN for the PS2, which was coincidentally the first "Cowboy GTA" before Rockstar made Red Dead Redemption.

In GUN, you have a linear story and mission structure. The map is segmented into a few zones, with story-specific areas locked off or built into the overworld. Along with this, the game has a few limited sandbox zones, mostly in the generic western one-street town where the player can gain a wanted level, and then a very limited number of side activities like hunting rare animals or bounty hunting missions out in the wider world. I remember feeling that this world was very vast despite the technological restraints, and how realistic it all felt despite how quaint it looks today. But the purpose of this post is not nostalgia-bait.

Near the beginning of the game there is a mission where you are battling in a fort. I don't remember exactly who you're fighting or why, but you can go back here after progressing, even during the post-game. This area is separated from the "main" mostly desert western setting, being a more green forested area with waterfalls. I remember playing the game after beating it, and traveling back here on my horse. Running back through the fort, I was put on a very linear path, the same as you ran through in the story sections, and found the entire area was extremely closed in an simple, like a piece of the linear level structure placed into this open world. You were never really intended to come back here. Similarly dotted around the map were the rare animal locations and bounty missions, which once you collected them and the rewards you could revisit them and find them empty, with nothing there. There's even a mysterious spiritual indian cave not to far from the main town, which serves no purpose except in a single story cutscene, but you can freely travel there whenever you wish once you have the ability to move about in the open world.

The vibe this game put off was incredible to me. It was a very specific feeling; the world is alive, but not by much. The great beasts of the land were slayed, the great wilds already plundered and looted, the important characters fading away or disappeared after their story cutscenes wrote them out. You can still "play" in it, but the facade becomes obvious as the seams come loose. But it's important to remember that this is only because you've already completed the main quest. Before that point, as long as a quest marker or mission pops up on your compass, anything could happen, any new area could open up. But once the main story has completed and its emotional arc is concluded, you're left with a world that feels strangely empty and forlorn.

What if a fantasy world could end up in this state?

Endless Summer
The dark lord has been defeated. The evil cult has been thwarted from summoning their dark God, and the portal that could allow it to enter our world is shut for good. The corruption that plagued the minds of all sorcerers and magic users has been banished as the astral parasite was removed, and society is freed from their influence. The great emotional and dramatic arc of the world has been completed. But then... nothing happens.

People still go about their daily lives, but something is different. New spells and technologies stop being invented. Monsters become more and more rare. All of the great relics and items that could constitute a great quest have been found already, and no new ones are discovered. Time has not stopped, but the meaningful progression of time seemingly has. There may still be conflict over resources and races and between religious orders and factions, but they all seem trite and unimportant, just repeats of more significant conflicts in the past. It's like the world has run out of "content".

In a (not live service) video game, this happens because of the limitations of the developers and eventually the memory of the disc or cartridge or other hardware. There is only so much "game" they can make or want to make. But in a secondary fantasy world space, the events of the world that we invent (either as historical background lore or as a campaign to be played within) are diegetic; they come from cause-effect relationships in the world, exactly as the real world and the endless churning wheel of time. But that doesn't necessarily have to be the case.

Perhaps the Gods have gotten bored of their creation, and went off to astral realms or higher realities to abandon this one. Perhaps the great apocalypse the heroes stopped was supposed to have happened, the heroes were supposed to have failed. Now the great weave of fate has run out of thread, and a great vitality and potentiality to everything has been sapped from the world itself, invisibly, leaving the world the same size, the same depth, but there is simply less in it.

This concept is distinct from a fantasy world having an "Age of Sail" or "Magic Industrialization" moment, as these are a great change which may kill a bit of the magic or fill in the corners of the map, but still lead to great story opportunities or  uncovering many mysteries. The Endless Summer is a bit more of an anti-mystery, and anti-quest. There are no more quests. The world has history, but it's the end of history. It's like an aged MMO where you see a bunch of epic level adventurers running around in glowing magma-forged gear shining with exotic mounts crowding the main town doing the same daily quests. No new players are joining the game.

What is the eventual fate of such a world? I do not know. Maybe the elves and dwarves and orcs and humans who have made a truce with each other decide to defeat the dark lord of undeath decide to break the truce, but their heart just isn't in it, and the next year they reinstate it for lack of things to fight over. Maybe the old bickering blood-feud between two families comes to a standstill as whenever some obscure relative is killed of one family, a new indistinguishable one appears from some far off corner; like they're appearing out of nowhere to keep things the same. Farmers fields seem more and more stable each passing year, raids from goblins are less effective, and adventurers clearing out their caves find the exact same artifacts as the last group from last year. It's as though things grinding to a halt, and the invisible machinery behind the scenes has begun to break down. The most existential and deadly of all fates that can befall a world is this one, as any attempt to escape it or change the course is stopped with incredible inertia as people become totally set in their ways, uncaring, keeping the same problems and the same solutions, as if ontologically worn out and trapped in a diorama. Like a demiurge's creation sealed in a glass case and glued down to preserve it in this one state forever. The sun is still bright and the grass still sways and the crickets chirp and all is peaceful in the summer sun but the peaceful summer day never ends.

Cantrips Ain't Easy + Demon Summoning for Dummies

I've already talked about this concept before, both in the Magic Cards post, which was more based on a way to put magical one-time use spells into a fantasy world, and then in the Freeform Curse generator, which was a bit more folkloric and a way to make a fantasy world feel a bit more "mythological" in its moral landscape. A lot of people include within their fantasy settings the concept of magic being more common- including to the point of most (if not everyone) learning a few basic magic spells (cantrips) in order to help with daily life. The reasoning behind this being that if low level magicians can cast weak magic with relatively little investment; then it makes sense most people would want to learn at least some magic given the extreme utility of some of the weaker spells- even spells like Prestidigitation or Light would have a profound impact on any society, especially one stuck in a anachronistic medieval morass of development.

However, both of these posts above illustrate something I think is interesting; a typical inversion of the fantasy trope of magic being weak for beginners, and strong for experts. Of course, it makes logical sense that magic should operate this way; a master wizard can throw fireballs, while an apprentice can only conjure a candle flame. This is obvious even, a common trope. But it doesn't necessarily have to be the case; and even if it exists for some forms of magic, it doesn't have to be that way for all of them.

Remember; magic doesn't necessarily follow real world skills, nor do all skills directly follow this correlation of low skill = small & simple and big skill = big & complicated. While it makes sense that an amateur carpenter can build a birdhouse but not a human-sized house; I wouldn't trust an amateur surgeon to make a small and delicate incision as opposed to say, amputating a limb. I think the closest analogy to magic when it comes to mundane skills would be demolitions and pyrotechnics. Any idiot can blow the shit out of something, since they just pile on the TNT- but only a master can say launch a human out of a cannon. After all, too little and they won't fly, too much and they'll explode. Controlling arcane power could very well be the same.

This also goes hand in hand with the concept of amateur magic, magic backlash, or unintentional side effects of magic creating various monsters, curses, or negative magic effects in a setting. When old farmer willow asks you to bring his dead crops back and you say the words, you're also going to bring back the skeletons of ancient warriors buried deep beneath the farm as well. They can hear the words under the soil just as well as the dead plants can. The same applies to lighting a candle instead of blowing up half the inn- the portal you open to the elemental plane of fire isn't so easy to shrink to the exact right size- as such, a "cantrip" or minor trick of magic is actually much more difficult to learn and master then a big and powerful spell. Most magic users spend decades of their life perfecting this fine art of control. Amateur wizards blow themselves up all the time, because they don't have this level of control. Cantrips are the sign of a powerful magician; not an amateur.

But moving away from just "magic" in the arcane sense, the stuff that wizard's use, let's focus more on the folkloric style of magic. The above really gave me an idea for magic being a serious problem; not because it's hard, but because it's way too easy for someone to fuck everything up. Like for example- anyone can summon a demon. Naturally, demons like it this way. If it was too difficult or required some high-end rituals and powers to do so; it would be too rare an occurrence. Oh no, demons make it very easy to call them, and for this reason, people often oblige.

"Ritual" magic in most TTRPGs tends to be a high end thing, often reserved for the Wizard or magic using class, due to being good set dressing to powerful and unique magic effects. However, the entire concept of a "ritual" is to be a set of steps and procedures that can be followed time and time again. This is the exact type of magic that is most likely to be spread far and wide, in shadowy alehouse corners and campfire conversations.
"If you sacrifice a living thing- like a chicken or a goat- and invoke the powers of darkness, you can make a demon come to you. They will serve your command or grant you a wish."
"Aren't demons dangerous?"
"Yeah- that's why you draw a circle of chalk at your feet. That means they can't hurt you- at least until you leave the circle..."

Demon Summoning for Dummies
In order to summon a demon, you need only know the steps. Different cultures and races may have their own steps or their very own demons they deal with- but for humans, this is the most common one.

Note: These steps are listed in this way so they can easily be disrupted. If a dark presence has formed- casting a Light spell can banish it and disrupt the ritual, so can coming in loudly and screaming into battle, or obviously saving the sacrifice before it or they are killed, etc.

1. It must be at night, or in a very dark place. Candles are used during rituals so as to not produce too much light.
   
2. A living thing is sacrificed and its blood is run over the ground or on an altar.
3. While the animal or person is bleeding out- the one who killed them must speak aloud and speak the name of a spirit to call them. For the sake of demons, simply saying "I call upon the darkness" is enough to call a random demon.
   
4. Everyone must be then be quiet and wait for a dark presence to form and speak.
   

Once these steps have been completed, a dark presence will appear. This presence will typically be a mass of shadows in the corner, or appear in a mirror or reflective pool of water. The presence is the spiritual form of the demon, which has not yet manifest fully into the living world. However, it can communicate and speak- its voice often carried by the rustle of wind in the trees or a groaning beneath the earth. Typically, the demon will ask what is willed of it- and several things can happen.

If the demon is significantly stronger then the individuals summoning it and it is being bid to do something very difficult, impossible, or against its nature- it will manifest and attack. Use HD or level of the caster x2 vs the demon's HD. If the demon's is still twice as high, it's just going to kill them for the arrogance for disturbing it. If the summoner is standing in a chalk or salt circle, the demon cannot attack them, but will still destroy or attack anyone else nearby out of spite.

If the demon is significantly stronger then the individuals summoning it, and is being bid to do something evil, malicious, or well within its purview of interest- then it will oblige the request. Demons are tricky, and prefer to leave the world a much worse place then they found it. Whatever request was given to them will be twisted and exaggerated to cause as much chaos and misery as possible. Often, demons will make the situation worse in an attempt to get the individuals to call them back again to continue the cycle.

If the demon is roughly equivalent then the individuals trying to summon it- it will listen to the request fairly and fulfill it or decline if it is too difficult. The demon is unlikely to want to get on the summoners bad side, but will absolutely still take advantage of any weakness or opportunity it can sense. This is still the most "fair" demonic interaction.

If the demon is significantly weaker then the individuals summoning it, and is being bid to do something very difficult, impossible, or against its nature- the demon will lie and make excuses, demanding more sacrifices or proclaiming itself to be the lord of hell itself, insulting the summoners and threatening them with their destruction, etc. The demon will lash out via curses or possessing nearby objects to fly, control nearby animals to attack, and so on.

If the demon is significantly weaker then the individuals summoning it, and is being bid to do something evil, malicious, or well within its purview of interest- the demon will be forced to manifest and become the servant & familiar of the person who summoned it. It is still not likely enough to be powerful enough to fulfill the request on its own and will assist the summoner as the "devil on their shoulder".

While the "strength" of the summoners could be literally based on the HD or level of the characters, there's also a greater component of spiritual strength. For example, an anointed priest could call upon a more powerful demon then a layman and have more guaranteed protection given their status. Human nobles with no special skills or powers are also likely considering "greater" then an average outlaw to the demonic forces due to their position in society- but this could just as easily be flipped on its head for calling upon spiritual forces like jaguar demons from the depths of the jungle hells- an entity like that would consider a fellow hunter or outdoorsman a far more equal to itself then a city slicker regardless of their wealth or social connections. Following these mechanics; a Cleric or Paladin should count as a level or two higher when compared to the HD of the demon. In addition, if your game has skills, then every rank or two of Arcana or Demonology should also count as a bonus +1 to your HD when summoning a devil. Your character may be a withered old man but if he has memorized the names and guises of a hundred dark ones you can bet he can command some sick ass demons.

Once a demon has "manifested", it has the appearance and powers of its statblock. Typically demons can do things like travel long distances quickly, transform, turn invisible, cast spells and curses, etc. It will use its abilities to fulfill requests as well as attack any foolish summoners who anger it.

It should also be noted that these mechanics, while known to you, are not necessarily known to the people of the setting. Only the ritual steps, and even those may be incomplete or rife with misinformation. As such, demonolgists and sorcerers can summon demons much more reliably and safely by calling upon demons who fit what they need for a given curse or summoning and that they can control. It's also pretty much designed to cause as much chaos as possible for weaker beings who use this ritual; which is the point. The more desperate and lowly something is, the more demonic forces can take advantage of it for their own ends. This also leads directly to fun story moments; bandits accidentally summoning an demonic prince of hell and getting gutted, or a powerful necromancer now having an annoying imp following them because they wanted to "gain more knowledge" and the idiotic thing just keeps stealing books for him and piling them on his bedsheets every night.

You might also ask, "why the hell would anyone summon a demon in the first place?!" and that's a good question. There are actually a lot of reasons why. I dislike settings or cosmologies that have "deals with the devil" being a literal component of the world or setting- not only is it incredibly cliche at this point, but it doesn't make logical sense. Selling you soul to the devil is not always literal thing, it's a metaphor meaning doing evil or violating your own moral compass to accomplish something or take advantage of someone. Demons don't need you to hand over your soul to get one over on you, just summoning one and sacrificing a living thing and also fulfilling whatever crass or selfish desire or petty plan for revenge is enough to damn you anyway.

There are also a lot of situations where one would be desperate enough to summon a demon. Here's twenty examples.

Desperate Demonology Table - Roll 1d20
[1] Group of bandits are held up in a fort. They're under siege by the local lord's forces and are running out of food. They take the last scrawny chicken from the courtyard's coop and perform a ritual to try and negotiate a way out of here.

[2] An older prostitute in a city has lost much of her beauty over the last few years- and will soon not be able to attract enough clients to make her living. Instead of become destitute, she nabs an orphan off the street and is getting ready to sacrifice him in exchange for returning her youth.

[3] Someone in your family is going blind. The local healers cannot help, and the evil-racist church refuses due to their status as a mixed breed person. You decide to spite the church since they won't help you anyway- and slit the throat of a goat to see if darker forces can heal the ailment.

[4] Group of musicians performing at a local fair were stopped by a young and arrogant nobleman's son. He ordered all their instruments broken and laughed at them. Because of their status as lowly travellers, and the young son being out of reach for the law- the musicians circled their wagons and are now performing a ritual to get revenge on the arrogant noble.

[5] Pirates stuck at sea within a dead zone- no wind or currents. Totally unable to move for multiple days, they will surely die unless they do something. They pick the youngest cabin boy and move to have him drowned in the ocean at midnight to call upon the devils of the deep to let their ship sail again.

[6] Proactive village elders, disillusioned by their years or peace and prosperity under the local nature spirits who have protected them, are concerned about recent pillaging and bandit attacks. In order to protect their village; they perform a sacrifice of a pig to their local shrine- not realizing they've called something else this time; pretending to be the deity they've relied on for so long.

[7] Lazy, ignorant farmer's back is acting up again. He's not gonna take it this year. Takes his old horse out back with a knife and wants to sacrifice a demon of sloth to harvest and mill his grain for him.

[8] Kids at an orphanage have an extremely cruel and strict mistress who they can't stand anymore. They find an alleycat and decide to sacrifice it to call upon a demon to rid themselves of their mistress once and for all. Bonus points if the party stumbles onto the ritual and the kids falsely assume they are the demon sent to take care of the problem before the real demon shows up. Yes this is literally just copying the Skyrim quest, I still think it's pretty good.

[9] Blacksmith's son ran away from home, went missing, presumed dead and eaten by something in the mountain. The blacksmith is a patient and faithful man; but can't stand the loss anymore and decides to sacrifice an animal and call a demon to find or bring their son back. The blacksmith is aiming for a very powerful demon to accomplish this goal, and (correctly) believes he can control it by twisting its nose with his tongs. But he also (incorrectly) assumes the demon can actually bring his son back, and not just a revived soulless husk.

[10] Clever merchant has his grip on every local townshed and tradesman, gaining half his money through bonds and loans he's given without lifting a finger himself. Excessively greedy- the merchant buys a slave girl to sacrifice to summon a demon. Not for a favor, but to get some insider tips from his own kind.

[11] The local priest is preparing a sacrifice of an all white lamb to summon a powerful demon. The reason? To beat the shit out of him and get back the souls of some of his flock, who recently died in a plague, before they could be well enough to give their final confessions and cleanse themselves of sin.

[12] Insane wildwoman kills people in the woods and whispers dark names she learned as a child when she fell into a cave for three whole days and went insane and nearly died. The catch is every demon she summons is instead set loose- she doesn't ask any favors of them, merely creates them and moves on- reveling in spreading out the great darkness she once knew. 

[13] Dumbass wizard apprentice at wizard collage wants to summon a demon to punish fellow classmates for insulting and bullying him. The demons are very resentful as he doesn't allow them to kill his classmates- merely pranks and humiliates them before dispelling the demons before they can have any real fun. With his knowledge he can summon up to three demons before he conjures up something WAY too big for him to handle.

[14] The Storm King can create tornadoes and zephyrs at his will; such is his brightright of the divine desert royal bloodline. But in recent years, this gift has been fading in each successor to the throne until him, barely able to conjure a dust devil. Fearing his future son will not have this power at all and will become dethroned as a result; the king orders a dozen palace servants sacrificed in a bloody ritual to call upon all the hells for a worthy mate. The succubus he summons up will be the mother of the antichrist.

[15] Scholar, obsessed with completing his works on ancient history, wants to call up spirits of the dead to get first hand accounts of his lore. Sadly, demons catch wind of his bloodletting divination tricks and whisper to him in his sleep to sacrifice a life, his old messenger owl, so they have a gateway into our world.

[16] Cruel and paranoid warlord who managed to conquer four cities now obsessed with his three lieutenants, each in charge of another city, who may betray him at any moment and try to unite to rise up against him. He kills a captive soldier and summons a demon to spy on them and rely information; but with each day his paranoia only grows as the demons feed him lie after lie.

[17] Beggars in the city grate are usually content with their lot; but one night when the snow and rain got too much for them, they decided to take shelter in a storm drain. Their, they found dark writings on the wall and, putting their heads together to make out what they mean, they could only piece together the steps of a ritual to "grant happiness", but not actually what that means. They've tied the tails of seven rats together, and will crush them all with a great mallet tonight- summoning something far worse.

[18] Constantly ill and bedridden young lady, obsessed with romance novels and living in her own fantasy world. Needing a friend more then ever, she kills one of her songbirds and drizzles a ritual circle on her bedside table- hoping to get a "friendly" imp familiar as a companion.

[19] Temple priestess of the heathen "foreigner" religion is an expert at summoning up devils and creatures from other worlds from her many daily sacrifices and captives from slaver parties. However, one week from now is the equinox where she will have her heart removed to please the God of the sun and return the light back to the world. Until then, she is trying hard to secretly gain power over the many devils and demons the temple summons to fight her way out.

[20] Horrible, wealthy old man desires a young and beautiful bride- but she continually refuses his advances. One night, he pays local thugs to capture her and bring her back to his mansion- but not for what you think. He's going to kill her, summon a demon with her sacrifice, and demand the demon drag her soul straight to hell for slighting him.

12 Reasons why you need to hit the Quest Giver with the magic weapon you just recovered

[1] They believe a strong elemental or magical strike will reset their body's flow of energy and help cure them of a malady. There is a 50/50 chance this is true and it actually works!

[2] It hit in the right time and in the right way, will put them in a 'death like state' that they can be woken up from with a special process. They will use this to fake their own death to (1d6);

1. Get away from the nagging wife and kids. They'll come back in a couple weeks.
   
2. See how people get along when they're gone and see if anyone even cares
   
3. Tax benefits- They're about to come into some wealth- best to collect when deceased.
4. Become a martyr for a religion they aren't really super serious about following
5. See what's on the other side
   
6. Avoid an assassin or bounty hunter trying to kill them for real. (This one is stolen from Oblivion)

[3] The weapon is cursed and fated to take the life of their whole bloodline. If they can get you to hit them with a healer nearby or make sure you do it softly, eventually it will do enough points of damage to kill them all- but survivable. That will wiggle out of the curse on a loophole, right?

[4] The weapon's magic effects actually grants a boon to anyone who "is struck by this weapon and lives to tell the tale". Having a nice, safe way to get that benefit is worth the trouble- just don't let any of your enemies live after getting hit by this!

[5] The quest giver has magic blood which actually extinguishes magic items. They don't think anyone should have this one; even if you kill them afterwards for lying to you you'll still just have a normal hunk of metal instead of some earth shattering cool magic sword. It's for the best.

[6] They're writing a novel and really want to understand what a +2 Vorpal Flaming Mace of Shattering feels like for their character. They need that authenticity.

[7] They're a Cleric or a Whitemage and need to test out a new healing spell.

[8] They're an Alchemist and prepared a secret "blade lotion" to protect themselves against this weapon and want you to hit them in public to advertise it. 1 in 4 chance the lotion doesn't work.

[9] The blood or wound from the blow will make a cool portal that leads to a demon's realm- the same demon who has been haunting them. They didn't tell you this to begin with; because now if you don't go into that portal and kill that demon it will get out and attack everybody.

[10] Need to talk to an deceased ancestor whose soul is trapped in the blade or in an afterlife where only people killed with X weapon go to. As for how to get back? They didn't think that far ahead.

[11] Made a stupid bet with another blowhard they know on who is tougher. This magic item is +1 stronger then the one their rival already survived getting hit with.

[12] They're honestly just straight up done with life.

8 SRPG Archetypes, Starters, and Random Tables

Note: This was originally written for a .pdf and because I don't know html very well, I didn't do much formatting for this blog-version. You can find the better pdf version here.

(1) The Hermit of the Valley

You are an middle age/old hermit who lives alone in The Forgotten Valley. It is a beautiful, peaceful, fertile place that nobody lives in but you. You've lived all alone for as long as you can remember.

You have no weapons, magic spells, allies, or money. You live on the plants you grow and are kept company by the songbirds and deer.

But something goes wrong in the valley, and you have to fix it, or else your way of life will end.

#	What Is the Problem?
1	There is a sudden drought.
2	You find an abandoned baby.
3	Man-eating monster awakens.
4	You find a cursed item.
5	Knights come; they say you're the next heir to the throne. You must leave.
6	Elves say the valley is sacred, and you must leave it or else.
7	Devil appears, and tries to tempt you to live a different life.
8	Somebody found gold in your valley. There is now a gold rush to get there.
9	Horrible pests appear. They are eating your crops and will destroy the valley.
10	Tax collector claims you've “owned” the valley for your whole life. Exorbitant.

 

Special Feature-

Optionally- you can have your Hermit have one special trait, skill, or “thing” about them that gives them a fighting chance. Since I like the idea of the Hermit not having anything special at all just as much as having something special; it can just be a 50/50 chance if you want to make it random.

#	Hermit's Special Thing
1	You have a magic compass that points towards anything you ask for.
2	You can talk to animals. You don't know this is weird yet.
3	Your diet and solitary lifestyle has made you as strong as 5 men. You have absolutely zero stomach for violence.
4	You read every day, since you don't have much else to do. You know a great deal about a great many things.
5	You are friends with all the gnomes and pixies that live in the valley. They like you a lot and will try to help you.
6	You know the recipe for a special healing miracle tea. You drink it every day and have no aches and pains.
7	You put your faith in an unknown Goddess of Peace. She is very real, benevolent, and invested in your quest.
8	You have a ring of three wishes. These wishes are minor, the jinn is weak. You could wish for one gold coin, or do something now that would take an hour.
9	You once helped the lost child of a lord. That was so long ago he's the lord now. He said they owe you a favor; does he even remember you?
10	Whenever you get really drunk, you black out and problems resolve themselves. You actually become a drunken master, but are unaware.

(2) The Mute Advisor

You are a scholar, librarian, and part-time mystic. For your great deeds in the university where you work, and because of the fact you are not needed to educate the next generation- you have been chosen to serve as the educated, wise advisor for the King of the land.

But there's a problem- you're mute! You can't talk. You understand speech and written word perfectly fine, but you've never been able to speak. The letter sending you to the royal palace makes no mention of your disability; you are still expected to serve. How will you advise his majesty?

#	How do you communicate?
1	Small flash cards.
2	Pantomime / Charades
3	Your narcoleptic hand-sign interpreter
4	You know a small bit of air-magic. You can use it to make smoke signals.
5	You carry a small flute or panpipes. You blow notes and songs to convey emotion.
6	You have a magic wind chime. Whenever someone asks you a question; it will twinkle if you would have replied “yes”.
7	Wax clipboard to write on. (Paper is too expensive). If it gets really hot, or a fire spell goes off nearby you, the wax melts.
8	You have a pet parrot. You tickle it in certain spots to get it to say certain things. Will say whatever it wants if it can get food out of it.

(Optional)

#	Extra Complication
1	You're deaf as well as mute.
2	The King is illiterate.
3	You were cursed as a child. Your “voice” is the braying of an ass.
4	Everyone thinks you can still talk. Must pretend you have taken a vow of silence.

The Peril-

Though you have just become the advisor, the Kingdom or the King himself are in great peril the moment you arrive and require immediate attention! Failing to do your job could mean the death of you, the King, or far worse.

Roll once on the Peril table. You could roll multiple times for several years or seasons worth of troubles.

#	The Kingdom's Peril
1	An assassin is after the King.
2	The other advisor, who can talk, is evil.
3	You watched the young prince commit an unspeakable act against an innocent.
4	The King's favorite hound is actually a trickster God in disguise.
5	The queen falls ill. Only you can understand the metaphor and code the cure is as written in the ancient book.
6	The Princess has been kidnapped by a terrible fire-breathing dragon. Nobody else was there, but you saw it.
7	The illegitimate bastard son of the previous King has come to claim the crown as his own.
8	Extremely complicated trade negotiations with the Dwarves. If the deal is not made, the Kingdom will be impoverished.
9	There is a ghost haunting the royal castle. It appears before you at midnight and says that in three days; it will begin to kill anyone who remains in the castle.
10	The King falls ill and is on his deathbed just a few weeks after you arrive. He has no children. In his dying breath, he declares you the next King. You'll have to tell this to the several ambitious nobles who all think they will be crowned.

(3) The Hungry Beast

You are a powerful, vicious beast of the wilds. With winter soon approaching, you must feed on whatever prey you can to become strong enough to hibernate and give birth to your cubs next spring.

You have found a new type of prey. Weak and slow, they walk on two legs. There is no fur to pick out of your teeth. They have terrible hearing and smell; but their vision is good and they have many strange weapons with them; sticks and stones tipped with bone and stone. You have found your suitable shelter for your hibernation; it is not far from the camp where these beings live. Feed and get fat for the winter.

#	Random Prey Table
1	Group of 1d6 making camp. Killing them while asleep is the safest.
2	One of the larger ones. Carries a stick with a wicked point. Hunter. Fights back.
3	One of the smaller ones. Carries a basket with strange herbs. If you eat her, you will get very sick.
4	Young one of the prey. It reaches out to you not in fear, but to stroke you. It acts like a cub. You don't want to kill this one?
5	Not one of them; but a four legged-beast made stupid, fat, and slow by the two-legged ones. If you return to hunt these a second time you will fall into a trap.
6	An old one of the prey. It will be easy. The next day, you hear wails from the others as they crowd around the bones and put them into the ground.

#	Random Den Special Feature
1	Deep in the cave, something sleeps.
2	Bats roost. Will they drink your blood?
3	Bones of predators litter the floor.
4	Strange smelling air. One spark may ignite the entire cave.
5	Bodies of your prey are here, old, wrapped in foul-smelling leaves.
6	Strange markings on the wall. Don't look like any claw marks you've seen. Did the tools of your prey do this?

The table below is a list of beastly features. You may roll more then once to shape your beast.

#	Beastly Feature
1	Round, swiveling ears.
2	Long whiskers.
3	Venomous fangs.
4	Three rows of teeth.
5	Retractable claws (on front feet)
6	Sharp talons (on back feet)
7	Black skin; can release a shock.
8	Tip of your tail is always burning.
9	Mimic the sounds of their pups.
10	One missing scale; over your heart.
11	Lure light; dangles from your head.
12	Bone spur; launched from the wither.
13	Quill-covered back, curl to roll.
14	White tail. Run faster then a horse.
15	Yellow man. Your roar scares them.
16	Twisted horn. You know their calls.
17	Play dead; release bad smell.
18	Eagle eyes.
19	Snake's tongue.
20	Opposable thumb.

(4) The Platinum Star

In your world, powerful men and women with magical fighting abilities are highly prized; they become popular and very rich. However, it is a rock-star life style, leading to burnout, high pressure, and dying early. These people are called Platinum Stars.

You would have lived a normal life in the modern city where you live, in a small and unimpressive apartment, until you revealed your power. You have the strength to lift a small car, incredible coordination enough to deflect bullets, excellent acrobatic abilities to jump over buildings- and one power below.

#	Platinum Power
1	Insane luck.
2	You have a burning aura that augments your power; growing with your passion.
3	The ability to slow time, while you move normally, for several seconds.
4	The ability to teleport yourself anywhere you can see; nigh-instant transmission.
5	The ability to unleash an unstoppable burst of energy; must be charged up by hitting enemies and expertly timed dodges.
6	If you can physically overpower a foe, you can mentally overpower them too, supplanting their will with your own.
7	The ability to create clones of yourself. Each clone shrinks you a small amount and lowers your power; but you can regenerate from even a single clone.
8	You can create fantastical weapons and armor out of nearby objects. Glass bottles can become a cannon, a leaf becomes a cloak that can make you invisible, etc.

Being a Platinum Star means great risk. While you have these incredible abilities; you are expected and pressured to battle the foes, who may or may not attack and kill random civilians and attempt to destroy society.

Roll once on the Foe table for each “arc”.

#	The Foes
1	Witches.
2	Angels & Demons. Mortals caught in an eternal crossfire.
3	Strange creatures from the sea. They get bigger week by week.
4	Normal people consumed by vice and sin transform into aberrant monsters.
5	Abstract, fractal, fiendish creatures from another dimension.
6	The Dead. They return from the earth; powerful ghosts and skeletal warriors. They know all that the dead would know.
7	Dog headed men who claim this world is sinful and must be destroyed. Can perform miracles; but twisted and evil.
8	War machines- contracted by evil corporations or left over from a great world-spanning war.
9	Race of underground beings. They have their own modern technology, a dark mirror to humanity and the world above. Ruled by giant worms that can swallow cities.
10	Aliens. True aliens are rare, most of their soldiers are people abducted, mutated, and act as sleeper agents in society. True aliens are powerful psychics and shapeshifters.

(Optional)

#	Friend who gets you into Trouble Table
1	Attractive childhood friend.
2	Nosy, overly-smart pet.
3	Platinum mentor who pushes your limits.
4	Washed out celebrity. Brags about being your friend- can hook you up.
5	Old hippy guy; insists the foes are just misunderstood and you can work it out.
6	Your Platinum Star rival. Roll a different power for them. They get more and more jealous the more you surpass them.

(5) The Explorer

Never satisfied with a boring life; you have spent your life wanting more. After much training and socializing, you manage to acquire special funding and a crew from the powers that be to go on an expedition! Fame and fortune, but also incredible danger await you.

The tech period here is up to you; but I imagine an early modern / age of discovery sort of level.

#	Expedition to an Unreachable Place
1	Airship to a flying island.
2	Ancient tombs within endless desert.
3	Time Machine. Speak with the savior.
4	Steamboat. Find source of greatest river.
5	Vessel to the moon; must make diplomacy with the strange people who live there.
6	Submarine to an giant (air filled) dome at the bottom of the sea.
7	Method found to “enter” into a painting. The world within is as the author may have envisioned it.
8	Shrinking-machine; go inside a person's body. May be tasked with “defeating” an incurable disease inside wealthy patron.

#	Trouble Table
1	Hostile Natives.
2	Devious Traps.
3	Dangerous Wildlife.
4	Vessel/Machine malfunctioning.
5	Crew's interpersonal drama.
6	Getting lost or roadblocked.
7	Race against a immoral rival.
8	Once there; you won't want to leave.
9	Patron insists on capitalizing your efforts. You think it belongs in a museum.
10	Secret society is against your expedition. One of your crew members is a spy.

The crew are the important NPCs who will join you on your journey. You may roll as many times as you need to round out your crew, or as many as you could reasonably employ on your vessel.

#	Crew Member Table
1	Useless aristocrat.
2	Jolly fat chef.
3	Plucky errand boy / apprentice.
4	The Stowaway.
5	Studious naturalist.
6	Cynical doctor.
7	Kind hearted animal-handler.
8	Self-interested mercenary/guard.
9	The unusual, foreign guide.
10	Loyal hound.
11	Drunk, layabout engineer.
12	Nervous translator / scholar.
13	Dubious mystic.
14	Hot headed youth.
15	Cocky pilot.
16	Oblivion-To-Danger Reporter
17	Unhinged mad scientist
18	Surprisingly normal explosive-expert.
19	Weirdly obsessed Geologist
20	Insightful, quiet psychologist.

Once you've rolled your crew, you must then choose your role on the expedition, picking whatever remaining job or role you would need on this dangerous expedition.

(6) The Guru

You are a wise, reclusive hermit. You have rejected all earthly pleasures, and instead focus your life on spiritual pursuits and inner peace.

While there were many like you, you once managed to perform a miracle. Because of this miracle, it has proven your spiritual purity and strength- it has elevated you from a common wise man into a traveling guru, spreading wisdom and righting wrongs.

#	Your Miracle
1	Calmed a rampaging beast with a touch
2	Lit a candle in a rainstorm; did not die out.
3	Touched a warlord's sword; it rusted away.
4	Your sweat turned to pearls once.
5	Shoo'd away dark clouds on a nice day.
6	Handful of maggots turned to rice.
7	Put up a flag of peace in a war. Flames and arrows just passed through it.
8	Arrested for begging for alms; the shackles refused to close around your wrists.
9	Young maiden lost her clothes. You waved your hand over her; not one could see her until she could get home and change.
10	You once asked a tree to keep its shadow approaching a hot noon to shade a dying man. It obliged you.
11	There was once a lost soldier on the wrong side of the sea. You stuffed him into a pelican's mouth, and sent him home.
12	Once, a thief wanted to return what he stole, but lost it. You pointed to a random spot on the ground; there it was buried.

This miracle is something you did in the past, but does not necessarily mean you can do it again. Divine inspiration only strikes rarely, but you can still have abilities beyond the keen of the average man. After all; you are a enlightened one.

As a wandering mystic, you will come across a town which has been consumed over a type of sin, or the entire town has been disheveled by one single, especially egregious sin.

#	The Sin
1	Lust
2	Gluttony
3	Greed
4	Sloth
5	Wrath
6	Envy
7	Pride
8	Attachment

Can you mend the spiritual wounds and bring enlightenment to this place?

(Optional)

#	Town's Reception to a Holy Man
1	Total ignorance to spirituality.
2	Feigned ignorance to spirituality.
3	Corrupting; want you to look away.
4	All silent; except one true believer.
5	Hostile. Close doors, throw stones.
6	Pretend to have it under control; men in false copy of your robes spout nonsense; pretend to be wise.

(7) The Cursed Ghost

You are a ghost. Long since dead, your spirit is vengeful, and carries with it a deadly curse. Because of your unresolved pathos in life, you cannot pass on to the next, and must haunt the living instead.

You have a condition which must be triggered for you to begin your curse on someone. Your only goal once someone has been cursed is to kill them or hurt them by whatever means.

Optional- since this character concept doesn't have a set “end” point or victory condition, you could turn it around to say that the ghost only kills the first group of people who activate the curse, and from then on the curse is broken. Or, the ghost is a revenant who only seeks revenge for those who killed it when it was a person. You could also determine a special method of exorcism based on the ghost's weakness that can end you for good.

#	What begins the curse?
1	Opening your tomb.
2	Sleeping underneath your sacred tree.
3	Removing a paper talisman
4	Anyone who says your name.
5	Anyone who hunts one of the pygmy rhinos that live in your sacred grove.
6	Anyone who jumps over the wall of brown stones you built when you were alive.
7	Casting spells or “bad” spells in the vicinity of your final resting place.
8	Anyone who tries to bring harm to your grandson; who you'll never meet.
9	Your family left behind a large vault of coins. Any bankers or tax-collectors who try to take from the vault are cursed.
10	If anyone is killed by a cursed dagger; you are cursed to pursue their family even in death. You may be trying to break the curse as well, as you have no choice to do evil.

#	How do you kill people?
1	Spooking them to death.
2	Freeze them with ghostly chill.
3	Spread sickness to the cursed.
4	Cause accidents and misfortune.
5	Can cause wounds to appear from your invisible hands.
6	You can possess animals. While in the form of an animal; its eyes glow.
7	You are a poltergeist and can move objects around; trip people down stairs.
8	You can appear as anyone within a person's dreams. You must convince them to eventually commit suicide.
9	Your corpse is intact and can be temporarily brought back to life. Every time you kill with it, you regain some youth and life until eventually you could be reborn.
10	You can place a “death mark” on a person's hand. Most people will reject or flee from the person; eventually they will die from being outcast or killed by the superstitious.

While you may seek to fulfill the curse; you have a single spiritual weakness present. The cursed don't know this yet, but can learn it to hold you at bay.

#	Ghost's Weakness
1	Circle of salt.
2	Silver-lined mirror.
3	Sight of the Cross.
4	No power in the light.
5	Cannot harm a virgin.
6	Spiritual incense renders you temporarily powerless and put you in slumber.
7	You are scared away by gargoyles and ugly ritual masks made for this purpose.
8	Cats can see you. They can pounce on you and pin you down until they leave.

(8) Magic Guitar

At the player's discretion, you can replace this with any other instrument. (Or any artform; but will require some table rewrites).

You aren't a person, you are a guitar. Magical, having been owned by just about every rockstar and blues artist at some point, you fall into the hands of a young, unknown talent. Your only “goal” is to bring fame and fortune to whoever plays you. This game could also be played episodic, traveling through different eras and genres of music; with the guitar changing hands and bringing its abilities along with it.

#	What do you do?
1	Grant creative inspiration.
2	Grant incredibly luck.
3	Increase skill and growth.
4	Grant incredible sex appeal.
5	Manipulate fate to cause one specific moment to happen, or saving owner's life.
6	Find your way back to your current owner, no matter what, until its time to move on.
7	Songs played on you are unnaturally catchy and ear-wormy. Maybe only once per owner if you want to be a “cursed” guitar.
8	Anyone who plays you gains incredible fame and fortune, but from the fast rise comes a very brutal fall. You may be “cursed”.

(Optional)

In a historical or fictional version of reality, you may be the instrument that invents a new genre of music when put in the hands of a young talent, OR you may be a magical guitar that is incredibly good at creating one specific genre of music.

#	Random Guitar-Genres Table
1	Blues
2	Punk
3	Soul
4	Mariachi / Folk
5	Metal
6	Rock
7	Pop
8	Country

(Optional)

Your legacy ends when;

#	Guitar Destruction Table
1	Lost in a pyrotechnic fire
2	Buried with your owner
3	On a sunken ship
4	Broken when the band splits up
5	Left somewhere; slowly rot away
6	Held in a museum. Immortal, but silent.
7	Destroyed by a religious / political extremist group. Guitars are “too rebellious”.
8	The guitar remains, but the magic disappears after a final, climatic performance that rocks the world.