Random Beggars for Your Campaign

Beggars come in all sorts and types, with no two being alike. The following tables should help add color to your street encounters. Don’t be afraid to have fun, or mix results. Most beggar encounters should be of the everyday variety, but now and then the Player Characters will come across someone unusual that catches their eye, or that may be used for an adventure plot hook.

Illustration 362 - Samantha At The World's Fair - Baron C. De Grimm 1893

Table 1: Beggar Type (1d8)

1 Helpful beggar

2 Streetwise beggar

3 Aggressive beggar

4 Unusually filthy/smelly beggar

5 Sickly/diseased

6 Drunkard/drug addict

7 Roll twice on this table using 1d6

8 Unusual – Roll 1d6 once on this table, and 1d12 on Table 2

Table 2: Unusual Beggar (1d12)

1 Blind, deaf, mute – natural or injury

2 Deformed – hunchbacked, twisted

3 Amputee – missing arm(s) or leg(s)

4 Being robbed

5 Being chased/abused

6 Simple holy man

7 Veteran soldier

8 Runaway – slave, teen, other

9 Elderly

10 Dead – natural death or murdered

11 Roll twice on this table using 1d10

12 Exotic – Roll on Table 2

Table 3: Exotic Beggar (1d12)

1 One-handed thief/branded outlaw

2 Has performing pet – monkey, dog, etc

3 Informant – will sell information (DM’s choice as to veracity)

4 Humanoid monster – goblin, kobold, etc

5 Cursed and forsaken

6 Former friend/acquaintance of PC

7 Upper class, now fallen on hard times

8 Beggar master – has stable of 2d4 beggars under their direction

9 Thugee – will stalk and kill unsuspecting PC, attacks as a 4th level assassin

10 Failed human/polymorph experiment

11 Roll twice on this table using 1d10

12 Roll 1d6 on Table 1, Roll 1d10 on Tables 2 & 3

Ignore conflicting rolls, or interpret creatively.

These tables can be downloaded in PDF format from HERE.

Adventure Seeds: Cat Got Your Tongue

A beautiful cat appears and "randomly" brushes up against one of the PCs (preference given to obvious spellcasters). Upon doing so, that character immediately loses their voice (DM may allow a save if they wish). The feline then leads the character/party on a merry chase (treat as a Blink Dog) back to its master, who will extort a hefty ransom for the return of the character's voice. In any case, if the cat or master dies, or the ransom isn't paid, the character's voice returns the next day.

The Elephant Tower of Hindrah

Hindrah the Magnificient, Hindrah the Everlasting, many were the titles of the ancient Valley of Hindrah, now all but lost to living memory. Once a prosperous city state, ruling over a mount-locked valley, ancient Hindrah was once a great military and economic force. The armies of Hindrah fielded thousands of elephants trained for war, fueled by the precious silver and opal mines of the city state. For hundreds of years, the rulers of the Opal Throne, governed unquestioned and undefeated in the Mountains of Hindara, until one day.. it simply ceased to exist.  Expeditions, sent by neighboring kingdoms, could find no trace of their cousins. The valley entrance, the magnificent bridge, everything, had simply vanished overnight. Adventurers, seeking after fabled riches, either returned empty handed, or not at all.

That was centuries ago...

The fabled Elephant Tower, rumored to stand guard over the bridge leading to the Valley of Hindrah.

The Valley of Hindrah, and the magnificent Opal Throne, are for you, the enterprising Game Master, to create. To get you started is the Elephant Tower, a quick little setup that should get players interested in exploring the legendary ruins of this mysterious vanished kingdom.

Cartography by Dyson Logos

Original map can be found at Dysons Logos

Optional Rules: Non-Player Fortunetellers (Updated)

Over the years, I’ve seen plenty of write-ups for fortune teller NPCs that rely strictly on high-level divination spells. But let’s be honest—most fortune tellers in a fantasy setting aren’t powerful arch-mages. They are shrewd, sharp-eyed business owners who know how to read a room, leverage an information network, and tell paying customers exactly what they want to hear.

Here is a simple, flexible framework for running fortune tellers using a d20 "magic 8-ball" model, where real accuracy is a mechanic you can scale.

1. The Accuracy Rating (d8 Basis)

Instead of rolling raw wisdom checks, assign your fortune teller an Accuracy Rating from 1 to 8. Each point of accuracy represents a 1-in-8 chance (12.5%) that their prediction will be dead-on accurate or draw from actual, concrete truth.

When a player asks a yes/no question, roll a d8:

• If the d8 roll is equal to or lower than the NPC's Accuracy Rating: The fortune teller reveals the actual truth or an accurate prediction.

• If the d8 roll is higher: Roll on the d20 Response Table below to generate a convincing, thematic response.

2. The d20 Response Table

When the fortune teller is guessing or faking it, roll a d20 to determine her answer.

Notice the weight of the table: 10 Positive, 5 Non-Committal, and 5 Negative. Above all else, fortune telling is a business—and happy customers come back to spend more coin!

d20 Roll	Tone	Response / Prediction
1	Positive	It is certain.
2	Positive	It is decidedly so.
3	Positive	Without a doubt.
4	Positive	Yes, definitely.
5	Positive	You may rely on it.
6	Positive	As I see it, yes.
7	Positive	Most likely.
8	Positive	Outlook good.
9	Positive	Yes.
10	Positive	Signs point to yes.
11	Non-Committal	Reply hazy, try again.
12	Non-Committal	Ask again later.
13	Non-Committal	Better not tell you now.
14	Non-Committal	Cannot predict now.
15	Non-Committal	Concentrate and ask again.
16	Negative	Don't count on it.
17	Negative	My reply is no.
18	Negative	My sources say no.
19	Negative	Outlook not so good.
20	Negative	Very doubtful.

3. Pricing the Service

As a rule of thumb, a fortune teller charges 50 coins per point of Accuracy Rating per question answered.

Whether those coins are copper, silver, or gold depends on your campaign's economy and the wealth of the clients. Shrewd fortune tellers always size up their visitors before quoting a price, charging richer adventurers far more to create the illusion of higher quality.

Madam Dubrova, NPC created by Gerald "Redcap" Williams

Featured NPC: Madam Dubrova

To put this into practice, consider Madam Dubrova, a seasoned local reader.

• Accuracy Rating: 3 in 8 (37.5% true accuracy).

• Standard Fee: 150 gold coins per question (assuming a well-off party).

• Class/Background: Low-level Cleric or Druid, supplementing her natural instincts with minor divinations.

The Secret Network

Madam Dubrova doesn't just rely on psychic intuition or minor magic—she deals in real intelligence.

She maintains an intricate web of informants throughout the city:

• Debtors in High Places: Servants, clerks, and guards who owe her money or favors, pass along private gossip.

• Her Familiar: Her cat prowls the alleys and rooftops, listening at windows and scouting for her.

By weaving real, hyper-specific pieces of local news into her sessions, Dubrova easily convinces adventurers that her readings are supernatural. If players want real answers, they'll have to shell out the coin—or figure out where her "prophecies" are actually coming from.

Right Click and Save, to download table.

Redcap's Review of The Cozy Hearth Inn

Redcap was being his usual irascible self of late, and the editorial staff had to go on a proverbial snipe hunt to find the little murderous bastard. We had to drag him, kicking and cursing, from his hidey-hole and sober him up before he finally coughed up [literally.. ewww] a copy of his latest review. Dealing with these independent Dark Fey freelance writers can be such a pain in the arse.

Now this product weighs in light at 7 pages, 4 pages of actual content, plus covers, credits, standard OGL. Printed out as double sided pages, it comes in at 4 pages, including one blank page (good for writing notes, etc), but it packs a solid value into those pages. The artwork, by Maciej Zagórski, is incredible as always. The three maps detailing the various floors of the inn are precisely detailed. And the NPC's are interesting enough to draw players' attention and help make the setting of the inn a comfortable place to hang their hats for awhile.

This product isn't meant to be an adventure in itself, though it does offer a short side quest into the basement for low level adventurers. It's meant to be a reoccurring location, suitable for use in just about any campaign setting. Though it has a few statistics written for D20, the information can be translated easily into any desired game system the Game Master desires.

As a free offering, this little package carries itself very well. The Forge Studios didn't put this out as an edited preview, but as a professionally produced stand alone product. If it's an indication of their other products, then they can count on our future business. 


Click here for a copy of, The Cozy Hearth Inn, from DriveThruRPG

Redcap's Review of The Broken Coin Inn

Today, Redcap dug into his bag of scrolls, books, and PDFs*, to bring us a review of, The Broken Coin Inn, from The Forge Studios. After our staff wizards checked the manuscript for the usual hidden Explosive Runes, and other spiteful tricks that Redcap is infamous for, we translated it into English for you, our readers.

This PDF weighs in at just 10 pages, 6 pages of actual content, plus covers, credits, and standard OGL. The layout allows for conveniently printing of all 10 pages, or simply printing out the 6 pages of meat and potatoes portion (3 pages of double sided print), for inclusion in your DM's adventure binder. It is available for free download from the excellent folks over at DriveThruRPG.

The setting of, The Broken Coin Inn, gives a complete layout and description of the inn itself, though the hidden Thieves' Guild beneath will require a little workup by the DM. Not everything is included in exhaustive detail, so as to allow the DM to include their own personalized touches, treasures, and secrets. It can be used as is with minimal work on the DM's part to drop it into their campaign, but contains enough interesting details that it can be expanded to provide a few evening's worth of adventures.. including a possible plot against the local potentate!

Only one major NPC, Enddom the Pouch, is given a stat block to go with his background, including his magical sword, Amrolth (Dragonfinger). Two more NPCs, Enddom's daughter, Bethel, and a local trainer of men at arms, Valon Maenyth, have short backstories provided, but stats are left up to the DM.

Although the product is plagued by a small number of grammatical errors, nothing stands out that can't be easily ignored. Overall the product is useful and has been included in our own personal campaign materials. Except for the one stat block, written in D20 format, this product is rules agnostic and can be converted into any preferred game system of your choosing.

* Hey, what can we say, he's hip to modern conveniences.. for a murderous, spiteful, Fey.

Click here for a copy of, The Broken Coin Inn, from DriveThruRPG

Off-Brand Use - Spells: Purify Food and Drink

Earlier this week, the staff here at Portcullis was throwing back a few beverages and bantering back and forth about unusual applications of 1st edition (AD&D) spells. One of these topics was the off-brand use of the spell, Purify Food and Drink. By off-brand use, we mean the use of a spell in a way that it may not have been originally designed, but for which a reasonable case could be made. In this case using, Purify Food and Drink, to drive out parasites from objects, though not living beings*.

An original use of Purify Water (Food and Drink) to destroy a monster can be found under the description of the Water Weird. This brought forth suggestion that applications of the spell might also be used to cleanse doors, and other non-living objects, of other such nasty creatures as Ear Seekers, or Rot Grubs.

Of course, it was then suggested that reversing the spell to Putrefy, could potentially be used to infest objects and doors with such creatures, but the general consensus agreed that was generally beyond the scope of a first-level spell.. Though one particularly evil DM decided that they'd allow it on a roll of 25% or less. 

* - Rules for removing these horrors once they have infested a host victim have already been specified, so they do not apply to this discussion.