Post by The Hegemon on Jul 11, 2022 2:00:52 GMT
Back in my college years I really got into Dungeons & Dragons, specifically AD&D 2nd Ed. I played with a bunch of groups over the years, and I still have most of the books.
In the early 90s the game introduced the concept of "Wild Magic," which is basically an unexpected, chaotic result when someone tries to cast a spell under certain conditions. A few of the core game books included lists of 100 or so random results to simulate this effect, and players were invited to expand the lists or create their own.
So I did, a little.
Initially I went for 1000 chaotic results, then 7 then 8 thousand, finally hitting my initial goal of 10,000 random magical effects. I thought it would be fun to roll four 10-sided dice, so that number seemed an obvious choice. That was about 1995.
A few years later I did a second list of 10,000, and these have circulated online for decades. You can find them easily enough with a bit of googling, along with a fair bit of praise and scorn depending on whose critique you read!
I've been working on a new edition of the list, combining the original results into one table while expanding the total to 30,000 (or 40,000, depending on how you look at it). Here's a sample:
I've still got a way to go before I hit the target number, and there's some editing and cleanup to be done after that. Over the years a number of people have written random generators to automate the process of rolling and lookup, and part of my current goal is to release the new list as an app, maybe later in hardcopy through CreateSpace or somewhere similar.
So that's been taking up a good bit of my free time lately, which is the main reason that I've been slow to add any new part renderings or inventories.
Didn't want you to think that I'd disappeared or anything, but there are only so many hours in a day for a geek to pursue his geekiness!
--The Hegemon
In the early 90s the game introduced the concept of "Wild Magic," which is basically an unexpected, chaotic result when someone tries to cast a spell under certain conditions. A few of the core game books included lists of 100 or so random results to simulate this effect, and players were invited to expand the lists or create their own.
So I did, a little.
Initially I went for 1000 chaotic results, then 7 then 8 thousand, finally hitting my initial goal of 10,000 random magical effects. I thought it would be fun to roll four 10-sided dice, so that number seemed an obvious choice. That was about 1995.
A few years later I did a second list of 10,000, and these have circulated online for decades. You can find them easily enough with a bit of googling, along with a fair bit of praise and scorn depending on whose critique you read!
I've been working on a new edition of the list, combining the original results into one table while expanding the total to 30,000 (or 40,000, depending on how you look at it). Here's a sample:
| DICE ROLL | RESULT |
| 4167 | Caster thinks that all around them are children |
| 8735 | Next spell caster casts upon himself turns his hair stark white |
| 4406 | Anyone in armor within 50 yards loses 2d6 pounds by dawn tomorrow |
| 3226 | All weapons within 50 yards are +10 ToHit for 1d4 rounds |
| 5029 | Everyone within 50 yards is suddenly holding a chalice of blood |
| 9402 | Upon next use, the item teleports beneath a huge boulder nearby |
| 9070 | Target disgorges a set of high quality dentures |
| 1055 | For 1d4 turns, the target's touch turns all solid matter to gold |
| 1597 | If held aloft in both hands, the item causes intense hunger pangs |
| 1686 | Caster can't open any door while anyone is watching |
| 8810 | Once per day, caster can dry a soaking wet, shirt-sized garment |
| 9925 | Within one week, the caster will be teleported 10d10 miles |
| 4923 | Divination magic is impossible for 1d4 days |
| 1957 | Caster disgorges 1d1000 non-poisonous snakes |
| 7791 | Someone nearby reeks of sulfur during the full moon |
| 4188 | Item is fireproof but nonfunctional |
| 5580 | Item's next user will be the last person to use it for 2d10 days |
| 8755 | Upon next use, the item compels the user to surrender |
| 4569 | Item is visibly deformed but returns to normal over 4d12 hours |
| 8574 | The shortest human nearby attacks the item's user |
| 2963 | Item assures its user that he's the mightiest of all |
| 7913 | Next time the item enters a church, someone nearby is circumcised |
| 6491 | Item's owner thinks that their god speaks to them through it |
| 184 | A 50 yard radius experiences one hour of daylight each night |
| 3066 | Caster is obsessed with removing one of his vital organs |
| 809 | Abnormally large locusts plague the area for 1d8 weeks |
| 3570 | All within 50 yards are scarred as from a hangman's noose |
| 8688 | Next potion the caster drinks will turn their weapon to steam |
| 6188 | Next nearby person to use profanity is soaked with viscous slime |
| 7198 | Target's fingernails begin to grow 1d4 inches per round |
| 1919 | Next puddle the target steps in will be incredibly toxic |
| 6500 | Target vanishes until the next sunrise |
| 7673 | Target's possessions are hidden beneath a nearby boulder |
| 9156 | Target receives a monthly stipend from an unknown benefactor |
| 8444 | The next weapon to wound the target is 10% likely to slay him |
| 5401 | Target is thought to be the sole ruler of a minor country |
| 5067 | Everyone within 50 yards was recently resurrected |
| 419 | Anyone cutting target with a blade finds that the blade is blunt |
| 9095 | The spell causes a Surge if cast within one mile of the this spot |
| 6294 | Caster's pockets fill with ice cream |
I've still got a way to go before I hit the target number, and there's some editing and cleanup to be done after that. Over the years a number of people have written random generators to automate the process of rolling and lookup, and part of my current goal is to release the new list as an app, maybe later in hardcopy through CreateSpace or somewhere similar.
So that's been taking up a good bit of my free time lately, which is the main reason that I've been slow to add any new part renderings or inventories.
Didn't want you to think that I'd disappeared or anything, but there are only so many hours in a day for a geek to pursue his geekiness!
--The Hegemon
