a table of odd magic items that may or may not be useful

“…the GM will only tell you something interesting—it’s on you to make it useful.” — Dungeon World

1d20 Magical Items of Mild Utility

A doorknob that can be easily affixed to any door by simply holding it on for about thirty seconds. Once affixed, it permanently transforms into an ordinary doorknob and lock, to which you have the key.

The Shaker of Infinite Salt

A pencil that significantly improves the user’s penmanship when writing with it.

An orb containing a very small pocket dimension, into which one can transfer their familiar so that it may safely rest.

A palm-sized stone figurine of a shark, which will bite any fingers that come near its mouth.

Self-Fluffing Pillow

Watch that shows you what time it was the last time you looked at the watch, instead of what time it is now.

Piece of string that, when tied around your finger, actually helps you remember to do that thing.

Temporary Scissors: They can only cut the normal things you’d expect from a pair of scissors, but if you hold the cut pieces together tightly they will magically re-form into a whole, as though they’d never been cut.

Robes that make the wearer an inch or so taller.

Magic Eraser (erases pencil, ink and crayon!)

Hand-sized stone that, when thrown, always lands 5 feet in front of your intended target—whether your aim is perfect or abysmal.

A bucket that transforms any liquid poured into it into seawater.

A bar of soap that temporarily changes the color of anything washed with it. The color is random, and changes each time the bar is used (1d6: 1: Red, 2: Orange, 3: Yellow, 4: Green, 5: Blue, 6: Purple). The color lasts one day.

Goggles of Shrimp-Color Vision

A ring with a single very round stone. When you say the magic word the stone pops out and transforms into a bowling ball. It turns back into a small stone after 2d4 hours and must be manually returned to the ring before it can be used again.

Boots that produce an animal sound of your choice when you jump up and do a jaunty little bell-kick while wearing them.

A small glass bottle that, when filled with water, appears instead to be full of a swirling, shimmering potion.

A quiet trumpet.

A knife that can only cut sandwiches. It is up to the GM’s discretion what does and does not count as a sandwich for this enchantment, but the rules are consistent.

Having a sidebar about gender and pronouns in your indie RPG is de rigueur these days, but I have to confess I wouldn't know where to begin. The supported player character types in my most recently published games have variously included sapient jellyfish, sinister hovering orbs, and creatures so abstract that their human players aren't allowed to know what the words on their character sheets mean when play begins. Forthcoming titles I'm currently working on will add "two-inch-tall frog wizards", "the sapient reproductive apparatus of a fungal hive mind", and "a deep space bounty hunter who is secretly a person-size mech suit operated by fugitive space gerbils" to the list. I feel like unpacking enough assumptions to drill down to the level of pronouns is one of those beyond-the-scope-of-this-text propositions.

Random Deities

Roll on all or just a few tables to generate a deity’s (or saint’s)  portfolio!

1d8 Natural Aspects

1. The sun, light, or the day 2. The moon, stars, or the night 3. The ocean, rivers, or water in general 4. Animals, plants, or all living things 5. Decay, disease, or death 6. Wildfires, volcanoes, or fire in general 7. Rain, thunder, or all storms 8. Mountains, rocks, or the land

1d12 Values and Needs of People

1. Learning, Knowledge, Thought 2. Nurturing, Compassion, Generosity 3. Authority, Leadership, Power 4. The Harvest, Food, Abundance 5. Joy, Revelry, Relaxation 6. Art, Creativity, Performance 7. Craft, Ingenuity, Hard Work 8. Fertility, Birth, Parenthood 9. Love, Romance, Sex 10. Justice, Fairness, Equality 11. Strength, Fortitude, Agility 12. Humility, Deference, Duty

1d20 Additional Physical Domains

1. Bugs 2. Caves 3. Roads 4. Blood 5. Wine 6. Boats 7. Ice 8. Tears 9. Blades 10. Coins 11. Hands 12. Books 13. Children 14. Wings 15. Gold 16. Air 17. Salt 18. Houses 19. Shields 20. Oil

1d20 Additional Conceptual Domains

1. The Subconscious 2. Cleanliness 3. Sight 4. Dreams 5. Travel 6. Questions 7. Mathematics 8. Conversation 9. Trade 10. Healing 11. War 12. Peace 13. Games 14. History 15. Chemistry 16. Puzzles 17. Beauty 18. Planning 19. Memories 20. Change

Bonus: 1d8 Types of Symbols

1. A literal representation of a deity’s natural aspect (a sun, a lightning bolt, a mountain, etc.) 2. An abstracted representation of a deity’s natural aspect (a single squiggle for water, a few lines radiating from a point for light, etc.) 3. An item emblematic of a value, need, or other conceptual domain (grain for harvest, hammer for craft, scales for justice etc.) 4. An abstract symbol invented for this deity. 5. A literal image of a physical domain. 6. A combination of two or more literal items from their domains. 7. A combination of literal and abstracted/metaphorical representations of their domains. 8. An animal chosen based on their values/personality/overall vibe, who may also be portrayed as the deity’s companion

Bonus: 1d12 Character Traits for Your New God

1. Doting 2. Authoritative 3. Forgiving 4. Protective 5. Wrathful 6. Generous 7. Reclusive 8. Youthful 9. Cryptic 10. Strict 11. Mischievous 12. Pacifistic

(Inconvenient) Sentient Object Generator

1d12 Objects

Rusty old sword

Large orb (at least 10” diameter, we’re talking 15lbs minimum.)

Flimsy walking stick

Literal brain-in-a-jar

Dented helmet

Cannon, or other large weapon meant to be on a vessel

Rug

A left boot (the right boot is nowhere to be found.)

Multi-volume encyclopedia

Anvil

Globe

A single crossbow bolt.

1d6 Sources of Sentience (and Wants)

Mad-science/alchemical experiment gone wrong; trapped own consciousness in this object. Wants to return to their lab so they can have you attempt to reverse the procedure.

Cursed into this form by a witch or other entity as punishment for wrongdoings. Wants to find the entity and reverse the curse

Born this way, comes from a lineage of sentient objects. Wants to be owned/wielded by a powerful person.

Mad-science/alchemical experiment gone wrong; was a henchman transformed into this object by their master. Wants revenge.

Magically transformed themself into this form as a way of achieving immortality. Wants a new, young, living body to inhabit.

Was once an inanimate object brought to life by a mage. Has now outlived that mage and wants to find a way to resurrect them.

1d6 Powers - how does the object communicate its wants and exert its will?

Compulsion/possession: the object can force a person who is touching it to perform an action. What can a person do to prevent themself from being compelled?

Telepathy: the object can send telepathic messages in a short range. Are the messages targeted, or does everyone around it hear them?

Limited mobility: the object can move on its own, though not quickly. How does it move? (Does it roll, waddle, float?)

Charm/influence: the object can make a person believe that its wills are the best course of action. What types of people are most susceptible to its wiles?

Speech: the object can speak out loud in one or more languages. Does it know when to keep its mouth shut?

Telekinesis: the object can move inanimate objects, but not itself. What are its limits? (Size? Range? Material? Form?)

This looks cool! It’s (currently) free on dtrpg so if you like this idea, definitely grab it. (I’ve downloaded it, haven’t had a chance to really dig into the rules yet.)

1d6 Annoying City Constructs

1. Little homunculus who’s always popping up and asking if you can spare a few bucks. 2. Sentient traffic light that loudly voices its opinions on everyone’s bad driving. 3. Talking four-handed hot dog cart that uses his juggling skills to try to upsell the extra large sausages. 4. Living trash can that’s constantly butting in to strangers’ conversations to ask “hey, you gonna finish that?” 5. Automaton whose sole task is to walk very slowly down the middle of the sidewalk. 6.Tour-giving robot that hassles people on the street until someone pays for a tour of the city.

I like Salinius a lot, can't go wrong with a trickster god!

Random Deities

Roll on all or just a few tables to generate a deity’s (or saint’s)  portfolio!

1d8 Natural Aspects

1. The sun, light, or the day 2. The moon, stars, or the night 3. The ocean, rivers, or water in general 4. Animals, plants, or all living things 5. Decay, disease, or death 6. Wildfires, volcanoes, or fire in general 7. Rain, thunder, or all storms 8. Mountains, rocks, or the land

1d12 Values and Needs of People

1. Learning, Knowledge, Thought 2. Nurturing, Compassion, Generosity 3. Authority, Leadership, Power 4. The Harvest, Food, Abundance 5. Joy, Revelry, Relaxation 6. Art, Creativity, Performance 7. Craft, Ingenuity, Hard Work 8. Fertility, Birth, Parenthood 9. Love, Romance, Sex 10. Justice, Fairness, Equality 11. Strength, Fortitude, Agility 12. Humility, Deference, Duty

1d20 Additional Physical Domains

1. Bugs 2. Caves 3. Roads 4. Blood 5. Wine 6. Boats 7. Ice 8. Tears 9. Blades 10. Coins 11. Hands 12. Books 13. Children 14. Wings 15. Gold 16. Air 17. Salt 18. Houses 19. Shields 20. Oil

1d20 Additional Conceptual Domains

1. The Subconscious 2. Cleanliness 3. Sight 4. Dreams 5. Travel 6. Questions 7. Mathematics 8. Conversation 9. Trade 10. Healing 11. War 12. Peace 13. Games 14. History 15. Chemistry 16. Puzzles 17. Beauty 18. Planning 19. Memories 20. Change

Bonus: 1d8 Types of Symbols

1. A literal representation of a deity’s natural aspect (a sun, a lightning bolt, a mountain, etc.) 2. An abstracted representation of a deity’s natural aspect (a single squiggle for water, a few lines radiating from a point for light, etc.) 3. An item emblematic of a value, need, or other conceptual domain (grain for harvest, hammer for craft, scales for justice etc.) 4. An abstract symbol invented for this deity. 5. A literal image of a physical domain. 6. A combination of two or more literal items from their domains. 7. A combination of literal and abstracted/metaphorical representations of their domains. 8. An animal chosen based on their values/personality/overall vibe, who may also be portrayed as the deity’s companion

Bonus: 1d12 Character Traits for Your New God

1. Doting 2. Authoritative 3. Forgiving 4. Protective 5. Wrathful 6. Generous 7. Reclusive 8. Youthful 9. Cryptic 10. Strict 11. Mischievous 12. Pacifistic

“Do I Know Someone Who Can Help Us With ____?” (2d6)

2. No; the person you thought could help refuses and adds another complication to the situation. (Example complications: they demand payment for a past debt, they are with someone you wanted to avoid, or they call the authorities regarding your illegal activities.) 3. The person you know who could help has gone missing, you’d have to find them first. 4. Yes, but they demand a steeper price than you would expect. Furthermore, if you refuse they will be offended. 5. Yes, but things are awkward between you. The price they ask will be generous, but only after an uncomfortable conversation. 6. Yes, but the help they can offer is sub-par, or only half of what you need. 7. Yes, but they need you to do a small favor for them right now before they help you. 8. Yes, but you’ll owe them one. Could be a future favor they call on, or a cut of whatever money you’re after, or something else. 9. Yes; they’ll give you a good price but it’s not free. 10. Yes, but they don’t seem too happy about it - you’ll have to look for help somewhere else next time. 11. Yes, there’s someone who owes you one and you can cash in that favor. 12. Yes, and that person also gives you an unrelated piece of helpful information.

Oh, I love this! Especially as I've been posting several of these more complex generator posts lately, I'd love to see what people make with them! Whether it's just rolling on it for fun or actually building something for a game or story.

Random Faction Builder

How many pies do they have their proverbial fingers in? (1d10)

1-4. They are tightly focused on their singular area of influence. Roll once on the following table. 5-6. Roll twice on the following table. The first result is the field they openly deal in, or what those who know them mostly know them for. The second result is the field they are secretly trying to infiltrate or influence. 7. They serve as a mediary between two spheres, or between certain groups within two spheres. Roll twice on the following table. 8. Roll three times on the following table. The first two results are the fields they openly deal in, or what those who know them mostly know them for. The third result is the field they are secretly trying to infiltrate or influence. 9. They’re jugglers, jacks of all trades. Roll three times on the following table for areas they regularly deal in, plus one time for a field they have their sights on breaking into. 10. They’re everywhere. Roll once on the following table for the one circle they can’t show their faces in anymore.

1d6 Circles of Influence:

1. Government/Politics/Law Enforcement 2. Religion/Faith/Cults 3. Crime/Black Market/Underworld 4. Guilds/Trades/Organized Labor 5. Business/Merchants/Corporations 6. Knowledge/Information/Research

Now, roll 4d6 and assign one die to each of the following attributes, then look at the total on the last table:

Group Size

1. Just a few people devoted to a cause. 2. Enough people that it’s hard to get them all in a meeting together, but not enough people to really split into multiple sub-groups. 3. Enough people to crew a large vessel 4. A pretty big group, church congregation sized. 5. Enough people to populate a neighborhood. 6. If this entire group mobilized it would be a full-scale army.

Financial Power

1. Broke. It’d be a dream just to break even. 2. Surviving. They can get what they need, but can’t afford to expand or to have a large unforeseen expense. 3. Middling. Can use money to further their agenda but must be selective about doing so. 4. Comfortable. This group can afford to make investments. 5. Well-off. Their investments are paying off. 6. Rolling in it. They can solve most problems by throwing money at them.

Age of Faction

1. Brand new. This faction hasn’t existed long enough to have done anything of note. 2. Recent. This faction is probably still made up mostly of founding members, but has had time to make a name for itself. 3. Established. People remember this faction being founded. It may have some original members, but if it does they are old. 4. Pretty Old. This group was established before the oldest currently living generation was born, but in the lifetime of their parents or grandparents. 5. Old. This group was founded hundreds of years ago and has played a roll in many historical events. 6. Ancient. This group may predate the current civilization, and is seen all throughout history books.

Expertise

1. Bumbling. This group is incompetent and lacks basic knowledge. 2. Shoddy. They know just enough to get themselves into trouble. 3. Mediocre. There are no experts in this group but they have meaningful skills. 4. Competent. This group employs some actual experts but still has real gaps in their abilities. 5. Highly skilled. They may not be the absolute best in the business but this group can use skill to address most challenges. 6. Only the Best. This group has a reputation for their expertise.

Total - Overall Faction Influence

4-8  Nobodies. Who even are these losers? 9-12  Small fish in a big pond. This faction has an impact on certain individuals or niches, but are still unimportant enough that none of the big players pay them any mind 13-16  Up and Coming. Enough influence that they need to be careful not to upset the highest tier factions lest they get squashed. 17-20  The big leagues. This faction has a great deal of power but is not infallible. 21-24  Powerhouses. If there is only one faction at this level, they are functionally in charge of the society. If there are multiple factions at this level, their conflicts and machinations can have devastating fallout for ordinary people.

Random Faction Builder

How many pies do they have their proverbial fingers in? (1d10)

1-4. They are tightly focused on their singular area of influence. Roll once on the following table. 5-6. Roll twice on the following table. The first result is the field they openly deal in, or what those who know them mostly know them for. The second result is the field they are secretly trying to infiltrate or influence. 7. They serve as a mediary between two spheres, or between certain groups within two spheres. Roll twice on the following table. 8. Roll three times on the following table. The first two results are the fields they openly deal in, or what those who know them mostly know them for. The third result is the field they are secretly trying to infiltrate or influence. 9. They’re jugglers, jacks of all trades. Roll three times on the following table for areas they regularly deal in, plus one time for a field they have their sights on breaking into. 10. They’re everywhere. Roll once on the following table for the one circle they can’t show their faces in anymore.

1d6 Circles of Influence:

1. Government/Politics/Law Enforcement 2. Religion/Faith/Cults 3. Crime/Black Market/Underworld 4. Guilds/Trades/Organized Labor 5. Business/Merchants/Corporations 6. Knowledge/Information/Research

Now, roll 4d6 and assign one die to each of the following attributes, then look at the total on the last table:

Group Size

1. Just a few people devoted to a cause. 2. Enough people that it’s hard to get them all in a meeting together, but not enough people to really split into multiple sub-groups. 3. Enough people to crew a large vessel 4. A pretty big group, church congregation sized. 5. Enough people to populate a neighborhood. 6. If this entire group mobilized it would be a full-scale army.

Financial Power

1. Broke. It’d be a dream just to break even. 2. Surviving. They can get what they need, but can’t afford to expand or to have a large unforeseen expense. 3. Middling. Can use money to further their agenda but must be selective about doing so. 4. Comfortable. This group can afford to make investments. 5. Well-off. Their investments are paying off. 6. Rolling in it. They can solve most problems by throwing money at them.

Age of Faction

1. Brand new. This faction hasn’t existed long enough to have done anything of note. 2. Recent. This faction is probably still made up mostly of founding members, but has had time to make a name for itself. 3. Established. People remember this faction being founded. It may have some original members, but if it does they are old. 4. Pretty Old. This group was established before the oldest currently living generation was born, but in the lifetime of their parents or grandparents. 5. Old. This group was founded hundreds of years ago and has played a roll in many historical events. 6. Ancient. This group may predate the current civilization, and is seen all throughout history books.

Expertise

1. Bumbling. This group is incompetent and lacks basic knowledge. 2. Shoddy. They know just enough to get themselves into trouble. 3. Mediocre. There are no experts in this group but they have meaningful skills. 4. Competent. This group employs some actual experts but still has real gaps in their abilities. 5. Highly skilled. They may not be the absolute best in the business but this group can use skill to address most challenges. 6. Only the Best. This group has a reputation for their expertise.

Total - Overall Faction Influence

4-8  Nobodies. Who even are these losers? 9-12  Small fish in a big pond. This faction has an impact on certain individuals or niches, but are still unimportant enough that none of the big players pay them any mind 13-16  Up and Coming. Enough influence that they need to be careful not to upset the highest tier factions lest they get squashed. 17-20  The big leagues. This faction has a great deal of power but is not infallible. 21-24  Powerhouses. If there is only one faction at this level, they are functionally in charge of the society. If there are multiple factions at this level, their conflicts and machinations can have devastating fallout for ordinary people.

Requests are open!

If there’s something you’d like a random table of, send me an ask or message!

Random Calendar Builder: Starting With Weeks

This is part three of a series on calendars! See this master post for more calendar content: https://www.tumblr.com/randomtable/713543620842700800/random-calendar-series-masterpost?source=share

A different approach to building a calendar with randomization: starting with the smaller units and building up.

1d12 Week Structures

1. A 6 day week, with no set “weekend” - different days off are taken by different people. 2. A 5 day week, with a single weekend day of rest. 3. A 10 day week, with two concurrent weekend days of rest 4. A 4 day week, with no set “weekend” - different days off are taken by different people.   5. A 6 day week, with days of rest on the third and sixth days. 6. An 8 day week, with two concurrent weekend days of rest 7. A 7 day week, with two concurrent weekend days of rest 8. A 9 day week, with days of rest on the third, sixth, and ninth days. 9. A 10 day week, with three concurrent weekend days of rest. 10. An 8 day week, with three concurrent weekend days of rest. 11. A 6 day week, with two concurrent weekend days of rest. 12. A 7 day week, with two concurrent weekend days of rest and a day of rest on the third day.

1d4 Naming Conventions for Days of the Week:

1. Days of the week are referred to by numerical names (ie “firstday” or an equivalent in one of your worlds languages). One day has an exception; what’s special about it? 2. Days of the week are named for gods or other religious figures. What kinds of prayers or rituals are devoted to them on their days? 3. Days of the week are named by duties, chores, or cultural practices that are expected to be done on that day. Are these widely followed, or viewed as something “no one does anymore”? 4. Days of the week are named for planets and/or other celestial bodies (or, for lunar calendars, they might be related to phases of the moon instead). What religious, cultural, scientific or magical associations do these planets have?

For the Rest of the Calendar (1d4)

1. A lunar calendar. Each month is divided into four weeks, based on the full moon, new moon, and waxing and waning half moons. There are 5d4 months in the year. 2. A solar calendar. There are 9d10 weeks in a year, and 5d4 months.* 3. A lunar calendar, based on multiple moons. The moon with the shortest lunar cycle is used for the weeks, while a moon with a longer lunar cycle is used for the months. There are 9d10 weeks in a year, and 5d4 months in a year.* 4. A lunisolar calendar. Each month is divided into four weeks, based on the full moon, new moon, and waxing and waning half moons. There are 5d4 months in the year, but every 2d4+1 years there is an extra month in the year, which helps keep the months aligned to the seasons.

*The number of months may not divide evenly into the year with these results. To resolve this, multiply the number of weeks by the number of days in one week. This is how many days are in the year. Divide the number of days in the year by the number of months in the year, to get the number of days in the month. If this number is whole, great! If not, take just the decimal of the result and multiply it by the number of months in the year to find the number of extra days. You can distribute these days to either make some months longer than others, or insert extra days between months that are observed as holidays.

This post is already pretty long, so if you want to build your calendar further, check out my posts on randomly generated solar and lunar calendars.

1d6 Odd Foreign Coins

For when treasure in convenient mints is just too easy. 1. Iron rings - this smallest denomination coin belongs to a nation far across the sea. Even trading with them, though, these rings are small change. 2. Butterflies - this odd currency belongs not to a nation but to a thieves guild (or other underground faction). It is made by permanently attaching four coins of the realm together in a sort of square or clover shape. It is not legal currency, but has value in certain illegal transactions. Carrying it can also, of course, get you into trouble. 3. Bricks - so called because rather than being flat disks, these coins are rectangular and almost as thick as they are wide. Bricks come in different denominations, in varying sizes but all made of silver. The small alliance of nations who use Bricks are nearby, but not on the friendliest terms with your home region. However, the raw silver is of decent value. 4. Beads and Medallions - smaller and thicker than the average metal coins, these coins are made of dyed glass. They are the coin of a small, wealthy principality, where literally displaying one’s wealth has become quite fashionable. Merchants who accept these coins are most likely to trade in small, luxury items. 5. Golden Daggers - these slender gold coins are not uncommon to see in the northern part of your realm. They are the most used coin in the neighboring kingdom, whose odd manner of minting begins with slender metal rods. They aren’t commonly accepted  except near the northern border, but it isn’t too difficult to find someone who will exchange them at a fair rate. 6. Silver Gems - so called because of their geometric design that resembles a cut gemstone, these coins are highly valuable. The empire from which they come has dissolved. The upper class of your realm romanticize the fallen empire’s glory days, and prize anything from it, including its odd currency. They can’t be spent like regular money, but to a collector they can be sold like valuable art.

ask and you shall receive

1d12 More NPC Secrets

(For when you’re rolling too many repeats.)

1. Was appointed to their current position under false pretenses. (I.e. lied on their resume). 2. Has a gambling addiction. 3. Is sleeping with someone who is cheating on their spouse with them. 4. Carries a small stuffed animal with them at all times. 5. Never learned how to tie a square knot. 6. Has a talent they don’t like to show off. 7. Their sexuality is not what they have said or not what you would assume it is. 8. Faked their own death and ran away from their old life. 9. Has an obscure irrational fear (likely a plot relevant one that will come up later!). 10. Holds a negative opinion of one of the party members for petty, shallow reasons. 11. Has amnesia and doesn’t actually remember anything from more than six months ago. 12. Foot fetish.

(of course, this list will get old too-- my recommendations for drawing out their usefulness are: firstly, give characters other world/character/plot specific secrets whenever you can and roll on this table only when you don’t have an idea. Secondly, whenever you do roll a duplicate, consider declaring that character to be an open book with no secrets to hide.)

1d12 NPC Secrets

1. Is immortal. 2. Used to date the big bad. 3. Is cursed to die at the hands of a member of their own family. 4. Is actually a pair of identical twins who switch off being this person. 5. Has been offered a reward to betray the party, but has not decided whether to take it. 6. Is pretty sure they remember one of the PCs from somewhere but can’t remember where. 7. Is a wanted criminal, introduced themself with a fake name. 8. Is a shapeshifter (and is also one or more other NPCs the party has already met). 9. Is a member of the royalty/nobility/ruling class in disguise. 10. Has been possessed by a demon or other entity and is constantly wrestling it for control. 11. Can’t read. 12. Is having an affair with one of the other NPCs the party has already met.

2d4 Random Calendars: Lunar and Zodiac

This is part two of a series on calendars! See this master post for more calendar content: https://www.tumblr.com/randomtable/713543620842700800/random-calendar-series-masterpost?source=share

2. A lunisolar calendar, based on the cycle of a single moon but reconciled with the cycle of the seasons. The months are 8d6 days long. The year is usually 5d4 months long, but every 2d4 years there is a leap month added to keep the lunar calendar relatively aligned with the seasons of the solar year.

3. An uneven zodiac calendar. There are 5d4 chosen constellations and the year is divided unevenly into that many parts based on when each one is nearest the sun in the sky. Roll 8d6 for each month to determine its length.

4. A lunar calendar, based on the cycle of a single moon. The lunar cycle lasts 8d6 and a fraction days (for example, 29 1/2 days), so the months alternate between rounding up and rounding down (for example, some months are 29 days and some are 30). The year is 5d4 months long. (See Bonus: Solar Years in Lunar Calendars below to create the seasons which don’t quite match up with this zodiac calendar)

5. A lunar calendar, based on the cycle of a single moon. The lunar cycle lasts 8d6 days, and the year is 5d4 months long. (See Bonus: Solar Years in Lunar Calendars below to create the seasons which don’t quite match up with this zodiac calendar)

6. A zodiac calendar. There are 5d4 chosen constellations, and the year is divided evenly into that many parts based on when each one is nearest the sun in the sky. These zodiac months last 8d6 days.

7. A lunar calendar, with two moons in a resonant orbit. For every two cycles of one moon, the other makes three, and so months are based on the time between their alignments. These months last 10d6 days; you can divide this number by 2 and 3 to get the cycles of each individual moon. A year is 4d4 months long. (See Bonus: Solar Years in Lunar Calendars below to create the seasons which don’t quite match up with this lunar calendar.)

8. A perfectly aligned lunisolar calendar. The months are 8d6 days long, and the year is 5d4 months long. This exactly lines up with the number of days in a solar year.

Start of the Lunar Month:

for lunar and lunisolar calendars, the months begin on (1d4): 1. The day of the first appearance of the crescent moon. 2. The day of the new moon. 3. The day of the full moon. 4. The day after the full moon.

Bonus: Solar Years in Lunar Calendars

For results 4, 5 and 7, the number of months in your year is the closest approximation to how long it takes your planet to orbit its sun (which is to say, how long it takes for a full cycle of four seasons to occur.) Your solar year is actually 4d4 days longer or shorter than your lunar year. [note: if you manage to roll a number higher than the length of your months here, use the difference between the two instead]. The number of days in your solar year divided by four tells you how long each season is.

Because the solar year doesn’t line up exactly with the years of your lunar calendar, the months will cycle through all the seasons over the course of several years. You can figure out how long this lunar-solar cycle is: Divide the number of days in your longer year by the difference between the longer and shorter year. (On Earth, the solar year is 365 days and the lunar year is 354 days. 365-354=11, and 365/11=33.18, so it takes 33 years for the months to re-align with the seasons.) This cycle may have some significance to your society!

Random Calendar Builder: Solar Calendars

This is part one of a series on calendars I am planning! See this master post for more calendar content as I post it: https://www.tumblr.com/randomtable/713543620842700800/random-calendar-series-masterpost?source=share

Year length:

(how many days does it take for the planet to revolve around the sun?) The year is 7d100 days long.

Now, divide this year length by 4 to find the length of your planet’s seasons. *If the result is a fraction or decimal: 1/4 or .25 means one season will be one day longer than the others. 1/2 or .5 means two seasons will be one day longer than the others. 3/4 or .75 means three seasons will be one day longer than the fourth. The length of seasons is also the number of days between the solstices and equinoxes.

1d8 Days to Start The Year On: 1. The day after the Winter Solstice, when nights are just beginning to grow longer. The New Year is celebrated as a time of hope, of starting an upward journey after hitting a low point. New Years celebrations might include light-based decorations, songs about light and hope, and making plans for self improvement. 2. A day between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox, which is the anniversary of the dawn of the ruling dynasty who implemented this calendar. (Feel free to select the exact day randomly). The New Year is celebrated as a patriotic event. New Years celebrations might include flying emblems or flags, nationalist and propaganda songs, and speeches or addresses from leaders and politicians. 3. The day of the Spring Equinox, when cold is giving way to warmth, and it is time for planting and for baby animals to be born. The New Year is celebrated as a time of rebirth and new beginnings, and it may be personified as an infant or baby animal. New Years celebrations might include imagery of flowers, eggs, and babies, time spent planting crops or gardens, and songs about joy and rebirth. 4. A day between the Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice, which is the birthday of a deity or other important religious figure. (Feel free to select the exact day randomly) The new year is celebrated as a religious feast day. New Years celebrations might include prayers and songs to the holy figure, feasts in their name, and religious services. 5. The day after the Summer Solstice, when the days are long and hot. The New Year is celebrated as a time of rest, taking a break from hard work and hot sun. New Years celebrations might include observing a day without work, gifts like hats and parasols that protect from the sun, and activities like swimming to cool off or sharing chilled food and drinks. 6. A day between the Summer Solstice and Autumn Equinox, which is the anniversary of the death of a deity or other important religious figure.The New Year is observed as a somber day of religious reflection, where the year that passed may also be treated as a living thing which has died. New Years customs might include fasting or making other sacrifices, lengthy prayers, and wearing veils or other mourning clothes. 7. The day of the Autumn Equinox, when the harvest is in full swing. The New Year is celebrated as a time of bounty and of preparation for the long nights of winter ahead. New Years celebrations might include feasting, songs wishing farewell to the times of plenty and to the sun, and expressing gratitude to the earth, to a deity of fertility, or to farmers for a bountiful harvest. 8. A day between the Autumn Equinox and the Winter Solstice, which is thought to be the anniversary of the creation of the world itself. (Feel free to select the exact day randomly). The New Year is observed as a serious but joyful religious holiday. New Years traditions might include offerings to the god or gods of creation, prayer and song about their power and might, and excursions into the wilderness to behold their creation in its natural state.

Months:

The year is divided into 5d4 months, which may or may not be roughly based on the lunar cycle*.  Divide the year length by the number of months to get the length of the months. It’s likely this number won’t be even. If it isn’t, multiply the fraction/decimal by the number of months to get the number of extra days.

1d4 Things to do with Extra Days 1. Make months unequal: distribute the days among certain months, so that some are a day longer than others. 2. Add these days as extra holidays between months: These days aren’t considered part of a particular month, rather falling between the months and being days of rest or celebration. Try to distribute them equally, if you can. 3. Add these days as a multi-day holiday at the end of the year: this extra time becomes an extended period to prepare for the new year, following the tradition rolled on the previous table. 4. Add these days as a multi-day holiday in the middle of the year: this extra time is a mid-year break, situated between two months near the midway point of the year. You can consult the previous table for what this festival might be for, based on what time of year it occurs, or make up something else.

Weeks:

Your calendar’s weeks are informed by how its months are divided. Here are some options for weeks, noting which types of months they work for.

Perfect Weeks: (Does not work for unequal months.) If there is a number between 5-10 that your month length can be evenly divided by, then this can be the length of your week. For calendars with extra days between months, those extra days are also considered to be between weeks.

Unequal Weeks: (Works for any type of months.) Your months are divided into a number of weeks. In order to make that number whole, some of your weeks are a day longer than others.

One Short Week: (Does not work for calendars with extra days added as a multi-day holiday.) Weeks are 1d4+4 days long. If this number does not divide evenly by how long your year is, the remaining days are treated as a multi-day holiday at the end of the year. (Note that this holiday is still considered part of the last month of the year.)

Earth-like Weeks: (Works for any type of months.) Weeks are 1d4+4 days long and do not change or reset at the end of the year or month. What day of the week the year or the month begins on varies from year to year and month to month. If you have holidays that are between months, the weeks should also skip these holidays.

*Bonus: Lunar Cycles in Solar Calendars (Under the Cut)

If your year does not divide perfectly into the number of months you rolled, then your lunar cycle will not stay aligned with your months. For simplicity’s sake, we’ll assume that your base month is the actual length of a lunar cycle. You can plot these lunar cycles out on your calendar just like we do on Earth, and you’ll see that they quickly become misaligned with the months.

(Warning, math ahead!) The “extra days” you calculated before are called the Epact, the difference in length between the solar and lunar years. You can subtract the Epact from the year length to determine the lunar year length, and use those numbers to determine extra information about the alignments of the solar and lunar calendars: * A purely lunar calendar (with no leap months added to re-align with the solar year) will cycle through the seasons, so over several years what seasons happen in which months will shift. To determine the length of this cycle, divide the solar year length by the Epact. This tells you how many years it takes before the seasons re-align in the lunar calendar. (On Earth, it takes 33 years.) If the result is a whole number, then the lunar and solar calendars will have the same New Years Day if they both began on the same day initially.  (If it isn’t a whole number, how often they line up is a little bit more complicated: it’s equal to the least common multiple of the two different year lengths, divided by the length of the solar year.) * You can also determine how many years it takes before the cycles of the moon line up to the same days of the year again. This is equal to the least common multiple of the solar year length and the lunar cycle length (which is the base month length), divided by the solar year length.

Random Calendar Series Masterpost

As I post more random calendar builders, I’ll compile links to all of them here:

Random Calendar Builder: Solar Calendars

2d4 Random Calendars: Lunar and Zodiac

Random Calendar Builder: Starting with Weeks

P.S.: I would love to see any gods that you might come up with using this generator!! (Comment in reblogs/replies, tag me in a separate post or send an ask!)

Random Deities

Roll on all or just a few tables to generate a deity’s (or saint’s)  portfolio!

1d8 Natural Aspects

1. The sun, light, or the day 2. The moon, stars, or the night 3. The ocean, rivers, or water in general 4. Animals, plants, or all living things 5. Decay, disease, or death 6. Wildfires, volcanoes, or fire in general 7. Rain, thunder, or all storms 8. Mountains, rocks, or the land

1d12 Values and Needs of People

1. Learning, Knowledge, Thought 2. Nurturing, Compassion, Generosity 3. Authority, Leadership, Power 4. The Harvest, Food, Abundance 5. Joy, Revelry, Relaxation 6. Art, Creativity, Performance 7. Craft, Ingenuity, Hard Work 8. Fertility, Birth, Parenthood 9. Love, Romance, Sex 10. Justice, Fairness, Equality 11. Strength, Fortitude, Agility 12. Humility, Deference, Duty

1d20 Additional Physical Domains

1. Bugs 2. Caves 3. Roads 4. Blood 5. Wine 6. Boats 7. Ice 8. Tears 9. Blades 10. Coins 11. Hands 12. Books 13. Children 14. Wings 15. Gold 16. Air 17. Salt 18. Houses 19. Shields 20. Oil

1d20 Additional Conceptual Domains

1. The Subconscious 2. Cleanliness 3. Sight 4. Dreams 5. Travel 6. Questions 7. Mathematics 8. Conversation 9. Trade 10. Healing 11. War 12. Peace 13. Games 14. History 15. Chemistry 16. Puzzles 17. Beauty 18. Planning 19. Memories 20. Change

Bonus: 1d8 Types of Symbols

1. A literal representation of a deity’s natural aspect (a sun, a lightning bolt, a mountain, etc.) 2. An abstracted representation of a deity’s natural aspect (a single squiggle for water, a few lines radiating from a point for light, etc.) 3. An item emblematic of a value, need, or other conceptual domain (grain for harvest, hammer for craft, scales for justice etc.) 4. An abstract symbol invented for this deity. 5. A literal image of a physical domain. 6. A combination of two or more literal items from their domains. 7. A combination of literal and abstracted/metaphorical representations of their domains. 8. An animal chosen based on their values/personality/overall vibe, who may also be portrayed as the deity’s companion

Bonus: 1d12 Character Traits for Your New God

1. Doting 2. Authoritative 3. Forgiving 4. Protective 5. Wrathful 6. Generous 7. Reclusive 8. Youthful 9. Cryptic 10. Strict 11. Mischievous 12. Pacifistic