d100 Peculiarity Table for Galbaruc

I made this table for my Galbaruc campaign, though with some tweaking it might work for yours.  I jotted down 106 entries, but ended up scrapping a lot of them, narrowing it down to the 50 I liked best.  My campaign only has 2 PC races in it (Humans and Vat-Spawn) so this table's for Human characters, to give them a little distinction.

These are probably not even remotely balanced.

d100	Peculiarity
1-2	You are Androgynous:  +4 to attempts to pass as a (nonspecific) member of the opposite sex.
3-4	You are a Libertine: You must make a successful WIS roll to avoid Carousing if you finish an expedition with more loot than you started out with.
5-6	You are a Struldbrug.  You have immortality (barring death by violence, drowning, etc.) without eternal youth.
7-8	For some reason, (1-2) dogs (3-4) cats (5-6) birds hate you.  They’ll growl/hiss/squawk at your approach, and the GM rolls 2d6 each round you remain within 10 ft. of the animals in question, which attack on a roll of 2 even numbers.
9-10	You have a Doppelganger.  This individual is identical to you in appearance and stats, and wholeheartedly devoted to your ruin and destruction.  It will refrain from outright killing you until it feels that the you’ve undergone sufficient discomfort, loss, and humiliation.
11-12	You are a shape-shifting reptile from another plane of existence.   Your true from is undetectable by mundane means, but if it is ever compromised, you will need to devour another human to take their shape, a process requiring 48 hours in undisturbed darkness.  Your ancient enemies the (1-2) red (3-4) black scaled reptiles have their agents as well, and you will periodically receive orders from your superiors as you carry on the millennia-long struggle against your rivals,.
13-14	You may perceive oracular significance in the buzzing of insects.
15-16	Some years ago, you were a member of a secret cult.  Despite certain dire oaths to the contrary, you abandoned it.  Your former brothers and sisters are always on the lookout for the runaway.  Gain Distinctive Tattoo.
17-18	You are extraordinarily forgettable.  This can be frustrating, as you must constantly remind casual acquaintances of your identity, but it comes in handy when eyewitnesses to the robbery are describing suspects to the authorities.
19-20	You are a Gourmand.  You must make a Save vs. Spell roll at +4 difficulty to turn down the chance of experiencing a new taste.
21-22	Once per session, you may summon the spirit of an illustrious dead ancestor of yours for five minutes of consultation.
23-24	A powerful Magic-User , for some unknown reason, has taken an interest in your progress, and will act behind the scenes as a patron.  This assistance will not come without a price.
25-26	You were born with a tail.  Casual investigation has led you to believe that everyone is, and that there is a secret conspiracy of physicians and midwives to lop them off at birth, to some unguessable purpose.
27-28	You were born with a birth caul: While it remains on your person, you cannot drown.
29-30	You were baptized in the blood of the Salamander.  You take no damage from fire.
31-32	You are a musical prodigy.  You may give an unforgettable performance on any instrument, but the instrument will disintegrate or fall apart in dramatic fashion as soon as you finish playing.
33-34	True or not, you have a reputation as a colossal pervert – a sexual adventurer of the most depraved kind.  This will be met with interest and enthusiasm in some quarters, and suspicion and hostility in others.
35-36	You bear an executioner’s brand on your thumb, indicating a reprieve from the death penalty.  If found guilty for any crime in the future, you will swing for it.
37-38	You are an ordained cleric in the religion of your choice.  You possess no mystic powers, but can perform all observances, rituals, and ceremonies expected of you.  You have not been officially defrocked, but any relationship with the church hierarchy is strained, at best.   Reroll if you’re already playing a “capital C” Cleric.
39-40	Ghosts, specters, etc. are especially drawn to you.  These visitations are not always malevolent, and often take the form of pleas for aid and redress of past wrongs.
41-42	An otherworldly Insect parasite has lodged itself in the base of your spine.  You will occasionally experience strange fascinations and cravings, which you may attempt to resist with a Save vs. Spell.
43-44	You are an albino.
45-46	You are unable to grow any hair.  No eyebrows, no pubes, nothin’.   You are blessed to live in a time and place when wigs are fashionable.
47-48	You have a coin with the sigil of a Minor Demon carved into it.  You may summon this demon once to fulfill a favor, after which, the demon returns to its own plane and the coin is reduced to a worthless blackened lump of slag.
49-50	You’ve woken up from suspended animation  after d10 x100 years.  Take 1 dot in Lore, but your knowledge may be somewhat out of date.  Your speech will probably sound a bit archaic, as well.
51-52	Every time you fail your Save while Carousing,  make another Save (vs. Magic).  If you fail, you dream a monster into existence.  You (or the GM) roll up a monster using a random generator, which then blinks into existence, terrorizing the town or countryside and working its way toward you.
53-54	You have a horrible, rasping speaking voice but can sing like an angel.
55-56	You can hold your liquor like a champ.  +4 to save vs. poison when boozing it up.
57-58	You have an inch-tall horn spiraling out of your forehead.
59-60	Your physical body is the chain that keeps a monster imprisoned.   The GM will secretly roll a number on a d100.  When you’ve taken that much HP damage, (or die) the creature breaks its bonds and escapes.  Magical Healing can reverse the process, but only at a rate of 1 HP/instance.
61-62	Someone believes you to be the reincarnation of their former lover from a past life.
63-64	There is a 15% chance of switching bodies with one’s companion during sex. (particularly abandoned libertines may need to roll again to narrow it down).  You cannot re-enter (as it were) the same body after leaving it.
65-66	You have a lofty hereditary title to a place that doesn’t technically exist anymore
67-68	Attention whore: +1 to all rolls when in front of at least one non-participant  that’s paying attention.
69-70	You are a Compulsive gambler : Save vs. Spell to avoid participating in games of chance.
71-72	You were born during a thunderstorm beneath a blasted tree--  take no damage from lighting/electricity.
73-74	Through the use of drugs, ecstatic ritual, etc., you can enter a Berserk state.  +4 to hit, damage explodes on the highest 3 digits (melee) for d10 + CON modifier rounds, at the end of which, you fall unconscious for d6 rounds.  While Berserk you must make a Save vs. Spell to avoid attacking allies within 15 ft. of you.
75-76	You are the deposed Heir to an Island Prince.  Some day, you will raise an army and take back what is rightfully yours!
77-78	Your teeth have been filed to points.
79-80	You are a Eunuch, with all that implies.  Roll again if female.
81-82	You have some training as an Actor – +2 bonus to pretend to be of higher/lower social status.
83-84	You have a cheap tin talisman of Seppophis the Huntress.  +2 to attempts to find an individual.  Your pursuers have a -2 to find you.
85-86	You have in your possession a  small shard from one of the mysterious standing stones that litter the surrounding countryside.
87-88	You have no fingernails on your left hand.
89-90	Your weapon is an ancient, storied implement of great renown and prestige.  Generations of proud warriors have wielded it with glory and distinction.  It even has a name.  So your mother always insisted, and so you will tell the pawnbroker when you run out of money for gin.
91-92	You are Double jointed.  This has all kinds of fun mechanics implications that can surely be dealt with on an ad hoc basis.
93-94	Keith Richards: take a +4 bonus and R2K1 on all Saves vs. Poison when taking drugs.
95-96	You have a Holy guardian angel and it loathes you
97-98	Pugilist!  Your fists do d4 damage, R2K1.
99-100	You have a pickled punk – a tiny, two-headed fetus in a jar.  It can tell you one fact about an individual for each drop of their blood you put in its brine.  After 12 drops, the brine will be completely clouded with blood and the unfortunate creature will finally die.

Three Monsters I Made Using Jack Shear's 3d6 Weird Monster Generator

I've been having problems with writer's block for the past few days, and today I decided to abandon what I had been working on and do something practical and constructive.*  Mapping dungeons, filling them with monsters -- the basics that I too often ignore, preferring instead to daydream about ambitious side projects that I hardly ever actually work on.  Not today!  Today, I'd have something to show for it!  I knew I wanted to stock the next dungeon with something weird and unexpected. -- something they hadn't encountered in any previous adventure.  Too lazy even to use James Raggi's Random Esoteric Creature Generator, I went with Jack Shear's 3d6 Weird Monster Generator from Flavors of Fear, which I'd glanced at and admired, but had never actually kicked the tires on.  It's inspired, in turn, from Zak S.' article here.  Anyway, here's what I came up with -- each monster completed in just a couple of minutes, with just one roll of 3d6.

Monster 1  "Stenchfoot Clubhands"

Head: Horned beast (+1 Attack, 1d6 damage + stun on a charge)

Body: Shaggy beast (+1 Armor Class)

Arms/Legs: Gnarled ending in club-like protrusions (+2 Attacks, 1d8 damage + save vs. stun)

Hit Dice: 4

AC: 13

Attack Bonus: +5

# of Attacks: 3

Damage: horns: d6 + save vs. stun on a charge,  clubhands: d8+ save vs. stun, clubfeet: d8+ save vs. stun.

Special: unholy stench (anyone in close combat takes 1d4 damage/round)

Vulnerabilities: Bleeder (loses d4 HP every round once injured)

Monster 2: "Skullface Freezytentacles"

Head: Fleshless skull (add Cause Fear to creature's abilities)

Body:  Emanates freezing cold [anyone within close combat distances takes -1 to all rolls]

Arms/Legs:  Writhing tentacles (+1d4 attacks, 1d4 damage + save vs. constriction)

Hit Dice: 2

AC: 12

Attack Bonus: N/A

# of Attacks: 2

Damage: tentacles: 1d4 + save vs. constriction

Special: Poisonous Touch, Cause Fear

Vulnerabilities: cannot cross water

Monster 3: "Shockmaster WitheredLizard"

Head:  Fork-tongued reptile (+1 Attack, 1d4 damage + poison)

Body:  Electric pulse [anyone hitting the monster with a metal weapon takes 1d6 points of damage]

Arms/Legs:  Withered limbs ending in long, reaching fingers (+1 Attack, 1d6 damage + save vs. disease)

Hit Dice: 5

AC: 12

Attack Bonus: +7

# of Attacks: 2

Damage: tongue (1d4, save vs. poison,) hands (1d6, save vs. disease)

Special: Can use Invisibility 2x/day

Vulnerabilities: 2x damage from Holy items.

I'm very proud of my babies and I can't wait to try to kill you with them.

Now roll 3d6 and squeeze out some fresh abominations.

*comparatively speaking

Secret Santicore: New Fantasy Race: VAT- SPAWN

I never got the requester's name, but here's my entry for Secret Santicore this year:

Request: Dear Secret Santicore...


I request a new fantasy race, not system specific so pick whatever one you are most comfortable with or go system-less.


Thank you very much!

Well, here goes:

Vat-Spawn
by Jeremy Duncan

The sorcerer-kings of old, already worshiped as living gods by their subjects, and having grown bored with merely warping and molding nature to their whim, sought to fully assume the mantle of godhood and create life itself. With arcane secrets dredged up from the earth and sea and called down from the stars, they set to work, their forbidden knowledge wed to the toil of a thousand slaves, alchemists, and sages. At the expense of vast wealth, countless lives, and unquantifiable human suffering, they at last achieved their goal, as the first tottering form rose by its own strength from the vats, to stand complete before its maker.

Pleased with their new plaything, the sorcerer-kings whiled away their idle hours by creating variations and refinements enough to satisfy their immortality-strained appetites. Whole armies of vat-spawn were called up to re-enact legendary battles or duel to the death in elaborately planned and scripted combats. Harems of pleasure-slaves, their every feature sculpted in exacting detail, were bred in the vats to serve at their makers' grand debauches, only to be dissolved again when their masters had tired of their ministrations. So it went, century after extravagant, heedless century, until at last the power of the sorcerer-kings waned, and their empires were toppled amid fire and slaughter. The sorcerer-kings were put to the sword, their pale, anemic blood seeping into the blackened earth to mingle with the spilled ichor of their artificial slaves.

While most of their kind were ruthlessly exterminated, a tiny minority escaped destruction, having been posted to remote corners of the world, or waiting in stasis in their vats in some hidden laboratory. Their makers long since dead, and their original purpose unknown, these creatures, upon awakening and learning something of the world, often turn to adventuring to satisfy their endless curiosity and challenge their strange abilities.

Each vat-spawn is a hairless humanoid, with height and weight in the standard human range, though their features are often somewhat alien to modern observers, recalling ethnicities no longer found among the contemporary population, but glimpsed on the pitted faces of ancient coins, and in worn bas-reliefs on the columns and pediments of sunken temples.

If undisturbed, Vat-spawn are functionally immortal, though they are as susceptible to violent death as any other adventurer. As they are inherently unnatural, they cannot be Raised after death, nor can they reincarnate. Whether they possess souls at all is a matter of considerable theological debate.

They possesses functional genitalia, but are completely sterile.

After every 100 years, the vat-spawn's memory and personality will reset, returning it to 1st level.

Vat-spawn have a vibrantly-colored ichor (roll on color chart) in their veins instead of blood. This ichor has many alleged magical properties, and unscrupulous Magic-Users are always on the lookout for experimental subjects.

All Vat-spawn can graft on and incorporate body parts from humanoids and other creatures, as long as there is sufficient space. Any special abilities or attacks inherent to those parts (a medusa's eyes, etc.) transfer to their new owner. Removing one limb, eye, hand, etc. to make room for a new part inflicts 1d4 damage, after which it it is rendered useless, withering away to nothing. Characters attempting to graft on a new part must Save vs. Poison + the creatures hit dice – PC's level. The grafting process requires one hour * ½ the creature's hit dice of uninterrupted concentration. There are undoubtedly opportunities for abuse, here, but just use common sense or whatever the GM thinks would be funniest.

Roll your character's Ability Scores as normal.

Roll twice (unless otherwise indicated) on Skin/Eye Color chart, twice on Variations A and twice on Variations B, re-rolling in the case of a conflicting result. These indicate the PCs original function, as well as any modifications during his/her unremembered past

d20	Skin/Eye Color	Variations A	Variations B
1	bottle green	Series Number and /or Function title dyed or embossed on skin.	You have infravision, but your eyes glow in the dark.
2	heliotrope	Someone did a half-assed job sculpting your face. - 3 to reaction rolls when/where applicable, but on the plus side, you can easily frighten small children.	Skin prominently stamped or dyed with personal rune of creator.
3	ocher	Skin embossed with a pattern (1-2) spirals (3-4) deep hatching) (5-6) A “Persian rug” pattern that changes with your mood.	One hand can semi-detach & extend + retract 50 ft., connected to arm by ropy tendons. Can support PC + 2d100 lbs and do any normal hand tasks.
4	vermillion	Your skin can temporarily take on the properties of any surface you touch for 2 rounds or more. You retain full flexibility and mobility, and skin reverts to normal in 1d6 turns, which you can extend by spending 1d4 HP per extra round.	Lungs can inflate to extraordinary capacity, meaning that you can go 1 hour of game time without having to breathe. DEX is halved, because you're walking around with your chest puffed out like a bullfrog.
5	turquoise	One forearm is a (1-2) mace (3-4) shortsword (5-6) axe. It does damage as usual and you get a +2 to hit, but you can't really do much else with it.	Your facial features are an exact replica of (1-2) Your creator's own (3-4) their most hated rival (5-6) a legendary hero/ine.
6	pearl	Silly-putty skin: you pick up shallow impressions of anything pressed against your bare skin. This also works with anything drawn or written in ink. Impression lasts 4 days.	You were a Pleasure-Slave! You have enhanced pheromones: +4 to reaction rolls when dealing with (1-4) humanoids of the appropriate persuasion (5-6) GM secretly rolls on wandering monster chart. Other complications may ensue. Also, take a +1 to DEX and CON-- what the hell. Also, your sweat is a mild aphrodisiac. If it's distilled and enters the bloodstream, it's a powerful aphrodisiac, unless they fail a save vs. poison roll, in which case, they take 3d6 damage.
7	indigo	Your body has been indelibly imprinted with (1) an epic poem (2 ) obscene doggerel in an unknown tongue (3) instructions for your intended master/overseer (4) a hymn in praise to a forgotten god (5) the formula for your creation, in an elaborate code (6) a spell (roll randomly )	You have a functional mouth with teeth, tongue, etc. on your (1-3) pick the palm of one hand (4-6) pick sole of one foot. Mouth does 1d4 damage in combat w/ a +2 to hit, can absorb and transfer 1 hp/damage inflicted up to max. Other applications at GM discretion.
8	carmine	Though you are completely hairless, your maker has given you stylized hair and/or a beard as with a clay sculpture.	You have d4 eyes in the back of your head. Cannot be surprised from behind unless wearing helmet.
9	black	You have a small, translucent, circular “panel” of skin over your (1-3) heart (4-6) intestines, allowing these organs to be observed.	The ichor you bleed is phosphorescent (as candle flame)
10	Mottled skin /different colored eyes (roll twice)	You have a ½” x 4” secret hollow compartment in your left forearm. Any item stored there is undetectable by mundane means.	You have gills. These are almost imperceptible slits in the side of your neck when outside water.. Underwater they open up and you can breathe normally.
11	mauve	Short, irregular spirals of a coral-like substance sprout from the top of your head (roll for color). You do an extra d4 damage with a headbutt, and the growths count as a helmet.	Designed for infiltration: +2 to DEX, chameleon skin: acts as Invisibility spell, but it hurts and you must be naked. Every round you have it activated, roll a d4. On an odd result, you take that much damage each time until you pass out.
12	charcoal	Eyes can extend/retract on flexible stalks up to 50 ft (while retaining function). While this is going on, you must remain absolutely still, and you are disoriented and completely helpless (worst possible AC) for one round after they pop back in.	Your bones are weirdly flexible and easy to dislocate. With one round's worth of preparation, you may squeeze into a space normally accessible to Small creatures, but your ST and DEX are halved until you are able to pop yourself back into place (1 round).
13	violet	Created for the Arena! : +2 to STR and CON, can spend 1d4 HP to immediately upon being hit to seal up wounds and take ½ damage. If the damage you would've taken was more than ½ current HP, you lose a limb (GM discretion) and gain a fresh, sealed-over stump.	Every 6 months of game time, your character molts, his/her skin flaking off to reveal new skin underneath. Roll again on color table for your brand new skin! Everything else remains as it was.
14	sky blue	Your ichor corrodes metals like a rust monster. When damaged, this applies to any metal armor you happen to be wearing. If you are struck and damaged by a metal or metal-tipped weapon, the attacker must roll a d6. On a 1-5, the weapon (or the metal part, anyway) dissolves into useless flakes of rust. Lots of other fun uses!	Your saliva acts as a hallucinogen. In addition to everything else that might imply, if a Magic-User drinks a few drops of it, mixed into any beverage, it will impart startling revelations of the cosmos and the innate mystic potential of every star, drop of rain, and blade of grass. When they recover in d20 hours, they will have gained a one-time permanent +1 bonus to WIS.
15	lime	When under considerable stress (like combat, taking a difficult exam, or being chased by monsters), your skin darkens slightly and hardens into tiny, raised spikes, like on a horned lizard, making you look even freakier and giving you a +1 bonus to AC. This effect lasts until the immediate danger is past. Depending on the material, your characters' clothing may then be covered with tiny holes. If PC is sneak- attacked, etc., the AC bonus isn't applied until after damage (if any) is taken.	An hour after grafting on a new part, and until that part is detached or destroyed, you gain the ability to verbally communicate with and understand members of that species. For responding to non-verbal forms of communication, you have some ability, but are still somewhat limited by your own anatomy. For example, you would be able to perceive and understand scent-messages left by creatures that communicated by smell, but you would not be able to leave messages of your own without incorporating the necessary scent-glands, etc.
16	crimson	You may perfectly mimic any sound you hear at least once, but the mimicry must be exact – no improvising.	Body covered in tiny, iridescent scales.
17	Two-toned (roll twice, decide areas of division)	You can absorb liquid through your pores at the rate of 1 pint/round, storing it in elastic subcutaneous pouches, to a maximum of 2 gallons, at which point, your Dex is halved until the moisture is expelled (the rate of which can be as fast or slow as the player desires).	Your hands and toes have tiny suction cups on them allowing you to climb up and down (and cling to: max weight= PC+2d100 lbs.) sheer surfaces if gloveless and barefoot.
18	puce	When struck and damaged by a (non magical) weapon, you may sacrifice an additional d4 hit points to make it stick – your flesh temporarily fuses with the striking surface, making it impossible for the wielder to dislodge it. The effect lasts 1d4 rounds + 1 for each point of damage the weapon originally inflicted.	Such is your physical control that you can stop your own heartbeat and cease breathing, entering into a state completely indistinguishable from death. Since Vat-spawn are immortal, this can theoretically last indefinitely. To come out of stasis, the PC must either set a time beforehand, or arrange some signal (a tap on the forehead, a whispered word in the ear). If the signal isn't given, the PC will remain in stasis forever, and the player should probably roll up a new character.
19	rust	You may transmit psychic messages via drops of your ichor, which may then be imbibed, injected, etc; by someone else. One word per drop. Message is not diluted if mixed with other liquids. Costs 1 HP, unless you're transmitting a novella or something.	Your body can secrete sharp, hardened darts, which can be fired (once/round) through the palm of your hand. You have a +1 to hit with this “weapon” and each dart does 1d6 damage. Range is 20 feet. Generating darts costs 1 HP each, which are restored after a full night's rest.
20	amber	Your skin is soft to the touch, but shiny and reflective like polished chrome. Opponents attacking you in bright sunlight (assuming at least some skin is visible) do so at a -2 penalty. Also, you have no body odor of any kind, making you impossible to track or detect by scent alone. The GM can impose penalties to attempts to hide as the situation warrants.	Your palate is super-sensitive, and you can clearly distinguish and identify the ingredients of any compound. You know the joke about the wine snob, where he's given a glass of someone's urine to drink, and then asked, “But whose is it?” Well, you can narrow it down to species (if that's an issue) sex, age, diet, and habits (smokes, uses expensive hair pomade, etc.).

Level	XP	Hit Points	Paralyze	Poison	Breath Weapon	Magical Device	Magic
1	0	1d8	10	8	12	14	15
2	2,500	+1d8	8	8	11	12	14
3	5,000	+1d8	8	8	10	12	14
4	10,000	+1d8	6	6	10	12	12
5	20,000	+1d8	4	6	8	12	12
6	40,000	+1d8	4	4	8	10	10
7	80,000	+1d8	4	4	8	10	10
8	160,000	+1d8	4	4	6	10	10
9	320,000	+1d8	4	2	6	8	10
10	480,000	+3*	2	2	4	8	8
11	720,000	+3*	2	2	4	6	8
12+	150,000/level	+3*/level	2	2	2	6	6

*constitution modifiers no longer apply