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On Names

  Note : There are a lot of external links in this post. None of them should be affiliate links If they are, please let me know . Note2 : This has been bouncing around in my brain informally for a while, but putting it to pixel was prompted by Rook’s post on names on Beneath Foreign Planets as part of the RPG Blog Carnival .  There’s a lot of great material that comes from these prompts. I encourage you, dear reader, to check that out. Note3 : Link to the GDoc version this post was originally composed in. On Names One of the holes new Game Masters fall into while playing D&D-esque games is names. I’ll start with random NPC names first, to get the subject out of the way:  Make a d20 or d100 list of names for each gender, and for families.  Either stick it on the fourth panel of your DM screen, or pre-roll five of each, and stick those lists on your fourth panel. If you need a list of real world names, use an onomastikon .   Onomastikon “What is an onomasticon?” you ask, in Engli
Recent posts

The Slain Dragon

This month's blog carnival topic is "What happens after the monsters attack and are defeated?" , hosted at Sea of Stars .   I couldn't get past the question.  What does happen?  This image also kept coming back to me (non-affiliate link): Well, we play to find out, right?  So I teed that up.  What happens when a young adult dragon is slain , and mama comes to find out ? What happens when you 're set up to be associated with the dead dragon slayers ? This old school scenario tees that situation up .         The Slain Dragon (pdf)   Not my best work , my son was sick for part of it, and it's been a rough quarter. I 'm out of time . I 'll revise it later with the following: Suggest possible outcomes. Provide a mechanism for randomly determining it for DMs that need that guidance . Add some CC0 art, or try to put something together myself. Feedback appreciated .          

The Very Hungry Caterpillars & Butterflies

Short Post: For this month's Blog Carnival challenge (" it's not easy being green "), I put together a 30 Minute Dungeon around a special place in a jungle or rain forest which is frequented by butterflies and their offspring each year.  Also, if anyone knows who created this particular image, in parody of the Very Hungry Caterpillar, I'd appreciate a clue. Thanks! 

Empedocles' Feast Framework

Link to Google Doc version to this draft: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dNOAFp1uXey31at2_Br0OKOQd3UmUA3jdXEEA6GM5z8/edit?usp=sharing This was prompted as part of the March 2024 Blog Carnival, with a topic of " Feasts, Foods, & Fancy Drink, oh my! " Edit: Here's the month end round up of this prompt . Tables to generate feasts in my Tressagros setting, which is vaguely reminiscent of the Mediterranean coast in the late Roman Empire.  Gods honored are noted in parentheses. The tables are broken into four sections:  who and what the feast is for, what happens, intentionally or not, what’s served (meager hosts might not have all courses, wealthier hosts provide more options), and what does one’s behavior earn them. The Event Who Throws the Feast?  1d6L (1d6L: roll two dice, usee the lower) A freehold farmer who has benefited from the PC’s actions. A merchant the PCs frequently supply or purchase from. A local priest or lay religious officer A local mayor or council