Randomized Tables
Party
Makeup Maker
With a few dice rolls, you’ll think
you’ve been campaigning together for ages.
oleplaying isn’t just about understanding 11 Study buddies... ...who like to cut corners.
R your own backstory—it’s about the 12 Former prison ...who created their own
connections you make with the other cellmates... language.
players at your table. This table is meant 13 Siblings... ...in love with the same
person.
to help players develop an immediate connection with
other members of the party, as well as a motivating factor 14 Stepsiblings... ...who are relentlessly
competitive.
or shared detail that will inform how your characters
15 Half-siblings... ...who never met their dad.
interact. To use it, roll 1d100 with the person to your left
Magician and ...who refuse to be
and right at the table (skipping this step if that person is 16 assistant... separated.
the GM), then find the corresponding entry on the table. 17 Benefactor and ward... ...on the lam.
For extra variance, roll 2d100 and use a different entry ...on a months-long
bender.
for the second column. Once you’re done, every player 18 Knight and squire...
will have at least one direct connection to another party 19 Mogul and hypeman/ ...trying to launch a new
member, and some will have two. woman... product.
20 Twins... ...who are literally attached
at the hip.
GM Note
21 Landlord and tenant... ...who are trying to outlast
These relationships are often intentionally vague, one another.
so as to give players more room to expand on
them as your game unfolds. That said, those that 22 Cousins... ...who created a
are specific could directly conflict with characters’ controversial new religion.
backstories—and if that’s the case, feel free to roll
again. And again and again and again until you find 23 Bartender ...who have the same exact
something the duo partnering up can agree on. and patron... conversation every day for
eternity due to a hex.
24 Roommates... ...who can never remember
each other’s name.
25 Amateur athletes... ...who have a bone-
deteriorating curse.
1d100 Relationship Detail 26 Actor and director... ...who have publicly stated
1 their hatred for the arts.
2 Parent and child... ...who are not on speaking
3 terms. 27 Neighbors who’ve lost ǽǽǽ +! +ȉ1 Ɯ +! 1%"&/
4 Stepparent and
5 stepchild... ...who don’t trust each other. their homes... insurance agent anywhere.
6
7 Members of the same ...who are enablers. 28 Teacher and star ǽǽǽ4%, /" ,3"/ ,+Ɯ !"+1
8 guild... ...who keep distracting one pupil... and underprepared.
9
10 Childhood another. 29 Subjects of an arranged ...who speak to each other
sweethearts...
marriage... through other people.
30 Bounty hunter and ǽǽǽ4%, -&00"! ,ƛ 1%" 4/,+$
Co-workers... ...who secretly think the quarry... people.
other is useless.
31 Performer and stunt ...who get mobbed by fans
Coach and trainee... ...who have a not-so-secret double... wherever they go.
handshake.
32 Inventor and test ...who just lost their
Sponsor and acolyte on ...who have no sense of subject... funding.
a vision quest... direction. 33 Victims of the same ...and one is a fraud.
criminal...
Beloved comedy duo... ...who can’t stand the sight
of each other. Explorer and local ...who are carriers of a
34 guide... deadly virus.
...who get into shouting
)! Ɲ *"0ǽǽǽ matches. 35 Traveling fans of the ...who are fresh out of
same bard... narcotics.
Partners in crime... ...who are hiding a dark
secret. 36 Amatuer sleuths... ...with insomnia.
37 Honey ambassadors... ...who are deathly allergic 70 Prize winners of the ...who harbor resentment
to bees. same sweepstakes... over a misunderstanding.
38 -1 &+ +! #,/*"/ Ɯ /01 ǽǽǽ4%, 02ƛ "/ #/,* 71 Legendary adventurer ...who don’t believe the
mate... seasickness.
impersonators... rules apply to them.
Ghost hunter and ...with a healthy fear of
39 client... bears. 72 Club owner and bouncer... ...who lack scruples.
40 Personal trainer and ...who love a good high 73 Gambling buddies... ...who refuse to bathe out
new charge... Ɯ 3"ǽ of superstition.
Estranged aunt and ...who constantly argue 74 Reporters on the same ...who have uncovered a
nephew/niece... about money.
41 beat... vast conspiracy.
42 Poet and muse... ...who gossip about each 75 Freelance ...who’ve lost a skull of
other incessently. gravediggers... great import.
43 Addict and ...who won’t ride wagons 76 ,)2+1""/ Ɯ /"Ɯ $%1"/0ǽǽǽ ...who never met a pun
sponsor... #,/ #" / ,# # ))&+$ ,ƛ ǽ they didn’t oversell.
44 Historian and part-time ...who’ve stolen a prominant 77 Subjects of the same ...who need a way out.
demon...
assistant... author’s book idea.
78 Sociologists researching ...who are dangerously
Summer camp
45 counselors... ...who despise children. a thesis... curious.
46 Members of the same ..who have lost their faith. 79 Refugees of the same ...who bicker to pass
temple... calamity... the time.
47 Co-conspirators in a ...who are losing their nerve. 80 Bandmates... ...who are both certain they
would-be coup... are the talented one.
48 Longtime family ...who have made a death 81 Terrible hypnotist and ...who are gawked at
friends... pact. lone success story... wherever they go.
49 An alchemist’s ...who always have snacks 82 A noble and a pauper who ...who are trying to sell the
assistants... on hand. changed places as a bet... rights to their story.
83 Animal rights activists... ...who are self-righteous.
50 Veteran cop and a ...who are becoming what 84 Strangers who saw one ...and are marching toward
rookie... they hate.
another in a dream... their doom.
51 Strangers mistaken for ...who simply love a good 85 Noble and housecarl... ...who refuse to talk about
their scars.
one another... showtune.
52 Traveling tome sellers... ...who are both behind on rent. 86 Bird watchers seeking a ...who are relentlessly
53 Reluctant acolytes on a ...who would rather be rare warbler... positive.
mission trip... carousing and carrying on. 87 Retiree and ...who are terribly
replacement... homesick.
54 Roving restaurant ...who have been banned
reviewers... from several establishments 88 Thrillseekers with the ...who get antsy when
same guidebook... forced to stand still.
throughout the realm.
55 Government ...who have misplaced their 89 Strangers indebted to ...who love a good bribe.
inspectors... &!"+1&Ɯ 1&,+ǽ the same crime lord...
56 Merchant and hired ...with little respect for 90 Architect and ...who accidentally
security... authority. foreman... destroyed a whole town.
57 The brains and the ...who love a good prank. 91 Accused of the same ...and one of them is
brawn... crime... !"Ɯ +&1")6 $2&)16ǽ
58 Fellow orphans... ...looking for a mysterious 92 Competitive eaters... ...who don’t care for
benefactor. crowds.
59 Concerned parents... ...trying to stop a 93 Professional ...who have three
dangerous outbreak. grapplers... catchphrases each.
60 Astronomer and ...worried about the same 94 Undercover cops... ...who are disguised as
astrologer... comet. humble pastry chefs.
61 Co-authors of a self- ...who are shameless self- 95 Real estate ǽǽǽ4%, +ȉ1 01,- Ɲ &--&+$
developers... property.
help book... promoters.
62 Forbidden lovers... ...who must prove 96 Debt collectors... ...who constantly trade
themselves to a noble lord. memories of the good ol’ days.
63 Strangers linked by a ...who lose control of their 97 The creators of a new ...who know they’ll be
ale... famous one day.
cursed item... faculties once every 1d6 days.
64 Town council ...who take pleasure in 98 Escapees from the ǽǽǽ4%, 01&)) % 3" Ɲ 0% (0ǽ
members... undercutting each other. same cult...
65 Robber barons... ...who are strangely anti- 99 Veterans of the same ...who get a new tattoo
capitalism. war... together every week.
66 / %",),$&010 ƞ "/ 1%" ...who don’t know they’re A popular charmer and
same artifact... being followed. 100 the goofball they bet ...who may also be falling
67 Spy and handler... ...who are in deeper than they could make seem in love.
they know.
cool...
Alumni of the same ...who know each others’
68
school... dark secret.
69 Co-chairs of a planning ...who need 1,000
committee for a major signatures by next month.
carnival... The Game Master’s Book of Random Encounters 251
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The Game Master’s Book of Random Encounters 253
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Acknowledgements
JEFF WOULD LIKE TO OFFER A FAIR AMOUNT OF THANKS...
...to the incredible team at Media Lab Books, without whom these pages would not have
been created in any capacity. To Jasmine, for being an incredible collaborator and GM—this
project would not have been possible without your inspiration and illustrations. To Liam,
for providing material for this title that was so good it forced me to ask you to provide more.
To Andrew, for answering all my RPG-related questions at any hour of day. To Paige and the
Pretty Six, Jake and the Frothy Frogs, and each member of both the Jimmy Plural Project and
the Gathered Company for helping assess (and in some cases truly derail) this material when
it was just a bunch of random ideas. Your input and insight, whether intentional or not, helped
to make it better. To Nick, Fiona, Buttons née Dijon Mayo, Trousers (R.I.P.), Malbec Whitetail,
Zariel and Aemon—may your death saves always be ten or better. Finally, to my incredible
wife. This title would not have been possible without your support (in allowing me to play
hours upon hours of games each week), your patience (when I came home late from said
games) and overall guiding yet not smothering presence. Every moment with you feels like
rolling a natural 20.
JASMINE WOULD LIKE TO THANK...
...my parents, for letting me come back home so I could work on this project. Your support
and unconditional love is pretty great, not going to lie. Liam, for introducing me to the world
of TTRPGs and for contributing some sweet locations to the book—without you I wouldn’t be
writing this and the lack of TTRPG content in my life would have left me hollow. My long-term
campaign boys: The Drop Ins—Red, Mantl, Elisa, Adelise and Rajaa—I’m still waiting for the
day I’ll get enough time to have a villain monologue before their untimely death. The incredible
parties who helped playtest this content: Seaman, North Sandhole, Yola Bean and Dortaela, as
well as Dimitri, Felix, Grandma Hassle and Paerty.
My incredible friends who encourage me every day to keep going: Becky, Natalie, Lauren,
Sean, TJ, Shastra, Emma, Kelly, Liisa and Jarred—love you guys.
And, of course, Jeff. I ended up losing count of the times your writing has made me laugh. It’s
been such an amazing experience collaborating and illustrating your crazy ideas.
The Game Master’s Book of Random Encounters 255
Your GMs Are...
JEFF ASHWORTH is a writer, editor and storyteller whose credits
include work for Disney, Nickelodeon and World Wrestling
Entertainment. When he isn’t working on special projects for Newsweek
or Media Lab Books, he enjoys playing and designing games with his
friends. In his role-playing career he has gambled with giants, sweet-
talked succubi and devastated dragons without breaking a sweat. In
the real world, after failing a late-night Perception check, he was nearly
crippled by a foot-piercing d4. He and his wife live in Brooklyn, New
York, with their dog, Zelda.
JASMINE KALLE is a writer, illustrator and editor hailing from the
sunny tropics of Brisbane, Australia. She has a Master of Arts (Writing,
Editing and Publishing) and several years of TTRPG experience—though
she doesn’t tend to put that second part on her CV. In 2018 she embarked
on an important quest that lead her to the frozen winter tundra of New
York and it was there that she first discovered some rather interesting
dungeons, went on to fight more than a couple of dragons, and hasn’t
looked back since. When she’s not traveling and running games for
various friends around the world, she returns home to hang out with her
cat, Kiba, and dog, Otto and regale them with tales of her adventures.
OTHER CONTRIBUTORS
LIAM GALLAGHER is a writer and gamer living in Brisbane, Australia. He has
a great love of traveling in worlds both real and imagined. The fact that the latter
is usually cheaper is no doubt responsible for his obsession with TTRPGs. Whether
daydreaming about some future Antarctic expedition or GMing a crew of friends on a
rollicking pirate adventure, his main wish is to have either his mind’s eye or his actual
fleshy eyeballs pay witness to new and incredible sights.
MICHAEL SHEA is the creator of the wildly popular website Sly Flourish (slyflourish.
com) and the award-winning author of The Lazy Dungeon Master, Return of the Lazy
Dungeon Master, Fantastic Adventures: Ruins of the Grendleroot and many other RPG
supplements. He has worked with numerous RPG companies including Wizards of the
Coast, Kobold Press, Pelgrane Press and Sasquatch Games. Shea lives with his wife,
Michelle, in northern Virginia.
ENHUCNODURENDTS EORF S
POBSILSLIIBOINLSITOFIES
ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING ELEMENTS of any 5th edition
tabletop roleplaying game is that the story can go anywhere at any time.
Unfortunately you, the game master, can’t possibly prepare for every
unpredictable request, unfortunate die roll or unbelievably bad player decision.
That’s where this massive tome comes in. Featuring more than 500 maps,
roll tables and story hooks, The Game Master’s Book of Random Encounters
is chock full of taverns, tombs and tantalizing twists as well as useful NPCs and
story variants you can use to enhance an ongoing campaign or launch
an entirely new adventure—all with a few simple rolls of the dice.
INCLUDES
Eight one-shot A random NPC d100 tables for
adventures suitable generator to create curses, dreams, party
for all levels of play characters on the fly connections and more
Compatible with your favorite 5th Edition
Fantasy Tabletop RPGs!