400 Fantastic Materials
Occasionally, the DM will need to introduce a fantastic magical material into his campaign. Such a material might be required as an ingredient for a PC wizard's magical research (especially if the DM is using the fantastical approach to magical fabrication described on page 84 of the Dungeon Master's Guide), it might be the focal point of a quest, or it might be a necessary component to remove a curse.
If the DM has no specific material in mind, he can generate one by rolling 1d20 two times on Table 19. The first die roll selects an element from Category A; the second die roll selects an element from Category B. The selected elements become part of this phrase: "The (Category A) of a (Category B). " For instance, if the first die roll is 3 and the second die roll is 5, the fantastic material is "the breath of a butterfly."
If he desires, the DM can simply pick elements from each category to form specific materials. He can also substitute similar elements for the choices in Category B. For instance, he might substitute "bumblebee" for "butterfly" (so the example above becomes "the breath of a bumblebee") or "diamond" for "stone."
If random rolls produce results that seem inappropriate or frivolous (such as "the breath of a stone"), the DM can roll again for either category or substitute any category choice he wishes. Unless the DM has a specific meaning in mind, the players must discover the precise meaning of a fantastic material or the means to produce or locate it. Discovering the meaning of a fantastic material can easily become the premise for a new adventure.
Table 19: Random Generation of Fantastic Materials
|
D20 Roll |
Category A |
Category B |
|
|
1 |
song |
stone |
|
|
2 |
dream |
flower |
|
|
3 |
breath |
meadow |
|
|
4 |
memory |
child |
|
|
5 |
heart's desire |
butterfly |
|
|
6 |
teardrop |
mountain |
|
|
7 |
strength |
grain of sand |
|
|
8 |
smile |
snowflake |
|
|
9 |
blessing |
flickering candle |
|
|
10 |
touch |
widow |
|
|
11 |
courage |
eagle |
|
|
12 |
scent |
tombstone |
|
|
13 |
whisper |
dragon |
|
|
14 |
kiss |
skeleton |
|
|
15 |
shadow |
mermaid |
|
|
16 |
wisdom |
river |
|
|
17 |
secret |
unicorn |
|
|
18 |
sorrow |
goddess |
|
|
19 |
epitaph |
giant |
|
|
20 |
gratitude |
city |