Sick of the Starter Arcana in the Into the Odd book? Do this instead.
2. You also roll d100 for an Oddity. You know how it works unless stated otherwise.
3. If your character would have an Arcanum, they roll two Oddities and keep the one they like best.
d100 Starter Oddities
- Essence Extractor - Extract the consciousness of a pacified or willing being to be stored within. The consciousness can be injected into the still warm body of a dead being, giving them a new body to inhabit.
- Time Bomb - Time slows down sixty times in a 10m sphere around the blast. Lasts for a minute outside the sphere, or one second inside. One use.
- Helpful Bug - A metal replica of a beetle that can perform simple tasks.
- Plasmic Convertor - Turns a being's blood into a drop of liquid that grants single use of one special property the being has. 2-in-6 chance of converting an undesirable effect instead.
- Homunculus Gum - Whoever chews this gum bonds with the substance, which will begin to shape into a small gummy version of the chewer. It follows orders but has a bad attitude. Adding further gum will increase its size but decrease its loyalty. If somebody new chews up the homunculus, the bond transfers to them.
- Pheromone Pack - One dose each of Attraction, Rage, and Fear pheromones that work on any creature of animal intelligence.
- Beastmode Formula - A liquid tonic that grant the drinker the properties of a specific animal for one minute. Examples are Eyes of a Hawk, Nose of a Dog, Strength of a Bear etc. Three doses.
- Gamma Ray - Fires a green beam (d12). If the target would lose STR, they gain that much STR instead, grow 50% in size, and their physical attacks are Enhanced. If their STR would exceed 21 they explode in green smoke. Any effects wear off when combat dies down. Has 3 charges.
- Amnesia Font - Stored at your house. Any head dunked into the water loses a specific memory as defined by the dunker. Anyone drinking the water absorbs all of the memories lost to the font.
- Wish Spirit - Three measures of liquor that each grant a wish. The wish only lasts as long as the bracing kick of the liquor (d6 turns).
- Duplicator - A coffin-sized box. Put one thing in, get two copies. Both copies are hugely inferior to the original.
- Mammoth Mask - Highly ornate with a prehensile trunk and tusks that can be used as a weapon (d6) at a push.
- Smart Arm - The fanciest weapon you own is also intelligent, communicating psychically to whoever is holding it. It functions as a normal weapon and gives smart advice. Once per day it can Enhance an attack that particularly pleases it, but it can Impair attacks attacks that displease it any time it likes. Roll 1d6 to find its personality: 1: Honourable, 2: Ambitious, 3: Bloodthirsty, 4: Curious, 5: Pacifist, 6: Bored.
- Devourer - A football-sized bug that curls up in your backpack, but can be woken once per day to eat its own size in organic matter, no matter how inedible.
- Truth Leaf - Smoking this hallucinogenic herb reveals a ridiculous truth and a ridiculous lie. Three doses.
- Dehydrated Beasts - Three rubbery things resembling toy animals. If thrown into water, roll d6 to see what the thing expands into. 1: Mishydration (just a mass of twitching flesh), 2: Crush Beast (STR 18, 7hp, d12 Crush), 3: Brain Beast (WIL 18, 9hp, d8 Brain-Ray), 4: Wing Beast (12hp, d8 Beak), 5: Slime Beast (8hp, Armour 2, d6 Slime Spew), 6: Jaw Beast (STR 14, 10hp, d10 Jaws). When there's nothing left to kill, the creature collapses into inert powder.
- Hover Plate - Platter-sized tray that freezes in space if you whistle a specific tune. There's a second tune to release it. It supports up to one person's weight and can be forcibly released with a STR Save.
- Spare Head - A completely different head that you can switch with your own. Both heads can survive just fine off your body, and generally dislike not being the main head. Roll a new WIL score for each head. WIL damage and psychological effects only affect one head at a time.
- Genesis Molasses - A tin of deep green syrup that causes lush vegetation to grow within minutes, no matter where it is spread. If eaten, the victim loses d6 STR and begins coughing up moss.
- Demon Collar - Any being wearing this collar begins to take on a demonic appearance and loses d6 WIL each day. At WIL 0 they lose their identity, claim a new identity in your service, but will only follow instructions that cause harm to others.
- Beserker Gland - When you take Ability Score Loss or suffer serious pain you fly into a rage. If your next attack is a melee attack, it is Enhanced. If it is ranged, it is Impaired. Once the attack is out of your system you return to normal.
- Imprint Capsule - Any being that enters this booth is bombarded with smoke and emerges spluttering. They imprint upon the next being they see and dedicate their life to them until they next sleep.
- Terrormite - A big termite, pinned down in its box. Once released it burrows into the nearest living creature it can find, causing intense pain. Within a minute the victim develops a tough outer skin (Armour 1) and find they can spit acid (d6 ongoing). This lasts for an hour until the victim coughs out d6 Terrormite larva and returns to normal. If two terrormites enter the same host they fight inside them, causing d8 STR loss.
- Chameleomole - A tiny mammal that can phase into any material without disturbing it. It can talk, but is extremely shy and will only answer a question with one word before phasing into hiding in their master's body.
- Earth-Angel - A tiny clay figurine that can be smashed to cause an earthquake. Those nearby are thrown to the ground and all structures take d12 damage.
- Wild Tongue - You can talk with any living thing, but what they tell you might not make sense.
- Spite Wisp - A glowing orb that materialises near to you whenever anybody gets badly hurt (STR Damage). If you will it, it will begin to attack the victim with sparks (d6), disappearing when they are subdued or killed.
- Threatening Probe - Has no function, but glows and vibrates in a way that suggests it could be used for distributing extreme pain.
- Caged Biter - A monkey-like creature (STR 5, 5hp, d6 bite) in a cage. Once released it attacks its designated target and fights to the death, ignoring any further commands. If it wins, it eats some of its opponent before slinking back to its cage. It won't follow any other commands.
- Saucer Scar - You don't remember getting it. In the presence of artificial light it tingles, and you can will yourself to levitate slowly towards the light.
- Maiming Claw - A grappling hook that latches onto living tissue with an unbreakable grip. You know the trick for getting it to release.
- Trick Coin - Looks like a Silver Shilling but has three secret functions that you know how to use. First is a weak light. Second is a powerful magnet. Third is a d10 bomb (destroying the coin).
- Universal Pin - A hair-pin that sticks into any surface, no matter the material. Causes no pain if stuck into flesh.
- Curse Doll - Anything significant that happens to the doll happens to you, beneficial or harmful.
- Snake-Cat - A cloth toy with a snake body and cat head. Once per day you can throw it on the ground and have it transform into a real snake (STR 3, 4hp, d6 Bite, d6 STR loss on Critical Damage) or cat (STR 3, DEX 16, 4hp, d4 Claws) that loosely follows your commands. It returns to its cloth form after a few minutes.
- Second-Chance Skull - If you die, your body disintegrates to ash and immediately regenerates from this skull in perfect health.
- Jerk Sprite - A statuette of dried meat. Whatever eats this will act like an utter jerk for the next hour, even to their most loved ones.
- Powder Sack - Any powder stored in this small pouch becomes essentially unlimited. Turning the pouch inside out empties the current contents, with no unusual effect. Currently contains salt.
- Star-Beacon - A heavy tyre-sized metal beacon (requires two people to carry) with a matching pin-badge. Pushing the badge teleports the wearer back to the beacon.
- Dire Barnacle - Three vicious little mollusks (1hp, Armour 1) that explode in a 2m blast (d8) when killed.
- Ambrosia Seed - A bag of golden seed that any animal can't resist eating if thrown. If they're smart they'll realise you have the bag when the thrown seed runs out.
- Haunted Egg - A stone egg that can be used as a crude weapon (d6). The last thing killed by the egg will inhabit it as a ghostly voice, and will answer questions to the best of its knowledge. It doesn't have any more knowledge than it did in life, but anyone can understand its words.
- Tiny Shield Generator - A rat-sized collar that will creates a force-field (Armour 3) around the wearer. Only works on subjects of chicken-size or smaller.
- Echojector - Hears up to ten seconds of sound and repeats it at vastly increased volume on command.
- Doom Siren - A tiny clockwork box lets out a booming drone when a being within 10ft dies.
- Stick Eye - A glass eye on a stick that the holder can see through.
- Champion's Mark - When you defeat a willing opponent unarmed (even as part of a group) you glow with health and gain the immediate effects of a Short Rest. If anyone defeats you unarmed the Mark transfers to them.
- Hell Spice - Extremely concentrated powdered hot spice. Enough to sabotage three meals.
- Bear Jelly - A pot of jelly that reeks of animal musk. Will scare off small creatures, but attract any large mammals.
- Sub-Flare - A one shot pistol that launches a burning flare immediately skywards, burning through any substance in the way and leading a fist-width hole.
- Orphan's Ruin - 6oz of Milky drink. 1oz pacifies any unease, 2oz causes a deep sleep, 3oz eternal sleep.
- Steel Goggles - When switched on, objects that have a current owner glow faintly green, objects that have been taken from their rightful owner glow red. Objects that have no current claimant look normal.
- Parallel Shifter - A metal tin big enough to fit a pistol inside. If an object is placed inside and shaken, the object is replaced with a parallel version of itself from another reality. Roll d6. 1: Only ash remains. 2-5: The change is cosmetic but significant. 6: The new version is better than the old.
- Brain Jar - A jar of brine and wires that can sustain the brain of a freshly killed creature, allowing it to psychically project its thoughts. The brain must be fed blood or else it dies.
- Stinkincense - A pot of wax with a wick. When burned, sewage slowly drips over from the top of the jar. If left for an hour it will burn out, but produce enough sewage to fill a large room.
- Cosmic Ranker - A grey wand that, when waved between two objects, pulls to the object that it deems best by the standards requested. In case of a tie it flies from the wearer's hand.
- Rail-Lens - Any missile fired through this lens (breaking it) accelerates to impossible speeds, causing d20 damage and tearing through structures.
- Anti-matter Key - When placed in a keyhole, utterly annihilates the door. 1-in-6 chance of annihilating itself too.
- Nightmare Flower - Anyone sleeping in the same room as this flower suffers horrible nightmares. When they wake, they bring back the worst thing from their nightmare with them.
- Sanctuary Idol - Burning a candle in front of the idol causes smoke to billow out and reinforce all doors, open passageways, and windows into the room. Nothing can enter through these as long as the candle burns. Has no effect outdoors.
- Banker Pig - A clay pig with a coin slot. A penny causes an oinking sound. A silver shilling causes it to transform into a normal pig for an hour. A gold gilder causes it to transform into a vicious boar (7hp, d6 gore) for an hour. If it dies in pig form, it never transforms back.
- Evacuation Syrup - Removes any ill effects the drinker is suffering from, including anything short of death, but flushes the body clean in every sense. One dose.
- Alien Bone - Looks like a wishbone, but if broken sends out a psychic wave of pain to all in 10m (d20 WIL loss).
- Savage Vine Berries - If eaten, rapidly growing vines erupt from the mouth (d6 STR loss) and grow into a sprawling vine filling a large room and clinging to whatever surface it can. 2 berries.
- Ghost Story - If you tell this story to somebody as they fall asleep, their ghostly skeleton leaves their body for the night, returning when they wake. The skeleton acts as the owner wishes and is completely immaterial.
- Companion Ball - A hollow ball that rolls behind you and never stops trying to follow you. Can pop open to store a head-sized object or smaller.
- Green Soil - Small pot of soil. Any plant that is planted into it will grow a whole season's worth of growth in one minute, but otherwise grows normally.
- Pyrophone - A klaxon-like horn that repels fire away from it.
- Stem-Stone - Pebble that transforms into whatever inorganic substance it last touched. Currently the leather of your pouch.
- Maggot Prince - A tiny maggot with a gold band marking. Flies and maggots will vacate the area to make room for it, and anything that eats bugs will be strongly drawn to try and eat it.
- Ovality Bomb - Explodes in a cloud of beige dust, forming a 2m high egg around the blast area. Nothing inside can break out, but the outside is easily broken. The egg keeps its contents alive in a happy stasis until released.
- Worldly Tortoise - A small tortoise (STR 2, DEX 1, WIL 6, 1hp, Armour 1) that knows the way to anywhere you ask, but gets there very slowly.
- Fantastic Machine - Huge machine stored in an old factory. Has a slot where paper instructions can be inserted, with a coin slot for a 10s payment. After an hour of clinking it produces a rough approximation of the requested item, but anything fancy is poorly made.
- Unstoppable Rod - When thrown, nothing stops the movement of this rod, including gravity. Eventually flies off into space regardless of its trajectory.
- Slam Bomb - Causes all doors and windows in a large-room sized blast to slam open or shut, even if secured.
- Air-Sac - A membranous sac on your chest that you can inflate to 2m in diameter. Your lungs can draw on the air within, but remember the inflated sac floats.
- Gore Candle - Any injuries that happen in the presence of this candle's light are extra painful, messy, and harmful, doubling any STR loss caused.
- Skeletal Dove - Carefully assembled. Can be crushed to unleash a cloud of confused doves.
- Slaughter Brand - A three-pointed mark on your hand. When you kill a worthy opponent, one point turns darker. When all three points turn dark, your arm grows into an unnaturally strong, chitinous claw (d10 damage) for the next hour. When your arm returns, the brand resets.
- Noble Tumor - This visible growth absorbs the next harmful effect to enter your body, whether poison, parasite, curse, or otherwise, before dropping off.
- Blank Contract - A contract with blank parts. Can be modified into any sort of deal you wish. The first party to break the contract is blasted with a beam from above (d12, ignore armour) and the contract dissolves into shredded parchment.
- Utility Orb - Any tool that could plausibly exist in a mundane pocket-knife has a 50% chance of existing in this orb. Keep a track of what tools it does and doesn't have.
- Cocoon Wax - Anything covered in this wax is sealed off in a cocoon. After 24 hours it bursts free as a winged, hostile version of its previous self. One use.
- Plague Wart - A carefully extracted wart sealed in a jar. Anyone that touches it contracts a disgusting plague, losing d6 STR each hour. Any touch immediately spreads the plague. There is no cure that you know of.
- Ego-Mirror - A pocket mirror that functions as normal, but doesn't reflect anyone looking in.
- Fetch-Pearl - A silvery pearl that can attach to any item submerged in water. On a mental command from you, it floats to the surface, carrying whatever it is attached to. If attached to the ground, it just rips up a large chunk of it to fetch.
- Tiny Phantasm - A floating mass of swirling colours the size of a penny. It follows your every command and leaves a multicolour trail across any surface it touches. Cannot physically interact in any other way.
- Prosthetic Tail - A metal tail that straps to your body and functions as a third arm.
- Devil Salts - Awakens any creature from sleep or unconsciousness, but they flail and scream in terror for a few seconds first. They have no memory of this afterwards.
- Phase Tonic - A dose sends you out of sync with reality for around ten seconds. You can act as normal, but when the tonic wears off, time snaps back to the point before you drank and all actions are undone. The dose is still consumed. 2 doses.
- Reconstruction Silk - A handkerchief that repairs any object it is draped over for an hour. The object must be small enough to be covered.
- Sabotage Disc - A disc of metal that can be slipped into even the most tightly cased machine, causing it to immediately malfunction in the most serious way possible.
- Preserved Soul - A tiny shriveled humanoid that can be thrown into a fire to release a flailing alien apparition (d8 eye-beams, immaterial, lashes out for 1d6 turns before vanishing in a flash of light).
- Animation Oil - When rubbed onto an object, it springs to life for the next hour as your loyal servant. One dose.
- Pain Wire - Causes instant agony when touched by bare skin (you have gloves). 20m in length when uncoiled.
- Hunger Clamp - A small clamp that can be clipped onto loose skin, causing the victim to have a ceaseless hunger, which they'll do anything to sate. They suffer no ill effect from over-eating, but will not starve any faster than normal.
- Proxy Chain - When two or more beings are in contact with the chain, any harmful effects that affect one of them affect all instead.
- Tin Buddy - A can that springs out to a 2ft tall automaton (2hp, Armour 1). He is loud, annoying, and doesn't do a good job of whatever you request. Has no real means of fighting.
- Broken Basilisk Symbol - Two pieces of an astral symbol set in lead. Anyone that pushes the pieces together while looking at it loses d20 WIL.
- Gallon-Syringe - A tiny syringe that can draw up to a bath-sized amount of liquid.
I like these very much. A cool list that I can see a use for :)
ReplyDeleteThese are great! Thank you for confabulating and compiling this creative list.
ReplyDeletei wish to cast enlarge object on the unstoppable rod, and then point it at the ground. how many earthquakes did i just cause?
ReplyDeleteA tiny one, directly beneath the point of impact. The rod then bounces back and into space. Nothing stops the rod, but there's no rule stating it can't be redirected.
Deletemy physics degree would like a word with this ruling, my conductor license shuts it up and smiles warmly.
Delete