100 Minor Ill Sendings. Let the punishment fit the crime.

100 Ill Sendings.

A list of minor, unpleasant, malevolent, and inconveniencing random events.

On occasion, Player Characters may commit infractions, of alignment, of their religion, of the sensibilities of eldritch creatures, or of the tenets of their own philosophy. These actions will draw down upon them, a rebuke, or correction, by the Gods, or the spirits, or Fate, which is justly deserved.
This is a listing of small unpleasantries which may be visited upon blasphemers, reckless alignment violators, disregarders of Karma, or other unwise transgressors.
This list is meant to add spice and atmosphere to the game without inflicting serious play penalties on the characters.

It is more conducive to supporting the feeling of immersion in the game world by having the characters humorously bedeviled by minor irritants and afflictions, than it is to have the player become annoyed by greater than necessary punishments. A game master, who is too often, too heavy handed, will soon have no game to master.
The corollary of this axiom is that, the game master who does not judiciously enforce the consequences of such verisimilitude violations, risks losing the enjoyable suspension of disbelief and investment in the reality of the game world which makes the best play experiences possible.

Should the player make the connection between his actions and the ill sending, and take steps to make amends, the Game Master should immediately rescind the punishment.

The Game Master may pick an ill sending which seems fitting for the transgression, or a pair of ten-sided dice may be rolled to choose one at random.

The Gods are vindictive and fickle, Fate does as she will, and the spirits are not mocked. Roll the bones and let wrong-doers taste of their just desserts.

1. Temporary loss of sight in one eye. Lack of depth perception causes a -2 to hit penalty for 1d4 days.

2. A painful boil appears on the transgressors back-side. The PC is unable to ride a horse, or sit in a chair until it is lanced, or healed by a cleric.

3. PC bites his own tongue. It will be difficult to understand his speech for 1d4 days. Spell casting may be impaired.

4. PC stubs his toes severely. His movement rate is decreased by 1/3 for 1d4 days.

5. Sharp earache. Hearing reduced on one side for 1d4 days. This may well increase the chance of the PC being surprised in some situations.

6. PC runs into object, he suffers a black eye for 1d4 days.

7. PC develops sudden thirst for alcohol. Must Save vs. Spell, or drink themselves into a stupor at the first opportunity.

8. PC will be kicked by next horse or mule encountered. No damage taken, however, the PC will be knocked flat and stunned for 1d4 rounds.

9. The stitching fails on the PCs foot gear. Sole and heel on one boot or shoe falls off.

10. Pinkeye, PC suffers -4 to charisma for 1d4 days.

11. Severe, unmanageable flatulence for 1d4 days. PC will not be able to hide from creatures which track by scent, or sound.

12. PC loses the power of speech and may only make animal noises for 1d12 turns.

13. The next time the PC raises a glass, or any drinking vessel, it will shatter and spill its contents.

14. PC experiences a momentary feeling of intense shame.

15. PC suffers a sudden break out of severe acne. Lack of repentance may result in scars.

16. PC develops violent allergy to leather.

17. Anything the PC eats for the next 1d4 days will taste only of ashes.

18. PC becomes color-blind for 1d4 days and perceives only black, white, and shades of grey.

19. PC’s nostrils filled with the scent of moist ordure for 1d4 days.

20. PC becomes obsessed with collecting small, non-valuable objects, such as stones, feathers, sticks, etc. Condition lasts for 1d4 days.

21. For 1d4 days, normal fires gutter and go out if PC comes within ten feet of them.

22. PC’s armor and weapons become severely rusted overnight. They are not restorable and must be replaced.

23. PC hears a loud rooster crow at random intervals for 1d4 days. No one else will hear this.

24. PC spontaneously loses a tooth.

25. All of the victuals which the PC is carrying suddenly spoil.

26. PC weeps tears of blood for twenty minutes.

27. PC will fumble during the next encounter, whether it is a combat situation, or not.

28. PC may not speak normally, and may communicate only by singing for the next 1d4 days.

29. PC loses understanding of the concept of personal space, and for the next 1d4 days, becomes an incorrigible face-talker.

30. PC compulsively narrates all actions as though telling a story for the next 1d4 days.

31. PC’s feet emit a tremendous stink for the next 1d4 days. It will not be possible to attack with surprise.

32. All natural animals avoid contact with the PC for the next 1d4 days.

33. PC becomes compulsive knuckle-cracker. This annoys everyone.

34. PC becomes obsessed with an archaic and no longer popular game. PC will constantly talk about the game with any one near, regardless of their lack of interest.

35. PC must open and close every door encountered three times before moving on. Compulsion lasts for 1d4 days.

36. PC’s body hair becomes thick and ape-like for 1d4 days, before falling out and leaving the PC completely hairless.

37. PC forgets the names of all associates and comrades.

38. PC falls asleep for 1d4 days. If awakened, the PC will return to sleep in moments.

39. Hiccups for 1d4 days without pause.

40. Nose drips uncontrollably for 1d4 days.

41. Tongue grows eight inches in length. It is very difficult to understand the PC’s speech. This condition lasts for 1d4 days.

42. PC’s toe nails and finger nails turn black and fall out.

43. For 1d4 days, the PC believes he is a chicken.

44. A dozen flies buzz about the PC’s head for 1d4 days. No matter how many are killed, replacements arrive shortly.

45. Foot fungus.

46. PC sees tiny creatures, jeering malevolently, out of the corner of his eye. They vanish if looked at directly. The visions last 1d4 days.

47. Spontaneous incontinence for 1d4 days.

48. PC becomes obsessed with star gazing. He will speak of little else for 1d4 days.

49. A mark symbolizing the displeased power appears on the PC’s neck.

50. PC grows a pair of goat horns overnight. The horns fall off in 1d4 days.

51. Sunlight becomes painful for 1d4 days. The PC will avoid the sun.

52. PC grows a dog’s tail which indicates mood by wagging, hanging, bristling, etc. Tail falls off in 1d4 days.

53. Any maps or writings created by the PC are unintelligible gibberish for the next 1d4 days.

54. PC shivers with cold no matter the temperature.

55. PC feels a powerful revulsion for gold and will neither touch, nor carry it for 1d4 days.

56. PC hallucinates bursting into flame once per day for 1d4 days.

57. Any wooden object the PC directly touches for the next 1d4 days will become warped to the point of uselessness.

58. PC’s handedness reverses. -1 to hit for 1d4 days.

59. Cloth rots away at the PC’s touch for the next 1d4 days.

60. PC’s face swells to twice normal size. -4 reaction adjustment for the next 1d4 days.

61. A light rain falls on the PC for the next 1d4 days, regardless of whether the PC is in doors, or out of doors.

62. PC’s left hand develops a mind of its own, and an opposed alignment for 1d4 days.

63. Pigeons flock to the PC in great numbers. 3d20 appear when ever the PC ventures outside for the next 1d4 days.

64. For 1d4 days, whenever the PC opens his mouth, a bug flies down his throat.

65. PC manifests a piggish snout and boar’s ears. The PC may be mistaken for a half-orc. Condition lasts 1d4 days.

66. PC appears to show symptoms of a much feared plague. While suffering no real ill effects, the PC will be an object of fear for 1d4 days, and will likely be driven from any population center.

67. The PC is compelled to eat any normal bugs encountered in the next 1d4 days.

68. PC vomits up a normal, non-venomous snake, one time.

69. PC will be mistaken for an infamous highwayman upon his next visit to a town or city of any great size.

70. PC loses all sense of direction for 1d4 days. Cannot tell east from west, north from south, right from left, or up from down.

71. PC is visited by disturbing dreams until amends have been made for the infraction.

72. The next time the PC rides, something unseen will startle the horse, and the PC will be thrown. The horse may run off.

73. The PC will drip with sweat until the offended forces are mollified.

74. The PC will talk in his sleep, saying outrageous lies about his comrades for 1d4 days.

75. One of the PC’s eyes changes color.

76. PC develops a severe facial tick.

77. PC is unable to refrain from referring to his associates as, “Berk”, for 1d4 days. This is very irritating.

78. PC becomes a compulsive note taker, writing down the minutia of every encounter, descriptions of rooms and monsters, etc... The PC will steal spell books for writing materials if others run out. Condition lasts for 1d4 days.

79. PC becomes an insufferable armchair philosopher. He will madden his comrades with nonsensical theories for 1d4 days.

80. PC suddenly speaks a language that none of his associates understand, and only that language. This lasts for 1d4 days.

81. The PC will spontaneously break into a manic dance in any stressful situation for the next 1d4 days.

82. The PC’s hunger becomes insatiable. He will devour all of his own rations within a day, and thereafter plead with his fellows to give up their own supplies. He will steal if no charity is forthcoming. The hunger will abate in 1d4 days.

83. PC is unable to stand and must crawl on all fours during the next 1d4 days.

84. PC gets something in his eye once per day for the next 1d4 days. This will be dirt, grit, bugs, and bits of bark, whatever exists in the area. This will be painful and distracting and will occur at the worst possible moment. Fumbles in melee, or spell failures may result.

85. PC begins pissing in his bedroll at night. This will continue until atonement for the infraction has been made.

86. Once per day, for the next 1d4 days, the PC will step in ordure of some particularly nasty type.

87. All sentients who encounter the PC for the next 1d4 days will be certain that the PC owes them money.

88. The PC’s teeth become adult horse teeth. He will be unable to fully close his mouth and will likely drool much.

89. The next ladder or rope the PC attempts to climb or otherwise use will break at the most inopportune moment.

90. An agonizing headache comes and goes randomly for the next 1d4 days. PC will react violently to loud speech or noise.

91. PC’s foot will fall asleep and remain so for the next 1d4 days. The feeling of pins and needles is maddening.

92. For the next 1d4 days, the PC will awake with a fine layer of gritty sand coating his body underneath his clothing.

93. Any water the PC drinks for the next 1d4 days becomes piss.

94. The PC will be unable to keep track of time for the next 1d4 days. He will fail to act at the agreed time or meet for a scheduled rendezvous.

95. The PC will feel the need to inventory the party’s goods and equipment twice a day for 1d4 days and will not be dissuaded from it.

96. The PC will be totally convinced of the notion that he is of a different class. A cleric will think he is a thief; a magic-user will be certain he is a fighter. For the next 1d4 days he will act the part with conviction.

97. Every time the PC opens a door for the next 1d4 days, he will hit himself in the face and take 1 point of damage.

98. The next time the PC enters a tavern or bar, a misunderstanding will occur whereby the patrons all believe the PC is paying for drinks. There will be a large number of them, and they will be uninterested in hearing protestations of the error by the PC.

99. The PC will be stung by an ordinary bee once per day for the next 1d4 days.

100. A brick flies out of nowhere and hits the PC in the back of the head. PC takes 1d4 points of damage.