Lets play with some random tables from TotGaD II

Let play with some random tables and dice and talesofthegrotesqueanddungeonesque II and a little of I
if you want to play along in the home game you can find the free pdf on his website or the low-priced spooky dead tree version here

I find this set of books especially useful and useful
is what i tend to look for in rpg books.

if you are not familiar with the world he is working on and his blog, then go check it out, no better time than the present since its that spooky time of year.

im sitting down with some dice and the some of the many random tables for what follows in an example of how i can get something useful out of this set of books.  everybody these days reviews books on their blogs, so i wanted to do something different and use the book to create something using the tables for  randomizing a strange land, monster, wizards tower, and thieves guild. i used some of the tables in the first book also on name generation, dive bars, and strange orginizations

A Visitors View of the Random CityState  of TotGaDEGaD  

Built upon a sky-island by ancient psychonauts  and governed by a conspiratorial council  of brier masked men known as the Pallid Lodge of Mourners, this centuries old city of twisting roads and glass buildings is a wonder to behold.

Floating above a dense forest inhabited by arboreal giants bent on destroying the sky island due to their own Litost (i am sure i used that word wrong, if you get nothing else out of these books you will get some dictionary use, which i like) traveling to and from the city itself might be a challenge. 

The fashionable elite of the city wear bouffants and tough looking leathers while they ride about in giant snail driven chariots on their way to the opera house of meng-tarathia or off for a dish of catoblepas steaks in an underdark peppercorn sauce.  The less fashionable might be seen attending the year long festival of the king of forgotten sorrows in their jewel toned crush velvet attire or frolicking at shrines in worship of the Fallen Star of the Firmament.

Be very sure to cash in any coin at one of the many Bank of the Crystalline Union of Sewerjacks for the only currency used for exchange in the city is a highly polished glass marble in different sizes based on denomination. and what ever you do, do not talk about the weather, it is a crime

For those visitors seeking a little adventure in in the city, i might recommend visiting either the 

Dread Coterie of Dream-thieves, a group specializing in air-ship piracy and rumored to be headquartered  at The Cracked Actor, a seedy oil wrestling venue run by Angelia Dewitt. (just dont look into her eyes)

or the Black Hall, a tower owned by Bramblefordina Amarinth, a practitioner of Inter-Planetary Travel, easy to find by the constantly raging storm over the observatory and surrounded by perpetually skeletal trees. (just be careful about what doors you open inside, you never know where you might end up)

Know Dangers of the City 

Eye Hounds

these small creatures composed of little more than a large floating eyeball  with reptilian scaled wings  and withered hands hover about the cities rooftops at night scooping up wayward fiddlers and the like for their unknown masters

1d8 appearing 2HD AC 5 attacks 1 1d4 with paralytic touch (see invisible)

Torch Grimalkin 

Viscous partially invisible cats seen only by the shifting waves of heat lifting off of them that haunt the lesser populated areas around the city

1d6 appearing 4HD AC 5 attack 1 bite 1d4 and special 1d10 slam attack from pounce. anyone near them in melee range takes 1d4 heat damage around and due to their mostly invisible nature -2 to attack

  Armoured Hermit Cephalopod 

These octopus like creatures inhabit old suits of rusty plate Armour much like a hermit crab and wander around looking for better armor attacking anyone in fine plate  

1 appearing or a group of 1d3 arguing about a suit of magical Armour 

6HD AC-1 attacks 6 whip like appendices 1d6 and 1 mental blast 1d8 stun

these creatures are 50% resistant to magic/psychic attacks

So, there you go i used a couple of  books, some dice and about 20 minutes and came up with a city and area, some new monsters, some organizations, a potential adventure site at the wizards tower and tons of ideas. i find these books useful and i hope you do also

if you haven't download a copy or ordered it yet, here it is again

NEXT WEEK

Im gonna take this setting from the books and write up a SWN sector around it, because Gothic Space, sounds fun and scary