the old woman who lives
The king
1. The NPC is attuned to a
cursed object, but the
object is definitely
benign.
2. There have been a lot of
local disappearances, and
the NPC knows more
about it than they should.
3. A high-ranking general is
stealing army supplies
and selling them to a
rival nation.
4. The upcoming royal
marriage is a sham, the
princess is trying to
cancel the marriage to
marry a common folk.
Rumors are that it could
even be a half-orc!
5. The NPC has an old
flame in high-rank
society. The NPC could
ask for a favor, but it’s a
bit humiliating due to the
NPC’s low station in life.
6. The queen once hired
assassins to kill the king,
but the king is still alive
and married to the queen.
7. The royal court seems to
have a strong hatred of
silver and they only use
gold for their silverware.
8. The local baron is raising
funds to bring a printing
press to the local village.
While the baron claims
it’s for knowledge, the
NPC heard that the baron
had made a deal with a
devil for it.
9. A business leader
recently tracked down a
fallen meteor. Ever since
they brought it back into
town, they’ve been
acting strangely and
buying up large amounts
of black obsidian.
10. Five years ago the mayor
disappeared for a week.
No one knows where the
mayor went and the
mayor claims that they
were here the entire time.
11. While there are very
good baked pies at the
local tavern, if you are
seeking the best, go to
that have risen.
a mile outside of town in
the forest. Some say she
is a hag, but the NPC
knows that they are
actually a different type
of fey spirit.
12. The kingdom is
completely bankrupt and
won’t be able to pay its 19.
soldiers in a month. It’s
best to get out now… or
maybe this is a good
opportunity for a new
king to take over.
13. The border skirmishers
between the two
neighboring kingdoms
isn’t what it seems. They 20.
aren’t fighting each
other, but rather a
growing rebel state.
14. There is an assassin, the
Black Lotus, currently in
town who once killed a
high priest. The NPC is
unsure what job they are 21.
on or who they are going
to kill, but it must be
someone powerful for
the assassin to come.
15. There are old mines just
a few miles outside of
town, orcs have recently
taken up a stronghold
there and have found a
rare metal that only orcs 22.
can hear. It’s supposed to
be metal created by their
prime god.
16. The mayor was seen with
a widow just a few days
ago sneaking out of the
widow’s back porch
early in the morning.
17. The trade caravan
leaving the city in a few
days is carrying more
than just food, but also a 23.
powerful magic item that
is headed for the ruler of
the kingdom. Don’t tell
anyone!
18. There is a secret entrance
into the castle that will
take you directly to the
throne room. It’s located
in the crypts, so no one
goes down there since
there are so many draugr
hasn’t dealt with the
draugr on purpose to act
as extra protection,
though they claim it’s
because it would be
disrespectful to their
ancestors to ‘kill’ them
again.
The local church leader
recently got a suit of
plate armor enchanted by
a wizard to ward off
demons. The leader kept
saying ominous things
about what was to come
during their last
congregation.
Located beneath the
temple dedicated to a
deity of love is their child
encased in a massive
emerald. It’s an
empyrean that has been
there since the church
was founded.
The king’s great-
grandson is a
doppelganger. The NPC
found it out because the
great-grandson frequents
a tavern the NPC goes to
regularly and they saw
the doppelganger kill and
steal the great-grandson’s
body!
While it may appear that
the city is run by the lord,
there is someone behind
the lord who actually
runs things. The NPC
had met the shadow-ruler
only once before in a
small wharf and given
very specific orders,
failure to follow them
would’ve resulted in the
NPC’s death.
There is a cave far to the
North of town that has
veins of silver throughout
it. The NPC has been
making treks to it every
week under the cover of
night and bringing back
large chunks of silver to
sell. Many of the
villagers are starting to
get suspicious of the
NPC’s newfound wealth.
24. There are several
abandoned buildings in
the town, though only the
NPC seems to have
noticed them. No one
else in town can see
them. The NPC is pretty
sure that it is because
they are the only ones
who are ‘real’ - everyone
else are part of a clever
programmed illusion
spell.
25. There is a dragon nearby
that the village pays an
annual tithe too. The
NPC is aware that the
dragon has a weak spot
in its hide, they had seen
it the last time the dragon
had come to collect its
tithe.
26. The king has a strange
mental affliction that
makes him only lucid
once a minute for only a
few seconds. No one has
been able to remove the
affliction, and so the
council has decided to
hide the king’s affliction
and act like nothing is
wrong, ruling in the
king’s stead. In fact, the
NPC knows that the
council has no intention
of ever removing the
affliction.
27. While the village is
currently in a frenzy
searching for a missing
child in the local woods,
an NPC knows the real
truth. The mayor ate the
child.
28. There is an invisible
floating island thousands
of feet above the village!
It’s true! The NPC saw a
bird land on the island
and just sit on it with
nothing below it! It’s
definitely there!
29. The village has a large
number of stray dogs, but
no one knows why…
Well, except for one
barkeep who was once a
druid before they lost
their close connection to
the land and gave up on
nature. Now they just
seem to attract dogs, but
they don’t know why.
30. A wizard may have
learned a new type of
magic, one that drains
the physical nature of
one creature and transfer
it to another. It leaves the
initial creature forever
weakened, its strength
permanently given to
another. These weak
individuals have just
been left discarded in the
streets, far too terrified to
talk of their experience.
31. This NPC is definitely
not three goblins in a
large cloak. That would
be ridiculous. Also, it
would be totally
ridiculous if you thought
they might be planning
an attack on the village.
They are completely
human doing normal
human things like a real
human. Very human
indeed.
32. The local monastery is
actually the training
facility for a group of
psionic assassins, at least
according to a rather
nervous traveling
merchant who is unsure
if they were seen the
previous night when they
stumbled upon a meeting
between the assassins.
33. Supposedly, within the
catacombs beneath the
city streets, there is an
artifact hidden within the
crypt of a great cleric
who had founded the
city. The artifact was
said to have been able to
destroy all undead within
a thousand feet of
whoever wielded the
item.
34. The tunnels of the
subterranean lands below
the surface were carved
out, not by dwarves, but
by a god cursed to never
see the sun ever again,
but rather to wander
forever lost within the
planet.
35. The nearby rocky hill
that towers over the
village isn’t what it
appears to be. In fact, the
NPC swears that it saw
the hill BLINK! It’s just
a matter of time before it
awakens.
36. The local thieves guild is
in a huge uproar!
Someone killed their
leader and now they are
infighting to see who will
be the next leader. A
rather popular thief has
garnered a lot of support,
but the NPC is pretty
sure that an assassin has
been hired to kill them by
the ruler of the city to
keep the thieves fighting
amongst themselves.
37. It’s been unseasonably
cold this summer, with
huge snowfalls every
night. While no one
around the town seems to
know why, a lone hermit
has been seen dancing in
the snow every morning.
38. There is an old,
abandoned castle nearby.
The NPC got the king to
agree to give them the
castle if they could clear
it out of monsters.
39. The NPC knows an
alchemist who has
successfully transformed
copper into gold. They
are now buying up all
copper they can find,
including copper coins.
40. The NPC recently saw a
warband of orcs while
they were walking
through the forest. They
are unsure if they should
warn the mayor,
especially since the town
had exiled the NPC for
‘no reason’.
41. The NPC can’t stay dead.
While they can be killed,
they always come back
to life in a few hours,
healed of any wounds.
 While they haven’t tried
to destroy themselves
completely, they have 46.
restored to life after
losing body parts, fire,
and more.
42. The king’s prized
hunting dog is more than
a mere pup, but a
shapeshifter!
43. The NPC saw a curious 47.
exchange happen in the
woods a week ago. A
group of goblins was
selling ‘dragon egg’ to a
pack of kobolds for lots
of weapons. Though, the
NPC is confident that the
‘dragon egg’ was
actually the egg of a 48.
wyvern, which they are
sure the kobolds won’t
be happy about once it
hatches.
44. The NPC has the best
business idea that will
make everyone rich!
They are going to start
selling potions and will
get six people to also
start selling potions. And
then those six people will
get six other people to
sell potions. And then
they’ll get six other
people to sell potions!
They’ll all be bosses of 49.
their own business and
everyone will make so
much money selling
potions!
45. There has been a string
of high-profile robberies
among the noble class,
and no one is sure how
they’ve done it. No locks
have been tampered with,
magic was ruled out, and
no one has been hurt.
What others don’t know 50.
is that the NPC is
responsible and that they
have been doing these
robberies on homes that
they have repaired in the
past. As a carpenter, they
know how to build the
perfect secret door that
no one can spot from the
outside or inside of the
home.
While most nobles are
aghast at the upcoming
wedding, only the NPC
knows that the groom is
being forced to marry the
bride due to political
black mail by the bride’s
head of house.
The NPC hasn’t realized
it yet, but the NPC
knows one of the parents
of an adventurer in the
party. That parent owes
the NPC. The NPC will
piece it together in two
separate interactions with
the adventurer.
The NPC knows of a
hidden site not too far
into the forest where an
ancient battle must’ve
been fought. The
weapons and armor do
not age while in the field
but begin to age as
normal once removed.
The NPC occasionally
‘liberates’ armor and
weapons from the
battlefield to sell in town
though no one else
knows where the NPC
keeps finding the ancient
items.
The NPC once tricked a
dwarf into a drinking
contest and won, learning
the secrets of forging a
unique dwarven metal
that is the alloy of gold
and copper. While it is a
malleable substance after
being forged, it is
incredibly deadly when
used against orcs but
tends to dull or break
quickly.
There is a family of rat-
humanoids living in the
forest that the NPC has
befriended. They trade
with the rat-humanoids,
offering worked metal
and tools, in return, the
rat-humanoids offer
secrets and information
on the NPC’s friends and
enemies.
51. News hasn’t been
released yet, but the NPC
has heard that the
parliament is looking to
overthrow the king. They
are holding a vote in just
a few days and it isn’t
looking good for the
ruler.
52. A city sunk long ago
below the waves, but the
NPC is pretty confident
that it is still there,
encased in a powerful
field of magic. While
they don’t have a map,
they do have a fragment
of an old legend that acts
as the first stepping stone
in their journey. They
just need help getting
beneath the surface of the
world and into the Dark
Below.
53. There is a horrific plague
in the city that is only
affecting gnomes and
halflings. While no one
knows where it began or
how to stop it, since most
magical cures can’t stop
the disease, the NPC has
heard that the first cases
started in the slums
located along the
waterfront.
54. The NPC found a piece
of ancient magic that
only functions for a rare
number of people,
regardless of race. The
NPC is unsure of who
made it the item, what
the item does, or even
why only certain people
can use the magic. What
they do know, is that an
adventurer in the party
seems to cause the
ancient magic item to
vibrate with unseen
energy.
55. There once was a flying
city, or at least, a floating
city made of cloud itself.
It long ago crashed into
the dense jungle only
about a week’s hike
away where dire lizards
roam. Someone brought
 back a very rare jewel
and the NPC wants to
hire an expedition to
bring back more.
56. The lord of pirates has
been acting strangely.
The NPC believes that
the pirate lord may have
been replaced by an
imposter, but isn’t sure
where the real pirate lord
might be, or even if they
are still alive.
57. A family or friend of the
NPC is being held
hostage. Unless the NPC
does what the kidnapper
wants, the NPC’s family
or friend will be killed.
The NPC will have to
betray one of the
adventurers in the party.
58. The NPC once saw
several men jump off a
dock, and then swim
under the dock and
disappear. They are
pretty sure it’s the secret
entrance to a thief's
hideout.
59. The king’s advisor plans
to betray them. The NPC
isn’t sure how they
know, but they are
confident that the advisor
is working for the
enemy.
60. The NPC saw an exact
duplicate of one of the
adventurers in the party
behaving in a very cruel
and foul way. The NPC
is not aware it is a
duplicate but rather
thinks it is the real
adventurer acting in such
a way.
61. The nearby dwarven city
has closed off its
mountain to all outsiders,
though no one knows
why except for the NPC.
They know that the
dwarves have learned of
a dragon that will be
raiding the surrounding
area and are getting their
defenses together. The
dwarves have not told
anyone because they
don’t want others to be
prepared so that the
dragon will go after the
easier treasure instead of
attacking them.
62. The king’s longevity
isn’t due to any natural
or magical abilities they
possess, but rather from a
strange potion that their
court alchemist creates.
The NPC knows what
ingredients the alchemist
needs, including an
incredibly rare heartstone
found miles below the
surface. It’s a red gem
that flexes in and out like
a beating heart.
63. The ancient tomb that
houses an ancient hero is
actually empty, at least
as far as the NPC knows.
The hero had actually
betrayed the land, though
any knowledge of the
true events is lost… but
perhaps might be found
inside the tomb.
64. There is an orc siege
heading for the city, and
the NPC is doing
everything it can to
ensure no one is prepared
for it.
65. One of the major
advisors to the king is the
head of the thieves’
guild, and the NPC is
willing to share that
information… for a
price.
66. There is an ancient site,
deep in the desert, where
magic is said to be dead.
The NPC has journeyed
there once before but
refuses to tell anyone
where they found it. No
one else has located the
temple, but there are
many legends of it.
67. The head of a large and
powerful noble family
isn’t who they appear to
be. In fact, they are a
vampire, a secret that
few even in the family
know.
68. An artifact linked to the
plane of fire is said to
exist within an erupting
volcano, though it
produces such heat that
even fire giants shy away
from its flames.
69. Under the local tavern is
a series of rat-tunnels
that leads to the
abandoned labs of an
archmage, at least that’s
what the bartender
believes.
70. A group of kobolds have
entered the town,
promising great wealth to
any who join their cause.
They are seeking to
destroy a band of
bugbears, goblins, and
hobgoblins that are
encroaching on their
tunnels. Of course, what
they don’t mention is that
there are no goblinoids.
Just a very hungry
dragon.
71. The NPC is seeking new
members for its cult
dedicated to a creature
made of elemental
energy. The NPC first
obfuscates their cult, but
has several missions that
will bring new power to
the cult in the
surrounding caverns.
72. There is a spider in the
dream realm that
captures the dreams of
others and feeds off their
psychic energy, typically
in the form of devouring
memories and secrets.
Those who can kill the
spider are said to be able
to pull out pearls of half-
devoured memories. The
NPC has very good
reason to believe that one
particular dream spider is
feeding on its dreams and
that it wants its memories
back that it has devoured.
73. A troll is living on a
bridge just a few hours
walk out of town, and an
NPC knows about it. It
has made a deal with the
 troll, the NPC will send
adventurers on some
meaningless quest that
will take them along the
bridge, the troll gets to
eat them, and the NPC
gets any magic items on
them.
74. The huge guard dog that
patrols the king’s
gardens every night has a
special weakness that it’s
trainer uses to control it.
The NPC needs the
players to get the secret
out of the trainer for…
reasons.
75. At the king’s ball, there
was quite a scene
between two nobles who
dueled over a lady’s
honor. The NPC knows
that that was staged,
during the chaos, a thief
stole some treasure from
the vaults but left almost
everything else
untouched.
76. A merchant recently
arrived in the city with
quite a peculiar
collection of
merchandise to sell,
hand-crafted statues of
animals and a single
humanoid in a suggestive
pose. While most of the
statues are quite benign,
the humanoid is actually
a thief that has been
transformed into a statue
by a cockatrice. The
merchant and the thief
work together, the
merchant selling the
statue and then after a
day, the thief is no longer
petrified and steals from
whoever bought the
statue.
77. A thief is said to have
learned how to phase
through solid walls like
stone or wood, and has
robbed several powerful
noble family homes.
What the noble families
won’t say is that they
actually hired the thief to
rob them, so that they
could defraud insurance.
78. Within the cemetery is an
old mausoleum covered
in runes. This is the site
of a wizard’s tower,
though it is hidden within
the mausoleum in an
extradimensional space.
A lonely widower saw
the wizard enter the
mausoleum and when 83.
they investigated, the
wizard has shrunk down
to the size of a mouse
and vanished into a wall!
79. Hidden below the king’s
prison is a prison of
horror and nightmares.
Strange monsters from
the Dark Below are said
to be housed there,
responsible for ensuring 84.
that the most dangerous
of mages and criminals
are securely held in
confinement. An NPC
thinks they know of a
way to sneak down there
and rescue one of the
prisoners who was once a 85.
rebellion leader.
80. One of the temples has
permanently closed its
doors for over a week.
No one is quite sure what
is happening within, but
the abbot and all of the 86.
priests have barricaded
themselves inside. They
will only allow others of
their order to enter as
they embark on a special
endeavor to bring about a
powerful magical ritual
that will further their
deity’s cause.
81. An alchemist has 87.
developed a concoction
that they hope will make
all creatures immune to
the curse of lycanthrope.
They just need to hire a
few adventurers and see
what happens.
82. There is a nearby
abandoned castle that is
said to be taken over by
orcs. In truth, a wizard
has taken up residence to
create all manner of foul
magical creatures with a
blog of flesh being the
latest creation. To test
out the new experiment,
the wizard is hiring
adventurers to ‘clean out’
the castle of orcs, once
the party arrives, they’ll
have to fight off this
flesh blob instead.
Everyone knows that the
king is unwell, but the
NPC knows that the king
is being slowly poisoned
by the members of their
family. In actuality,
multiple people are
working on poisoning the
king without the
knowledge of anyone
else doing it as well.
The shopkeep down the
street has just brought in
a shipment of illegal
drugs. The NPC is
seeking someone skilled
enough to liberate this
shipment and bring it to
them.
Beneath the city is a
fighting pit where
adventurers fight against
monsters. Many times,
these adventurers aren’t
always willing
participants.
A strange group of
people have entered the
city, all wearing golden
masks. They seem to be
seeking something, but
no one has figured out
what the group is up to.
The NPC believes they
are after an artifact
hidden within the crypts.
The NPC offers a deal to
one of the adventurers in
the party. They can
unlock great power in the
adventurer, in exchange
they must go on a small
adventure. In truth, the
NPC is possessed by a
demonic force, and the
‘power’ it offers is to
possess the adventurer’s
body and control them.
88. A dockworker has
recently disappeared.
They had fallen off the
docks and when people
went to investigate, they
were missing in the water
and the surrounding area.
The NPC swears that,
while they had been
drunk, they had seen
several tentacles pull the
dockworker deeper into
the water.
89. A large wave crashed
through the port city
recently, a strange event
that has never happened
before. While most
believe it was just a freak
of nature event, the NPC
is confident that it was a
gargantuan dragon turtle
that caused the wave to
destroy much of the city.
90. An NPC is said to have
portent visions, capable
of seeing prophecy and
future paths. In truth,
they are actually a
powerful hag who uses
the information they
collect during their
seances to further their
own plots.
91. A sudden sickness is
spreading through the
city and is highly
contagious. The clerics
are unable to keep up
with how many people
are becoming sick, and
even if they do heal
someone of a disease,
they are likely to come
down with the sickness
in just a few hours. An
NPC is responsible for
this sickness, they found
an old treasure buried
within a cairn and
brought it back to the
city with them. Only they
seem to be immune to
the disease.
92. The newest judge in the
city seems to hold the
law in very high esteem,
though everyone who
appears before them is
deemed ‘guilty’. The
NPC is pretty sure that
the judge is a devil, but
doesn’t have evidence
yet.
93. Serpent-folk are 100.
kidnapping people in the
village and taking their
places, the NPC can
totally prove it! The
people may look the
same, but the NPC
swears that they saw one 101.
of these imposters flick
their tongue out like a
real snake!
94. Far beneath the mountain
at its very roots is a
trapped primordial of
earth and fire. The giants 102.
have been called to its
prison and ordered to
unleash it, if they are
able to do so then the
mountain will erupt into 103.
a massive volcano.
95. A dragon slayer is
looking for adventuring
companions to help them
defeat a massive, ancient
dragon. The dragon
slayer will let the
adventurers get 104.
themselves killed
fighting the dragon, and
then the slayer will face
off once the dragon is
weakened.
96. The town drunk is more
than they appear. They
were once the general of
the armies, but they
found their ruler to be 105.
too distasteful.
97. A high-ranking member
of the court is actually
the leader of the most
vile and powerful gang in
the city.
98. The town’s local
executioner has been 106.
abducting people from
town and experimenting
on them. They are
hoping to uncover the
secrets of life and death
and find a way to non-
magically revive their
lost love.
99. A local ‘sorcerer’ in 107.
town doesn’t actually
have raw magical talent
but is a wizard who acts
as if they can innately
cast magic.
There is a tarrasque
sleeping under the city.
The NPC believes that
the royal family knows
and that they know how
to awaken it in case the
kingdom is ever attacked.
(name) has been
embezzling small
amounts of money from
her/his boss for the last
few years. She/he has
amassed a small fortune
and no one is any wiser.
(name) has a secret stash
of valuables hidden
under a cobblestone
somewhere on Fish-hook
Lane.
(higher class) has been
spending an awful lot of
time in the poor
neighbourhoods of
(district). Behaviour
entirely unbecoming of
someone of their station.
What are they up to?
(name) has been
diagnosed with
Moonmoth Sickness, an
incurable disease that
will consume her/his
mind before year's end.
She/he can't bear to put
her/his (relation, name)
through it and plans to
disappear before the end.
(name's) former business
partner (name) packed up
and left town after a
heated argument. That's
the story, anyway. You
know that his corpse is
actually at the bottom of
the river.
(name) always wears
such fine clothes and
jewellery, don't you
think? I wonder how
she/he can afford them.
Maybe it has something
to do with the fact that
her/his brother works in
the House of the Dead.
(name) has been living
under a false identity for
 the last 8 months. She/he
pledged service to The
Monastic Order of
Humility and Civil
Virtues and found that
they could not cope with
the level of austerity and
self-denial required of an
initiate. She/he has
renounced their oath, a
crime punishable by 999
days’ hard labour in
her/his home country.
108. Painting a pair of tits on
a statue of (your
favourite no-nonsense
god) is not a good idea.
(name) found this out the
hard way and is currently
lying low to avoid
righteous retribution
109. (tradesman) has no idea
what they're doing.
She/he conned their way
into a job and now they
come to work every day
and do whatever they can
to avoid being found out.
110. (name) believes
herself/himself to be the
47th avatar of the
Exalted Sun King. The
time is not yet right for
the mere mortals of
Byzantur to bask in
her/his Radiant Glory.
111. (upper class/merchant)
never actually learnt how
to read. That's all well
and good for the lower
orders but for a
woman/man of their
station it is disastrous. If
people ever found out
she/he would be
humiliated/ruined.
112. (name) appears to live
the respectable, if
somewhat boring life of a
(profession). However,
noises have been heard
coming from her/his
basement. Weird noises.
Inhuman noises.
113. (name) is in possession
of some very sensitive
information about a
certain member of a
noble family. They are
currently attempting to
blackmail this person for
profit.
114. 'Quicktooth, dagger that 121.
split the heart of the
goblin lord, Rakipak' has
been in (name's) family
for seven generations.
That is, until two weeks
ago. She/he lost it in a
game of Liar's Dice and
had to buy a cheap
imitation so that her/his
relatives don't find out. 122.
115. Every couple of days
(name) goes for a drink
with her/his old military
mates at the Man-at-
Arms. Funny how none
of the barmaids have
ever heard of her/him...
116. (name) was part of the
crew that burgled the
Silversmith's guild hall 123.
last week. A small
fortune in silver was
taken and a reward has
been posted for it's
return, and the heads of
those responsible
117. The price of meat is
ludicrous these days! It's
a good thing that (food
server/innkeeper) has 124.
found a nice cheap
alternative to the
conventional fare. Please
tell me you haven't eaten
here.
118. (innkeeper)'s business is
booming! Funny how
that happens when all the
nearby tap-houses sell 125.
ale that gives you
horrendous diarrhoea.
I'm sure it's just a
coincidence though...
119. (name) has no secrets. At
all. They don't seem to 126.
posses any kind of inner
life whatsoever. At the
end of the day they just
sit on a chair in the
corner and wait, sleepless
and motionless until
daybreak, when they start
over again.
120. (name) stands to gain a
lot when her/his miserly
aunt finally kicks the
bucket. Which, according
to the apothecary, should
be any minute now.
(name) hates halflings.
That's not really a secret
though. She's/he's pretty
open about that. What
she/he won't tell you is
that she/he killed two of
them last week. Yeah.
Just shanked 'em up. No
reason, either. What an
arsehole, right?
Two weeks ago, (name)
accidentally broke into a
secret room in the sewers
while expanding her/his
basement. It was filled
with a smuggler's stash
and (name) has been
sneakily stealing small
amounts from each
shipment.
Three days ago (name)
killed a man on a whim
near the docks. She/he hit
him over the head and
held him under the water
until the bubbles stopped.
It made her/him feel
powerful. She's/he's
planning on using a knife
next time.
(name) started the fire
that killed those 12
people on Lansdowne Rd
last week. She/he wasn't
trying to hurt anyone,
just give her/his ex-lover
a scare. She/he is
thinking of turning
herself/himself in.
(name) is actually a
doppler. It found (name)
dead in in her/his shop
and decided to just take
over their life. It's all
going rather well so far.
The mayor is planning to
have some adventurers
exterminate those
kobolds who live west of
town. (name) thinks it
would be possible to
negotiate with the
kobolds instead.
(Particularly as there are
rumors of a kobold
named T'krr who is
planning to fight back...)
127. (name) is a well-
respected paladin of
(deity), but he/she used
to be an infamous pirate
who eventually reformed
and tried to start a new
life. If this secret was
revealed to the paladins,
(name) would be
excommunicated; if the
pirates found out, they'd
hunt down (name) for
being a traitor.
128. The old beggar drunkard,
(name) is really the
missing king/queen in
disguise seeing firsthand
how the other half lives.
Truth be told, he/she has
grown quite fond of
his/her new life of
complete freedom and
lack of responsibility,
and has been doing so for
the past six months.
129. (Priest/Priestess of city's
major god) has been
collecting money for the
temple's upkeep, but the
temple always seems to
be in some form of
disrepair. Occasionally,
minor repairs are made.
Maybe construction is
more expensive than
you'd think, but that
much money can't just
disappear like that...
130. The total madman is
raising a dragon
hatchling, ok let's step
down a few levels, a
baby owlbear in his
basement!
131. Used to be a slave-owner
and has destroyed several
lives before escaping his
nation and settling down.
Is still haunted by this
past, and also one of his
previous subjects is out
for revenge.
132. Is actually three small
gnomes in a suit of armor
and exists in a strange
ritualistic life of guarding
the gate, pretending to be
a shy human, writing
fake love-letters to the
fisherman's wife and
"accidentally" being seen
slipping them there. The
fisherman just thinks he
is a total whimp and does
not care at all thinking
that his woman ignores
him, whilst his woman
doesn't want to hurt the
presumed guard's
feelings and believes her
man doesn't know. The
true mission of the three
gnomes is to map out the
city for the gnome king.
133. Does not support the
government at all and is
secretly meeting with a
small group of people to
conspire.
134. Threw the apple that
killed little Joe Sinker
at that day.
135. Does in fact not have a
house, but keeps stealing
expensive clothes to
wear and is known as a
mysterious trader of
finest nuts, which he
does collect with a
trained squirrel.
136. They enjoy cross
dressing in a culture
where it is frowned upon.
137. They have a collection of
special beads which...are
smelly...and often in
use... Referencing these
beads will make them
crap their pants in fear.
138. They are hiring people to
bring them (insert gender
here) (insert race here) so
that they can make a new
skin suit and wear it
around.
139. They have the largest
collection of erotic
pottery in the area and
are freaked out at the
prospect of any of it
breaking.
140. They belong to an
organization that is quite
racist/intolerant toward
(insert race/creature
type/gender here) though
in secret this person has
been dating one of those.
And it's love...
141. They have a secret child
who they keep in a
distant place, hidden and
are quite protective of.
142. (name) is secretly
abducting the
townspeople and
preforming experiments
on them in his/hers secret
lair.When will (name)
strike next?
143. Four days ago, (name)
discovered a book of
forbidden lore. It tells of
a prophecy that he/she
will die a horrible death.
(Name) will prevent the
prophecy from being
fulfilled at any cost
144. (Upper-Class
merchant)has come
across a demonic artifact
that has corrupted
him/her. He/she is now
plotting to kill and
sacrifice the king to a
demon lord.
145. (name) is known for
his/her beauty and
vitality. To bad he/she
has to sacrifice people in
order to keep his/her
youth
146. The NPC is secretly a
Fetchling in a human
city. The NPC keeps it
secret but the party may
find an artefact from the
shadow plane in their
room.
147. The NPC has a phobia of
lobsters and general fear
of shellfish.
148. The NPC is allergic to
cranberries. Players may
find they carry a dnd
equivalent of an EpiPen
149. The NPC is a chef who
keeps a secret recipe for
his special sauce. Letting
the world know the
recipe to it would be bad
for business.
150. They cannot refuse any
request phrased in a
particular way ("Would
you kindly", etc)
151. Their famous and
powerful sibling has sent
out members of their
 court to summon them
for a ceremony granting
them far more wealth and
importance than they
currently have, but
they're barely holding on
to their sanity with the
pressures of their normal
life, and accepting the 157.
post would destroy them.
152. Every night of the new
moon, when the orb
hangs black in the sky,
they must go out into the 158.
city, and bring back a
foot to transmute into a
'lucky' rabbits foot, to
continue their streak of
good luck. The child who
'donates' rarely survives.
153. They apply a special face
cream every night to stop
those around them from
seeing the horrors of 159.
their true face! The
cream must be applied
every night or else their
real face will be seen!
(Their true face is just
their normal face, but the
person believes that 160.
without the cream, it is
hideous and malformed)
154. They walk the streets at
night as the protector of
this city, The Knight of
the Bat, and are willing
to fight to protect their
secret identity lest their
mortal foe, the Tricksy
Jester, exact terrible
revenge on their loved 161.
ones.
155. They walk the streets at
night, if you know what I
mean, wink wink, nudge
nudge, nod's as good as a
wink to a blind bat, say
no more, say no more,
eh?.
156. They are, in reality, a
small but potent chunk of 162.
a gelatinous cube,
fashioned into the shape
of a person, and
bestowed with 163.
intelligence and a moral
compass (an actual
compass, in the shape of
a pocket watch). Were
they to be discovered,
their master would be
terribly disappointed that
their little joke had been
found out, and would
bring ruin to the city that
the Cubelet has grown to
love.
They have a crippling
addiction to beets, and
are desperately trying to
find a new supplier that
they can trust.
Their beloved cat / dog /
lizard / pet is actually an
animated statue given to
them by their late spouse.
If the rune on the back of
the statue was to be
damaged, they would
lose the last thing that the
love of their life ever
gave them.
They write smutty stories
in their spare time. Their
pseudonym is actually
really famous, but it
would bring great shame
on their family if anyone
found out it was them.
despite their parents
sending them to the best
wizard school money can
buy, they only know a
few cantrips like minor
illusion etc they use to
disguise the fact. Plus
some magic items. Their
"spellbook" is actually
just full of their AWFUL
poetry.
the wizard's cat
"familiar" is actually
his/her polymorphed
wife/husband,
punishment for an unpaid
debt. They're desperately
looking for a way to
reverse it, and people are
starting to ask where
their spouse went.
they are actually 3
kobolds in a trench coat
and a liberal dose of
disguise magics.
they have a business on
the side negotiating
"demonic crossroads"
contracts for interested
parties. Awkward since
they're a high ranking
official in (insert goody
two shoes/anti demon
religion)
164. they're juggling two
families who don't know
about each other. Story
told is they travel a lot
for business...
165. secretly has an extra toe.
Is convinced if anyone
found out they'd be
burned at the stake for
witchcraft. Which is
ridiculous and makes no
sense but they believe it,
which is what's
important.
166. -(name) is secretly a
retired pirate credited
with kidnapping a noble's
daughter decades ago.
There is still an
outstanding bounty for
his capture.
167. -(name) is secretly a
member of a cult which
is trying to summon a
terrible evil that the other
cultists claim has power
to grant wishes.
168. -(name), who is married,
had an illegitimate child
with a prostitute at some
point after getting
married. He does not
know the child exists.
169. -(name) is a descendant
of a traitorous line of
nobles who betrayed the
king in a time of war.
(name) does not know
this, but if others found
out, (name) could be
lynched.
170. -(name), a noble, isn't
actually a noble. (name)
is just really skilled at
forging documents.
(name) just claimed to be
the descendant of an old
aristocratic couple who
never had any children
and 'inherited' their
wealth.
171. They are deathly allergic
to shellfish. If the secret
got out, people who
wanted them dead or out
of commission could
 achieve their goal all to but they secretly worship
easily. an opposing god.
172. They are an active 173. They are cheating on
member of their Church their significant other
with their body guard.